For this review, I had to be drugged, handcuffed and dragged against my will, back to Clarke Quay. I awoke, feeling dizzy and unable to walk in a straight line (so pretty similar to most people in Clarke Quay on a weekend). The reason for my visit was the sample the special Christmas dinner at Genesis, which is available over the festive period. The restaurant itself is run by 7th day adventists, a unique small minority of Christians that do practice vegetarianism (well, at least a proportion of them do). My personal spiritual inclination is more towards pure land mahayana Buddhism - But, it is great to see there are sub-sectors of other religions that do practice a meat-free lifestyle.
Genesis Vegetarian Health Food Restaurant
Location: 1 Lorong TelokContact: 64387118Opening Hours: Mon-Thur 8am-8pm, Fri and Sun 8am-3pm. Closed SaturdayPersonally, my biggest highlight of Christmas (when I was mentally decaying in a black cloud of misery in England) was my mothers notorious dinner. Although to Eastern tastes, it may seem too stodgy, dry and carb heavy - For me, it was pure bliss. My first concern when ordering Western food in Singapore, is that the chef won't understand how the dish should be traditionally made, and therefore may resort to mutating it into some mismatched Western-Asian fusion meal. So lets find out if that was the case here...The
Christmas Special meal is certainly not cheap, and perhaps is guilty of not giving enough content, to justify the price. Critics may also find it too dry. There is a small saucer of cranberry sauce (which was tangy and delicious), but personally a Christmas dinner is incomplete without a rich gravy. Moreover, the roasted potatoes needed a more crunchy outer skin. The roasted garlic was divine, though. The turkey was stuffed well with a variety of ingredients, and wrapped in a thin beancurd sheet, but again, really needed a good gravy to support it. Admittedly, I am very 挑剔 (picky) when it comes to this meal, so perhaps I am a little too critical. The meal does have high points, but I think with a little more research of the traditions of the meal, it would result in a better end result.
Price: $14.90. 6/10Conclusion - Is it as good as my mums famous festive dinner? No. Perhaps I was expecting a little too much, and I am sure for most people this would be a satisfying meal. For myself though, I can't help but compare with what I traditional expect from this holiday meal. One thing I am sure people ordering this dish will agree upon, is that more content is needed for the price, or if not, then a reduction in price.Overall RatingFood - 6/10Ambiance- 8/10 Service - 7/10 Value - 6/10
