Daizu Cafe – Japanese-Inspired Minimalist Cafe Opens At Rangoon Road, Serves Fusion Food, Coffee & Pastries

Daizu Cafe is a new Japanese-inspired cafe at Rangoon Road that opened in July this year. I had a pleasant brunch here recently. This article was last updated on 30 November 2020.

This artisanal cafe serves Japanese-Western fusion food and makes use of soy for several of their dishes.

This is keeping in line with the cafe’s name, because “Daizu” is Japanese for soybean. Interestingly, their logo design also incorporates this Japanese word (大豆).

The cafe’s first floor exudes a breezy and minimalist vibe with its Muji-style furnishings, raw cement flooring, and white-tiled walls.

Floor to ceiling windows allow for plenty of sunlight to stream in, making it a bright and cheery space. There were not too many tables so it felt airy and spacious.

The mezzanine floor is cozy and casual, with the cement floor replaced by smooth wooden flooring that is pleasing on the eye.

The cafe has a pet-friendly al fresco area too, where I saw several customers dining with their pet dogs. Two ceiling fans help to keep the space cool.

Service was great – the staff were earnest, attentive, and polite. For a new cafe, this was impressive.

I also liked that every table comes with a large bottle of water by default.

Menu (click to enlarge)

The Daizu Cafe menu offers a good variety of Japanese-Western fusion dishes.

Brunch – Check out the Daizu Brunch ($22) for a tantalising spread of truffle scrambled eggs, sausages, mushrooms, and more. Or go for the Lemon Miso Eggs Benedict ($24) which consists of poached eggs and smoked salmon.

Rice Bowls – Options available include the Crispy Chicken Karaage ($14), Daizu’s Bara Chirashi ($18), Mini Unagi Bowl ($10), etc. For something unique, go for the Chilli Soft Shell Crab ($17).

Sides – Complement your mains with the White Truffle Fries ($10), Mentaiko Fries ($12), Curry Aioli Fries ($8), Tempura Enoki ($10), and more.

Coffee / Tea – The cafe serves freshly brewed coffees like Espresso ($4), Flat White ($6), Latte ($6), etc. Their signature teas include the Uji Matcha Latte ($7) and Uji Hojicha Latte ($7).

Pastries / Desserts – You can buy sweet treats like the Pain Au Choc ($5), Sea Salt Caramel ($8) or Lime Meringue Tart ($8.50) to go along with your coffee.

Alcohol – The drinks menu offers a small selection of beer (Asahi Super Dry), Wines and Champagne.

Note that the kitchen is closed from 3pm to 5pm in preparation for dinner service. Only coffee and pastries will be served during this period.

Currently it is only possible to pay with cash, PayNow or Paylah.

Daizu Brunch

The Daizu Brunch ($22) consists of brioche, truffle scrambled eggs, arabiki chicken sausages, seasoned mushrooms, hash brown, salad greens, edamame, soy beans, and Japanese BBQ sauce.

The scrambled eggs were cooked perfectly with a creamy and velvety smooth texture. The small heap of black pepper seeds provided a peppery kick, while the bonito flakes added a smoky-savoury aftertaste.

I enjoyed the seasoned mushrooms which were tender and savoury.

The sausages were tasty and crunchy, and the hash brown was fried to perfection with a lovely greasy fragrance.

The Japanese BBQ sauce had a sweet-tangy taste, serving as a good dressing for the salad greens, edamame, soy beans, and tomato.

On the whole, this was a delicious and satisfying dish with every element done right.

Mini Unagi Bowl

The Mini Unagi Bowl ($10) is a simple dish consisting of Japanese white rice, grilled unagi, onsen egg, mushrooms, edamame, and unagi tare (unagi sauce).

The unagi meat was fresh with a firm but chewy texture. Grilled with the unagi sauce, it had acquired a sweet-umami flavour.

It was nice to eat the onsen egg with the Japanese rice, and every bite was punctuated by the soft crunch of edamame and soy beans.

For some reason, the mushrooms in this dish were not as flavourful as those from the Daizu Brunch. Perhaps they had been cooked differently?

Uji Matcha Latte

The Uji Matcha Latte ($7) is brewed with authentic techniques using premium grade Uji Matcha imported from Japan.

When it was served to my table, I was a little disappointed to see that the latte art was not as pretty as the ones posted on the cafe’s Instagram account.

My guess is that this latte was prepared by a barista-in-training, which was understandable since the cafe is still very new.

The drink was frothy and creamy with a bittersweet flavour and a very light Matcha profile. Personally I felt it would taste better with a stronger Matcha taste.

Lime Meringue Tart

The Lime Meringue Tart ($8.50) had a top glossy layer that was tangy-fresh, a middle layer that was moist and fluffy, and a pastry base that was crumbly and buttery. The meringue was sweet and creamy with a caramelised aftertaste from the charred finish.

Conclusion

Daizu Cafe is an artisanal cafe where you can settle in and escape with coffee and good food. The glass front on the first floor is great for people watching, the second floor is cozy and relaxing, and if you have pets you can dine at the outdoor area.

The service was excellent for a new cafe, and the prices are reasonable especially since they do not charge GST and service charge.

The cafe is quite popular at the moment so I suggest making phone reservations if you plan to visit during peak hours.

Daizu Cafe
Address: 129 Rangoon Road Singapore 218407
Phone: +65 8815 8233
Opening Hours: | Mon to Fri: 11am – 10pm | Sat, Sun & PH: 10am – 10pm |
(Last order for mains and sides: 9pm | Last order for drinks, cakes and pastries: 9.30pm)