Vegetarian Express - Kovan

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