Spice Spatchcock Checked out the new Mondays (not to be confused with the similarly-named Monday Coffee Bar in Ang Mo Kio) at 8 Jalan Klapa within the Kampong Glam neighbourhood; located just opposite Double Up Coffee, Mondays is a new muslim-run cafe that had taken over the former premises of Kumoya — best known for its themed pop-up cafes such as the likes of Hello Kitty, SpongeBob SquarePants, Molang etc. which has since been permanently relocated at Orchard Central. The space had seen quite a huge revamp from its days being Kumoya; gone are the minimalistic and white interior decor scheme that has been in place ever since the shop unit was occupied by Karafuru Desserts a couple of years ago. Instead, the space now comes with a slightly more European vibe; think concrete walls and floors with a pebble floors and counters — all that with marble-esque table tops and wooden seats with some rattan accents. The look could be said as chic, yet laid-back without having seen as too formal; the lighting used being something on the warmer end with a yellow hue that is especially noticeable especially in the evening during dinner service. One thing notable about the food offerings at Mondays is how the dishes served on the menu typically comes to table in skillets — the menu being segregated into different sections such as Cold Skillet, Hot Skillet and Pasta Skillet; it is however interesting to note that they do seem to also have an emphasis on Caneles as well, offering patrons with quite a variety of Caneles of different flavours whilst also having a small selection of desserts on the menu that also comes served with a skillet. Drinks available on the menu at Mondays include specialty coffee brewed using beans roasted by local coffee roasters Dutch Colony Coffee Co., whilst tea sourced from Roji Tea are also available here — other beverages also listed on the menu consists of still and sparkling water, as well as Matcha and Valrhona Chocolate options.
Having visited Mondays for dinner on a weekday, we found ourselves deliberating on which of the Hot Skillet items that we should be going for here. The Spice Spatchcock became a clear winner for us when we were making our decision on which dish to go for based on price point; the Spice Spatchcock was especially affordable considering how it was being listed on the menu at the price tag of $19 — a price that was significantly lower than most of the other items being listed on the Hot Skillet section of the menu. The Spice Spatchcock consists of elements including spices marinated half spatchcock, baby carrot, cherry tomato and tzatziki sauce. It is without a doubt that the half spatchcock here was the highlight of the night — we are usually quite apprehensive about chicken that is served in this format; one thing that we really liked was how the chicken here is absolutely tender and juicy. Whilst it is no doubt that the half spatchcock here does come a little smaller than what some would expect a half chicken would be, the meat here is easy to have; comes off from the bones easily, yet not particularly dry as it has retained some form of moisture within. What really sealed the deal for us was how the chicken was marinated; it was clear that there was some turmeric involved in here, but we also loved how there seems to be a hint of lemongrass(?) and other herbs going on here that makes the spatchcock especially flavourful — all that with a light sprinkle of cracked pepper for that extra fragrance and slight spiciness that would work fine even for those with low tolerance to spiciness. Whilst the tzatziki sauce works as a dip to the spices marinated half spatchcock in a way to cut through the meatiness with a flavour profile almost akin to yogurt / sour cream, we thought that the chicken was good enough to be had on its own; the tzatziki sauce seemingly working as a better companion to the root vegetables especially. The cherry tomatoes on the other hand provides a refreshing, zingy note that cuts through the meatiness of the dish; resets the tastebuds when it all gets too heavy.
We have also given other dishes such as the Truffle Cèpes Bow Tie & Melted Cheese (featuring elements such as France wild mushrooms, farfalle pasta, truffle cream sauce, cherry tomatoes), the Dalgona Espresso Canele and the specialty coffee during our visit, and we found it true that some of its offerings do seem to require a bit of refinement that could further their potential. Take for example the Dalgona Espresso Canele; while the Dalgona Espresso cream for the Canele was prominent and well-executed, the Canele lacked finesse in its execution — the exterior seemed to be missing of a crispy crust, while the insides did feel a wee bit dry and did not carry quite that oomph we were looking for. The Truffle Cèpes Bow Tie & Melted Cheese on the other hand did feature very prominent earthy flavours from the mushrooms, though the truffle aroma did not seem to be easily detectable; the dish also bore an aesthetic that felt a little too amateur — the plating of the dish being one thing that could certainly be reworked. That being said, we do think that Mondays does probably have an upper hand in the items that they serve up in the Hot Skillet section of the menu; we were pretty satisfied with the Spice Spatchcock and were also especially intrigued by the Miso Pacific Cod Fish and the Chili Con Carne Rosti as well. A spot with some hits and misses, Mondays does seem like somewhere that has quite a fair bit of potential if they are able to look into further improving their items based on the feedback of their patrons — a spot that is worth visiting at least once to decide if this would work out for you.
