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).
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
Leave a Reply