Black Coffee Dessert Bar

Black Coffee Dessert Bar was opened in 2009 by a few friends fanatic about coffee, food and vintage furniture. According to the website, there are two branches at Hitachi Tower and TripleOne Somerset though the latter has since closed. I have been to both, ordering its Valrhona Chocolate Banana Cake, Valrhona Dark Chocolate Tart and Chocolate Rum Affogato at the former. At the latter, I had its all-day breakfast, Valrhona Chocolate Cupcake with Nutella Frosting, and Macchiato. Other than tables made up of old television sets with sheets of glass on top, there were also gramophone, lamps, old-school clocks and retro-looking display cases. Together, different tables and chairs (including re-holstered old-style sofa) gave cosy vibes to the old-world charm of both places.

Just so this does not read like an overdose of sugar and all things sweet (I am not a dessert fanatic), I have segmented the review and pictures into bite-sized ABCDs. Starting with A for affogato, a cold gelato or ice-cream drowned in hot espresso. Wanted to order its Hazelnut Affogato but as the vanilla ice-cream could not be changed, I got the Chocolate Rum Affogato instead. Chocolate ice-cream dunked in espresso, sprinkled with Valrhona chocolate shards and drizzled with rum. Sweetness of the smooth ice-cream was well-balanced by bitterness of rum and coffee, the aroma and taste of which was lost. Nonetheless, it was still a good dessert that I took my time to savour. A is also for all-day breakfast, a good option for people who love both their breakfast and sleep.

B stands for breakfast, my favourite meal of the day and I can eat it all day. I liked that the scrambled eggs in my Full Breakfast was neither too wet nor overcooked. The baked beans tasted right out of the can and the cherry tomatoes were probably just washed and served. While both were cold, I could not fault them unlike the too-salty-but-crispy bacon and even saltier English sausage which made me cringe with every mouth. Could smell a nice aroma of the toasted thick white bread with a crust so crispy it made me smile and a centre that was soft, light and fluffy. Coupled with an unmistakeably tinge of light saltiness from either a dash of salt or salted butter, it was yummy and could be eaten on its own (and I do not eat my white bread plain). Something so simple and hard to go wrong but even harder to evoke that satisfied feeling from customers and here, they got it right.

C can stand for coffee – could smell and taste the aroma of roasted beans in every sip of the smooth and full-bodied Macchiato with muted acidity. Good enough to drink sans condiments, the signature Midnight coffee blend from Brazil, Tanzania and Sumatra apparently has a floral aroma and berry finish which I did not notice. Surprised the unique and laid-back space tucked in the heart of town also serves good coffee. Chocolate cupcake also starts with C, two Cs in fact. Valrhona Chocolate Cupcake with Nutella Frosting was a moist cupcake full of chocolate goodness, neither too sweet nor bitter, topped with what else but Nutella. Tasting heavenly of hazelnut, the sweet and rich frosting overwhelmed the cupcake when taken together in one bite.

D represents desserts, the variety of which astounds. The warm Valrhona Chocolate Banana Cake was soft, fluffy and moist with sweetness from the banana well-balanced by the smooth bitterness of Valrhona chocolate. And the Valrhona Dark Chocolate Tart was rich and smooth with a tinge of bitterness, just like how dark chocolate should be, and perfect with the crumbly tart and chocolate powder atop. While I do not usually succumb to chocolate unless it is dark chocolate, I love Valrhona for its melt-in-the-mouth smoothness without leaving a bitter taste on the tongue. Just as caffeine intake should not be wasted on bad coffee, I say calories and fats intake when enjoying good food is not a waste.

Update: The café has closed.