Avenue'J

2025 does seem to be presenting itself as a rather interesting start to the F&B scene thus far; with dining establishments featuring Myanmar cuisine having some sort of an uprising in the local F&B scene and with establishments like Chuki Kitchen, YDN 椰德纳 Myanmar-Chinese Cuisine, and Myanmar Express opening up in various corners all over the island in recent times. Avenue’J is the latest entrant of the lot — turns out, Avenue’J is actually a brand that hails from Myanmar itself; it operates two (2) outlets within Sanchaung Township in Yangon. Its very first location in Singapore is located at the School of the Arts (SOTA); one can locate Avenue’J around the same stretch of shops where the out of I'm Kim Korean BBQ is situated at — these folks had taken over the premises formerly occupied by the now-defunct Etch and Bolts X Void Cafe. The entire space here has seen a makeover with the interior now featuring a colour scheme that is earthy and features a rather neutral tone; something that one would associate with an establishment with Burmese roots with the use of more modern-looking furnishings that also features a rattan-esque component. There are also pictures hanging on its walls depicting scenes presumably from Myanmar itself. True to its roots from Myanmar, the food menu at Avenue’J does feature a line-up of Burmese dishes segregated into sections dedicated to Starter, Main Dish, and Rice & Noodle; a small selection of bakes can be found in the area around the counter in the respective display cases. Beverages available at Avenue’J comprises of Black Coffee, White Coffee, Non-Coffee, Soda and Mocktail.

We have been recently quite into the Nang Gyi Thoke given how it has been the de facto dish that we will order at a Burmese dining establishment if it is made available on the menu; considering so, this was also the dish that we went exactly for when we dropped by Avenue’J on a dinner service on a weekday. The Nang Gyi Thoke is being described on the menu to come with elements such as thick round noodles, chicken curry, and chickpeas flour — the dish is also referred to as Thick Rice Noodle Salad. As with all Nang Gyi Thoke that we have had from other establishments, the Nang Gyi Thoke at Avenue’J is served at room temperature, though it is noted that the chicken curry is served hot — the elements included which were not mentioned would be that of the hard-boiled egg. The thick round noodles used in the Nang Gyi Thoke that Avenue’J serves up is a little thinner than that of the other Nang Gyi Thoke dishes that we had come across thus far; these were more akin to the thick rice noodles that comes with our local rendition of the Laksa. That being said, considering how it is being tossed in chili oil and chickpea flour, the resulting texture is one that is still chewy with a slight nutty and earthy note which is uplifted by the light hint of spiciness coming from the chili oil — provided a slurpy texture to the noodles whilst also tickling the tastebuds with its close-to-moderate level of spiciness. There is also seemingly a zesty note that seemed to have come from lime that were on a slight zing to cut through all the chili oil and the carbs here as well to cleanse the tastebuds from the heavier notes and textures. The shreds of chicken does come in a gravy that seems to come with an emphasis of that chili oil as well; the flesh does come a little streaky and a little bit on the drier side to some but it does seem to be a standard consistency for it based on the number of establishments that we had visited — the chicken also seems to have been brined for a slight saltishness as well. One thing that is notable missing in the Nang Gyi Thoke here would be that of the fried chickpeas that would have typically added a crunch factor to the dish as well.

Whilst Avenue’J serves up Burmese cuisine for its selection of hot food, the range of desserts does seem to be rather reminiscent of typical cafe fare; we found ourselves ending up with Creme Brulee since the selection was limited to the Creme Brulee, Burnt Cheesecake and the Madeline’s — the Creme Brulee does come a layer of crystallised sugar that had been flambéed using a blowtorch. Whilst the layer of crystallised sugar gives a crackling and burnt sugary layer over the top, the eggy layer at the bottom wasn’t quite as smooth as we would expect it to be — came with small air bubbles, though these shouldn’t be too bothersome for those whom are not too picky with their food. The Avenue’J Signature Drink is an item that can be found on the White Coffee section of the menu here; said to have been a combination of espresso, water, evaporated milk and condensed milk, we were surprised by the likeness of the Avenue’J Signature Drink to the Kopi that we absolutely love from Generation Coffee. This essentially was a smooth cuppa that was roasty and smoky that came with a good level of sweetness to balance everything out. Noteworthy about the coffee here would be how Avenue’J uses their very own roast of a blend of coffee beans here which is a product of Myanmar by itself.

Given the already-saturated cafe scene that we have in Singapore, the opening of Avenue’J Cafe does seem to be one that is a refreshing change from the usual — these folks are probably the very first specialty coffee joint that serves up Myanmar cuisine around the island; all at an exciting point of time where Myanmar cuisine does seem to be getting a little more popularised given the number of such establishments that had opened in recent times. Prices of the items in the Main Dish and Rice & Noodle section of the menu are within the range of $8 to $16; perhaps one of the Burmese establishments out there with a steeper price excluding dining establishments like Burma Social and Club Rangoon that are a little more upmarket. Combining the availability of Burmese cuisine and specialty coffee under one roof, perhaps it might be Avenue’J that is the sort of establishment that would bring Burmese cuisine a little bit closer to the masses in Singapore — definitely a spot which we would be excited to revisit especially if they are going to launch more food items once they go past their soft launch phase!