Hvala (Odeon)

Sucker for Matcha 🍵 hence when i saw that Hvala relocated from CHIJMES to Hvala Odeon with Matcha Toast I had to go 😂
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Saw that they have houjicha and Genmaicha as well! Got their Genmaicha which is $9.90 with eggs - similar to Traditional Kaya Toast Style though quite funny that they have these but opens at 12pm. So more of an afternoon tea snack😂 but price doesn’t incl drink 🥲 
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They have mains now as well like Beef, Salmon & Scallop etc. in Shio Pan/Rice/ Soba Pairings all around $20 +/- range… but the food standard is pretty well executed for cafe style. 
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overrall I spent $40+ after Gst which is fine for an occasional cafe outing but bit hard on the wallet to go for regular matcha treat🥲

($6.90) It took me a while to try their matcha gelato after 4 years ago. I felt that their °2 got mild bitter and a bit milky texture than °3.

($8.50) I tried their hot version previously a few year back ago around 4 years ago ? and decided to try their iced version this round of time. I opt out for less hojicha syrup. So matcha and hojicha didn't crash together for taste otherwise. I did sip hojicha syrup from the straw if you didn't stirred evenly.

For those whom have been following the ins and outs of the local food scene for the past number of years, Hvala is probably an unfamiliar name by now — these folks have first started out as a takeaway kiosk situated at the basement of 313@somerset almost a decade ago; a successful revamp of the brand that saw the concept being one that circles around Matcha and subsequently Japanese tea culture has indeed brought the brand to greater heights. Whilst the now-defunct CHIJMES outlet is probably where Hvala had started cementing its current identity and position in the local F&B scene, they had since closed down that location and made its move to the renovated Odeon Towers situated in between Carton Hotel Singapore at City Hall and Bras Basah Complex — just a stone’s throw away from their now-defunct CHIJMES location. Despite sorta losing that slightly zen vibe that is CHIJMES outlet carries, Hvala has still managed to pull off that Japanese teahouse vibes at their Odeon Towers outlet; the centre-piece here is a space dedicated to the retail of tea and other merchandise — dine-in space surround the corners of the space and around the retail space, with seating located beside the windows that allows patrons to have an unblocked view of North Bridge Road and the escalators leading down to the basement of Odeon Towers. There is a space where one can find seats that replicate the traditional Japanese dining hall — itself being raised on a platform and also a strictly shoes-off area for diners. There are also plenty of bar counter and high table seats to accommodate to single diners as well. What stands out about their Odeon Tower location is the availability of hot food — this can be described as Hvala’s first attempt on serving up hot food and the menu is split across sections dedicated to Starters, Toasts, Shio Pan, Ochazuke, Soba and Desserts. Of course, this is not forgetting Hvala’s usual line-up of tarts and cakes, as well as gelato — all of which being prominently displayed at the counter.

One of the categories of dishes that we were really intrigued with when we were scrolling through the hot food menu at Hvala would be the items listed in the Ochazuke section of the menu. For those whom are unaware of what an Ochazuke exactly is, this is typically a rice dish where dashi broth is being served on the side; one would typically enjoy the dish by pouring in the dashi broth into the rice bowl and enjoying all of the elements together. Of the five (5) different variants of Ochazuke that Hvala is serving up at their Odeon Towers location, we found that the Salmon & Scallop Ochazuke stood out to us the most — this variant comes featuring Tasmanian Salmon that is glazed with Matcha Miso, as well as Hokkaido-grade scallops that are served medium-rare. Considering how Hvala is an establishment that does have a focus on their teas, Hvala has also incorporated the use of premium Sencha in the cooking of the rice that is to be served with their Ochazuke, and also in the dashi broth as well. Pouring the dashi broth into the rice, there is this light, tea-like umami-ness that is rather close to that of Genmaicha that lingers at the back of the tongue — one that was light and comforting, especially considering how the dashi broth is also served warm here as well. Both the salmon and the scallop were pretty fresh; one could tell that the slab of salmon has likely been pan-fried a little to carry a slight crispness in the skin — while the inherent flavours of salmon are distinct here with the fish being still moist and flaky coming off easily as one slices it with a fork, we did notice that the notes of the Matcha Miso glaze wasn’t particularly prominent here. The scallops meanwhile were bouncy and came with a natural hint of sweetness on its own.

Personally we did feel that the addition of sous-vide egg to be not particularly necessary here considering how one is supposed to add the dashi broth into the Ochazuke, though it does seem likely that it is only added to increase the aesthetic factor of the dish. We initially thought that it would be quite manageable for us if we had went for the Genmaicha Kaya Toast as an additional item instead of a cake / tart / scoop of gelato; little did we know that the item actually does come with two (2) soft-boiled eggs (guess we weren’t paying attention to the menu too much). The Genmaicha Kaya Toast is being described on the menu to come with brioche toast, slabs of butter, and their house-made Genmaicha Kaya spread — the Genmaicha Kaya also coming with genmai bits that not only introduced an element of crispness, but also upped the umami factor of the Genmaicha Kaya that felt closer to a matcha spread with a light touch of Kaya-like sweetness. We doubt that our order did come with the butter as mentioned in the menu’s description of the item; that being said, we were also of the opinion that the item would do better without the butter anyway for how it could have over-powered everything. Hvala does recommend its patrons to dip their kaya toasts into the soft-boiled eggs — something which we didn’t do since it is likely that the flavours of the Genmaicha Kaya Toast would have been overwhelmed by it, though the soft-boiled eggs did come with runny whites and yolks; they have also provided the light soy sauce and pepper that one would expect from an establishment serving up local-style breakfasts as well.

Being folks whom are more in favour of having Oolong than Matcha, the 1925 Cold Brew has been our default order of the late whenever we make the trip to Hvala — this one in particular comes with a distinct note of tea that we can say is fairly complex; umami yet floral, it does do well as one that lightens up the palate after a heavy meal. Hvala is a brand that has come really far in navigating their journey in the F&B scene here — the brand has been through phases of opening new outlets, and also times where they are closing those that do not work out. Hvala at its Odeon location does feel like one that is much of an extension of what the Hvala brand has been all about all these while — possibly a move that Hvala is able to do after the experience that they have gained from running Ingen at ION Orchard which serves up a more curated line-up of teas and plated desserts as well. Prices of its Ochazuke and Soba dishes are priced between $14.90 to $26.90. For fans of Hvala that has been following them loyally through all these years — its Odeon Towers outlet is definitely one to check out; a location that is pretty much testament to how much the brand has grown throughout its existence thus far.