Lola’s Cafe

Quality was worth the money. However, taste was lacking the punch and resulted in unsatisfactory meal. Both types of pasta were soaked in sauce although the serving was very generous. Definitely recommend their nachos fries and pulled pork burger, they were SUPER DELICIOUS! I love what they have done with the buns. Unlike the usual toasted, it’s baked until shiny golden brown. I was sold for its’ presentation. Thumb down for the chocolate tart though, it wasn’t the ending I had hope to have. It’s worth the first try, but not convinced to visit for the second time.

One of the best café that I’ve tried so far. Downside is the waiting time ard 2 hrs or more.

Awesome place. Great food, great staff. I live right around the corner and would go all the time, but because its the best place in Kovan its always packed. Ive only eaten there a few times over the last year, cause when I want to eat, I rarely have enough time to get a table. Its very rare to see the wait time to be less than 90 mins. But if you have the time, and aren’t busy, Lola’s is as good as it gets in Kovan. Take away is always an option, but they have a great beer selection, so sticking around is better, if possible.

Loved the Banana Earl Grey Tart! Gave me a hint of the dessert scene in Australia.
It comprises of caramelized bananas which weren’t overly sweet, pistachio crumbles which I like and secretly hoped for more and the earl grey mouse/​cream as you would call it was really good!
You got a fan in me!
The group also ordered a plate of hot wings and really liked the taste and how tender it was too!
Pretty good for a first time visit to Lola. :]

The glut of cafes that opened in Singapore within the last year has left me in a spot of disconnectedness with the people who are actively involved in «café-​hopping». So I did some research before heading to Lola’s Café which was suggested by Ms K. Strangely, it seems like the entire nation is heading for the brunches instead of the dinners (perhaps the fetish for egg bens has yet to subside).
One of the most tried-​and-​tested dishes here is the Avocado Egg Bens ($ 15). Nothing much astonishing about this but the excellently toasted brioche was so crunchy and ideal for mopping up the mixture of runny egg and sweet salad dressing that collected on the plate. The Honey and Paprika Wings ($ 10) were indeed so popular that customers who couldn’t snap a seat, were ordering it for takeaway. Juicy and sweet, these chickens would definitely be even satisfying with more spice.
The dark chocolate tart with coffee cream ($ 5) could be the best bet out of the three sweets we’ve had. Speckles of sea salt tempered the bittersweet cacao ganache within a thin chocolate tart shell, though I couldn’t recall tasting baileys or espresso in the cream. Meanwhile, I failed to comprehend an Earl Grey Tart ($ 5) whose filling resembles mudflow. Not sure if it was intended to be of such loose consistency or to be curd-​like as those of lemon meringue tarts. The Black Tea Prune Brownie with Vanilla ice cream ($ 7) might not win brownie points on its looks but the clever use of tea-​soaked prunes injected another dimension of sweetness to an otherwise archetypical baked chocolate cake.

Kovan is becoming a hipper place for people living in the North East! I know we have Serangoon Gardens and all but that area is seriously too congested for my liking. Recently, the brothers and i checked out Lola’s Café, a fairly new joint located at Simon Road, just a stone’s throw away from our regular Punggol Nasi Lemak haunt (i don’t like it btw).
Lola’s Café is a cheerful café with a limited seating capacity. I reckon it sits about 20 to 30 pax. And they are really popular. Go early, put your booking down on the iPad booking system and be prepared to wait.
I’ve heard good things about the brunch menu (available from 10am — 3pm on weekends) but i’ve yet to try it. Friends that i’ve sent in Lola’s way enjoyed the Avocado Eggs Benedict very much. All my favorite ingredients in 1 dish, you bet i’d order that next time.
We met late for supper and picked from the bites section. The Truffle fries with grated Parmesan cheese ($ 12) was MEH. I’m a fan of soggy fries but this style is simply not compatible with truffle oil. The fries were bland and lacking in the truffle aroma.
My favorite is the Honey and Paprika Crispy Wings ($ 9). You have to order this! This is an order from the Tummy Ministry. I loved the light crispy batter which stayed crunchy throughout the meal. The meat was nicely marinated and went perfectly with the light touch of honey which coats it.
Their homemade desserts are apparently quite popular here but both desserts that we tried were less than satisfactory. The Dark Chocolate Sea Salt tart with Kahlua coffee cream ($ 5) sounded more delicious than it tasted. Filling to tart ration was off (too much tart) and the tart lacked in the butter department and was simply too crumbly (and i don’t mean it in a good way). The tart tasted like one of those factory manufactured pastry shells. Meh.
Sticky Honey Apple cake with French Vanilla ice cream ($ 7). According to the brothers, who aren’t very picky with food, Swensen’s apple crumble tastes better and i concur.
I had the Matcha green tea latte ($ 6) which was worse than Starbucks. It was terribly bland. Will never order this again.
I was hoping that i would be head over heels in love with Lola’s Café but i wasn’t. Hopefully their brunch will change my opinion about them. Till then.

neighborhood hipster-​type café with pretty food and mostly decent flavors — this I would rank amongst the middling ranks of hipster joints.
is it a sign of age that I can’t seem to abide bad service these days? I’m not quite fastidious (but of course it’s not something one just admits to), but the number of untrained staff that I’ve encountered at new eating places is baffling: is it me, or is it them? this place was staffed primarily by students — young, and not quite well-​trained — something I expect we’ll see more often now that school’s out and they make for low-​cost labor, especially with these small cafes.
when you do sit down (not so implicitly implying a wait), the food is decent. it’s not the best cooking, but good-​enough renditions of brunchy egg dishes and fried breakfasts. the portions are reasonably-​sized, too, so you won’t leave hungry.
the draw of the place are their tarts — and some are really pretty good. we had the lime meringue, banana earl-​grey brulee and salted chocolate tartlets (in order of increasing appeal) — tiny and adorable and thankfully tasty in fluted butter crusts.
stay away from the nutella tart though, for it had a strangely jellyish filling that tasted barely of that dark brown magic — insubstantial both in flavor and taste. I have a weakness for nutella (eataly, won’t you open here please?) and so my expectations were highest for this slice, and consequently most deflated. spreading a thick layer of the spread would have sufficed, really.
in short, adequately decent and great as a neighborhood café — but it’s not a destination worth too much effort in travel. although. that salted chocolate tart might just about singlehandedly make a good enough point to visit.

Went back again that night as planned…
Their Iced Latte is realllllly good, and so is the lemon meringue tart. Then again, I do love all things lemon meringue.
Also, consistently good service. On Edge waiter was less on edge, so that’s a plus.
:)

For those of you living in Kovan, you got lucky! Lola’s Café has only been around for about 3 months, it surely added more liveliness to the area. This vintage café is also easily accessible — it takes you less than 5 minutes to walk from Kovan MRT (the exit opposite Heartland Mall).
This café is set up by 2 young entrepreneurs, Choo Kiat and June. Besides being the boss, Choo Kiat is the chef cum barista. On the other hand, June is responsible for the pastries that you see in the café. By the way, ‘Lola’ is actually June’s middle name.
This small and quaint café is filled with a variety of vintage furniture and mood lightings. I was particularly attracted to their tables — they are all made from our traditional sewing machines! Furthermore, most of the vintage furniture here are for sale — Do check them out if you’ll like to add a bit of character to your room!
The most unique part of the café is their beer menu consists of a good variety of carefully drafted beers from boutique breweries in US, UK and Belgium.
I went for their Matcha Latte which costs $ 5.00. The latte was pretty smooth and had a sweet aftertaste. It’s a little sweeter over here compared to other cafes, you might want to ask for less sugar. I also tried their Banana Earl Grey Tart ($ 4.00) which is one of their specialties. It’s topped with a layer of sugar and pistachio nuts which tastes very crunchy. The Earl Grey paste was a little too moist though.
My favourite was their Wasabi White Chocolate Mousse ($ 7.00). Never would I have expected wasabi to go well with white chocolate! An exotic mix of ingredients, it’s a surprising recipe and very delicious! Don’t worry about the spiciness of the wasabi; it’s very gentle and not too overwhelming. The sweetness of the white chocolate complements the overall taste and it melts in your mouth! It’s so unique I can’t describe it with words. You have to try it for yourself!
Lola’s café is very conducive for reading and for studying. You could also reward yourselves with some savoury desserts while working your brain cells! It’s also a good place to hang out with your friends in the late evenings over some beer and honey wings. Service was great, staff were all very friendly. I will certainly come back again to try out their brunch and beers!
P.S: This café is free of GST and Service Charge!