The secret’s out — I’m a huge café hopping fan. I absolutely love sitting at cosy cafés with a hot cup of freshly brewed black coffee and a thick novel. There’s just something about white-washed walls, lush greenery and the smell of coffee grounds that calms me down.
When FlagWhite first opened in December 2018, I jumped at the opportunity to visit them, even if they were miles away at Jalan Jurong Kechil near Bukit Timah.
Located just a five-minute walk from Beauty World MRT, FlagWhite is an industrial-themed café that prides itself on its all-day brunch menu, freshly brewed coffee, and in-house desserts.
Fun fact: its name is a playful pun on a flat white coffee as well as a white flag.
While there’s certainly no shortage to the number of cafés in the Bukit Timah area, there was a certain minimalist vibe to FlagWhite that exuded a sense of calm.
Clean, spacious and air-conditioned. it had wooden and steel furniture, as well as tinges of greenery, white and grey walls and overhanging fixtures. With Coldplay crooning over the speakers and that earthy smell of coffee beans being freshly ground, time seemed to slow down in this quiet café.
I ordered one of its most popular sides, the Crispy Garlic Parmesan Wings (S$10).
The minute the basket of wings was served, the smell of savoury fried garlic and freshly shaved Parmesan made my stomach growl.
They could’ve gone a little easier on the salt, especially since Parmesan cheese itself is salty too. The wings were juicy and well cooked and the meat fell off easily from the bone. There was an audible crunch when I bit into the crispy wings and I loved it that it wasn’t overly oily.
If not for the fact that I was saving room in my tummy for the rest of the dishes, I’d have polished off the entire basket of wings by myself — it was that addictive.
FlagWhite’s take on a classic Italian-American dish, the Chicken Parmigiana (S$15) is a glorious combination of brine-breaded chicken, tomato concassé (ground tomatos), sauteéd mushrooms and onion gravy. It also comes with a basket of chunky fries and salad.
I loved how simple and delicious this dish was. The chicken was well-cooked and juicy despite being deep-fried and baked, and the meat itself was tender and silky-smooth. Despite the layers of cheese, mushroom, tomatoes and chicken meat, I still managed to cut through the entire piece of chicken easily.
The thin outer layer of deep-fried bread crumbs was delightfully crispy and not oily at all. The tomato concassé was also surprisingly tangy and sweet.
Coupled with the melted cheese, this dish reminded me of a comforting plate of baked spaghetti bolognese, just with chicken rather than pasta.
FlagWhite’s owner, Trevor, recommended the Espresso Tasting Flight (S$7), which had an espresso and a white coffee. The difference between the two cups is the addition of milk. Since both cups use the same kind of coffee beans, you can taste how milk changes a cup of coffee.
FlagWhite doesn’t roast its own coffee beans but sources it from local roasters such as Quarter Life Coffee Roasters and Paradise Coffee Roasters.
For these two cups of coffee, Trevor used beans from a roast called Santa Isabel from Quarter Life Coffee Roasters, which has notes of prunes and stone fruits.
The espresso itself was incredibly dense. My first instinct was to consider it really bitter, but as I let it swirl in my mouth a little longer, I could taste its rich texture and buttery finish. I realised it was more sour than bitter, like a mix between a plum, butter and coffee.
On the other hand, the white coffee was frothy and smooth, and the creaminess of the milk balanced the rich sourness of the espresso. The milk taste wasn’t overpowering and I could taste that similar plum-like richness as an after taste.
Health junkies, be sure to try FlagWhite’s smoothies as well. I tried the Avocado Banana Smoothie (S$8), which was a blend of avocado, banana, oatmilk and agave.
This smoothie was cool and smooth, with a strong banana taste and a slight richness from the avocado. Yet, it wasn’t overly heavy and resembled a soft serve. This would be great as a breakfast smoothie.
Be sure to try FlagWhite’s in-house desserts. The best-seller is the Cloudy Double Cheesecake (S$7), a cheesecake doused in fine cheese and topped with a glazed strawberry half. It also had a biscuit crumb base.
Surprisingly enough, for the amount of cheese that went into this dessert, it wasn’t intensely rich. The cheesecake itself resembled dense ice cream while the sprinkled cheese was light and feathery, like shaved ice rather than cheese.
I could imagine myself enjoying a slice of this indulgent goodness on cheat days with a hot cup of Earl Grey tea. I’m definitely coming back and having this dessert again!
The Almond Cream Lemon Meringue Tart (S$6) comprised a crumbly tart shell, almond cream, torched meringue and lemon curd.
What I really loved about this dessert was the lemon curd. Tangy yet sweet, the curd was soft like jello and helped to cleanse my palate. My only gripe was that the tart shell was a tad too hard and the meringue melted a little too fast. So, if you’re ordering this, be sure to dig into it quickly!
I’d consider FlagWhite different from the rest of the cafés in Singapore. For one, it has an all-day brunch and dining menu, so you can drop by any time of the day and still get something to eat.
A huge plus for me is that FlagWhite actively supports local SMEs that roast their own coffee and produce their own single origin teas, blended teas and hot chocolate. For example, its single origin hot chocolate comes from Fossa while its teas are from Pekoe & Imp and Tavern’s Tea.
I’d love for FlagWhite to expand on its limited (but promising) menu, have monthly specials or rotating lunch deals. Right now it only has six mains and I’m sure regular diners would want something new to eat every time they return to the cafe — I know I would.
Expected Damage: S$10 – S$30 per pax
Price: $ $
Our Rating: 4 / 5
FlagWhite
106 Jalan Jurong Kechil, Singapore 598604
FlagWhite
106 Jalan Jurong Kechil, Singapore 598604