The Coffee Academics

There's a Starbucks at the lobby of the hotel. I refuse to give it any money. Haven't had caffeine for days. Those black coffee thingies at the cha chaan teng are immensely unsatisfying and upset my stomach the same way our kopitiam's kopi-o-siu-dai does. Held out till we could get to somewhere decent- The Coffee Academics.

First thing, stopped in tracks and drooled over the Slayer. In wood. The gorgeousness. Then the music player caught our eye. Never mind the iMac, it was the tube amp that was so cute! Luckily we were seated and served our orders before the after-lunch crowd came in. It's quite a spacious venue and the baristas simply couldn't cope with the amount of orders in the narrow time-frame.

Their ice-drip coffees were good- their house blend and Classico No.3. I also opted for a piccolo latte, of which I was a bit stunned to be told that it was a double-shot. It was a gentle roast, and while it's nice, I usually prefer a robust, slightly more acidic brew. Their flat white arrived in 9-oz cups. Too much milk, methinks. All those different names of coffees. I'm beginning to prefer cafes that don't give me options, and just pull espressos that I can add just options of ounces of milk. That works better. Otherwise, I keep having to second guess the various cafes' interpretations of the coffees out there.