It was over four years ago when I viewed a popular vegetarian stall in Bukit Merah called
Nature Vegetarian Catering. I must confess, I forgot all about this place, until recently, when the owner (Edmund) decided to expand his operation, and open up two new outlets. This time calling them 'Nature Cafe'. Today I will be reviewing their Aperia outlet, but in future I will also feature their third outlet, which is located at Tradehub 21 (the former home of
Cafe de Paradiso). The original Nature at Bukit Merah has been around for almost 15 years now.
Nature CafeLocation: 12 Kallang Avenue, #01-28, The Aperia Contact: 67023962 Opening Hours: Daily 10.00am-9.30pmStraight off the bat I must say that the interior design of this eatery is superb - One of the best in Singapore. One can find snakes, owls and other birds (not real, don't worry) hanging from the ceiling and walls. The music is soothing and the colours harmoniously linked with nature. Outstanding place to have a meal.
Like the interior, the menu is beautifully designed too. There are over 200 items on the menu, which although doesn't quite rival
Gokul's almost insane 500+ items, it still makes it one of the most comprehensive vegetarian menus in Singapore. The menu is not totally vegan, but owner Edmund is making a concious effort to make his menu more vegan-friendly. Moreover, there is no MSG used in any of the food.
Satay may not be the healthiest vegetarian option, but it is one item I can never resist. The success or failure of satay lies in the peanut sauce - It must be the right texture, richness, spice and flavour. Nature Cafe produces one of the better satay sauces that I have had the chance of trying, so needless to say I really loved this dish. Frankly, the mock satay pieces were acceptable, but not to the standard of
Victor at Circuit Road. Nevertheless, I would definitely order again just because of the aromatic peanut sauce.
Price: $8.00. 8/10Stone Pot Beef Rice was next, which was my favourite dish of the meal. What attracts me to stone pot cooking, is the layer of burnt rice that collects along the surface of the pot. But the real hero from this pot was the sweet and sour sauce used. Not only that, the vegetables were chopped perfectly, and cooked expertly with allowance made for the additional cooking time in the pot.
Price: $6.50. 8/10Lastly was the
Braised Brinjal with Rice. I always have a great love for dishes that come served in such a pot, with the flame still cooking the dish below. The eggplant was cooked well, but I found that something more was needed from the sauce, overall it was a little plain. Not only that, but there was a lot of oil used inside. Still not a bad dish, but my least favourite out of the three that I sampled.
Price: $6.50. 6/10Conclusion - Owner Edmund is very intelligent to place his cafe at The Aperia, which is surely going to be packed to the brim with hungry office workers in the near future. Nature Cafe has a wonderful ambience, matched with very affordable good quality food. Definitely a place worth visiting!Overall RatingFood - 7/10Ambiance- 9/10 Service - 7/10 Value - 8/10
