Corner Corner

A cosy jazz kissa in the centre of Singapore offering a space to slow down, relax and listen to some great music. The first and only time I've visited this place was during my last week in Singapore. I had been staying there for the last five years and was spending my last week meeting friends and making more memories. One of my friends recommended we meet at this cafe. We had met through the SG rave scene, which I was heavily invested in back then. We decided to meet at Maxwell and walk towards the cafe since it was just a two-minute walk from there.

Corner Corner is a small Japanese kissa located inside rpm, a music and cocktail bar. The place is lovely, with records piled up throughout the whole back wall. The interior was a combination of old and new. 

We sat down along the counter, which was made of a beautiful patterned wood that matched the yellow lights above perfectly. The barista, who was dressed very well, greeted us with a smile. He handed us the menu, which had a few offerings. We went for two handbrews of the Ethiopia and Kenya varieties. After that, we were lost in conversation. I was talking about how this place reminded me of a few places in Tokyo, one of them being CAVE in Shibuya. The whole ambience and the walls of records instantly reminded me of my time there.

Our coffee finally arrived. The cups looked like those European porcelain sets with intricate patterns. It was beautiful. Having lived in SG for a long time, I have explored most speciality coffee around. I've been to most of the cafes, from the big popular ones to the small hidden ones. Corner Corner hands down has the best manual brew in town. No competition. I tried the Ethiopia variety. The flavours were perfectly balanced. I was getting fruity notes with a smooth earthy undertone. The whole experience was very well balanced, and the finish was very pleasant. Even thought i was lost in conversation with my friend, I couldn't stop myself from going back to sip the coffee again and again. 

The music was great; it was a nice jazz instrumental record. It did not distract me from the conversation; instead, it added this soft energy around the room. The cafe was the perfect paradox; the music and general personality of the cafe made it seem very quiet and serene. However, there was a lively undertone of people having conversations. This hum was very distinct to a Tokyo jazz kissa. It's not the interior design but the atmosphere that defines this place. And with beautiful brews. Everything comes together perfectly.

We were so focused on the moment, the conversation and the coffee that I only took two photos of the space before leaving. I feel like that captures my experience perfectly. I really enjoyed my time here. I have since left SG and haven't had a chance to visit again, but I will definitely be back! The prices are a bit on the higher side, but I'd say it's worth the quality and is affordable compared to general SG cafe prices. I highly recommend this place.

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