Thus Coffee

Thus Coffee is a neighbourhood café and small-batch coffee roaster at 4 Jalan Kuras, in the quiet Sembawang Hills estate off Upper Thomson. It opened in 2017 and roasts its own specialty coffee, which it serves with hearty plates from morning into the evening.

The café's aim is simple: good coffee and filling meals for the local community, in a cosy room where people can linger. It suits a slow weekend brunch, or a coffee stop on a day out in the north of the island.

What to order

Coffee is the main reason to come. The beans are roasted in small batches, and the café makes its own blends for its espresso drinks. One reviewer found it smooth, with little of the sourness some light roasts have, and another picked up chocolatey notes in the latte. There is also a bottled cold brew, which is handy if you want something to take away.

The food menu leans towards comfort food in generous portions. Dishes the café lists on its own website include:

• Thus Breakfast: the house breakfast plate and a regular brunch order.
• Hearty Chicken Stew: a creamy stew from the small stew section of the menu, something you do not often see at a café here.
• Garlic Carbonara: one of several pasta dishes.

The wider menu also covers sandwiches and more pasta. Cakes sit in a display along the counter if you just want something sweet with your coffee.

The setting

Thus Coffee is on a low-rise residential street, so the mood is relaxed and local rather than touristy. Inside, the room is pared back and industrial, with pipes and fittings left on show overhead. Cakes and the espresso machine sit along a long counter near the entrance.

Look down as you walk in. Artwork on the steps spells out the Chinese idiom 脚踏实地 (jiao ta shi di), which means to stay grounded and down to earth. The café chose it to reflect its values, and it also works as a polite reminder to mind the steps.

Getting there

The café's website names Yio Chu Kang, Ang Mo Kio and Mayflower as the nearest MRT stations. Mayflower is the closest of the three, but each one involves a walk, so a bus or taxi is often easier. Several bus routes stop nearby, and the website lists them. You can also book a table through the reservation link on the Thus Coffee website.

Nearby

Thus Coffee makes a good stop before or after time in the green spaces along Upper Thomson Road. The MacRitchie TreeTop Walk and Windsor Nature Park are a short drive south. Further down Upper Thomson Road, Udders is a popular choice for ice cream. You can browse more restaurants in Upper Thomson or our list of cafés and bakeries in Singapore.