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The charm of day-to-night concepts lies in watching the same venue take on a different shape once the sun sets. There are plenty of such spaces in Singapore, but this new spot we just discovered is one of our recent favourites. Located on the first floor of The Concourse, just opposite Nicoll Highway MRT, is Japanese-style pour-over coffee bar Tokyo Brew Lab, which doubles up as craft beer joint Hanoi Story Bar by night.
The space is cosy and instantly likeable, with chairs and sofas all around and a bar counter as the centrepiece of the room, backed by a red feature wall lined with vinyl records, while Japanese city pop provides the soundtrack.
While espresso-based coffee (from $5) is available, we recommend giving the hand-drip speciality coffee (from $9) a try. It's the highlight at Tokyo Brew Lab, served from 8.30am to 3pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on weekends. The beans are switched up every few weeks following the harvesting season, and currently, the café is offering its Sherry Oak and Hanaichigo beans, alongside the Mori Mori Medium and Slow Beans Medium. You'll also find two types of Vietnamese drip coffee on the menu – the regular café au lait ($4.90) and the iced salted foam latte ($5.50), both 50-50 blends of Robusta and Arabica beans.
Coffee enthusiasts, you'll want to grab a seat at the bar counter to watch the pour-over process. Hot coffee is poured into chilled tulip-shaped stemmed glasses, cooling it down instantly and allowing you to get a good whiff of all its aromatic notes. Or give it a go yourself by renting the DIY brew kit ($10) for an hour, which comes with a pour kit, grinder, thermometer and burner kit for you to craft your own cup in-store.
The day menu is compact but does the job, with five sandos, two sourdough breakfast plates (from $9) and the joint's viral banana cake on the list. We try the classic egg mayo sando ($7), which has a generous, nicely seasoned filling and a jammy Hanjuku egg in the centre, though we wish the bread would be fluffier. There are also fillings like Spam, scrambled eggs and hashbrown ($9), otah with hashbrown ($8) and more, with nothing over $15.
If you're a fan of Bake it Babe's banana cake from Thailand, the one at Tokyo Brew Lab hits the same spot ($8), with a slightly crisp exterior lined with thin banana slices, and a warm, fluffy centre, paired with banana ice cream on the side as the finishing touch.
As the clock strikes five, the lights are dimmed, and the space transforms into Hanoi Story Bar, which offers a range of craft beers and spirits sourced from Asia. Owners Bobby Yeoh's and Flin Lee's preferences lean toward sours and hop-driven IPAs, so you'll find plenty of brews with those characteristics. Similar to the daytime coffee menu, the craft beers at Hanoi Story Bar will rotate monthly, so visitors will get to try products from different breweries across Asia with each visit.
At launch, the duo is showcasing a selection of Chinese craft beers from Wild West Brewing in Chengdu and Ye Brewing in Shijiazhuang, Hebei. IPA lovers can choose among single, double and triple versions from Wild West (from $19 for 500ml), while those who like fruity sours should try the selection from Ye Brewing. The brewery produces smoothie sour ales made with a high concentration of fruit purée, with interesting flavours like kiwi, Piña Colada, Sweet Guava Heart and the Tart-Tastic – a blend of berries.
The Vietnamese influence comes into play in the cocktails, spirits and food. Pick from five craft cocktails (from $18) featuring spirits from Vietnam, and a range of sake from Mua (from $12), a Vietnamese sake distillery, including flavours like passionfruit and yuzu dragonfruit.
Bar bites at Hanoi Story Bar are designed to complement the punchy beers, so expect bold flavours, crispy textures and the like. Snacks like the anchovy crackers ($9) and river prawn fritters ($6) come jazzed up with Vietnamese chilli sauces on the side, while the fried pork belly ($18) incorporates fish sauce in its marinade. We also like the big market spicy fried chicken ($23) – think la zi ji but with larger, meatier chunks. Sandos are available too, with fillings like wagyu patties and pork katsu (from $19), served with fries on the side.
Time Out's rating: 4/5
The unique day-to-night concept and picture-worthy aesthetics are enough reasons to bookmark this place for a future visit. Our only real gripe is the two-hour gap on weekdays between the last coffee service at 3pm and the bar opening at 5pm, which makes it tricky to settle in and get some work done in the afternoon – a pity, given the quieter midday crowd around the area. Still, we like that Tokyo Brew Lab and Hanoi Story remain relatively under the radar (for now, at least) despite the central location.
On the hunt for more new cafés in Singapore? Check out our recent picks here.
Tokyo Brew Lab and Hanoi Story Bar are located at 302 Beach Rd, The Concourse, #01-03, Singapore 199600. Opening hours for Tokyo Brew Lab are Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 3pm and Saturday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm, while opening hours for Hanoi Story Bar are Monday to Friday 5pm to 11.30pm, Saturday 5pm to 11pm and Sunday 11am to 3pm.
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