Common Man Coffee Roasters (Martin Road)

Speciality coffee for the common man, at prices the common man will notice.

Common Man on Martin Road is the brunch to build a slow weekend morning around, and the bar to sit at early if the coffee matters more than the eggs. Go before the Robertson Quay crowd is up, take a seat at the bar and order the single origin you have not heard of. The compromise is the bill: the name promises the common man, and the prices do not, so it suits a catch-up you have decided to treat yourself to rather than a cheap group breakfast. It is cashless.

Why the flagship

The Martin Road café opened in 2013 and is still the flagship of what has become a small empire, from Joo Chiat and Stanley Street to Sentosa, Alexandra Road and Kuala Lumpur. Spa Esprit Group, its parent, describes its mission as "championing specialty coffee from the region". Its practical achievement was turning a quiet street near the river into a weekend fixture, and the original room is still the one to go to.

It began as a mash-up of the Five Senses, 40 Hands and Spa Esprit concepts, in a 1920s Art Deco-inspired building with an eight-metre bar at its heart and the look of an Australian café: wood, with drip and AeroPress kit lined up along the counter.

Order the coffee first

The coffee is roasted in Singapore by the in-house team, with a rotating regional single-origin range and an "UnCommon" line of micro-lots and experimental processes. If there is an UnCommon lot on, that is the order; the house blend you can get at any of the branches.

Then the food

The brand describes its day menu as pushing the boundaries of brunch classics. Past favourites include a full breakfast and eggs Benedict with braised ox cheek, but the menu changes, so expect the spirit rather than a fixed list: big, slightly twisted takes on the Sunday plate. Order one plate fewer than the table thinks it needs.

The name is a gentle joke, meant to signal speciality coffee for ordinary people. The joke works better before you see the bill (the facts box has the figures). You are paying for the roast, the room and an unhurried morning, and on those terms it delivers.

How to do it well

Come early, especially at the weekend, and walk from Fort Canning or Great World MRT along the river. The group also runs a Common Man Night Shift programme with a natural wine list curated by Drunken Farmer; check which outlets carry it before planning an evening around it, because this is a daytime café.

Good to know 22 Martin Road, near Robertson Quay; Fort Canning and Great World MRT are the closest stations. The café is cashless. Check the official site for current hours, menus and which outlets run Night Shift.

Common Man Coffee Roasters (Martin Road) | 22 Martin Road, #01-00, Singapore 239058 | Nearest MRT: Fort Canning, Great World