There was a time when the majority of new coffee shops had a certain look to them. Said look usually entailed brick walls, exposed metalwork, and raw light fixtures – design choices that imparted a feeling of undone sophistication. Coffee shops of this style could best be described as snug cacoons in a cacophonous city, and pleasant alternatives between home and the workplace.
While this particular style of coffee shop remains popular (and I myself often haul my workload to said cafes), a couple years on, and some newer establishments have strayed to other schools of design. Take Lunar Coffee Brewers with its ombre blue walls for example. “Ombre blue for a coffee shop?” you may ask. Yes indeed, and it looks terrific.
This light-filled minimalist cafe smack in the middle of Singapore’s CBD is a real eye-catcher with its unconventional choice of wall paint, celestial white marble everything, and streamlined layout – hence the name. No dark corners to tuck yourself into here – it’s all out in the open. Located in front of one of OUE Downtown Gallery’s entrances, Lunar Coffee is a hive of constant activity, especially when lunchtime rolls around and people begin to wrestle their way for seats and a taste of the cafe’s food.
As the sister shop of the equally popular lunch spot, Atlas Coffeehouse, Lunar Coffee’s food is a big part of what keeps loyal crowds coming day after day. You’d be surprised to learn that a shop this sleek serves comfort food, of all things. The most popular lunch items by far are their signature fusion rice bowls with toppings ranging from miso salmon to gochujang chicken – all offering a taste of home-cooking in the middle of the concrete jungle.
Of course, they don’t call themselves brewers for nothing. While you could go for one of their reliable cappuccinos, their aptly named Milky Way cold brew coffee, or floral Premium Cold Brew Teas, the real kicker is their stout-like nitro brew coffee – silky-smooth and rich, made with a chocolatey blend of Guatemalan and Brazilian coffee from Two Degrees North Coffee Co. A lot of places do incredible nitro brew coffee, but Lunar Coffee’s is especially noteworthy and is the perfect companion to a sweltering Singaporean day. However, if there’s one other thing that customers love to rave about, it’s the free-flow sparkling water on tap. Wow.
