I had a tough two weeks at work recently, when my boss went home on emergency leave and I had to cover her duties. On the second Friday of her absence, when I had to get to the TV studio at 715am to accompany one of the worldwide CEOs for a live interview, I was so tired that I asked to leave work early.
She, being a wonderful boss, of course said yes and I immediately knew where I wanted to go: k-ki and The Little Drom Store. Two stores under one roof, the former sells Japanese style cakes and pastries (“k ki” is Japanese for cake) while the latter is a wonderful trove of knick knacks.
k-ki is a tiny hangout place in comparison to the bigger coffee chains. There were probably only five tables in the air-conditioned store and on the Friday afternoon that I was there, all the tables were full. I had to settle for the outdoor bench, which was fine since the weather was cool due to the recent drizzle.
But the interior decor would probably appeal to those who are fans of Muji (me! me! me!). It’s minimalist with lots of sunlight, beautiful curves and use of light coloured wood. In fact, it could very well have been torn out from the pages of a Japanese interior decoration magazine.
The cake selection was interesting – there were mango mousse, white chocolate cakes and a delightfully light cheesecake souffle ($5.50) which I had. The teas were Gryphon and cost about $4 per pot, which was pretty decent. The service staff was amazing – they offered me ice water, apologized for not doing so earlier when I asked to add more hot water to the empty teapot and smiled and waved goodbye when I left.
On the other side of the shop is The Little Drom Store. If you love whimsical, vintage little knick knacks the way I do, then please fly down to the store. It’s stocked with gems like vintage glasses, old cameras, limited edition prints and picture books. I wanted to buy everything!
I decided to rein in my impulse though, because I kept thinking that I would end up being like Carrie, the (Fendi) bag lady, except I would be Yann the (vintage) knick knack girl. Instead, I went home only with a tissue holder made of the retro Good Morning towels. Oh, and a roll of expired film too, which I am excited! about.
I didn’t bring my camera out that day but I shall leave you with those lovely pictures from the flickr stream of The Little Drom Store.
k-ki/The Little Drom Store
7 Ann Siang Hill
Yannisms 
Let’s gooooooo! Tea date?? 🙂
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I absolutely love the cakes at k.ki. Not just their cakes are delish, the entire environment is just soothing and unpretentious. Simple fab to while away a lazy afternoon there!
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@ Yuling – Yes! I am on leave next week, we meet Monday or Tuesday? I’ll text you.
@ Joy – I agree, the atmosphere there is so relaxed and chill, and the cakes all look so delectable. 🙂
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i love the drom store! do u know what drom means in swedish? 🙂
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Yes, it means dream!
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Just went there yesterday. It’s pretentious, the vintage stuff is very expensive and some dont event work, the Singaporean lady boss is rude and unwelcoming. If you’re looking for warm Japanese hospitality, it’s sorely lacking here. The staff are very too-cool-for-school in their designer tees and sneakers, and so are their icy personalities. The six of us spent $80 on cakes and drinks and stayed for about 2 hours. Yes the cakes were tasty especially the Flourless Choc Cake. The ambience is quaint and cosy with all four tables occupied. I went up to the cashier with my empty glass for the second time to ask for a refill of water. And she said in summary: “This is not a sit-down-and-eat place, it’s takeaway”. So what the heck are the chairs and tables for??
To think i was gonna order another round of cakes. Seriously, this is my first and last time here.
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Hey Jasmin, sorry to hear that your experience was so terrible! I never had a problem with the staff refilling my drinks while I was there, and the lady boss and her husband (the baker) were always friendly to me. Shame though, that you had such a lousy time.
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