Lunar Coffee Brewers is one of the many new cafes that have recently opened at Downtown Gallery in Shenton Way. Unlike the other cafes in the gallery, the interesting thing about this place is that it offers homely rice bowls which will remind you of mum’s cooking.
Lunar Coffee Brewers uses the same coffee beans as its sister cafe, Atlas Coffeehouse. That’s definitely good news as the coffee is great, and even made it to our list of the best cafes for coffee in Singapore.
What I love about Lunar Coffee Brewers is the minimalist and clean decor, with ombre walls, sleek marble table tops, as well as pretty flowers and plants that make you feel like you’re in an Instagram post.
Also, it’s a nice touch how they have free flow sparkling water on tap.
Alright, enough about the interior, let’s talk about the menu. There’s a healthy variety of coffees and teas to choose from, and we ordered a couple to try.
My personal favourite was the Premium Cold Brew Tea ($7) that was served as a macchiato, with a savoury-sweet heavy cream that slowly diffuses into the tea upon being served. You can choose between six different types of teas; I had Lady Grey.
We also tried the only two cold brewed coffees at Lunar Coffee Brewers — the Cosmos (Black Cold Brew) ($7), and Milky Way (White Cold Brew) ($7).
The Cosmos was thin but strong, and sipping it on the rocks in a short glass made me feel like I was drinking hard liquor. It was a pretty fancy experience, but what I appreciated more was the stellar taste of the Milky Way — it really had a smooth mouthfeel and slight undertones of nuttiness.
We also had the Nitro Cold Brew ($6.50) that looked like a stout beer and was just as bitter. I think true coffee aficionados would enjoy this brew, even though the bitter taste wasn’t very palatable for me.
Finally, we had the Latte ($4.50) that was intense in flavour, had a light body, and strong acidity. This is probably better as a drink to help you end the meal on a pleasant note and help combat the food coma.
We started our meal proper with the Everyday Shashuka ($13.50), a Middle-eastern egg dish. At Lunar Coffee Brewers, this dish is served with onsen eggs, toasted sourdough bread, and chorizo.
It was quite a hearty dish that worked extremely well with the sourdough bread which was toasted to perfection; crispy on the outside while being chewy and fluffy on the inside. The molten egg yolks only made it a lot more indulgent and creamy.
The dish we enjoyed the most was the Miso-Nori Salmon Soba ($14.50). This soba comes with a thick chunk of fresh salmon that is topped with miso-nori butter. I didn’t think I would like the butter, but it was the best part of the dish and I was left wanting more.
Also, the salmon was fresh and tasted great, something that is becoming a rarity in such cafes these days.
We also tried some of Lunar Coffee Brewer’s rice bowls; all of which come with pickled ginger, beetroots, and Japanese sushi rice.
If you enjoy braised pork belly, I can bet that the Lu Rou Belly Don ($14.50) will float your boat. The pork was tender and quite juicy.
The texture and taste of the braised pork somehow felt homemade, and the rice was made even tastier as it absorbed the pork stew.
If you want chicken instead, get the Gochujang Chicken Don ($14.50) which comes with a Korean-style roasted chicken thigh, melted mozzarella, and kimchi.
The combination of mozzarella and roasted chicken is basic but pleasing, reminiscent of simple home-cooked dishes. It gets even better when you mix the onsen egg with the rice and take a bite of the pickled beetroot for a sharp and tart finish.
You can also grab a bowl of soft serve for only $5.90, to end the meal on a sweet note. There’s the Earl Grey Soft Serve, which is served with crispy cornflakes for added texture; and the Milky Way Soft Serve which is sprinkled with homemade shortbread crumble.
Both of the soft serves tasted great, with strong notes of earl grey tea and the Milky Way Cold Brew respectively. The portion is also quite large, so you may want to share a bowl with a friend or two.
Though the polished and Insta-worthy interior might make you think of coffee and brunch, Lunar Coffee Brewers has surprisingly comforting food, offering hearty dishes that can’t be found that easily these days in the Central Business District.
The coffees here are also very good, and definitely would work as a midday pick-me-up. Be sure to check out Lunar Coffee Brewers during your next lunch break!
Expected damage: $15 – $25 per pax
