I was rather surprised to find a Korean-inspired bakery café to open along this ulu stretch of Yio Chu Kang Road.
Urban Table is located at ICB Shopping Centre, slightly further down from iconic eateries such as Song Kee Eating House and Eleven Strands. (Right opposite, there is a humble dim sum eatery called Dim Sum House.)
Geographically speaking, this end segment of Yio Chu Kang Road is actually not that far from Serangoon MRT station.
Upon stepping into the Urban Table, I was welcomed by its cosy laid-back vibes and spacious minimalist store configuration.
It strikes an uncanny resemblance to hipster cafes such as Luft Coffee at Myeongdong, Seoul. (Even the cups and its logo reminded me of Street Churros at Itaewon, Seoul. )
“Annyeonghaseyo, annyeonghaseyo”, I overheard a Korean lady who greeted the group of Korean customers in front of me. (Her personal friends who came to support maybe?)
The open coffee bar counter which you can view the barista at work, pastries on display and neatly arranged tables, and minor details immediately took my soul for a joyride in South Korea.
The desire to travel is REAL.
While not extensive, their food menu offers a range of pastries and cakes such as Apple Strudel ($4.50), Pain Au Chocolate ($3.90), Onion Quiche ($6.90) and Strawberry Shortcake ($6.80).
The only mains available was an All-Day Breakfast plate ($14.90) made up of ham & cheese croissant, scrambled eggs, and a serving of greens.
I generally liked their pastries such as buttery croissant which came with soft and fluffy insides, coupled with flaky golden exterior.
Similarly for Maple Pecan ($4.50), which was generously filled jam fillings wrapped in baked pastry skin.
The Raisin Pinwheel ($3.90) was a little overbaked though, with the crust being too crispy and slightly dry compared to the previous two.
If you have a sweet tooth, go for the Chocolate Truffle cake ($6.80) which was layered with chocolate sponge and whipped chocolate ganache.
I enjoyed its chewy-brownie like texture, though I personally find the sugar level too much overkill for my tolerance level.
After some chit-chatting with the Korean lady, she shared that they are the same team behind Boyle’s Coffee, that explains their Korean origins and seriousness in speciality coffee.
Over here, they do their coffee bean roasting within the store premises and the roaster would occasionally pause to share more about coffee knowledge when curious onlookers stand around to watch him work.
He highlighted that they use different in-house blends for various coffee beverages.
For instance, a soft balanced blend with flora and citrus notes for Black ($4.50) and another blend which boasts rich and aromatic chocolate nutty flavour for White ($5.50) to better showcase its taste profile.
I can already foresee myself visiting this place often to enjoy a cuppa if I need to reminisce about South Korea cafes.
Urban Table
10A-E Yio Chu Kang Rd, ICB Shopping Centre, Singapore 545524
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 6pm (Mon – Sat), 8:30am – 7pm (Sun)
Other Related Entries
12 Korean Lifestyle Cafes In Singapore
Kreams (Maxwell Chambers)
The Dark Gallery (Great World)
Kong Café (Bukit Timah)
Eleven Strands (Serangoon)
* Written by Lewis Tan @juicyfingers, a self-proclaimed coffee addict. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
