Good news! National Gallery visitors now have two new options for food with the opening of KOPI 1930 and Twenty Eight cafe on 1 November 2025! They are situ…
Good news! National Gallery visitors now have two new options for food with the opening of KOPI 1930 and Twenty Eight cafe on 1 November 2025! They are situated right at Level 1 of the main gallery building (City Hall wing) and open daily from 8am to 7pm. The two establishments are sister-cafes offering Asian and Western food respectively, which is great because foreigners and locals alike have a choice or can sample from both easily. And after going for their food tasting, I am confident to say that both cafes are putting out really authentic and delicious dishes that are iconic in their own ways.
The cafe is L-shaped and there's plenty of seats surrounding both sides. It feels very airy and open because there are no walls or doors, it is just a section of the gallery when you walk in past the gift shop.
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| Photo credit: Kopi1930 and Twenty Eight Cafe |
Here are the menus for KOPI1930. From what I understand, the OG branches of both cafes are at Wilkie Road and the outlets at National Gallery are new. That's great. Here's is the menu for Kopi 1930, with some National Gallery exclusives!
We had the chance to sample 3 Kopi 1930 mains as well as their bestselling butter cake, kaya toast and signature UFO bun. I started with the Mee Siam (S$10.90, $13.60 with a drink) and was immediately impressed by the flavour. It was NOT SWEET. In fact, it was pleasantly tangy and that refreshing flavour paired with the gentle spices made the dish super moreish and easy to eat. I could down the entire plate for lunch easily! It also came with generous ingredients - a WHOLE egg, and two big prawns (deshelled!). This was really authentic tasting of the old-school mee siam I remember. 5/5
The next dish was the Mee Reebus (S$10.90, $13.60 with a drink). This was definitely sweeter and had a peanutty flavour. The thick rich broth was cut through with the green chillis and fried shallots. I enjoyed this quite a lot too, even though I preferred the mee siam. 4/5
The Chicken Rendang Nasi Lemak (S$13.90, $16.60 with a drink) is one of their top sellers, and I can immediately see and taste why. While the rice itself was pretty generic, the chicken rendang was soft and incredibly well-spiced with layers of flavour just coating the chicken drumstick. That sauce is necessary to get the rest of the rice and peanuts with ikan bilis and sambal chilli going. I only wished the rice was more fragrant. 3.5/5
We also tried an assortment of sweet treats, including the super thick Signature Butter Cake (S$5/pc) which was so buttery and indulgent. It also tasted extremely nostalgic and reminded me of home, or someone's grandma's cooking 5/5.
I liked their Homemade Kaya Toast and Butter on white bread (S$2.80), though I wish the kaya was less sweet and more fragrant. The toast and butter was perfectly done though. 3/5
I've definitely had better elsewhere, but this was a decent rendition. My Yuan Yang Iced drink was average as well, though the ice melted quite quickly and diluted the taste. 3/5
Now on to the Twenty Eight Cafe side! Here's their menu.
We had three mains and a dessert as well, starting with the Avocado Smash (S$20) on top of some sourdough bread with tomato salsa and garlic. The lemon vinaigrette really helped cut through the creaminess of the avocado and I appreciate the crunch and freshness from the pomegranate seeds and pine nuts. However, a tiny gripe was the two poached eggs burst into super watery? yolk when cut into, which was less ideal. However, we gave feedback and was confident that the team will be able to rectify it easily. 3.5/5
The Seafood Cioppino with Sourdough (S$26) was pricey, but that's only because it came with generous amounts of mussels, clams and prawns in a rich laksa broth that wasn't too spicy or thick. It went perfectly with the seafood and the sourdough was the perfect carb foil to soak all the juices up. I could not stop eating this! 4/5
We also had the Club Sandwich (S$20) comes with paprika chicken breast, cheddar cheese, egg, baby spinach, tomatoes, roasted sesame mayo sandwiched in 3 layers of pullman bread, and a side of delicious golden fries. I was bursting by this time, so I only had a small taste. It was good, but not fantastic. I think this is merely a matter of preference, but if there's other exciting things on the menu like laksa mussels or avocado toast, I'm going to opt for that. 3/5
Lastly, we had the aignature Kaya Heritage Souffle Pancake (S$20, 20 mins wait). This was the best dish of the tasting, hands down. The incredibly fluffy souffle pancake was paired with kaya by Kopi 1930, coconut cream, butter and coconut flakes and a side of toasted bread biscuit. It was so fluffy, so light, but the coconut fragrance and the cream helped to give it a Nanyang flavour. A must try! 5/5
Overall, I think the food at Kopi 1930 and Twenty Eight cafe did not disappoint. Even though there were some small misses, most of their dishes were executed well and retains their authenticity and flavours. And I think it is high time that our local kaya toast, coffee and dishes like nasi lemak gets to shine. I would recommend these cafes, especially for the mee siam and souffle pancake!
🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if you are in the area ✔️
💁 Bookmark this
🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if you are in the area ✔️
💁 Bookmark this
KOPI 1930 and Twenty Eight Cafe
National Gallery Singapore 178957
National Gallery Singapore 178957
Open daily from 8am to 7pm
Walk-ins welcome
Thanks to the National Gallery and Cafe team for the invite!
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I was invited to try out the signature lunch menu at SHOU, a handmade dim sum restaurant at the new-ish KADA building beside Maxwell food centre. I was intrigued because the dim sum disparity in Singapore is huge - you have the local cheap and cheerful 126 alley types vs the super premium hotel types and nothing much in between except maybe Tim Ho Wan. Dim sum for lunch in the CBD is also another rarity since dim sum typically takes quite a long time to serve and eat and is hence reserved for the weekends/PH. I was thus pleasantly surprised by the Signature Lunch Set at SHOU.
For just $21.90++, there is a 10-hour simmered broth chicken pao fan (great for those with shellfish allergies!). It also comes with 3 steamed and 3 fried dim sum items and a cup of premium Yunnan Pu 'Er tea from 100-year-old tea trees. The value alone is incredible - but of course, how did it taste?
The restaurant itself is nice and minimal - it turns into a Japanese izakaya by night, hence the bar. But the rest of the restaurant, while somewhat non-air conditioned, was cooling and well ventilated.
Here's the simple dim sum and food menu. Prices look really decent to me for this economy, in this location.
I really love the dessert offerings and the fact that drinks include dim sum beverages like Hong Kong milk tea, coffee and pu'er (choice of 100 or 200 year old).
The chicken pao fan was delicious. One bowl was enough for sharing between two (we got another noodle dish on top of the set's). The broth was rich, comforting and full of umami that can only come from hours on the stove, not MSG. Amongst the dim sum, my favourites were the steamed siew mai and har gao. They tasted handmade - and that is the point of dim sum to me! None of that factory mass production stuff. The pan-fried beancurd skin shrimp roll was yummy too. 4/5
I'm still thinking of the Deep-fried pork belly noodles, mild spicy ($10.50) which we got to share as well. The noodles were perfectly al dente, not alkaline, and goes well with the incredibly fatty pork belly that melted in our mouths. 4.5/5
Outside of the set lunch, we also tried their House special savoury shrimp dumplings mild spicy (5 pcs for $5.80) which was the right mix of sour and spicy. 4.5/5
There was also the Pan-fried radish cake (5 pcs for $5.50) which is yet another dim sum favourite. Here it was executed really well with the exterior crispy while the interior remained moist and flavourful. Takes skill! 4.5/5
Lastly, not pictured, but as part of the set the Honey Osmanthus Wolfberry Jelly was also superb. I was so full by then but the jelly disappeared in a flash in front of me, and unless magic was involved, I was the culprit! It was the perfect light and sweet palate cleanser for the meal.
I would highly recommend checking out SHOU, as it surpassed my every expectation. The CP ratio is super high and the food was delicious. The only downside to be prepared for is the massive food coma after lunch. But there are tonnes of coffee places nearby so you will be fine!
🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if you are in the area
💁 Bookmark this ✔️
SHOU Handmade Dim Sum
KADA Maxwell, #01-02, Singapore 069183
11am to 2.30pm daily, walk-ins welcome
Thanks to SHOU for the invite!
I was invited to try out the signature lunch menu at SHOU , a handmade dim sum restaurant at the new-ish KADA building beside Maxwell food centre. I was intrig…
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