Chye Seng Huat Hardware/Coffeshop

There is a double storey hardware shop on Tyrwhitt Road (a.k.a. Jalan Besar) in Singapore which you must check out if you're in the neighborhood. Its grilled gates suggest that it's a real shop with an operational business. Look closer, enter through the side metal doors and you'll walk into a world unlike any other you'll ever see!

Welcome to...Chye Seng Huat Hardware & Coffee Shop.

Nondescript doesn't even begin to describe this gem of a coffee house. Seating no more than 50 (?) people at a time, this Papa Palheta-owned business took over an existing hardware shop and retained its identity by taking on the name in its reincarnated form. (Papa Palheta is the brains behind some of the uber cool coffee shops in Singapore)

The ground floor houses the main coffee shop (plus ample outdoor seating), and a little further to the back sits The Annex, an "experimental and experiential tasting bar concept" for java lovers. The second floor is home to Tyrwhitt General Store, where you'll be able to find handcrafted and handpicked accessories and knick knacks catering to your hipster whims. (I got my super cute passport cover here!) I believe there is also another experimental lab/coffee bar on this floor, too.

Why you must check Chye Seng Huat out:

1. Because it's awesome.
2. Because they know their coffee.
3. You'll never find something else like this elsewhere!

More images here.