Department Of Caffeine & Flor - Perfect Complement At Duxton

Department Of Caffeine & FLOR – Perfect Complement At Duxton

After a round of Ministry themed food establishments, the use of the word ‘Department’ didn’t sound that exciting. But this rather new establishment has been making quite a buzz amongst local cafe hoppers so we better do a proper audit on it. Tucked in a corner along Duxton Road, locating Department of Caffeine (aka D.O.C) can be quite a challenge. The rather small and dark shopfront did not really help, the cafe looked like an office space. We were quite pleased to find FLOR Patisserie just right round the corner!

The cafe service area is just this narrow strip of real estate, no hidden corners. The semi-industrial woody interior decor gave the cafe a no nonsense, pragmatic character.

With no spare seats around, customers are forced to put their bags and barang barang on the floor or have them placed on their laps. It can get quite unsightly, hope the management can provide a solution for this.

The cafe does not charge service fees so you have to queue and order your food. Magazines are placed near the counter for customers’ browsing pleasure.

Our beverages were delivered almost immediately! That’s our French rose ($7) by Tea bone zen mind served in a dainty glass tea pot on a petite wooden tray.

Hmm for $7, can give more rose buds? The rose tea commanded a light floral fragrance with slight tangy flavour.

Mork Speciality Hot Chocolate ($6.50) was supposedly a special blend of hot chocolate that offers greater emphasis on the cocoa flavour. It did achieved its objective … by withholding sugar. We were not impressed.

Caffe Latte ($5) was pretty potent and definitely a great perk me up in the morning. Taste wise, it’s quality caffeine but nothing outstanding.

Our Sausage, Mushrooms & Egg ($15.50) which consisted of English pork sausages with mushroom ragout topped by a sunny side up egg on toasted sourdough was first to be served. Hidden below the sunny side up was a generous portion of mushrooms. Thumbs up!

One of the cafe’s 2 Main course & salad ($16 for regular salad and $18 for a large salad portion), Poached salmon with dill and mint sauce accompanied by Soba noodles with wakame, cucumber and sesame was up next. We were surprised that the entire dish was served cold even the salmon! But it was meant to be a cold dish so no fault of theirs. It tasted alright but not as attractive as a weekend brunch items.

I personally loved my Sundried tomato & herb waffles ($17). Served with bacon, scrambled eggs & maple bacon jam, it offers the perfect combination of all my favourite breakfast sides. It’s like my breakfast dream come true.

But D.O.C Platter ($18) won hands down as our favourite breakfast item on their menu. Scrambled eggs & bacon wrapped meatloaf on toasted brioche served with tomato confit & cheese boccincini was a gorgeous sight to behold.

The runny eggs reminded me of Mcdonald’s Big Breakfast but done so much better. The good people here are really generous with their meat and ingredients, look at that thick stack of meat!

The desserts and cakes served at Department Of Caffeine didn’t look that fantastic hence we casted our eyes at FLOR Pâtisserie. This Japanese-styled cake shop serving authentic Japanese inspired French pastry was just a short 5 minutes stroll away.

While ordering, we feasted our eyes on the wide array of pretty pastries. It’s a tough choice.

Their Ice Cheese Tarts ($3.40) are to die for! Plus you get to select from these 7 delectable flavours: Original, Mango, Strawberry, Caramel, Choco Orange, Green Tea as well as Yuzu & Maple. They are kept frozen in the fridge till ordered to maintain their freshness. I adore the intense cheese flavour packed within this small tartlet.

We have initial concerns that we will not be able to tell these exquisite fresh cream cakes apart but Earl Grey Choco ($6.95) with its delicate earl grey cream solved the issue with just one bite. The swiss roll of dark chocolate meringue and sweet banana goes really well as a package.

Mont Blanc ($6.95) is a swiss roll of special genoise sponge and chantilly cream, topped with whole sweetened Japanese chestnuts and delicate strands of French chestnut cream. It looks too good to be eaten!

We utterly enjoyed our weekend brunch. Department of Caffeine delighted us with their amazing breakfast offerings while FLOR Pâtisserie satisfied our cravings for sweet endings. They make wonderful complement for each other! If you will like to emulate our weekend, here are the full details:

Department Of Caffeine (D.O.C)

Address: 15 Duxton Road Singapore 089481

Operating Hours: Mon – Fri: 10:30 am – 7:30 pm & Sat – Sun: 9:30 am – 7:30 pm

Tel: +65 6223 3426

Email: [email protected]