Going for a holiday is great. But planning one can be a hassle, especially when it’s with a group of friends. Enter HyfeCafe, a new travel-themed cafe in Tampines 1 to hit with your travel kakis.
If you’re preparing for an upcoming trip, HyfeCafe is stocked with all the resources you need – from a travel concierge to an exclusive in-house booking app, and good food too of course! We went down to check it out for ourselves – here’s how it went.
Walking in, we were greeted with a menu resembling a split-flip display board, just like the ones you’d see at an airport’s departure hall.
The most eye-catching part of the cafe had to be the mock train cabins along one of the walls. Complete with overhead bag compartments, curved ceilings, and mirrors, we felt like we were part of a never-ending train.
The minimalist and spacious booths can comfortably fit a company of six.
To add on to the “railway” experience, there are large TV screens, in place of where the windows usually go, that were airing travel videos that made us want to take off on a trip right then and there.
There’s also free WiFi and power points available around the cafe to make sure your lappie and phone don’t go flat mid-planning.
Before digging into the delish food HyfeCafe had to offer, we had to see what their travel planning services were all about. We requested for the free-to-use tablet that featured the cafe’s exclusive TripPlanner app.
If you’re not sure where to start, just look up their suggested itineraries for some inspiration. The app features sample routes for over 20 countries, covering Europe, Asia and USA. Additionally, the cafe’s itinerary wall comes with print-outs for popular destinations, such as Japan, Hong Kong and Australia, that are free for diners to take home.
Though these pre-made itineraries can be used just the way they are, diners can also use them as a reference for building their own, mixing and matching activities according to their own interests.
Those who’ve planned a trip from scratch before would know the struggle of figuring out how to get from point A to B. One thing we really liked about the app was that it gives you essential trip details like travelling time, distance and more, which can make the entire planning procedure so much easier.
Aside from itinerary planning, customers can also get to 40% off original prices on overseas attraction tickets and transport passes worldwide through the app. Popular picks include Seoul’s Lotte World and the iconic Ocean Park in HK. The best part? Tickets here go for almost half their door prices!
Plus, diners can also enjoy exclusive in-store promo codes – just be sure to check with the staff for the latest deals.
As the cafe is run by Changi Travel Services, which also owns Singapore’s leading online travel store Changi Recommends, you don’t have to worry about getting a sketchy deal here.
Psst, you can also access Changi Recommends’ Happenings travel editorial site via the tablet to stay up to date with the latest travel trends and ideas.
Getting bit by the wanderlust bug can be a great feeling. Well, that’s until you’ve got to get down to the nitty gritty of actually making all the necessary bookings for your trip.
But instead of scouring the web and getting your brains muddled, pop by the cafe’s in-house Travel Concierge. A trained travel expert will be there to answer questions pertaining to trip planning, and help facilitate flight and accommodation bookings.
Diners can book other travel-lifestyle products and services offered by Changi Recommends here. This includes ChangiWiFi, an overseas WiFi router offering unlimited data from $5 per day for over 20 countries, and HyfeAssure, the first travel insurance plan in SG to allow instant cash reclaims of up to $200. This can be done at the Changi Recommends booth at Changi Airport.
True to its travel theme, HyfeCafe offers cuisines from all around the world, from gratin to udon, with mains starting at $9.90.
As they say: life is short, eat desserts first, so we began our meal with the Golden Waffle ($8.90): two buttery waffles – that were oh-so-crisp around the edges – topped with fresh berries and maple syrup. The highlight? A decadent scoop of chocolate-flavoured ice cream. Mmm.
Okay, so now onto the appetiser. The menu has an extensive range of small bites, salads and soups, but we opted for their Tomato Bruschetta with Mozzarella Gratin ($4.90).
On top of tangy salsa that usually comes with bruschetta, these baguette slices were smothered in a thick layer of mozzarella that gave an extremely satisfactory cheese pull. The dish is also drizzled with sriracha – a slightly spicy kick for all chilli lovers out there.
HyfeCafe’s bestselling dish
Next, we tried their Teriyaki Salmon Udon ($14.90), a seemingly unassuming dish that stole the show.
A local twist on the regular udon, this was cooked chai tow kway (Chinese carrot cake) style with dark soy sauce, scrambled egg and spring onions.
On the side was a thick and juicy slab of baby pink salmon that flaked ever so slightly when we dug in. Topped with teriyaki sauce, this paired perfectly with the chewy udon and the whole dish made for a filling and scrumptious meal.
With its mildly sweet taste and dramatic black colour, squid ink dishes have been popular among Singaporeans. While you might have tried regular pasta versions of this flavour, check out HyfeCafe’s Squid Ink Seafood Baked Rice ($10.90) for a change.
Seafood lovers, make sure to have a go at this. On top of the squid ink-infused rice is a hearty serving of fresh mussels, crunchy prawns and squid, all covered in a copious layer of golden-brown baked cheese.
From left: Tropical Soda, Lilac Frogurt
To wash it all down, we ordered the Tropical Soda ($5.90), a fizzy and refreshing mango-passion fruit flavoured beverage, and the Lilac Frogurt ($6.90), a blackcurrant and lavender-flavoured yogurt drink. Think grape-flavoured Fruit Plus in liquid form!
With delicious food and all the resources you need to get your trip planning going, HyfeCafe is the perfect spot for you and your travel buds to come together.
Easties, this might just be your next go-to weekend lunch spot too, ‘cuz it is located in Tampines 1. No worries if you stay in the other parts of Singapore too – this is just a minute from Tampines MRT!
Regardless of whether you are here for the food or travel planning, HyfeCafe will be sure to leave you with a serious case of wanderlust.
HyfeCafe
Address: #03-25, Tampines 1, 10 Tampines Central 1, 529536
Opening Hours: 10AM – 10PM, Daily
Tel: 8620 0075
For more information, check out them out on Facebook here, or on Instagram here.
This post was brought to you by HyfeCafe.
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