Real Food at The Central

I have a confession to make: I am a sucker for anything related to healthy eating. While I love eating a wide variety of food, I prefer indulging in healthy and wholesome meals which are delicious and guilt-free on the stomach. I'm also interested in non-conventional menus as well as food which involve minimal chemical processing. (:

One major qualm I have about conventional food is that I don't know the food source and how the plants and animals are treated and fed in farms. On the other hand, food that are healthy/vegan/organic/gluten-free/non-conventional tend to be more expensive compared to conventional food. ):

Is organic/vegan food always = more pricey?

Let's compare with cafes, for a start.

Real Food serves organic vegetarian/vegan food, and also sells a range of organic and macrobiotic products such as fresh local/regional produce and home care. Due to convenience, we visited the Real Food cafe at The Central.

We looked through the menu, which was printed on brown recycled paper. Prices seem similar to that of typical cafes, so we proceeded to order our food from the counter.

<3 and we got no. 24 (:

After making our order, we were issued a heart-shaped wooden number tag in a papier-mâché basket. Plus points for attention to the minute details. (:

Dumpling Noodles Dry - a must-try!

My personal favourite is the Dumpling Noodles Dry (S$10.80). The signature handmade dumplings are lovingly stuffed with over 10 types of ingredients, including carrots, mushrooms, beancurd, French beans, chestnuts and some herbs which give the dumplings the complexity in flavour. Organic brown rice noodles is used for the noodles, while leafy vegetables and cherry tomatoes are placed at the side. You can also request for chilli on the side if you would like a spicy kick, though the brown rice noodles tastes good on its own. The leafy vegetables taste incredibly fresh, without the bland and bitter taste associated with conventional vegetables that turns some people off from eating vegetables. Serving size? 6 stuffed dumplings and generous serving of brown rice noodles that makes me full, every single time. Oh, and it's soy/vegan-friendly. (:

Rise-n-Shine Breakfast

Spot the mushrooms!

The Rise-n-Shine Breakfast (S$10.80) is a hearty platter of sunny-side ups with mashed potatoes and sauteed wild mushrooms, topped with fresh greens, grilled tomato and artisan bread. The sunny-side up is perfectly done with semi-runny yolk that goes well with the artisan bread. Cat does not particularly like tomatoes in general, but the grilled tomato tastes so fresh and sweet that he would not mind coming back to Real Food for his tomato fix. :P

Poached Egg Sourdough Sandwich

The Poached Egg Sourdough Sandwich (S$9.80) can be compared to an oyster: the poached egg looks like the pearl, the tomatoes and melted cheese looks like the meat and the sour rye looks like the shell. The melted cheese sour rye tastes great on its own, with the mildly sour taste of the sour rye and the salty taste of the melted cheese complementing each other. The poached egg is soft, yet seems to have a bit of bounce when we tried to burst the egg yolk. We managed to burst the yolk in the end so that Cat can taste-gauge the egg quality. His verdict? Egg is above average.

Avocado + Coconut Smoothie!

On a good day when we feel like pampering ourselves a little, we would also order a smoothie. The Avocado + Coconut Smoothie (S$8.80) tastes creamy and fresh with a hint of coconut oil. Instead of brown sugar syrup and artificial sweeteners, healthier alternatives like molasses and agave are used to sweeten the smoothie. Another plus point: soy milk is used in all smoothies at Real Food, so they are soy/vegan-friendly. (:

Some observations that we had about Real Food so far:

1. After having a meal at Real Food, our stomachs always end up satisfied for a longer period despite the deceptively not-so-plentiful food.

2. Organic food tastes fresher and sweeter even though not much seasoning is used. Dumpling Noodles Dry leaves very little residual oil/seasoning on the plate.

3. Organic vegetables and tomatoes taste so good; it makes Cat a convert! :D
4. Nett prices! You pay only for your food - nothing else! (:

Our conclusion: If you enjoy spending money in cafes, why not give Real Food a try for the same (or maybe even lower) price? Moreover, it's vegan-friendly so you can also bring your vegan friends along for a quality meal. (:

Real Food Organic Grocer & Cafe

6 Eu Tong Sen St

The Central #B1-52/53
Singapore 059817
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay

Opening Hours:

Mondays - Saturdays 10am - 8.45pm

Sundays 10am - 7.45pm

P.S. Cat has tried Real Food at Killiney before, and he commented that the food at The Central tastes slightly better. ;)