Hustle Co – Craig Road (Re-branded)

(Hustle Co. had since moved out of its premises at 52 Craig Road and has been re-branded as 11 Hamilton. Click here to read more about 11 Hamilton.)

New to the Craig Road neighbourhood is Hustle Co, a new cafe with an emphasis on craft beer on tap.

Craig Road is an address that was synonymous to cafes just a few years ago when cafes were just sprouting up across the island — Hustle Co’s space is situated right in between now-defunct Kite and The Plain just beside the iconic Tong Mern Sern, better known as the antique shop situated along Craig Road. Taking up the entire shophouse unit, Hustle Co takes up all three levels — the first level being the main dining hall filled with communal tables as well as the ordering counter with the craft beers on tap situated at the end of the shop. The space is furnished with a rather minimalistic style; white walls with murals featuring bright colour and geometrical patterns, with simple furniture featuring wood elements. With Will, whom previously ran Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters, acting as a consultant for their food offerings, the brunch and dinner menu offers a familiar selection of food, with coffee (brewed from a blend of beans from Colombia and Brazil) and a large variety of other beverages to go along.

(Eggs Benedict)

The Eggs Benedict served here is pretty reminiscent of the Truffle Benedict served at Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters way back in the day when they had first opened (also read our post on Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters here) — it comes with the same elements sans the truffle aspect such as the Brioche Toast, Gammon Ham, Wilted Spinach and Hollandaise. Overall, the dish is pretty consistent with what we tried at Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters previously — the toasted brioche that carries a light hint of sweetness, the gammon ham adding that savouriness that is typical of cured meat and the Hollandaise providing a light and tangy creaminess to the entire dish. The wilted spinach was a thoughtful addition; being integral to the Eggs Benedict itself, it helps to cut away the flavours from the gammon ham yet eliminates the need to have a salad served on the side for the sake of including some greens.

(Carbonara Linguine)

The Carbonara Linguine would probably work well with those who love their Carbonara creamy. Whilst being creamy, the entire dish did not feel overwhelming despite the cream (it is worth noting that we did share this item between two). We also particularly enjoyed the thick cut bacon which gave the Carbonara a savoury bite. The only qualm was the linguine which seemed to be done a little past al-dente; the dish would have certainly been more enjoyable if the linguine carried more bite.

(Flat White Stout)

One particularly interesting craft beer that is served on tap during our visit here would be the Flat White Stout that is brewed by 8wire Stout. Not to be confused with Flat White, the craft beer is named as such due to its smooth, creamy foam layer that replicates a well-pulled Flat White — the Stout is also not particularly strong nor too carbonated with a lingering malty sweetness in its finish; something which we found was rather easy to drink especially at 5.5%.

While we did find the craft beer selection at Hustle Co rather interesting and the food to be well-executed with just a few small misses, Hustle Co felt like it lacked a character of its own. This is partially due to the food that we had ordered — the items we had felt spiritually similar to what we had previously at Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters. It would probably help if the folks at Hustle Co could continue to tweak the recipes to a larger degree and give the menu items a bit of their own twist in order to reinforce their own image and branding. That being said, Hustle Co is a good place for a few casual tipples after-work for the office folk near the Central Business District with its chill vibes that works equally as well for a weekend brunch hang out spot.

Hustle Co
52 Craig Road
Singapore 089690

Web Page: http://hustleco.sg/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Hustle-Co-314250735692022/