[Singapore Vegetarian Food] Nature Cafe

(Nature Café @ Aperia Mall)

Nature Café is a vegetarian bistro which started business some 15 years ago and currently has 4 outlets across Singapore in Jalan Bukit Merah, Kallang (The Aperia Mall), Boon Lay (Trade Hub21) and Suntec City.  With over 200 items on the menu, these are some of the items on the menu, just to name a few:

·         Local favourites such as Chicken Rice, rojak, wanton noodles, kway chap;

·         Local stir-fried dishes aka tze-char; and

·         International cuisine includes those such as Western burgers and steaks, Korean spicy noodles (bibimmyeon), Thai Green Curry, Japanese Tonkatsu. 

You name it, they might just have it.  In my opinion, the top 3 must-try from the café are:

1.       Hong Kong Style Char Siew Chicken Rice

2.       Japanese Style Chicken Steak Rice

3.       Monkeyhead Mushroom hotpot

Beverages extend beyond the regular teh and kopi, but there is a variety of gourmet tea and coffee (with simple latte art).  For non-tea or coffee drinkers, there are other choices such as hot chocolate, hot vanilla or juices to choose from.

I find their pricing to be quite reasonable, considering the comfortable environment and helpful service.  Food dishes costs $5 and above while beverages are $3 and above.  The place is conducive for individual diners, small group gatherings with family or friends and even for large group gatherings. 

  

Visit website for address for the various outlets: www.naturecafe.com.sg

[Singapore Vegetarian Food] The Boneless Kitchen

Those of us who have visited Korea before would know the difficulty of finding proper vegan/vegetarian food in the Land of Kimchi.  Even for the nation’s most popular side-dish, kimchi, although it is primarily a vegetable dish, it is not vegan-friendly because of the sauce used in the preparation process.

Singaporeans are very fortunate to be living in a city where vegetarian food is readily available.  The Boneless Kitchen, the first meatless Korean casual dining restaurant in Singapore, moved to its currently location in Tai Seng about 2 years ago.   Garlic, onion, animal products and seafood are not used.  However, egg and dairy products may be used for some of their food.

The restaurant has table-seating and floor-seating options for those who prefer a more authentic dining experience.  And one of the best things about the restaurant is that there is no service charge and GST, apart from the consistent food quality!

A total of 4 appetising side-dishes (banchan) will be served at the start.  Unlike other restaurants, the side-dishes are refillable but with a small charge to avoid food wastage.

Their range of main dishes is comprehensive and has every ever-green Korean dishes including Korean Army Stew (Budae JJigae), Kimchi Stew (Kimchi Jjigae), Spicy Soft Tofu Stew (Soondubu Jjigae), Stir-fried Sweet Potato Noodles (Japchae), Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap) Scorched Rice with Vegetables (Bibimbap), rice roll (gimbap) etc which are available in single-person portions.   The cost of main dishes are reasonably priced between $9.90 and $12.90.

Ala carte side-dishes such as Kimchi pancake (Kimchi Jeon), Korean Rice Cakes (Tteokbokki) are available as well.  The side dishes are mostly under $6 and the portion size is quite decent.  Some dishes may contain egg, and diners may request for egg to be omitted.

When I am there with friends, my preference is to go for the hotpot stew (jeongol), which is similar to our oriental dining culture of having steamboat.  The Korean Army Stew and the Kimchi Jeongol are highly popular.  The soup can be refilled at a small charge.  It is quite enjoyable to have a slow meal, laze around in the cosy restaurant and enjoy the K-pop songs.  However, do be mindful and be considerate if the waiting queue outside the restaurant starts to build up.

In fact, the restaurant can get quite crowded especially on Fridays and weekends.  To save the hassle of waiting with a growling stomach, try their online reservation is available through the restaurant’s website (www.thebonelesskitchen.com).


The Boneless Kitchen
1 Irving Place #01-31, Commerze @ Irving Singapore 369546
Opens daily from 12pm to 9pm
Tel: 8457 6464

Directions:
3 mins walk from Taiseng MRT Station

[Non-Food] Earn rewards while you travel on LRT / MRT in Singapore

Dear friends, this isn't any spam but just sharing that our national transport system is having a campaign to encourage people to take the train during decongestion hours ie. before 7.30am or after 8.30am.  What you need to do is to sign up at the website they have set up (INSINC) at this link (https://insinc.sg/r/345pz9TJ/).  You will need to register 1 Ezlink card, and I suggest you use the one which you commonly use.  Backend at their system, they will capture the timing which you enter the gantry.  Log into regularly to check how many points you have accumulated.  Rewards is given in 2 ways:

1.  System can automatically convert your points into cash rewards which you can redeem at the value-adding machines or credit into your Ezlink card directly; or
2.  Let the system do an spinning game (like a snake and ladder game) where you can either earn points or earn cash rewards.  This depends on your luck!  There is also a possibility that you use up ALL your points but did not win any cash rewards.

So, no harm exploring!  If you wonder how much can you get back?  For me, after being on the programme for about 6 months, I got back $25 from the points =)  My travelling distance from home to workplace is about 17km for 1-way.

Hope this info is useful to my fellow local commuters in Singapore!