You may have walked past Cross Streets before but may have missed this cosy Taiwanese tea salon that serves freshly brewed teas, coffees, desserts and some popular Taiwanese savoury bites. Due to the owner’s love for sake, they also served premium sakes along with Taiwan whisky and beer too. It’s not your typical cafe that serves only coffee, tea and cakes. It’s a cafe with a sake bar.
Shan Cha 山茶 is located right next to the overhead bridge and the bus stop which makes this place a cosy little spot to do some people watch.
They also sell their own unique blend of Chinese tea leaves in tea bags which are packed into cute air-tight sachets.
Sick of English teas like Earl Grey or Chamomile? Why not give Chinese teas a shot? That afternoon, we tried their signature Oolong Mountain tea and oriental beauty tea – all served in a large tea mug with dainty handmade porcelain Chinese tea cups. The teas also come with a rainbow marshmallow just to wash away that bitterness in the tea if it is too overwhelming for you.
On a hot and humid day, you might want to try their chilly ice teas. I would recommend their Iced Rose Apple tea if you enjoy teas with a fruity and floral note. I love perfumed teas like Earl Grey so Rose Apple tea definitely under my list of favourite teas.
If you are time-starved, you could also purchase their grab-n-go ice tea bottles so that you can still enjoy their refreshing homemade iced teas like Iced Summer Peach tea and ShanCha lemon tea while on the go.
Other popular drinks also include their Milk Tea Jelly, Chai Latte as well as healthy smoothies.
Milk Tea Jelly
If you crave for some savoury bites, I would recommend their Taiwanese Minced Meat rice that goes really well with their black tea egg. It is relatively quite delicious and hearty.
If you are all out for some heavy alcoholic drinks, you should try their sakes which are served in glass shots immersed in iced water.
When sakes are served cold, the sweetness in the sake is retained and the sake doesn’t evaporate into vapour and enters right into your nose as you savour it.
Another speciality of theirs is their homemade nougats which are so soft and chewy. It has pistachios in it and that creamy milk aroma is quite distinct.
If you are heading there for some desserts, you could try their sweet potato mini waffles with ice-cream. Their waffles here have a chewy soft texture.
Their R Waffle makes a good sharing dessert platter for a group of 2 to 4 people. It has soft mochi-like waffles with vanilla ice cream, Koko crunch cereals and biscuits.
This Taiwanese cafe/bar makes a decent spot to meet up with friends or colleagues just for some coffee or tea over conversations. If you think western hipster cafes are boring, you might want to schedule your next gathering at Shan Cha.
22 Cross Street #01-63
Singapore 048421
Tel: +65 6222 3695
Opening Hours:
8:00am – 8:30pm (Mon – Thurs)
8:00am – 10:00pm (Fri)
10.00am – 10.00pm (Sat)
Closed on Sundays
