Wanna Cuppa Tasting Session 2015

Wanna Cuppa Tasting Session 2015
15 New Bridge Road

Opening Hours:
Mon - Thu: 8:30am - 10pm
Fri: 8:30am - 11:59pm
Sat: 10am - 11:59pm
Sun: 10am - 6pm


https://www.facebook.com/Wanna-Cuppa-762759383762151/

This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session.
Attended with representatives from Purple Taste, msginginly, Jelly Loves Food, and Chubby Botak Koala.


Wallet-Friendly, Simple Yet Tasty Meals

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 6
Service: 6
Value for Money: 9
Budget about SGD $18 ++ per person.


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Opened by Ms Jeannette Kwok in December 2015, Wanna Cuppa along New Bridge Road (opposite The Central @ Clarke Quay) is a 1920s Gatsby inspired glamour cafe. With Chef Mark Huang overseeing the kitchen, Wanna Cuppa serves up classic, simple, affordable Western main courses with an Asian influence, alongside a range of delectable desserts, and coffee sourced from Melbourne, Australia.

Wanna Cuppa Exterior

Wanna Cuppa Interior

Ambience at Wanna Cuppa is bold, yet tastefully designed. The large refrigerated display at the entrance, next to a shiny gold espresso machine, is eye-catching with its myrid display of colourful macarons, desserts, and salads. Faux trees line the interior, against colours of bright yellow, blue, and white, while overhanging mirrors on the wall lend a feeling of space. An eclectic mix of furniture completes the look, with modern plastic chairs, high bar stools, cushioned booths, and comfortable sofas. It looks like half of the cafe is designed for quick, functional meals, while the other half allows for long, lingering meals. Great!

Seating Booth

Seating Sofa

Seating Bar

Service at Wanna Cuppa is friendly and personalised. While the staff strength is small, there is good engagement of diners, and even owner Jeannette Kwok goes around to ensure diners are having a comfortable experience. Like other similar cafes, Wanna Cuppa practises partial self-service, with ordering and payment done over the counter, while staff will serve orders to your table. Orders are fulfilled quickly, even during peak periods. Efficient service, nothing outstanding about the actual execution itself, but what is memorable is the excellent level of engagement with diners.

Decorative Candle

Decorative Wallpaper

Food at Wanna Cuppa is rustic, simple, and straight forward, mainly consisting of Western style dishes with some Asian flavours. Honestly, most of the dishes here are quick, easy to prepare items, which is easily doable at home. But chef has executed these dishes well, and there is little to complain about, as taste is decent enough. Portions are generally sized for individuals, and sufficient for small eaters. The most attractive thing about dining at Wanna Cuppa is the affordable, wallet-friendly prices of their food; most dishes cost less than SGD $12. Budget about SGD $18 for a decent meal here.

So I saw this unique European ingredient on the menu; Scarlet Cress, a small decorative vegetable imported from the Netherlands, with a 1 week lifespan. With a flavour of mild beetroot and spinach, the earthy and floral taste of the Scarlet Cress lends a vibrant layer, and a bright dash of colour to salads, poultry, or fish.

Justin Metcalf Magazine Profile

Coffee Beans & Hot Chocolate Powder By Justin Metcalf

Scarlet Cress

Of the 3 types of house made Iced Flavoured Tea (SGD $5.90 Each) - Elderflower Strawberry, Lychee Cucumber, Peach Passionfruit, I personally liked the Luchee Cucumber, for its floral, refreshing taste with a light fruity sweetness.

Iced Flavoured Tea (SGD $5.90 Each) - Elderflower Strawberry, Lychee Cucumber, Peach Passionfruit

Justin Metcalf is a reowned Melbourne / Australian supplier of coffee beans and hot chocolate powder, with their beverages known for being milk-based blends. Both the Hot Chocolate Dark (SGD $6) and Hot Chocolate White (SGD $6) have a light, thin, smooth texture, and a milky body with a slight fragrance. Both hot chocolate blends contain 20% West African cocoa. I preferred the taste of the white chocolate, because it's richer, sweeter, with a thicker body, as opposed to the dark chocolate, which was too thin and milky for my liking.

Hot Chocolate White (SGD $6)

Hot Chocolate Dark (SGD $6)

The Latte (SGD $5.50) is made with coffee beans sourced from Justin Metcalf, featuring their signature light, thin, smooth, milky body. Freshly roasted and packed in Melbourne, Australia, this blend of African, Central American, and Asian coffee beans is smooth with a medium robust body.

Latte (SGD $5.50)

Brewed by the Yo-Ho Brewing Company in Nagano, in the Chubu region of Japan, the Beer Yona Yona Ale (SGD $11) is a semi-clear / hazy, orange golden coloured, American style pale ale, with a thick foam head. Its name means 'Night After Night / Every Night', and it has an aroma of caramel, peach, and hops, with a smooth, medium body. Taste is semi-sweet and slightly dry, with lemon, malt, hops, grass, and honey, with a low-medium bitter finish. Refreshing, very drinkable!

Beer Yona Yona Ale (SGD $11)

The unique Enoki Mushroom Fries (SGD $7.90) are completely delicious, and make a great snack! Crisp, well-fried, not too oily, these mushrooms have a satisfiying crunch! Highly recommended!

Enoki Mushroom Fries (SGD $7.90)

The Onion Rings (SGD $6.90) here stand out because of their large, hand cut size, which allows the onion flavour to come through. Good that it's not too sharp or strong, eating this will not give you pungent breath! I did feel it could have been a little less oily though.

Onion Rings (SGD $6.90)

The Mini Fish & Chips (SGD $8.90) could actually be a full meal on its own! Good value for money, the 5 small pieces of fish are quite substantial together. With a light, crisp, golden batter, on tender, flaky john dory fish. The fries are thick cut, decent in taste, and piping hot when served. Sinful, but tasty.

Mini Fish & Chips (SGD $8.90)

You'll get a good, wallet-friendly Eggs Benedict (SGD $9.90) here. The poached eggs are perfectly runny, on thin slices of savoury ham, and fragrant focaccia bread. A small salad of fresh lettuce on the side, and a creamy hollandaise sauce completes this breakfast-only dish (served until 11am). For the price, it's great value for money. Worth ordering!

Eggs Benedict (SGD $9.90)

Eggs Benedict

The Spaghettini Pesta Aglio Olio (SGD $10.90) was the best dish I tried here. Done simply, the al-dente spaghettini is tossed in a light, dry herb pesto, along with a good amount of spicy chili. Savoury, spicy, with a refreshing flavour of herbs. You can choose to add on prawns (+ SGD $4), but the dish is actually good on its own. Highly recommended!

Spaghettini Pesta Aglio Olio (SGD $10.90)

A decent enough Apple Crumble (SGD $6.90), warm and sweet, with chunks of caramelised apple within a crumbly, buttery pastry. Not overly sweet or cloying, which is good. Sold on its own, it's tasty, though I can't help feeling this would be better with a scoop of quality vanillla ice cream. Still, this dessert is worth ordering.

Apple Crumble (SGD $6.90)

Baked by a friend of the owner, the Brownie (SGD $6.90) is rich and deep with chocolate flavour, with a firm, semi-moist, thick texture. Choose to have it either warm or chilled, we tried it chilled, and it's pretty good already. I suspect because of the texture, heating this up may cause it to dry out, although I can't say for sure, as we did not try it warm. However, I do feel that a scoop of ice cream or gelato would have improved this, making it more satisfiying.

Brownie (SGD $6.90)

Wanna Cuppa offers 18 varieties of flavours for macarons! The bright colours are so attractive on display! Tried the Macarons (SGD $2.50 Each) - Apricot-Fig, Hazelnut, I was particularly taken with the Apricot-Fig flavour, it has a mildy sweet, fruity, citrus taste with a hint of savoury, earthy finish. The Hazelnut flavour I felt was rather pedestrian, not bad by any means, but also not memorable in taste.

Macarons (SGD $2.50 Each) - Apricot-Fig, Hazelnut

The Les Eclairons are a unique, creative interpretation of Macarons! While similar in texture, these pretty, colourful desserts / sweets are designed like an eclair, with the shell and filling having different flavours. My pick would be the Speculoos & Caramel, with its sweet, biscuit flavour, and the Pistachio & Morello Cherry, with its nutty, sour, tart flavour.

Les Eclairons (SGD $2.50 Each) - Mango & Chocolate, Pistachio & Morello Cherry, Speculoos & Caramel, Toffee & Banana, Blackcurrant & Coconut

Les Eclairons

Overall, Wanna Cuppa impresses with its friendly service, inviting ambience, and affordable prices. Taste of their food isn't the best, being decent at best, but it's simple, straight-forward, and of acceptable quality. Great value for money too! Wanna Cuppa is worth visiting if you're nearby, and is suitable for everyday dining; or if you're on a tight budget; or if you just wish to escape for a little while to a comfortable, relaxing environment away from the hustle and bustle of the city.


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