Loving Hut - Eunos

2014 is just beginning, but we already have one exciting new vegan eatery that has opened its doors in Singapore.  Loving Hut, of course, is an internationally known vegan food franchise.  Throughout all of Asia, wherever you go, there will probably be a Loving Hut in that country.  Needless to say, this place is 100% vegan.  Although I consider Singapore to be a vegetarian food lovers paradise - We still don't have enough vegan eateries (less than 20 by my estimation).  The vegan diet is becoming increasing popular, so let's hope this is met with an increase in vegan establishments.











Loving Hut
Location: 229 Joo Chiat Road
Contact: 97874389
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 11.00am-9.30pm. Sat-Sun 10.00am-9.30pm


The interior look of this restaurant is perfect.  It is easily the best looking Loving Hut I've been to.  Calming music and a simple, yet trendy ambiance greets customers.
In Singapore, I've always been somewhat underwhelmed by Loving Hut.  Having visited their outlets in other countries, I always found that the menu on offer in their Singapore outlets was much less creative.  Therefore, when looking at their new refurbished menu at Joo Chiat, I was excited to see that more original and innovative dishes were added.  In fact, it became quite difficult to choose what to order, as I wanted to try so many things!  Everything on the menu is 100% vegan.  I was a little surprised to see that some dishes do have onion and garlic - But it is clearly indicated on the well designed menu.
First dish to the table was the Three-Cup Chickin' Organic Brown Rice.  This dish consists of organic brown rice, steamed cauliflower and broccoli, clear Chinese soup and mock meat.  Price wise, some customers may find this dish a little costly, for what you get.  Moreover, mistakes in salt levels were made in the soup and mock meat sauce - Both were really way too salty.  Having said that, the texture of the mock meat is really excellent.  It is quite different to typical mock meat, as it has a welcome crunchy texture - It was fried in a batter first, which gave it a texture similar to ribs.  Just a shame it was weighed down by high salt levels.

Price: $9.90.     7/10


After seeing the Loving Hut promotional posters, the dish I was adamant in trying was the Papa's Portobello Burger.  The burger had a portobello mushroom, onion ring and tomato sauce inside.  The portobello was beautifully juicy and made as an excellent replacement for a typical patty.  The tomato sauce was excellent as well, sweet yet tart.  The onion ring added an interesting textural crunch to the burger.  Also, it is worth noting this burger is not as hopelessly messy as some.  For the sides, there is a salad with balsamic vinegar reduction and sweet potato fries.  I loved the originality of using sweet potato, but in terms of taste, they were lacking in seasoning.

Price: $14.90.     8/10


Here is a look at the inside of the burger.  All credit to Loving Hut for doing there best to serve a burger with originality.  I am sick to death of visiting eateries and getting mock patty, tomato, lettuce and soggy bread.

The last dish we sampled was the Nyonya Rendang.  This dish provides an interesting twist on traditional rendang by wrapping the curry in a thin crepe.  Considering this crepe is vegan, the texture was extremely impressive - It was not stiff and hard like I feared.  The rendang itself is basically mock meat (mushroom stem) flavoured with typical rendang spices.  I couldn't help but think, why not add more ingredients into the rendang curry?  Such as green peas, potato and a touch more sauce.  I believe this would have elevated the dish to an even higher level.  Again this dish comes with sweet potato fries and salad.

Price: $13.90.     7/10


Conclusion - Definitely price is going to be a factor for many customers visiting Loving Hut.  These three dishes cost me a total of $42.55 ($3.85 in additional costs), which certainly makes Loving Hut (Joo Chiat) one of the more expensive meat-free eateries in Singapore.  The quality of the dishes were definitely above average, and I applaud them for reinvigorating the Loving Hut brand this way.  Certainly a place I would consider for special events or gatherings.  However, the price may prevent me from being a regular customer.

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 9/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 5/10