Please forgive me if I only recently discovered kopi. During the last four years living in Singapore I was happily sipping away on my cafe lattes. That was until I discovered Moments in Serangoon. This cafe has converted me from Western brunch-fan to local brekkie expert. These days, I cannot resist a delicious salted egg bun, or some kaya toast with a hot kopi C, on the weekend. Moments in Serangoon serves all these Singaporean breakfast favourites plus more.
Flossie’s rating: ★★★★
Moments is situated on a bright stretch of Serangoon Avenue. There is nothing nicer than sitting outside in the morning sun, by the patch of psychedelic-green grass, witha cup of Moments’ signature kopi in hand. Kopi is Singapore’s answer to espresso. In traditional style, coffee beans are wok-roasted with sugar and margarine to produce a rich cup of coffee aka as kopi. There is an art to ordering kopi in Singapore. You can read more about it at Visit Singapore. For me, I like to drink hot kopi C kosong. That is coffee with evaporated milk and no sugar.
Kopi from the local hawker can sometimes have a muggy taste, due to the above mentioned roasting method. However, the kopi at Moments in Serangoon has a wonderful caramel-like flavour. It’s kopi fit for a princess. Especially so, because it is served in a fine ceramic cup and saucer.
Whenever I visit Moments for a cup of kopi I cannot resist ordering a bit of brekkie too. The traditional Singapore breakfast set consists of kopi, kaya toast and eggs sous vide. Lightly toasted wholegrain bread, with the crusts removed, is layered with thick squares of quality butter and a generous smear of kaya jam. My only gripe – not enough butter! The butter helps to balance out the fragrant coconutty-sweetness of the jam. But, then again, I am a butter fanatic.
The key to really enjoying this brekkie set like a local is to add a dash of soy to the side of runny eggs. Mix it all up then use the eggs as a dipping sauce for your toast. Don’t knock it till you try it!
The salted egg buns at Moments are, quite simply, to die for. A serving consists of three innocent-looking, pale yellow baos in a traditional steamer. Then, one bite and surprise! Delicious ooeey, gooey custard comes spilling out like a furious volcano. These are best eaten while they are hot.
I’m also a huge fan of the char siew bao. This is a steamed bun filled with Chinese-style barbecue pork. They are a dime-a-dozen breakfast staple in Singapore. However, char siew buns can really be a hit or miss treat. I’m pleased to report the buns at Moments pass the quality assurance test. They are not stingy on filling. Whatsmore, the recipe manages a perfect balance of tangy and sweet flavours. The colour is a rich and gorgeous burgandy.
When I’m feeling naughty and just want carbs, carbs and more carbs, my go-to is the French Toast with cheese. This brekkie dish is not super cheesy. There is a mere hint of light cheddar. However, the bread is that sort of Asian-fluffy-white stuff that tastes so good – kinda like what a cloud in heaven would taste like – but is just oh so bad for your hips.
Speaking of evil carbs, the peanut butter bread with kaya is another tasty calorie hog. This is the Singaporean version of American PBJs (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches). Except instead of the grape jelly you have coconut pandan jam. The sandwich is steamed so it is warm and moist to eat. God, why does something that tastes this good have to be so bad for my thighs?
My hubby is partial to the tuna toast set here. While it looks fresh and portion is generous – I hate tuna. It smells like cat food. Sorry!
I would much rather have a serving of their prawn dumpling. They are rather petite but the skin is none-too-glutinous and the price is good at $3.80 for a basket of three. The prawn dumplings are not as good as the haw gow at Victor’s Kitchen, but I do admit to ordering them more than once.
Moments in Serangoon
326 Serangoon Ave 3, #01-380
Singapore 550326