I’m an active Instagram user by most accounts and photographs of this particular cafe, Common Man Coffee Roasters (“Common Man”), have been pipping up the last 2 weekends. To say that my curiosity was not piqued as a result of the sheer number of photographs would be a blatant lie on my part. We are definitely citizens of the online Social Media world.
Common Man Coffee Roasters is the brainchild of Harry Grover (who started 40 Hands in Tiong Bahru some 3 years ago), the Spa Esprit group (Skinny Pizza, Barracks, Tiong Bahru Bakery and others) and Australian coffee roaster, Five Senses. Common Man is quite the new kid on the block, having only opened its doors sometime around the Singapore National Day (9th August) of this year.
The one edge that Common Man has over Mr Grover’s other outfits (40 Hands) is the amount of space this cafe has. Gone are the cramped seating capacity and in with adequately spaced tables.
Coffee wise, I like how my Flat White (S$5++) turned out. I am no coffee connoisseur and make no claims of one but the proportions of espresso, steamed milk and foam appeared seemed reasonable. Additionally, I liked the balance of the aroma, the depth and acidity of the coffee – likely the cafe’s house blend. Speaking of blends, from what I gather, there are other specialty blend or dingle origins available should you elect to deviate from the house blend.
By the way, besides espresso-based drinks, they have a range of coffee made via different pour-over methods drinks including the V60, Kalita Wave, Aeropress or the Chemex. To be honest, I’ve only tried/heard of the V60 and Aeropress – the other two, not until today’s visit to Common Man.
Black Coffee (i.e. Long Black, Espresso shots, etc.) goes for S$4.5++ but the addition of milk a.k.a. White Coffee (i.e. Latte, Flat white, etc.) incurs an additional charge of S$0.50++. Other coffee drinks on the menu include Filter Coffee (S$6++), Hot Chocolate (S$6++) and Iced coffee/chocolate (S$7.50++)
If you’re a believer that weekends are for sleep-ins and/or breakfast dishes shouldn’t be reserved for meal times before 11am, do make a note that breakfast is served all-day at Common Man.
The “Common Man Full Breakfast” (S$26++) consists of two free-range organic eggs in any style, bacon, sausage, tomato salsa, chorizo hash browns, mushrooms & pork cannel beans with artisanal sourdough toast.
Everything on the plate came out as they were supposed to; nothing fantastic but nothing to complaint of either.
A vegetarian option, “Common Man Full Veggie Breakfast“, is available consisting of two free-range organic eggs in any style, halloumi, spinach, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, avocado, lemon & chilli served with artisanal sourdough toast. (S$23++)
The “Organic Eggs Benedict” (S$24++) comes with two poached organic eggs & chive hollandaise with tender braised ox cheeks on artisanal sourdough toast.
Both eggs were poached beautifully and there was none of that vinegar/acidity found in the poached eggs of some cafes. And who knew that braised ox cheeks would go so well with a classic dish such as Eggs Benedict.
Besides the two breakfast options that we tried, other notable breakfast options available include, “Fluffy brioche French toast with fresh berries served with premium maple syrup and Kapiti vanilla ice cream” (S$18++) and “House-baked beans with confit chorizo served with two fried organic eggs & wild rocket with artisanal sourdough toast” (S$21++)
For the health conscious, Common Man serves a “House-made crunchy granola served with fresh fruit and Greek-style honey yoghurt” (S$14++)
Breakfast items aside, they have a lunch menu that is served from 12pm to 6pm including the “Common Man Burger” consisting of 100% ground rib-eye, provolone, grilled tomatoes, caramelised onions & pickled guindilla on brioche served with fries (S$28++).
The latest menu can be found on their web site at http://www.commonmancoffeeroasters.com
Common Man Coffee Roasters
22 Martin Road,
#01-00
Telephone: +65 6836-4695
Open: 8am to 7pm daily
Note to drivers: Parking is available at the basement
