Corner Corner Cafe, Kissaten at Duxton Road

Describing itself as a “Modern-Retro ジャズ喫茶 (Jazz Kissa)”, Corner Corner is a kissaten cafe by day and a Japanese pub at night. Coffee, Japanese whiskey and vinyl records make a potent combination and so we had to stop to check it out.

RPM by D.Bespoke, Duxton Singapore

There are quaint looking shop houses along Duxton Road. At the start of Duxton Road (from the Neil Road end) is a shop with a grey exterior. This is near the cute restaurant known as Xiao Ya Tou which we visited some years ago.

Intrigued by the RPM signboard at the entrance, we peeked into the doorway and saw a beautiful sight. A dark space clothed in rich dark wooden panels, a long bar and walls lined with record albums.

Wandering deeper into the long shophouse interior, we discover that the place was operating as Corner Corner cafe serving coffee in the day. In the evenings (at 6pm Tuesday to Friday; 4pm Saturday and Sunday), it reverts to its original identity as RPM by D.Bespoke, a jazz kissaten at Duxton Singapore.

Vinyl Bar at Duxton

We have seen Youtube videos of vinyl bars, but have yet to see a real life one in Singapore. It was therefore quite interesting for us to come across one in real life.

A quick look over the bar counter and we see spinning records on what looked like a Technics 1200 turntable using Ortofon Concorde cartridge. Music was being played at background music level and so it was hard to discern the quality of the hifi.

Corner Corner Cafe Menu and Instructions

There were some conditions to take note of such as a minimum order, time limits, be gentle to the cups and no song requests.

The drinks menu in the day was mostly tea and coffee items. A few food items were available. We decided to have coffee and a piece of cake.

Coffee and Cake in a Kissaten in Singapore

The iced coffee ($6) and the hand brewed coffee (Ethiopia Konga Wete washed, $8) we ordered were very nice. Light and pleasant. The prices are comparable to general cafes nowadays. Enjoying them in this delightful place was a bonus. Especially in the case of the Ethiopian coffee which was served in a fancy cup. Of course we were very careful in handling it.

We shared a slice of cake, I cannot remember what it was just that it was soft and fluffy. A good companion for the lightly flavoured coffee.

Corner Corner Cafe
16 Duxton Road, Singapore 089482

TUES – FRI / 11am – 5pm
SAT & SUN / 10am – 3pm

Closed on Mon