Real Food (The Central)

I disagree with the previous reviewer Ashley Chow We. I have been to Real Food at Central Clarke Quay many times and I must say their food is fresh, freshly prepared, organic (for the most part), reasonably-priced and substantial.

My favourite is the mushroom (shiitake I think) soup with vegetable, that is a huge bowl of good soup and it costs only about $8.

The pumpkin soup is touch-and-go, sometimes good and sometimes not so good (gooey and starchy).

The baked potatoes are very well done.

The fried rice is excellent and you may ask them to add an egg.

The organic fruit juices are freshly squeezed.

The staff are very friendly.

What more could anyone want from a restaurant serving organic food? Real Food are great!

The only comparable restaurant serving organic food is Siamese Cat Restaurant which is newly-opened at Changi Road (not vegetarian unlike Real Food but the cooking is fantastic, their cook I heard is previously from Hilton Hotel).

For pictures and the full review, click here! Otherwise, read on...

Overall: 6.7/10

I like the concept behind Real Food, which combines a cafe with a grocer and a mini bookstore. When you’re done having your organic foods and/or juices, you can explore the range of organic groceries which range from fresh vegetables to toiletries – I bought a bar of Conscious Chocolate, which is a brand of raw, organic, handmade chocolate imported from Australia ($10.50 at Real Food). Or you could have a cup of organic tea and flip through titles relating to holistic wellness, vegetarian cuisine, etc. from the mini bookstore. I’ve never actually seen anyone flipping through the books on sale, which is a pity, because I found the raw veganism books quite interesting. It is only possible to chill out at Real Food in the late afternoon and during dinner time though. Real Food was not crowded and food was served quite efficiently the two times I went for dinner but I had to wait more than 20 minutes when I went during lunch (the place was packed with the office crowd).

As mentioned previously, I think it reflects very well on an eatery if the menu has clear labelling. To Real Food’s credit, the pretty extensive menu states clearly whether each dish is vegan, contains onion and garlic, and whether it is gluten-free.

However, a common gripe about all the dishes was that the portions were unsubstantial – don’t expect to be full by just buying one main dish. In that sense, Real Food is not really value-for-money.

Salad

Fresh and Grilled Veg Salad

Grilled peppers and eggplant with leafy greens, herbs, olives, cherry tomatoes and creamy avocado slices. Topped off with crunchy roasted nuts dressed in balsamic vinegar and oil. All the ingredients were very fresh and organic.  ($8.80)

Mains

Organic Fried Rice

The organic stir-fried brown rice was quite tasty with the addition of garlic, pineapple, capsicum, French beans, carrots, mushrooms, black pepper and fresh corn. However, it was a bit too oily and the rice was not fried properly – the texture was a bit mushy and the rice grains were not individually separated. Also, the chilli on the side was not very spicy and did not add anything to the dish. ($6.80)

Fried Vermicelli

The wheat and gluten-free organic brown rice vermicelli was rather bland, even with the addition of organic Tamari and roasted sesame oil. Moreover, the vermicelli was quite dry and very clumpy. The assorted stir-fried vegetables were rather tasteless as well. And again, the chilli did not add anything to the dish. Not recommended. ($6.80)

Dumpling Soup (with Ramen)

The dumpling soup was the only dish I really enjoyed. The silky-smooth skin of the dumplings gave way to a satisfying filling made of extremely fresh ingredients, including carrots, mushrooms, bean curd, French beans and chestnuts. However, my friend felt that $6.80 was not value-for-money for 6 or 7 dumplings. Also, I would not recommend adding $1 for the wholegrain organic ramen noodles because the portion of noodles was very small and the texture of the noodles was too soft. You might be better off with the brown rice if you need some carbs ($6.80, add $1 for noodles or brown rice).

Sides

Fried Spring Roll

Handmade spring rolls with carrots, mushrooms, turnip and black fungus, fried in olive oil. Unfortunately, these were not very flavourful and the skin wasn’t crispy as I would have liked it. Definitely not worth the price. ($4 for 2 pieces)

Dessert

Brownice Ice Cream

I was pretty excited to find out that Singapore had a vegan ice cream option in the form of Brownice, which makes dairy-free, egg-free ice cream from organic brown rice milk, fruits and nuts. I’ve tried the French Chocolate, Hazelnut Chocolate and Avocado flavours. They were satisfactory but ordinary; the flavours could have been much richer. But the plus-point is that the texture was quite creamy. Brownice has a whole host of other interesting flavours like Mulberry and Passionfruit Mango (see the whole list here), but Real Food doesn’t carry most of them (flavours vary weekly), so you may have to order the flavour you want for home delivery on Brownice’s webpage.

More importantly, another reason as to why you would not want to order Brownice at Real Food is that the servings are tragically minuscule. It’s $3.80 for 2 scoops and $4.50 for 3 scoops, and each scoop is measured out by what must be the tiniest ice-cream scooper in the world. As my friend illustrates with her beautiful (and quite small) hand: [picture]

Conclusion: Nice setting and the food ranges from slightly below average to slightly above average, but it is generally not value-for-money.

For pictures and the full review, click here!

The sandwiches were much more worth it than the pasta/spaghetti we had the previous time. The egg on it (that I presume to be a free-range egg) was just the right consistency & I liked the grilled tomatoes. The onion soup was good, maybe some grated cheese on it would make it nicer. 

They charge 0.50 for plain water by the way, so bring your own.

I AM IN LOVE <3

I tried the dumpling soup noodles today and was given wholegrain Japanese wheat noodles which were cooked al dente and you can really taste the wheaty-ness in the noodles, different from your typical kway teow. And the broth was so flavourful! It went extremely well with the dumplings that were stuffed with chopped french beans, mushroom, carrot etc. Super nice, plus they're generous. I had six dumplings and large stalks of kailan (not like some places where they give you like 2 pathetic soggy pieces of veg). I WILL BE BACK! 

p.s. they sell magazines/ books/ organic products too! I loved browsing while waiting for the food.

p.p.s they charge for water

Let it be said that restaurants that serve both vegetarian and organic food are extremely hard to find in Singapore. However, we hit the jackpot when we chanced upon a restaurant that has become one of our favorite places to have a meal :)

Real Food, located at the basement of The Central, is definitely a hidden gem

Real Food's All Day Breakfast menu is indeed attractive, with offerings such as Blueberries and Banana French Toast ($7.80), and gluten-free Strawberries and Banana Pancakes ($8.80) Breakfast is indeed a filling affair at this restaurant! You can also create your own pizza with the various organic toppings offered on the menu such as wild mushrooms and organic pineapple ($12.80 for a customized pizza). Sounds good doesnt it? :) 

We settled for the vegan Signature Brown Rice Set ($6.80), which featured sautéed pumpkins and aubergines, steamed silken tofu with spicy sauce, sprouts, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and a cauliflower (yes, they gave us ONE cauliflower). The pairing of the pumpkin, with its sweet yet slightly nutty flavor, together with the savory aubergines was extremely delightful. What's more interesting is that there were even barley beans among the brown rice! Evidently, it was a one healthy hearty portion :)

For the full post and pictures, visit The Cinnamon Sheep!

Went to Real Food on Sat which is a vegetarian organic cafe and couldnt resist trying the Poached Egg Sandwich ($9.80). The egg was poached beautifully with a thick and fragrant runny yolk and the accompanying Rye Sourdough Bread was the best bread i have eaten in a long while. However, the portion sizing was very very petite, which is good if you are on a diet ! Will be back soon to try the other food. The lady who took our order was efficient but seemed rather grim, would have been better to receive service with a cheerful smile.

My take on organic food is that one must have a purely organic diet for it to be of benefit. Organic salad for lunch won't help a Mcdonald's burger at dinner...

Recent weekday dinner at this cafe/grocery serving organic vegeterian food.

Pumpkin soup ($7.80) was diluted, my dining companions had a better version on a previous trip. The Miso soup ($6.80) is almost the same as the Vegetable and Mushroom soup ($5.80). The Dumpling soup ($6.80) is pretty good though, packed with healthy ingredients. Portions are quite generous. Special mention to the accompanying bread - warm, crisp and fluffy.

Egg Sandwich ($8.80) was good if overpriced. One thing to note - the 'side' of leafy green salad seemed like an afterthought - come on this is a vegetarian restaurant, do vegetables (albeit organic) cost that much that you give a spoonful or so? 

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich ($9.80) was much better. Thick slices of peppers, eggplant etc grilled till soft topped with melted cheese. Do order this if you visit.

The artisan breads are the best part of the sandwiches. They should have a bakery, I will buy the bread :)

Mushroom Tomato Pasta ($10.80) topped with shaved mozzarella cheese, lacked a robust tomato sauce. The juicy sauteed mushrooms and crunchy celery could not make up for the amount of cheese - equivalent to the size of my thumb? And I have child-sized hands. 

Organic Pizza ($12.80) was disappointing. Sure you get to choose from a list of toppings but it came looking like a bunch of raw veggies on top of a failed thin-crust pizza. Failed because the centre part of the crust was literally uncooked and soggy. Skip this.

Fried Spring Roll (2 BIG pcs for $4.00) was really damn good! Actually its the best spring roll I've ever eaten, so thumbs up!! I should have skipped main course and ordered more of this instead ;)

Vegan Ice-cream (2 scoops for $5+, can't remember) had this really excellent soft dreamy texture. Had a nutella & peanut butter ice cream combination, very light on the stomach! There's a curry flavour which I tasted with a hint of spice at the swallow - if you like McDonald's curry sauce perhaps you may like it.

Overall there's more misses than hits, but maybe if i'm at Central again i'll go back for the hits. Service was great though, no complaints there! There was one waitress in particular who was very diligent. And there's no GST and service charge!

This is a hidden gem in the basement of The Central. Take the MRT and it is easier to reach and find.

I had the Grilled veggie salad and the pumpkin soup. The salad was outstanding. The soup tasted awesome, but was a bit watery for my liking. The ambience is fantastic and it is a place where you can sit and chat for hours. It was very noisy on the day we went there as the vegetarian meetup group was there. The staff were friendly and managed it all with a smile. I would definitely go back on a quieter day to enjoy the food in a bit of peace.

They also have a store with organic products attached. I found their prices to be quite reasonable in comparison to other stores. They also stock the Brownice ice cream which is to die for. The ice cream was the best part of the meal! 

All in all a nice new addition to Singapore's organic food circuit!

With so many organic cafe blooming in recent years, I believe more people, especially the younger generations are beginning to realize the importance of healthy living and healthy eating.

I'm glad to stumble upon Real Food, a small organic grocer and cafe which aims to provide customers with natural & healthy food, and not forgetting breakfast too! 



I knew what I want immediately once I've settled down in the cafe - Organic Banana & Blueberry French Toast ($6.80). I had my french toast done using organic rye bread. A healthy change from the usual plain bread. Rye bread is denser than usual bread and has a higher nutritional value. I know many people who shuns away from it but I simply loves it. They served the french toast with organic plain yogurt, just the way I want it. And I must say I really enjoyed this healthy breakfast. 



With every breakfast order, it comes with a free beverage too! You can choose from organic coffee or tea, oatmilk or rice milk etc.

For someone who doesn't take drink dairy milk (yup, that's me), Oat Milk is a good alternative. It is quite light with a slightly sweet aftertaste. 

They serve all-day breakfast, except that the free beverage is only available till 11 am. Just like other organic cafes, they do offer sandwiches, rice/ noodles and desserts as well. The cafe may not be located at the most convenient area, but do give it a try if you happened to be in the vicinity.

For full write-up, read on here

Time changed. Eco Awareness is now part of modern lifestyle globally. Eco-Friendly eateries are spouting eveywhere in Europe, USA, Africa and Middle East and Aisa, as listed out in the latest book - ecochic.





Living in a FOOD Paradise SINGAPORE, can we have eco-dinning experiences here? Is eating with a green conscience still a fairly new concept in Modern, Hip, Young and Stylish Singapore?

Glad to discover REAL FOOD in the urban city and I would consider as an eco-friendly eatery who is daring to venture in this new direction and added diversity to our Food Paradise.

The design of REAL FOOD is modern and simple. The food served is good and hearty, easy on the pocket too. And it is an organic grocery with a vegetarian and non-vegetarian friendly small cafe serving breakfast, lunch!

I had Organic Banana + Blueberry French Toast with Homemade Yogurt @ S$6.80.  Simply LOVE it - Delicious!  Just like most eco-friendly cafe in other countries, its menu serves Sandwiches, Pastas & Pizza, Soup, Rice/Noodle, power juices etc. They have pick-your's-own-ingredients for certain items on their menu, kind of like build your own meal from organic choices available.





Do hope in the near future, these eco-friendly eateries which currently not noted in Singapore can be listed in ecochic too.