Old Hen Coffee (Shaw Foundation Alumni House, National University of Singapore)

The news surrounding the closure of Old Hen Coffee Bar’s founding outlet at Rangoon 88 was a pretty devastating piece of news for those whom are familiar with the brand ever since their inception — Old Hen Coffee has pretty much been one of the veteran players in the local F&B scene these days even though they had entered the scene much later than some other early players, having been the pioneer to serve up bottled white cold brew coffees when they had first started out. With the closure of its Rangoon 88 outlet, they have also found new digs in a location within the campus of National University of Singapore. Situated within the Shaw Foundation Alumni House, Old Hen Coffee shares a a space with South&East that had recently been through a round of renovations — Old Hen Coffee is located in what used to be an office space that is beside South&East. Both establishments share a single entrance, with South&East located towards the right while Old Hen Coffee takes the space on the left — both decked in a distinctive style from the other yet sharing the same counter space. For Old Hen Coffee, the space is brightly lit with white walls and wooden furniture and fittings — the space is decked in a way that is more modern and is a more matured look for the brand as compared to what was done at Old Hen Coffee Bar previously that was more fit for the era of which it was born into. Seats for Old Hen Coffee either comprises of a tiled platform or on a wooden surface atop a plastic crate that comes in a shade of orange for a playful look. Currently in its soft launch phase at the time of writing (October 2025), Old Hen Coffee carries a line-up of two (2) toast items and the Granola with Yogurt for its food offerings — all that accompanied by the range of cakes and bakes that are stocked up in the display case at the counter. Beverages are split into sections dedicated to Coffee, Not Coffee, Tea, Fizzy and House Bottled Beverages sections, with the House Bottled Beverages section consisting of their bottled brews which they are known for.

Also being served up at their Old Hen Kitchen concept at Owen Road would the two (2) toast offerings; the Kaya & Butter Toast and the Azuki & Butter Toast. We found ourselves going for the latter, which the menu describes to come with elements such as Hokkaido red bean, cold Danish butter and House Shokupan Toast. This was a little bit tricky to pick up with the hand considering how the cold Danish butter seems to slide off the Hokkaido red bean fairly easily while the Hokkaido red bean is pretty much stuck in the form of a spread to the House Shokupan Toast. With that being said, the Hokkaido red bean does come with very prominent earthy note from the red beans; all that whilst not being particularly sweet. While the Hokkaido red bean does feel paste-like, one can still feel the texture of entire beans that have been cooked to a soft consistency which definitely provides a good textural contrast for the item. The butter comes unsalted and does add a velvety smooth texture, while the Shokupan Toast comes toasted with a browned exterior and came with a crisp, crusted texture whilst delivering a bite — also carried a slight whiff of milky fragrance along with it.

We also went for the Carrot Walnut Cake that is being stocked up in the display case at the counter — as with how things are like at Old Hen Coffee Bar at Rangoon 88 previously and at Old Hen Kitchen at Owen Road, the bakes at Old Hen Coffee at Shaw Foundation Alumni House in the National University Singapore campus are sourced externally and from similar sources. Old Hen Coffee describes the Carrot Walnut Cake on the menu as “Carrot Walnut cake with cream cheese frosting”. Quite what one would expect for a typical carrot cake, the cake layer itself is pretty much reasonably dense whilst coming with a whiff of cinnamon and nibs of carrots within — one can also munch on the bits of walnuts that adds a nutty touch, whilst the addition of raisins provide some form of a bite that adds a touch of sweetness to the cake. The cream cheese frosting that is being added above the cake layer does replicate that of the lemon-infused mascarpone cheese frosting that typically comes with the usual cheese cakes; a little bit sweet, yet coming with a slight zing and provides a bit of a moisture and a depth of flavours that gives a bit of richness to the cake overall as well.

Visiting Old Hen Coffee without going for their House Bottled Beverages does feel a little bit like missing the point for us — and our favourite House Bottled Beverages to get would be their Cold Brew White. We do feel that the Cold Brew White comes less sweetened than before — it still comes nutty and creamy, though the malt-like sweetness within the coffee does seem to have been reduced to perhaps cater for the growing population whom are more mindful about sugary drinks in general. Old Hen Coffee had definitely earned their fair share of regular customers over the years — whilst it was their House Bottled Beverages that made it an icon within the cafehopping scene when they had first opened their doors at Rangoon 88, it does seem that the establishment is better known for its affiliated PÖONSTI and Chooby Pizza brands that are hosted at Old Hen Kitchen in more recent years. Despite the loss of its Rangoon 88 outlet at Farrer Park, Old Hen Kitchen still continues to exist in the Farrer Park that would hopefully be the go-to spot for regulars of their Rangoon 88 outlet to drop by for their familiar cuppa. Meanwhile, its new location at Shaw Foundation Alumni House in the National University of Singapore campus does serve as a bit of renewed identity of the brand — one with a refreshed look while also aligning itself slightly closer to what have been doing at their Old Hen Kitchen location; the Ö logo found on the wall at the back of the entire space at its Shaw Foundation Alumni House, National University of Singapore location does seem to hint the availability of PÖONSTI’s dishes in the longer run, though this location does come with a not-so-convenient location and limited operating hours as compared to their Rangoon Road space. Nonetheless, would like to congratulate these folks for the opening of their new location, and wish them all the best in what is to come for them!