In yet another collab brought in by Kumoya — which has previously given Miffy, Care Bears, and tokidoki the limelight — Mr Happy, Mr Bump, Little Miss Tiny, Little Miss Princess and gang are making their way to Singapore for their own pop-up cafe in July. This will be the first Mr Men and Little Miss venture on our shores.
Roger Hargreaves’ creation, which started in 1971 with Mr Tickle and his squiggly long arms, has grown to include more than 90 members in its family over the years, although it’s gotten a bit of negative press in recent years. One UK university study even branded the books “sexist”, as it argued Little Misses had to be “saved” in the stories more than half the time, and they were written with 12 lesser words on average than Mr Men tales.
Gender stereotypes aside, expect the cafe to be splashed in illustrations of the characters, intertwined with somewhat random nods to Singaporean cuisine and landmarks, as well as a photo booth starring Little Miss Princess donning a sarong kebaya.
On the menu, once again curated by Little Miss Bento, you’ll find simple cafe fare with a spritz of local flavor — or at least the standard dishes that come to mind when people think of Singaporean food (ahem, chili crab and nasi lemak).
Snacks like truffle fries ($11.90), fries with chilli crab sauce ($12.90), fried mantou with chilli crab dip ($11.90), veggie popiah with plum dip ($9.90), and tempura mackerel otah with sambal mayo ($12.90) are all in the line-up for appetizers, followed by character-themed mains.
Mr Strong makes an appearance in the chili crab pasta with tempura soft shell crab ($21.90), Little Miss Princess turns the beef meatball mac and cheese a pale shade of pink ($18.90; don’t worry — it looks like Pepto but it’s just beetroot-stained), Little Miss Tiny pops up in the sweet and sour tempura fish burger ($19.90), and Little Miss Hug takes a swim in seafood ramen with crayfish, prawns, and scallops ($23.90).
Then there’s Mr Bump and his butterfly pea flower, blue-hued coconut rice in the “Knock-out Nasi Lemak” ($23.90), bandaged with popiah skin and cushioned by tempura sambal prawns, fried chicken, potato croquette, ramen egg, and anchovies.
If you’re in a foul mood, perhaps Mr Happy can cheer you up with his “Delightful Pancakes” ($23.90) served with hash browns, scrambled eggs, roasted portobello mushrooms, carrots, tempura mackerel otah, and a mini bottle of kaya jam.
Still on the locally-inspired track, the beverages come in frappe options like strawberry bandung ($14.90), milo Oreo ($14.90), and chendol gula melaka ($14.90).
Or skip the liquid calories and turn to desserts instead for your sugar rush. Little Miss Princess does her pink thing again with the bandung strawberry parfait ($18.90), while Mr Strong gets basic with milo red velvet waffles ($20.90) — or you can gather the group together with the Mr Men and Little Miss chocolate fondue platter ($23.90) of fruits, milo brownies, donut cakes, marshmallows, and agar agar ang ku kueh.
For something a little different, try Mr Bump’s pandan sponge cake ($17.90) with kidney beans, sweet corn, and Hokkaido soft serve, or take a bite of whatever the perpetually grinning Mr Happy’s having with his calamansi strawberry tart ($18.90).
FIND IT:
Kumoya, 8 Jalan Klapa.
July 5-end-Sept; Tues-Thurs & Sun noon-9:30pm, Fri-Sat noon-10:30pm.
MRT: Bugis
