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I’m sure most people who are living in the vicinity of East Coast and Katong have patronised or passed by Penny University at least once. After 10 years of being at its current location, the popular cafe will be running its last day of operations on 9 October 2022. No need to worry though— they’re not closing down, but just moving on to greener pastures.
Back in 2012, Penny University was just a humble coffee place which took over the space of a restaurant. Possessing no ambitious ideas or fancy menus, they simply had a mantra of bringing the community closer to each other through great cups of coffee.
Everything from the supply of food like bread to the cafe’s cake selections right down to the furniture of the place was sourced from our very own local community.
Penny University was one of the first few cafes to have opened in the East Coast area, back when there was hardly a solid coffee culture. Fast forward to today… who would have predicted that this area would turn into one of Singapore’s trendiest and most vibrant hotspots for hipster coffee joints and modern restaurants?
Besides serving quality coffee with beans sourced from places like Kenya and Colombia, their full-fledged menu offers everything from Waffles With Butter & Maple (S$8.50) to mains like the Eggs Benedict (S$18.50) and the Full English Breakfast (S$20).
There’s even set meals like The Nordic (S$20.50), which gives u a bowl of oat porridge with date puree and caramelised onions, croissant with cheese slices, a platter of smoked salmon with avocado, roasted beetroots, boiled eggs, dill cream and sourdough toast, and a choice of either coffee or orange juice— that sounds so sumptuous!
Thankfully, the new location will be located at 17 Jalan Klapa, with a bigger space and lower rent (which were issues that were brought up by the owner).
Penny University at East Coast was the place where I brought my late grandfather to have his first hipster cafe experience. I’ll always remember that reaction he had when he saw latte art for the first time on his coffee.
Thanks for the memories, Penny Uni! And I’ll pay you a visit at the new location very soon.
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