Black & Ink

Good coffee. Tried their house blend and another black and both were good. Had a salted egg pastry that was really yummy. Will try to get the rendang pastry next!

(1) Masala Chicken set at $ 8.50 (croissant at +$ 1) (cheese at +$ 1)
— Boss Roy kept telling me how good this new sandwich was, strongly recommend me to try it and so I DID! First bite and I was already impressed. The croissant was very crispy, flaky and best of all it’s super buttery! The usual combi was onion thyme with chicken masala but I upgraded it to croissant, definitely the right choice. Chicken thigh slices were tender, the masala meat sauce was really savoury. I request for cheese to be added and love the warm melting cheese moments! If you’re not fond of chicken, Black & Ink also serves egg mayo sandwiches.
Other than cakes, lava muffins, danish and the sandwiches, Black and Ink now also invades the world of pies. Introducing us with flavours including lamb shank, beef rendang, wild mushrooms, bbq chicken and beef goulash. I gave the bbq chicken and beef rendang a try.
(2) Bbq Chicken Pie $ 6.50
— This lovely, light buttery crust pie comes in a rectangular shape. Every time I fork in, there’s generous chunks of tender chicken cubes. Bbq sauce was sweet sourish with mild spicy peppery aftertaste. A decent choice.
(3) Beef Rendang $ 6.50
— Beef rendang, usually ate them at a Malay nasi padang stall, first time in a pie (IKR, I’m a mountain tortoise). The coconut milk aroma was fragrant. Juicy tender beef cubes were also cooked together with carrots, potatoes and chilli spices. Flavour was good but can be heavier. Spiciness level can increase too.
Both pies were quite filling, suitable as a lunch meal for ladies.
(4) Dark Chocolate Lava Cake set $ 8.50
— First look at it didn’t impress me because the plating was bad. But people always said «Don’t judge a dessert by its appearance». And true enough, the taste says it all. Thick, luscious dark chocolate slowly flows out of my lava when cut. So thick, It’s a «throat choking» indulgence that chocolate lovers must definitely give it a shot. I paired mine with another scoop of banana peanut butter gelato (Top up $ because it comes with vanilla) and it’s HEAVEN! It will never go wrong when chocolate, peanut butter and banana comes together. There were many other gelato choices available but do note that there will be additional charges.
(5) Pear Danish
— Small and petite, it would be a great choice for afternoon snacks with coffee or tea. Having slight crisp on the outside, danish fluffy and airy inside. Not only adults love it, the sweet candied pear fruit in the center would attract kids to love it too. If you’re lucky, you could get their signature apple crumble danish too (runs out fast).

Pretty small yet cosy café which is located in walkable proximity around Eunos MRT station.
Came here on a Thursday night and wasn’t that crowded. Since we had $ 40 to spend on, we decided to try out the salted egg muffin, bread of the day with tuna mayonnaise, spicy lemongrass chicken, tapping tapir pineapple and calamansi (beverage), mao shan wang gelato in a cookie cup and very dark chocolate sorbet as well as good ol’ days in cookie cup.
The food was prepared rather quickly since the café wasn’t too crowded. While waiting, we enjoyed sharing our travel journeys with the owner himself. I was also starring at the nicely decorated interior design most of the time.
Food wise, the mains are alright to my tastebuds. But. the salted egg muffins and the different gelato especially the durian flavored one on the cookie cups was one of the best I have tasted thus far. The salted egg muffin was soft and moist on the outside and the runny «yolk» made the flavors to burst while consuming it. Those two are the most recommended items here as for me.
I also managed to choose the right beverage. Fruity and refreshing are the two words I will use to describe the taste. Definitely a good mix between pineapple and calamansi.
Overall, I enjoyed my conversation with the friendly owner and the two recommended items mentioned earlier. Will definitely be back for those two special dishes :) Cheers!

Black & Ink is nestled just a stone’s throw away from Eunos MRT. You can’t miss the huge store sign going along Changi Road. There is also a bus stop right in front of the shop, so even for someone who lives up North, it was still convenient to pop up. Straight away you will realize that though the café is horizontal wide, the dining area looks small in the right corner. However, once you step in, with the comfort of the air conditioning, along with the white and black tones, you somehow feel like you’ve stepped into a traditional «kopitiam»!
I liked how you could feel all cosy and in this 16 seat dining area. We did end up spending about 2 hours here and not once did I think that the dining area was too small. The second you step into Blakc & Ink you are greeted by their cake offerings, which are pretty overwhelming! When I first spoke to Roy the brainchild of Black & Ink and asked for an online version of the menu, he explained that he created the menu around the coffee and hence, they have «damn good» cakes, pastries, gelato and breads.
Their breads are made from natural yeast and everything else have no preservatives and additives. There’s also less sugar in the cakes and gelato too. I was attracted to this place because of the pictures I had seen about their cookie cups. I mean, waffles served with ice cream is so over done now. It’s time we moved on! They had a wide range of gelatos to pick from, all of which came down to Roy who personally promoted each flavour to us, based on what we liked. Thank you Roy for trying to meet our every need! The cookie cups looked alot bigger than I had expected and at $ 2 a cookie cup, I needed at least 2 of them!
1. Salted Egg Yolk Muffin $ 4.80
Coffee is best paired with cakes and muffins and in this case, Salted egg yolk muffin! The colour of this warmed up muffin was so appetizing!
Roy explained to us how best to eat it! The salted egg yolk colour with the brown muffin was just terrific! The browned exterior of the muffin was slightly crusty and almost like eating a cookie. The muffin itself was quite dense as such, it held up well with the salted egg sauce and didn’t turn the muffin soggy. I tasted a slight coconut flavour from the salted egg and I liked the sweet lemak aftertaste!
2. Bread of the day with tuna mayonnaise $ 7.80
So here are the options for mains at Black & Ink, they don’t exactly have a fully equipped kitchen for cooking, but they have ovens and simple cooking techniques could still be applied. Here is the focaccia with tuna mayonnaise. Roy said the bread was made with all natural ingredients, natural yeast, herbs, extra virgin olive oil, etc., which probably explains why the bread was so yummy! Definitely for the health conscious!
3. Spicy Lemongrass Chicken Burger with Mayonnaise $ 8.80
After the delicious focaccia, we tried the burger. The buns are made with natural yeast and scattered with mixed seeds. It shows how much Big Roy cares about your health! The chicken itself wasn’t spicy even though it’s titled «spicy», it’s more of a «green curry», thai style chicken.
4. Hot Coffee
Manager Big Roy is trained in The Coffee School of Australia and is a certified SCAE advanced level Barista, so you can always expect an excellent cup of coffee here at Black & Ink! This cup truly aroused my senses, so much so that I went home and headed straight to the gym! I definitely wish I had this cup of coffee everyday before work!
They also sell beans to take home with you so you can enjoy this goodness anyday!
Coffee beans are the center of everything in this café!
5. Tapping Tapir Pineapple Calamansi $ 4.50
Upon Roy’s recommendation, my friend decided to get one of these fruity bottled drinks, that was supposedly a soda, but had very little carbonation, which we appreciate!
Tapping Tapir Pineapple Calamansi — Very Refreshing!! The drink was very refreshing and the taste of the pineapple and calamansi was a great compliment, they paired up well!
6. Mao Shan wang in cookie cup $ 7
Okay, so I love durian but I’ve never actually found a durian ice cream that I liked. Some were too sweet, too artificially coloured yellow etc. But Roy did it right! I was luckily enough to come on a day whereby he was churning his first tub of Mao Shan Wang sorbet and unlike other fruity sorbet, this durian itself is creamy, hence even though it’s termed a sorbet. It was creamy goodness! You could close your eyes and imagine that you were eating the real durian fruit! The cookie cup added a perfect crunch to the durian gelato as well!
7. Very Dark Chocolate Sorbet and Good’ol Days in cooke cup $ 9
All ice creams should be served in cookie cups! The dark chocolate sorbet was yummy, but I was still bigger fan of their award winning Good’ol days, as Roy termed it «Chendol without the chendol» and it really was! I loved the salty and sweet gula melaka taste and it paired up well with the dark sorbet.

A small café that seems to make some people from the offices in the building happy — mostly get their fix as take-​away. Though small, looks like it can comfortably sit around 15 — 20 people. Nearest MRT station is Eunos, and it is easily accessible as it is situated along an arterial road.
It has a monochrome interiors with black and white tiled wall and furniture. A look different from the modern industrial look that most newly opened cafes take on. This one feels like a traditional coffee shop given a modern twist.
Opened early this year, it serves mainly coffee, tea and cakes, as it lacks a proper kitchen. I enjoyed my flatwhite that late morning, it was not too heavy with a caramel undertone. They serve their house blend. I chose their carrot cake (with pineapple and cranberries) that was moist and not to sweet.
The lady serving us at the counter was friendly, and so was the owner. He did not mind having a small chat, and mentioned that they are working with a social enterprise to bring in sandwiches soon. Hope it works out for them, as I will return for their coffee and it will be good to be able to get a small bite at the same time if I need to.