Hummingbirds Coffee Bar is the unlikely meeting point of red velvet cake and custom couture. The café hosts a well stocked cake counter as well as the latest incarnation of famed local designer Beatrice Looi’s boutique. The café holds prime position at front of house, decked in gold flocked wallpaper and velvety chairs in teal and seafoam, and there customers munch on macarons, cupcakes and elegant cheesecakes. In the meantime, the boutique sees a steady stream of wellheeled clients passing through the glass doors, trying on evening gowns, rifling the racks and sitting down for a chat with the designer.
The boutique holds a vast selection of signature Beatrice Looi looks, inevitably involving elaborate beading and embroidery. Her bridal gowns are remarkable for the absence of giant skirts and copious amounts of tulle, but Beatrice makes up for lack of volume with a flurry of detail down to the last inch on the train. However brides-to-be form only part of her client list – there are women trying on evening gowns, shopping for handmade accessories, or even picking up some ready to wear day clothes.