Actually, I really hate going to cafes, especially if they are hipster. This is one eatery I always walk past and simply doesn’t exist to me whenever I’m at Funan.
I was only there that day because the Love of my Life parked himself there while waiting for me to get my haircut.
I remember our conversation that day.
Me: Huh…why this place…
Love of my Life: Looks good what.
I reluctantly dragged myself to the counter and was greeted by a very friendly and helpful waitress. This waitress is Filipino and she can really sell! After just 5 minutes of chatting and introducing me to the food in the glass display, we ended up with a Kung Pow Chicken Burger, $8.50, a Pulled Pork Panini, $9.90 and a Teh Tarik, $6.80 (what the hell!! very expensive!).
1. Kung Pow Chicken Burger, $8.50
My main concern with this burger is actually how to eat it.
From my experience, all these western kind of fancy grain burger buns are always so hard and unpleasant for the teeth and gums. Also, look at the filling – how big must my mouth open to get the burger in? And if the burger does get into my mouth, will the fillings fall all over my hands?
The wait staff had promised me that this burger would be easy to eat though. I was skeptical but pleasantly surprised that she wasn’t lying when I took the first bite!
Taste-wise, this burger is awesome. It’s kung-pow-spicy and the chicken is well-marinated – there isn’t too much or too little sauce. The vegetables give a good crunch to the burger and the buns are not hard!!! It’s very easy to bite through it. I feel that $8.50 is worth it because it’s a VERY filling burger and it IS an interesting flavour!
2. Pulled Pork Panini, $9.90
This was really good too. The Love of my Life cut out a piece for me to try. It’s cheesy and the marinated pork is flavourful. The fragrant buttered panini bread is also not hard and a great bread choice for this sandwich. The Love of my Life kept saying how delicious it was and he was also satisfied by how filling it was. $9.90 is a little pricey though, in my opinion!
3. Teh Tarik, $6.80
I hardly buy drinks when I dine out. I believe drinks exist on a menu because they are the one that bring in the money for a food business. They are usually overpriced and half of them aren’t even thoughtfully curated.
I mean, $6.80 for Teh Tarik???
Luckily, it tastes nice. I drank quite a lot of it because it was not overly sweet like your usual Teh Tarik and I can actually taste the tea. The Love of my Life was quite annoyed that I drank almost half of it because this was his order, and not mine.
Overall, the food and drinks at Sinpopo Coffee are good. Service is not bad too! Prices are not overly dear and they have many interesting flavours for burgers, cakes and cookies. We visited during Chinese New Year period and they had cookie samples which unfortunately tasted far from what their names suggested them to be. I have friends who say that Sinpopo’s cakes are good. Maybe if I have a very rare craving for cake, I will go and try.
I like the overall feeling of this cafe and may visit again…if I have to. It’s not a place I will crave to return to, but if my dining partner chooses this place again, I don’t think I will complain.
Sinpopo Coffee @ Funan
Address: Funan Mall, #01-K02, 107 North Bridge Rd, S(179105)
Nearest MRT Station: City Hall
Opening Hours:
Sunday to Thursday 8:30am to 10pm
Friday and Saturday 9am to 10pm