Carpenter and Cook

Lots has been said about Carpenter & Cook so I believe the average Unilocaler (or any foodie worth her salt) would have heard about it this place.
First off, the positives: the ladies at the counter were friendly, the décor of the place gives a feel of something found if Old-​school and Indie got married. I’m a bit biased when it comes to arty décor and the ambience of this place just hit it off with me so very well.
Now, the not-​so-​good stuff: Despite all the praises sung about the pastries, I honestly felt I could find much better alternatives elsewhere. I found the lemon meringue to be average at best, and the sea salt choc tart… well… something I’d try once and only once. And now where I get really picky: I’ve tried Liberty coffee — and while I immensely enjoyed the latter, I found the coffee at C&C to be rather weak. So… I’d have to say I differ in my opinion from what seems to be everybody else when I say that the coffee was rather disappointing.
All in all, though I really loved the design of the place, I don’t think I’d come back. The food was decent, but nothing particularly noteworthy for me; and if you’re as picky about coffee as I am, you’d know there are plenty of other places to go to get a good dose.

Beautiful café! Has the most amazing, delicious desserts! I absolutely looooooved the desserts at this café. Highly recommend this place to everyone :) a must try !

Uh oh… Is Success and popularity getting to Carpenter and cook’s head?
Ever since I first tried the place… I’ve seen and tasted a steady decline amongst the sweet cakes and tarts.
So far, some of the crew’s greetings resembles somewhere between a frost bite and an eclipse.
The food itself seems. well…it taste and feels like the love that was poured into the making of those tarts… Have left.
What was once raved as one of the best, if not the best place to have fantastic tarts, has now slowly started fading.
From our last 3 visits, we’ve experienced overcooked and slightly burnt pastry, followed by undercooked pastry and finally today, salad with arugula that looks like it’s been sitting in the bowl since this morning. Although the lettuce seemed fresher, it really looked like all they did was top up and left the bottom as it was, soaking in whatever dressing was there and turning into a dead mush in the process.
It really feels like the basics have gone out the window.
That said, we’ll still be back and I just hope it doesn’t decline any further that it already has.

Staff are really friendly. Deserts are in quite small servings so we got to order a wide selection of choices and shared! Plus point, their tea has an free refill so definitely something you would want to have all that cake go down easily (:

Carpenter and cook is a really lovely and quaint place! The passionfruit meringue tart was heavenly, you can’t miss this! The décor is very interesting as well. Definitely worth travelling here!

Great ambience, over-​extracted substandard coffee.

This kooky little café tucked away in the Upper Bukit Timah neighbourhood of Lorong Kilat is certainly no stranger to being reviewed. When we got to Carpenter & Cook one Sunday afternoon, we were greeted simultaneously by the chatter of diners, the clinking of cutlery and the aroma of oven-​baked goodies the moment we pushed through the wood-​panelled door. As we waited in line for a seat, the couple next to us used a vintage display cabinet as a tabletop for filling in a form to have their pre-​wedding shoot held here.
As with all wildly popular eateries, there’s always a presumption that service will be brusque and impersonal. I’m happy to report that the servers we encountered at Carpenter & Cook were welcoming and chirpy. Furnished with rustic pieces acquired by one of its three co-​owners from all over the world, the café exuded a homely and laid-​back vibe in spite of the teatime crowd. Communal seating is practised here, which is fine by me since I’ve recently been trained not to attack openly affectionate couples.
Lavender Bundt Cake, $ 4.00 — Whilst surveying the pastries on display, we were a little taken aback by how steep the prices were. It took just four bites to finish this palm-​sized bundt cake (we’re talking preschooler hands here), which tasted quite uninspiring. It was my first encounter with lavender in cake form, though apart from some notes of cinnamon I frankly couldn’t detect anything else in the cake. I also felt the honey glaze was superfluous since it added neither depth of flavor nor moisture to the cake, which was a little too dry.
Passionfruit Meringue Tart, $ 6.50 — Highly raved about in almost every review of Carpenter & Cook I’ve read, this tart had a crisp, buttery shell that broke off easily when you cut into it with a fork. The beautifully seared meringue peaks had a texture akin to toasted marshmallow innards… that’s actually meant to be much more delicious than it reads. Found the passionfruit curd way too sweet, but supporters swear by it so if too much sugar’s your thing, go right ahead and order this.
Smashing Savoury Brioche Bun (Veg.), $ 6.50 — A sprinkle of sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, olives and a couple sprigs of parsley on a fluffy brioche bun. I have to say the bun was moist, soft and wonderfully herby, but for six friggin’ fifty? I wouldn’t have ordered this if I were allowed to have things my own tyrannical way.
Triple chocolate chip muffin, $ 3.50 — This was a flat out disaster. The muffin was so dry that every poke of the fork triggered an avalanche of crumbs. Also, the chocolate used was sickeningly sweet and of exceedingly poor quality — I say this as someone who has no qualms about eating Van Houten chocolates by the boxful.
Flat White, $ 5.00 — Like any Singaporean café worth their salt, Carpenter & Cook utilises the Speakeasy blend from Liberty Coffee. Sadly, premium beans alone do not a good cup of coffee make. My flat white was served lukewarm, left a slightly acrid aftertaste, and came with zero art boohoohoo. Maybe it was because the café was crowded when we visited, but they could definitely pay a little more attention to detail for drink prep.
By the end of our visit we were left scratching our heads about the hype surrounding Carpenter & Cook. It’s obvious that they have the leisurely come-​burn-​your-​weekend-​afternoon-​with-​us ambiance bit down pat, but food and price wise there’s so much room for improvement you could fit Mariah Carey and her entourage in there. I’d like to think that we visited on an off-​day. I guess I wouldn’t mind coming back if I happen to be in the area, though it’ll be an uphill task convincing me to go out of my way to visit Carpenter & Cook a second time.

always wanted to try it out and headed down for brunch on Sunday with my friend.
We were both raving about the Passionfruit meringue tart — refreshingly savory. The bacon quiche was delicious as well and I’m not a salad person, but their side salad was really good.
We also tried the Raspberry brownie but the flavor was too dark chocolatey for our liking. Gets rather gelat after a while.
Still, nothing like enjoying a nice meal with their quaint ambience, and sipping tea and coffee. Will come back next time for their tarts!

I have heard lots about Carpenter and Cook, though I don’t remember exactly what it is I am supposed to try. I guess with the flurry of small cafes, bakeries, patisseries sprouting up in recent months (or is it years already?), it is hard to keep track. After a while, they really do seem to serve the same old stuff, taste about the same, cost also about the same, that most are pretty forgettable.
I may like a pretty thing but what will leave an indelible impression will be the taste. Taste over appearance for me.
The first impression of Carpenter and Cook is the darkness and seemingly messiness. It is not really messy, but it has a lot of things (antique or old stuff) crammed into the shop. And many wooden furniture inside also makes the place look darker than it actually is.
I do quite like the vibe. Almost indie to me. Everything sort of work together even though everything is so mis-​matched. That adds to the charm. You just share a big table if there are no smaller tables available. Quite nice actually. Everyone talks in a normal/​soft tone so it is just a low hum of conversation, nothing jarring to the ears. And so you won’t be an unwilling eavesdropper at all, even if you are sharing a table with strangers.
After checking reviews on what was the recommended food (i.e. passionfruit meringue tart and lemon cream tart — isn’t that wonderful of having a smartphone and internet and google and Unilocal and blogs?), I went to place my order.
While there, I was very taken with the lemon meringue cake and the banoffee tart. They looked very tempting. I decided to just try the lemon meringue cake. It is quite rare to find a meringue cake and even rarer to find one which does it well.
I love the lemon meringue cake which has 2 layers of sponge cake with a thin layer of lemon curd and topped with meringue all around. The cake was moist and you could really taste the freshness of it. No day-​old cake at all. The tartness of the lemon made a perfect foil against the slight sweetness of the cake and the sweeter meringue which was also very nicely done. I liked that the meringue was not the typical hard type when served on its own but was a bit foamy soft and yet could stand on its own. You could just taste the egg white and sugar whipped until stiff and then browned a little in the heat.
The sea salt chocolate caramel tart was nice but nothing memorable. For a chocolate lover, it is saying a lot when I actually prefer the tart instead of the sweet.
P. S. I like the placement of lemons scattered all over the place. It does create a pop of color and cheer in the brownness of the place.

Headed down for a quick lunch meeting so I didn’t get to try much other than the tea.
I have to say the décor for the place is absolutely spiffing and probably the thing Enid Blyton novels are made up of. Love the bits and pieces on display and for sale. Pick up some tea cups if you even want an extra quality in your life. You can just start with your first special tea cup, even if you don’t want to pick up the entire set. Trust me when I saw tea works better in special teacups.
I’ve heard amazing things about their quiche and passionfruit meringue tart. Marcus’ story about the place below sounds amazing so I’m looking forward to partake in the «cook» part of this café.
I know of a friend holding an engagement party at this very spot!
All in all, I’ll give a go for the atmosphere alone — non-​pretentious and pretty private amongst your seating space. The servers are polite and helpful without being too intrusive, something which I always appreciate. Will be back to try more of the food and review this spot again!

The good: Brushed through a group outside, walked through the door and was greeted with a salutation and a huge smile. Told her it was my first time and she cheerfully recommended a few items, 2 of which I got: lemon tart and bacon quiche. Atmosphere was buzzing, full house but I managed to get a seat. It’s an amazing throw back to the 20’s, ragtime music, sewing tables and old school advertising. Felt like I was on an episode of The Pickers: everything is for sale.
The bad: Quiche was served cold and the so called best lemon tart in Singapore was good but not mind blowing. The custard was spot on, but the crust was too thin and hard. Was also served my latter in a glass… WHY? This isn’t the only spot that is guilty of this, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why places do this. You should never put hot water in glass. First of all once the heat from the water will go to the surface of the glass causing the glass to absorb heat, making it fire hot. Secondly, after the glass gets scorching hot, the water gives up heat into the air, reducing the temperature of the water (drink gets cold quick = bad). Because of this, your drink goes from scorching hot to ice cold faster than you can say Carpenter + Cook, and unfortunately there isn’t enough time to drink it in between. People don’t just use mugs for the cute handles, it serves a purpose.
The ugly: Carpenter has his stuff together but Cook needs to step up their game just a bit and really wow with the food. That’s the difference between 3, 4 and 5 stars: the wow factor. Although I enjoyed 20+ minutes of old timer songs, I don’t think I could handle much more. I don’t know how those employees do it… but perhaps that’s what makes them so smiley… they’ve gone insane from the tunes.

Phoebe, Shenn & Eunice — You girls did such an awesome job with the place’s deco and most importantly FOOD. I’ll definitely be back here again (although I live sooo far away). That’s how much I’ve fallen in love with the place. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us and explain the lovely selection of food.
The Food
1) Quiche (ham and mushroom) — It was amazing!!! The texture was smooth & practically melt-​in-​your-​mouth. The crust was baked to perfection! It’s no surprise to learn that the cook trained in the prestigious Cordon Bleu in London. This is indeed no ordinary Quiche
2) Passionfruit Meringue Tart — Another must try item!!! It’s just heaven!!! omg!!! I’ve never been a huge fan of tarts but this one was AMAZING. It took all my will power to not gobble up the whole piece and leave some for Kah Hong to try. I think I managed to leave like ¼ (at least I tried)… haha… he loved it too!!! The passionfruit filling was creamy, thick and not-​too-​sweet. While the crust was crispy and baked to perfection just like the Quiche.
3) Drinks — I love the Elderflower soda (makes me think of LOTR for some reason. food for the elves. I am sure they would approve). The Ginger beer was a tad bit too strong for me but Kah seems to be ok with it. He’s the adventurous foodie. Anyways, what a unique selection of sodas they have! Seriously, I don’t think I’ve seen them anywhere else in Singapore.
The Ambiance
Beautiful! Vintage furnitures that has a nostalgic old world, British café feel to it :)
Tip: Heard it gets pretty crowded on weekends so go early! or on weekdays nights (perfect chill out place after a long day of work).

Best lemon tart I have ever had (and I have eaten MANY all around the world).
The crust of the tarts at Carpenter & Cook win HANDS DOWN. It’s crisp, buttery and a great texture in your mouth.
Oh and it helps that you are eating on antique plates. Makes it that much more delectable.
Would go back again and again to try everything on the menu. This place is quaint and totally worth the trip. Go when it’s quiet so you can check out the antiques in peace.

I admit my friend is one of the 3 owners but why I came 3 times in 2 weeks starting with a private soft-​launch (even though this is out of my way) is because I love the lemon meringue tart (it’s very tarty you might say which suits me to a T-​for-​Tart), the brioche is full of yums (yes I brought my saturday brunch mate friend as soon as we could find the time so she could try it) and the coffee is very respectable despite the lack of latte art. It’s roasted by Liberty and drinking the coffee there a few times made me want to go checkout Liberty (but they’re always closed and I only have so much time on weekends anyway).
Love how all the furniture is so unique and while I am a modernist at heart, the place has a real character and comfy quirky vibe without looking old-​fashioned.

Once upon a time, there were 3 girls with a dream, a dream of having their own little place, decorated with curated pieces of vintage and filled with the buttery aroma of cakes and bakes. It’ll be a place where friends will share secrets over a pot of tea, where lovers reunite, where lost treasures are found. But dreams will remain as dreams unless you have the courage to pursue it. So they did. And Carpenter and Cook was born.
The shop is exactly out of a fairy tale. The nostalgia and charm of a time lost and then rediscovered. The interior is warmy and cosy, peppered with an eclectic mix of handpicked and restored furniture. There is just this air of positivity and hope. I guess it must have come from Phoebe, Shenn and Eunice, who obviously have put in their heart and soul into the place.
There is something romantic about old furniture. Who did it belong to? What was the owner like? Why did they buy it? Who was it for? Each piece comes with a history that we may never know about; each a mystery.
I pondered these over the freshly baked tarts (S$ 6.20) and a cup of mocha. The bakes are as dreamy as everything else. These are made by the Cordon Bleu trained hands of Shenn and each bite was as delicious as you can imagine. For me, my search for the best tart ends here.
The crisp and buttery tart base is everything one would look for. It doesn’t fall to pieces when you cut or bite into it. Neither is it too soft that it fails to hold the filling.
The Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel tart was a bitter sweet delight. I like that it isn’t too cloyingly sweet. A hint of sea salt gives way to a smokey caramel and then you hit the bitter notes of the chocolate in the aftertaste. There is a clear separation of the chocolate and the tart but it melts from the warmth of your lips and becomes a rich elixir that goes down easily.
The Lemon Cream tart was a custard and eggy delight. It’s a little sharp but that’s it’s character. I guess a person’s taste preference is also an indication of what they are like. Obviously i’m not the sweet and docile girl. I declare this to be the best tart in Singapore. It can’t get better than this.

A place where you can go to indulge in everything Britannia, Carpenter & Cook is one of those places that I fell in love with at first sight.
Discovered by chance while we were searching for a coffee joint one day after lunch, we spotted this charming little vintage furniture store and decided to venture in to take a look. Imagine my surprise when I saw there was a nice little English style bakery to boot as well. Offering up plenty of heart English sweets like scones and cakes, it’s one of those places that manages to capture the quaint British essence perfectly.
Being too engrossed with taking in everything the bakery had to offer, I have to say the furniture become forgotten quickly enough and I can’t really recall much.

A vintage furniture store with a twist, Carpenter & Cook comes with a charming little English-​style artisan bakery to boot.
We found this place while searching for furniture for my new room and my friend was delighted with what was on offer. There are plenty of hearty English sweets like scones slathered with butter and the tangy Lemon Drizzle cake.
The coffee was also good (made by local boutique roasters Liberty Coffee). I haven’t been back yet, but as soon as I feel a little British fever, you can be sure I’ll be!

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a new café has opened up in my armpit of a neighbourhood– Jalan Jurong Kechil, the less glamourous part of Bukit Timah. I am no café spotter, but as a fourth year (and very restless) undergraduate with too much time on my hands, the easy excuse of «coffee hunting» has brought me to coffee haunts in all corners of Singapore. Now that with one just minutes from my house– there was simply no excuse to not go.
I decided to check out the place with a friend on a Sunday afternoon. Being familiar with the area we did not have any trouble locating the place, but I can imagine how the unassuming shopfront (very dark tinted windows) might be easily missed by first-​timers, especially since the café is modestly nestled among rows of tuition centres. Even then, any trouble would be well worth your while the moment you step in– the place is warmly lit, the air is cool and well ventilated (I have a thing about smelling like the food I just ate). The décor of the place was lovely (lovely china and well-​done vintage without a hint of gaudiness). Many of the ornaments and furniture are for sale, hence the «Carpenter» in «Carpenter & Cook».
The food looks absolutely delicious — tarts, pastries, cakes, coffee/​teas (there isn’t really any savoury food). I would have ordered every pastry available just from the way they looked– but having come from a heavy lunch, we eventually compromised on a lemon tart, a long black and an iced latte. The lemon tart definitely convinced me to make a return visit. It is is possibly my favorite lemon tart right now! It was simple– exactly how I wished it was– a sturdy pastry (perhaps a bit too hard for some) filled with a really smooth lemon curd. I won’t go so far as to say it completely blew my mind– but if you’ve ever had a great pastry that made your toes curl, you’d totally get it. The coffee also did not disappoint– even my friend who is very much of a coffee snob remarked that it was ‘not too bad at all’.

If you are missing some old vintage charm, sneak into this enclave at Lor Kilat. In spite of the fame of the korean restaurants along this lane, the Carpenter girls (a.k.a. the owners) have a winnng formula of vintage + bakes + retail. Every cutlery has its place in history, and effort has been made to envelop you in a forgotten era. Owing its charm to their stays in London, the bunting and pieces that litter the shop do indeed remind me of East London.
The cakes are divine, who would have thought passionfruit meringue tart could be this addictive? Try their selection of cakes, they hardly disappoint! Prices are fair, given the ambience, the charming fixtures that you can take home if you want, at a price of course. Chat with the staff to find out more about their interesting finds, or just put on your bell bottoms and head down here.

In a word — gorgeous.
This is a story of three friends, who all do different things, but somehow marry their interests to form one pretty cool spot.
Phoebe is the «carpenter» — she’s responsible for picking up most of the furniture and knick-​knacks you see in the store, including the tables and chairs you sit on. All of it was picked up as a hobby while she used to live in London, when it hit her that she should ship all of it back home. Lucky us, eh? I’ve seen seriously cool stuff, including a couple of rotary phones — they even use one for the shop phone.
Shenn is the «cook», and she makes all the bakes… and this includes the brioche they use for their sandwiches, and the tart shells in their ridiculously awesome passionfruit meringue tarts, and even the killer passionfruit marshmallows. Yes, she makes marshmallows. Oh, and she makes jams too. Just sayin’.
Eunice is the «and», and boy does she tie everything together. She runs the café front, and if that isn’t enough, she also offers food styling and dessert table services. It’s a little much for me to digest, so you’ll want to check with her for more details.
These lovely ladies have put together quite a stellar store, and you have to go check them out, if even just to see all the stuff for yourself.