It is the June school holidays, so I brought my nieces out to the MacDonalds at West Coast Park for breakfast last Monday morning. They were very happy to step out of their grandmother’s flat, and go out to play.
I like the MacDonalds at West Coast – it is spacious, has plenty of parking, and a huge playground-cum-park at the back for children to run around in, and for adults to take a leisurely stroll. Plenty of fresh air, greenery and open space. The other MacDonalds that I like very much is the one in Bishan Park. It is also a stand-alone outlet in a large open area, with a big parking area that is a short stroll away.
While in the car, the girls kept telling me to drive faster because they were HUNGRY, repeating a list of items that they intended to order at MacDonalds (French fries – check; ice cream – check; hotcakes – check; orange juice – check). It is so good to be a child, when happiness is as simple as eating a packet of French Fries, or a sundae.
When we arrived at MacDonalds, they were immediately attracted by the huge playground, and decided that they were not that hungry anymore: “Let’s play first!” Ten minutes in the late morning sun, they announced that it was too hot to play, and wanted to go indoors to eat. My mother-in-law and I were so relieved to hear that because we were sweltering in the heat.
After spending two-and-a-half hours with the chattering magpies, I could feel a headache brewing. I needed a coffee. I sent them home, and headed back to the East, with the intention of finding a place to get my coffee fix. I was toying with the idea of swinging by Starbucks@Big Splash – another of my favorite coffee joints – when I remembered seeing a cafe called Craftsmen Specialty Coffee at Siglap V (2 First Street #01-01), the last time I went grocery shopping at Cold Storage located in that building.
I like the ambience at Craftsmen Specialty Coffee – bright, spacious, high-ceiling, and the predominantly brown-grey colour palette. The cafe’s decor looks adult-ish, and this makes me comfortable hanging out there. Many cafes in Singapore make me feel like an oldie in a place that caters to the young and trendy, and I stand out for being at least 20 years older than the average age of their clientele (which is probably the case).
Good cup of cappucino.
I have been lamenting for the longest time about the lack of cafes in the East that serves good coffee. For a long while, the handful of incumbents are Penny University along East Coast Road, and Chock Full Of Beans in Changi Village (I love their latte art). Besides Craftsmen Specialty Coffee at Siglap V, friends have also recommended that I try Coast and Company at Siglap Drive, and Percolate at Bedok North. I shall be checking these two places out fairly soon.
