Showing posts with label african. Show all posts
Showing posts with label african. Show all posts

Saturday, March 23, 2019

Kafe UTU Revisited @ 12 Jiak Chuan Road

0 comments
Back again after a month or so, and this time to try some new items in the dinner menu with the rest of the foodie gang. It was a somewhat deja vu moment as we sat at the same table as we did, one month ago! Here is the link to previous visit.

While waiting for the last person to arrive, we ordered up our drinks with half the group opting for mocktails and the other half preferred the alcoholic ones.  That night, we left our drinks selection in the hands of Ivan, the Head Bartender at Kafe UTU.

He asked what would I prefer. I said, "Gin based and slightly sweet. Make it special."  After a long while, my drink arrived in a dainty tokkuri (徳利) and it came with a little cute heart. How'd they know I like Japanese stuffs? *winks*


The Alcoholics


Gin-based Special #1
I liked the special gin mix that was not too strong, sweet and refreshing. Thank you Ivan for the thoughtful creation.

Grapefruit Negroni
Whiskey-based  Special #2
Rum-based Special #3


The Mocktails

Fruit-based and refreshingly tangy
Watermelon-based with egg white
Tiki drink
Berry refreshing

Can you guess which of the above mocktail was for a guy? Hehe.

But where's the food? One word of advice, do place your food order quickly before the kitchen gets really really busy with the avalanche of orders.

KIDOGO (BITES)


Malindi Croquettes @$12

I think the Malindi Croquettes came to our table by mistake but we ended up ordering two more plates of it. Smallish in size, but it packed a punch in flavour. Best eaten when served. The insides are super soft and creamy, with a nice golden crisp batter. Pause for 5 seconds after the first swallow and notice the rising burn. Wow, it was deceptively spicy! Well, the menu did say Habanero...but guessed we just didn't noticed it. But it was shioks!

fresh cassava leaves, ginger, garlic, Habanero, House spices, Bechamel

Pan Con Tomate with House Smoked Anchovies & Garlic @$18

The tomato cold soup was as how we remembered it, and the difference was in the toast. The smoked anchovies added another dimension to this.

SALADS


Roasted Pumpkin Kale Salad (V) @$20



FROM MAMA AFRICA



West African Charred Aubergine Stew with Angus Beef Cheek (served with basmati rice) @$30

We loved to hear the origins of the dish and the aubergine turns out to be Kurt's favourite birthday dish! Can easily understand why, as the beef cheek has a pleasant smokey flavour yet tender with each bite. Moist with the Liberian sauce, its spices were pleasant and delightful when laden ontop a spoonful of basmati white rice. Yums.

Moroccan Lemon Chicken Tagine @$29

Yes, there was no tagine (طجين) for the Moroccan Lemon Chicken Tagine dish. The tagine is a shallow earthen pot which is often recognised for its upside down cone shaped cover. It's ok not to have the tagine though because the chicken was still very delicious.

The star of this dish, got to be the quinoa. Superbly moist, flavourful and delightful with the onions.

Macanese African Chicken with Mango Salsa @$29


The Macanese African Coconut sauce looked a tad oily but we did not care a bit. Cut a small piece of that chicken, swirl it all over the sauce and into the mouth it went. Lovely.

The Macanese African Chicken With Mango Salsa is served with quinoa, and the quinoa in this dish was rather interesting as well. It was made into a patty and pan-fried, which resulted in a nice crust on its outer part much like the taste of scorched rice.

We also had some of the favourites from the previous round; the Swahili Fish Curry and Liberian Peanut Chicken Stew. These two dishes paired so well with the basmati rice.


PASTRIES


We ordered our previous favourites; the carrot cake and the soft serve ice-cream. Malindi Halwa was added after Kurt shared more stories of how this dessert snug into the menu. Yes, we do love stories especially if it was about Sheiks, master craftsmen and their favourite dessert.

Malindi Halwa @$10

"Would it be too sweet?" I was thinking in my mind. "How does Kafe UTU's version of Halwa taste like?"

Halwa is sweet confections made in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. There's flour based halwa, nut butter based halwa but this texture was something unfamiliar. I felt like I might be eating a cube of watermelon (based on visual), but it tasted of spices and a pleasant sweetness with a light but not so bouncy texture. The Kafe UTU's halwa is made of dragonfruit juice, hazelnuts and cashew nuts,  macadamia, pistachios with Malindi spices. There's yoghurt on the plate for a slight sour taste. There's crisp spiced Dukha filo too. Interesting!

Carrot cake was a crowd favourite, but soft serve ice-cream is life! The flavour on that night was dark chocolate. Previous visit, we had coffee soft serve.

UTU Soft Serve Ice Cream @$4

SIPPING GIN

One shall not pass a chance to savour some sipping gin. Sipping gin is basically a gin that is good enough to drink neat.

Cheers to Good Food, Good Drinks and Good Company~

Procera Gin
Procera Gin, is an African craft gin and has African botanicals from Morocco, Kenya, Somalia, Zanzibar, Madagascar and Sierra Leone. It is the first and only gin crafted with African juniper.

Lovely aroma, strong and pleasantly smooth on the throat.

Kurt asked if we would like to try something that is currently not on the menu yet. Would we be too full since we were done with dessert as well? And miss a chance to try new menu? No way. And that was how we ended up with more food.

Off menu special Nigerian Beef Suya

The meat was tender, marinade was on point and the crispy homemade chapati provided the contrast in texture to the tender flavourful meat. Eaten like a wrap with pickled thinly sliced cucumbers and piled with as much kachumbari as you like.

lovely onglet

Once this makes its appearance in the menu, hesitate not. It was delicious.

All in all, expect to spend between $40 to $60 per pax for a drink and a good meal.

An enjoyable Friday night out with Kris, Elle, Rachelle, Tiara, Shermaine, Alvin, Hence and Ivan. Thank you Kurt for your hospitality, and team UTU for taking care of us that night.


Kafe Utu

Address: 12 Jiak Chuan Road Singapore 089265
Contact: +65 6996 3937
Websitehttps://kafeutu.com/

Business Hours:    

Kafe Utu
Closed Monday
Tuesday – Sunday: 8am – 5pm

Utu Lounge
Closed Monday
Tuesday – Thursday: 6pm-11pm
Friday & Saturday: 6pm-1am
Sunday: 1130am - 5pm


Sunday, February 17, 2019

[Food Tasting] Kafe Utu @ 12 Jiak Chuan Road

0 comments
Was privileged to be invited for a tasting at Kafe Utu, thanks to Kris (@msginginly). It was a discovery trip as am a noob pertaining to African cuisine. Located at the hip Jiak Chuan Road, Kafe Utu is easy to spot.

Kafe Utu exterior
menu

The interior is charming, with a cosy vibe while its staff are friendly and welcoming. Feel free to wander around and notice the larger than life photographs of native African women at the cafe area or venture upstairs to the lounge area to chill-out with furniture that were specially flown-in from Africa. Intricate wood carvings, a mirror and treasure chest that has more than 100 years of history are all part of the charm.


photographs of African natives
secret hideout
exquisite decor
intricate carvings

Kafe Utu is an afro cafe cum lounge serving brunch, offering delectable East and West African food as well as specialty coffee served with only fresh Hokkaido milk.

coffee counter
high-end espresso coffee machine
steaming it up
bean here, done that

Let's take a look at the wonderful coffee that Kafe Utu makes, from the good hands of Barista Mark Chan. The Bidi Bado was a rather interesting cup of mocha rimmed with natural peanut butter, pink peppercorns and toasted almonds which I enjoyed. Tasted nutty, buttery and intense.

Bidi Bado Abracadabra (UTU Style Mocha) @$7

Matcha @$6
Malindi Latte @$6
Utu Ink @$6

The Owner, Mr Kurt Wagner, grew up in Kenya and wanted to bring a piece of home to Singapore. There are many items in the Kafe Utu that are handmade and housemade.  From the doors that are hand carved specially for Kafe Utu and flown-in from Kenya, the uniquely shaped water glasses that are hand blowed, to the ceramic coffee cups and saucers, and many more.

Wondering about East and West African cuisine? Come satisfy your curiosity (as I had) at Kafe Utu.

West African Spicy Greens @$28
Liberian Peanut Chicken Stew @$28

My goodness. I have found my favourite rice dish and that would be the West African Spicy Greens where one gets cassava leaves, chicken thigh, smoked fish & habenero, served with coconut rice. Simply delicious!

Swahili Fish Curry @$29

Did I mention that Kafe Utu serves amazing salads? Well, it does! Both the pumpkin kale and the mama's fresh garden salad were so good that I almost polished everything off. So tasty! Oh, how can I not mention the beetroot burratini. Beetroot had never tasted this good before! Picked beetroot, white truffle oil, burratini & fresh basil leaf forms the winning combination.

Pumpkin Kale @$18
Mama’s fresh garden salad @$25
Beetroot Burratini @$18
peek-a-boo


If you are more of a soup person, do try the refreshing tomato soup, served cold. Good till the last drop and whets the appetite for more!

Marinated Roma Tomatoes @$16
The brunch items in the menu were rather extensive.  The Pulled Pork Breakfast was rather satisfying with the generous portion of shoulder pulled pork in house hickory smoked BBQ sauce, spice mix, curried avocado and served with corn salsa, potato hash and topped with a wobbly poached egg.

Pulled Pork Breakfast @$24
Utu Bowl @$20
For a non-meat option, the Utu Bowl is moreish as it has quinoa, orange zest pickled carrots, apple cider pickled cabbage, fresh kale, marinated goat’s cheese, sous vide egg, roasted pumpkin, fresh avocado & spiced pumpkin seeds.

Or for something lighter, opt for the Quinoa Chia Seed Pudding.

Quinoa Chia Seed Pudding @$18

For brunch, if you are not into coffee, why not try the Fresh Berries Smoothies. Comes in a tall glass with paper straw.

Fresh Berries Smoothies @$9

Let's have a look at the dessert. The Mandazi is a Swahili coast classic of fried bread with coconut flakes and cardamon. Its texture is much denser than a doughnut. The Nakupenda is a variation of this dessert topped with ice-cream. Loved the ice-cream/soft-serve at Kafe Utu. So smooth and creamy.

Mandazi @$8
Nakupenda @$8
I have much love for the tiramisu here as well. Maybe it was because the house espresso was so good.

Tiramisu @$8
Canele @$5
The best dessert for sharing had to be the Ricotta Hotcakes. Beautiful looking, delicious tasting and so instagram-able.

Ricotta Hotcakes @$23


In the evenings, Utu Lounge comes alive! Enjoy cocktails, delicious tapas and just chill. Cassava chips, potato wedges, padron peppers and buttermilk fried chicken. The dips for the wedges are the Congo Bongo, mango chili marmalade & House Chili ranging from mild to hot respectively.

Fresh Cassava Chips @$12
Potato Wedges @$14
Buttermilk Fried Chicken @$15
Padron Peppers @$14

The cocktail bar is actually upstairs. The bar uses fresh products and homemade syrups, nothing artificial and premium spirits. Just so you know, there won't be any Hendricks, Bombay or any of the likes. Find Chris and let him know your drinks preference.

Chris with The Calamansi & Cucumber Mojito @$18
Gin & Tonic redefined
Malaika @$16
Eden @$16
Mganga @$18

My drink was the Eden which is made of organic gin, pineapple juice and lemon juice. There was egg white beaten into that concoction as well in its early stages.

The most interesting drink was the Malaika with its "so pretty in pink colour" plus the wicked chili padi, delicious fresh watermelon, fresh lemon juice, vodka and soda water. Spicy and sweet all at once!

Had a wonderful experience at Kafe Utu, thanks to the cheerful and friendly staff that took care of us that day. Thank you Kris for the invite, Mr Kurt Wagner for your hospitality, team Utu comprising of  Kynna, Mark, Chris and many more (but I do not know all your names, my apologies).


Looking forward to the next dining experience. Stay happy!


Kafe Utu

Address: 12 Jiak Chuan Road Singapore 089265
Contact: +65 6996 3937
Websitehttps://kafeutu.com/

Business Hours:   

Kafe Utu
Closed Monday
Tuesday – Sunday: 8am – 5pm

Utu Lounge
Closed Monday
Tuesday – Thursday: 6pm-11pm
Friday & Saturday: 6pm-1am
Sunday: 1130am - 5pm
 
All Rights Reserved. © Purple Taste
Blogger Theme by BloggerThemes| Theme designed by Jakothan Sponsored by Internet Entrepreneur