Address: 402 East Coast Road, Singapore 428997

Nearest MRT: Eunos/ Paya Lebar MRT (East-West line)

Bringing artisanal coffee to the East Coast, Penny University is a mecca for coffee lovers to chill at. It is open daily for breakfast, brunch and dinner.

This place is located near where we stay and attracts a sizeable crowd on weekends. It is also one of the growing number of halal cafes in Singapore, so it attracts Muslim diners too. I have always walked past or taken the bus past this cafe along East Coast Road, and finally today I got to sample the food. Penny University is also located along the same stretch of road as Al Forno Italian restaurant.

Taking its name from the 18th century term for coffeehouses in London – noisy, men-only affairs which cost a penny to enter and where coffee was served up along with the latest news and gossip – this East Coast coffee joint offers a 21st century update to the formula, where both men and women are welcomed.

It is known for its Eggs Benedict, Marmite Cheese toast, coffee, espresso, turkish eggs, muddy espresso with cold milk. There was a queue of about 5-6 people in front of us when we arrived on a Sunday morning.

Using the Entertainer offer, we were able to get one main course free. For me, I ordered the Mediterranean platter ($15.50) which seems to be a new item on the menu. It consists of a choice of eggs (scrambled, hard boiled or fried), beans, hummus, chickpeas, grilled eggplant and avocado. As you can see, this dish is suitable for vegetarians. In preparation for my upcoming trip to the Middle East where they eat this kind of food, I decided to try this dish and it did not disappoint. Even though each serving of food looks small, but I was full after finishing everything.

Another friend ordered the steak and eggs ($16), which is served with French fries by the side. He said that the second time eating it, the standards have dropped. I tried one piece of the steak and did not like it as it tastes like powdered meat. Even though the order was medium rare, but the steak seems overcooked and the meat had a powdery taste to it, probably due to the excessive use of tenderiser such that the meat lost its original taste.

As for the Eggs Benedict ($13), it includes a choice of turkey ham or smoked salmon, with two poached eggs on brioche and homemade hollandaise sauce. The eggs were done just right and the ham was not so salty. With the brioche it was just sufficient for one person, especially for those who like to dip their bread in the egg yolk.

Penny University serves homemade chocolate shake in special glass bottles, as seen in the picture. They have the original or mint flavour. At $5.50 it is quite expensive for iced chocolate. They are also known for their coffee but we did not get any coffee that day.

Overall, we enjoyed the atmosphere over at Penny University, with its humble origins back in the UK. The food is decent and we would go back to visit again if looking for a cafe to hangout during the weekend in the east side. After brunch, we walked over to I12 Starbucks to drink some coffee. Due to the large crowds waiting for seats at Penny University, we could not stay long there. Even though the staff did not chase us away after our meal, but we felt bad for the people waiting outside.

**Update** We visited Penny University again in Aug 2020. This time, there were social distancing measures in place, so the cafe could only house fewer number of diners. There was a temperature check and we had to use SafeEntry to register the checkin. We ordered steak frites and a full English Breakfast ($16) with scrambled eggs.

**Update March 2021

A quick visit to Penny University for afternoon tea as I had seen a promo for the March holidays. They were offering one for one waffles. We ordered the simple butter and maple waffles ($7.50) and topped up $4 for two scoops of ice cream. The waffles were crispy and the butter melted quickly after it was served. There was a generous serving of maple syrup in the teacup which can be used to drizzle over the waffles or as a dip. Even though we visited on a weekday afternoon, the cafe was still crowded with families, people on laptops and some couples. It is a cozy place to hang out in the afternoon, over coffee and desserts.