Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining (藤素食) @ Sunshine Plaza Bugis

Hi Everyone, I truely am overwhelmed by the number of likes on my facebook page. It's very rewarding to see more and more people being open to vegetarian food. It is through one of my friend's facebook that I got to know of this new establishment.
So the curious me decided to try it out last night! Located right opposite the vegetarian building (Fortune Centre) is this new place, Bespoke Vegetarian Dining. Not a new concept as the Chief Chef was originally from Zen Japanese Vegetarian. They are not the same owners as verified.

Here's the entrance of the restaurant

I tried to Google what Bespoke means but to no avail. It does mean Customization. Perhaps the idea behind was to make customised vegetarian japanese cuisine.

The Restaurant Interior

The Chinese Character (藤) as written. 藤  in english means "Cane" or "Wisteria", which is a kind of flower. I overheard the owner using this character for Cane.. not sure of the reason why.

Quite nicely layout of the cafe, Modern and Zen Style

The Menu

Professional Printed. The Menu has more than 50 choices available. They do serve Ala Carte or Set meals similarly to the previous Zen.

 As I wanted to try the Sashimi & Pork Cutlet, decided to order this set to try!

Yummy Green tea. A pity the pot wasn't well made as the water did not flow out well.

The Sashimi Set $35

This is the Sashimi Set which is suitable for more than 2 persons to share. Its a HUGE portion! Comprises of the following:- Fresh Salad with Japanese Sesame Sauce (The avocado slices are really good!); Pork Cutlet (Crispy); 6 Slices of Sashimi (Vegetarian of cos!); Fresh Greens (Stir Fried Long Beans spinkled with Veg Pork Floss; Steamed Pumpkin; Pickles; Miso Soup, A bowl of Rice; Dessert (Panna Cotta)

So how did they taste? The Salad. I love the sauce as its mixed with Sesame and Miso Dressing.

The Pork Cutlet:- I saw it costs $10 on the Ala carte menu and the picture of this was so appealing! Definitely yummy and I couldnt make out what flour was used for the coating. Good Job on this!

Sashimi:- Made from Konnyaku, which is available in the market as most vegetarian suppliers sell this. Aint too bad, but people who are not into vegetarian mock may find it too chewy.

The Long Beans tastes really good, but a tad too oily.

The Pumpkin:- Yummy and fresh.

Couldnt comment much on the miso soup as it always tastes too salty for me.  (Opps I've forgotten to remove the cover of the soup bowl here!)

The Dessert:- I found out that this is vegetarian Panna Cotta as most Panna Cotta is made with Gelatin, which we cannot consume. This was really creamy, like a pudding. Served with Fresh Cream and Strawberries. Not suitable for vegans though.

Pricy but worth sharing!

Buckwheat Noodles Soup $9

Mr Tea wanted to try this Buckwheat noodles soup. I've always envied those who post pictures of the japanese Ramen. This is a really good alternative. Comprises of Japanese Buckwheat Noodles, Vegetables, Tofu Skin and Japanese Mushrooms. I can't make out what is in the soup based but the noodles was really chewy. On the side was something that does tastes like Quinoa which is a little crispy. Again, this can be shared as the serving is big.

Shitake Mushrooms with Cheese $12

This is one of the recommended by the manager of the shop. As the picture on the menu was too tempting, I decided to order even though it costs $2 per piece of mushroom! This is pure heavenly, and it is a MUST-ORDER. The fresh Japanese Shitake is firstly deep fried with tempura flour, then topped with Japanese Cream, and covered with a piece of Japanese Cheese on top. Lastly it is baked to make the cheeese melts. This totally won me over. I was told they have sold over 100 plates even though they are only opened for 3 weeks! Impressive creation I must say, as this is something that I would not be able to make it myself. The sauce was a little saltish, but it made the entire dish perfect. If you ask, I will just go back for this dish alone. WOW Factor:- 5 Stars worth. Of cos again, it may not be suitable for vegans.

Spring Roll with Cream Cheese $8

Again i couldnt resist when I spot the word "cheese" so decided to try this. Comes with 6 pieces and the dish was served really hot. As the skin was not made with your regular Popiah (Spring Roll) skin, it was a little too hard for me to bite. The ingredients comprises of corn, some raddish, carrots and cream. I found the corn taste too over-powering so sadly this did not impress me much. But well, if you are into Spring rolls, its okay for a try if you have strong teeth.

All in all, it was a great experience as our server was friendly and service was good. They too, kept asking us for feedback. Not your everyday place to go unless you are extremely rich. But for once in a while indulgence, its worth visiting. It does charge service charge and GST. Also note that water is not served free.

I heard that they are going to do promotions next - 30% discount next month or so. Please call them to enquire. Like they always say, competitions are good! So, lets hope to see Zen opening soon. I too wish Bespoke all the best and i'll Sure be back for more of their Chef Recommendations :)

Location: SunShine Plaza

91 Bencoolen Street #01-50 Singapore 189652

Tel: 63377050

Opening Hours: Mon-Sun (11.30am to 3pm; 5.30pm - 10pm) Last Order: 9.30PM

Catering Services are Available

Pappa Rich Singapore @ Parkway Parade

I used to think that Parkway Parade is one of the most Vegetarian Unfriendly place as there isn't any place that caters to Vegetarians.
Lately it has revamped and there are places, such as Pappa Rich and Mad Jack Cafe that do offer an option for Vegetarians.
Do note that this is not Pure Vegetarian Establishment, but they do have vegetarian options available in the menu.
I only know about Pappa Rich when I was in Malaysia JB and Im am surprise they are doing pretty good our of Malaysia.
I was told of the vegetarian segment so decided to give it a try during Lunch Time.

Menu

I didn't take a picture of the Menu but found it on the company's website. There are around 6 selections available. Pretty interesting.
I decided to try the Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak $7.90

The Portion is rather big. Comes with 3 slices of Cucumbers, Peanuts, Long Beans, half an egg (You may request to omit if you are vegan), 2 Papadums and vegetarian mushroom chili.

It wasnt too bad. I love the rice as it was fragrant and it wasn't too moist. I never manage to cook it this way. The mushroom chili was yummy. No garlic/onions in it.

Though it was a little pricy, but its good to see more of the non-vegetarian places offering options for vegetarians. Do note that they do charge 10% and GST.

I will be back some day to try the curry mutton rice :)

Locations:-

1. 1 Vista Exchange Green,
#01-43, The Star Vista,

Buona Vista,
Singapore 138617
Telephone No. : +65 6684 3373

2. 80 Marine Parade Road, #01-17A, Parkway Parade,
Singapore 449269
Telephone No. +65 6344 6323

Website:http://www.papparich.com.sg/


It is usually packed on weekends, but service was okay and food was served really fast.

Chef Icon La Patisserie Nature Bakery @ Tg Pagar/Outram

It has really been a long while since my last post. 2012 has not been a smooth year for miss veg and slowly i lost the motivation to continue blogging until recently and the usual emails from readers I've never met, encouraging me over and over to continue writing. Thank you so much. I truely much appreciate it!

So this is the first Blogpost for the new year 2013, and Miss veg will try to blog more often.

I too, encourage whoever is keen, to join me, just send me your emails on the places you have gone to, food pics, I will post on your behalf. *Note: Miss Veg is doing this FOC though*

This blogpost is for Francis Sng, our local chef from Chef Icon. Thanks for sending me the email and the encouragement you have given me to continue to write.

You wouldnt have known that Chef Icon has been around for 3-4 years and is a pure Vegetarian cafe as the cafe name does not have a "Vegetarian" word. I do find that some patrons will shun away from cafes that have the "vegetarian" word, which can be puzzling. However it is good that perceptions are slowly changing and more people are receptive to vegetarian food these days.

I feel very impressed with the chefs (group of 5 of them as I recall) from Chef Icon as they have shown lots of dedication for this cafe/bakery.

As how their website and slogon in the shop indicate: "Nature is the Art of God" - everything from the baking of their awesome breads to yummy cheesecake is made from scratch - labor intensive and definitely safe for consumption for all vegetarians. So here's Chef's Icon for you:

Cafe Shopfront

As I've mentioned, and written on the website, whatever that Chef Icon has to serve is safe as they do not contain of the following;

•No Animal Rennet •No Animal Gelatin •No Animal Meat •No Liquor •No Margarine •No MSG •No Onions & Garlic •No Preservatives •No Chemical Bread Improvers

Impressive yea? Do note that some items are not suitable for pure vegans though, as they do contain dairy products. If you are looking for Vegan Cakes, you may visit http://kalavira.com for more information. They do have vegan cooking classes available.



A little more understanding from Francis is that he and his group of chefs have been in the hotel line baking for years before they decided to venture out on their own. Hence, you can expect Hotel Quality Cakes here!

Interior of the Cafe~ That's Chef Francis at the counter in the Apron!

I was told that Chef Icon's signatures are its New York Cheesecake and Chocolate Trovana Cakes. I ordered the Chocolate Cake for my sister's Birthday Celebration that night.
Other than cakes, Chef Icon also offers some selections of Clubman Sandwiches and Toasties. The hungry me decided to order 1 of the clubman sandwich for a try.

Rendang Curry Clubman Sandwich $8.80

Yummy Rendang Curry Sandwich which was served fresh and hot! The bread, also known as the "Clubman bread" has a really crusty taste with a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds! I really liked the crust as it was different from a lot of the breads I've tasted. Given the fact that i'm not exactly into breads and pastries, this was a surprise. The main Rendang Curry spice is specially homemade and mixed with mashed mushrooms giving it a local flavour. I personally liked this as the spice wasn't too strong flavoured and the mushroom tasted chewy. The addition of fresh lettuce and tomatoes and alfalfa leaves gave an even wholesome look/taste to it.

 I was told that Chef Icon is famous for their Brews too. However, i am really not into coffee, so, if you are a coffee junkie, this is a place you may want to consider chilling for a weekend afternoon.

I tried the Organic Tea though:-

Thousand Mile Pineapple Tea $4.90

Tastey and the pineapple taste wasnt too strong.

Never leave the shop without tasting the cakes - yes this is a strong recommendation from Miss Veg.
A pity its new york cheese cake was sold out. Hence I ordered their Boston cheese cake instead. It was a decision i never regret.

Cranberry Boston Cheesecake $5.80

I've tried homemade cheesecakes before but this was close to perfection. The cranberries were fresh and to date i can still remember how the cheese melted in my mouth. Yum~ to perfection! In fact, do note that many of the cakes in the market may not be vegetarian friendly, especially cheeses. But this rennet free cheese totally bought me over. Loved it.

Last is the mini (500g) Cholocate Trovana signature cake which I got for my sister's birthday. The dark chocolate is of top grade quality and ranked 3rd in Belgium. Yumms too. May not be cheap, but for the quality, its worth every bite.

Pure Chcolate Trovana Cake 500g $32.80

My thoughts: Chef Icon is definitely worth a visit for all vegetarians. However, do enquire if you do not take dairy products if they have vegan friendly cakes. They too sell afforable Breads/homemade kaya,jams for your breakfast too. Why not just order the cakes from them for every of your family occassion since its truely, purely vegetarian friendly? hee! I will definitely be back again for the new york cheese cake and yet another clubman sandwich, this time, I will definitely call and order before going. Note: This bakery cafe doesnt have a huge shop space, but for a mini 3-4 pax per table gathering is still possible.

Location:
5 Kampong Bahru Rd (Nearest MRT - TG pagar or Outram) - Opposite SGH
Singapore 169341
Phone: +65 9337 3900
Email: enquiry@cheficon.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cheficon


Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm.
Closed on Sunday and Public Holidays

I do wish Chef Francis and everyone a Happy New Year ahead!



Xuan Miao Vegetarian @ Circuit Road

Xuan Miao Vegetarian has been around for quite some time, and i've been eating once every fortnight couple of months back as I had craving for the yummy soup.

Stall Front

A pity i didnt get a clearer pic with my phone!

Anyway, manned by 4 persons, do note that you have to wait up to 30 minutes every night! The uncle who takes your order will give you a number and will call you when your number is up. To me, the soup is worth the wait.

Selling nothing but handmade noodles only, this is one of the stalls that does not sell your normal traditional economical vegetarian beehoon or mixed vegetables rice.

 Handmade Noodles (板面) $3.50

If I remember correctly, the soup noodles or mee hun kuey costs $3.50 while the dry noodles costs $4. I usually go for the soup ones. The ingredients are simple - loads of vegetables, seaweed, mushroom stalk, Vegetarian Fish Maw and Vegetarian Fish slices.

All the ingredients are the same for all their noodle items. The soup based is cooked with simple vegetables but tasty and light. If you are not into mock items, you may request for the stall owners to leave out the fish maw. I personally liked it with the chili especially.

If you are at circuit road and running out of ideas to eat, this stall is located within the cluster of vegetarian stalls in the hawker centre. Worth a visit if you are looking for something light.

Location: Blk 79A Circuit Road, Opens from 5PM till 11PM

Veg Stall @ Lau Pa Sat

This is a newly open stall at Lau Pa Sat.. (finally!) Yea it has been ages since Miss Veg last posted. I truely am sorry about it as there hasnt been much to blog about. If any of you have gone to new places to eat, I will gladly help to post in your name!
So this new stall, which personally I have not tried before, is recommended by my sis, Clare who works around that area. Even one of my veg friend - Gina has posted on her FB, so I am merely assisting to promote it. Seems like everyone likes the dumpling noodles sold!

Stall Front

Looks really clean and from the looks of it, they do serve quite a variety of cuisine. Wow, veg people in the Raffles Place are indeed fortunate!

So both my friend and sister took the dumpling noodles.

Ban Mien (Handmade Noodles) $4.10 (takeaway)

If you realised the top noodles look fatter while the one below is the normal thin noodles. the Soup base is the same with loads of vegetables and mushrooms. The dumplings are those that you can find in the market.

I do not know how much it costs per bowl, but it is $4.10 after a 10% discount with kopitiam card. It does cost a little more for takeaways.

I hope some day I can head down to this stall too! Enjoy your yummy lunch, raffles peeps!

Location: Lau Pa Sat @ Raffles Place

Opening Hours - Unknown

Beets Modern Vegetarian @ Dempsey

Thanks to a tipoff from Miss J, I finally went to Beets - a new vegetarian restaurant that has sprouted in Atas Dempsey. I truely am very happy to see new vegetarian places opening to encourage vegetarianism.
Located right opposite the Botanical Gardens, Dempsey is a place that has been around for a couple of years and has attracted many due to the many restaurants/cafes in this area. As to why I've mentioned "atas" is because this is also one place where you can see a gathering of luxurious cars (the Lambos & Porches) most of the time . I've been there a couple of times and while many of the restaurants/cafes there do offer vegetarian options, nothing beats the establishment of a real vegetarian restaurant here. So thanks to the boss who came up with this idea.

The Exterior Setting

I guess the instant lure that draws me to Dempsey on occassion is the perfect setting - among rustling trees and an interesting "waterfall" like water feature within Blk 22 - where beets is located. This tranquill setting has already scored certain points in my mind, also to mention, the restaurant itself offering two dining settings - An Indoor Modern Space which can hold a capacity of 30pax or an Al fresco setting in a elevated platform which is walled by glass, both air-conditioned. In addition, patrons who love outdoor settings may too, opt for the outdoor dining experience.

The Indoor Setting

Clean table with fresh flowers awaiting us.... Lots of breathing space and it is refreshing to be able to see so much green and flowers outside the restaurant. This kind of setting does reminds me of "the green room" in Bishan.

The Menu

There are 2 pages for the food selections available at Beets. Not too many in my opinion, and prices are comparable with the Original Sin - another of my favourite fine dining places. A point to note is that for food that are served with Cheese, these are not suitable for Pure vegetarians, as I've confirmed with the waitress that the cheese do include rennet (sadly). In addition, do keep them informed if you do not take Onion/garlic. In addition, the cutlery used here are branded! ("WMF").. which I wonder if I could take them home after using.



Alongside the interesting menu that they have, Beets too offer a wide range of alcohols, ranging from housepours to spirits and hard liquor. For those who do not take alcohol, Beets has a separate menu offering healthy juices.

Bread with Olive Oil/ Vinegar FOC

Like most fine dining places, we were served with yummy bread to dip in Olive Oil/ Vinegar. Yes, this is free. I would have loved it if the bread is slightly toasted. Nonetheless, still yummy.

Roasted Tomato & Pepper Soup $8

As there are only 2 soup options, we chose the roasted tomato & pepper soup since I can't take leeks. Serving is huge! This is definitely suitable for 2 persons. I am a fan of tomatoes so this soup was certainly yummy and tasty, and does not have the raw taste of tomatoe. Served with crispy country bread which could be better if the bread is placed outside to maintain its crispyness. I noticed that this was supposed to be served with cheese from the menu but the waitress was definitely attentive enough to leave it out.

Tofu Burger $20

This is recommended in the magazine as well as some online sources, so we decided to try it out. Another huge serving I must say. And yes, the price is certainly not cheap, and I suddenly thought that Vegan Burg ain't so expensive afterall. Served with Salad as well as Chips (Combination of Tapioca & Sweet Potato). I personally liked this dish. One reason is that the chips serve as good replacements of Fries, though they are also deep fried. I totally enough the crispyness of the chips and thought that Beets can actually sell this as a Side Dish. Now to the Burger - Comprises of a big piece of Seaweed Tofu Patty (totally homemade), sandwiched between Toasted Buns, Grilled Pumpkin, Truffle Aioli and relish. Truffle Aioli is a kind of dipping sauce which you see on the top of the Patty, tastes very much like cream sauce. Totally suitable for the patty though. The patty is crispy on the outside, and chewy tofu on the inside. If you are not into mock meats, this is the kind of burger that can satisfy you. Again, another lure of the burger is the grilled pumpkin. Not oily, totally grilled. I loved it.

Vegetable "Cheong Fun" Roulade $19

Nicely presented. As per the waitress, this dish is another "popular" choice among its patrons. It is basically our Chee Cheong Fun (steam rice roll) with a burnoise of vegetables and mushrooms wrapped within, and served with Shitake Sauce on top. I tried to make out the "vegetables mix" within the skin, and could only guess carrots and minced mushrooms correctly. If the skin was homemade, I would have given it a better score. Otherwise, personally I would not spend this money on two pieces of chee cheong fun with normal ingredients. You may like it if you are a mega lover of chee cheong fun.

Potato Roesti $6

The last we have is a side dish - Potato Roesti, which is served like a potato "pancake",whereby the potatoes are shreded into thin strips. This is served with eggplant stew and mint yogurt. which was removed, as the yogurt is not vegetarian. Nonetheless, this eggplant stew impressed me, given the fact that I am not a fan of eggplant or bringals. Other than it being a little oily, this roesti serves okay as a side dish. Not too big a serving though.

All in all, being 2 months in operations to date, Beets does has an edge now given their unique dining experience.  However, they may require to build further on their menu, and perhaps remove dishes that comprise of non vegetarian cheese so that we do feel safer eating. What impressed me the most is the great service provided by all their staff. Their extensive knowledge of the dishes and attention to details (e.g changing of side plates, refilling of water, requesting for feedback) made me felt important. There are other dishes like the portobello mushroom and noodle soup that are calling me at the back of my mind.

We paid a total of $62 for the soup, 2 mains and a side. Water is free.

Beets may not be your everyday place to go for meals, but it is worth for an occasional indulgence or a romantic weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle. Aint too bad for a chillax experience once a while.

The really nice and romantic view at Night~

Location: 22 Dempsey Road

Tel: 6475 6869

Fax: 6475 2022

Opening Hours: Lunch 11.30AM - 3PM (last order 2.30PM); Dinner: 6PM - 11PM (Last Order 11.15PM)

Shan Yuan Veg @ Bendemeer (善缘素食)

It has been quite some time since I last blogged. Thank you folks, for still visiting me once in a while. I do note that there are couple of new cafes/restaurants offering new veg menus these days. This is really great news! Do check out the left hand side for updates. And of cos, thank you so many of you for still emailing me, or sending me updates via comments. I do read them.
This is from a stall @ Bendemeer. Went there one of the evenings for dinner. Anyway, bendmeer is not easily accessible unless you stay around this area, as there is no MRT stops nearby. My friend's mum grew up in this area and well, the few blocks around this food market are mostly 1-2 rooms flat but just recently renovated. It is good to see this stall with quite a number of patrons in the evening. Do note that they do not serve your usual mixed veg rice, only tze char and a couple of easy to make meals like kway chap etc.

Stall Front

Oyster Cake $3

I am quite an avid fan of oyster cake if you ask me.. in many of my earlier posts, i've always adore oyster cake. Sadly this oyster cake didnt manage to WOW me as I couldnt make out what I was eating - oyster cake or carrot cake or veg ham cake. Yes - these are included in "oyster cake". Very soon I will be doing a post on my favourite oyster cake which I've tried and the best in my mind so far.. that was really mind blowing.. so good that you wouldn't mind travelling across the crossway just for a bite of it.

Omelette Rice $3.50

The only food I find interesting from this stall is this - Omelette Rice, as the rice is nicely fried with yummy fried rice within. Sadly I didnt take a picture of the rice inside!

Mee Rebus $2.50

The mee rebus sauce was okay, but I rather the ingredients be the norm of beancurd and tau pok.. that would have suffice. Anyway, aint too bad.

Hokkien Mee $2.50 

If you have realised, a lot of vegetarian places do not serve hokkien mee at $2.50 anymore. At this price, what more could we ask for? The serving is big and can be comparable to "Zi Zai" vegetarian. I think this mee is really well done.

Kway Chap $2.50 

Yummy kway chap.. soup was tasty.

All in all, this is a Hawker Centre with Market, so do not expect great service as the owners are really busy cooking at all time. I will definitey come back some other day for Lor Mee and Dry Mee some day.

Location: Bendemeer Road Block 29 Market And Food Centre  

 Opening Hours: Till 7+PM daily