Visited the new Evan’s Kitch — one of the newest F&B establishments to have opened at Citygate just a short walk away from Nicoll Highway MRT Station — while the mall itself does feel like a maze and may be a little hard to navigate, Evan’s Kitch is located around the same corner where Lobster Air is, occupying the unit just beside them. It is said that Chef Evan, who is the chef-owner of Evan’s Kitch, has had work experience in hotel restaurants and cafes for 16 years, and the menu features a rather wide variety of dishes ranging from all-day breakfast, “Fancy Toast”, salad and soup, mains and burgers, pasta and rice dishes as well as desserts. Evan’s Kitch also serves up beverages ranging from specialty coffee and tea to floats, but it is the artisanal cold brew coffee and tea that are the unique offerings here.

Coming with elements such as cherry tomatoes, chili flakes, spring egg, spring onion, parmesan cheese and Furikake, the Spaghetti Pork Stew Stock with Japanese Char Siew Pork Belly is essentially their rendition of the Japanese ramen that sees a fusion element with pasta — served in a somewhat “dry” format much like how pasta should be. Whilst the price tag of $26 may seem a little steep for an establishment like that, it seems to be all about the execution here — the spaghetti is served al-dente, but comes laced in a pork stew stock that is lightly savoury; probably one that is of the soy sauce base so it’s pretty appetising to get that slight hint of saltishness around. If one is looking for a creamy and richer texture, they can simply break that onsen egg — the molten egg yolk comes with a deep orange hue almost akin to that of organic eggs that some places serve with their Eggs Benedict; mix everything all up for that silken texture that further elevates the mouthfeel of dish. Otherwise, we were also pretty impressed with the Japanese Char Siew Pork Belly — rather than taking the usual Japanese Char Siew, I really loved how they have sorta tuned the dish towards the preferences of most locals by using the pork belly instead; they are also really generous with the portions here considering the thick cuts. Not only were that melt-in-the-mouth tender without carrying much of that undesirable porky stench, but I really enjoyed how it comes slightly crusted from the grilling process — provides for the slightly crisp exterior that adds on to the texture with a slightly smoky note.

Evan’s Kitch may like seem a little pricey on first sight — the prices of the mains on the menu ranges from $18 to $38, with most items priced past the $20 mark; a little higher than some specialty coffee establishments may ask for. That being said, it is evident from the execution of the dishes we have had that Evan’s Kitch is a spot with some potential — they do serve up rather inventive fusion fare that is worth looking into (they have mentioned the dishes featuring Japanese Char Siew Pork Belly and North Malaysia Beef Rendang as signatures) whilst also serving more conventional Western and brunch fare. Portions are also on the bigger side, which kinda resonates with the slightly higher prices as well. A spot that is worth giving a shot once to see if it hits your palate!