It’s no small feat to carve out a unique cafe identity in the heart of a bustling shopping mall, but Kōkako at Commercial Bay has nailed it. This sleek, pint-sized cafe centres on a brew bar where you can cruise by and order a takeaway coffee for an easy mid-shop perk-up, or mooch about on one of the high stools there, which will encourage you to converse with the staff about the impressive line-up of single-origin beans and brewing techniques. The menu is a haven for aficionados of filter coffees: those on offer here include multiple daily batch brews, by way of the Clever Dripper, AeroPress and Chemex. You may also notice the four taps at the counter, pouring nitrogenated cold brew, cascara kombucha and a rotating selection of inventive, in-house coffee-related beverages. Kōkako is a cafe that manages to be both innovative and approachable — a rare find in the middle of a mall.

While you’re in the area: the rest of Commercial Bay