Staying in the Northeastern part of Singapore, we have great choices for hawkers and Asian fares. However, quality French cuisine will be pretty hard to find. That is set to change with the arrival of Chef Haikal Johari’s French-inspired bistro fare – alkove Singapore in the heartlands of Kovan! Largely inspired by his background in French cuisine and experience at lauded restaurants like Joel Robuchon and Les Amis, while being influenced by his heritage and local flavours, alkove offers un-intimidating French fare that does not take itself too seriously. We decided to check the bistro out for ourselves on a less busy rainy weekday night.
A cosy interior decked with splashes of yellow, blue and terracotta further enhanced by the beautiful sunlight streaming in through the large alcove windows, alkove’s intimate setting makes it a good option for friends and families together to spend quality time with meaningful conversations over the French-inspired dishes.
alkove Singapore – The Bakes
We understand from the friendly service staff that alkove is Chef Haikal’s first foray into the casual dining scene, and the menu offers familiar savoury and sweet French favourites delivered with an edge, with prime ingredients used throughout the menu. Fresh loaves of sourdough and Pain de Mie are available for both dine-in and takeaway, and an all-day treat is the Gula Melaka Canelés that are baked fresh twice daily using traditional French techniques. Their bread and viennoiseries are baked with fine French and Canadian flour and many of the locals buy them as breakfast or tea-time munches for the next day.
Over weekends, many also come for their brunch where eggs are served 3 ways, with care taken to use only Singapore-farmed Japanese free-range eggs. Their scrambled eggs are done perfectly soft and creamy, plated with sourdough, cream cheese and smoked beef sausage. With the oeufs à la coque, soft-boiled eggs are panko-crusted and fried, then placed atop ciabatta and Bayonne ham, slathered with a hollandaise sauce to finish. You will not be disappointed with their Croque Monsieur, a generous serving of Bayonne ham sandwiched between two slices of brioche and melted Comte cheese.
alkove Singapore – Lunch & Dinner With Friends
The menu offered a good selection of French-inspired dishes and drinks that can satisfy any diner. Ordering was done conveniently using a QR code on the table. We started our dinner with our drinks while the mains were being prepared. I love my refreshing Lychee Sparkling Soda while my friend went for the Chamomile Lavender cold brew. Their coffee menu was created in collaboration with CATA coffee while the teas have been curated by ETTE Tea, offering a selection of hot tea, cold brew and tea mocktails.
We cannot give Neo-Parisian French classics such as French Onion Soup since we are in a French bistro. The soup was really flavourful and was a good boost to our appetite as we awaits our mains.
We also ordered an appetiser – Ham & Cheese Croquette to share as well.
Here come our mains! I love the presentation of my Chicken Cordon Bleu. The chef was really generous with the cheese filling inside. I am also amazed by the juiciness and tenderness of the chicken encased within its crispy exteriors. It takes quality culinary skills to be able to deep-fry chicken and still retain its juices. The cheese fillings must have made it even tougher.
The Wagyu Onglet Steak Frites were delicious and also very tender. Now we know where to find affordable and quality steak frites in Singapore.
Overall, we were definitely happy diners and will frequent the bistro often because we stay nearby!
alkove Singapore – Takeaways
Distinct flavours are worked into the menu with specially created croissants like almond-coconut and baklava, and a cardamom kouign-amann. We did not order any of the mains with these hence decided to get them as tea-time snacks for the next day!
These taste great with a quick heat-up and toast in the microwave oven! It was so convenient!
If you are keen to visit alkove, here’s their address: 2 Kovan Road, Simon Plaza, #01-10, Singapore 548008. They are open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am – 9pm and weekends from 9am – 9pm. Do note that they are closed on Tuesday. You can connect with them via their website, email, Facebook and Instagram too!
