Okada Coffee has relocated from 100 Tras Street (S079027) to 153 Joo Chiat Road (S427431) as Okada Coffee & Sweets. The following review is based on the shop/menu at its 100AM old premise . I have yet to visit Okada Coffee new premise at Joo Chiat which may serve a different menu.

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As the name suggests, Okada Coffee is Japanese and serves coffees. Opened in 2012, this is the first and only Singapore branch of Okada Coffee Japan, established 1945 in Kumamoto, Japan. Tucked away on the 3rd level of the 100AM mall, Okada Coffee has a modest food menu, including their simple but delicious Japanese Curry Katsu Rice. However, what impressed me most are their Japanese High Tea Set and coffees.

Apart from a House Coffee (made from a blend of 7 types of beans that is freshly roasted, grounded and brewed in the café), Okada Coffee also offers six different specialty coffees, including the famous Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1. Specialty coffees are served black in a beautiful cup with an Okada cookie by the side.

Okada Coffee also serves the Okada Hi Tea Set, which is highly recommended If you like variety in your tea time indulgence but find high tea buffets excessive.

This tea set is served with an assortment of sweet and savoury items as well as hot coffee or tea. Single portions are available at S$20+GST and served simply on a plate while double portions are priced at a slight discount of S$36+GST for two and dished out prettily on a silver 2-tiered cake stand.

Only one type of tea (Ceylon Tea) and coffee (House Blend Okada Coffee) is included free in the tea set, but the upside is that they are refillable. And while Ceylon Tea is just the black tea we are used to, the House Blend Okada Coffee deserves a special mention. Okada coffee is made from a blend of 7 types of beans and is as they have described in the menu, “light and rich with minimum acidity and a natural sweetness”. I drank it straight (without sugar or milk) and love it. But for milk coffee lovers, chilled whipped cream and sugar are also provided.

After drinks, the first item to arrive is a warm mini scone with some blueberry jam at the side. While my favourite kind of scones are those that are biscuit-like outside and cake-like inside, I found this dense bread-like scone surprisingly enjoyable too. It tastes like a light bread cake with a crusty exterior and soft interior. With a tint of saltiness, it pairs beautifully with the sweet blueberry jam provided. This version of scone is also less messy to consume; you will be able to cut through cleanly, without leaving behind trails of crumbs.

Following which, a selection of dainty sweets and savouries will be presented. I usually start munching from the bottom tier because this is where the hot food is. At this tier, you will see a mixture of sweet and savoury items, including some sizzling hot mini pork and beef hamburgs and a pair of egg and ham finger sandwiches. While most places will dish up boring old egg mayo sandwiches, Okada’s egg sandwich is made using fried egg omelettes, which earns a thumb up from me!

Sweet offerings on this layer are inclined to vary with different combinations of cookies, muffins and cakes. While the muffins and cakes on this tier tend to be average, their cookies are usually well done. I particularly like their thin and crunchy Milk Chocolate Langue de Chat (Cats’ Tongue) biscuits, so much so that I asked to purchase it ala carte (S$2+GST per piece) right after having the tea set. If you are wondering what Langue de Chat is, it is that same biscuit used in the famous Hokkaido confectionery, White Lover or Shiroi Koibito (白い恋人). Okada’s and Shiroi Koibito’s are similar in taste, but texture wise, Shiroi Koibito’s is more melt-in-the-mouth while Okada’s is more crunchy.

The top tier is populated by the mainstay sweets, which are the mini chocolate mousse cup, raspberry cheese tart and blueberry cheese cup. Chocolate mousse cup is as its name suggests; a mini cup of sweet and creamy chocolate mousse topped with sugar coated walnuts. Personally, I find it a little too sweet after a few mouthfuls, though fortunately, it does not go into the sickly sweet territory. And to be fair, I am used to drinking my coffees and teas without sugar and may have developed a lower tolerance level for sweetness. So if you do consume your drinks with some sugar, this dessert should suit you just fine. But if you still find the chocolate mousse tads too sweet, worry not, just pop in the pleasantly sour raspberry tart to balance up your taste buds. And to end your high tea on the right note, conclude with the perfectly balanced blueberry cheese cup, which manages to achieve that ideal level of richness, sourness and sweetness. And even after that last morsel, enjoy the rest of your afternoon at Okada with more refillable coffee or tea.