365days2playI’m so happy that we finally have our very own Speciality coffee cafe in the Eastern part of Singapore!! I do hope that this is a signal of good things to come and that the Katong / Marine Parade area will be come as happening as the Tiong Bahru and Duxton Hill area! (Remember you heard it here first!)
It’s Penny University that I would like to talk about today. The reason for the quirky name stems from 18th century coffeehouses in London, England. For the price of a penny, one had access to coffee, the company of people from all levels of society, discussions, bulletins, newspapers and the latest gossip.
Not surprisingly, Penny University was full yesterday, it being Vesak Day. I am surprised though at the size of the cafe. Rental must still be affordable at this point in time. In any case, I do think they could try to revamp their seating area. The booth seats on the left were occupied by single couples when they could have accommodated at least 4 people. The communal bench table on the right is wider than it should be, taking up precious space. It could also have been pushed closer towards the right wall, allowing for a few more tables to be placed in the rather large passageway.
Black sesame chiffon cake $5.50
They didn’t have much on the menu, so we simply ordered some cakes, coffee and iced chocolate. There were 2 flavours of chiffon cakes, some cherry cake and I believe a linzer torte in the display cabinet. It seems they don’t display all their cakes because the green tea cake was not on display. I only discovered it was available after asking if they had other cakes.
I’m not really a fan of Black Sesame, so this Black Sesame chiffon cake was just so so for me. My parents liked it though. I think the older generation appreciate chiffon cakes more because of its lightness. I tend to like to go for chiffon cakes too as they go so well with hot tea. When you want to eat cake and not cream, go for a chiffon cake.
Given that chiffon cakes do not use butter, and are relatively easy to make, $5.50 does seem a little steep.
Green Tea chiffon cake $5.50
This was the matcha green tea chiffon cake that I ordered. The matcha taste is quite strong. Not too sweet too, unlike those ultra sweet types you get for cheap at the supermarket.
Expresso with 5 ounce of milk $4.50
At Penny University, all coffess are expressos, and you simply choose the amount of milk you want added. We chose the middle option, which is 5 ounces of milk. I didn’t get to taste this but my father said that the coffee was very good. It’s a very interesting way of ordering the coffee, I don’t think I’ve come across such a method. Is this something that is common overseas?
Iced chocolate, about $5.
Iced chocolate was quite enjoyable, I could imagine having it again, although it’s nothing to really shout about.
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Click here to read about my 2nd visit to Penny University
Click here for other places to eat in the East.
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Penny University, Cafe
402 EAST COAST ROAD
SINGAPORE 428997
Tel : +65 9008 9314
INFO@PENNYUNI.COM
i haven’t seen a coffee menu like this in montreal! same goes for boston, DC, NYC and toronto.
I think it’s a good concept, although the results are more or less still the same, ie, cappucino, latte, flat white etc, minus all the “cheem” terminology.
oh nylon serves their coffees the same way too. you choose whether you want 3oz, 5oz or 7oz.
Interesting! I have yet to try them out.