Where hipster parents hang out for great grub

SINGAPORE — As much as we would like to associate all things hip and trendy with a crowd of free-thinking, mason-jar-hogging 20-somethings, even hipsters grow up — eventually. Many get married and have children.

And as babies are about the hottest accessory one can have, hipster parents and their offspring need a cool cafe or restaurant to hang out at. Truth is, grown-up neophiles and hip parents alike never tire of a well-pulled cuppa; and it helps if one could be enjoyed alongside a hearty mix of artisanal grub and anything you can sell out of a food truck — preferably paired with a side of grilled cauliflower, and the option to wash it all down with a craft beer, of course.

This should make the newly opened Picnic at Wisma Atria a choice hangout, if only because it serves all manner of easy meals right out of cunningly decked-out food trucks. “My five-year-old loves the fact that he can order tempura and fries for lunch,” said Tan Su-Lyn, director of Ate Group, an integrated communications agency that specialises in the F&B industry. The mother of two recently discovered this indoor food-truck-park of sorts. “For dad, there’s the prata tacos (he loves the spicy Korean pork), beef bulgogi bowl, and beer and cocktails all day.”

Tan, though, is partial to the Ko-Mex ginger soya chicken tacos and acai berry smoothie made with Greek yogurt and honey. And for that caffeine fix, she recommends the Cafe Bombon, a speciality of Valencia she feels is reminiscent of local kopi — made with equal parts of condensed milk and extra-strong espresso served in a shot glass. “We stake out the low table in the astro-turfed Picnic Park, which has tree trunks for chairs and is at the perfect height for young kids; mine were dancing around in circles to the (piped) music.”

Of course, when her children ask for pancakes, what they really want are the Earl Grey pancakes at Punch on North Canal Road, complete with an extra order of sliced bananas. “We have this nearly every weekend,” she said, adding that Punch’s coffees (both drip and espresso-based) are made to the uncompromising standards of artisans, as are its chai lattes.

Suffice it to say, there does not seem to be a shortage of boldly fashionable cafes that pair quality fare with equally stunning coffee. A recently updated option is Revolution Coffee at Media Circle. “We have always targeted people who appreciate a good cup of coffee,” said owner Ajie Permana, who wanted to create a space with quality coffee, complemented by hearty, fresh, local-inspired food.

She added that the business, which serves coffee sourced from roastery-cafe The Caffeine Dispensary in Jakarta, has, in the last three years, organically acquired a slightly older, more discerning audience ranging in age from 25 to 55, partly because of the office crowd at Infinite Studios, where it is located. “The cafe is also popular with children, who enjoy the hot chocolate and banana pancakes,” she said. “There’s also a large, quiet area outside the cafe, where they can run about. We get a larger number of young families on the weekends, and they make up quite a bit of the crowd then.”

For the older tween girl who loves K-culture as much as mum, trendy lifestyle entertainment coffee chain dal.komm Coffee — with 160 outlets in Korea and Malaysia — will be opening its first Singapore outlet next month (Dec 3) at The Centrepoint. Fans will go on about how it was featured in a number of memorable scenes in hit Korean TV drama Descendants Of The Sun, but coffee aficionados can rest assured that it does also specialise in quality brews made with a proprietary selection of four blends (dubbed K1 to K4), each with its own characteristic aroma and flavour.

GROWING NEEDS

Beaches, similarly, boast some of the most kid-friendly spaces to kick back in, but finding a place with a groovy party atmosphere and a nursing room is a little harder. Slated to open at the end of the month, Ola Beach Club on Sentosa’s Siloso Beach does just that with its mix of exhilarating water sports such as the jetpack and banana boat, delectable Hawaiian-inspired cuisine, cocktails and chill-out tunes by a resident DJ. It also offers a kid’s menu and dedicated dining area for the little tykes.

“I envision a slice of my hometown Hawaii in this space, with a wide selection of activities that cater to the whole family,” said the club’s “chief enjoyment officer”, Christina Tran. “Being a young mother myself, I don’t think (satisfying the hip party crowd and young families) are opposing concerns really; it has just never been done in Singapore.

“In Honolulu, Hawaii, where I’m from, beachside venues often cater to the whole family, and that’s what I wanted to do as well — create an all-inclusive, fun-filled seaside destination.”

Others, such as public relations consultant Ruth Chew, are not too surprised with this renewed interest in accommodating young families. “It’s a sound business decision,” said the mother of two children aged two-and-a-half and seven, adding that it makes sense to cater to diners as they progress through life and have children. And it is not only about providing high chairs — she felt more places are increasingly attentive to changing dietary requirements, and also the needs of children who are now coming to these places with their parents.

“Some cafes are more accommodating of allergies and children — Craftsmen Specialty Coffee, for one,” she shared. “Also, Wimbly Lu and other stalwarts such as Symmetry and Kith are great examples.”

Her elder daughter, she explained, is allergic to a few items — cocoa, chicken and apples — and these cafes took special care to ensure her food and drink orders did not contain the allergens. “My kids always have activities (paper, crayons and such) to keep them occupied, and staff also are mindful of the food they can and cannot eat.”

Speaking of foods they should be eating, it helps that some hipster food fads are actually good for you. Chia seeds are better than brown rice, and third-wave coffee is not about fashionably overpriced beverages. In fact, conscious consumption does not have to be just about stylish posturing. Instilling the value of eating right will always be in, no matter how young or old you are.