Review of Café Salivation (Farrer Park, Singapore)

As said, I will be writing reviews of the nine vegetarian diners in my last week here, to satisfy my long-time crave for undertaking food explorations. I ought to share them for I know they would be such delightful experiences for the taste buds of vegetarians especially.

I have been cooking for myself for almost 300+ days now. This means that I have to be creative in selecting veggies for my dishes, with the objective of not having the same taste every time. Now I understand how my mom (our cook at home in Manila) says that she wants to sample food from the restaurants–even those that she can make. Every preparation and recipe is different, she points out. True. I couldn’t agree more.

I figured that posting all nine in one blog entry is going to be a super long one. So I’ve decided to chop them off to one post per encounter. Here goes the first one:

Café Salivation

Address: 75 Syed Alwi Road Singapore 207555

Contact Number:  +65 62981712

Opening Hours: 10am-10:30pm daily

Nearest MRT: Farrer Park

How to Go: The nearest landmark is Mustafa Centre. You just have to walk across this 24-hour shopping center to reach the restaurant.

Food I Ordered: Linguine A La Fungi

Pictures:

The Experience:

Ambiance: ★★★★☆

The decoration of the café is completely different from those other vegetarian restaurants I’ve passed by in the same stretch of  Syed Alwi road. Without knowing what cuisine or type of food they offer, one would have probably thought that it sells desserts and beverages because of the colors of the interior and entire setup. The walls are painted with a cheerful harmonization of pink and orange polka dots and stripes, which brought vibrancy to the cozy space. The chairs and sofas are coordinated with the theme as well.

Service: ★★★★★

I knew that the waitress is Filipino by her accent. I was glad to tell her that I also come from the Philippines and can speak Tagalog. She was astonished. Couldn’t believe me, she told her cousin who’s in the kitchen about me. She peeked out to see me, laughed of disbelief. Waaaahahaha! While waiting for the food to be served, she poured me a glass of warm water and smiled. She also was attentive to the glass and made sure it was constantly refilled. All throughout, her warm service was GREAT. All other staff also seemed to be attentive.

Food: ★★★☆☆

Before entering, I looked carefully into their menu. It has lots of interesting twists to pure vegetarian food fare, with a combination of Italian, Mexican and American delights. Onion and garlic can be removed as requested. I finally then decided to order the linguine a la fungi, an Italian flat pasta with white creamy sauce, tossed with fresh button mushrooms and green capsicum.

Out of all the treats listed, I chose this because I always thought that white-sauce pasta is not for me and I’d always prefer either pesto or red tomato sauce. I just wanted to see if they can break my fancy. And truth be told, the taste was rich but I grew “tired” of the milky flavor.

The dish had filled my stomach sumptuously, but it had nothing special that got me spice up. I felt like I was just eating my mom’s fettuccine. Given this, I don’t think it had that wow factor which could lure me out of my senses.

Price for Value: ★★★☆☆

The original price of the food was S$8. But total cost amounted to S$9.42 with GST and service charges. Overall, I thought that it’s not that bad. I was overwhelmed when the plate filled with the pasta arrived.

I thought the portion size was too big for me to finish. At least to my view, it’s supposed to be for two people. Too bad I couldn’t share it with my mom or dad. Both of them really have a strong distinctive liking to white-sauced pasta.

About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco

Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.