Forty Hands @Yong Siak Street
“Hot buns make me horny”. Does it? LOL
Or Coffee does the trick? 😛
Been on the hunt for nice places to chill with a cuppa and this is one that we really had to hunt down as it was nested in a corner of the block!
The entrance of Forty Hands is so tiny and from the road, it is actually blocked by the pillar so if you are not observant enough, you are likely to miss it.
What greets you when you stepped into the cafe.
The counter where your drinks are prepared.
View from the other side of the counter
As you walked all the way to the end of the cafe, you can find more seating area by going down a staircase to what I call the back alley. It has a really high ceiling but it is not air-conditioned so we decided to find a seat in the main seating area.
The drinks menu listed on a paper roll
The brunch menu which I was eyeing but we were just too late for it. It is available from Fridays from 8am to 3pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 8am to 5.30pm. I wished that they would extend it to all day brunch instead! 😛
We settled for the 40 Hands gourmet dogs and although there were only 4 of them, it was hard to make a decision on what to order as all of them sounded too appetising! 😛
The various sizes of the cups are placed where we made our order. They had already anticipated what their customers will ask and all the cups are labelled with the type of drinks that is available, showing you exactly the size of your drink. Thumbs up!
Coffee beans by the bag which you can purchase to make your own brew at home
Our wooden order number block. Feels so rustic. 🙂 Everything is pretty much self-service here. We had to find our own seats, order the drinks and food by reading off the menu plastered all over the cafe, pay at the counter and then wait for the food to be served to you.
The napkins and sugar on the table
Close up of the milk tin holder for the sugar
PP’s Ice Latte, $7.50
Unique serving bottle for the sugar syrup
My Capuccino, $5. Filled to the bream and almost overflowing but the foam kept it in its place. 🙂
This is the Tau Sar Pau, $2.50 – their house glory and it is much bigger and flatter than the usual ones we know.
Cross section of the big bun with red bean filling
Next came the Asian Slider (with 2 Buns), $7.50. When you fail to qc the order list, you are definitely gonna be surprised at the amount of food placed on your table!
This is essentially the local version of Kong Bao Pau.
Close up of of the nicely braised pork belly.
The hot steamed buns that came with it
The pork belly are so soft and tender that you have to handle with care.
How to eat it – Basically you just take a steamed bun, place the lettuce in it and in goes one or 2 pieces of tender braised meat (depending on your guilt level! LOL)
Close the bun up and bite into it. I am not a big fan of fatty meat but it tasted pretty delicious to me. 🙂
Then came Truffle Fries, $8. It costs only $6 with any order of gourmet dog in the same receipt (which we did). I find it a little ex for the small portion of fries and it lacks the truffle taste.
My Big Bang, $15. This gourmet dog is closest to satisfying my brunch cravings as it has bacon and scramble eggs, 2 main ingredients in an American breakfast! It also has a Guinness beef and pork sausage sandwich in the middle of mutligrain buns, topped with bolognese, sour cream and chilli flakes.
The messy cross section of my big bang!
Close up of the Guinness Beef and pork sausage
PP’s Odyssey, $15, covered by a generous portion of wild rockets.
Pushing the wild rockets apart to reveal the lamb and mint sausage, topped with red grape chutney and feta cheese
Close up of the lamb and mint sausage.
I like the buns that the sausages were served in. They were not the convention plain hotdog buns but were filled with seeds and grains. I like the additional texture that it gave to the gourmet dog.
One of the lovely posters in the cafe
The coffee taster’s flavour wheel.
Overall, it is a nice place for a nice cuppa sans the tight sitting area. The distance between the tables and the counter is just about one human width wide and you have to be careful with your belongings in order not to bump into the patrons who are seated. As mentioned previously, everything is very much self-serviced so you are not charged the 10% service charge here. Tip if you are happy with their service.
40 forty hands
Blk 78 Yong Siak Street
#01-12
Singapore 163078
Tel: 62258545
Opening Hours:
Closed on Mondays
Tuesday – Thursdays & Sunday:8am – 7pm
Friday & Saturday: 8am – 10pm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fortyhands
Website: http://www.40handscoffee.com/main.html
