The Glasshouse first came to my attention on Instagram with its beautiful feed of three images. The first, a covered area of work in progress… I was curious. The second, a row of three toasts topped with yummy things… definitely interested! The third photo in their feed, back then, was a gorgeous tin of coffee from Common Man Coffee Roasters… hello, I am there!
But this spot wasn’t open yet. They were still renovating and preparing. Every few days a new, gorgeous image would appear on Instagram. Their empty space unveiled… business cards (I am a sucker for anything pretty like that)… a perfectly poured latte. I could have died with the anticipation.
Image from Instagram: @theglasshousesg
Over the course of the days, we started commenting on each others Instagram accounts (@vanilla.beige and @theglasshousesg). They gave me tips on sourdough bread baking. I asked when they were opening and where they were. They successfully kept me intrigued with their secret location. Finally, I received a message to say that they were opening and would love for me to come visit on one of their launch days. I, of course, made it a point to be there.
Two things, done perfectly
The Glasshouse, besides being beautiful, does two things. They serve specialty coffee and toast. That’s it. Two things that can easily go wrong, but in their case, they’ve got both stunningly right.
On their launch day, I wandered in with my plus one and met Josh and QH, the brave, young entrepreneurs with the goals of bringing specialty coffee to anyone who wants to explore it with them. I still find it rather bizarre how a chance glimpse of a pic on Instagram can make you feel so familiar and happy to chat with someone who would otherwise be a complete stranger. But chat we did and we had the most lovely time at The Glasshouse.
Specialty coffee
That day, they had two specialty, single-origin coffee beans, an Ethiopian and a Guatemalan. We ordered one of each and sat at the counter watching the barista skillfully hand pour our coffee over a V60. We love that The Glasshouse supports local roasters. Their featured coffees will be rotated so you can expect to taste coffees from all over the globe soon enough.
Artisan toasts
We also requested a toast topped with creamy mushrooms and the other topped with smashed avocado and feta. Their toasts were exactly what I had been craving having returned recently from Australia. The Glasshouse gets their sourdough from The Bakery by Woodlands Sourdough. I am a lover of great, crusty, savoury bread. I’ll just say it. I do not like brioche or “sweet” bread as I call it, the stuff that so many cafes seem to have an obsession with. Nope. I am not a fan (sorry, everyone). But a good sourdough… I could eat that for days! We try and make our own sourdough at home but, this sourdough, I would travel to eat, especially when topped with generous servings of gorgeous ingredients, simply, yet elegantly done.
Light and space
The Glasshouse is a beautiful spot indeed. Custom built and located at Chijmes, it is light-filled and designed to be photographed. Lush, green plants are brought and tended lovingly by a gardener. The interiors are warm and welcoming with wood panels and stools where I could have sat for hours quite comfortably. If I had needed to bring my kids, it would have been really easy to order a takeaway and take them out to the lawn at Chijmes to run around while I enjoyed my toast and coffee.
By the time we left, we had tried four of their toasts (all totally delish), drunk three hand-poured coffees and downed a perfectly swirled latte. I can’t wait to go back and I leave you with a few more pics of this lovely location.
The Glasshouse is located at Chijmes, 30 Victoria Street, Singapore 187996. They are currently open weekdays, 8 am to 5 pm and weekends, 9 am to 6 pm (check their Instagram for updated details).
For this visit, we were invited to by The Glasshouse and were not required pay for our coffees and toasts. However, we are never obligated to post a favourable review whether or not it is a tasting or a meal we pay for ourselves.
Images by Angela Manners.