(Liberty Coffee Bar has since ceased operations at Jalan Besar.)
Liberty Coffee is a brand that coffee junkies should find themselves very familiar with — the local coffee roastery had been around for a couple of years now, supplying their roasted beans to cafes all around in Singapore.
Having shuttered their previous shop space at Rangoon Road a couple of years ago (the space previously only opened to the public during certain occasions of the year), Liberty Coffee’s return to the cafe scene after having been focusing much on their coffee roastery business is a surprise to some. The new space, now situated next to Kam Leng Hotel, provides yet another option for specialty coffee within the Jalan Besar neighbourhood, being located a short distance away from Chye Seng Huat Hardware and Wimbly Lu at Tyrwhitt Road. The interior is reasonably spacious, featuring wood and marble elements for a modern-chic look that is also close to nature. At the front of the cafe, merchandise such as shirts and coffee beans could be found while the dine-in area occupies the remaining space. We visited Liberty Coffee Bar on the very first day that they were offering their food menu; the menu comprises of salads, pasta, sandwiches as well as parfaits and sides. The list of beverages available includes specialty coffee (of course), tea and booze.
We went for the Liberty Salad; the Liberty Salad comes with an option to add smoked duck at an additional cost of $4 which we also opted for. Coming with elements such as sous-vide egg, mesculun, red-skinned potato, chorizo, dried cherry tomato and brown-butter vinaigrette, the salad is light, crunchy and refreshing. The sous-vide egg carried a flowy yolk and was runny, while the chunks of potatoes were soft whilst carrying a bite. The dried cherry tomatoes still carried a burst of zestiness that helped give a flavour contrast with the salad, while the smoked duck comes all savoury and tender; a good add-on for those who need some meat to go with their salad.
(Blue & Shells)
Between the two pasta available on the menu, we were more drawn to the Blue & Shells. Done pretty simply, the pasta was absolutely comforting and delicious; the Gorgonzola provided just the right level of cheesiness to the al-dente pasta shells, while the candied walnuts cut through the cheesiness with its sweetness and nuttiness and added a crunch to the pasta. This was something that we really loved, and a dish that we certainly could not get enough of and would not mind having it again.
(Sweets for Brekkie)
Going for the only sweet item on the menu currently, we also tried the Sweets for Brekkie; a slightly adventurous item, the Sweets for Brekkie comes with vanilla soft-serve, coffee jelly, almond cookie crumble and an onsen egg. While the entire concoction was actually quite appealing with the slurpy coffee jelly providing a contrast to the sweeter elements such as the vanilla soft-serve and almond cookie crumble and the almond cookie crumble giving a crunch, we were pretty divided about the addition of the onsen egg. One of us found the onsen egg being a good compliment to the vanilla soft-serve that gives it a silkier texture, though another one of us just felt that the onsen egg felt a tad out of place when it came to the overall flavour of the parfait. Still, the addition of the onsen egg, whilst being a rather controversial move for a sweet parfait, certainly does make for an interesting conversation at the table when dining with friends here.
Having visited Liberty Coffee at Rangoon Road previously and ordering their Gibraltar then, we went for the Gibraltar again during this visit; Liberty Coffee, as most would know, roasts their own coffee beans. The Gibraltar is smooth and creamy with a medium body; carried a citrusy flavour profile.
It is certainly good to see Liberty Coffee coming back to the cafe scene again; sure, the current Liberty Coffee Bar at Jalan Besar does carry a wider food menu as compared to their previous space at Rangoon Road, but it is undeniable that Liberty Coffee’s core focus would be their specialty coffee; the blends/beans that they roast by themselves. That being said, we must mention that the food is of good quality; served with thought and heart, being simple but comforting with a slight dash of creativity (especially for the Sweets for Brekkie). With such a prominent branding over their coffee that they had built up over the years and quality food being served, Liberty Coffee’s newest space at Jalan Besar is certainly a haunt for cafe-goers and coffee lovers alike; another place to add into the list of must-visit cafes in Singapore.
Liberty Coffee Bar 387 Jalan Besar Singapore 209002
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