Chye Seng Huat Hardware

Chye Seng Huat Hardware takes its name from the hardware business that once occupied this corner building on Tyrwhitt Road, and the name is a reminder of the area's long history of small trades and workshops. Since it opened as a coffee bar and roastery, it has become one of the anchors of Singapore's specialty coffee scene, and it helped turn the Jalan Besar area into one of the city's most interesting neighbourhoods for independent cafés and restaurants.

The café roasts its own beans, and coffee is taken seriously. The central bar is where the action happens, with baristas pulling espresso drinks and preparing filter coffee by hand. If you prefer black coffee, ask about the current single origins and the team will suggest a filter brew; milk-based drinks are well made too, and there is usually a cold option for hot afternoons. A short food menu covers breakfast and brunch dishes, sandwiches and cakes, so it works for a meal as well as a coffee.

The space is spread through the shophouse, with seats around the bar, tables inside and more seating on the covered five-foot way outside, which is pleasant in the early morning or evening. Come in the morning if you want to sit near the bar and watch the baristas at work; weekends from late morning are the busiest time, when you may wait for a table. Bags of the café's own roasted beans are sold on site if you want to take some coffee home.

The café opens from 8.30am every day, closing at 9.30pm from Sunday to Friday and at 10pm on Saturday, but it is closed on the first Monday of each month. It suits coffee enthusiasts, remote workers looking for a morning base and anyone exploring Jalan Besar's shophouses. Prices are typical of specialty coffee in Singapore.

Chye Seng Huat Hardware is at 150 Tyrwhitt Road, in the Jalan Besar district. Lavender and Bendemeer MRT stations are both about ten minutes' walk away, and Jalan Besar station is a little further. The surrounding streets are worth exploring, with heritage shophouses, hardware stores and small eateries, and Kampong Gelam and Little India are both within walking distance. Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle on Crawford Lane is also close, making it easy to pair a morning coffee with an early bowl of bak chor mee.