[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

Laksa @ Ghim Moh Market

I am lucky, yet at the same time unlucky to have a stall selling delicious curry laksa near my workplace @ Ghim Moh Market (Blk 20 Ghim Moh Road).  Lucky to be able to enjoy a bowl of delicious laksa with thick flavourful gravy.  I hate laksa gravy that is diluted, masked behind the notion of it being healthy.  I say, it is healthy as long as I exclude hum (cockles) =P

Since tou geh isn't my favourable at all, that is always excluded as well. Without both, this laksa can still taste very appetising with the thick bee hoon, tou pok and fish cake and sambal chilli (err, I think there is no prawn in it).  Bottomline is - the success factor depends on the quality of laksa gravy.  Delicious gravies will be thick, savoury yet a taste of sweetness in it. Yummy!  Check it out!

Because of the popularity of their laksa, it is usually sold out by noon time.  So, do be early if you're making a special trip down to Ghim Moh just to try the laksa.  By the way, there are 2 stalls selling laksa in Ghim Moh Market.  The core business for this stall is hotpot noodles (小碗面)... yet their laksa is more popular than the Katong Laksa stall in the hawker centres.  What an irony.  Haha!

Ghim Moh - Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow

Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow

Ghim Moh Market And Food Centre

Blk 20 Ghim Moh Road #01-12

Closed on Wednesdays and Fridays

The queue seems never ending but fried kway teow lovers do not mind the waiting 30mins to 40mins. The glass stall is plastered with raving reviews, that you can hardly see the elderly uncle manning the wok.

Some say "good things but wait".... but after my 2nd attempt, I guess this isn't my type of fried kway teow. I'd prefer the kway teow to be slightly burnt and with strongly fried kway teow aroma. It was slightly too watery for my liking.

The serving portion for $2.50 was considered small, at least to me.

 

Related Posts:

Katong Laksa Stall at Ghim Moh (click)

Rong Yuan Cooked Food - Glutinous Rice, Yam Cake, Chee Cheong Fun (click)

Centre Satay Bee Hoon (AMK Food Centre)

Centre Satay Bee Hoon

Blk 724 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 Food Centre #01-12

This is one of my favourite satay bee hoon ($3), which I have been eating for the past 20+ years. The stall has been operating at this AMK Food Centre since the 1980s.

What I like about this satay bee hoon:

1) The fine and smooth bee hoon texture

2) The peanut gravy that isn't too dilute or too dry

3) Fresh ingredients esp the prawn and lean meat

Best of all, the quality has remained the same even after so many years.

Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant

IMPERIAL TREASURE NAN BEI RESTAURANT

391 Orchard Road

#05-12/13 Ngee Ann City

Tel: 6738-1238

Decided to have a reunion dinner with friends at the Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant. Because of the peak season, we were given 2 options on the time slot, either 7pm or 8.30pm. If we had chosen the 7pm, we had to finish our dinner by 8.30pm! So... we opted for 8.30pm... so that we would not be rushed to finish our dinner.

The food quality is really quite good...and that explains why the restaurant is so packed. Making reservation is a must!

Must try - This spinach tofu dish is so so so good.

The beancurd skin is slightly crispy while the beancurd is very soft and fragrant. The bottom layer is spinach.

Souffle Egg White Ball - If you frequent CJ restaurant enough, you might be surprised to find the same dish at Nan Bei... Frankly, I would not have been able to tell if the souffle balls were from CJ or Imperial Treasure if they were placed side by side. Overall, the souffle balls tasted good.
 

Definitely an ideal casual dinner place for cantonese cuisine, on not-so-crowded evenings.

Food Republic (Vivocity) - Fried Hokkien Mee

Food Republic

1 HarbourFront Walk,

#03-01 VivoCity

Singapore 098585

I always wonder why there are long queues at the fried hokkien mee stalls, especially those with crews dressing up with straw hats. Can anyone tell me what is the relation between straw hats and fried hokkien mee and... banana leaves? Does banana leaves really enhance the fragrance of the fried noodles?

For $4.50 (not cheap!), the portion was rather huge. However, I must say that I am quite disappointed with the food quality. The "essence from the prawn stock" hasn't been fully absorbed into the noodles...What I could taste was ordinary yellow noodles and thick rice noodles garnished with a couple of big prawns. Even the sambal chilli, which I asked for extra portion, was a let down.

Singapore Curry

Believe it or not. Whipping a dish of Singapore Curry is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Thanks to Prima Taste which comes with ready packed curry paste and necessary mix. Do note that the portion in the recipe serves 4 to 6 pax.

Here it is. No secret at all.

Prepare about 3 potatoes.

Prepare some chicken. Was told by a friend that if you use bone parts, it will add to the flavour.

Follow the cooking instruction on the Prima mix and ...

TADA! A pot of Singapore Curry!