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2013-07-10
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It is within walking distance from Farrer Park MRT, but do take note of the ultra dusty air while on the way there. There's just too much construction around, which I thought kinda affected our mood while trying to find our way there. People around were very friendly though, helping us navigate around and for a moment, I felt like I was travelling all over again!It was quite easy to spot as their decor was very distinct from their neighbours. Lemon Poppy CakeWe reached at about 2pm plus and they
We reached at about 2pm plus and they were just starting to serve their cakes out for display on the counter. There weren't quite alot of choices for us yet, and wanting to take a break from the stronger tastes with all the coffee, we skipped the chocolate fudge cake and chose this instead. It sounded rather refreshing and unique, with poppy seeds topped with lemon curd.
The poppy seeds gave it a slightly rougher texture, which made it rather interesting. The cake could have been made finer though, so as to highlight the contrast in textures. It was a tad too airy and rough that the poppy seeds didn't exactly stand out. The lemon curd was also slightly tangy, with a pretty sharp sourish cringe to it. It was quite nice for the lower 'level' where there was just a thin layer spread over it, and added a refreshing tinge to it. The layer of curd on top was too thick though. Also, thought they could have made use of the lemon curd to gel those two layers instead of making it seem like two distinct pieces of cakes. Rather cramped seating area. This is all they had, with one more table at the side which my camera couldn't capture. Macchiato
Macchiato means marked or stained with a small amount of milk, so this was pretty much a shot of espresso with a thin layer of milk foam on top. It accentuated the taste of the beans which didn't really sit well with me. It was way too acidic and tasted sour right at the first sip. I was waiting for the taste to be completed with a more rounded after taste, just like the americano I tried in UK. Sadly, that was it. Nothing very special to boast of, probably a hit for those who like their coffee acidic.
/edit: According to feedback from the people at Liberty, the sharp taste wasn't an indicator of the acidity and in fact, their espresso blend had little acidity in it. Not too sure if the term was used correctly, but simply put, it was quite sour and you could taste the sharpness that was harsher than the usual americano I've tried before, with no milk at all to round off the taste. You might want to try the milder ones if you don't fancy very sharp coffee. Gibraltar
Pretty latte art is a battle half won. A rather intriguing name they had for this that got my friend curious, it was named after the glass that contained this drink. Technically known as Galão where it's one espresso shot with 3 shots of milk. I liked the consistency of the foam that was very smooth. The beans were however, too acidic for our liking again. I thought it'd be milder than a cappuccino and was quite surprised by the strong coffee in it. Interesting try!
They've got rather irregular opening hours, so do make a call before you head down or check out their Facebook updates. It seemed very much like a sideline hobby for the owners. Great place to visit if you like the sharp taste of coffee.
/edit: Found out from the Liberty folks that the irregular hours are not due to them working on this as a sideline, but rather, they're focused more on their trade customers. Thanks for the correction! (:
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