Vegetarian / Vegan

It’s fifteenth of the lunar month today! Was planning to get 33 Vegetarian’s chicken rice (find the mock chicken average but they have very fragrant rice), but my stomach wasn’t going to be able to wait through their long queue 😂

Tried this other shop nearby instead, called O’bean! Got their Chicken Cutlet Rice and it was pretty decent. Cutlet was fried on the spot so it had a nice thin crunch. Rice was drizzled in a bit of dark soy sauce. Had this cause it was easier to dabao, but they are most popular for their beancurds and soya-based food like soya soup with dumplings, soya ramen and soya porridge - will be back to try these. The boss was extremely friendly, reminding us to take care of ourselves etc.!

Everythinggg here from Insane Meals is plant-based! They’ve partnered up with various plant-based foods brands (think @tindlefoods,  @impossible_foods, @eatkarana, @omnifoods.global & @daiyafoods) to craft >30 different meals thus far. This set of 6 is the menu we received for one of the weeks:

• Beet Salad // Roasted beetroot salad in balsamic dressing with walnuts
• Sambal Plawn // Plant-based sambal prawn with veg and cauliflower rice
• Lasagna // Impossible beef with plant-based mozzarella, almond milk, mushrooms and tomato sauce
• Thai Basil Bleaf // Thai basil plant-based beef with veg and brown rice
• Sesame Cheeky // Sautéed plant-based chicken with veg and brown rice
• Pumpkin Risotto // Pumpkin risotto with mushrooms and roasted herb cauliflower

These are very convenient meals you can just pop into the microwave to heat up - I don’t have one at home, so we steamed them up instead! Except for the salad that wasn’t really as full a meal, we were pretty impressed by how the rest were put together (though they are indeed quite pricey). Noticed how they ensure you get a good intake of vegetables and also that in a week, you receive a good mix of flavours - from the asian sambal and Thai basil to the Italian lasagna and risotto.

Appreciated how clearly labeled each meal was with specific heating instructions, ingredients and even down to the nutrition facts. The meals come in a meal plan of 6 or 12 - with a rotating weekly menu. More deets on their IG, thank you @insanemeals & @maryannekhng for sharing them with me! ✨

Huge menu here at Real Food, from starters of fresh soups, to pastas, burgers, noodles and pizzas, etc. Their dry dumpling noodles come with 6 plump dumplings and vegetables. A pity that the dumplings were cooked a bit under, so it was a little doughy, but taste wise it was pretty nice - the filling is made with a bunch of different ingredients and vegetables. They use thick noodles here and the sauce was fragrant!

Slow Bakes right next door is Real Food’s bakery - they have a whole range of buns, sourdoughs and loaves with vegan options. We saw several people eating from both sides as they allow cross ordering.

This we were less a fan of, as the broth left a slight oily mouthfeel. There were light hints of tomatoes in the broth hence a bit tangy and sweet, but definitely wished it was thicker and a little richer. Try the pho instead if you’re looking for something soupy! Good to note that some of their dishes come with alliums, so remember to request to exclude if necessary.

Back at Kind Bowl and we set out to try the last 2 mains that we’ve not had before.

BBQ Delight is their plant based bun cha! A very generous bowl - just look at the amount of ingredients on top with all the noodles hidden underneath 😂 They serve a good amount of sauce so that you can add and toss according to your liking. This was refreshing and appetizing! Especially enjoyed the crunchy fried spring rolls (just that they are a tiny bit oily) + grilled mushrooms & mock meats.

The Kind Bowl is a plant-based Vietnamese spot that’s just a short walk away from Somerset. Couldn’t really imagine how chicken pho can be made plant-based, but we were so impressed! The unassuming broth was clean tasting yet very flavourful, with a distinct fragrant mix of your usual pho herbs. If you’re thinking what about the meats? It’s replaced with a generous portion of king abalone mushroom slices and mock meats. Lots of textures here and was such a comforting bowl! It comes with alliums, but you can request for them to exclude it.

Looking like any other churro dusted in sugar, but these actually had a fluffy potato centre! Was very pleasantly surprised by these though the combination may sound incompatible. The exterior has a light crisp and wasn’t too sweet.

There’s Burpple Beyond 1 for 1 here now for their Double Classic sets. Thank you @thegoodburgersg for having us and @burpple for the kind invite! ✨

Make sure you have these hot! Personally found the crust a tad too thick though the mozzarella was indeed pretty generous.

There’s Burpple Beyond 1 for 1 here now for their Double Classic sets. Thank you @thegoodburgersg for having us and @burpple for the kind invite! ✨

Feasted on a whole range of plant-based @impossible_foods burgers from The Goodburger and also got to try their newer @tindlefoods chicken burger. Have been here several times and I like how their burgers are not the sort that’s overwhelmed with sauces - they are clean tasting yet flavourful with various choices like classic, truffle, smoky BBQ etc. Plus points to how these don’t leave any greasy mouthfeel! Buns are fluffy and patties seasoned well, my only gripe is for more greens and a better patty to bun ratio for the single patty ones.

As for sides, we munched on a lot of their french fries the last round, but happy to see a bigger variety now - crunchy beer battered onion rings, mozzarella sticks, nuggets and what was a surprise, sugar dusted churros with a fluffy potato centre. Prices are definitely on the steeper end but psst, they’re on Burpple Beyond for their Double Classic Sets. Thank you @thegoodburgersg for feeding us with your yummy burgers and @burpple for the kind invite! ✨

Another vegan dish on the menu are these vegan kebabs made with Impossible meat. Texture was average and would have liked perhaps, a stronger and more distinct char. These are served with a lightly spicy and tangy lemongrass peanut sauce to dip which I liked, as the usual satay peanut sauces are too heavy for me. Found this quite apricey for its portion.

Thank you Willa, Sam & @riderscafe for having us, and @fatpigdiary for the kind invite! ✨

Riders Cafe’s no unfamiliar name in the cafe scene. They’re one of the OG cafes, best known for hearty brunches in their quaint space tucked away in all the greenery. Came by this time for their dinner that’s available 5pm onwards and enjoyed the different evening ambience.

Started off with this vegan appetiser which I loved! This was very thoughtfully put together. Sweet Japanese squash that was perfectly roasted to a fluffy texture, served with lots of bright toppings - grains, pops of sweet pomegranate, and a refreshing mix of chopped tomatoes, onions, kale, mint and parsley. All these were brought together with their lightly savory house made miso tahini. This was not only fun to have, but was actually of a good substantial portion too.

Thank you Willa, Sam & @riderscafe for having us, and @fatpigdiary for the kind invite! ✨

This was one of those dishes that was spotted on many diner’s table! They have orh luak of different flavours - Mala ($17.90), Kimchi ($15.90), Okonomiyaki style ($17.90) and all are available to be done vegan as well. The fried egg omelette has straw mushrooms, seaweed and a side chilli sauce. For the price, I was definitely expecting a lot more mushrooms. Other than that, it was seasoned nicely with crisp sides, and had a good ratio of starchy parts! It was quite oily though, and would recommend to finish it while hot.