Kuvo Ambrosia & Elixirs

Kuvo is located at the second floor of Orchard Shopping Centre, taking over the space formerly occupied by Lei Garden Restaurant. The dining in area is quite huge, with one end the Elixir Bar for its cocktails and the other end the Vine Lounge for its huge collection of wines. Tonite I am invited by a magazine for a 3 course dinner. As it is a weekday night, the place is relatively empty and quiet.
Firstly we are served a choice of warm, still or sparkling water. I have sparkling which is Badoit served with a slice of lemon in it.
We are also served a choice of champagne or mock-​tail. The mock tail tastes of orange flavour and is quite refreshing.
Forest mushroom veloute
sauteed forest mushroom accented with truffle oil
The soup is rich and smells quite nice of the truffle oil, although I would prefer more of the sliced mushrooms.
Char-​grilled beef ribeye
shallot confit, truffle mash and port wine jus
I like that the meat is served with soft caramelised shallot on top. The steak itself is quite fatty, but still taste not bad. The mash has a nice taste of the truffle oil.
Herbs-​cashew crusted barramundi fillet
Duo potatoes gratin, tomato confit, saffron beurre blanc
The fish is chunky and meaty, while the potatoes gratin has a interesting sweet taste as it is made of sweet potato.
Chocolate Guinness Cake with Caramel
Served with vanilla ice cream
I am a bit disappointed when it turns out not a lava cake. The cake crumbles easily and is quite soft. The sour cubes of fruits quite balance the sweetness of the dessert.
Overall the food is not bad. Service is quite good with water refilled often. We are also served a choice of red or white wine for our mains. The white is quite smooth down the throat. Great place for a sit down dinner with its cosy lighting and nice food.

Interesting menu with a wide selection of dishes and meals. Reasonably priced, good ambience and attentive service. Food is well portioned and well presented. There is also a bar in which you can go to after your meal.

Bespoke cocktails are still all the rage but it’s tough to find a decent one in town, since most of them are in the Tanjong Pagar area. Well, if you are looking to enjoy a tipple in Orchard Road, a great place to head to is Elixir Bar in KUVO. We previously visited KUVO for brunch and tea and were rather satisfied. This time, i headed to the bar for their latest cocktail and tapas promotion which is going on till 31 May 2015, daily from 5 to 8pm.
Select the base of your cocktail from the Elixir Bar house pours of Gin, Tequila, Vodka, Rum, Brandy and Whiskey. Then choose your flavor profile and watch the magic happen.
A light and elegant Vodka cocktail made with Skyy vodka, lychee, fresh grapefruit juice, elder flower and Cointreau. Definitely a great lady’s drink (not that us girls can’t take the hard stuff).If you’re up for refreshing, the Tennessee Whiskey lemonade was a thirst quencher.
I also heard much about this special Earl Grey Bespoke Cocktail ($ 22) and had to try it even though it was not part of the promotion (I’m a sucker for caffeine). Ingredients included Earl Grey Infused Vodka, Nutrisoy, Gula Melaka and Rose Water. It looked like a rich drink but was light on the palate (great use of soy and rose water). I thought the elements were well balanced in this one.
As part of the cocktails and tapas promo, there’d be a selection of five tapas plates at $ 3 each per night. The tapas plates varies day to day according to availability. You’d think that portions are probably gonna be small for that price but NOPE. I was surprised at the size of the servings.
My favorite small bite of the night was the Prawn Katafi, a prawn paste cake wrapped with shredded filo pastry. Loved the contrasting texture in this one!
Next favorite was the Blue Torch Beef Rendang Tart but I liked it because of the buttery and crisp short crust tart which was slightly sweet. It contrasted well with the adequately spiced beef rendang but I must say that I’m using a western standard since I only have rendang once in a blue moon. The meat was kinda dry in this one, probably from the baking but I thought it was a lot better than the super tough beef in the Beef Ragout in Red Wine Sauce. It’s a pity because the sauce was actually rather decent.
The Smoked Cod Fish and Potato Salad was a well balanced dish considering that there’re carbs and proteins haha. Expect chunky and flavorful morsels of cod fish and starchy potatoes.
The Duck Rillette (also available on the a la carte menu) did not meet the mark for me. It was lacking the salty and creamy texture from the duck fats. Perhaps this is the healthier version. I also thought that there’s a strange onion taste in this one. Well I’m traditional that way.
Other Small Plates are available at the bar and I’d go with the Charcuterie and cheese platter ($ 38) and the Crispy Iberico Pork Belly ($ 26) (had this during the media launch previously and it was sinfully delicious).
Of course desserts are always a good idea, be it on their own or paired with a tipple. If you’re a Peanut Butter fan, the P. B Mousse Bar ($ 14) is a giant saucer sized Oreo crumble filled with dense PB mousse with brownie bits. It’s a little on the sweet side and needs some peanut crunch but otherwise it’s alright. Definitely meant for sharing unless you’re only having this.
What blew my mind and would have me coming back was the Croissant Bread Pudding ($ 14). Contrasting textures were present– the wobbly custard with croissant bits and the crispy filo pastry. I loved the hint of the salted caramel sauce (could certainly have more). Ahmazing! It’s gonna be my post yoga snack from now on.

I first read of Kuvo after Wong Ah Yoke reviewed it in The Sunday Times several weeks ago. The magic words are «prawn noodle soup» which apparently is really good.
I finally went a few weeks ago and fell in love with the place. The prawn noodle soup was really awesome. Thick rich broth with a prawny taste with king prawns (too big to eat neatly — I dissected it on the side plate provided), meat and fish cake slices. It is considered expensive at $ 20 but it is totally worth it for the quality, better than the prawn noodles soup served in hotels’ restaurants.
I also had a lychee martini sorbet which was refreshing and helped to clean the palate. I loved how it was served in a martini glass and came with a spoon which could actually rest on the rim of the glass.
The place was quiet when I went, but I liked it that way. The location is a bit hidden as it is on the 2^nd level of Orchard Shopping Center, it is where Lei Garden used to be.
It is a huge place, separated into different sections — bar lounge, cocktail bar, main dining hall, outdoor gazebo, private room, another dining section for tea and a small gift shop.
Kuvo is actually under the TCC group and they have outdone themselves with this. I am not a big fan of TCC, finding it a bit overpriced for mediocre food and it also seemed to have lost its concept over the years. But this place, it has a clear direction and I do hope it will be able to survive and stay on.
I came back again for my birthday celebration recently and we decided to have tea. They do a daily tea from 2pm to 530pm which is great timing for girls who want a nice cozy place to just catch up and natter.
The tea spread is decent and very affordable and I hope they will maintain this pricing. $ 35++ for a refillable 3-​tier stand and a mini buffet for the mains (3 – 4 choices which change daily I think), scones, mini pastries, cheese board, parma ham, mini cakes. The quality is not premium but good enough, especially if the focus is on having a nice place with decent food at a good price. You get a choice of coffee of tea from a list of 17 choices (TWG, Gryphon or house blend).
I was quite taken with the sous vide creamed pork belly dish. I liked how it was kept warm in a jar in the warm water bath. The staff will bring it to you if you want it so you will not accidentally injure yourself with the hot water.
The mains for that day was more Peranakan food like ayam buah keluak, beef rendang and sayor lodeh. BUT there was no rice to go with it. Bread just did not taste the same. There was also no melon to go with the parma ham.
At least there was Devonshire cream and jam to go with the scones. Following Hyatt’s example, there was also kaya to go with it too.
I do love how all the items are mini size. The food on the 3-​tier stand is good too. I actually like the otah in a jar which has a very strong lemongrass taste. The duck rillette and chicken mayo sandwiches are good too.
This is a place I will definitely be back to try more of the regular food.
For those who drink, they do tasting sets for whiskey or some alcohol. I see The Macallan 10 yr Full Proof, Ardbeg 1975 (Limited Edition), Karuizawa 14 yr «Last Bottling» and many more in the drinks menu.
The cocktail bar looks so chill. I was told by the manager that as the restaurant is still new, more promotions will happen from March 2015 onwards. At the moment, cocktail is not ready yet, but they do have the wine, hard liquor and house pour ready.
You can also book the place for a party. There was a surprise birthday party in the lounge section that evening I was there and it turned out to be my friend’s cousin who booked it for his sister. What a small world.
The service was stellar too. Our pots of tea were replenished with hot water constantly, and everyone was very thoughtful and friendly.