Subscription services are in vogue now. Touted as the solution to the busy, yet savvy, career man or woman who appreciates fine vino and everything else, subscription services offer a curated list of their premium products periodically to satisfy any recurrent cravings you’re having, while giving you the chance to experience something novel every so often.
They’re not only a great way to ensure a constant supply of your favourite sake delivered to your doorstep. Often, these subscription services throw in a sample of the flavour du jour – so you might just discover something new. Think the ever-trendy bubble milk tea given the gelato treatment.
If you’re just looking to cook for a single meal or so, many restaurants have pivoted to explore that during the circuit breaker period. You might even want to get those for now to support local F & B through this difficult time. Else, these premium subscription services offer tailored solutions for stress-free variety: all the good, without the guesswork.
Meal kits and fresh ingredients
Buying a whole bunch of thyme for a recipe that calls for one sprig can be infuriating. We know – these meal kits dole out exact portions, including herbs, so the largely-unused bag of thyme doesn’t go off in the fridge waiting to be used. For seasoned gourmands, these ingredient subscriptions give you the best of what’s in season for you to work with.
Avo & Co
Started by brothers Clement and Cedric Chew in 2016, Avo & Co uses the duo’s time in the fresh produce industry to bring fresh, great ingredients sourced locally or overseas. That includes premium beef and lamb from New Zealand, vegetables and fruits from local farms and artisanal cheeses sourced from the likes of local specialty cheese shops The Cheese Artisan and The Cheese Ark. The brothers also offer some customisability to the subscription packages you get from them, so you can stock your fridge with more of what you love.
Simply Fresh
For organic fruit and veg delivered straight from Europe, look no further than Simply Fresh. Each of their boxes comes with a selection of organic produce designed to meet your specific need. While you can opt for a dedicated fruit or vegetable box, you could also opt for the Mediterranean box that features an array of produce that are key to the vivacious and heart-healthy Mediterranean diet. It also comes with a handy recipe card, so you’ll know exactly what to do with all this great fruit and veg.
Prepped
Think of Prepped as your gourmet sous chef and supplier rolled into one. All the mise en place has been done for you – from slicing and marinating the meat, to measuring out exact amounts of finely sliced herbs, Prepped delivers, well, a fully prepped meal. All the kits are packed and delivered on the same day, and come with instructions for stress-free, spontaneous cooking. You aren’t just mixing Bolognese with precooked pasta either: expect a medley of different recipes ranging from quick bulgogi stir-fries to oven-roasted peri peri chicken that’ll change up every week. Now if only we could find some way to get them to wash our dishes as well.
The Meat Club
The Meat Club’s autopilot model isn’t exactly your typical subscription service. Think of it as a member’s card with a minimum number of monthly deliveries. Perfect for carnivores who’ll be making the purchases anyway, and that means a wide range of Australian meats directly from the source. By cutting out the middlemen, the Meat Club doesn’t just ensure that farmers and customers are happier, but the meat stays as fresh as possible.
Drinks and drink
Whether you’re a coffee or tea drinker, we’ve got the service for you. If you’d like to start the morning with a glass of red, that’s fine too.
Sakemaru
Sakemaru’s team of curators scour Japan for artisanal, rare bottles of sake that you’d be hard-pressed to find any other way. Every delivery comes with tasting notes to develop and expand your palate as you taste your way through some of the archipelago’s best-kept secrets. Once you’ve found a bottle you like, Sakemaru also delivers bottles individually so you can keep drinking what you love best: seasonally-limited and small-owner brewed sake.
Monogram
An offshoot of premium tea supplier Gryphon Tea Company, Monogram Tea brings bespoke tea layering experiences to the home. Their selection of premium varietals are carefully curated and come with detailed tasting notes – enjoy the likes of Yabukita jade-green tea, or aromatics like provencal herbs. They even have a handy layering guide, including final aroma and tasting profiles, for you to customise your own unique blend of tea. The mix of 16 teabags you get monthly are a little more suited for thoughtful mid-afternoon imbibing than as a pick-me-up in the morning – especially when you can blend up to four flavours into a single teapot, at least according to their layering guide.
Walaclub
Formerly The French Cellar, Walaclub offers fine vino delivered straight to your doorstep. Two bottles of the good stuff, categorised by country of origin, are selected before being sent to your home. Along with your subscription, you can add additional bottles as you like. The plans also come with a wine chiller if you don’t already have one – and why wouldn’t you? As a perk of joining the club, you also get free corkage at many of Singapore’s premier restaurants – perfect for when everything is open again.
Common Man Coffee Roasters
A collaboration between Harry Grover, Australian Five Senses Coffee and Spa Espirit Group, Common Man Coffee Roasters is a well-known coffee joint that also serves up some pretty great cafe grub. Getting a subscription with them is the perfect avenue to get your favourite blends or single origin varietals for the home. They’ve also got packages for novices looking to get into cold brewing, filtered coffee and the like.
Level33
Gastro-brewery Level33 is now offering a 12-pack monthly subscription for their house-brewed lagers and IPAs. You can extend the delivery for up to six months, which would give you plenty of time to appreciate any combination you’d like of their hoppy pale ales and brews. Not included: any of their delicious bar bites, burgers or meal kits. If only they’d have a subscription service for that as well.
Others
Everything else that’s working taking a look at.
The Ice Cream & Cookie Co
What started out as a sweet snack you could only get at a farmer’s market in 2012 has turned into a fully-fledged ice cream retailer available at most local supermarkets and grocers. Founder Natasha Chiam’s continued commitment to wholesome, fresh ingredients shows in her signature ice cream sandwiches and ever-growing catalogue of flavours, including local favourites like chendol, as well as trendier options like avocado smoothie and acai berry. Their Pint Society collection delivers two pints of an experimental flavour available only for that month – which we’d probably get, along with a healthy dose of their flagship ice cream sandwiches.
Ask A French flowers
Now that you’re spending most of your time at home, why not brighten up the living space with a fresh bouquet delivered weekly? Ask A French was founded by Aude Giraud, who actually started out as a broadcast journalist in Paris before coming to Singapore in 2015. Her background in photography and content creation, as well as keen sense of beauty, has led her to servicing a pretty prestigious clientele: Piaget, Maserati and Mont Blanc for instance. The deliveries come every Thursday for eight weeks once purchased, with an ever-changing selection of what’s in season at the moment.
(Related: Rare Panama Geisha coffee capsules that work in Nespresso machines)
