It does seem like the folks behind ZUS Coffee aren’t stopping with their expansion plans in Singapore any time soon — they had just recently opened yet another two (2) more outlets in Singapore being their Northpoint City outlet and the Royal Group Building outlet; the latter being situated in Raffles Place within the Central Business District. Their Northpoint City outlet is situated at the ground floor of the mall; these folks had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Charming Taipei Taiwanese Tea House 戀戀台北茶屋 — some may also remember the space being an outlet of Rocky Master before Charming Taipei Taiwanese Tea House had taken over the space. This also makes them neighbours with the outlet of Joe & Dough there. Given how the space is, the dine-in area of ZUS Coffee is adjacent from the ordering counter and the espresso bar in a separate space of its own. The dine-in space at their Northpoint City outlet is a little different from that of their other existing locations such as that of the Westgate and Imbiah Lookout (Sentosa) outlets — surrounded by the shopping aisles of the mall, there seems to be a preference of the use of cushioned stools over dining chairs here; there are also a mix of normal dining tables and high tables, with the high tables largely more suitable for individual diners while the dining tables are configured for diners visiting in pairs to groups of six (6) pax. Menu offerings at ZUS Coffee at Northpoint City would be the same as most other outlets with the exception of its Changi Airport Terminal 4 location where food aren’t offered — the beverage menu is split across categories such as ZUS Signature, Mocktail, Classic, Functional, Cham Latte, Frappe, Creme, Tea, Chocolate, Refresher and Kids-Friendly. All food items are stocked up in the display chiller at the counter which includes a selection of light bites such as savoury bites, as well as a variety of cakes and danishes, while hot food items will include the likes of pasta and rice dishes.

Considering its Malaysian roots, we had always been a little bit more intrigued with ZUS Coffee’s more Southeast Asian-inspired food items that they have to offer such as that of the ZUS Signature Curry Puff and the Chili Api Fried Rice which we had covered in the article where we had written on our visit to their Westgate outlet. We did notice that they have do offer a Rendang Chicken Pocket Pie on its menu as well; an item which we had finally decided to give a go when visiting their Northpoint City outlet. This does resemble a little bit of a hand pie in its shape — breaking the pie up into half will reveal the Rendang Chicken filling within. We were having high hopes for the pastry and it is true that the pastry shell itself was a little uninspiring to say the least; it’s a little hefty and lacks the lightness and flakiness butteriness of pie pastry in general. As one reaches the Rendang Chicken filling within, we did notice how the Rendang Chicken filling comes in the form of minced chicken in dry curry like how it should be. Whilst the curry is fragrant in a way that is nutty and earthy; not too rich from the use of coconut milk, yet coming with an evident note of lemongrass within. Not the best pastry item that we have had, though it still pairs up pretty well with a cuppa on the side as an item with a bit of a local influence.

During our visit to ZUS Coffee at its Northpoint City location, we also tried the Iced Kopitiam Double Espresso which is part of a newly-introduced product line-up named the ZUS Kopitiam Series. ZUS Coffee describes the Iced Kopitiam Double Espresso comes with elements such as espresso, condensed milk and textured milk — we also opted for our order to come with the Boss blend of beans comprising of beans from Brazil, Peru and Colombia. The Iced Kopitiam Double Espresso is a creation that attempts to replicate the Nanyang-style Iced Kopi — this would be an in-between considering the use of Arabica beans at ZUS Coffee rather than that of the Robusta beans that is used for the typical cup of Nanyang-style Kopi. We did feel that the level of sweetness is well-managed here; the coffee not being quite as bold as it would be for a typical Nanyang-style Iced Kopi, though comes with a nutty and earthy flavour profile that still provides a bit of a caffeinated kick that tries to bridge it closer to the Nanyang-style Kopi. Prices of ZUS Coffee’s offerings are pretty reasonably priced — the items on their drinks menu ranges from $3.90 to $6.90, while the food offerings are priced from $2.90 for the ZUS Signature Curry Puff to $7.90 to a number of their pasta offerings. ZUS Coffee does remain as one of our more preferred options for quick-service coffee establishments; their espresso-based specialty coffee being stronger than most out there while still being well-priced in the market. Looking forward to giving their other offerings a try while more outlets start to pop up across the island.