Krave is a cafe at Bali Lane that serves Malay-Western food. Krave West is the second branch tucked away in a corner of Jalan Jurong Kechil, a lane near Beauty World MRT station.
I’ve always made a mental note to visit Krave West whenever I’ve driven by the cafe because its exterior is gorgeous, with grey walls and a hint of green from the plants that line the balconies.
The aesthetics of a cafe is always my priority so if you are as obsessed with taking Insta-worthy shots as I am, Krave West will more than deliver on that front as well as on the quality of the food.
The monochrome and minimalist logo of the cafe on the signboard can also be found on one of the walls in the cafe. It is a good backdrop for photographs, but only if you’re lucky enough to get a seat at the table in front of the logo and by the brick wall on the side.
There is even a guitar that hangs by the pastry display case — could this place get any more attractive to photograph-seeking hipsters? In the display case, you’ll find T-Jahs ($9), or Tiramisu jars, that are perfect for a midday snack. If you don’t want to eat it on the spot, save the treat for later and bring it home.
When we finally calmed down from our photograph-taking frenzy, we asked the staff for the restaurant’s best sellers.
His first recommendation was the Kraving Ayam Bakar ($18), a grilled marinated chicken dish that comes with not one but two sauces, topped with onions and garnish. I dipped the chicken in satay sauce, which had just the right amount of spiciness to it.
You can also eat it with the Ayam Bakar sauce, which is more sweet than spicy. I preferred the satay sauce since I am not a fan of sweet sauces.
While I appreciated that there was more than one sauce, it seemed like they were over generous with the amount of sauce on the plate. This made the dish too salty for my liking as every element of the dish was covered with sauce, even the tiny ketupat rice cakes.
Perhaps the sauces should be served separately so that we can dip into them as we please.
We also tried the Steak “N” Chips ($25), as per the staff’s recommendation. The prime rib-eye steak was served with steak cut fries, salad and beef jus.
The steak was easy to cut, well-seasoned and had the right amount of garnish. The sides also complemented the star of the dish.
If you were wondering what’s so special about the Steak “N” Chips, the answer lies in the beef jus. Slightly spicy and thin in consistency, this is not your average jus. The taste was intriguing and I couldn’t stop dipping my beef into this special sauce.
If you’re a cafe-goer who is mega serious about your flatlays and are interested in knowing the type of tables that the cafe features, I’ve got you covered. Krave West has plain white tables as well as glossy brown wooden tables. Talk about options!
We chose a sweet spot to have our meal and it was the perfect backdrop for a Kinfolk-inspired shoot. You can also take a pretentious and (a totally not) candid shot of you cutting your food.
After devouring the two mains, we were ready for a sweet treat. The Chempedak Bomb ($9) will be quite the bomb, but only if you’re a chempedak lover just like my meal companion.
The deep-fried fritters were crispy on the outside but soft in the centre. The chempedak was fresh and not mushy at all!
The chempedak sat atop scoops of chocolate ice cream with salted caramel and honey chocolate. The ice cream melted rather quickly and the chempedak was soon in a bowl of chocolate cream, so you have to be fast when you’re eating this dessert.
Lovers of the fruit can also try the best-selling Chempedak Creme Brulee ($9). If chempedak isn’t to your liking, how about a dessert that stars the King of Fruits? Order the Kaya-Raya ($11), a kaya cream and pandan chiffon cake, topped with D24 durian flesh.
After your hearty meal at Krave West, head outside to the staircase next to the cafe, which is a wonderful photo spot. I try to tell myself that I get to burn some calories as I pose for my outfit of the day (OOTD) shots but we all know that’s not true.
My overall experience at this cafe was more than satisfactory. One trip was certainly not enough because there are so many Malay-Western fusion dishes that we’ve yet to try!
So if the aesthetics and the food of Krave West have won you over, head down to this delightful cafe in the West as soon as you can.
Expected damage: $20 – $30 per person
