Sunday Folks and % : Waffles and Coffee at Holland Village

Sunday Folks and % Arabica are two nice cafes that we have been eying but did not have a chance to try as they seem to be always very busy. Recently life at Chip Bee seems less hectic and we managed to visit them on weekday afternoons.

Re-visiting Holland Village

When they started construction of the new condo at Holland Village, the carparks were relocated and the place became somewhat messier. We avoided the place for a while. But we have started revisiting the area again and have written about new places such as Keong Saik Bakery Cafe and PN Gastro Bar recently. Today’s post is about our visits to two places which are not very new to Holland V, but new to us as we have not been there before. Both of them are on the quieter side of the Village – in Chip Bee Gardens which has a mix of residential and retail activities.

Sunday Folks Holland Village – Best Waffles in SG?

Sunday Folks is a cafe we have wanted to visit for a long time. But we had not been successful each time we went there as they seem to be always crowded. Their waffles are said to be the best in Singapore. We managed to visit them recently.

The cafe is modest in size with a mild industrial / farmhouse style. Tables are set quite far apart, which is always a good thing. Being slightly dim, the Sunday Folks Holland Village outlet is a nice cool place to escape from the bright afternoon sun.

Glass displays show off the modest cake selection available and the types of toppings (picture below) for the waffles.

Sunday Folks Menu

Here are pictures of some sample portions of the SF menu. It is a specialised cafe focusing on desserts. Hence you will only find a narrow range of food such as ice cream, cakes and waffles on the menu. Some hot and cold drinks are also available to complete the menu.

Best Waffles in Singapore?

So far, we have only tried the Signature Waffles in single and double forms. For the choice of ice cream, we have selected the Dark Chocolate Ferrero as the others did not sound more appealing.

The single waffle (picture above) costs $13.50. Doubling the waffles (picture below) requires an additional payment of $2.80. This is money well spent. These waffles deserves to be on the list of the best waffles in Singapore. They have a crisp exterior which in only skin deep. Under the skin is a nice moist centre of the waffles. The contrast of texture is wonderful. The amount of ice-cream topping was generous. A double waffles serving is a better pairing for this amount of ice-cream. The basic waffles come with one type of ice cream and some basic nuts, honey and marshmallows. For us the default setting is good enough. No extra topping is needed. Save the money to go for another visit.

Another thing that we discovered at Sunday Folks Holland Village is the lychee & melon mangosteen tea fizz ($7). Described as a drink made with lychees, sparkling soda, with notes of melon, mangosteen, and apple, it is a very refreshing drink.

44 Jalan Merah Saga
#01-52
Chip Bee Gardens
Singapore (278116)

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Thursday 01:00 PM-10:00 PM
Friday and Saturday 01:00 PM-11:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM-10:00 PM
Monday Closed

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Coffee at % Arabica Chip Bee Gardens

According to its Facebook page, % Arabica is an independent coffee brand from Kyoto and currently has 121 stores around the world. In Singapore there are 5 outlets – 313@Somerset, Jewel Changi Airport, Arab Street, CapitaSpring and Chip Bee Gardens. The last time we passed by the Somerset outlet, it was identified only by the % sign yet was able to attract a big crowd. We were curious about this hip new coffee shop but the long queue was a deterrent.

% Arabica Chip Bee Gardens has a plain white minimalist decor. It is also much quieter compared to the Orchard Road outlet. Tables are available both outdoor and indoors. We chose the latter for the air-conditioning but may opt for outdoors the next time as the bare hard surfaces amplify every sound made by machines and people. It was a noisy place even though it was only occupied by a few groups when we were there.

% Arabica Chip Bee Gardens Menu

Here are pictures of the coffee and bean price list. There was not much available in terms of food – only a few types of bread and pastries were available on display. We decided to try the caffe latte ($7) and one of the pastries.

The coffee was brewed using some attractive machines, but were served in paper cups even though we were dining in. We did not think that it was different from coffee from an average cafe in Singapore. It seems that we do not understand high-end coffee. Waffles, on the other hand is something we can easily get along with.

% Arabica Chip Bee Gardens
44 Jalan Merah Saga #01-58 Singapore

Opening Hours:
Sun – Thursday 8 AM – 6 PM 
Fri – Saturday 8 AM – 8 PM

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The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog