Starbucks

I have heard this is the first Starbucks outlet in Singapore which opened in December 1996. With so many Starbucks around, I soon associated this Starbucks as the one who was flooded during the great big flood (or «ponding» which one Singapore Minister described it as) in Orchard Road a few years ago. The outdoor chairs and tables were floating around and luckily everybody got out of harm’s way. Since then barriers have been installed and will be raised if there is a heavy downpour. So customers can sip away with no fear. I guess renovation also took place and the place now has many types of seating available.
It has been some time since I last stepped foot into this Starbucks. The layout is still the same. The coffee (caramel macchiato) is still good. There is something to be said about drinking coffee from a proper mug and not from a paper cup. It somehow tastes better.
There are outdoor seating which is great to people watch or to enjoy warm breeze. Shades are available outdoor too. You can also people watch indoor as there is a long bar counter by the window. Also a good option if you want to be alone and do some work or read.
There is a sofa set with stools for bigger group and a table with two cushioned chairs. They are comfortable but they are also right underneath the spotlights. So you may feel the heat after a while.
Against one wall is a row of cushioned long bench. It looks very comfortable until you realize there is no proper back rest and the table is too low. I am short but I did not realize how short until I found out my feet did not touch the floor when I sat there. I am beginning to feel like Goldilocks trying to find a reasonably comfortable chair. This is also when I really noticed the different types of chairs and seating available in this outlet.
In the middle are round cocktail style tables with high chairs for two and a long table with cold metal chairs to encourage communal sharing or very big groups.
So there you have it. You can either have comfortable chairs but be heated up or try to get comfortable in metal chairs or high chairs or very low back cushioned seats.

Because it’s thanksgiving i decided to get myself a slice of the cranberry orange slice. as good as it looks, the cake is yummy. plenty of dried cranberry chunks and cream cheese covered the top of the cake. the cake itself was moist, not too sweet and had a good amount of cranberry mixed in. It goes perfectly with a cuppa hot drink. i will return for this again especially during this festive season.

Hey do you like university students? If not, welcome to your nightmare. There are a handful of 24 hour Starbucks in Singapore and, this being one of them, it is pretty much completely full of students all the time. Even during the day. Seriously I’m sitting here at 5.30pm on a Thursday and it’s still full of students cramming.
I mean it’s an ok Starbucks. They have their own non-​password-​protected wifi which works well, there’s a decent amount of seating (though it still gets full inside) and it’s well-​located. The colour scheme is warm & inviting and the music is soothing. Service is as slow as any other Starbucks in Singapore (sorry guys I used to live in Hong Kong) and the coffee is just as terrible… but they have plenty of syrupy frappucinos.
But honestly if you mark down Starbucks on the basis of coffee quality then you’re probably the sort of person who expects flowers from SingTel when your phone reception drops out. Get a grip on reality, people!
But I digress. This place is open 24 hours, which is awesome. It’s also full of cramming students occupying like all the space, which is not awesome. You be the judge.

The Starbucks at Liat Towers — or informally known as Liatbucks — is an Orchard Road institution. Countless hours have been spent at this Starbucks outlet, rushing essays and furiously mugging for exams. It’s also the place to go to when you’re in town and need a place to hang out with friends. Because of its convenient location and 24 hour opening hours, liatbucks is normally packed — in the afternoons it’s filled with tired shoppers resting their feet, and at night, students and the odd delinquent throng the outlet. Which really, makes it really good for people watching (:

The Starbucks at Liat Towers is one of my favorites. My bus usually drops me at the bus stop across the road at the Thai Embassy and my first instinct would be to cross the road and grab an iced beverage from Starbucks before continuing on to Orchard Road. It’s easy to like this outlet. It’s not too far from the action of Orchard Road yet it’s tucked in a quiet corner. Students especially love sitting here for hours with Burger King next door, it’s easy to grab a bite.
I used to sit here and watch people sometimes while waiting for friends to shop or if I was working on my computer. Maybe grab a snack from Marks and Spencer. It’s also a great location to sit with friends for idle chatter.

This is probably one of my favorite Starbucks in Singapore. Been going to this one since I was a teenager, when Borders used to be next door. It used to be a good place to buy a book from Borders and settle down to read in the outdoor part of the café.
I always stay outdoors because the indoor seating is always freezing. It can tend to get pretty crowded on the weekends and sometimes hard to get a seat. But its definitely a good place to chill and have a cup of coffee and pastry.