East Coast Commune Celebrates 2nd Anniversary with New Menu Items, Extended Hours on Weekends and Special Picnic Sets

If you frequent East Coast Park for cycling, family time, or other activities, you may have come across a beautiful cafe called East Coast Commune opened by a married couple, Shermien Koh and Kuah Kai Wen (both 33). 

In October 2022, they are celebrating its 2nd anniversary with exciting new menu items, extended hours on weekends to include dinner service, and special gifts with the purchase of its anniversary picnic sets.

Homely Cafe

When entering the cafe, we were greeted with a welcoming vibe thanks to the expansive 3,000 sq feet interior and generous six-meter-high ceiling. The dining area was extremely spacious, which was the intention of the cafe’s Co-Founder, Shermien, to give customers a comfortable space for authentic human connection.

Shermien shares: “Upon entering the open concept settings of the cafe, your eyes will be drawn to the teal feature walls, which create a cozy and warm atmosphere while complementing our Scandi-themed furniture. Given our coastal locale, we have commissioned local artist, Wu Yanrong, to create marine-themed artwork to adorn our walls. Live plants and floral arrangements around the cafe provide a touch of nature indoors while our alfresco area gives our guests the option to enjoy a cuppa or a meal while soaking in nature.”

While we were there, we saw a kid-friendly space with ample room for strollers and equipped with baby seats, a play area with open-ended toys, and a curated library of books housed on low shelves. Very ideal for parents to bring their children here and relax together as a family.

Western Cuisines with Asian Influence

Shermien works with consulting chef, Sujatha Asokan, 31, to create a menu of wholesome, Western-Asian fusion cuisines. There are also vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. Chef Sujatha Asokan, also affectionately known as Chef Sue, was the head chef of the award-winning multi-concept F&B venue, The Garage. She was also the recipient of the World Gourmet Summit Rising Chef of the Year – Female title, in 2019. 

“We endeavor to serve delicious, wholesome food that caters to various dietary needs. We take pride in creating unique dishes with a balance of textures and flavors that are not your usual cafe fare,” she says.

East Coast Commune serves a comprehensive menu of brunch, lunch, all-day (fresh bakes and sweets) food items, as well as beverages such as specialty coffee, oat masala chai, fruit smoothies, and homemade ice teas, amongst others.

What caught our eye was actually in the kids menu, where there are options like sourdough pancakes and oatmeals for the little ones. It is a very different approach towards the kids menu, as Shermien and her husband (who is a chef by profession) carefully co-created a menu of healthy options for children with hopes to change the way they eat.

Special Mentions in New Menu

Brunch (available until 3pm)

Tiramisu French Toast (S$15) – Paired with espresso-infused mascarpone, fresh oranges, and ladyfingers soaked in espresso. Perfect for people with a sweet tooth and coffee lovers. It may sound like there was too much coffee going on, but the strong espresso-soaked ladyfingers went really well with the light mascarpone and the sweet french toast. It was like a deconstructed tiramisu.

⭐ Chicken and Sourdough Waffle (S$19) – The sourdough waffles had melted Buffalo mozzarella cheese on top, and it was divine. The spiced crispy fried chicken was delicious – you can imagine McSpicy, but on the next level with a well-rounded flavor and better meat-to-skin ratio. That red stuff on the plate was roasted watermelons, which helped to refresh our palette before diving in again. Altogether, we were basically blown away by this dish.

Lunch (available from 11am)

Crab Dashi Linguine (S$24) – Real crab meat, everyone. Generous portions too! It also had dashi cream, pickled kombu in Ponzu, edamame, sesame seeds, and lemon breadcrumbs. A surprisingly light-tasting dish as the linguine was eggless, and it’s one that you would either like or dislike. If you are looking for a less heavy meal, this would be suitable for you. 

Kale & Strawberry Salad (S$22) – We all know the taste of fresh kale can sometimes be off-putting, but that was definitely not the case here. This salad was a combination of wilted kale, fresh strawberries, caramelized goat cheese, almond, Tahini, pomegranate, chickpeas, sun-dried figs, and honey emulsion. The goat cheese was great, not funky or gamey at all.

Crispy Snapper (S$25) – This ain’t your typical fish & chips. It was very unique and fresh, with turmeric-cumin marinated snapper, spelt, Baba Ghanoush, fennel cucumber salad and yogurt. For those who don’t know, Baba Ghanuosh is made mainly of eggplant and tahini.

⭐ Tom Yam TiNDLE Burger (S$20) – Using TiNDLE plant-based ‘chicken’, it was infused with tom yum spices and stacked with eggplants. The ‘chicken’ patty was amazing as the texture felt just like the real deal, and the tom yum spices reminded me of the clear tom yum soups from Thailand, authentic and delicious. The thinly sliced cassava chips on the sides had great crispiness and personally, much nicer than usual potato chips.

Desserts (all day)

Granny’s Apple Tart 5” (S$12) – One word to describe this: Homely, which suits the vibe of the cafe as well. The name of the dessert is very fitting. The apple tart had oat crumble, frangipane, cinnamon, and miso caramel. You can also add on ice cream for an additional $4.

Weekend Dinner

Good news to all East Coast Commune fans – their operations on Saturdays and Sundays have been extended to include dinner services, from 6pm to 9pm. More information will be shared at a later date.

Special Anniversary Picnic Set

Exclusively for the months of October and November 2022, customers will enjoy special gifts with the purchase of the East Coast Commune Anniversary Picnic Sets, in celebration of its second anniversary. These gifts include East Coast Commune coasters, a SoL takeaway cup, and a slice of cake from its boulangerie. With a picnic mat and disposable cutleries thoughtfully packed in a nifty box, customers are all set for an enjoyable time by the beach.

Picnic Light Bites for Two (S$58)
A choice of two pastries from the boulangerie, two snacks or desserts, and two beverages.

Picnic for Two (S$80)
A choice of two mains, one snack or dessert, and two beverages.

Picnic for Four (S$148)
A choice of four mains, two snacks or desserts, and four beverages.

For more information, please visit:

Website: www.eccomune.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/eccommune
Facebook: www.facebook.com/eccommune

For reservations, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/myfkazzd

For enquiries on event bookings, please contact: [email protected]

Address:
1000 East Coast Parkway, #01-03, Singapore 449876

Opening Hours:

Monday – Friday: 8.30am to 6pm

Saturday – Sunday: 8am to 9pm

Closed on Tuesdays

 

About East Coast Commune

East Coast Commune is a beautiful café located at Marine Cove, at the idyllic East Coast Park. Opened in October 2020, the café has been thoughtfully designed with the aesthetics that evoke feelings of calm and relaxation.

East Coast Commune was established to provide a space for people to build a community for authentic human connection over meals and specially curated events. Occupying a spacious 3,000 sq ft and a six metre-high ceiling, the cafe is dotted with Scandi Themed furnishings against teal feature walls that create a warm and cosy atmosphere. Commissioned marine-themed artwork by local artist Wu Yanrong, adorn the walls while live plants and floral arrangements provide a touch of nature indoors.

An alfresco dining area gives guests the option to enjoy a cuppa or a meal while soaking in nature. The kid-friendly space has ample room for strollers and is equipped with baby seats, a play area with open-ended toys and a curated library of books housed on low shelves. Toilets are equipped with amenities for children such as smaller seat covers and a stool at the sink for accessibility. Moms with babies will feel at home in the spacious private room provided for nursing and diaper changing. In support of homegrown brands, custom-made vessels and drinkware are used for serving food and drinks and locally-produced candles and home fragrances scent up the interior. Retail corners around the store showcase products such as children’s books and dining ware. Here, events are held collaboratively with art and design brands, with pop-up markets that showcase local crafts, design ware and other artisanal products such as foodstuff. Book-reading and craft workshops for children are also held from time to time. The menu includes wholesome, Western fare with Asian influence. There are also vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. Signature dishes include the Brekkie, the Chicken and Sourdough Waffle, Tiramisu French Toast, Crispy Snapper (turmericinfused) and Tom Yam TiNDLE Burge