Teatime in Singapore: Hyde & Co

I have been away from this blog for quite a while and must apologise! The main reason for this is because I have been preparing for my first round of cards that are entering the marketplace this March/April. It has been an exciting journey, and hope that you will all want to bring a piece of my health and fitness adventures home with you.

To relax, I naturally gravitated to this little slice of tranquility called Hyde & Co., located off a busy street.

The café differs from many of its counterparts in the Lion City due to its minimalistic, clean approach that is rid of heavy wood accents and crafty decorations.

Chairs are a departure from small stools which make it a little harder for me to climb onto, but very comfortable and provide good support. The color scheme of the whole café follows what you see in the above photo, providing a soothing atmosphere for that English Breakfast.

When you see people can actually read novels and study here, it really give you an idea of how quiet and serene this place is. Feel free to bring your iPod here and plug in – there is no loud music to distract you.

Instead of emphasising the importance of coffee, Hyde & Co. places emphasis on tea, be it citrus, wood or floral notes. The artwork on the walls also provides a visual break. It’s nice to not need to read a poster or be accosted by loud colours every now and then.

Just like an English teahouse, tea is served in a Victorian style teapot; a nice contrast to the more modern white tableware. The food menu reads like a fusion (Singaporean tastes meet Western brunch) confetti box, so I tried a bit of the Onde Onde French Toast. Onde Onde is basically a glutinous rice flour ball, stuffed with coconut drenched in palm sugar syrup and rolled in shredded coconut.

Here, they’ve deconstructed this Nonya delight and made it the toast topping. In all honesty, if you have a good toast base, it’s all uphill from there. I could only stomach a little piece (working on taming the belly), but will be back for more.

Dino, out!