After seeing that Kith’s coffee made it to our ‘Best of 2009’ list, S asked me if I’d tried the coffee at Highlander and if so, how it compared to Kith. I’m clearly not with it, cos the first (and only) place that came to mind was the Scottish theme restaurant of the same name at Clarke Quay…
For those in the know, Highlander is a cult classic in Singapore, serving allegedly the best coffee as well as teaching wannabe baristas the finer points of coffee-making and even latte art.
After being duly enlightened by S, we made our way to Kampong Bahru Road (off Spottiswoode Park) on Saturday morning to give it a try. For the fairest comparison, I had to order a flat white. A had a cappuccino, and we shared a latte.
I must say that results are mixed. Highlander’s coffee seems to have a more complex flavour, but it’s not as strong, whereas Kith’s is much stronger and has more depth, and you get more of a coffee kick, but lacks the complexity of Highlander’s. This is the most apparent in the flat white, and I personally prefer the one at Kith just that tad bit more. I like the fact that it packs quite a coffee punch, yet doesn’t have the sour or bitter aftertaste that is usually associated with a strong cup of coffee.
A prefers slightly weaker coffees, so to him, he actually preferred the flavours in Highlander’s latte and cappuccino.
They serve some simple food as well, but this is limited to boxed or pre-made sandwiches and a generic lasagne. We decided to pass and had lunch at Maxwell instead. For this reason, I’d say that Kith gets my vote over Highlander, because in addition to very good coffee, they have proper food made fresh to order, so you get more of an overall brunch experience.
A says:
I really like the coffee here. But is it worth driving there for? No.
Highlander Coffee
49 Kampong Bahru Road
Tel: 6223-7102
Mon – Sat: 9 am to 6 pm
Closed Sun and public holidays
1 comment:
perhaps you would like to try the coffee down at Oriole Cafe and Bar? It's my favourite! =)
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