Darrenkane

Interestingly popular place despite the distance from the city. Filled with the average working crowd you would expect in town, you can find them at Chock Full of Beans during the lunch hours. Attracted by the appealing set lunch ranging from $12 to $14, for a main and a drink or a soup, is not too bad of a choice, especially if the drink is of premium coffee. An average size shop, like any other along the Changi Village shops, the owners make full utilise the space by offering al fresco dining. Quite a number will be sitting outside, for 2 reasons. Firstly because they have been in the office for too long and want to defrost, and secondly because there is no other space. We ordered the BBQ Pork Sandwich ($12) and the Salmon Penne ($14). The lunch sets come with either a soup or a drink. We took one of each, Mushroom Soup and a Café Latte. Food didn’t take very long to come despite the full house. Latte came first, then the soups and the mains, as expected.

It seems that Singaporeans are increasingly searching for a good coffee fix all day long. No longer are the Starbucks and Coffee Bean sufficient to quench the thirst of a coffee addict. Many stalls are not coming up with their own coffee drinks and adapting their marketing strategy to suit the market. Rightly so, as I paid a visit to Kiasu Espresso, a branch-off from the popular 40 Hands in Tiong Bahru. Only a few days old and already popular with the working crowd in Tanjong Pagar and in the coffee circles. The owners still making plans of adjusting the fixtures and fittings in the shop. The concept is targeted at people who do not have to time to sit and chat but want their coffee fix. Friendly staff greets potential customers at the entrance of the shop, with the espresso machine behind them. The interior is a little hard and lack the cosy warmth feeling when one says the word ‘café’, but it suits the concepts of a take-away coffee joint well. I had the  café