Vege Sense - Bugis

February 22, 2013, 5:23 pm

≫ Next: Divine Vegetarian Family Restaurant - Hougang

Fortune Centre is constantly changing, with new stalls opening up and old ones closing down every year. Vege Sense may sound familiar to some of you, and rightfully so. This establishment was once located on the ground floor of Fortune Centre - Previously specializing in vegetarian breads. You can view my review of their old ground floor location here. Around four months ago it gravitated up to the more tranquil second level. So without further delay, lets find out what changes they have made...

Vege Sense
Location: Fortune Centre, 190 Middle Road
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Daily 7.00am-7.00pm. Closed Sunday.

The menu has really expanded significantly, compared to the previous location. There are now a plethora of set meals available, along with Western dishes, and daily specials. In my opinion, an eatery selling around 6-10 dishes is just about perfect. I've been to so many places that have menus as thick as 'War and Peace', which tends to boggle the customers mind, and usually the standard of the dishes are lower also. What I like about Vege Sense is they keep it nice and simple for the customer, without too many options.

We all have our personal favourite dishes, and I must confess that zhu jiao chu aka Spicy Vinegar Pig's Trotter Set is one of my most fondest. Inevitably, because I adore this dish, I will naturally be all the more critical when the flavour balance is off. This dish needs to have a delicate balance of three main ingredients - Ginger, sugar and vinegar. Unfortunately, the ginger and vinegar were flying too far under the radar for my palate, instead the sauce was overwhelmed by sugar. Considering the sauce was obviously flawed, the other ingredients inside were cooked well. The black fungus (which I detest when overcooked), in particular, was cooked expertly.

Price: $5.50. 5/10

The next dish to the table was the Stewed Mushroom Pork Rice. One thing that should be mentioned about both set meals I ordered, was they both came with a delicious ginger rice. I found this to be a welcome extra touch, as my expectations were that plain white rice would be served. Considering the pig trotter was a disappointment, this set meal was definitely a sign of improvement. The braised sauce was absolutely packed with flavour. The mushrooms absorbed all this sauce and exploded with flavour upon eating. My favourite dish of the meal.

Price: $5.50. 8/10

On this particular evening, the daily special was the Burdock Burger. Before we talk about the main attraction (the burger) let us chit chat about sides. The french fries have a uncanny resemblance to McDonald's fries, with one exception, there is way more salt in this version. Definitely the salt should have been reduced by at least 50%. The standard burger has mayonnaise inside - But the owner could not verify whether it was vegan or not, so I asked for it to be excluded. The burdock flavour in the burger patty was surprisingly strong, and matched well with the sesame seeds in the bun. Pineapple, lettuce and tomato made up the other ingredients in the burger. I found the burger pleasant tasting. Although the fries were the big let down, I felt pleased by the chef's dedication to plate presentation. So often chef's in Singapore simply don't bother to plate the dish nicely.

Price: $5.50. 6/10

Conclusion - Although I found that two out of the three dishes I sampled were slightly below par, I still support the philosophy of this establishment. The owners are friendly (unlike a certain goblin lurking below on the ground level) and their menu has the potential to be very popular. The standout was certainly the mushroom pork rice. Vege Sense just needs to tweak the other dishes so that it matches the standard of that dish. If they can do that, then success beckons!

Overall Rating
Food - 6/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 8/10
Value - 6/10

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Divine Vegetarian Family Restaurant - Hougang

March 1, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Sincerity Vegetarian Food - Yishun

≪ Previous: Vege Sense - Bugis

September 27th 2009 marked one of the greatest days in the history of Singapore - The Hungry Ang Mo published his very first post. Over three years later, I decided to return to the roots of my very first post, which was this cosy Chinese restaurant in Hougang. It felt somewhat surreal returning back to the origins of my blog, especially so as the look and feel of this restaurant remains exactly the same. Speaking of the look, a lot of people see the signboard and confuse it with Divine Realm, which is also in Hougang - These two eateries are completely different and have no connection to each other.

Divine Vegetarian Family Restaurant
Location: Block 356 Hougang Ave 7 #01-803
Contact: 64877895
Opening Hours: 7:00am to 10:00pm

Since my first review, there have been price adjustments, with a lot of the dishes increasing in price. With that being said, I still find that all the dishes are pretty reasonably priced. Inflation is happening everywhere, so we can't be too surprised nor critical to see the price of dishes continue to increase over the years in Singapore. I often find myself laboriously listening to people whinging about $3 dishes being too costly - Give me a break - If they knew how much rental and ingredients cost in Singapore now, I am sure they would be less critical.

A dish that I ordered all those years ago was the Crispy Noodle. In England, this dish ranks as one of the most popular, although in the West it is known as 'chow mien', which locals rather clumsily pronounce cho mayne - I mock, yet I used to be one of those people. One issue I have is crispy noodle should always be in a bowl, not a plate. The customer must mix the noodle and gravy together in order to alter the texture of the noodles, and on a plate, this can prove quite cumbersome 麻烦. The flavour of the dish was good, and overall I really enjoyed it.

Price: $3.50. 7/10

Another reason for my return to Divine was to sample a dish that was kindly recommended by a reader named Lixuan. The dish that she was adamant I try was the Sliced Fish Bee Hoon Soup. Lixuan was definitely wise to suggest this dish, as it tasted absolutely delicious. The aspect of this dish that I was most fanatical about was the soup. The fish flavour was incredibly strong, yet not too salty - Perfect for a rainy evening (which it was). The other ingredients inside were mock fish, tomato, vegetables and seaweed. For those who have chosen the vegan path (like myself), be sure to make it clear you do not want milk added to this dish. If you do not make this clear, then the default dish will have milk added into the soup. With or without milk, the dish still tasted very nice - So do your arteries a favour, and take the fat and cholesterol (aka milk) out of this dish.

Price: $3.50. 8/10

Conclusion - It brought a smile to my face to retrace history and visit this eatery again. Moreover, it made me even happier to taste two good quality dishes. The crispy noodle was decent, but the fish bee hoon soup should be what motivates you to head there immediately after finishing this wonderful review...Ready...Go!

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 8/10

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Sincerity Vegetarian Food - Yishun

March 5, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Vegetarian Express - Kovan

≪ Previous: Divine Vegetarian Family Restaurant - Hougang

I decided to escape the mindless ~~destruction~~ 'development' that is happening to my beloved Sengkang/Punggol area, and head back to Yishun for an affordable vegetarian meal. This particular hawker centre is opposite from the Chong Pang CC. There are actually two vegetarian stalls within this hawker centre. The other (which I didn't have stomach space to try) is on my hitlist, next time I am in the area. Rather frustratingly, Sincerity Vegetarian Food had most of its dishes unavailable, with certain dishes being available on different days of the week. Inregardless of the limited menu, this stall is extremely popular during lunch and dinner hours, so be prepared to wait. Daily specials include - Nasi briyani (Sunday), Mee Siam (Saturday), Mee Rebus (Thursday & Sunday), Laksa (Tuesday), Chicken Rice (Wednesday) and Duck Rice (Friday).

Sincerity Vegetarian Food
Location: #01-168, Blk 104 Yishun Ring Road, Chong Pang Food Centre
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Daily 5.00am-9.30pm

Nasi Lemak, a dish made famous for its mixture of coconut rice, meat patties, ikan bilis and peanuts. This dish has spawned many different varients from Singapore and Malaysia, and is widely known as one of the most synonymous dishes of this region. This particular version was quick, cheap and tasty - Just how a good nasi lemak should be. The fish patty in particular had nice lemongrass flavour. The peanuts and mock ikan bilis (derived from dried beancurd) added a welcome crunchy textural contrast. Also, rather pleasingly, the red chilli paste was not too overwhelmingly spicy, instead having a slight sweetness and wonderful aroma.

Price: $2.80. 7/10

Conclusion - It is a little unfair for me to give an accurate verdict on this stall based on one dish. Unfortunately I don't have the time to visit on different days of the week to try out each of the 'daily specials' - However, for my beloved readers who live near to Chong Pang, please take the time to leave a comment and let me know the quality of the other dishes.

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 7/10

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Vegetarian Express - Kovan

March 8, 2013, 6:00 pm

≫ Next: Weng Ji Vegetarian - Chinese Gardens

≪ Previous: Sincerity Vegetarian Food - Yishun

The vegetarian industry in Singapore is terribly difficult to break into, with there being countless cases of stalls/restaurants closing down within a few months. The newest kid on the vegetarian block is Vegetarian Express. Location wise, Vegetarian Express makes a wonderful addition to the Kovan area, which has been known as one of the most awful places to be in Singapore (as far as finding good vegetarian food). For more information on this establishment, heading to their facebook page would be a good start.

Vegetarian Express
Location: #02-04, 205 Hougang Street 21, Heartland Mall
Contact: 63835672
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 10.30am-9.30pm. Sat-Sun 10.00am-10.00pm

For such an incredibly small kitchen, Vegetarian Express offers a surprisingly wide array of dishes to choose from. However, I do have some issues with the pricing of some dishes. The list of vegetable dishes represent some of the most expensive dishes on the menu. Moreover, I found it quite merciless to charge $0.30 just for warm plain water. The redeeming qualities are that there is no GST or service charge added. But, I still find the overall pricing a little high, especially as Kovan is considered the outskirts of Singapore.

The first dish to be reviewed is the Nori Roll. This finger food dish dispels the stereotype of sushi being healthy. Within the nori roll is a mock meat not too dissimilar to ngoh hiang. Still not unhealthy enough? The sushi is then deep fried. Certainly the frying of the sushi creates a new textural landscape to the dish, making the nori skin more brittle. For vegans who are anxiously looking at my photo and wondering if the mayonnaise on the plate egg free - It is. Personally, I prefer the fresh and healthy nori wraps, and additionally I found the portion size a little on the small side.

Price: $3.00. 5/10

Next dish was the Lotus Root and Peanut Soup. For those wanting to escape from the monotony of high salt, high spice and high oil foods that make up most of Singapore cuisine, then this dish may scratch that itch. For myself, this soup is a little too bland. I was also disappointed by the texture of the peanuts and lotus root, which were both too hard. This is a sign that the soup has not boiled for long enough. A simple soup, which would be better suited as a side dish to rice and dishes. If you prefer milder flavours, this dish may appeal to you.

Price: $4.80. 5/10

The next dish selected was placed in the 'vegetable' section of the menu, and goes by the name Monkeyhead Mushroom. Cauliflower, broccoli, sugar snap peas, carrots, sweetcorn and (of course) mushroom represented all the ingredients lurking in the sauce. Speaking of the sauce, I found it to be overly starchy and needing a stronger kick of ginger flavour. Monkey head mushrooms are probably one of my favourite things to eat, so I was delighted to see the chef was quite generous with the amount on the plate. A decent dish overall, especially in comparison to the others that I sampled on that night.

Price: $6.80. 6/10

The final dish from this culinary adventure was the Pork Belly Rice. This dish has one very glaring flaw, which I am sure anyone and everyone who orders this dish will notice - Too much salt. Not just a little bit too much, I am talking in terms of a ridiculous amount of salt. Personally, my tolerance for salt is quite high, but even by my standards, this is way too much. The epicentre of the salt comes from the sauce, but the fried mock pork also has a high level of salt. The mock pork texture is welcoming, with there being an intriguing layer of mock fat, which is texturally very similar to the real thing. Nevertheless, any positives were clouded by the critical levels of salt.

Price: $5.80. 3/10

Conclusion - In terms of quality of food, I must admit my trip to Vegetarian Express was a pretty disappointing one. The pork belly rice, in particular, had an unacceptable amount of salt that rendered it almost inedible. I sincerely hope that improvements are made, so that Kovan has an outstanding vegetarian place for those poor souls that live around that area.

Overall Rating
Food - 5/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 6/10
Value - 6/10

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Weng Ji Vegetarian - Chinese Gardens

March 15, 2013, 3:40 am

≫ Next: San De Vegetarian Food - Yishun

≪ Previous: Vegetarian Express - Kovan

As promised, 2013 will continue to be the year I explore the West of Singapore in great detail. I stumbled upon this next stall by accident, and couldn't resist giving it a try. After all, most of the best food in Singapore can be found in these slightly run-down hawker centres on the outskirts of the island. Weng Ji specialises in just one type of dish, the classic bee hoon and dishes. Which is synonymous for being a common breakfast dish in Singapore. If a stall is selling just one dish, then needless to say, I expect that dish to be of a high quality - So lets find out if it was...

Weng Ji Vegetarian
Location: #01-188, Blk 347 Jurong East Ave 1
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Daily 6.00am-5.00pm

The Vegetarian Bee Hoon on offer at Weng Ji certainly strays away from the conventional style that I am so used to. This rendition has a number of ingredients, such as long beans, mock fish, mock ham, dried beancurd, green chilli and cabbage. I was impressed by the quality of the long beans, which were crunchy and juicy. Also, the mock meats all had a delectable smokey aroma. The bee hoon itself was firm and bouncy, but lacking in flavour slightly. Something different (an indicator this is a more classical bee hoon) is the ingredients are swimming in a shallow soup/sauce, which is largely flavourless.

Price: $2.50. 7/10

Conclusion - My journey into the world of vegetarian food in the West is just beginning, but this stall already highlights that there are decent vegetarian stalls lurking in the West, it is just a matter of finding them!

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 8/10
Value - 7/10

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San De Vegetarian Food - Yishun

March 19, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Yi Xin Vegetarian Food - Clementi

≪ Previous: Weng Ji Vegetarian - Chinese Gardens

Having reviewed Zi Zai the previous day, I found myself back in Yishun again. This time I trotted across the road in search of more vegetarian delights in the area. My search led me to this small little stall, directly opposite from Zi Zai. Although just a simple stall, the menu is pretty elabourate. Without further delay, lets find out what the food is like from this stall.

San De Vegetarian Food
Location: #01-1005, Block 256, Yishun Ring Road
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Daily 6.00am - 10.00pm

I opted for a simple Brown Rice and Dishes meal. I would consider myself quite picky when it comes to ordering brown rice. Firstly, I am sick to death of stalls mixing in 50% white rice into the brown rice to save on cost. If I am paying more for brown rice, I want 100% brown, not a mixture. Secondly, I found the rice from this stall was also too mushy. I order the vegetable curry, potato and tofu to go with the rice. I found that the curry was flavourful and not too spicy, the potato had a rich flavour, but was a little too salty. Overall, a pleasing meal, but the main staple (the rice) was a significant let down.

Price: $3.00. 6/10

Conclusion - I will definitely consider coming back to this stall, to sample some of the other dishes they have to offer. For anyone reading this who has previously visited San De, what are your personal favourite dishes?

Overall Rating
Food - 6/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 6/10

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Yi Xin Vegetarian Food - Clementi

March 22, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: My new blog - Durian Dictionary

≪ Previous: San De Vegetarian Food - Yishun

I return to Clementi to review another delightful little vegetarian stall. Yet again, this is another vegetarian stall named 'Yi Xin', which (along with 'Nature') is the most common name for vegetarian stalls in Singapore. This stall should not be confused with the Yi Xin that is located at Clementi Avenue 4. I really enjoyed eating in this particular coffee shop. So often in Singapore, we associate our eating areas with hustle and bustle, rushing our food, and noise coming from all directions. This coffee shop is the exact opposite to that. A quiet, small, and, dare I say, tranquil eating house that is mainly filled with laid-back uncles and foreign workers.

Yi Xin Vegetarian Food
Location: Blk 328 Clementi Avenue 2
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Closed on Thursday

It had been a while since I indulged in vegetarian Bak Kut Teh, so this was the dish I chose. Contrary to the name, there is no actual tea in this dish. Instead, the soup base consists of a variety of spices that are all subtly married together over a long boiling period. I found the flavour in the soup of this dish to be a little weak. What did impress me was the variety of ingredients used, with a myriad of vegetables, mushroom, beancurd and mushroom stem mock meat floating inside. Thick yellow noodles are used by default in this dish, but customers can feel free to change to a different variety of noodle. Overall a pleasing dish, I just wish the soup base had a stronger flavour packed into it.

Price: $3.00. 7/10

Conclusion - One of the nicest coffee shops I have been to in Singapore, and certainly one I would return to, simply for the peaceful ambiance. Food wise, although I would have preferred to have sampled more dishes, the bak kut teh was definitely decent.

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 9/10
Service - 6/10
Value - 6/10

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My new blog - Durian Dictionary

March 24, 2013, 12:15 am

≫ Next: Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining - Bugis

≪ Previous: Yi Xin Vegetarian Food - Clementi

After running Hunryangmo.com for almost four years now, I have decided that I need a new additional challenge. Apart from vegetarian food, my biggest food related passion is durian. I am fascinated by the many different species, flavours, textures and smells that durian has. This remarkable fruit is an incredible product of nature that anyone and everyone can enjoy! Whether you are a meat-eater, vegetarian, vegan, fruitarian or raw foodist.

Click here to go to Durian Dictionary!

This new blog will follow a similar format to hungryangmo.com, where I gallivant around Singapore looking for the best durian that I can find. I feel that Singapore doesn't have a comprehensive online guide on durians, therefore this new blog will help to fill that empty niche.

I hope that whether you like durian or not, you will come over and follow my writings on Durian Dictionary also.

Fear not, hungryangmo.com will still be running and I will be updating just as frequently as before!

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Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining - Bugis

March 28, 2013, 4:37 am

≫ Next: Lin Lin Vegetarian Delights - Bedok

≪ Previous: My new blog - Durian Dictionary

Once in a while, a new vegetarian restaurant pops up that will be sure to get the vegetarian communities hearts beating faster. Bespoke, otherwise known as 'Teng', otherwise known as...Well, this is one big problem, it is difficult to know what name to give this place. There is no clear name on the outside of the restaurant, moreover it doesn't state it is vegetarian either. Aside from that design flaw, the interior design of this restaurant is fantastic. Unfortunately, when we arrived that night, the restaurant was completely empty (see 'Conclusion' for the reason why).

Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining
Location: 91 Bencoolen Street, #01-50 Sunshine Plaza
Contact: 63377050
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am-3.00pm & 5.30pm-10.00pm

Comparisons are inevitably going to be made with Zen Japanese, which at one time was one of the most popular vegetarian restaurants in Singapore. Menu wise, there are a lot of similar dishes being offered at Bespoke. If anything, Bespoke's menu is even more vast, compared to Zen. Price wise, it is also very similar to Zen. There was only one dish currently unavailable, which was the unagi - Which, ironically, was the dish I was most eager to try. Even without the unagi, this is an incredibly diverse and detailed menu, which will leave you spoilt for choice.

One big positive that Bespoke currently has is their staff, the waiter is kind and friendly, and was very patient in adjusting the food to suit my vegan needs. After completing our order, the waiter recommended that their Traditional Ocha (green tea) would make for an ideal accompaniment to our food. This tea is apparently made from the traditional loose Japanese green tea leaves. Quite frankly, I couldn't taste a big difference compared to just a regular green tea teabag - But I'll take their word for it that these are special leaves. Seven dollars entitles you to unlimited refills.

Price: $7.00. 7/10

For vegan customers, you will find that a lot of the dishes contain dairy (usually in the form of mayo), therefore be sure to check with the waiter, so that the offending ingredients can be excluded. The Avocado Maki was one such example, that has mayo (with egg) within the maki roll and dolloped on top. I asked for half to exclude mayo and half to be served as normal (as I was eating with my ovo-lacto girlfriend). Presentation wise, all the dishes from Bespoke are beautifully displayed on the plate, special care was taken in cutting the avocado into thin strips, which looked picture perfect. Inside the maki was mock sashimi, mock prawn, cucumber and nori. The dish tasted subtle, fresh and creamy (thanks to the avocado). Most importantly, the rice texture was firm and not over-cooked. An impressive start to the meal.

Price: $12.00. 9/10

Bespoke has a number of set meals, that go up as high as $36. I went for the Green Tea Soba Set, which was one of the more affordable set meals. Portion wise, it was definitely big (not big enough for the Hungry Ang Mo, but for someone with 'normal' stomach space, I am sure it would be enough). The focal point of the dish is the green tea soba, which was absolutely delicious. The soup was flavourful (some may find it too salty - For me it was fine) and ingredients well cooked - I especially loved the tempura batter bits that were swimming inside. The other components to the set included stir-fried vegetables (cooked magnificently), sushi, salad, green tea pudding (non-vegan) and rather oddly, a cheese and tomato fried spring roll (non-vegan) - Which seemed a little out of place, if you ask me.

Price: $18.00. 8/10

I ordered several other dishes, which the chef simply put together on one plate, so let us go through them now...

My first selection was the Smoked Duck with Mushroom. This dish consists of layers of mock duck and king oyster mushroom, which were then drizzled in a dark, rich, mildly sweet and (too) salty sauce. The mushrooms were cooked perfectly and packed with juice. The 'duck' slices were a little too salty, but did have good smokey flavour. When consuming the mock duck, it reminded me of the thin BBQ pork strips that are sold in such barbaric abundance in Singapore.

Price: $12.00. 7/10

Next up was the Beancurd with Natto. Natto is highly controversial, with most people detesting the taste of it. For all the debate on the taste, no one can deny the health benefits of these fermented soya beans. For this dish, the natto is sandwiched in between two thin triangular beancurd sheets. When dunked into the special yuzu sauce, the taste was definitely decent. However, I found the portion size was definitely too small to justify the price.

Price: $6.00. 6/10

Probably the most disappointing dish of the evening was the Teriyaki Chicken. The major reason for this was the salt level in the dish. Not only the sauce, but the mock meat itself had way too much salt content. I also found that just two skewers was a little merciless, considering the price tag. The positives were that the mock meat was well charred, and (minus the salt) did have good flavour. Not a dish that I would consider ordering again though.

Price: $6.00. 5/10

Conclusion - Bespoke would benefit from better marketing, otherwise I am worried for their future. The Japanese vegetarian market has the potential to be hugely successful in Singapore, but Bespoke need to know how to sell their strengths first. With no facebook, website, clear restaurant name - It will be difficult for them to gather attention from the public. With that being said, I was definitely impressed with the food they were selling. I guess this makes their lack of marketing all the more frustrating, because I firmly believe these dishes deserve to be enjoyed by the mass population.

Overall Rating
Food - 8/10
Ambiance- 9/10
Service - 9/10
Value - 6/10

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Lin Lin Vegetarian Delights - Bedok

April 3, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Big Bites Pure Vegetarian Restaurant - Sengkang

≪ Previous: Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining - Bugis

Just over two years ago, I wrote a post on Hungry Ang Mo about Lin Lin, where I declared they sold possibly the best vegetarian dish in Singapore. That dish is fried hor fun. Recently I found myself back in Bedok again, and felt a magnetic pull from my stomach to this stall. It would be a crime for anyone to go to Bedok and not eat at this stall. Just to be sure not to visit on Monday, as they are closed all day. So without further day, let us visit the king/queen of wok hei.

Lin Lin Vegetarian Delights
Location: Blk 412, Bedok North Ave 2, 01-114, Bedok
Contact: 62427010
Opening Hours: Tue-Sun 10.00am-10.00pm. Closed Monday.

After ordering Fried Hor Fun, I watched the kitchen in amazement, as I saw it fill with a thick smoke. The wok hei (smoke flavour) is so strong that the chef has to wear a mask! I have had a lot of people comment proclaiming Jing Yi has stronger wok hei. I am sorry, I still feel that Lin Lin is miles ahead. You must make sure it is the wife or husband owner that cooks it however. I did once have it cooked by another member of staff, and the wok hei was not as strong. If you like wok hei, then you must go and order the hor fun from this stall. Since my first visit, the price has undergone an increase - I do still feel it is worth it though, because the quality of the dish is so high.

Price: $4.00. 10/10

Conclusion - Surprisingly Lin Lin does have quite a vast menu of other dishes. For myself though, I am very single-minded when visiting, my focus is totally on fried hor fun. To achieve this level of smoke flavour, yet not burning the ingredients too severely is a masterful skill. You simply must visit and order this dish.

Overall Rating
Food - 9/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 8/10
Value - 7/10

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Big Bites Pure Vegetarian Restaurant - Sengkang

April 5, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Kiat Lin Vegetarian Kitchen - Bedok

≪ Previous: Lin Lin Vegetarian Delights - Bedok

Most people who read my blog know that I have the misfortune of residing in Sengkang. Sengkang is a pretty dismal place for those who refrain from eating meat. This is my second review of Big Bites, the first review was conducted over two years ago. For those looking for healthy vegetarian/vegan food, kindly run in the opposite direction of Big Bites - As the food in sinfully high in oil and salt. I must shamefully confess that Big Bites is a place that I will frequent, perhaps a couple of times per week. Kopitiam Square has been an absolute disaster, but one positive from this flop is there are always plenty of seats, and this hawker doesn't have the level of stress that most have.

Big Bites Pure Vegetarian Restaurant
Location: Kopitiam Square, 10 Sengkang Square
Contact: 62976297
Opening Hours: Daily until 10pm

For all the complaining I do about living in Sengkang, one good thing I can say, is just a stones throw away from where I live is one of the best Masala Dosa in Singapore. The masala dosa from this stall has changed a lot over the months and years, depending on the type of chef, and the general mood of the chef. In particular, the potato masala filling can fluctuate a lot in texture and spice level depending on the day. The texture of the dosa itself is thin, crisp and perfectly charred. This stall also has one of the best sambars I have tasted too. An outstanding dosa.

Price: $3.75. 9/10

The infamous Indian orb that will bring joy to your taste buds, and suffering to your arteries. Yes, of course I am talking about Channa Bhattura. This dish can range from absolutely perfect to dismally poor, depending on the mood of the chef again. When it is done right, the texture the chef manages to achieve is ideal, and the channa masala that accompanies it is delicious. When the chef is feeling lazy, he will serve a bhattura that has not correctly puffed up, leaving the texture tough and brittle - Almost inedible. I always make sure to state that I want it to 'puff up', just so the chef is clear that I won't be willing to accept his half-assed version of a bhattura.

Price: $5.90. 8/10

One significant change from the last time I reviewed Big Bites, is the inclusion of a real tandoor oven in the kitchen. This has lead to breads like the Plain Naan to have a vast improvement. Although it has improved, I still would rate this as an average naan only. I would prefer a great charring on this bread. On some particular days the naan quality is very nice, with it being thin, flaky, charred yet chewy at the same time. However, most days I find the naan a little too flat and doughy. For those who are non-vegan, I recommend ordering the garlic or butter naan - I've not eaten it myself, but it looks perfect.

Price: $1.60. 7/10

Conclusion - My biggest frustration with Big Bites is consistency. I really adore some of the dishes they produce, I just wish there was a level of reliability in what I am ordering. Instead of, as it is now, ordering and just hoping they prepare the dish the same way they did last time. Sengkang has a high proportion of Chinese residents, and I hope in the future that these individuals will be less cautious when it comes to plucking up the courage to order food from Big Bites. Please, I am begging you, step out of your comfort zone and try something new! Business is generally very impressive at nights, especially as Indians love to eat dinner very late.

Overall Rating
Food - 8/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 7/10

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Kiat Lin Vegetarian Kitchen - Bedok

April 10, 2013, 6:00 pm

≫ Next: Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining - Bugis

≪ Previous: Big Bites Pure Vegetarian Restaurant - Sengkang

A special thank you to an anonymous reader who urged me to visit Kiat Lin a while back. Bedok (especially Bedok North) is definitely a hotspot in Singapore for vegetarian food. There are really a lot eateries, and all of a high quality, too. Out of the numerous vegetarian stalls that are dotted around Bedok, the most synonymous one is arguably Lin Lin, for its awesome wok hei taste. Kiat Lin, however, also has a pretty heady audience of regular customers. So without further hesitation, let us discover what Kiat lin has to offer...

Kiat Lin Vegetarian Kitchen
Location: Blk 515 Bedok North Avenue 2
Contact: 94373882
Opening Hours: Daily 8.30am - 8.00pm

Rather frustratingly, this stall doesn't have any pricing on the walls, so it means having to constantly ask the staff. Kiat Lin has more expensive dishes that range from $6-$8, and more affordable dishes such as fried rice and noodles, these dishes are only $3.

First dish I selected was the Fried Hor Fun. This was actually a pretty impressive rendition of the dish. I enjoyed the variety of ingredients that could be found - Especially the two types of mushrooms. Fried hor fun varies so much depending on which stall you visit. There is the more anemic type, and on the opposite end of that scale, there is the type that has a large quantity of dark sauce. Kiat Lin's hor fun definitely belongs to the latter category, which is my personal favourite. A delicious and satisfying dish overall.

Price: $3.00. 8/10

Looking for another dish to tuck into, I settled on the Braised Beancurd. Let us start with the few positives - I did like the fact that there were many ingredients, such as black fungus, capsicum, mushrooms, tomato (a really under-utilized ingredient) etc. However, this dish suffered greatly from the two deadly S's - Spice and salt. The dish was ridiculously spicy. Not only is there sliced red chilli's floating around, but the sauce itself was burning hot. It should really come with a warning about the spice level. Additionally, the chef was equally as liberal with the salt amount - Way too salty. This dish has the potential to be a winner, but right now, it should be removed from the menu as it is virtually inedible.

Price: $6.00. 2/10

Conclusion - I am really not sure what to think about Kiat Lin. My dining experience was a roller coaster of highs and lows, and the only way to have a more balanced opinion will be to order more dishes - Which I plan to do in the future. If you are going, I certainly recommend their hor fun, which I could have happily eaten three plates of.

Overall Rating
Food - 5/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 6/10
Value - 6/10

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Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining - Bugis

April 12, 2013, 6:54 pm

≫ Next: Sin Min Vegetarian Food - Bedok

≪ Previous: Kiat Lin Vegetarian Kitchen - Bedok

It is pleasing to see how fortunes can change in the space of a few weeks. During my first review of Bespoke, I highlighted how unfortunately there was a lack of customers dining at this restaurant. Well, upon returning two weeks later, I was delighted to see that the restaurant was full of eager customers during the lunch time. I have been told by my readers this is also the case for dinner time. I am sure the current 30% discount has something to do with the increase in customers. I would also like to think my first review has helped too.

Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining
Location: 91 Bencoolen Street, #01-50 Sunshine Plaza
Contact: 63377050
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am-3.00pm & 5.30pm-10.00pm

Japanese food always has such close links to the sea, due to the geographical location of Japan and the ingredients that are used. The main one of those being fish. Seaweed, however, is another one of those ingredients that manages to capture the true essence of ocean food, within its flavour. This dish, named Stir Fried Japanese Seaweed with Carrot & Green Bean contains extremely fresh, high quality seaweed, which almost melts in the mouth. Although some people may argue this is an incredibly simplistic dish, I would retort that simplicity is one of the fundamental characteristics of Japanese cuisine. Simple fresh flavours and quality ingredients are the key, which this dish certainly has.

Price: $3.00. 7/10

Another side dish that I picked out was the Mushroom Shitake. The picture on the menu looks completely different to what actually arrives on the table. The picture shows a dry, raw looking mushroom, when in real-life it is doused in a special sauce and char-grilled nicely. The biggest criticism I have with this dish is too much salt in the sauce. The issue of high amounts of salt is a reoccurring problem at Bespoke. Putting that issue aside, the mushrooms were packed with juice and charred wonderfully. You will received two skewers of mushrooms for the price, which I find reasonable.

Price:$3.00. 7/10

One of the more expensive dishes on the menu is the Three Kind Sashimi. The concept of mock sashimi became well known in Singapore thanks to the late Zen Vegetarian Restaurant, and now Bespoke is offering an almost identical dish - No surprise, as the head chef from Zen is now working at Bespoke. The three kinds of mock sashimi are served on a platform, with a bed of ice cubes underneath. Since I was dining with two non-vegetarian colleagues, I asked their opinion on whether the mock sashimi was similar to the real thing - Their response was that the fake version tasted nice, but was lacking in certain elements, such as flavour and texture - Compared to the real thing. For those that have never eaten real sashimi (like myself) then this dish will provide quite a novelty, irregardless of how authentic it is. But price wise, it is shockingly high.

Price: $18.00. 6/10

Without a doubt my personal favourite dish from Bespoke is the Green Tea Soba. Last time I visited, I had this soup as part of a set meal. This time around I had it simply by itself. The dish is a conglomeration of different subtle flavours. The bits of tempura batter that are floating on the top added a fantastic textural and taste element to the dish. The soup flavour has the right balance of salt, and the green tea soba is bouncy and fresh. Definitely a dish that you must order when visiting Bespoke.

Price: $9.00. 9/10

Conclusion - Now that business has risen exponentially, I see the sky being the limit for Bespoke. 100% vegetarian Japanese restaurants are practically non-existent in Singapore, so Bespoke has the market entirely to itself. Some adjustments need to be made in a few of their dishes, especially in terms of salt levels, but overall their food is excellent.

Overall Rating
Food - 8/10
Ambiance- 9/10
Service - 9/10
Value - 6/10

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Sin Min Vegetarian Food - Bedok

April 16, 2013, 9:36 pm

≫ Next: O'Bean Organic Soya Store - Raffles Place

≪ Previous: Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining - Bugis

Having reviewed hundreds of vegetarian establishments, I admittedly get a little tired of the repetitive dishes that are on offer at most eateries. Therefore, it was refeshing to see Sin Min Vegetarian Food selling a variety of uncommon dishes. This stall has built up a loyal following, chiefly for their four Japanese set meals, which are all sold at only $5. The yong tau foo is also a popular seller. During the brief talk I had with the owner, it is clear he has great pride and passion in his dishes, which always scores brownie points with me.

Sin Min Vegetarian Food
Location: #01-357, Blk 205 Bedok North Street 1
Contact: 93876488
Opening Hours: Daily 8.00am-9.00pm

It was inevitable that I would order one of the Japanese meals. I went with the Japanese Unagi Bento Set. The components to this set meal are as follows - Fish (unagi) slices in special sauce, white rice, watermelon, mayo, and dessert. This set meal can potentially be a minefield for vegans like myself. The dessert contains egg (and possibly milk as well), and the mayonesise also is not vegan. The mock meat joined very well with the rice, and I was pleased by the flavour of the sauce that was drizzled over the fish.

Price: $5.00. 7/10

I wanted to order another dish, so I packeted the Noodle with Special Sauce. Although the price seemed a little steep at first, I was impressed by how jam-packed the container was with food. This dish could be considered a little too salty for most, but other than that I found the flavours to be very nice. Ingredients within the dish are small pieces of mock char siew, another type of diced mock meat, beansprouts, vegetable and fried tau kee.

Price: $3.80. 7/10

Conclusion - Possitive attitude can go a long way in the hawker/food business. So often I visit stalls and see a tired and apathetic look on the face of the staff. For this stall, it was refreshing to see the owner show such dedication and care in the food he presents to the public. The food is not perfect, but definitely above average.

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 9/10
Value - 7/10

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O'Bean Organic Soya Store - Raffles Place

April 20, 2013, 10:14 pm

≫ Next: Ming Hoe Vegetarian Food - Paya Lebar

≪ Previous: Sin Min Vegetarian Food - Bedok

Over the last decade, Singapore has seen an exponential rise in soya bean stalls, that sell a variety of desserts, drinks and other items. O'Bean is one of the newer kids on the block, but has already established a number of stalls in locations such as Toa Payoh and Tanjong Pagar. For the purpose of this review, I visited their newest establishment, located in Far East Square. It is conceivable to walk from Chinatown MRT and Raffles Place MRT, in order to reach here.

O'Bean Organic Soya Store
Location: #01-01, 1 Amoy Street, Far East Square
Contact: 91186375
Opening Hours: Daily 8.00am-8.00pm

O'Bean is unlike most drinks/desserts eateries, as they also have a somewhat detailed savoury section to their menu. Prices are not cheap, and some of the dishes do contain egg, so be cautious when ordering.

One issue O'Bean really needs to address is the baffling waiting time. For the first dish to arrive, which was the Soya Ramen with Dumpling, I waited almost 20 minutes. Upon tucking into the dish, I was pleased to find that the soup base was not too salty, and had good flavour. But that was contrasted by the disappointment of the ingredients being hopelessly overcooked. The vegetables were so overcooked they were practically rendered to mush. Moreover, the dumplings were stuck together in one big blob. It is a shame, as these amateurish mistakes ruined what could have been a really decent dish.

Price: $7.80. 5/10

Next dish was the Peanut Soya Porridge. This dish has the option of large and regular sizing. I opted for the regular. I was quite pleased that the portion sizes at O'Bean were not at as small as I anticipated. Therefore, this dish was suitably sized for the price. I was impressed by the flavour and texture of this porridge. The only improvement I would suggest is having more rice grains present, to give the dish more substance.

Price: $3.00. 7/10

I picked out one of the side dishes to order also, which was the Braised Beancurd. All the food from O'Bean is completely 100% vegetarian. However, some of the side dishes do have egg. This beancurd was sat in a deliciously strong mushroom broth. Some customers may find this broth too salty or overpowering, but for my salt-obsessed taste buds, it was just fine. A satisfying little snack.

Price: $1.20. 7/10

We move onto the desserts, and we start with the Original Beancurd. Price wise, I found this dessert was definitely reasonable. However, quality wise I found that there was some improvements that could be made. To start with, I found that too much sugar was used overall, a reduction in the aforementioned ingredient would be welcomed. Also, the beancurd didn't have that delectable creamy consistency, that some of the more famous beancurd dessert stalls in Singapore have. With a few adjustments this dessert could be much better.

Price: $1.80. 6/10

Another dessert I selected was the Black Glutinous Rice & Banana. This item was unfortunately the most disappointing of the meal. What was delivered to our table was vastly different from what the picture suggests. Firstly, the dessert was way too diluted. I expect a dish like this to be served hot and creamy, instead the texture was more like water and the temperature was lukewarm. Secondly, the chef rather lazily just added slices or raw banana into it. I was expecting the banana to be cooked, so that its texture becomes more creamy and flavour more caramelized - But sadly that was not the case. All in all, the dish looked like it was put together by a seven year old - Not something I would suggest anyone order.

Price: $3.50. 4/10

Conclusion - Definitely significant improvements need to be made in all aspects of service and food quality at O'Bean. Considering how simple the dishes are, I just couldn't understand why there was such a long waiting time. Singapore is a country that has incredibly low waiting time for food - Therefore, I doubt many other customers will be able to accept it either. But it is not only waiting time - The quality of dishes, especially the banana glutinous rice really needs vast improvement, just to get to an acceptable level.

Overall Rating
Food - 5/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 4/10
Value - 6/10

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Ming Hoe Vegetarian Food - Paya Lebar

April 22, 2013, 6:00 pm

≫ Next: Hungry Ang Mo Feedback

≪ Previous: O'Bean Organic Soya Store - Raffles Place

I always get an odd gratification from visiting the more dilapidated, dirty and smelly hawker centres and coffee shops in Singapore. Singapore always likes to portray this image of being pristine and clean, but unfortunately a consequence of that is a loss in culture. These old eating houses represent an example of true character and culture, which unfortunately is dwindling away as the years go by in Singapore. In this establishment, you may see cockroaches on the floor, or a stray cat lingering around your chair leg - I can understand that some would want these sort of conditions to be abolished. For me, this is the real Singapore, and I wouldn't want it to change.

Ming Hoe Vegetarian Food
Location: Blk 30, Eunos Road 5, Tai Peng Canteen
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 7.00am-2.00pm. Closed Sunday.

The biggest attribute that Ming Hoe has is the doting auntie that works there. Her level of English is surprisingly high, and the care she gives each customers is laudable. The food (like most industrial eating houses) is really cheap, and the quality I found acceptable. One unusual dish that I selected with my White Rice and Dishes, was deep fried cauliflower. The cauliflower is fried in a thick batter, and surely fans of greasy food will love it. Personally, fried food is not my thing, but I found this rendition of cauliflower interesting. I also ordered a few types of tofu, as well as long beans - Which were all flavoured and cooked well. The food also comes with a flavourful bittergourd and tofu soup. Extremely good value.

Price: $2.50. 7/10

Conclusion -If you ever get the chance to visit the industrial areas of Singapore, it is definitely worthwhile to visit the eating houses there. They may be dusty, dirty and smelly - But often very delicious and cheap vegetarian food can be found there.

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 8/10
Value - 8/10

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Hungry Ang Mo Feedback

April 24, 2013, 1:09 am

≫ Next: Veggie Cottage - Little India

≪ Previous: Ming Hoe Vegetarian Food - Paya Lebar

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Veggie Cottage - Little India

April 26, 2013, 4:08 am

≫ Next: Indian Cuisine - Vegan Palak Paneer

≪ Previous: Hungry Ang Mo Feedback

I am eternally indebted to Heng Mui, one of my facebook followers, who suggested I check out this new 100% vegan eatery, located just behind The Verge. This establishment opened its doors in April 2013, and it brings to Singapore a completely unique approach to vegan dining and food. All the staff at this establishment are completely vegan. For Buddhists, take note of dishes that contain onion. Most of the local dishes are without onion, but the more continental dishes often include this pungent spice.

Veggie Cottage
Location: 13 Dalhousie Lane
Contact: 67856771
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-8pm, Sunday 11am-4pm. Closed Thursday.

The ambiance of this eatery is unquestionably the nicest I have ever seen in Singapore. Upon opening the door, you feel a peaceful and relaxing energy flow through your body. It also gave me distinct flashbacks to the times when I ate in small little cafes in England and Australia. What a wonderful and rare feeling this is, in such a bustling society like Singapore. This eatery is small and cosy, with a bookshelf and a small children's table. The signboards, menu signs and other design features were all handmade by the owners, and you can really feel the love that was put into creating this setting.

I started this particular stomach-filling session with the Mini Cottage Pie. The menu at Veggie Cottage is currently a work in progress, with a series of new dishes planned to be introduced in the future. As of right now, the menu changes depending on the day, so it is best to check their Facebook page or give them a call, in order to find out what is available that day. Upon consuming this cottage pie, it gave me a nostalgic flashback of old pie shops that are on every street corner of my old country (England) - Minus the freezing cold conditions of that country. This pie is filled with chiefly potatoes and carrots. These ingredients are encased in a delectably flaky pastry. The top of this pastry was cooked until golden brown, which added extra flavour to this moreish snack. Leave the fork on the table for this one, it is much better eaten with hands.

Price: $2.00. 8/10

During my second visit to Veggie Cottage, the snack available was the Cinnamon Roll. This was another well done snack, which had the right amount of sweetness, and a lovely cinnamon flavour shimmering throughout the entire bread. It was not too sweet, with a lot of the sweetness coming from raisins, which is definitely healthier than white sugar.

Price: $1.00. 7/10

Veggie Cottage also has a number of eyebrow raising drinks on offer. One of those is the Soy Latte. Once again, all hot drinks are entirely vegan, with soy being used as a replacement to cow's milk. The owners of this establishment painstakingly sampled numerous soy-to-coffee combinations, in order to find the perfect quality desired for these drinks. The result of this hard work is a great tasting, mild and creamy hot drink, which is a perfect accompaniment to the ambiance of the cafe.

Price: $4.00. 8/10

Before we move onto the solid food, I decided to test out one more of the drinks, which was the Plum Lime Drink. This homemade concoction was a pleasing blend of sweetness, saltiness and sourness - But thankfully none of these were too overpowering. Really great value also.

Price: $1.50. 7/10

Moving on to the main meals, I started with the Spaghetti Bolognese. Over my many years of food reviewing, I have learnt a painful lesson - It is practically impossible to find good Italian food in Singapore. Due to this, I have simply stopped ordering Italian food in Singapore. Having said that, this spaghetti is one of the best I have ever tasted in Singapore. I have finally found a chef in Singapore that knows how long spaghetti needs to be cooked for - Finally! Thus, the texture of the pasta was ideal. The tomato sauce was also packed with flavour. The TVP used inside added even more desirable texture and flavour. A couple of sprigs of coriander were placed on topped, which enhanced the freshness of the dish. This dish contains onions.

Price: $6.50. 9/10

The dish I was looking forward to trying the most from Veggie Cottage was the fish and chips (just seems like a perfect dish for the ambiance of the eatery). But alas, the two times I visited it was not on the menu. Therefore, I settled with the Hamburger with Fries. The fries were average, personally I am not a big fan of the crinkled variety. The burger was highly enjoyable, though. The mock meat patty was packed with flavour and matched well with the tomato, lettuce and pickle that were also sandwiched inside. It is certainly a relief being able to order a burger without the worry that cheese will be inside, or the mayo has egg. Good dish overall.

Price: $6.50. 7/10

I also sampled one of Veggie Hub's local offerings, which was the Nasi Lemak. Many aspects of this dish differ from the conventional nasi lemak. The rice is subtly infused with lemongrass, which gives an unusually refreshing feel to the rice. The other components of the dish all worked in harmony together. In particular, the stir-fried carrots and cauliflower were packed with flavour. One criticism I have is the chilli, which had a maliciously high spice level to it. If the spice level of the chilli was reduced, then I would have to say this dish was practically faultless.

Price: $5.00. 8/10

I finished this highly satisfying meal off with the Pandan Cupcake. One difficulty that vegan desserts (especially cakes) seem to have is replicating the texture and moisture of non-vegan desserts. Even vegan dessert guru Delcie - As brilliant as she is - Can struggle with this issue. This pandan cupcake, is indeed, a little too dry and crumbly and doesn't quite capture the texture of a non-vegan cake. Nevertheless, the infusion of pandan works very well, and the sugar level of this cupcake was perfect.

Price: $1.00. 7/10

Conclusion - Once the Veggie Cottage menu fully matures, I believe wholeheartedly that Veggie Cottage will be one of the best vegetarian/vegan eateries in the entire country. I intend to do a second review of this establishment in a few months, once the menu has been finalized. One small problem is the waiting time for the food, which is too long. However, considering this place is only a few weeks old, all I can say is this place is incredible. A breath of fresh air for the veggie scene in Singapore. I can't wait to see this eatery fully blossom.

Overall Rating
Food - 8/10
Ambiance- 10/10
Service - 8/10
Value - 8/10

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Indian Cuisine - Vegan Palak Paneer

April 30, 2013, 6:00 pm

≫ Next: TJ Vegan Fusion Party Food - Lakeside

≪ Previous: Veggie Cottage - Little India

After reading this title, you may wonder how on earth Palak Paneer - A dish that is so dependant on cream, ghee and cheese - Can be made vegan? I will gladly show you how.

Since my transformation from vegetarian to vegan, which happened over a year ago. I have been painstakingly cooking my favourite Indian dishes at home, and converting them into completely 100% vegan dishes. This can sometimes be incredibly challenging, as Indian food depends a lot of animal products. Nevertheless, it is not impossible. This dish will be the first in a series of posts, where I share how exactly to vegan-ize one of the most vegan-unfriendly cuisines in the world.

Note - Palak Paneer and Methi Chaman are closely linked. If you want to make Methi Chaman, all you must do it add equal quantity methi (fenugreek leaves) and spinach.

Ingredients

· Mustard Oil – 3 TBS

· Palak (Indian spinach) – Bunch

· Fresh methi/fenugreek leaves (optional - If you are making methi chaman) – Bunch

· Fresh coriander – Handful

· Onion – 1 large

· Tomato – 3 medium

· Cashew nuts and Watermelon seeds (finely blended until ‘cream’ texture is achieved) – ½ cup cashew & ¼ cup watermelon seeds

· Ginger garlic paste – 1 TBS

· Turmeric – 1 TSP

· Cumin seeds – 1 TBS

· Coriander powder – 3 TBS

· Cumin powder - 2 ½ TBS

· Garam masala powder – 2 TBS

· Hing – Pinch

· Pepper powder – 1 TBS

· Firm tofu – 2 blocks

· Nutritional yeast – 4 TBS

· Salt – To taste

· Sugar – 1 TBS

*All these spice powders can be bought from Mustafa or any Indian grocer.*

Instructions

1. Slice the firm tofu into cubes and drain as much excess water from the blocks as you can. After which, place in a bowl and add nutritional yeast (this gives the cheese flavour) and salt together and let it sit for about one hour.

2. Soak cashew nuts and watermelon seeds for around one hour in warm water. After, blend them together until cream-like consistency is achieved. Set aside.

3. Roughly chop the spinach and then blanch for one minute in hot water, then place into the blender.

4. Blend the spinach roughly and set aside.

5. In a pan, add mustard oil. Once heated, add cumin seeds and cook until aroma comes out of the seeds.

6. Add finely diced onion, and cook until onions become golden.

7. Add ginger garlic paste, and cook until raw flavour goes away. Then add turmeric and hing – Very little hing.

8. Add finely diced tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are very soft.

9. Add the spinach mixture into the pan and cook for at least 15 minutes, constantly stirring during that time. After adding the mixture, sprinkle a little sugar (this helps retain the bright green colour).

10. Once this mixture is cooked, add cumin powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, pepper powder and more salt.

11. Once mixture becomes slightly dried out, add the cashew nut and watermelon seeds mixture into the curry (do not add it all) and mix. This nut/seed paste replicates cream.

12. Cook for another 5 minutes, and then serve.

13. Sprinkle fresh coriander on top, and add more cashew nut and watermelon seed paste on top.

14. Done!

Bhojan ka anand!

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TJ Vegan Fusion Party Food - Lakeside

May 3, 2013, 5:00 am

≫ Next: Vegan Lasagna

≪ Previous: Indian Cuisine - Vegan Palak Paneer

I would have to say, in my three plus years of food reviewing, the stall that will be the focus of this post is probably the most bizarre and unique stall I have ever come across. TJ Vegan Fusion Party Food is an entirely vegan establishment run by just one person - Timothy. He specializes in party food/finger food that is without the use of meat, eggs or dairy. The menu for what is available changes on a daily basis, and Timothy recommends that you call ahead (via the number below) in order to find out what's available. A TJ Vegan Facebook was also recently created.

TJ Vegan Fusion Party Food
Location: 3 Yung Sheng Road, Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre, #03-130
Contact: 94481219
Opening Hours: Tue-Sun 11am-7pm. Closed Monday.

I was really looking forward to sampling the vegan Cocoa Cupcakes served at TJ. On this particular day, two varieties of cocoa cupcakes were being sold - Citrus peel and raisins. Being someone who adores desserts that have raisins in, it wouldn't take much effort to guess which was my favourite. Both varieties, though, had a tremendously authentic texture. Vegan desserts tend to be dry and crumbly, yet these cupcakes were nice and moist. Can you still tell that these are vegan? Yes, as there is still a undertone of soy taste and the texture still doesn't quite match the real thing. Having said that, these cupcakes are one of the most accurate imitations that I have sampled so far. The price is extremely reasonable, especially considering vegan desserts are such a specialized market.

Price: $1.50 (per piece). 8/10

Next came the highlight of the day for me, this Shitake Mushroom Pizza was truly delectable. Timothy concocts his own 'cheese' sauce derived chiefly from nutritional yeast, which has a strong resemblance to the real thing. The mushrooms were sauteed perfectly, with each slice being packed with flavour. Warning to Buddhists, garlic oil is used in this pizza - However, you are able to ask for this ingredient to be excluded. The crust of this pizza was stored 48 hours, in order for the dough to mature enough, this cold fermentation makes for an ideal texture to the base of the pizza. The pizza picture (left) is just a sample, which Timothy whipped up for me. The real order comes in round six inch pizzas. 'Curry and sliced tomato' topping will also be available soon. How wonderful that we can now find vegan pizza in Singapore. Definitely one you must get! Incredible price once again, especially considering the ingredients used.

Price: $5.00 (6 inch). 9/10

Conclusion - What impressed me most about this stall was the standard of cleanliness that Timothy upholds when cooking. This is probably the neatest looking stall I've seen. The stall, however, could do with a little more glitz and glamour, which I am sure would lure more customers to it. The quality of the finger food is really good, and you can tell Timothy has put a lot of love and care into everything he makes. Wherever you live in Singapore, making a trip to this stall is definitely not a wasted journey.

Overall Rating
Food - 8/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 9/10
Value - 9/10

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