Bench Barista SG

Discovered a new hidden hole in the wall cafe at Bedok Reservoir - @bench.barista.sg !

They serve an array of specialty coffee and artisan matcha beverages here as well as pastries!

🤎 Iced Cafe Latte with Gelato: Fragrant and smooth! Gelato can be served separately too.
💚Bench Signature Iced Matcha Latte: This is hand whisked using a traditional bamboo whisk upon order! Delicate flavour and aroma. Smooth and velvety!

Within walk distance from Bedok Reservoir!

📍740 Bedok Reservoir Rd, #01-3171, Singapore 470740

If you're around the area in Bedok Reservoir and would like a good coffee, @bench.barista.sg has just that!

I tried their Iced Latte ($4.90) and their Bench Signature Iced Latte ($6.20) and as I usually like my coffee unsweetened, the Iced Latte satisfied my coffee cravings. The Iced Latte was fragrant and smooth, and as the beans used were medium roast, it was not too acidic and you can taste some chocolate notes as well. Mixing well, it may not have a strong coffee kick, but it tasted like a warm embrace around your tongue.

The Bench Signature Iced Latte was an Iced Latte sweetened with pecan praline syrup. It definitely added an extra nuttiness to the coffee, but it was a tad too sweet for me. Not bad though!

There isn't much seating space here, so it's mainly a takeaway kiosk. If I am staying around the area, I can imagine myself coming down to grab a quick coffee! Thank you @scalemicroinfluencers for the invite and Bench Bistro for the coffee!

[Bedok Reservoir, Singapore 🇸🇬]
[Coffee/ Tea]

While walking, I was drawn by the rich aroma of coffee bean to this place. A tiny place located in the HDB block facing the reservoir. There’s limited bar counter seats indoor, plus some stools outside. The place offered a selection of freshly made drinks with a limited display of bakes.

Bench Signature Cafe Latte (S$5)
The pecan praline latte was nutty and chocolaty with rich aromatic earthy smell. The rich smell simply peaked me up easily. Leaving behind a rich aftertaste.

Bench Signature Matcha Latte (S$5)
Using 100% pure uji matcha powder from Kyoto, Japan, it was hand whisked with a traditional bamboo whisk.

Between the two drinks, I preferred the cafe latte more as it displayed a various of different notes. The delicate matcha latte on the other hand seem to be slightly overpowered by the milk.

Bench Barista SG @bench.barista.sg
Address 🛖 : Blk 740 Bedok Reservoir Road # 01-3171 Singapore 🇸🇬 470740
MRT 🚇 : Bedok North (DT29)
Note 📝 : Take bus service 5/ 59 from Kaki Bukit Station Exit A and drop off at Blk 745

Heard all about the new bench that had recently opened its doors around Bedok Reservoir Road — the area around Blk 740 Bedok Reservoir Road is probably best known for being one of the more hip neighbourhoods along the stretch of road that it is located at; the neighbourhood being home to the first location of Refuel Cafe, Reiwa Soba, Scoopy Doo and an outlet of The Daily Scoop as well. bench is the newest addition to the neighbourhood; occupying a space that is half the size of a typically-sized shophouse unit, one can find bench situated right beside Kumon Learning Centre at Blk 740 Bedok Reservoir Road. It wouldn’t be wrong to call bench a hole-in-the-wall spot; the shop unit that it occupies is fairly narrow — something that would make it rather comparable to that of Prodigal Roasters during their time when they were still located at Yio Chu Kang. It does seem that there is an obvious attempt in maximising the space of the cafe here; bench has installed foldable windows that double up as a counter area facing out of the store right beside the entrance — this also helps to keep the interior of the store from being overcrowded with patrons whom might be performing takeaway orders. The interior does seem to be simply decked, though despite the tight space here, there are still three (3) high chairs at the espresso bar that diners can sit around to enjoy their cuppa in air-conditioned comfort; there is a small seating area outdoors if those are occupied. Being an establishment that is primarily focused on their specialty coffee offerings, bench does serve up a list of teas and other beverages — this includes matcha related drinks as well. For those looking for a light bite, bench does offer a small variety of pastries that are displayed inside the establishment at the espresso bar as well as some savoury items such as the Chicken Mushroom Pie.

The light bite that bench has been mentioning on their social media pages and recommending over their counter seems to be the Salted Caramel Stick with Premium Gelato — an item that is being listed in the Sweet Tooth section of their menu. bench does not really describe on the elements that are included in the Salted Caramel Stick with Premium Gelato — that being said, the item does seem to comprise of a Salted Caramel Stick; a pastry that can be found stocked at the espresso bar together with the other pastry items that are in-stock for the day, as well as a scoop of Vanilla ice-cream. If anything, we did feel that our experience of the item was being marred by the freshness of the Salted Caramel Stick — a Danish item that is being filled with salted caramel within. Whilst the salted caramel filling didn’t come overly sweet and dish carry a slight saltish-ness that one would expect, the pastry was soft and limp; lacking the light crispness and flakiness of a freshly-baked pastry. The vanilla ice-cream was thankfully smooth and creamy; came with an aromatic hint of vanilla, with the combination of salted caramel and vanilla being one that would never go wrong.

During our visit, we had also went for the Bench Signature Iced Cafe Latte — while no description was provided for the iced version of the beverage on the menu, the hot version was described as a Pecan Praline Latte. There is an evident nutty note and a saltish flavour profile that one can relate to pecans in a pecan pie in general; the latte being one that comes with a nutty and earthy note with a light body. One thing that stands out about bench for us is how its set-up is like; takeaway coffee stands are a thing that has become increasingly common in the Central Business District, while the heartlands and other areas do see the rise of full-service cafes that are bigger and serve up a variety of food items or just ice-cream and waffles — bench does remind us of some cafes in the past where they are just tiny and cosy nooks to enjoy a cuppa at. A spot that no doubt carries a vibe and character that is slightly different from most cafes around these days, though we do hope that they can look a little into the quality of the food that they are serving here despite the limitations that they have in terms of the space.