Artisanal coffee house, Jewel Coffee, sees the launch of its second outlet – Jewel Café + Bar – in March 2013. Located in the heart of Little India on Rangoon Road, this all-day casual dining concept offers a menu devoted to comfort food, unique creations, original cocktails as well as its artfully crafted specialty coffee.
It was after much searching that owner Adrian Khong has finally found a suitable space for a second Jewel outlet that will accommodate a roasting facility, café and bar.
Embellishing the bare concrete ceilings are jewel-inspired elements, such as glittering crystal light, warm brass and copper plates.
Spanning across 2,800 square feet with a beneficial high ceiling, the seating capacity of this old shophouse has been divided to having 48 seats on the ground floor, 33 on the loft level and 18 at the terrace.
The vibe is markedly laidback.
Housing its very own coffee roaster in its quaint little garage, Jewel supplies its freshly roasted coffee beans to other hospitality businesses apart from the Rangoon Road and Shenton Way Jewel outlets.
The garage faces a small lane where cars and trucks have easy access to, thus proving to be convenient for the loading and unloading of coffee beans.
This private space is often utilised to conduct barista workshops for the public.
Foreground: French Onion Soup ($8 nett); Background: Fat Soldiers ($9 nett)
The Fat Soldiers is basically a plate of sliced baguettes, served with homemade bacon jam that took the owner many rounds of laborious experimenting to perfect.
For a comforting start to the meal, order the intensely flavoured French Onion Soup that’s sufficingly capped with a crouton-scattered crust brimming with Swiss cheese, Parmesan and Gruyere.
Shio-Koji Octopoke ($12 nett)
The Shio-Koji Octopoke is Jewel’s rendition of the poke (a Hawaiian raw fish salad), giving it a touch of Japanese glamour. This has got to be one of the best octopus-anything I’ve had, if not the best. Tender cubes of pan-seared octopus are tossed in shio-koji (a fermented rice-based salt substitute), a tinge of wasabi and some extra virgin olive oil, nestling on a bed of creamy avocado accompanied by shredded ginger flower for extra zing.
Umami Prawn Capellini ($22 nett)
Capellini with grilled prawns, homemade crustacean oil, topped with their own umami ‘magic’ dust
OMG! ($20 nett)
Burgers at Jewel are made with USDA beef patties, soft sesame brioche buns and served with fries and salad.
Wallow in the OMG! Burger, a hefty decadent stack of 2 slices of crispy bacon, juicy patty, the fail-proof luncheon meat, cheddar, lettuce, onion, tomato and a sunny side-up.
Black Cod ($32 nett)
Pan-fried Chilean black cod with parsnip mash, sautéed vegetables and cardinal sauce
Miso Presa Iberico ($34 nett)
Oven-baked Presa Iberico pork accompanied by homemade mash potatoes and seasonal vegetables
The Miso Presa Iberico is a highlight, where the quality of meat prevails with each succulent bite.
Brioche French Toast ($13 nett)
With lemon zest mascarpone, and your choice of strawberry/blueberry/caramelised banana
Pan-seared Watermelon Steaks ($9 nett)
Fresh watermelon chunks are briefly pan-seared, then drizzled with balsamico glaze, sprinkled with a pinch of sea salt and topped with basil leaves –a chorus of warm, sweet, tart and salty. The watermelon could’ve been seared for a teeny-bit longer or at a higher heat to attain an obvious char, as it was to me just chunks of warmed up watermelon. The homemade pineapple sorbet steals the show with its refreshing palate-cleansing qualities.
Tiramisu ($12 nett)
Homemade tiramisu flavoured with rich Indonesian coffee and rum
No.1 Yuzu Cocktail ($16)
Its full-fledged bar serves up a list of exquisite original concoctions including the citrusy No. 1 Yuzu that marries vodka and yuzu juice. Get 20% off alcoholic drinks during the Happy Hour from 3pm to 7pm daily.
Mocha
What’s a trip to Jewel Café + Bar without a cup of its artisanal coffee?
Espresso-based coffee specialties are extracted using the Italian state-of-the-art La Marzocco Strada machine and freshly ground single origin coffee beans.
The gaze of coffee connoisseurs will be fixated on the esteemed Kyoto dripper –a towering, elegant glass contraption that calibrates the slow dripping of cold water through saturated coffee grounds over a duration of more than 20 hours.
For the non-coffee lovers who want to experience a dose of Jewel’s prowess can order the Mocha, which in my books is hard to top. Much to my utter exhilaration, the balance of smoothness and richness of this warm beverage works its magic and leaves a wonderful lingering aroma on my palate, contributed by good quality coffee beans and Ghirardelli chocolate.
Jewel Café + Bar
129 Rangoon Road
Singapore 218407
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Opening hours:
Tues to Thur: 9am – 10pm
Fri and Sat: 9am – 12midnight
Sunday: 9am – 10pm
Closed on Mondays