Maison-Ikkoku at 20 Kandahar Street - The Ownership & Beginnings The Ambience

The Ownership & Beginnings 

Maison-Ikkoku is owned by two Singaporean couples (two husband and wife teams), one couple is into trading, the other couple is in the shipping industry. Rizuan comes on board as the key person to run the cafe as its Head Manager. 

Maison-Ikkuko started operations in 2011 September with a three level concept comprising a Cafe at Level GF, a semi al fresco Cocktail Bar headed by a Chief Mixologist Ethan Leslie Leong at Level 1F and a high end Boutique at level 2F. The brand "Maison-Ikkuko" was developed by the business owners, and has already been trademarked. 

Though the Business Owners are not from the F&B industry, they are very keen to invest in the F&B industry seeing that there are great opportunities for growth in this industry. The concept is a Japanese-French Fusion Cafe serving small bites, sandwiches, cakes, coffee with influences from Japanese and French Cuisine. 

Maison-Ikkuko literally means "House of the Moment" with Maison of French origin, Ikuko being of Japanese Manga origin. The cafe started with 4 men crew in September 2011. 

The Manager 

Rizuan brings with him 12 years' experience in F&B Operations, having worked with Coffee Bean &  Tea Leaf for about 6 to 7 years, and other Cafes, and Bars before coming on board to head Maison-Ikkuko. He handles Business Development, Marketing at Maison-Ikkuko with his junior Managers running the Operations. 

Rizuan was doing very well at Couple's Choice when he heard in the F&B industry that new cafe Maison-Ikkuko business owners are looking for someone to set up and run the cafe. It was because of the immense opportunities that Maison-Ikkuko owners offer to Rizuan that he finally decided to take the plunge to be one of the pioneer to kick start Maison-Ikkuko. Ridzuan loves it that the business owners allow him to run the cafe as if it were his own. 

The Ambience 

The Cafe is located at 20 Kandahar Street in the busy heart of Kampong Glam enclave. You'd definitely not be able to miss it with its outstanding pure white coat of paint on its exterior.  

The entrance is made of solid glass door and glass panels flushed to the floor. 

When you do get pass the glass door, you'd stepped into a cozy part rustic part industrial theme decor with hanging cupboards by the white brick walls at the right of the entrance glass door. Square wooden tables line the right side of the entrance. 

The left of the entrance hangs some of the leading magazines for diners to browse whilst waiting for their order.

The Baristas serve their coffee from this counter below. Maison-Ikkuko uses coffee beans roasted from Toby's Estate, although the cafe do roast a small amount of coffee beans for its own in-house use. The Boutique Cafe opening hours at Level 1 are as follows :

Mon-Thur: 9am~9pm 

Fri-Sat: 9am~11pm 

Sun: 9am~7pm  

The Cafe offers a menu of gastronomic delights which include an all day breakfast, gourmet sandwiches and specialty coffee.  

Some of the Must Try House Specials :  

Fresh weekly roasted specialty coffee brewed via 8 different brewing methods which include the Chemex, Coffee Syphon, Buono, Pourover, Woodneck, Eva Solo, Aeropress, Ice Drip & the ever popular espresso machine.  

Specialty coffee are painstakingly prepared by Baristas trained by Hiroshi Sawada of Tokyo's famed Streamer Coffee Company.   

MI Latte - Double shot latte served in a 12oz porcelain cup with EXTREME latte art. 

MI Musubi - Spam sushi on a bed of seasoned Japanese rice 

MI Pork Bun - Pork belly cuts with coriander wrapped in a steamed bun

Maison-Ikkuko proudly retails some of the best brands of Coffee Brewing/ Making Equipments at its Level GF cafe: Chemex, Coffee Syphon, Buono, Pourover, Woodneck, Eva Solo, Aeropress, Ice Drip.

The Cocktail Bar at Level 1F has not started for the day when I visited the cafe but I manage to capture some shots from the outside.

The Cocktail Bar houses Mixologist Ethan Leslie Leong who conducts the occasional Mixology & Cocktail Appreciation Workshops for keen diners. He never fails to surprise diners with his innovative, creative cocktail alcoholic art using fresh fruits & herbs. Table Reservations Hotline: 6294 0078  

Opening Hours :

Mondays to Saturdays : 6pm ~ Late.

Sunday Close  

Some of the Must Try are below 

-TINI (Dark Chocolate, Hazelnut, Banana, Black Forrest, Oranges, Mints, Hazelnut, White Russian, etc..)  

- COOLER (Mix Grapes, Black Forest, Cucumber, Basil, Rosemary, etc..)  

- MOJITO FAMILY (Mojito Sorbet, Ginger Mojito, Mix Fruits Mojito, Black Forest Mojito, Campari Mojito, Apple Mojito, etc..)  

- CAIPIRINHA / CAIPIROSKA ( With Vodka, with Cachaça, with light rum, with Grapes, with Honey, with Passion Fruits, etc...)  

- OLD FASHION (Scotch, Bourbon, Dark Rum, Cognac, Sazerac, Negroni, Manhattan, Rob Roy, etc..)  

- BERRIES (Goose Berries, Raspberries, Blue Berries, Strawberries, Black Berries, Cranberries, Red Currents, etc..)  

- FRUITY MARTINIS (Kiwi, Peaches, Pineapple, Red or Green Apple, William Pear, Apricots, etc..) - HERBS & SPICES (Ginger, Cucumber, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Thymes, Cherry Tomatoes, Lemongrass, etc..)  

- CITRUS (Ruby Red Grapefruits, Orange, Lemon, Lime, Calamansi, etc..)  

- CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS (Brut, Strawberry, Calamansi, Rose, Black Berry, Peach, etc..)

On the third level is a Boutique that sells international menswear ranging from shirts, shoes, belts and other accessories. The Boutique opening hours (Level 3): 

Mon- Sat 11.00 am - 8.00pm 

Sun 11.00am - 7.00pm 

Some of the brands that the Clothing Boutique carry are below :

miansai - www.miansai.com 

orlebar brown - www.orlebarbrown.com 

kuro denim - www.kurodenim.com 

industry of all nations -www.industryofallnations.com 

Lad Musician - www.ladmusician.com 

Deluxe - www.deluxe.jp 

discovered - www.discovered.jp 

hobo - www.thathobo.com 

nuGgets - www.nuGget-s.com 

twins for peace - www.twinsforpeace.com 

teddyfish - www.teddyfish.fr 

publish - www.publishbrand.com

This is the bird's eye view from the third level of the cafe. 

Maison-Ikkuko is located on:

20 Kandahar Street, 
Singapore 198885. 
Tel : +65 6294 0078. 
Fax: +65 6294 2616 
Email : info@maison-ikkoku.net 
www.maison-ikkoku.net
www.facebook.com/maison.ikkoku.sg

Cafe Opening hours: 
Mon-Thur: 9am~9pm. 
Fri-Sat: 9am~11pm. 
Sun: 9am~7pm. 

Maison-Ikkoku at 20 Kandahar Street - The Menu The Signatures The Promotion

The Menu 

Maison-Ikkuko serves a specialty selection of food, drinks and cakes : 

• Weekday Breakfast (French Toast with Sea salt Caramel, Croque Madame, Eggs Benedict, Breakfast Classic)
• Gourmet Sandwiches (Roast Beef Striploin & Horseradish, Smoked Norwegian Salmon & Dill Sour Cream, Chunky Egg Wasabi, Spicy Chicken & Cheddar, etc)
• Fresh Salads (Salad Nicoise, Caesar Salad, etc) 
• Signature Snacks (MI Pork Bun, MI Musubi)
• All day Weekend Breakfast (Break of Dawn, Croque Madame, Eggs Benedict, Salmon Florentine. etc) 
• Drinks (The Classics, Iced Classics, Gourmet Tea, French Chocolate, Freshly Squeezed Juices)
• Specialty Brew Bar (Brewing Techniques: Syphon, Chemex, Cold Drip, V60 Pour Over, French Press, Woodneck, Aeropress)
• Home Made cakes (Tiramisu, Red Velvet, Pumpkin Cheese Cake, Chocolate Valrhona, Gold Old Cheesecake, Carrot Cake, Banana Cake)

The Cafe uses roasted coffee beans from Toby's Estate. Currently the Cafe roast just a small amount of beans for cafe in house use only.

The Signatures 

This is the Eggs Benedict's (S$22.00) served with Toasted English muffins + prosciutto di parma + poached eggs + home-made hollandaise sauce Tinge of spiciness and garlicky + rocket salad in Balsamic vinegarette. 

Tasting Notes - The Eggs Benedict's has a lightly salty savory flavor because of the Parma Ham used in this dish. The Chef uses local eggs, and uses hot water to cook the eggs with a little vinegar for 2 mins at 90 degrees. The rocket salad is crisp and fresh with a tinge of souriness because of the Balsamic vinegarette as dressing. The Special Hollandaise sauce created in house by the Chef has a tinge of buttery creamy sweetness. I like it that the poached eggs are done just right with the egg yolks so runny you can lick it off the plate.

This is the Chunky Egg Wasabi Ciabatta Sandwich served with Ciabatta Bread + chopped hard boiled egg mayo + wasabi mayonnaise + baby spinach + extra virgin olive oil + side rocket salad with roasted almond shavings. 

The Mayo wasabi is made once every two days. The Ciabatta bread supplied from Joe & Dough located at Woodlands, is made fresh daily and delivered to the outlet here. The mayo & wasabi are mixed in house at the kitchen here, and added with a dash of salt & pepper, and placed on a Ciabatta bread, served with fresh rocket salad with French vinegarette. 

Tasting Notes -  The chopped hard boiled egg with wasabi mayonnaise tastes creamy, sweet, savory with a light tinge of wasabi spike as you chew on the egg filling. The black pepper & salt gives an added flavor. The Ciabatta bread is toasted to give a crisp outside yet fresh and soft inside, lending a great tasty bite. I like it that the Chef uses roasted almond shavings in the rocket salad to lend a nutty crunch to this dish. The overall is a homely umami flavor that lingers on even after you have finished eating the bread, a really addictive feel.

This is the Salted Caramel Banana Walnut Toast (S$15) served with French toast + Home made Salted Caramel + Banana + toasted Walnuts + whipped cream. 

Tasting Notes - The walnuts are toasted lightly till crisp, crunchy. The banana lends a sweetness, whilst the bread is soft & tender with a marshmallow like texture. The salted caramel is made in house at the kitchen. The caramel is runny sweet with a tinge of saltiness, but the sweetness somewhat overpowers the saltiness, and envelopes the Brioche bread, walnut & banana slices. There is a scoop of whipped cream on top that gives it a creamy feel. 

The salted caramel lends a caramelize sweetness. I like the walnuts as they are toasted just right to give a crispy crunchy bite. I like it that the Chef provides a generous serving of walnuts on the Caramel. The banana slices are pan-seared to give a smooth soft texture. To the melted sugar is added certain secret ingredients whilst the sea salt added in the last part. The Brioche bread used here in this dish is from Joe & Dough and has a tender texture like that of marshmallow. My overall feel about this dish - the soft bread adds to the feeling of a stomach well fed. I do strongly recommend this dish to try if you have a sweet tooth.

Maison-Ikkuko is located on:

20 Kandahar Street, 
Singapore 198885. 
Tel : +65 6294 0078. 
Fax: +65 6294 2616 
Email : info@maison-ikkoku.net 
www.maison-ikkoku.net
www.facebook.com/maison.ikkoku.sg

Opening hours: 
Mon-Thur: 9am~9pm. 
Fri-Sat: 9am~11pm. 
Sun: 9am~7pm.