From The Straits Times    |

Like actors who really want to direct, some cafe owners are not content with getting coffee beans from suppliers. What they yearn for is to roast their own.

Sometimes, it makes economic sense too.

Take Mr Harry Grover, 32. He started 40 Hands in sleepy Yong Siak Street with the Spa Esprit Group in 2010. It was a runaway success and now, there is coffee to supply to Kiasu Coffee at 100AM, the two Tiong Bahru Bakery shops at Eng Hoon Street and Raffles City, plus other eateries in the group.

He has partnered Australian coffee roaster Five Senses and Spa Esprit to open Common Man Coffee Roasters at Martin Road to take care of these needs and also to supply other businesses.

The spacious 2,500 sq ft space, which opened earlier this week, has lots of room for those wanting to hang out, unlike cramped 40 Hands.

Customers will soon be able to attend cupping classes on site. Coffee nerds can sit at the counter and watch as the baristas make pour-over coffees using Hario V60, Kalita Wave, Aeropress or Chemex and talk shop.

Food review: Common Man Coffee Roasters
Common Man Burger ($28)

Espresso diehards will still be able to get their fix, however, with the cafe’s house blend plus another specialty blend or single origin bean available daily.

The general manager of the 60-seat space, Mr Andrew Kent, 29, is a self-confessed coffee nerd from Seattle who has worked in New York and Melbourne. He is good to talk to about all things java.

A smooth capuccino ($5) with hints of chocolate is delicious. I add some shavings of gula melaka, which comes in a little bottle, to what is left of my coffee and the molasses flavour makes it better, even if it does horrify Mr Grover.

Coffee is the main draw, but what would make people stay a while is the food, and there are some unusual offerings on the menu.

One of them is Juicy Grilled Chilli Boneless Chicken With Caramelised Lemon ($25) from the lunch menu, available from noon to 6pm.

It is unusual in that the kitchen manages to make a piece of meat prone to drying out taste good. It is even tender and juicy, the result of some ferocious pounding. The chilli and lemon give it a bit of a kick and I especially like the tart guacamole.

The Common Man Burger ($28, featured above), made with ground ribeye, is perfectly juicy, but the patty could be much less salty.

From the all-day breakfast menu, the stand out is Green Pea Fritters ($22) topped with crispy pancetta and two poached eggs. This is a hearty way to start the day, and the balsamic vinegar drizzled on top gives it lots of pep.

Food review: Common Man Coffee Roasters
Turkish Common Man Breakfast ($25)

Turkish Common Man Breakfast ($25) boasts a soft boiled egg in a nest of crispy filo strips. It looks and tastes great, the crunchy bits a good foil for the rich egg. Balls of feta, breaded and fried, sit on cuminscented hummus. To balance out some of that richness, there are slices of cucumber and ripe tomatoes, together with a scattering of briny, pitted black olives.

Lots of thought has gone into the place; from the cups and saucers, and serving platters made by a Singaporean potter whose name the owners want to keep secret; to the quality of the coffee and food.

Mr Grover is adamant that his new place will not become a hipster hangout. It might well avoid that disaster, if he keeps the common man in mind.

Address: Common Man Coffee Roasters, 22 Martin Road, #01-00, Tel: 6836 4695, open: 8am to 7pm daily.

This article was first run in The Straits Times newspaper on August 11, 2013. For similar stories, go to sph.straitstimes.com/premium/singapore. You will not be able to access the Premium section of The Straits Times website unless you are already a subscriber.

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