COCONUTS HOT SPOT — The new SPRMRKT branch at Robertson Quay sits nicely by the riverside, sharing the same building as the Singapore Tyler Print Institute. Taking up two levels, the brightly-lit space showcases a different concept across both floors.
SPRMRKT Daily is a casual cafe and grocery-style shop, with a variety of handcrafted products, fresh ingredients, a simple menu and a curated selection by homegrown brands Supermama and BooksActually. Upstairs, SPRMRKT Kitchen & Bar leans towards the sophisticated side, with plush seats, a bar counter and a menu that serves ‘glocal’ cuisine (dishes are globally influenced, but made with local ingredients).
Pop by SPRMRKT Daily for a catch-up sesh with your friends, or just to chill by the river at the outdoor tables. This cafe is pretty similar to the McCallum Street branch, with a retail section offering artisanal produce and home ware by local suppliers such as Superlative Foods — the first organic food manufacturer in Singapore — Mmerci Encore, Candles of Light and more. For those who can’t live without their morning cuppa, get your fill of seasonal roasts from Nylon Coffee Roasters, or take your pick from a specially-customised selection by Smitten Specialty Tea.
But don’t expect ever-evolving surprises on offer, like the one at McCallum Street — here, it’s a fixed menu of signatures such as all-day brekkie items, salads, soups, pastas, wraps, burgers and meat. Highlights include pumpkin soup with cous cous and aged parmesan ($10), grilled Atlantic salmon with citrus hollandaise, roasted baby potatoes and sautéed baby spinach ($24) and twice-cooked baby back ribs with slaw and curly fries ($22).
At the second floor SPRMRKT Kitchen & Bar, things get a tad more serious — when it comes to the food, that is. In the warm and welcoming space sits large, painting-like photographs, with cosy tables and a marble bar counter. Led by head chef Jonathan Ong, the kitchen offers New American cuisine with a local twist. Set lunches are available ($38-$59), and you can choose from options like Australian oyster, onion soup, haddock risotto and fruit sorbet on the limited menu.
But we’d reckon dinner is the better option for a more extensive menu that you can take your time to look through. Think dishes like smoked hamachi with Earl Grey, panzanella and burnt scallion ($18), fettuccine with squid ink, tiger prawn, bacon and egg ($24) or Spanish octopus with Asian twisted romesco and burnt fruit ($65). Then end off the meal with innovative sweet treats like the broken apple pie with apple caramel, bourbon and vanilla ice cream ($15) or the liquid nutella with vanilla sponge, coffee and banana brûlée ($16).
Cocktails from the bar are offered in experimental concoctions with playful names — like Praise the Lard, a blend of bacon bourbon whiskey, ruby port, Italian bitter liqueur and cardamom bitters ($20), or Thyme of Our Lives, with ruby peach purée, green apple juice, thyme and lime ($12) — and the selection of fine wines from around the world come courtesy of Analogue Wine Merchant. Oh, and budding wine connoisseurs can look out for informal wine tasting sessions every Wednesday from 5pm to 7pm at SPRMRKT Daily.
SPRMRKT Daily is at #01-01 the Singapore Tyler Print Institute, 41 Robertson Quay, 9736-4032. Mon-Sun 7am-11pm.
SPRMRKT Kitchen & Bar is at #02-01 the Singapore Tyler Print Institute, 9736-4170. Mon-Fri 11.30am-3pm, 6pm-10pm, Sat 9am-4pm, 6pm-10pm, Sun 9am-6pm.
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