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Clik here to view.What the vegetarian food industry has been needing for a long time is an injection of Generation Y - And it seems like now we are finally getting it. The idea of Jiv Jago Vegetarian Cafe came from husband and wife duo Yuga and Vaishnavi, both only in their mid-20's. Vaishnavi is the star in the kitchen, while Yuga manages the cafe. The name 'jiv jago' literally means 'soul awakened' in Bengali. Rather interestingly, Vaishnavi is the daughter of the owner of Gokul. Growing up in such a household, and learning from her mother (who is one of the most talented cooks I've met) must surely have put Vaishnavi on the right tracks for her career in the kitchen. Jiv Jago has a frequently updated facebook page.
Jiv Jago Vegetarian Cafe
Location: 17 Bali Lane
Contact: 96796722
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat 12pm-11pm, Sun 12pm-10pm
The decor and ambiance of this eatery is almost like a backpackers cafe. It is very laid back and casual, with images of famous vegetarians, such as Albert Einstein and The Beatles plastered on the walls. The contents of the menu is entirely Western. In terms of dietary requirements - Everything on the menu is void of onions and garlic, except for garlic bread and aglio olio. All food is eggless. For vegans, many dishes are naturally vegan, and most of the rest can be converted into vegan.
One of the affordable side dish options available at Jiv Jago is the Mushroom Soup. This soup comes in a small bowl, and is an ideal accompanyment to any of the main meal options (especially the pasta). The soup is freshly made, and I really enjoyed the large chunks of mushroom that could be found swimming inside. Note - Subsequently after my visit I've found out this soup contains dairy (cream), vegans do not order. I hope in the future that clear indications on the menu as to which dishes are/are not vegan can be introduced.
Price: $2.00. 6/10
Continuing with the side dish theme, we also selected the Tuna & Mayo Wrap. To reiterate, this mayonnaise (like everything at Jiv Jago) is eggless. The mock tuna inside this dish had a unexpected kick of heat to it. This slightly spicy mock meat was balanced nicely by the coolness of the mayo. The mock meat didn't resemble tuna that much, and I would have preferred an alternative ingredient used to simulate tuna - An incredibly authentic tuna can be made using chick peas, and would have gone perfectly in such a wrap. The concept of a wrap is definitely a winner, and with some adjustments this dish would be top-notch.
Price: $4.50. 6/10
We then moved on to the main dishes, starting with the Chicken Chop. This dish consists of the usual french fries, salad, baked beans, and two chicken patties. There is one pitfall when making vegetarian Western food, which almost every eatery regrettably falls into - Too much stuff out a packet. For this dish, definitely it was enjoyable and satisfying. However, as all the ingredients are from a tin or packet, it inevitably means the dish is lacking in skill or creativity. Western vegetarian food can be done with originality and little reliance on stuff from a packet - Veggie Cottage is a perfect example of that.
Price: $6.90. 6/10
Jiv Jago have a number of different pasta options, and eventually I settled on the Spaghetti Bolognese. This dish was certainly my favourite of the evening. The tomato sauce (which is made from scratch) was outstanding, and really lifted the dish up to another level. I was quite surprised to see large chunks of mock meat used in his dish, this was an interesting twist, but perhaps using TVP would allow this dish to become a more traditional looking bolognese. This dish was quite a large serving, so good value for money. The only tinge of disappointment I had was with the pasta, which was slightly overcooked. It could have done with 40-60 seconds less time in the water.
Price: $6.50. 7/10
Conclusion - I can't help but smile upon seeing refreshing new vegetarian eateries like Jiv Jago pop up in Singapore. An injection of youth into Singapore's vegetarian industry will only blossom positive results. Jiv Jago is brand new, so of course there are some improvements that could be made - But I love the energy of the owners and I'm sure the future will be bright for this eatery.
Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 8/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 7/10
Clik here to view.What the vegetarian food industry has been needing for a long time is an injection of Generation Y - And it seems like now we are finally getting it. The idea of Jiv Jago Vegetarian Cafe came from husband and wife duo Yuga and Vaishnavi, both only in their mid-20's. Vaishnavi is the star in the kitchen, while Yuga manages the cafe. The name 'jiv jago' literally means 'soul awakened' in Bengali. Rather interestingly, Vaishnavi is the daughter of the owner of Gokul. Growing up in such a household, and learning from her mother (who is one of the most talented cooks I've met) must surely have put Vaishnavi on the right tracks for her career in the kitchen. Jiv Jago has a frequently updated facebook page.
Jiv Jago Vegetarian Cafe
Location: 17 Bali Lane
Contact: 96796722
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat 12pm-11pm, Sun 12pm-10pm
The decor and ambiance of this eatery is almost like a backpackers cafe. It is very laid back and casual, with images of famous vegetarians, such as Albert Einstein and The Beatles plastered on the walls. The contents of the menu is entirely Western. In terms of dietary requirements - Everything on the menu is void of onions and garlic, except for garlic bread and aglio olio. All food is eggless. For vegans, many dishes are naturally vegan, and most of the rest can be converted into vegan.
One of the affordable side dish options available at Jiv Jago is the Mushroom Soup. This soup comes in a small bowl, and is an ideal accompanyment to any of the main meal options (especially the pasta). The soup is freshly made, and I really enjoyed the large chunks of mushroom that could be found swimming inside. Note - Subsequently after my visit I've found out this soup contains dairy (cream), vegans do not order. I hope in the future that clear indications on the menu as to which dishes are/are not vegan can be introduced.
Price: $2.00. 6/10
Continuing with the side dish theme, we also selected the Tuna & Mayo Wrap. To reiterate, this mayonnaise (like everything at Jiv Jago) is eggless. The mock tuna inside this dish had a unexpected kick of heat to it. This slightly spicy mock meat was balanced nicely by the coolness of the mayo. The mock meat didn't resemble tuna that much, and I would have preferred an alternative ingredient used to simulate tuna - An incredibly authentic tuna can be made using chick peas, and would have gone perfectly in such a wrap. The concept of a wrap is definitely a winner, and with some adjustments this dish would be top-notch.
Price: $4.50. 6/10
We then moved on to the main dishes, starting with the Chicken Chop. This dish consists of the usual french fries, salad, baked beans, and two chicken patties. There is one pitfall when making vegetarian Western food, which almost every eatery regrettably falls into - Too much stuff out a packet. For this dish, definitely it was enjoyable and satisfying. However, as all the ingredients are from a tin or packet, it inevitably means the dish is lacking in skill or creativity. Western vegetarian food can be done with originality and little reliance on stuff from a packet - Veggie Cottage is a perfect example of that.
Price: $6.90. 6/10
Jiv Jago have a number of different pasta options, and eventually I settled on the Spaghetti Bolognese. This dish was certainly my favourite of the evening. The tomato sauce (which is made from scratch) was outstanding, and really lifted the dish up to another level. I was quite surprised to see large chunks of mock meat used in his dish, this was an interesting twist, but perhaps using TVP would allow this dish to become a more traditional looking bolognese. This dish was quite a large serving, so good value for money. The only tinge of disappointment I had was with the pasta, which was slightly overcooked. It could have done with 40-60 seconds less time in the water.
Price: $6.50. 7/10
Conclusion - I can't help but smile upon seeing refreshing new vegetarian eateries like Jiv Jago pop up in Singapore. An injection of youth into Singapore's vegetarian industry will only blossom positive results. Jiv Jago is brand new, so of course there are some improvements that could be made - But I love the energy of the owners and I'm sure the future will be bright for this eatery.
Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 8/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 7/10