Korean-inspired cafes are aplenty, but actual cafes from Korea?
Tucked away at Bali Lane near Bugis is the first-ever overseas outlet of Cafe Margaret, a popular dessert cafe from Yeonnam-dong, Seoul.
The interior of the cosy two-storey cafe is enough to make it feel as though you’ve been transported back to Korea. Think wooden furniture, retro furnishings, and touches of greenery that just oozes vintage cottagecore vibes.
There are also plenty of power plugs, which makes this a work-friendly cafe (on weekdays, at least).
If you’ve ever gone cafe-hopping in Korea, you’d realise that most cafes adopt a self-service concept. Diners typically pick and choose from a display of bakes, before ordering drinks and making payment at the counter.
The same goes for Cafe Margaret, which boasts an aesthetically-pleasing array of cakes, cookies, and pastries that might just leave you feeling spoilt for choice. Simply grab a plate or tray (don’t forget to line it with paper) and snag all the goodies you want!
As for the menu, it’s essentially a more pared-down version of what you can find in Seoul, with seasonal bakes like Real Tiramisu Cookie (S$5.10), Raspberry Pound Cake (S$7.50), Cinnamon Roll (S$6.70), and Peanut Butter Cookie (S$4.90).
One thing to note is that there are no savoury items served here, which is not atypical coming from a Korean cafe (they do love their sweets!)
As a lover of lemons (and all things citrus), I was extremely enticed by the Juicy Lemon Pound Cake (S$7.50), a dense, moist, and not-cloyingly-sweet lemon pound cake with a sufficiently zesty lemon glaze.
My only gripe? I could’ve done without the addition of dried fruits.
But of course, we were eager to get your hands on the signature Cube Pie, a flaky cube-shaped creation with a sweet cream filling and a whopping 72 layers of pastry.
Although the cafe opens at 10am, Cube Pies are only available from around 11am, so plan your visit wisely, especially if you visit on weekends.
Flavours include the likes of Lotus Cream (S$8.30), Nutella (S$7.80), and the bestselling Injeolmi (S$8.30), or roasted soybean, which we obviously had to order.
The croissant-like cube, which was generously coated in soybean powder, broke open to reveal a sweet and delightfully nutty injeolmi cream my dining partner couldn’t get enough of.
Unsurprisingly, I preferred the Matcha Cream (S$8.30), which was filled with a fragrant, luscious and bittersweet (though not the most concentrated) cream, with the top layer coated in a glaze that reminded me of matcha-flavoured chocolate.
As for drinks, we opted for both the hot and iced versions of the Cafe Latte Dolce (S$7.50) with Vanilla Syrup (+S$1), smooth, well-balanced cuppas that tasted, well, very Korean.
The nata de coco-topped Green Apple-Ade (S$7.80) was fruity and refreshing, but otherwise, nothing to shout about.
Regardless, you should definitely head down to Cafe Margaret (when the crowds die down, perhaps) if you’re into authentic Korean cafe culture — we highly recommend visiting on a weekday afternoon if you want to fully immerse yourself in the cosy atmosphere with a book in hand.
Will we see more cafes from Korea opening in Singapore? I sure hope so!
Cafe Margaret
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???? 32 Bali Ln, Singapore 189868
???? 10am–8pm (Daily)
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Photos by Christabel Tan
I'm always feelin' either boozy or boujee ✨