Habitat Coffee: New Sleek Industrial Cafe at Jalan Besar
It’s interesting to see how brunch and coffee joints have moved around the island over the years, and I starkly remember how Upper Thomson used to be the go-to place for brunch. Of course, there are still several joints that are popular along that stretch— the busiest probably being Columbus Coffee Co.
Habitat Coffee is a name most cafe goers will be familiar with, having been at Upper Thomson since 2011.
Ten years later though, Habitat has moved out and set up shop at the buzzing neighbourhood of Jalan Besar.
It’s fair to say the area of Lavender / Jalan Besar has become quite the place to be these days, with many new names popping up in this area.
Away from the stretch that includes LUCID, Apartment Coffee etc., and closer to the thoroughfare of King George’s Ave, is the brand new Habitat Coffee.
Tucked away under a block of HDB flats just across from the Jalan Besar stadium, the new outlet is pretty easy to miss.
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Once you push in through the glass doors, you’ll find a contemporary industrial space that’s sleek, with the pastel turquoise counter offering a pop of colour to the proceedings.
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I enjoy how airy this new shop floor is, and the whole space looks perfectly updated for 2021.
Moving on to the menu, you’ll find a mix of traditional brunch favourites as well as fusion dishes.
Starting with the Honey Garlic Prawn (S$17), this rice bowl offers Japanese garlic fried rice with prawns sautéed in homemade honey garlic sauce. With a hearty portion of rice, this dish was fragrant and packed with flavour, and I’m happy to report that the prawns were fresh and juicy too.
From the Sandwiches & Sides selection of the menu, we had the BBQ Chicken Wrap (S$14), which came with shredded chicken fillet, their version of pico de gallo with mangoes, melted mozzarella and BBQ sauce. Served complete with a side of fries, the flavours in this wrap worked well together, and reminded me of Tex Mex cuisine.
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Expect to find a selection of coffees and teas, and we had the the Cappuccino (S$5) and Iced White (S$6) which were reliably good.
The desserts menu looked tempting, especially the Matcha Molten (S$12), but perhaps I’ll save that for a future visit.
All in all, Habitat Coffee has done a wonderful job of updating it’s interior to fit modern cafe trends, and as someone who personally loves an industrial look, I genuinely adore this interior.
With an interesting menu, great coffee and a brand new look, Habitat runs like a well-oiled machine.
This is definitely one I’d be happy to keep coming back to, which believe it or not, has become a rare thing for me to say.
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WHERE | 803 KING GEORGE’S AVE, #01-242/244, SINGAPORE 200803
