Hey Hive!
Now that a lot of people here have already gotten vaccinated, I'm very happy to hear that Singapore is now allowing in-house dining again but obviously you have to be vaccinated. But since there aren't any restrictions this allows us to try out different food places again!
We had an overseas friend come visit us a few months ago and we brought him to visit a few places and just hang out with us since it had been a few years since we last met in person, especially with covid and everything. It was fun catching up and playing games together again though!
He was only here for a weekend so we didn't have time to bring him around the touristy places but we had lots of fun regardless! And the time we spent together is more precious than whatever we actually do anyway. On his last day here before he was set to leave he met up with another friend of his whom we briefly know and we went to this cafe called Huggs Collective!
It was my first time visiting this cafe but it was quite lovely! The whole aesthetic of the cafe is very comfortable and cozy but also conducive for working, which we did see a lot of people doing. There was even a more private space in the back for people who wanted a more quiet area.
I'm not much of a coffee person but they did have some pretty professional equipment for specialty coffee, just like some other coffee shops I've seen. I didn't know this at the time but it turns out Huggs is a homegrown coffee brand and started its humble journey in 2008, providing specialty coffee and delectable treats at reasonable prices.
I'm not much of a coffee person, but I was loving the vibe of the shop. From the colour palette to the wooden furnishings and angular overhead lamps, it was definitely very cozy and had the flair of all those interior designers I keep seeing.
If I was still a student I could see myself studying here for hours on end, although some of the chairs don't look as conducive for that. But perhaps that's on purpose so people don't stick around longer than they should.
The middle of the cafe had a long table where our friend was waiting for us, but just behind that was a display case with some packaged snacks, stuffed bear merch and other pastries. But the counter had the most goodies of course.
I couldn't get the best picture but they had a display case for cakes and pastries, and an assortment of gelato as well.
Their menu had different types of coffee of course, featuring frappes and classics like Cappuccino, Espresso, but also some I've never heard of like Piccolo and Cortado. They also had their specialty brews like Latte Gula (which is a lattee with Gula Melaka syrup), Matcha Latte and Turmeric Oat Latte, as well as some local brews like teh and kopi. Those were the cheapest on the menu since you can get similar orders for a dollar at regular coffeeshops here, but I imagine they elevated them somewhat to suit the cafe.
I wasn't sure what to order so my friend (who said he would treat me) recommended I try the Piccolo which was a more milk-based coffee since I told him I didn't enjoy the bitterness too much.
Turns out it was quite a reasonable size for 6 bucks and it did look and smell quite nice. The lattee art was quite lovely. The aroma of coffee was pretty strong so I was hesitant but when I tried it it was a little more subdued than I initially thought. It was still quite bitter for my taste but it was alright.
The coffee was a nice boost especially since I didn't get much sleep the night before. I'm not really one for caffeine since it doesn't affect me as much as other people (maybe it's because I can't stand the bitterness) but I thought it did wake me up at least a little bit. I did have a little oatmeal before coming here so we didn't buy any of the snacks but I would imagine they were at least average.
We spent some time chilling and chatting about stuff, just catching up on things before the guys started playing a card game called Star Realms. I wasn't familiar with it but it did look like they were having fun, albeit one side more than the other.. 😅
I watched them play while enjoying the atmosphere of the cafe, with the different sounds of the coffee machine and the aroma of coffee in the air. It's one of those places that would be quite lovely with some lofi music if it wasn't for the background noise of the mall.
Overall it was a nice catch up session for sure! It's been years since I've met up with these guys so it was cool to see them again and see how much we've grown from college. It was a ton of fun and the cafe was lovely!
Maybe next time I need a coffee fix we might try this again, but if you're a coffee addict I'd recommend this place! It's a nice cozy cafe to catch up with friends or work too! Go get a hugg from Huggs!
Thanks so much for reading!
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