6 Letter Coffee Cafe @ 259 Tanjong Katong Road [Singapore] #6lettercoffee #singaporecafes

A cousin from my father side recently opened a cafe and invited the whole bunch of us to visit! Unfortunately, i had been extremely busy with baking mooncakes and only got down to 6 Letter Coffee Cafe on a weekday last week.

To be frank, i absolutely love the vibes when i stepped in; bright with no over-the-top decorations and there were plenty of green plants that contrasted nicely with the place's whiteness!

Complimentary plain water!

Are you the type of person who dislikes paying for plain water?

Ice cream section with delicious-sounding flavours like caramel popcorn, gula melaka, banana nut crunch etc. Sadly, it's just dad and i and we seriously don't have the tummy to squeeze in such a sugar-laden dessert. Furthermore, i have to control my dad's sugar intake for health reason.

Such is the hypocrisy; i can't withstand the look of almond croissants staring at me and requested for a serving too! By the way, i think it's good to make it clear that i paid for this meal and there's just a goodwill discount of 10%.

6 Letter Leaves Tea - i make it a point to order unsweetened tea for my dad nowadays and thought this 6 letter leaves tea would be a good choice. Made up of eight types of tea; jasmine, gunpowder green, se chung oolong, sencha green, lichee green, pai mu tan white, and added with wolfberries, safflowers, mango flakes and rose petals, the mashed flavours were interesting with a touch of zesty aftertaste.

Cafe Latte Regular - personally, i prefer our nanyang coffee over the original, so-called western version but my cousin's wife insisted that i should try their coffee which many customers said was good. Oh well, i guess no harm to get a cuppa and it's nice to see the latte art of a rabbit under the moonshine (due to the recent mooncake festival). Turned out to be better than expected as the coffee wasn't bitter with just the right amount of sweetness.

Almond Croissant - the reputable store at toa payoh offering epic almond croissants is constantly on my mind whenever i try almond croissant from another place and while this one at 6 Letter Coffee didn't manage to reach the top spot; i love the butteriness of the croissant that hit me when i took a bite, coupled with the nuttiness from the almond. I would have liked it to be toasted a bit longer for a crispier bite and would inform the staff to do so the next time i order!

Smoked Duck Carbonara Spaghetti - swimming in the carbonara signature creamy sauce, the presentation was disappointing for a meat lover who was looking forward to seeing more slices of smoked duck!

Turned out they were hidden beneath the paste; even though it wasn't a generous portion, the smoked duck goes perfectly well (in terms of taste and texture) with the carbonara sauce that's surprisingly not as heavy as i thought it would be.

Beef Charcoal Burger - i couldn't decide between all day breakfasts and burgers and when i opted for burgers, i was in a fix on whether i should get the wagyu burger and truffle fries or beef charcoal burger; both of which had that chef-recommended label.

Loving the minced beef burger patty; it managed to retain the juiciness and i absolutely relished the good old taste of burger with melted cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and bacon.

Only one bad comment which i have highlighted to my cousin; the charcoal bun. It had the advantage of being light and soft but it could do better by having a crispier surface and more butter slathered on it.

I topped up S$2 to change the boring fries into sweet potato criss-cuts! Served with a light crisp, it was crunchy to the bite and you must enjoy them with the accompanying dips; the healthy guacamole and a sour-cream one that's refreshing and denser than the store-bought ones! 

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Address

259 Tanjong Katong Road,

Singapore 437047

Map

As above

Opening Hours

8.00 am to 10.00 pm

(Closed on Mondays)

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/6lettercoffee/

Menu

As above. 

Pricing

6 Letter Leaves Tea - S$4.50

Cafe Latte Regular - S$5.00

Almond Croissant - S$4.50 

Smoked Duck Carbonara Spaghetti - S$18.00

Beef Charcoal Burger - S$19.00

(No GST, No Service Charge)

Additional Information

Free plants outside the cafe for those who are interested to bring home for some added greenery. I was tempted but i am not going home directly and feared the plant would not survive my rough handling! 

In case you haven't noticed, there's an 8 Letter ManiPedi within 6 Letter Coffee Cafe. I don't quite understand the link initially but it eventually dawned on me that when the ladies go for manicure / pedicure at the nail salon, the men can just spend their time having a cuppa coffee and / or desserts while waiting for the other half.

Of course can do the same for hair salon but the space taken by 8 Letter ManiPedi wasn't big in the first place and i understand there's no nearby competitor, at the moment.

In addition, you can utilize the free WiFi in the cafe! 

Buy Your Batam Snacks from Pasar Penuin Wet Market #batamsnacks #penuinmarketbatam

In the past, Singaporean visitors to Batam would make a beeline for Yong Heng Food Trading for their local snacks and foodstuffs like keropok. However, things appeared to be different as the name penuin kept popping up when i did my research recently!

We went to check out the place and i was literally blown away by the many snack stores (about 10) on the outer ring of Pasar Penuin Wet Market. Prices were generally cheaper than Yong Heng Food Trading and you can somewhat bargain.

The problem lies with not knowing which shop to buy from.

Nonetheless, always keep a lookout for the canisters of samples! Please be assured that hardworking stall owners would occasionally shove you their samples without you asking but in the event that you couldn't find the sample for the snacks you want; just open your mouth and ask! 

I am always scouting around for 'popular' items and one of them would be the dried keropok (prawn / fish crackers). Why did i mention 'dried'? Because you cannot eat them straight from the bag! According to my mom, you have to sun them first before deep frying them. Their eventual state would be a few times larger.

It came to my attention that many stores had bags of soursop leaves tea and got one pack to try out as I have heard of their health benefits (the fruit itself was said to be anti-cancer; p.s. do read more about it and make your own judgment). 

Mom likes the pickled fruits though; well, i am no huge fan even though i admit the attap chees did seem enticingly huge. Anyway, so what was the store that my family eventually chose to get their local Batam snacks?

The above! I don't know what the name is; don't think it's called good snack supplier. It could be enak gurih renyah though. Just save the above photo and the address is appended below.

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Address

No 4, Pasar Penuin Centre, Batu Selicin, Lubuk Baja, 

Batu Selicin, Kec. Lubuk Baja, Kota Batam, 

Kepulauan Riau 29444, Indonesia

Map

As above.

Additional Information

There's a wet market taking the covered centre aisle in the building and it's worth paying it a visit as condition was quite sanitary even though comparatively still different from Singapore.

Just a few photos - it was already noon when i walked in; hence, many items were sold out  / removed. Notwithstanding the smell, I was most put off by the sight of de-feathered chickens, with flies settling themselves on their feet! 

Click here for my 3 days, 2 nights itinerary to Batam (including a day with a driver)! 

Mom's Birthday 2019 - The Unconventional Birthday Cake

September is a busy birthday month as just within my immediately family; there are already three persons celebrating their birthday and the first one is my dearest mom!

She had a request though. No birthday cake as she finds them fattening and being the filial son who couldn't imagine a birthday without cake; i decided to make her favourite osmanthus jelly using a bigger mold so that i can at least put up a candle.

Well aware of her obsession with 4D and TOTO; i left enough jelly to make three golden ingots as it would have represented prosperity and wealth! 

Photos with the kids; Jerald has overshot my mom in height and i think Jovyn likely would be of comparable height with my mom in mere years ahead.

Jovyn holds a special place in my mom's heart as my mother was 100% committed to taking care of her from the time she was an infant until she was about 2-3 years old. 

Thank god for just birthday songs in just English and Mandarin; it wasn't that long ago when we had four different versions and i can't go beyond my basic, elementary English and Mandarin! 

Cake slicing time! Nope, Jovyn wasn't interested in the osmanthus jelly that's filled with Chinese wolfberries and red dates but too bad; the birthday gal takes priority.

The rare family portrait; thanks to Alex who took the photo for us. And of course, happy birthday to my mom whom i know dotes on every single one of us and make it her personal crusade to ensure we are well-fed (she is a darn good cook)! 

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p.s. if you need the recipe to make the delicious yet healthy osmanthus jelly, click here. It's honestly not difficult and you may even reduce the sugar by another 10-20%.

The Exhibition Hall at Tian Tan Buddha Statue @ Lantau Island [Hong Kong]

Unbeknownst to some, there's more to do than just to climb up the 286 steps to be closer to the iconic and humongous Tian Tan Buddha statue at Lantau Island in Hong Kong! 

There's the exhibition hall located right below the lotus throne with a separate entrance in the middle where you can fork out HKD $45 (about S$8.00) to check out a relic of Gautama Buddha (plus other things). 

The HKD $45 ticket would be converted into a voucher that can be used to exchange for a vegetarian set including bee hoon, soya beancurd and snack. If you are not hungry, you can offset the voucher for food, drinks or souvenirs from associated stores at the statue / the nearby Po Lin Monastery. 

Alex and i were too stingy and decided to give it a miss; hence, we wandered around the perimeter of the exhibition hall and gained some information on the statue, including its casting, finishing and assembling. 

Some tiles that you can purchase for an installation at Po Lin Monastery; the most expensive cost HKD $2 million! The cost price is likely a fraction but well; that's why many religious organisations are so rich! 

Surrounding the hall were rows and columns of white tiles / papers with names of individuals; somewhat like ancestral tablets that were placed in temples. Most had words while some included pictures. One stood out though and it's hard not to be drawn towards it.

With a panel that's bigger than the rest and coupled with posters, bouquets of flowers etc, it belonged to one of Cantopop's most successful diva in the 1980s to early 2000s; Ms Anita Mui who passed away in 2003 due to cervical cancer.

Exiting from another entrance where you can see two smaller bronze statues. Part of the "The Offering of the Six Devas", the collective six of them "symbolise the Six Perfections of generosity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom".

Those who did pay the HKD $45 would be able to exit from an opening cut out from the lotus throne; after catching a glance or two of the Buddha's relic. 

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For the summary of my seven days' itinerary to Hong Kong (with a day trip to Shenzhen), please click here.