Cafés don't get more hipster than this - Whale & Cloud @ 48 3/4 Niven Road

Chinese New Year Day 3: The boy decided that we needed some excitement in our lives and brought us to this hidden find.

Hello, pretty cafe.

How to get to this hole-in-the-wall:

Official address: 48 Niven Road

But any legit hipster/secret cafe knows not to be so easily found. Stick with the official address and you'll probably never find Whale & Cloud. 

Majority of the sites I found online advised visitors/seekers to skip Niven Road and go by the main road till Rex Cinema. We decided to go by Niven Road instead - because no respectable hipster can say no to walking down a row of lovely shophouses.

Hello, shophouses! 

A stroll down Niven Road will take you past lots of weird/hipster/rustic shopfronts.

Like this photography studio, with a third of a car out front.

And lovely door frames. A whole row of lovely door frames.

Of course, who can forget Peranakan tiles?

The back (or front, depending on how you look at it) of Whale & Cloud. This is the official 48 Niven Road, which may or may not be their office front. I don't know because I didn't ask. You won't be able to go through here!

Turn right at the end of Niven Road when you see Rex Cinema. A few steps more and this will be the back alley that greets you on your right. 

More gorgeous shop/house fronts...

Head in the general direction of people randomly standing around. 

We got there slightly before 12pm (the cafe was opening from 12-5pm that day) and there were already 2 girls standing outside the door. A lady joined us shortly after.

 If you're greeted by a Closed sign outside the door, you're either too early or you forgot to check the cafe's instagram and came on the wrong day.

One half of the cafe's owners peeped

out of the door shortly after we had arrived and stepped out to change the sign. Closed sign opens up to reveal "Open" and becomes a sitting plank for waiting customers. Clever!         

The sight that greeted us when magical blue door of the cafe was opened: lots of Kubrick bears, an island carrying baked goods, vintage blue shutters and a row of 5 blue-purple cinema seats set against a rustic brick wall. Also, many other small details.

Cosy nook where the other half of the cafe's owners resides. There she makes coffee for visitors/seekers who succeed in finding the place (to be honest, if we can find it, you probably can).

Chocolate and coffee cream eclairs. Yum.

Waiting for our coffees, and snapping away with our cameras.

Also, SMEG fridge. Hello, gorgeous!

Shoefie next to the lovely, yellow SMEG fridge. Just because.

While waiting for our coffees and cherry tart (which was fresh out of the oven and needed some time to cool before cutting), I spotted this tiny detail in a hole in the brick wall. Toy break dancer. Super cute.

Coffees of the day were black, white and cold brew. He got the white, which comes in a simple white takeaway cup carrying the cafe's logo.

I got the cold brew,

the fancier iced drink that comes in a clear plastic cup and a small medicine bottle.

The cafe also runs a little retail corner where they sell figurines, notebooks, teas and knick-knacks.

Best thing about this hole-in-the-wall cafe? The door is always locked and customers are only allowed in when there's room. If you see the Open sign out front, knock (gently) and try your luck. If you come after their opening hour, chances are, you'll have to wait outside until there are seats within. 

Great for the people inside (yay for crowd control!), not so great for those outside in Singapore weather.

Cherry tart ($5), very yummy. 

Their baked goods are currently priced at $5 a piece, and coffees are no longer pay-as-you-wish. Regular coffees go for $6 and the cold brew, the fancy one with the small medicine bottle that you can take with you, $8.

Whale & Cloud isn't big, and can only house 11 people at any one time. 

Or at least I think it's 11, because there were only 11 seats in the cafe. The owner/bouncer doesn't let any group in unless there are seats for everyone in the group, so be prepared to wait (unless you're willing to ditch some in your group so you can go in first; bad friend!).

Moral of story: Have a group of more than 3? Don't come here.

The great thing about people who visit the cafe (or at least the people I saw that day) - they leave immediately after they're done with their coffee. This concept works best for take-aways, so you could always come, order and wait outside for your coffee. 

But really, what's the point of doing that when the selling point of Whale & Cloud is the interior?

We spent 45 minutes or so in the cafe, got our caffeine/hipster fix and left. There were 4 groups of people waiting outside for seats when we got out. 

Moral of story: If you're headed to Whale & Cloud, don't stay long. 

The cafe is open once a week (possibly less) and there are too many hipsters in Singapore waiting for their chance to instagram away in this beautifully-designed cafe. This concept isn't targeted at those who want to while away their afternoons.

Be kind to other visitors/seekers. Buy your coffee/cake, take all the pictures/selfies you need in the cafe, and leave.

I can now add a small medicine bottle to my collection!

Yes, "Keep the faith". Whale & Cloud really isn't all that difficult to locate. 

The only difficult part is getting seats immediately.

Whale & Cloud

48 3/4 Niven Road

Opening hours: Check the cafe's instagram for updates

Accepts Cash only.

Phone: Don't even try.

AEIOU Cafe, 111 King George's Avenue

Thanks to my multi-talented friend @edricism, I discovered a new hang-out that shall be my go-to place the next time my friends ask where we should gather for a good meal!

A short 5-10 minute walk from Lavender MRT station (tap your EZ-link and turn left, head up the escalator, walk past the alley of food stalls, cross zebra-crossing, turn right and follow the road until you arrive at the cross-junction before Jalan Besar Stadium. Vintage-artsy-greenery heaven is diagonally across from where you are, under the Oriental Antique House signboard; for better directions, use your smartphone's Google Maps) is AEIOU Cafe, a month-old eatery/coffee place that's the brainchild of very design-savvy owners with equally skilled green-thumbs.

At first glance, there's just too much to take in. Every corner is artfully designed with plants, art, collectibles and bespoke furniture. I spent close to 2 hours in the cafe for my first sitting and discovered new details each time I gave the place another look.

My favorite spot in the cafe is probably here, where small birthday parties and group gatherings are often held. Coincidentally, I got a shot of the corner and its inhabitant and found out later that said inhabitant was one of the cafe's all-round-talented owners (the man cooks, designs, illustrates and, I hear, sings).

A short write-up detailing the story behind the cafe's moniker, available on every menu, presented on a clipboard that comes with its own rusty, vintage clip. A must-have for any respectable hipster eatery.

The cafe is filled with dinosaur motifs, from the illustrations on the concrete wall to the handles of their coffee mugs. The owners definitely pay attention to detail. And this detail just happens to be a super cute dinosaur. 

Where. Can. I. Get. More.

I can get more when visiting the bathroom :D

Newly opened, the cafe is nice and quiet-enough on a weekday. Weekends get busy (as most hipster places do), so visit on the weekends if you want to see and be seen, and on weekdays if you prefer to have the place to yourself.

Although, given its instagram-worthiness (every corner is an instagram moment!), I doubt the cafe will retain its hidden gem status for long.

One of the cafe's bests - Avocado coffee: two espresso shots and a generous serving of blended avocado, served on a dinosaur-shaped board. Add the shots as you wish to the creamy avocado and get ready to never drink coffee the same way again. 

And yes, dinosaur wood board.

See a piece of furniture you fancy in the cafe? Talk to the owners and ready your credit cards.

A shot of the coffee menu, because every respectable hipster requires coffee.

Interested in the cafe's current offerings? Watch instavideo below.

I hear the owners are preparing to expand the menu once the building's electrical supply is ready for all of the cafe's awesomeness (old building, old electrical supply that trips if overstretched).

Can't say no to more good food!

My afternoon tea friend - the lime tart. Looks like lemon tart, but comes with a tinge of lime, presented on a pretty purple Pantone plate. Buttery crust, creamy filling and just enough tartness. 

If lemon isn't your thing, try their Avocado Cheesecake, which I hear is all kinds of wonderful too.

A shot of the bar counter.

Just because.

Another corner that's bound to be the one that most customers want to be seated at. Instagram-worthy regardless of angle, and stocked full of quirky, colorful pieces. 

Dinosaur. One of the owners loves dinosaurs. This lone dino found just above a gorgeous blue vintage fan was illustrated by the dinosaur-loving owner himself.

Also, ceiling fans are hand-painted.

Starting to see what I mean when I say one glance just isn't enough?

I'll probably continue to discover new details the next time I visit.

Even the coasters they use to serve your iced drinks deserve their own shot. That's how much attention the owners paid to the cafe's design.

Ugh, talented people. I'll forever be a consumer of their creations.

The prices on their menu may intimidate some, but that's only because you haven't seen the portions served. All prices are nett; GST's been included and no service charge (the crew definitely deserves it though, for their friendly and quick service). 

Humchimpeng croissant. Yes, humchimpeng. 

The croissant's crispy and fluffy, with a tinge of the familiar pastry that goes so well with beancurd.

Not into humchimpeng? Try this anyway for the croissant's lovely texture.

One of the cafe's most popular dishes - the whole roasted chicken, served with a simple rocket salad and 4 side dishes that vary day-to-day. We got butter corn, mashed potato (so fluffy, so soft, so yummy), mushroom sauce and mustard. Roasted chicken comes stuffed with onions, garlic and herbs, and retains the moisture that many roast chickens served elsewhere lack.

This was definitely worth the $22.90 spent.

Vegetable fries: a mix of yam, sweet potato and potato. With very yummy chili and some sort of a vegetable sour cream dip.

Good for sharing.

Dino gets his own signature chocolate cake that's rich, thick and super chocolatey, served with an intricate spattering of chocolate dust.

And yes, dino board. 

Honestly, I'd order this (and other signature dishes) just for the very photogenic dino board.

This cafe is art-friendly. Paintings hung on the walls are available for sale (though you'd need pretty deep pockets) and the ambience is perfect for drawing. My friend +Edric Hsu would definitely agree.

Of course, that's before the cafe starts getting crowded. No table-hogging when there's a queue, please!

Very happy diners after a very happy meal at the very pretty bar counter. 

See the tiny colored corners on the bar counter? Hand-painted.

Oh gawd I need to reflect on my artless life.

AEIOU Cafe

111 King George's Avenue, Singapore 208559 

Opening hours: 10am-10pm, Tuesday-Sunday (closed Monday)

Accepts Cash, NETS, Credit cards.

Phone: 6291 2698