Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog

One of the most awaited openings at KADA, a newly opened creative lifestyle hub at 5 Kadayanallur St right outside Maxwell MRT station, is Alani, a Greek Mediterranean bakery-café and restaurant. I was anticipating its official opening 2 months ago since it is opened by the same team behind Proud Potato Peeler, a private dining concept which I visited and left with good reviews of the food.

In Greek, “Alani” is used to describe someone who lives life without restrictions, embodying a free and wandering way of life. The ambiance of the open-air rooftop contributes to the overall theme of the café, with potted greenery, large communal tables and rattan chairs. Plus point: the outdoor dining area is also dog-friendly.

Upon stepping into the indoor dining area (with just a few dining tables) where the ordering counter is, we were greeted by a wooden display of tantalizing bread and pastries which were mostly Greek/mediterranean-inspired. Despite the wide range of options of brunch dishes on the main menu, the visuals of the bakes made us lean towards the bakery menu.

The café also serves coffee made from beans from Morph Coffee Roasters, who partners with One Fifteenth Coffee from Jakarta. My white with oat milk was delightful.

At $18, the Fermented Pumpkin Pesto & Wagyu Beef Sourdough was easily one of the priciest items in the bakery which we still readily paid for. The chewy, slightly charred sourdough bread, together with the pumpkin pesto filling, melted cheese, wagyu beef bits, and a drizzle of homemade spiced chili oil, felt like a hearty brunch dish I would love to have for breakfast every day. Their sourdoughs are made from a 14-year-old hand carried Greek sourdough starter.

Another one of the highly raved items here is the Pistachio Cinnamon Roll ($9). This is also made with the sourdough starter and perhaps one of the most sinful items here, with a generous filling of homemade pistachio praline with crushed and candied pistachios. Not for the faint-hearted.

The only item we had from the brunch menu was the Avocado on toast with burnt sherry tomato vinaigrette, feta cheese, poached eggs and seeds ($24). Unfortunately, the 2 poached eggs were overcooked and the yolks already firm.

We ended off with the Portokalopita ($10), a Greek orange cake made with layers of custard, phyllo dough and honey-orange syrup. I loved the moist and juicy insides of the cake which has absorbed the saccharine syrup, well-balanced with the zesty, citrusy orange flavours. The dollop of bitter chocolate ganache and thin sheet of phyllo pastry topped on the cake perfected the sweet ending.

The space gets filled up quickly on the weekends, so I recommend being there early morning to grab the most comfortable seats.

KADA, Kadayanallur St, #04-095, Singapore 069183

11am – 3pm Thurs to Fri

9.30am – 2.30pm Sat to Sun