Craig Road is a bustling street filled with established dining concepts and its dynamic food scene is a reason why it is such a popular foodie destination. Joining the long list of restaurants and cafes is a new F&B initiative that opened in February this year—Bearded Bella.

Inspired by Melbourne’s cafe culture, Bearded Bella is a contemporary Australian-style cafe started by a pair of individuals who are passionate about creating the perfect gastronomic experience by coupling great food with excellent coffee brews.

Currently still in soft launch, keep your eyes peeled for their official opening as they will be introducing a wider range of brunch and dinner food items on the menu. For now, here is what you can expect at Bearded Bella.

With its spacious table arrangement, high ceiling and muted colour tones, Bearded Bella is designed with a glass rooftop where natural sunlight can filter in; the light-filled cafe offers a soothing ambience where guests are encouraged to linger on with a cuppa or two.

At Bearded Bella, guests must not skip their signature caffeine beverages as the owners themselves are well-trained when it comes to coffee making techniques, having worked at Strangers Reunion and other F&B establishments for many years before opening up their own place.

The cafe sources its coffee beans from Ethiopia and you will find the usual suspects such as Espresso (Single/Double), Black and White. Their Cappuccino will please both serious coffee drinkers and those who are just looking for something to perk them up—medium-bodied with a fragrant aroma, carrying a harmonious balance of espresso, milk and frothed milk.

A scrumptious selection of mains and small plates lead the lunch menu and it goes beyond what you would expect at a standard cafe. The Bearded Eggs, for example, was a gorgeous dish served with slow-cooked pork jowls on toasted baguette.

While we enjoyed the crispy pork jowls with tangy pickled daikon, what caught our attention was the beautifully executed poached eggs which was complemented with a generous portion of minty green hollandaise sauce. Cut the eggs right down in the middle for that Instagram-worthy Boomerang shot!

Other items on the menu worth mentioning include the Smashed Avocado, Dill Cured Salmon and Pulled Brisket Sliders. For those who are looking for something to share, there are also small plates such as Charred Brussels Sprouts and Lamb Ribs.

Although prices on the menu are not fixed yet, Bearded Bella is slated to open officially in the upcoming week so do drop by the cafe for coffee and brunch if you happen to be around the area.

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Bearded Bella
8 Craig Road
Singapore 089668
Tel: +65 9880 0775
Daily: 7.30am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Tanjong Pagar

Craig road is a narrow street synonymous for its many chic cafes and fancy restaurants. Hustle Co is the newest addition to the neighbourhood but what sets them apart from the conventional coffee-and-cake joints is their emphasis on craft beers.

Cafes are aplenty all over Singapore but hardly do we ever come across ones that sell craft beers. Which is why we got pretty darn excited after hearing about this particular place.

Serving up a comforting cafe staples for brunch and heartier dishes for dinner, along with a myriad of 12 different craft beers on tap, Hustle Co truly is a cafe which is worth checking out.

The cafe occupies the entire three-storey shop house with the main dining area situated on the first. The first floor alone is pretty spacious and features many long tables to encourage communal dining.

The interior is decked out in a very minimalistic style; white walls and a few wall paintings here and there, which does well not to overcomplicate things.

Ideally, most people begin their mornings with a good hot cuppa, but we like to think that we are not most people so we ordered beer instead. Thankfully, tap number 3 featured a rather interesting brew; Flat White Stout (S$9 per a half pint) which is essentially a rich dark stout flavoured with coffee to give you the best of both worlds.

The head was hazy amber with a nice white froth (similar to that of an actual flat white), and the aroma was sweet with notes of freshly ground coffee. Overall, the stout itself tasted quite sweet with a subtle bitter finish.

The Blueberry Pancake (S$18) comes with a gorgeous double stack of thick fluffy pancakes and a generous topping of blueberry compote, fresh strawberries, candied pistachios and a dollop of mascarpone cheese.

The blueberry compote was sweet with a subtle tartness to it and the pistachios provided a nice crunch.

The Dirty Burger (S$19) features a perfectly cooked 160g beef chuck tender patty, taleggio and cheddar cheese both melted beautifully over top and a thick slice of bacon, all held together by two warm and toasted brioche buns.

As much as it fulfilled all the criteria of a decent burger, we felt that it was not a great one. The beef patty was lacking in flavour and although the bacon and cheese provided a heightened level of salt and richness, it was not enough to make this burger stand out.

Hustle Co. 
52 Craig Road,
Singapore 089690
Tel: +65 9826 3382
(Closed on Mondays)
Daily: 9am – 12am
Nearest Station: Tanjong Pagar

While cafes are sprouting out everywhere these days – most with predictable and mediocre brunch, Selfish Gene Cafe at Craig Road stands out for their consistency in delivering good comfort food.

I like Selfish Gene. The cafe is welcoming and unpretentious. It is a place where I can go for a quick lunch to enjoy a simple sandwich or salad, and a nice brunch during the weekend. I like the central location at Tanjong Pagar. If I was working in the area, I’d drop by for lunch everyday. And of course, I like the simple and well-executed food.

Selfish Gene Cafe offers a variety of sandwiches, salads, homemade baked goods and coffee. Besides the fact that the food is mostly made from scratch, I also like that they are reasonably-priced. You can get a roasted beef sandwich for $12.80, while the delicious scrambled eggs on brioche is just $10.80.

So, if you haven’t been to Selfish Gene Cafe before, you should drop by this week.

Selfish Gene Cafe
40 Craig Road
Tel: +65 6423 1324
Mon to Fri: 10am – 5.30pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Tanjong Pagar

For more recommendations, read my list of Best Cafes in Singapore

Pasta Brava Italian Restaurant at Craig Road has been in the local scene for a long time. I’ve been told that they are worth a visit by many friends, but it took me until now to go there. I guess it’s better late than never, and I am really happy to tell you that it has joined the ranks of my favourite Italian restaurants in Singapore.

It is a great place with a homely vibe. The lighting is dim and romantic, and the wall adornments give the restaurant a personal touch. The staff is equally well trained; friendly without being too intrusive, and they are very familiar with the offerings.

The menu at Pasta Brava restaurant is divided into appetisers, salads, soups, pasta dishes, rice dishes, main dishes (fish), main dishes (meat) and desserts – with average price of each dish between $19-23 for the pasta/risotto, and $25-40 for the main dishes.

We were feeling greedy, so we chose to forego the antipasti and share an additional main course instead.

Amongst the three pasta/risotto that we had, my favourite was the Linguine Regina Del Mare ($23). It was savoury and sweet and filled with luxurious seafood like prawns, clams, scallops, squid, and crayfish. Easily one of the better Italian pastas that I’ve had recently.

The Stracci Ai Gamberi E Capesante ($23), on the other hand, was average. Whilst the thin pieces of fresh pasta were good, the Saffron cream sauce was too overwhelming.

They have only three risotto on the menu (mushroom, squid ink and mixed vegetables) and we were very tempted by the seafood and squid ink version.

Eventually, we decided to play it safe and go for the mushroom risotto. Our choice was right as the Risotto Al Funghi Porcini ($23) proved to be very good. Rich yet not overpowering, moist yet not soggy, every grain of the arborio rice was flavourful and oh so delicious.

The Tagliata Di Manzo Stile Toscano ($34), highly recommended by the staff, was fantastic! It was essentially thin slices of grilled beef sirloin with herbs, rocket leaves and parmesan flakes.

I was not expecting much from it when the waiter brought the dish to our table. It was only when my friends took a bite and let out a satisfied sigh, then I realised what I was missing out (I was busy with the seafood linguine).

We enjoyed it tremendously, you MUST order this if you go to Pasta Brava.

Pasta Brava Italian Restaurant is not exactly very big, and when it’s crowded (especially during Friday and weekends), it can get quite noisy. Reservations are highly recommended. The prices here are what you’d expect from a good Italian restaurant, but the food here is definitely better than most. It is simple, hearty and very tasty.

For more recommendations, read my list of Italian Restaurants in Singapore

Singapore Food Blog Review
Pasta Brava Italian Restaurant
11 Craig Road Singapore
Tel: +65 6227 7550

Operating Hours:
Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 2.30pm
6.30pm – 10.30pm
(Closed on Sun & PH)

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