Space 23 Brings Quiet Brunch Confidence to Jalan Besar

Jalan Besar has spent the last decade quietly rewriting its own script. Once known mainly for hardware stores, boxing gyms and old-school coffeeshops, the stretch of shophouses running between Lavender and Farrer Park has become one of Singapore's most consistent neighbourhoods for independent cafes, third-wave coffee and weekend brunch. For foreign residents based around the central districts, it offers something Tiong Bahru and Telok Ayer no longer quite do: room to breathe, lower rents that keep menus reasonable, and operators who still treat each opening as a personal project rather than a chain extension.

Space 23, which opened in June 2025 at number 393 along the main shophouse row, fits squarely into that pattern. Roughly nine minutes on foot from Bendemeer MRT, it has built a quiet following without the social-media theatrics typical of new cafe launches. A 4.9-star rating across more than 400 Google reviews points to the kind of word-of-mouth momentum that tends to outlast a viral moment, and repeat visits suggest the kitchen is holding its standards rather than coasting on early goodwill.

The all-day breakfast menu is short by design, with a handful of mains added from 11am. The Salmon Mentaiko Donburi at 21 dollars is the lunch anchor: short-grain rice layered with miso corn and tamago, topped with a generously sized torched salmon fillet finished in mentaiko mayo. The fish carries a lightly crisped skin, the mayo brings the expected creamy umami, and the torching adds a charred edge that lifts the bowl above the usual cafe donburi. Portioning feels honest, which in central Singapore is itself a small statement.

The blueberry pancake at 17 dollars is the dish that has done most to put Space 23 on the map. Cooked in a cast-iron pan and finished in the oven, the hotcake arrives thick and tall, with caramelised edges and a centre that stays fluffy even when loaded heavily with fruit. The batter is lightly sweetened, so the maple syrup served alongside reads as optional rather than essential. A lemon-scented chantilly cream cuts the richness, and the kitchen is unusually generous with the blueberries, to the point where pockets of the cake turn slightly wet from the bursting fruit. Across multiple visits, the execution has stayed remarkably level.

A small counter display handles the bakes. The lemon drizzle cake at 7.50 dollars has earned bestseller status on merit: crumbly at the edges, moist through the middle, with a clean citrus aroma that does not tip into artificial. Coffee is handled with similar care. The piccolo at 5.50 dollars pulls nutty, chocolatey notes from a well-extracted shot, balanced against silky steamed milk. The iced matcha latte at 8.50 dollars sits at the higher end of the local range but holds its ratio of milk to tea, letting the grassy notes register without being smothered. Sweetness levels lean slightly indulgent, which is worth flagging for anyone who prefers a drier cup.

The room is the other reason regulars keep returning. Tables are spaced more generously than the Jalan Besar norm, and floor-to-ceiling windows at the front pull in enough natural light to keep the interior bright without overheating it. A scattering of power points along the walls makes weekday off-peak hours quietly productive for laptop work, though seating is limited and walk-in only. On weekends, the cafe fills steadily from mid-morning, and a backup plan is sensible if a group is involved.

For foreign residents weighing where to put down rental roots, the Jalan Besar and Farrer Park belt continues to look like one of the more interesting central options. The shophouse stock is intact, the food and beverage scene is maturing past its first wave, and connectivity through the Downtown and North East lines puts both Marina Bay and Orchard within easy reach. New openings like Space 23 add to a slowly thickening map of neighbourhood anchors, joining established names such as Asylum Coffeehouse and the long-running Jin Xi Lai. None of this is loud, which is precisely the point.

Space 23 operates Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 6pm, and is not halal-certified. The cafe is closed on Mondays.