I still remember vividly my first visit to d’Good Café, located at the rather secluded spot at Holland Village, Level 2 of a shop house. Perhaps it’s the name, which can’t be simple and straight forward enough, or maybe it’s the quaint looking swing that my friend and I had sat for hours chit chatting, overlooking the streets. Excluding the brew bar/kitchen, the café is being compartmentalised into four different settings – The Bar, The Lawn, The Attic and The Balcony over two levels of seating area.
That was 3 years ago, when the menu was limited to some coffees and a small range of cakes. However, I did remember the staff telling me about their ‘create your own coffee blend’ service. I didn’t try it back then, and now I’m back again to experience creating my own blend, as well as have a taste of their expanded menu.
You may find “Blend & Brew the way you like it" at d'Good Café synonymous with what is so-called the Fourth Wave of Coffee. It allows you to create your own coffee blend that is uniquely yours, from a range of single origin beans. The 3-step custom blend process comprises:
(1) Surveying to determine your coffee preference.
(2) Coffee Cupping to confirm preference and beans for blending.
(3) Blending, brewing and naming your own coffee blend.
Imagine having a coffee labelled after you! I name my first coffee blend 7.5 hours, because that was the amount of time that I have spent here that day!
At $12 per session, I experienced one of the most therapeutic coffee sessions I ever had. After I have completed my form, Baristar JJ led the Coffee Cupping. With me, it took about an hour plus to complete as JJ tried his best to answer my queries about coffee, and as the same time, shared his views and experience with me. Why do I find it therapeutic? A standard coffee cupping procedure involves deeply sniffing the coffee, then loudly slurping the coffee so it spreads to the back of the tongue. After which, I need to observe its Body, Sweetness, Acidity, Flavour and Aftertaste. It does take a bit of effort when the differences are that subtle. For $12 a session, it’s definitely worth much more than a movie ticket. Your subsequent order of the same blend will only be at $5.50.
Portobello Mushroom Eggs Benedict 3/5
The café was pretty packed when close to 12 noon. I can see that their brunch items are very popular. For us, we had a go at their Portobello Mushroom Eggs Benedict ($14.50). Juicy Portobello Mushroom in place of your usual toast or muffins, a healthier take on the conventional. I like the idea of taking away the carbs, but I thought it was a little ‘empty’ without ham/smoke salmon or spinach in between.
Chef Alonzo’s Fried Rice 3/5
If you ain’t into eggs dishes, there is also a range of mains available. We tried their Chef Alonzo’s Fried Rice ($13). The Japanese rice is fried with fresh sea prawns, bacon and egg topped with pickled green papaya. The bacon can be crisper and I feel more tang is needed to make it more robust in taste.
Classic Deutsch Skillet Pancakes 3.8/5
What I’m gonna introduce to you is something less common in other cafes - Deutsch Skillet Pancakes. You may have come across these pancakes in the Straits Times Life recently. Baked in a cast iron skillet, the pancake can be eaten as a dessert or as any meal in the day because it is available in sweet and savoury versions.
Banana Rum & Raisin 3.5/5
I tried the Banana Rum & Raisin ($12) before trying the Classic ($8), it’s no surprise why this unadorned version is more popular. Without the distraction of other ingredients, the crust stays fluffy, with a soft and eggy centre. Served with lemon juice, maple syrup and cream cheese, I get to appreciate the light eggy taste of the pancakes. So yummy! Great for first timers definitely. However, for something much more indulgent, with toppings are just as good.
Pomegranate Citrus Smoked Duck 4.2/5
Christmas is coming! With that, d’Good Café is offering to X’mas edition - Pomegranate Citrus Smoked Duck ($13) and Creamy Grand Marnier Fruit Deluxe ($12). The savoury version is scrumptious with smoked duck, mandarin orange, pear, pomegranate, greens, and caramelized cinnamon walnuts. The fruits balanced the richness and saltiness of the smoked duck, and the nuts punctuated the texture really well. As for the festive looking Fruit Deluxe, my camera defintely feasted on it for quite a while. The creamy Grand Marnier sauce was excellent with the fresh fruits and berries.
Creamy Grand Marnier Fruit Deluxe 4.2/5
Other than their pancakes, you may also want to try one of their bestselling signature cheesecakes - Maple Sea Salt Cheesecake. If you like Caramel Sea Salt Cheesecake, this is definitely more appeasing. The maple syrup is able to give the cake its caramel malt notes, without dominating it with sweetness that a caramel syrup might have otherwise done. The saltiness is also just right, when I could hardly detect it in some other such flavour. However, personally I would prefer the cake to be less rich and sweet.
Maple Sea Salt Cheesecake 3.5/5
With the success of the cheesecake, the owner creatively duplicated the flavour into a latte – so you actually get Maple Sea Salt Latte! I still prefer my coffee with a bolder taste like piccolo, which is less milky, but this is something you might enjoy if flavoured latte is your usual choice.
Maple Sea Salt Latte 3.5/5
That day my friend and I were lucky to bump into their special friend Jun, who was there to perform acoustic guitar songs for the guests. So what I have gotten that afternoon was good coffee, good food and good music. So if you are just as lucky as us, you might bump into him too. I hope your visit would be as great as mine!
Photograph and written by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.
d’Good Café
Holland Village
273 Holland Avenue
#02-01/02
Singapore 278992
Tel: +65 62199807
Website
Nearest MRT: Holland Village ( CC Line)
Opening Hours:
Sun-Thu: 10am - 10pm
Fri-Sat: 10am - 11pm
Direction:
1) Alight at Holland Village MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]
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