Soft-launching earlier this week, The Apricus Coffee & Food Co. is probably a location that most folks familiar with the specialty coffee scene would take an interest in checking out. Brought by the same folks whom are behind The Populus Coffee & Food Co. that is located at Neil Road, The Apricus Coffee & Food Co. is their very first outpost that is nestled within the heartlands — they are located along the same row of shophouses where Thohirah Restaurant is situated, and are also neighbours with the outpost of Tenderfresh Makcik Tuckshop at Jalan Kayu as well. The interior of the cafe is well-designed; there are some design cues that one would be able to recognise being rather similar to that of The Populus Coffee & Food Co. — these would include the interior furnishings and fittings with the use of metallic and wooden elements for a bit of industrial chic flavour, as well as the geometrical wooden panels on some of the walls as well. Being a concept by the same folks of The Populus Coffee & Food Co., the menu served at The Apricus Coffee & Food Co. does carrying some dishes that are right off the menu at The Populus Coffee & Food Co. — think favourites such as The Populus Scramble, Spring Pancake & Fried Chicken, as well as the Dark Chocolate Sundae. That being said, there are still quite a number of items on the menu that are exclusive to The Apricus Coffee & Food Co. as well, such as The APRICUS Aubergine & Eggs, APRICUS Green Bowl, and Crispy Potato Stack; just to name a few. Beverages available here include the usual suspects where specialty coffee is of concern (brewed using beans roasted by 2 Degrees North Coffee Co.) — other beverages featured here would be the selection of artisanal and cold brewed ice teas, matcha beverages featuring Niko Neko’s matcha products, as well as freshly-squeezed juices.
Opting to go for an item off the All Day Brunch section of the menu that is exclusively available at The Apricus Coffee & Food Co., we found ourselves going for the APRICUS Chicken Stew. The APRICUS Chicken Stew features elements such as confit chicken thigh, roasted potatoes, cherry tomato confit, homemade tangy tomato curry sauce, pea tendrils and curry leaf. First taste of the stew and we found this item to be especially familiar-tasting; the homemade tangy tomato curry sauce does bear some sort of resemblance to that of the local favourite fish head curry — a version that is surprisingly lighter and cleaner without all that coconut milk, and thus easy to eat. The homemade tangy tomato curry sauce works well with of all the elements that they have included; the okra providing a good crunch and a nice colour contrast in terms of the presentation of the dish along with the Cherry tomatoes, while the potatoes provided a chunky bite without being particularly filling considering how they have been roasted for a good texture, whilst also being diced into small cubes for easier consumption as well. We were told that the preparing of the confit chicken thigh that is served in the APRICUS Chicken Stew is done similar to what one would have expected for a duck confit dish — we are pretty much sold when we found out how amazingly tender the confit chicken thigh was. The flesh fell off the bone easily; pretty much an effortless affair while the chicken has been lightly pan-seared for the slightly crusted exterior for some flavour — the flesh also being absolutely juicy whilst being at it. Overall, a very hearty dish that was surprisingly familiar to us in terms of the flavours that it brings to the table — would really liked to have a slice of bread or two to mop up all of that homemade tangy tomato curry sauce which we absolutely loved.
Some may find The Apricus Coffee & Food Co. rather similar to that of The Populus Coffee & Food Co. — The Apricus Coffee & Food Co. does carry a very familiar vibe in terms of both its environment and the food served especially for those who have previously been to The Populous Coffee & Food Co. before. That being said, we would reckon that The Apricus Coffee & Food Co. is more of an extension to what The Populus Coffee & Food Co. is — there is indeed a more adventurous play of flavours, where some of their All Day Brunch dishes do carry somewhat of a Middle Eastern touch; think elements such as labneh, babaganoush, za’atar, hummus, chickpeas etc. being used in some of the dishes here. With The Populous Coffee & Food Co. already being a prominent name in the cafe scene ever since its establishment several years ago, The Apricus Coffee & Food Co. is likely a destination in Jalan Kayu for avid cafe-hoppers to check out — one that would also be seemingly popular with those living around the Sengkang, Punggol and Jalan Kayu neighbourhoods as well. Good to see the folks at The Populus Coffee & Food Co. starting out something new after all these while — here’s wishing them all the best as they slowly settle into their official launch, and for all that is to come in the future!
