While I was walking aimlessly around Chinatown, this is another find that I found very interesting. From far I already noticed this old Peranakan style building because the colour really stand out, with the pink wall, cream decoration and those purple wooden windows. At first I thought maybe it was some old restaurant, boutique or heritage place, because the building really doesn't look like something connected with a big international brand.
But believe it or not, the whole two-storey building is actually Starbucks.
I need to look properly for awhile because somehow it feel quite strange seeing the Starbucks sign sitting on this kind of old building. Usually Starbucks is easy to recognise from far because most of them got that modern cafe feeling, glass window, darker interior and the usual green logo. This one totally different. If they remove the Starbucks sign, I don't think I will guess it immediately.
What make me curious was not really the coffee actually, but the building itself. So I went closer and started walking around the side first. Along the corridor there is this long mural painted across the wall. One part got a huge coffee plant with red coffee cherries, another part got a man riding bicycle, then further along got more people, plants and some old Singapore style scenes. The mural also use the shape of the old windows as part of the artwork, so it doesn't feel like they just simply painted something on a blank wall.
The whole side walkway was quite nice to slowly look at, especially because outside still got the normal Chinatown feeling. People passing by, some sitting outside, tourist walking around and all the colourful buildings opposite. I think this is the part I enjoy when walking Chinatown. You don't really need to search for anything. Sometimes you just turn into one street and suddenly there is something you never notice before.
After looking outside, I went inside because I wanted to see how they actually use this old building as Starbucks. The ground floor was already quite busy, with people ordering, waiting for drinks and sitting around. The counter area look more like the Starbucks we normally know, but once you look around, you can still see they try to keep some of the character from the building.
Then I saw the staircase going to the second floor.
The staircase was probably one of my favourite part of the place. It got this dark wooden railing and narrow old-style stairway which feel more like going upstairs inside some old house than inside Starbucks. When I reach the upper part, there was also another mural with a big golden bird, mountains, flowers and colourful Chinese style design behind two large wooden doors.
Then once I went through there, the second floor open up into a much bigger seating area.
This part got a completely different feeling from downstairs. The wooden flooring, red beams on the ceiling, old arched windows and the artwork along the wall make the place feel much warmer. There were quite many people sitting there already, some chatting, some looking at phone, some drinking coffee and just relaxing. Even with all the Starbucks tables and chairs around, the old building still got quite strong presence.
I was actually just walking around taking photo and looking at the interior. I never really planned to sit down anyway, but of course I still look at the menu for awhile.
Then I see the price.
Okay, never mind. 😂
This is when my Malaysian brain immediately started converting SGD into MYR. One coffee there and I was already thinking how many cups of hawker coffee I can drink with the same money. Probably more than a dozen if I really compare with the cheaper local coffee.
So in the end, I didn't buy any coffee at all.
I just went inside, walked around both floors, took some photo, looked at the murals, staircase and windows, then came out again. Maybe not the best customer for Starbucks, but at least I appreciated the building.
For me, that was already the more interesting part anyway. Not really what drink they sell inside, but how this very familiar brand somehow look completely different when it is sitting inside an old Peranakan style building in Chinatown.
And after that, I just continue walking again.
No Starbucks coffee in my hand, but at least still got another random Chinatown find to bring back with me.
