One Man Coffee

First spotted this lovely space through, where else but, Instagram. It looked so gorgeous with all those woodsy brown tables, and the food appeared so drool-worthy that I knew I had to make my way down there pronto.

 One Man Coffee

I actually visited the cafe twice, on two consecutive Saturday mornings (I did so unintentionally). Met up with a girlfriend for breakfast on the first weekend, and it was pouring like mad that morning. I was trying to locate the entrance cos even though it was already 9am, the place seemed closed. Ah ya, the cafe shared a space with Crust Pizza, which I thought was brilliant. Two dining establishments co-sharing a space in this space-limited city. So One Man Coffee operates from 9am to 5pm, while Crust Pizza opens from 5pm onwards.

So, I tentatively pushed opened the side door at the alley to check whether the cafe was open, it looked as though they were still setting up but they allowed me in. I managed to get first pick on where to sit ha, since I was, you know, the first customer of the day and all.

Ordered a cuppa and sat down to wait since the girlfriend was still on her way. Was almost afraid of an acidic cuppa when I saw those bubbles at the side, but phew, it was okay, slightly acidic, but not overtly so.

When she got here, I already knew what I wanted. The signature dishes were the french toast, and the gashouse egg with bacon jam. Portions seemed small, so we also got another ham and cheese croissant to share besides the first two dishes.

The brioche bread used for the french toast and gashouse egg was simply #todiefor. I bake bread too, but why my brioche not like that? Ha. The brioche was simply light and fluffy (I know, my vocab is fantastic isn't it *rolls eyes*), I can't find other better words to describe it as it is. Erm, perhaps, pillowy soft? Anyway. You get me. I loved the brioche and someday, I hope something as soft as clouds would emerge from my kitchen too ya.

The croissant for the cheese ham croissant was very buttery and flaky. Thumbs up there. I was full after the meal, but the girlfriend felt okay (ya, girlfriend is one of those with high metabolism lol). The only gripe I had about the meal was perhaps my egg for the gashouse egg was not runny, it was cooked. #sadface.

 One Man Coffee menu

 Salted caramel pastry

Was supposed to have plans on the next Saturday morning, but my friend was unwell, so raincheck. Since I was already up anyway, I texted the Sis on a whim to see if she wanted to grab breakfast together. She was up too, ha, so she picked me up and the three of us (including my bro-in-law) headed to One Man Coffee. 

Once again, the clock on my phone stated it was 9ish, but the place was not ready yet. Hmm, I wonder if they always open slightly later than the stated 9am on their website. This time round, there was another early riser couple who waited alongside us outside the cafe in the alley for them to open their doors.

 3 coffees at One Man Coffee - Long black, latte and cappuccino 

I had read on Facebook that there were Axil Coffee Roasters beans from Melbourne, available for a limited time only. Not that I can differentiate any bean from another. But when I was ordering the coffees this time round, I did made sure to ask for a recommendation for the blends (I didn't the previous time). My preference is for a less (or non) acidic cuppa, so they recommended the Axil. The coffee tasted just as good as the previous week I was there.

Since it was the three of us, we decided to order a salted caramel pastry (read about it on Instagram that it was delish), the gashoouse egg, the French toast, and a plain croissant. We had initially wanted to order something more, but then the staff mentioned that there were cakes too. Sis and I immediately asked about the flavours avail, and we decided to leave some stomach space to order a slice to share afterwards.

Gashouse egg with bacon jam

Unlike the previous visit, the gashouse egg this time was runny, as evident above. *phew* If I got another cooked egg...meh, I don't want to think about it.

Brioche French Toast

Both the signature dishes were fabulous. The Sis did say the food was good, but she thought the food was pricey, which to think of it, is quite true. But hmmm, I don't mind paying for quality food done well (okay, maybe not that frequently), and I thought the food at One Man Coffee was above average. I was chatting with a staff, and she mentioned that they get their breads, pastries and cakes from external suppliers, which includes B.A.O bakery.

Caramel cake

The caramel cake was okay, the Sis thought it was too dense, then again, taste is subjective - she's the kind that prefers lighter cakes like chiffon cakes. I thought it was okay, but the caramel taste wasn't strong enough. 

This is the (current) latest in place to be. And for good reason. Definitely one of my recommended place for good coffee and good food. Just be sure to head there early. The small space filled up pretty fast on both occasions I was there, within half an hour or so from the opening time, the place was relatively full.