As more and more new hipster cafe-hopping enclaves that are worth discovering & exploring are just sprouting up all over the island, Tiong Bahru seems to be less interesting than before as it is riddled with so many cafes of the same nature but…
TB truly has this old school charm that is totally unparalleled. And I really appreciate that serenity and tranquility of the ‘hood as I slowly sip my tea and savour my treats as though time has come to a stop for me. Tea time should always be this therapeutic. Somehow food also seems to be much more appetising when you’re in that peaceful state of mind.
One of my preferred TB cafes for tea time comfort is none other than Drips Bakery Cafe for one simple reason – their dessert tarts and quiches are sheer decadence. It’s a guilty pleasure that I wouldn’t mind treating myself to over and over again.
Ample seating space that stretches to the back where there are sofas & couches with low coffee tables to chill out in groups. I really preferred this back area because it’s just more cosy with natural daylight. Just order your food and make payment by the counter on the right and wait for the food to be delivered to you.
The full menu is written on the chalk boards next to the counter. Besides tarts, they also have various sandwiches, quiches and pies. Drinks wise, the usuals of coffee, tea and chilled drinks.
Or you can take your pick from whatever’s on display and whichever catches your fancy. It’s hard to make up my mind because I love all the flavours of the available tarts and I will really need a couple more visits in order to try them all.
For the savoury tastebuds, how about a baguette sandwich or chicken pie?
Even the freshly baked croissants and scones look delish.
On the left, there’s a shelf filled with individually sliced & wrapped cakes of different flavours, cookies, madeleines, etc that we can purchase to go.
When I saw this Smoked Salmon Quiche ($7.80/slice), I just had to order it and I was so glad I did. The custard was smooth and wobbly like a firm & dense ‘chawanmushi’ – that’s how a good quiche ought to be! A generous portion of smoked salmon slices were lined on the bottom half and they really infused a lot of flavour to the quiche – both smokiness and saltiness. The ratio of crust to filling was superb too. Very thin crust with very thick & substantial filling. At that price, it’s really a mouthwatering deal.
While I liked that the quiche and pie were warmed up before being served, this Rosemary Chicken Pie ($5.50/piece) slightly paled in comparison with the quiche.
The filling was moist but I would really prefer it to be creamy inside like a traditional chicken pie. Also the flavour of rosemary was really weak and overall the filling was slightly under seasoned too. I Iiked the crust that was thin, flaky and crispy and there was a half hard-boiled egg in it too. Ooh yeah, I love eggs, lol.
The highlight for me was this Macadamia Nut Tart ($8.00/slice) that boasts a subtly buttery & crumbly crust and a moist, cake-textured bottom layer with a generous topping of whole macadamia nuts. The gloss on the surface came from this layer of jelly-like jam which I couldn’t quite make out its flavour but it wasn’t very sweet, just a tad artificially flavoured. Overall, it was quite similar to an English Bakewell Tart. I love! Macadamia nut fans, please give this a shot! Makes you go nuts! Lol.
Drips Bakery Cafe
82 Tiong Poh Road
#01-05
Singapore 160082
Tel: 6222 0400
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dripsbakerycafe
Website: http://www.drips.com.sg/
Opening hours:
11.00am to 9.30pm (Sun-Thu)
11.00am to 11.00pm (Fri-Sat)