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Category: Food Reviews

  • Review of Gokul Vegetarian Restaurant (Bugis, Singapore)

    Review of Gokul Vegetarian Restaurant (Bugis, Singapore)

    Chicken rice is one of Singapore’s unofficial national signature dishes, and lots of tourists never leave the country without devouring this enticing meal. Consisting of rice cooked in chicken broth and poached or roasted chicken slices, it is eaten with chilli-lime sauce, black soy sauce and a bowl of soup made from the chicken stock.

    Here in Singapore, a hawker place or kopi tiam without a chicken rice stall is almost next to impossible. But finding stalls serving vegetarian chicken rice is as rare as an ice cube in the Sahara Desert, probably.

    I’ve only seen this in two restaurants so far: one in Gokul Vegetarian Restaurant in Fortune Centre and another in Tian Yi Vegetarian Food in Ang Mo Kio where I was supposed to have had it yesterday morning.

    I was disconcerted when the owner said it’s only available on Sundays, and there’s no way I’m ever musing of going back to that faraway place. So I returned to the Fortune Centre today to be “at peace with the world.”

    Address: 190 Middle Road, Fortune Centre #01-07 (Other branch: 19 Upper Dickson Road Singapore 207478)
    Contact Number: 63967769
    Opening Hours: 9am-8:30pm daily

    Nearest MRT: Bugis / Bras Basah

    How to Go: You can walk from Bugis MRT, north to Selegie Road. It’s just a block away from Midlink Plaza, also near Sunshine Plaza. You can also walk from Bras Basah MRT and go straight from Waterloo Street.

    Food I Ordered: Chicken Rice

    Pictures:

    The Experience:

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆

    There was a standing tarpaulin at the entrance stating that this vegetarian fast food serves no onion, no garlic and no egg. Offering a variety of Asian, Western and Indian cuisine, its signature dishes include: ardine murtabak, paper masala dosa, chicken rice and soup tulang. On the counter were printed cards and photographs of the Hindu god Krishna. (Gokul is actually where Lord Krishna was brought up.)

    There were also a box for donations and a basket of mint candies for customers to take in after meal. The walls were painted plain white, the floor was black and the chairs were red. The colors just reminded me of Germany’s old flag.

    The kitchen and the dining area was separated only with a clear divider, so we could see how the chef cooks the food. There were like 10 tables only, with four chairs per table in the entire rectangular-shaped diner. Noise from inside and outside could be heard outstandingly.

    Service: ★★★★★

    I stared at the Indian chef with a grown mustache because he was also staring at me, when I was unsure if I’d order from him directly. Why, he was standing by the counter, while the wait staff were so busy taking in payments and tidying the mess of tables of customers who had just left.

    To cut the first turf, I called him out for one chicken rice. He repeated my order and got to the wok. I paid at once to the cashier attendant and I noticed he handed me the change in a traditional North Indian manner–by lightly placing his left hand on his right forearm near the elbow.

    Two minutes after I sat down and the chef served me a plate of chicken rice with chili sauce and soup. He nodded to the wait staff who then gave me a napkin and a pair of utensils. While I was eating, the chef gave me this crispy crackling (like some bonus treat), which was not originally found in their picture:

    Food: ★★★★★

    I don’t know but maybe their vegetarian chicken rice tastes closely to the non-vegetarian chicken rice, without the chicken fats. The main ingredients tossed to the wok, I guess, were: coarsely chopped ginger, fresh red chilli padi, salt and pepper, pandan leaves and stir-fried mock chicken made of wheat gluten. Side dishes were cauliflower (with Indian flavor) and a small slice of cucumber.

    The chicken was staggering good when paired with the fragrant rice. The whole meal made me ravish with delight. I can’t say any negative.

    Price for value: ★★★★★

    With a dose of excellent food and great customer service, what more can I say? The price was just right at S$5, and there was no added service charge. I like this place very much!

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  • Review of LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry (Bugis, Singapore)

    Review of LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry (Bugis, Singapore)

    After walking for like 10 minutes from New Green Pasture Café, I stumbled upon one pastry shop located in the same road. As I read through the menu of house specialties (pineapple tarts, moon pies, coffee cookies, chocolate cookies and rum balls), my attention was most diverted to bean curd tarts since I have never tried (or heard of) bean curd tarts before.

    LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry is the first to produce Singapore’s bean curd tarts. Posters of pictures and pricing were on the wall. (Here’s the complete list of their available items.) Theirs is also one of the talk-of-the-vegetarian-town pastries crafted by hand to have no pork, no lard and known to be “uniquely divine and highly addictive.” I wondered, how true can this be?

    Address: 264 Middle Road Singapore 188990 (Other branches: Blk 42 Cambridge Road #01-02 Singapore 210042 and Blk 637 Veerasamy Road #01-111 Singapore 200637)
    Contact Numbers: 63372417, 62981477 and 62948813
    Opening Hours: 10:30am–7:30 pm Mondays to Saturdays; 10:30am–3:30pm Sundays and Public Holidays
    Nearest MRT: Bugis or Little India
    Food I Ordered: Bean Curd Tart

    Pictures:

    The Experience:

    Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

    The welcoming/ordering area was really small. Behind the counter was an (untidy) office area and they had their stocks in shelves all over the place. Beside the counter were their refrigerators standing like closets where they take the boxes of pastries. Hanging by the walls were the many awards and newspaper clippings kept for recognition and display of appraisal, as well as neat photos of their products.

    Service: ★★★☆☆

    As I first walked in, I thought there was nobody in there until I walked further. There was only one lady who comes to the counter wherever the motion-sensor alarm senses movement from the entrance and rings a [bell] sound. Does this mean that they are all too busy and occupied inside baking their goodies that they don’t intend to sacrifice one headcount to look out for customers?

    Hmmm. Anyway, I was fortunate enough to have gotten the last box of bean curd tarts for the day. The lady said that bean curd tarts are only available after 12:30pm and they are finished up fast. So she recommended to call them first before taking the order from their store.

    Food: ★★★★★

    The minimum I could purchase was eight pieces in a box. I thought they were too much for me to consume so I’ve shared them with my house mates. The bean curd tarts appeared like egg tarts. Wobbly and smooth in texture, the bean curd itself was not too sweet but just fine and delectable. Its crust was thick and buttery, like any crust of normal tarts. As a whole, they were awesome pleasures (might be sinful indulgences, for some)!

    Price for Value: ★★★★★

    The box of eight costs S$8, so one bean curd tart costs one dollar. As compared to other pastry shops selling other tarts, this one can be affirmed as affordable. For this rate to rack up a heavenly gastronomical experience, I’d say I agree: it’s uniquely divine and highly addictive.

    In fact, I’m planning of buying another box before I go to the airport for departure, as a quick Google search didn’t result to any hit that we have them in the Philippines.

  • Review of New Green Pasture Café (Bugis, Singapore)

    Review of New Green Pasture Café (Bugis, Singapore)

    After my Ang Mo Kio trip, I went to Novena Square to buy frozen vegetarian products from Cold Storage for my family and walked home to leave the groceries. My next stop was Fortune Centre in Bugis.

    In my first visit there months ago, I wasn’t particularly interested in food. Rather, I was there to attend a seminar regarding Internet marketing. I didn’t learn much from the seminar though I have luckily discovered an entire treasure trove of vegetarian eateries in the building.

    Fortune Centre houses the highest concentration of vegetarian stalls within a single building in Singapore! I explored all four floors and became most curious to sample food in New Green Pasture Café.

    It’s a Chinese vegetarian restaurant offering fusion and Asian food such as sushi roll, pineapple fried rice, rainbow salad, Korean style bi-bim-bap and more. It is extended to the adjacent stall selling refrigerated organic vegetables and other health food products. Finally I entered their store yesterday and here’s my review:

    Address: 190 Middle Rd #04-22 Fortune Centre, Singapore, 188979

    Contact Number: 63368755

    Opening Hours: 11am-8pm, Tuesdays to Sundays

    Nearest MRT: Bugis / Bras Basah

    How to Go: You can walk from Bugis MRT, north to Selegie Road. It’s just a block away from Midlink Plaza, also near Sunshine Plaza. You can also walk from Bras Basah MRT and go straight from Waterloo Street.

    Food I Ordered: Seaweed Roll

    Pictures:

    The Experience:

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆ 

    The atmosphere made me feel at home. It’s just laid-back and unpretentious. Properly ventilated but not air-conditioned, the dining room was pretty comfortable nevertheless. On the walls, upon the entrance and near the cashier counter, there were myriads of personal touches positioned by the owner which are mostly Buddhist figurines and decorations. Seats are limited to like 50 people and staff are also limited (I think about two of them only).

    One was in charge of the kitchen—Sophia Teh, the main chef, who happens to be the owner of the restaurant; and the other staff was the one in charge of the order-and-payment self-service counter.

    {Inspirational} Side Story: This organic vegetarian restaurant has been in business for more than a decade now. The owner used to be a successful fashion designer who’s fond of cooking delicious meals.

    After getting more and more praises from friends, she has decided to open up her own cafe and live her childhood dream. Nice, right? She’s one living proof that it’s never too late to change careers anytime in our lives and start a new leaf living simply by the heart’s desire.

    Service: ★★★☆☆

    The ordering process is a straightforward thing, when you’ve already read that you have to serve yourself. So once you step into the cafe, take a look at the menu (an album bound with pictures of the dishes with Chinese labels and respective prices), place your order, pay, say your name, grab a seat, wait for your name to be shouted and claim it from the counter.

    The plus point was achieved when the Chinese lady offered and asked me if I preferred chopsticks or spoon and fork and said “Enjoy” with a smile.

    Food: ★★★★★

    I saw that the two other active tables had ordered seaweed roll, and they looked like a sumptuous feast. At that instant, I was expecting to have the normal Japanese sushi with vegemeat in it.

    When the food came out, I failed on my assumption and was not disappointed. The seaweed roll didn’t have rice but had a mix of fresh vegetables used in yusheng (鱼生): carrots, thinly shredded green and white radish, crunchy cabbages, red pepper and a type of salad dressing all wrapped in nori sheet with a hint of basil. It had a blended complementary taste of sweet and sour.

    The presentation of the colors was appetizing. After eating up seven pieces, I felt full but light-weight. I’m sure that it would cleanse my system more and it won’t load up in my calorie count.

    Price for Value: ★★★☆☆

    For the mouthfuls of seaweed roll that were just fantastic, I paid S$5.50 without service charge. I thought it’s pricey for just a bunch of varied vegetables (same goes for the other items in the menu).

  • Review of Affinity Vegetarian Food (Ang Mo Kio, Singapore)

    Review of Affinity Vegetarian Food (Ang Mo Kio, Singapore)

    The sweltering heat of summer in Singapore has come up. Not exaggerating, I could even see the wavy optical illusions and tangled refractions resulting from saturated humidity pricking the air.

    However, to get to my planned goals and destinations, [too bad] I could not escape today’s relentless heat. I just had to put on an ample amount of sunblock and UV protection, on my face especially. And with my comfy rubber shoes on and bright-colored umbrella, I took off anyway…up to the north-central heartland!

    Affinity Vegetarian Restaurant

    Address: Blk 421 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 #01-1149 Singapore 560421

    Contact Number: 93384188

    Nearest MRT: Ang Mo Kio

    How to Go: From AMK MRT, ride bus 265 and alight at Blk 475 (5 stops). (But because I felt energetic this morning, I walked all the way! I had a great workout.)

    Food I Ordered: Kway Chap

    Picture:

    The Experience:

    Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

    Since this food stall is part of Tian Tian Lai Kopitiam in a normal HDB, I didn’t expect much for good feel of the environment. Provided were tables and chairs, of course, but there was no air-conditioning. I did not at all feel refreshed after walking for like 30+ minutes to reach the “hidden” place.

    Around it were many of the common features of the island nation’s neighborhoods: hawker centers, wet markets and HDB housing blocks. So being there made me experience being in the “provincial area” of Singapore, away from decibels of traffic noise of the city’s maddening crowds. It was as if I were transported to an oasis of joy and inner peace.

    Service: ★★★★☆  

    This is a self-service eatery. I had to pick up my own utensils and bowl of food. The store owner’s actions are fast though, considering that many queued up, he had managed to prepare the dishes well and serve each customer at almost breakneck speed.

    Food: ★★★☆☆

    It was my first time to eat kway chap. I have not tried the non-vegetarian version of it because the ingredients consist of boiled fatty pork, pig’s innards (intestines) and fallopian tubes or braised duck–all of which I don’t eat. Gasp. Kway chap is one of the “classics” of Teochew cuisine and it’s very popular in local Singaporean restaurants’ menus. I thought that before leaving the country, I should at least know how it tastes like.

    The vegetarian version consisted flat sheets of noodles with fried bean curd and salted vegetables in herbal soup and dark soy sauce. The noodles had a thick, starchy texture. It’s fair but not exceptional.

    Price for Value: ★★★★★  

    Singaporeans say that the mark of good Kway chap is that the rice noodles should be smooth, satiny and slippery. Affinity Vegetarian Food has achieved that, so the hearty platter I got was just worth the S$2.50 I paid. For those who can’t take pig organs, you can try this one lor! ❂‿❂

  • Review of Zen Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant (Bugis, Singapore)

    Review of Zen Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant (Bugis, Singapore)

    Why did I choose Zen Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant for my second review? I have done my homework and according to my research, it is the first Japanese-style vegetarian restaurant concept in Singapore; therefore, it’s not to be missed!

    Also, they claim to offer vegan food without garlic, onion, MSG, egg and other dairy products. Then I became much intrigued: if this is so, what would be the difference in taste between non-vegetarian Japanese food and this one? I have to find out.

    Address: 122 Middle Road Midlink Plaza #02-02, Singapore, 188973 (This will be relocated in May. According to the waitress, new address is not yet confirmed.)

    Contact Number: 68831586

    Opening Hours: 11:30am-3pm & 5:30pm-10pm daily

    Nearest MRT: Bugis

    How to Go: The nearest landmark is the National Library. Walk opposite that and further down.

    Food I Ordered: Unagi Don Set

    Pictures:

    The Experience:

    Ambiance: ★★★★★

    Zen Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant has an amazingly serene atmosphere, designed with a zen feel where seating arrangements (boxed) are positioned quite widely apart illustrating form and function. The place was free of clutter, answering the quest for tranquility and balance.

    Think minimalism combined with modernistic beauty. It suddenly bought me back a flood of fond Restaurant City (Playfish game) memories because its interior is similar to mine (in the game). Haha.

    The place was quiet, with only three of us tables active probably because it was a week day today and I had my brunch at 1:30pm. I heard it’s usually so jam-packed with diners in office hours and weekends that you should call to make a reservation or else you won’t get a chance to have seats right away.

    Service: ★★★☆☆  

    I bowed like a Japanese as I pushed the door from the entrance. The attendant must have thought that I was Japanese and smiled. She gave me the liberty to choose my spot. I sat in the middle cubicle of the restaurant and she handed me the menu together with some tissue paper and chopsticks.

    When I was ready to order, I raised my hand as usual to call out the waiters. However, although all of them were idle, there was not even one wait staff in sight who was looking out for customers’ calls. I took the initiative to walk forward to the cashier and ordered food there.

    I did the same thing when I billed out because they were all facing either the kitchen, the counter, the door outside or talking with each other. Food was served in less than 10 minutes.

    Food: ★★★★★

    The unagi don set is one of the most favorite dishes in the menu, as suggested by the online community. Definitely, it’s a must-try. It came with the following: four pieces of unagi (eel) that is actually made of tofu (note: not mock meat) grilled with seaweed and nice sweet Teriyaki sauce, traditional sticky Japanese rice, a small bowl of organic miso soup, garden lettuce salad with cherry tomatoes topped with sesame/peanut dressing, pickles and seaweeds, mixed steam vegetables (medley of radish, pumpkin and ladyfinger) and peach pudding.

    I thought as a whole, the presentation of the set looked very upmarket, creative and luxurious! The taste matched the elegant execution of the dishes. It was beyond divine. (Even non-vegetarians would love it.) I savored everything in one hour. Burp.

    Price for Value: ★★★★☆

    The original price of the set was S$16 and there was a 10-percent service fee. It was like a hundred times more than my usual budget for a meal. However, I thought it’s worth the price for the food comprised not of boring vegetarian products made from gluten but of real vegetables. It’s one of the very best vegetarian meals I’ve ever had. Certainly, it deserves a two-thumbs up!

  • Review of Café Salivation (Farrer Park, Singapore)

    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.