Things had slowed down for a few months over at emerging hot hood Jalan Besar, but now there’s a new specialty coffee and brunch place to jazz things up. Occupying the space of what was formerly a Chinese medicinal hall, 20F does coffee and brunch by day and cocktails by night, all among simple wooden furniture at the front, old-school tiled floors and window grills and a spacious sunroof dining area at the back.
Most importantly: their brunch menu which runs from 10am-5pm, has some interesting options, like the duck waffle (confit, strawberry composte and buttermilk waffles, $22) and the orange cinnamon French toast (with mascarpone and pistachio, $15). The more run-of-the-mill, but hearty stuff includes the ribeye brioche burger ($24) drizzled with red wine sauce and lemon mayo, and the pork and vine tomato linguini ($16), which are also served at dinner.
Their cocktail menu is brief and generic, with Sex on the Beach, a little twist on the Cosmopolitan and a few other things. Something a bit different is the Tea for Two ($18) that mixes gin, earl grey, berry puree, lemon juice and mint leaves, or the 20F Espresso martini ($16) featuring vodka, Kahlua, frangelico and espresso.
The real draw is the caffeine: espresso, macchiato, latte and cappuccino ($3.50-6). For something to beat the heat, try their hearty milk shakes like the earl grey, fig and vanilla ($7.50) featuring a blend of earl grey ice cream, vanilla bean ice cream and cold milk; or the mixed berries chia seeds iced tea ($7) that brings together fresh strawberries, blueberries and mint.
