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The people behind the creative speakeasy restaurant and bar, Mama Diam, have done it again — their new cafe, Lou Shang 楼上, which translates to “upstairs”, is an incredibly ingenious concept that will transport you back to the older days of Singapore.
Lou Shang, which opened its doors on 22 Aug 2023, is located at the same address as Mama Diam along Prinsep Street. This time, instead of stepping through the “bookcase” within the mama shop display, head up the staircase on the right side of the space, where you will find a scarily accurate replication of a HDB void deck, complete with a community notice board, an old “lift” and the familiar green trash bins that have become a staple of Singapore’s streets.
Simply push the “lift” button at the side to open the door, and be amazed by the thoughtfully decorated cafe, which resembles the hallways of older HDB blocks. I was impressed at the little details put into making the cafe feel as nostalgic and authentic as possible — bamboo poles with hanging garments furbished the ceilings, while the unit doors at both sides of the space looked exactly like those that you’d find in an old HDB estate.
Similar to their sister concept, Mama Diam, the dishes served at Lou Shang put creative modern and local twists on familiar dishes. When you visit before 5pm, you’ll get to enjoy their delicious Fresh Homemade Noodles, each of which fuse Italian pastas with Singaporean flavours. Chilli Crab-tivating (S$20++) is a crab and ricotta ravioli served in an aromatic chilli crab sauce, while Murgh Makhani (S$18++) consisted of tagliatelle in butter chicken sauce, served with crispy pieces of tender chicken.
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I was surprised by the Hokkien Prawn-tasting (S$18++), which looked and tasted exactly like a plate of Hokkien mee, except instead of using noodles, the dish came with pork and tiger prawn tortellini. What a creative fusion!
Throughout the day, dig into Lou Shang’s Small Bites, with options like the XO Crab Dip with Papadum (S$16++), Ba Chor Dumplings (S$13++) and Sarsi Cauliflower Poppers (S$13++). The Har Cheong Gai (S$13++) is a pretty well-known dish in Singapore, and Lou Shang does it just right — the crispy mid-wings were super juicy and nicely marinated with a strong shrimp paste taste.
My mala-loving self was not let down by their Mala Curls (S$13++), which are twister fries coated in Sze Chuan spice and dried chilli. I was surprised at how strong the mala element was!
Don’t miss out on Lou Shang’s desserts, such as Tutu Kueh (S$13++), a cake resembling a giant tutu kueh made with coconut mousse, gula melaka and vanilla chiffon, and the tasty Gula Melaka Tiramisu (S$13++), containing gula melaka mascarpone and gula melaka.
My personal favourite was Horlicks (S$13++), a cake shaped like a giant iced gem biscuit. If you’re a fan of the sweet and malty flavours of Horlicks, you’ll love the smooth Horlicks mousse and Horlicks-infused cake within.
Of all of Lou Shang’s drinks, 2 of them, in particular, caught my eye — the Pandan Kaya Latte (S$7++) and the Pei Pa Koa Latte (S$7++). I added Butterscotch Salted Cream (+S$0.50++) to each drink, and loved its sweet and salty creaminess.
If you’re looking for something new to try, I’d recommend getting the Pei Pa Koa Latte — the sweet and minty flavours of the pei pa koa balanced out the fragrant bitterness of the coffee, and I was surprised that it did not overpower the drink.
After 6pm, Lou Shang transforms into a bar, with a range of Singapore-inspired cocktails. How about some Raspberry Ripple (S$24++), a gin-based cocktail influenced by the popular raspberry ripple ice cream from roadsid188665e vendors, or the Kaffir Lime Negroni (S$24++), inspired by the commonly-used ingredient in local dishes, kaffir lime leaves?
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