Group Therapy has been a favourite hideout in Tanjong Pagar for many cafe hoppers. I actually knew about this cafe at least one or two year back but I got so overwhelmed by the numerous cafes around that I kept pushing this date behind. Finally I got a chance to visit and I really loved the pleasant surprise when I arrived. It is really cozy and it reminds me of some cafe I have experienced back in Seoul. This cafe serves brunch on weekends and it is extremely suitable for intimate chitchat sessions!
49 Duxton Road
Singapore 089513
Tel: 6222 2554
Opening Hours:
Tue - Thu: 11:00 - 18:00
Fri - Sat: 11:00 - 23:00
Sun: 10:00 - 18:00
Group Therapy website
Group Therapy facebook
The Place
I have passed this street on Duxton hill for so many times but I always miss Group Therapy because it's on the 2nd storey. Remember to check the upper levels of shophouses in the area on your lookout for new cafes!
Weird handle! Amusing.
Cozy setup with sofa seats and hanging naked lightbulbs.
Love the peek into the street downstairs.
I absolutely love them for their environmental-friendly practices. There are almost 50 of these glass jars lying around the cafe, storing water for patrons.
The hidden area at the back for more seats.
The toilet is pretty unique too! Look at the door (it is extremely retro) and the interesting metal basin!
The Food
Chicken and Mushroom Pie was pretty good! It was tasty and sufficiently moist. The chips served was a little hard but the salad made up for it! It was quite pricey though - this for $14!
We also ordered BLT Croissant Plate, which is priced at a whopping $19. Even though part of the crispy croissant was slightly burnt, the match with the salty bacon was good. The sausage was nice too.
I peeped into this place once, looking for cafes where I can do laptop-work... noticed that it has a couple of powerpoints near some seats.. Would you recommend this place as laptop friendly? Did you ask the folks there if it's okay to use their powerpoints?
ReplyDeleteI only asked because at the Plain Cafe at Craig, they not only told me that I can't use their powerpoints for more than 15 minutes, but they switched off the lights above my table when I whipped out my laptop! (They said they're trying to conserve electricity.. how weird because after I left, the lights came back on). Not going back there again...
btw, just wanted to say I thoroughly enjoyed your blog, especially your lists of laptop-friendly and wifi-available cafes. Perfect for folks like me who need cafes to do some serious writing (on laptops)!
Hello again! I believe Group therapy welcome the use of their powerpoints, but I didn't really ask them about it because I was there only for a meal! Sorry I can't help you on this, would suggest you to kindly ask them about the powerplugs! Usually they are open about it! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd i feel sorry for your experience at Plain! I didn't know they were like this! Hope you get to find more conducive cafes to do your work through this blog! Thanks for reading!
Given you're of the opinion that $14 is expensive for a pie, what is an acceptable price.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you and your small band of readers believe it acceptable for wi-fi to be free. Is it free to run your home, would you accept anyone coming by and plugging into your power supply free and nursing 1 cup of coffee for 3 hours.
If you think this behaviour acceptable, go to Starbucks where you can never access wi-fi.
Alternatively I suggest you open a cafe and you'll soon get to understand the actual value involved and cost of providing service.
To Anonymous (325pm March 13):
ReplyDeleteSpeaking personally, I do not believe the issue is whether it is acceptable that wifi is free or not. Rather, free wifi is a value added service that some cafes may choose to offer to their customers. Each cafe tries to differentiate itself from the rest of the crowd. Having comfortable sofa seats rather than hard wooden uncomfortable chairs, having free wifi or publicly accessible power points, etc, are extras that some cafes obviously feel customers will APPRECIATE.
If a cafe wants a high turnover and discourage 'squatters', then (a) have loud music (b) hard chairs, no comfy seating, (c) rude intrusive staff, (d) no value added facilities, (e) not-conducive-to-talking environment, etc. Sure, there'll be turnover, you won't get 'squatters', but said cafe would be no different from a McDonalds and more importantly, it is not likely to have return customers. And small cafes do not survive on high turnover crowds but on regular customers that appreciate the uniqueness of these cafes.
Personally, I like doing my work in a cafe (and FYI I'm not a student). And I return the appreciation of using their seats, wifi and power, by not "nursing 1 cup of coffee for 3 hours". Instead, I tend to buy several cuppas, and food, if I am there for 3 hours. There's a cafe I go to regularly, reviewed here, that even keeps count of how many orders I make per 'stay'... "round 4!", and I love that cafe.
"Providing service" is part of what distinguishes a cafe from its competitors. It's a matter of what services you wish to provide.
I believe that there are costs and benefits involved with every service a cafe decide to provide to their group of customers. Some cafes are designed to provide food and people flock there just to eat and yes, I would agree it would be inconsiderate for users to hog the space for many hours, without buying "enough" to justify the hours they stay there. But think about it, there are some cafes located away from city, has lower awareness and lower volume.
ReplyDeleteIn the afternoons when they could possibly be sitting around swatting flies, I am sure they would love to have some earnest students or freelancers sitting in their cafe, really APPRECIATING and ENJOYING the ambience and the interior they have put up, so they could do their own work quietly.
Additional services like such (powerplugs+wifi)on top of lovely ambience and interior, are going to drive loyal customers who often have to find places they love to just do their work or find inspirations. This are the people who will provide repeated revenue for these cafe owners who face a huge fixed cost. Those diners could come by once just to have a taste of the cafe, and they might never come back again. They provide the volume for daily operations, but not the long term income stream for the survival of the cafe.
Just my two cents, if you will.
Wrecked my event plans with stupid reasoning and lack of communication.
ReplyDeleteLack of business ethics in dealing with event organiser.
Subsequent shift of blame upon retrieval of cheque deposit that was personally brought down and given in good faith.
Overall, poor business. No point trying to hold your event there, when they are willing to cancel it even once money changed hands.