Moca Cafe

Taking in contemporary art is thirsty, hungry work. It’s therefore thankful that Singapore’s leftfield Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), an institution that champions art that can’t find a home in the mainstream national galleries, has its very own cafe and restaurant on site. In proper white-cube, minimalist fashion, the cafe is simply called MoCA Cafe @ Loewen, Loewen Road up green and tranquil Dempsey Hill being the street address of this oasis of an eatery that’s ideal for families (there’s plenty of space for the kids to run around), the nature lover, the foodie and the art fanatic.

With high, floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the verdant Dempsey landscape that surrounds the gallery and studded, inside and out, with artworks from the Singapore Museum of Contemporary Art’s collection, starting or finishing your gallery visit at MoCA @ Loewen means you can indulge in a suitably internationalist selection of tapas, brunch dishes, burgers and sandwiches, meat and seafood options, Italian pasta, desserts and MoCA’s own take on Asian favourites surrounded by art. Moca CAfe’s private pavilion is ideal for a romantic date by candle light or groups of up to ten people, while the picture-perfect cafe itself seats 80. You can even host an event on the alfresco terrace or in the gallery itself!

If you’ve made it up Dempsey Hill to the Museum of Contemporary Art nice and early, go for MoCA @ Loewen Road’s brunch menu to refuel for the next round or the trip back down to Singapore city. Choose two fried or scrambled eggs paired with British or German sides, a vegetarian option, smoked salmon, pancakes or French toast, or a luxurious caviar option. Bigger appetites are better served by the MoCA beef burger, a masterpiece of beef patty, blue cheese, and purple cabbage relish. If you want to keep your palate (if not your palette) closer to home, go for the MSG-free Asian Twist selection, made with herbs grown on-site (ask a staff member for a tour of the garden and take home a cutting!)