Welcome to the latest concept store where food meets fashion.
Fellow shopaholics, we’ve all had that one dilemma when it comes to indulging ourselves in our favourite activity — at some point we’ve got to take a breather and it usually involves food.
Which is why you’re gonna love this latest retail space located at Clarke Quay Central. Lumine, a popular premium fashion retailer in Japan has finally found its way to Singapore, making this the very first stop of its expansion overseas. Talk about exclusivity!
The best part? Lumine Café resides within this concept retail store.
The dainty cafe sports a clean, minimalistic interior with pinkish hues. The millennial in me was literally screaming, “Just take my money, already!”
The Japanese cafe has even gone the extra mile to provide customers with USB ports so that you can sit back, relax and recharge while you update your Instagram feed. A thoughtful touch indeed.
If you’re thinking that this is just another cafe with classy aesthetics, you’ll be glad to know that it delivers on the goods as well.
You’ll find a fancy repertoire of sweet treats on the menu, such as parfaits, smoothies, fruit punch and artisanal beverages. While it looks like the selection at this cafe is up for seasonal changes, I’m hoping the current offerings won’t be taken away anytime soon.
The Mangoes Crazy ($12.90++) is a popular choice amongst patrons with its delectable layers of fresh honey mango, yogurt cream and mango jelly.
The tangy mangoes are layered with creamy yogurt whipped to a fluffy texture, while the icy slush and mango jello will instantly lift your spirits up.
The star of this entire dessert had to be the rich yogurt cream. It had the consistency of regular whipped cream but was far less greasy and definitely tasted a lot healthier.
The flavours of this parfait were much lighter than what I’m used to having, but I’m not complaining since it still really hit the spot as a sweet treat.
Prefer something a little sweeter?
The Berry Blush ($12.90++) was a true blue Japanese dessert that you’re not going to want to miss out on.
This berrilicious smoothie parfait features a blend of strawberries and Amazake. Amazake is a traditional Japanese fermented rice drink that boasts an amazing natural sweetness, which really complemented the dessert.
When paired with the slightly piquant strawberries, you’ll get a light nectarous aftertaste. The slushie is made in-house every day with real strawberries so you’ll be able to savour the fruit’s flavour au naturale.
Strawberries and cream is a combination that goes way back, and it’s not hard to see why. The milky cream balances out the mildly sourish flavour of the strawberries to give you a wholesome flavour profile.
This parfait is something that’ll surely perk you up (if the shopping hasn’t already done so).
Otherwise, go for the quirky Glamour Gems Fruit Punch ($7.50++) to wind down after a long day out and about. Personalise your rainbow fruit punch by choosing either iced tea or soda for your drink to go with the Irish or peach syrup.
This cool beverage was unlike anything I have ever tasted, in a good way! I had mine with soda and Irish syrup. For those who aren’t familiar with Irish syrup, it tastes very much like a condensed coffee liqueur, but much sweeter.
The tricky part is that it’s served separately, so you have to get the right proportion of the syrup and soda in your drink. This spelt disaster for someone like me who has terrible estimation skills. And yes, I drowned my entire drink in Irish syrup.
For the best concoction, start small and work your way up to a heavier taste by adding small portions of the syrup into your drink. Adding 1/3 of the shot glass of Irish syrup is a good amount to start with.
And what’s a fruit punch without fruits? It was a fizzy, fruity party in that mug! Having soaked in the concoction for a bit, the fruits were literally bursting with flavours.
The next time you’re planning a shopping trip in town, make sure you swing by Lumine so that you can drop by the cafe when you need a breather. Or, you know, just head to the cafe first and start your day there.
With most dessert establishments serving up flavours so intense that you’ll get jelak after a few spoonfuls, the light desserts here were a refreshing touch. Shopping and munching on pretty sweet treats… I can’t think of a better Saturday afternoon.
Expected damage: $8 – $15 per pax
