The Holqa Cafe

A simple, no frills, cosy, café on East Coast Road in the heart Katong. I’ll just get down to it with this review.
Holqa’s Braised Asian Pulled pork Aglio Olio Pasta is Amazeballs! The Pulled Pork is spread top of a bed of pasta and topped with a little cherry tomato to give the dish a nice aesthetic touch. This dish is not the most filling dish, but is perfect if you want to snack on something early in the morning or in the middle of the afternoon.
In terms of the other dishes, I thought the Asian pulled pork with 3-​cheese sandwich was just OK. Nothing to scream about.
All in all, this café is known for two things: Pork-​Pork-​Pork dishes and simple yet tasty pastas.

If you’re craving pork, The Holqa Café has you covered! Sure, it’s a bit of a cosy spot on East Coast Road, but their menu boasts bacon, ham, and pulled pork for daysssss.
The braised Asian pulled pork with 3 cheese sandwich was simply a-​ok for me. The toasted brioche was nice, but I thought the flavour was slightly bland. However, after sampling Miguel M’s pulled pork pasta, I immediately had buyer’s remorse. If you like aglio olio pastas, you’ll like this dish. The pulled pork had more of a kick and was seasoned a lot better. Coulda, woulda, shoulda!
With the free pitchers of water and wifi, and being located right in front of a bus stop, Holqa deserves 4 solid stars.

It makes my heart skip a beat whenever a new café/​restaurant is added to my hood! Introducing Holqa Café, a new-​hole-​in-​the-​wall, blink-and-you’ll-miss it café along East Coast Road. It’s along the stretch of cafes/​restaurants like Carvers & Co., Bergs Gourmet Bugers, Rabbit Carrot Gun etc.
It’s easy to miss Holqa because it’s right behind the bus stop and there isn’t any clear sign. People are also distracted by the new bakery that is just next door. But seek and ye shall find some comfort in this small café.
The Iced Flat White ($ 5) was a respite to this summer heat. Strong and well balanced it was and provided the much needed boost of energy for more yoga classes. Espresso based coffees are priced between $ 3 and $ 5 (add 50c for iced versions).
A must order here is definitely the Braised Asian Pulled Pork with 3 cheeses sandwich ($ 15.90). It used to be served on a bagel bread but now much improved with a brioche bread. Braised pork jowl with Asian spices is layered next and then topped with gruyère, mozzarella and cheddar. Finally, a generous swiggle of gingered mayo.
The brioche was ahmazing and it was more like a brioche cake. This is what a brioche should be btw– buttery and layered. It’s a little more airy that the traditional brioche but it was like inhaling butter and that’s always a good thing. The exterior was crispy but i didn’t see toast marks (did they air fry this?) But whatever it is, it’s LOVE. I can finish a plain loaf easily.
That asian style pulled pork was sweet and juicy and worked well with the salty cheese and tangy mayo which had a light hint of ginger. DELICIOUS.
The rest of the mains are well. normal i guess. I may go with the regular Eggs Benedict ($ 15.90) or the Pork Burger ($ 18.90). Another must have here is the Sns-​Ji ($ 9.90/6pcs), which is like a Korean fried chicken wing dish. Think secret home-​made sweet and spicy sticky sauce on crispy skin.
Desserts are on offer too but there’s no space left in this tummy since i hardly shared my brunch with S. Haha.
Do check Holqa Café out if you’re in the East. I’ll be back for that brioche.

Good iced coffee! Very friendly staff… made sure my water glass never went empty on a hot day:) Cute design; a little cluttered. Grab an iced one while waiting for the bus!

The Braised Asian Pull Pork Aglio Olio ($ 14.90) easily outshone the classic Almost Carbonara ($ 14.90) which was intended to be a more soupy pasta. The chef could have tossed the braised pork jowl with the pasta before serving to prevent the clumpy texture of the meat that resided atop but this was avoided in the Braised Asian Pull Pork with Three Cheese (Gruyère, Mozarella and Cheddar Cheese) Sandwich ($ 15.90).
I would choose this over the pasta anytime as the combination of the pork, cheese and mildly gingered mayo produced a wholesome taste that was hard to dislike. It didn’t mind that the buttered toast was outsourced from B.A.O as it was exceptionally fragrant and soft.
This dish was indisputably good just like the Sns-​Ji ($ 9.90/6pcs), an inspiration from Korean spicy wings. The crunchy mid-​joints were coated in a sticky caramelized sauce that stuck irritably to the teeth but would not cause one to flare up because they were simply too fantastic. They brought back memories of school years when I would buy a pack of Chilli tapioca chips to snack. Fear not for the spice as non-​chili eaters would embrace this as if it is their eye-​candy.
Other café food includes a predictable egg benedicts ($ 15.90) and this hearty plate of thick fluffy cheese french brioche toast served with smoked salmon and maple syrup ($ 15.90). I must admit this is quite as bizzare as the cheery paddlepop ice cream cum mousse cake. The french toast is still quite acceptable but I have failed to cement any loyalty for their in-​house pastries. I guessed the only two things that would dragged me out of my house all the way to Tanjong Katong would be the Three Cheese Pulled Pork Sandwich and the Sns-​Ji Chicken Wings.

Chanced upon this place we’ve never seen before. And true enough, it’s about 2 months old. Pretty decent coffee! It sure packs a punch. Had a slice of their Christmas special too — Strawberry and Matcha cake. Tasty and moist! I love moist sponge cakes — surprisingly rather hard to come by. We’re sure to come again. Esp since I live nearby. Yay, new good kopi spot in the hood.