Coffee Academics review: awesome coffee, 1-for-1 mains with Entertainer app

Coffee Academics

Listed by Buzzfeed as one of the ’25 Coffee shops around the world you have see before you die’ – this place is a must-go for coffee snobs. Great coffee, awesome grub, and located in the heart of Orchard Road (Scotts Square), it’s the perfect place for meeting friends downtown for a relaxing afternoon.

The best part? Users of the Entertainer App by HSBC are allowed to have 1-for-1 mains and a bunch of other discounts. 

To learn more about how to get 1-for-1 deals via the Entertainer App by HSBC, check out my post right here. 

Note: This post is a combination of TWO separate visits that I have made to the Coffee Academics.

Cafe Ambience

his place is divided into a few segments. The main area, with low chairs, has a brightly lit interior:

And behind the main counter and cashier, lies seats with high chairs and more yellow lighting. 

This place is almost always crowded, even at non-peak hours. To ensure seat availability, I would recommend making reservations.

At the front counters, lie a beautiful array of desserts on display. 

These cruffins look 100% tempting. 

As mentioned earlier, this post is combination of TWO separate visits that I have made to the Coffee Academics. The food reviews from each visit would be discussed in separate sections. 

First visit: Impossible Burger, Le Smoked Salmon, Tea Blends

The first time I set foot in Coffee Academics with a friend, this item caught my eye on the menu: the Impossible Burger.

According to Coffee Academics, “Impossible Meat is 100% plant-based made primarily of soy protein, coconut oil, and sunflower oil – with one main ingredient: Heme. Heme is the iron-containing molecule that makes Impossible smell and taste like meat”.

Here, they serve the burger with portabello mushroom, jalapeno, gherkins (pickle), tomato, lettuce, a sunny side-up egg, homemade smoked ketchup, mayonnaise and yellow mustard. Served on a brioche charcoal bun, with a side of sweet potato fries and seasonal greens. 

It really did taste like an actual meat burger. The only thing is, you couldn’t really choose if you wanted the patty medium-rare or well-done in the tradititional burger sense, so the patty, needing to be thoroughly cooked and all, leans towards a more well-done mode. 

While the taste resembled an average burger, it was impressive that it really tasted like meat – so it may be a great alternative for those conscious about their health or cholesterol levels.

What this place really does well though – is the sweet potato fries. Hot, really crispy and sweet, the way sweet potato fries should be. And the serving was pretty large, which just made it all the more enjoyable, or have more to enjoy.

My friend had a very different dish – she ordered the Le Smoked Salmon.

A “beetroot and potato rosti with luxurious smoked salmon served with refreshing mango tzatziki, toopped with a sous vide egg and ikura.”

This dish too, wowed us – the base was crunchy! Unlike usual rosti which tends to be a plainer kind of potato, the blend of beetroot gave it a slightly sweet kick. Paired with the runny yolk of sous vide egg and saltiness from the smoked salmon, it was a lovely balanced of flavours in a savory combination.

(Sadly, this dish is no longer in the new menu at coffee academics. I’m slightly disappointed – hopefully they will bring it back in the future!)

After the meal, we sat and enjoyed a couple of drinks – Almond Chai for me and Yuzu Konbucha for my friend. We both loved the drinks – the Chai was creamy and spicy, and the Konbucha light and slightly bittersweet. The drinks here seem to gravitate towards having complex tastes, a real treat at the Coffee Academics. 

Almond Chai (front), and Yuzu Konbucha (Back)

Second visit: Coffee, Fish Tacos, Truffle Mushroom Pizza

After that memorable first visit to Coffee Academics, I just had to drag my husband here to get him to try the coffee. Being a coffee addict, his taste in caffeinated beverages are more discerning than mine. It isn’t easy to get his approval for coffee, but he was full of praises for the Barista Breakfast.

Barista Breakfast: 1 Espresso + 1 6oz milk-based Coffee.

(Featuring Seasonal Single Origin – I think it means Coffee from a single source)

If you love strong coffee with distinct tastes – the Coffee Academics does their beverages really well. Full-bodied aroma, with a slight after-taste of milk and mild acidity, this would please even the fussiest coffee snobs.

Myself – being less of a coffee connoisseur, I decided to go for the most photogenic coffee option: the Coffee Conette

House Blend Piccolo Latte, served in a double chocolate coated cone.

I have to admit – while i couldn’t quite pinpoint what makes the coffee here taste so good, the blend of milk and pressed coffee beans sent me sitting back in my chair with a sigh of happiness. 

To top it off, after slurping off the drink, one has a lovely cone to enjoy – the chocolate would be slightly melted by the warm coffee, so it’s almost like eating a semi-firm fondue cone.

Now moving onto our mains.

My dish was the Crispy Fish Fillet Tacos: Tacos with locally-grown golden snapper and chipotle mayonnaise topped with fresh mango salsa, served with seasonal greens and curly fries. 

This dished i loved – the mango bits paired with fish made the dish simultaneously sweet and savory. Bite with the taco and a crunch adds on that extra texture to the soft fillings.

The fries were nice – but again, they felt like good regular fries; i still much preferred the sweet potato friends from the Impossible Burger dish.

My husband, for himself, ordered the Truffle Portobello Mushroom Pizza.

Described as a thin-crust pizza topped with portobello mushroom, onions, mozzarella cheese, parmigiano cheese, and drizzled with truffle oil….. this dish, was the biggest disappointment. 

Firstly, it felt more like a flatbread than a pizza. 

Secondly, you couldn’t really taste the truffle. 

The amount of ingredients… was quite sparse, to say the least. 

Overall, the serving was really small. For a $24 pizza – you would really expect something much better. This practically felt like a side dish rather than a full meal. I have had pizza at PS Cafe or Prego for similar or slightly higher prices – BUT were so much better and more worth it, in my humble opinion. 

To conclude, for the Coffee Academics, go for their Coffee, Teas, Drinks, All-Day Breakfast and Mains – just skip the pizza options, and you’ll have a great time. 

Noteworthy things: Take-Home Coffee

If you really love their coffee here, it’s possible to buy the coffee beans to take home, or as gifts for others.

The Coffee Academics also run coffee-making workshops – I couldn’t pry information out of the very busy staff, but those interested should enquire for the latest workshop possibilities.

One other tip – this place has a Coffee Club Card – with the card, one can enjoy 12 classic and signature coffees at $55 (usual price $84). Not a bad option if you wish to become a regular at here. 

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