The first thing that you will notice Chock Full of Beans customers doing when they are served coffee is to whip out their phones to take a picture. That’s because this little café located in a corner at the sleepy Changi Village is drawing attention for its latte art.
Every cup of coffee comes with a different animated latte art. You can choose to request for your favourite cartoon character or let the staff surprise you with their creativity. The more popular latte art are Hello Kitty, Minions, Angry Rabbit and Doraemon.
The owners say they wanted to try something different to stand out from the many cafés springing up in Singapore. A senior barista came up with the idea of drawing latte art on beverages. He taught them how to draw simple latte art like heart shapes and flowers before proceeding to teach them animated latte art.
While it puts a smile on the customer’s face, creating latte art is not easy as it is a painstaking process.
To create a Totoro latte art, the barista would first have to fill half or one-third the cup with coffee, depending on the drinks they order. Then he will skillfully pour the steamed milk to the cup, creating the shape of the cartoon.
After which, he will dip a spoon into the remaining steamed milk and “draw” the ears of the bear. He will finish off by using a pin to define the eyes and nose of the Totoro.
Mabel Tng, 19, a SIM student, exclaimed, “I was so excited to see my favourite cartoon character – a Totoro that I couldn’t bear to stir it. All I did was gush over the Totoro and snap pictures of it.”
The reactions of customers when they see their favourite cartoon in their drinks make the barista’s efforts worthwhile.
Johnson Ng, 22, a barista at Chock Full of Beans said: “When we see our customers smile because of our latte art, we will smile too. It is the overwhelming sense of satisfaction you get when you make someone’s day.”
Every season, there will be a special customized latte art. So far, there have been unique designs for Valentine’s, National Day and the Lantern Festival.
Customer Edmund Low, 43, a technician said that he saw pictures of the latte art on Instagram, came down with his family and enjoyed both the coffee and the food.
“The swiss rosti was my ultimate favourite,” he said. “When it first arrived, the appearance already had me over. I took a bite of the hot pipping rosti and added a slice of sausage and a mouthful of scrambled eggs. The combination was so yummy. All I can say is that it is goodness on a plate.”
Despite the pretty art, the most important thing is still the quality of the coffee and food served. Customers come back to Chock Full of Beans because of how good they both are and this is what keeps them going strong.
Chock Full Of Beans
Blk 4 Changi Village Road
Singapore 500004
Tel: 6214 8839
Opening hours:
Tue – Fri: 11:00 – 22:00
Sat, Sun: 09:00 – 22:00
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cfob.changi
