Koki Alternative Bread Bar Gives Diners Free Nasal Strips With Coffee After Owner Came Up With The Idea While ‘Doomscrolling’
Bet you wouldn’t be able to guess what the complimentary nasal strip is for.
Most people associate nasal strips with improved breathing.
At Koki Alternative Bread Bar, a Duxton Road cafe that opened in January 2025 and bills itself as Singapore's first bread bar, they're being used for something else entirely: coffee appreciation.
The cafe gives customers a complimentary nasal strip with every hot filter coffee order. According to owner Caleb Ang, 36, the strips can help open nasal passageways and amplify certain aromas and flavour notes in the coffee.
And the idea came from an unlikely source.
"I was doomscrolling in the bathroom and then I came across the GIVMI nasal strip," Caleb says.
The product is typically used by athletes and people looking to improve airflow while sleeping. It has also become increasingly popular among runners and Hyrox enthusiasts in Singapore. But Caleb wondered if it could also enhance the coffee-drinking experience.
Before opening Koki, Caleb worked at several restaurants, including a number of Michelin-starred establishments, though he declined to reveal which ones.
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From bathroom discovery to fancy coffee programme
Caleb says the idea stemmed from a desire to help customers better appreciate specialty coffee.
"Sometimes, there's a lot of different flavour notes or nuances that people might not get at first, but the nasal strip actually amplifies some notes," he explains.
While it might sound gimmicky at first, Caleb says he was pleasantly surprised by the results.
Enlightened or pretentious? You decide
According to Caleb, the strips work by opening up the nasal passages, allowing wearers to take in more aromas. The effect is enhanced by the wine glass used to serve Koki’s filtered coffee.
"The aroma is directed upwards, so when you combine that with the increased breathing capacity from the nasal strip, there's a synergy between the two," he says.
Before introducing the initiative last month, Caleb and his team tested it for themselves.
"We wanted to see if it actually worked," he says.
Customers were encouraged to first taste the coffee without the strip, then try it again after putting it on.
Caleb says many customers have told him they were able to pick up more aromas and flavour notes after doing so.
Coffee starts from $14
For those curious to try the experience, Koki's single-origin Colombian filter coffee starts from $14 and comes with the nasal strip.
The particular coffee featured in the 8days.sg TikTok video has notes of white peach, flowers and a silky mouthfeel.
Caleb is confident enough in his brew to even recommend it even to non-coffee drinkers.
"Whether you like coffee or not, give it a try," he urges.
Bread takes centre stage at Koki
The nasal strips may be the talking point, but Koki's main focus remains its bread-centric menu.
The cafe's dishes are built around thick-cut shokupan, fluffy Japanese milk bread. All the bread here is baked in-house then toasted over binchotan charcoal. There are currently 25 menu offerings.
One signature item is the McRiddles ($22), Caleb's take on McDonald's McGriddles breakfast sandwich.
"I personally don't like to eat McDonald's, so I wanted to do a better version of it," he says with a laugh.
The dish features a charcoal-grilled beef patty, scrambled eggs and charcoal-grilled bread that's been drizzled in maple bourbon syrup before serving.
"It ticks all the brunch things that you want to have and it's a good way to sneak in a bit of alcohol into your day," he says.
Four cheeses and a smoky finish
Another popular item is the Tauros ($24), which falls under the cafe's cheese toast category.
The dish combines sweet and savoury flavours with a few different cheeses: a crispy cheddar layer beneath the bread, followed by melted mozzarella, smoked scamorza and more cheddar. The sweetness comes from lashings of maple syrup.
To heighten the smoky aroma, the dish is presented under a glass cloche filled with smoke, which is lifted at the table before diners tuck in. Fancy.
Owner's favourite
For those with a sweet tooth, Caleb recommends the Overripe Banana Maple Buffin ($7.20).
"My personal favourite from day one," he says.
What’s a buffin?
“Buffin” is a play on the words "big" and "muffin". Roughly the equivalent of six regular-sized muffins baked into one large cake and served by the slice, it's topped with butterscotch and salted Biscoff.
“I modified a muffin recipe into a single big one so that it’ll have more crust,” he shares.
As for the nasal strips? Caleb seems perfectly happy if they get customers talking.
Koki Alternative Bread Bar is located at 60A Duxton Rd, #02-01, S089524. Open Wed-Mon 9.30am-7pm, Fri-Sat till 10.30pm. Closed Tue.More info via website and Instagram.
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