Old Hen Coffee Bar, Singapore

By Kenny Mah and CK Lim


Coffee is nothing new.

A labour of love by three Lim siblings (twins Ivan and Terry, and younger brother Mason), Old Hen Coffee Bar is instantly memorable; just its name would make you smile. My partner-in-café-hopping tells me that the Hokkien for “old hen” is “lao gui bu” and I smile; it probably sounds cool in any dialect or language.

(German speakers might agree; “alte Henne” sounds awesome too, right?)

Located along Rangoon Road, the quieter end of Farrer Park, the café serves the usual specialty coffee menu (both espresso and filter coffees). Yet it’s hard not to notice almost everyone nursing their signature cold brew in dark glass bottles.

No better relief or thirst quencher on a hot tropical day in Singapore, really.

The coffees come from a variety of local and international roasters. During our visit, we had a flat white made from beans by Singaporean roaster Nylon Coffee and a brewed Kenya using beans from UK-based Workshop Coffee Co. The latter was especially tasty.

For a small place that is famed for their cold brew coffee, Old Hen Coffee has a more than decent food menu. From savoury (cheesy chicken burrito, sandwiches and wraps) to sweet (buttermilk waffles, red velvet cake, and their signature “panna cotta” – a whimsical concoction of vanilla pudding layered with chocolate sauce and topped with salted caramel popcorn), it’s easy to grab a bite or two that satisfies.

When there are only crumbs left on your plate, you know it’s time to order another cold brew. Hooray.

這趟到獅城省親,我們也順道拜訪了幾家咖啡館,
其中最喜歡的要數Old Hen Coffee Bar,
一家光聽名字就讓人不禁微笑;感覺非常親切的咖啡館。
Old Hen Coffee Bar是一家兄弟檔咖啡館,
雖然才開業一年多,三位有魄力的年輕人就已經把這打造成仰光路上的人氣咖啡館。
我們到訪時正逢週末,咖啡館里更是一位難求。

好不容易等到了兩張落地窗前的位子,
我們點了一杯手沖和一杯卡布。
讓咖啡師為我介紹手沖咖啡時,
他推薦了來自英國倫敦Workshop咖啡館的肯亞豆子,
正巧兩年前我到訪倫敦時也拜訪了這家咖啡館,於是便打開了話匣子。
這裡無論意式還是手沖單品都很不錯,
不過據我們觀察,人氣最盛的卻是冷泡咖啡Cold Brew。
裝在深褐色瓶子里冷咖啡,乍看之下還以為是啤酒。
好奇的我們,喝完了熱咖啡也去點了一瓶來試試。
這的冷泡咖啡口感輕盈,在大熱天里來一瓶非常消暑,難怪那麼受歡迎。
這裡的空間不大,也沒有過多的裝潢,
不過那幾盞風扇吊燈非常搶眼,加上友善的咖啡師,
下次有機會,可以再來試試這的甜品,聽說也很不錯呢。

Old Hen Coffee Bar
88 Rangoon Rd, Singapore
oldhencoffee.com

Leave a Reply