Alani

It has been a while since we have heard about Alani at KADA — for those whom have yet to know about KADA, KADA is the current iteration of the building at 5 Kadayanallur Street which has been recently revamped; the building being previously used as St Andrew’s Mission Hospital at one point of time; the same compound also houses other dining establishments such as ECHO and Shou Hand Made Dim Sum Restaurant. Alani is located at level 4 of KADA at the rooftop; this is also where Proud Potato Peeler is also located, which is also a dining establishment which are operated by the same folks as well. Alani does occupy its own space within KADA separate from that of Proud Potato Peeler — the shop unit of which Alani occupies being decked in a rustic but vibrant environment; the dining hall consisting of one communal table whilst also consisting of the espresso bar as well as the counter which sees a number of the bakes that they have to offer. Most of its dine-in seats are located at the sheltered rooftop area however; the tables being mainly catered to bigger groups though a also doubles up as communal tables where smaller groups will need to share with other groups of patrons. The menu at Alani is split into various sections dedicated to open-faced toasts, bread, cakes and other bakes — they also do offer a small selection of other items that includes yogurt; beverages available includes homemade lemonade, juices as well as espresso-based specialty coffee, just to name a few.

Amongst the various items that are displayed at the counter, we found ourselves being fairly intrigued with the San Marzano & Burrata Sourdough — this would be an item that is being listed on the “Breads” section of the menu. Alani takes quite a fair bit of pride in their sourdough offerings — Alani claims that their range of sourdough offerings are made from a hand-carried sourdough that is named as such to be dedicated to their grandmother; the hand-carried sourdough also being of 14 years of age. The San Marzano & Burrata is actually a rather simple offering — for those whom are not aware, “San Marzano” refers to the type of tomatoes that are being used for the dish being San Marzano Tomatoes. The San Marzano & Burrata Sourdough is an item that is best to be shared across the table — other elements included in the San Marzano & Burrata Sourdough not mentioned in the namesake of the dish will be the use of basil. Digging into the San Marzano & Burrata Sourdough, the sourdough itself comes with a lightly crisp exterior whilst the bread within is soft and fluffy — all that with a slight tang that is from the fermentation process in the making of the bread; the bread also coming with a bit of tension to pull apart. What is especially worth mentioning is how the tomato puree made from San Marzano tomatoes carry a hint of sweetness amidst that zing that tomatoes usually carry — also felt particularly fresh, while the soft burrata adds on a creamy and lightly savoury note to give the tomato puree a bit more depth in terms of flavour.

During our visit, we also managed to give the Scrambled Eggs with Fennel soaked with Chochugaru and Burnt Tomato Aioli. Apart from the elements mentioned in the namesake of the dish, the dish also comes with dill and coriander. The scrambled eggs come atop a slice of sourdough here; the scrambled eggs carrying an eggy note with a slight hint of creaminess likely from the addition of milk during the preparation process of the dish — the scrambled eggs also coming with a bit of seasoning from salt and pepper as well that further adds on to the flavours of it. Sitting atop a slice of sourdough toast, the sourdough toast comes with a tension to pull apart in the middle; the flavours being slightly tangy from the fermentation process in the making of the sourdough — the sourdough coming with crusty sides that adds on a crunch factor for an additional contrast of textures. Accompanied with fennel that is marinated with Chochugaru, we would have expected the fennel to come pretty close to being kimchi-like considering how Chochugaru is essentially hot pepper flakes — this turns out to be rather similar to pickled vegetables that comes with a crunch and a slight sweetness amidst the mild spiciness from the hot pepper flakes. The Burnt Tomato Aioli comes with a slight hint of smoky, savoury and tangy flavours that goes well with the scrambled egg, providing the dish with a bit of depth in flavour.

We also went for the Portokalopita with Bitter Chocolate & Phyllo Pastry — this was also one of the items that is recommended by the folks behind the counter whilst they had given us a broad introduction of the establishment. They had explained that this was a cake that sees the use of orange. Digging into the cake, we did find that the Portokalopita to be a slightly dense cake as compared to usual pound cakes that one would be used to getting elsewhere; it also does seem to come with dried orange bits and also with a bit of orange zest for an added citrus-sy note. The addition of bitter chocolate mousse over the top comes all smooth and luscious; very rich and carried bittersweet notes of chocolate that didn’t in any way feel heaty nor overwhelming — pairs well with the orange cake considering the classic combination of both chocolate and orange. The addition of Phyllo Pastry is pretty much similar to a sugar crisp that adds another dimension of sweetness with a crunchy texture to the entire cake.

Pairing everything up with a cuppa, we went for the White which is pretty much the espresso-based specialty coffee offering that we tend to go for when we first visit any establishment. The White here was one which we found to be pretty well-executed; the cuppa being smooth and creamy whilst coming a nutty and earthy flavour profile and a medium body — pairs up with their bakes pretty well. Alani is a spot that we have been hearing quite a bit of praise for in the food items that they have to offer — whilst we had only managed to try all small number of dishes that are being listed on its menu, we did feel that Alani does take quite a bit of pride in what they are serving out of their kitchen. It is no doubt that the highlight at Alani would be their sourdough offerings which seems to be the centre of focus here; that being said, the use of fresh and premium produce does seem to help to elevate the entire experience even further — this is especially evident in the case of the San Marzano & Burrata Sourdough and the Portokalopita with Bitter Chocolate & Phyllo Pastry which are items that we found to ourselves to be pretty impressed with during our visit to Alani. The San Marzano & Burrata Sourdough is worth mentioning considering how complex the favours of the dish is despite being a relatively classic combination of ingredients nonetheless – a showcase of how these folks have paid attention to the most minute of details to bring patrons their very best. This, alongside the unique venue and dining environment that they have to offer, makes Alani stand out as quite a unique establishment in its own within the F&B scene in Singapore that is pretty worth checking out just to see what they are all about!