Luvall Coffee

Luvall Coffee was one of those establishments that we had checked out some time back — these folks were once situated in one of the shophouses that lined Kampong Bahru Road within walking distance from Outram Park MRT Station, though it does seem that these folks had found new digs for quite a while. Now located within The Commerze @ Irving, Luvall Coffee had taken over the shop unit that is beside The Boneless Kitchen — an establishment that is particularly notable for serving up Korean vegetarian / vegan cuisine. Luvall Coffee occupies one of the smaller shop spaces around the area; it does seem that the folks at Luvall Coffee had dedicated much of the interior space for their operations which seem to include that of their bakery at the very least. Luvall Coffee has quite an attention-grabbing storefront with the its monogram filling up a small red quadrant on the left side of its facade — the interior featuring only four (4) dining tables that sits two (2) pax each, though there is also a cushioned bench seating as well at the opposite side. Despite featuring an open-concept food preparation area that is behind the counter and espresso bar, the space does still evoke a cosy vibe that is still adequately spacious even with some areas dedicated for the retail of coffee-related merchandise. It seems that Luvall Coffee now centres their focus around their danishes and their espresso-based specialty coffee — the danishes offered being freshly-baked in-house on a daily basis, while the espresso-based specialty coffee features their very own roasts.

Skimming through the various danishes which they have in-stock while we had dropped by during mid-day on a weekend, it does seem that the Espresso Chocolate Croissant stood out quite a fair bit to us. The Espresso Chocolate Croissant is an item that is described by Luvall Coffee to come with elements such as chocolate and espresso frangipane. Patrons do get the option to have their pastries warmed up if they so choose to prefer to — just let the friendly staff know about your preference when they prompt about it. We recalled that we weren’t too impressed with the choux pastries that we had tried from Luvall Coffee during their days at Kampong Bahru Road — that being said, we were surprised by the quality of the Espresso Chocolate Croissant that we have had. For one, the Espresso Chocolate Croissant does feel crisp, light and flaky — beautifully layered just like how a good croissant should; we also liked how the pastry didn’t feel particularly greasy like how many that we had previously tried would. The espresso-infused almond frangipane exists both atop the danish and within the danish itself, exuding a slightly bitter undertone from the caffeine. The chocolate exists in a form of a stick that is similar to what one would in a typical Pain au Chocolat, adding a sweetness that helps to round off the flavours nicely for the Espresso Chocolate Croissant.

Meanwhile, we had decided to pair the Espresso Chocolate Croissant with their Iced Shaken Spro — this is being described in the menu to come with double shot espresso coming with ice and also accompanied with a layer of Foam Creme over the top. Considering how this comprises of double shot espresso, this was a heady cuppa that comes across as a pretty strong one as well; one can definitely feel the depth of the double shot espresso which comes with a floral note, while it comes matched with a dense Foam creme layer that is thick and creamy — not too aerated so that it balances with the espresso just about right. Luvall Coffee was one of those establishments that we found to have been a little difficult to leave us with an impression when we had previously visited them during the time when they had just opened their doors in Kampong Bahru — while being an establishment that is filled with sincerity, it does seem like these folks weren’t entirely sure on what they were doing back then as well. It does seem that the rendition of Luvall Coffee after its move to The Commerze @ Irving was one that is more mature — the menu at Luvall Coffee is now more focused, while it seems that these folks had also sorted out the way that they want the brand to be moving forward. We were actually quite impressed by how their danishes turned out to be; the Espresso Chocolate Croissant being of a quality that we didn’t expect from Luvall Coffee knowing how they were like previously. A comfy nook that is located within the Tai Seng neighbourhood that serves freshly-baked pastries with espresso-based coffee brewed using their own roasts, Luvall Coffee does prove to be a cozy and peaceful spot for coffee out of town especially during the weekends.