Food For Thought @ Singapore Botanic Gardens (Visit 1)

My first encounter with Food For Thought (FFT) was a couple of years ago, when it was a quaint little cafe opposite the National Library. I remember asking what was good for tea, and the very polite staff happily quipped “Our red velvet cake!”

A lot has changed since. The FFT at North Bridge Road is closed and there’s a FFT at Queens Street right next to the Singapore Arts Museum. I’ve always felt rather unsettled when going to that branch because of how parking is so unpredictable. So when my good friend, Nat, told me that FFT’s got a new branch at Botanic Gardens, I was like “omg, let’s!!”

Food For Thought @ Botanic Gardens is huge, perfect for large groups! Also, it was quiet on a Monday afternoon. I told Nat that this makes a good place for studying because of how spacious it is, and she said we should totally head here for project work in future. Point taken.

Everything here is self-service, you pay for your food at the cashier, water is readily available in dispensers, you take your trays of food to your own table… All prices are after service charge and tax. Although the FFT at Botanic Gardens has a self-service concept, the staff were all very polite and helpful. They all carried smiles and had good knowledge of their products!

It was a good afternoon spent, for $21. That’s pretty alright, isn’t it!

More pictures of how huge the space is!

Really like how they adapted the flora and fauna environment onto their furnishing

The plates had this look like there were salt granules on them! It might be a good way for people to think they might be consuming copious amounts of salt and are trying to cut down on it!

Lemon Butter Mushroom Linguine ($14): They were very generous with the mushrooms, and I absolutely love how they did the mushrooms. The tangy taste to the entire dish might not be everyone’s cup of tea. It wasn’t very strong, yet it wasn’t mild. It was just right, but whilst consuming the dish, I felt like the lemon was a weird juxtaposition to the entire dish. Additionally, I was rather bothered that the plate was very shiny from the butter. That said, the mushrooms left my tummy feeling satisfied!

Rosemary Pesto Almond Linguine ($14):

The Pastry Bar:

We ordered 4 items… Scroll down whenever you’re ready!

Item Number 1:

Old Fashioned Red Velvet Cake ($5/slice): You’ve got to have one slice of this on every visit. I’ve had many red velvet (cup)cakes and this tops my list! I’ve had this on many occasions at their 8Q branch. I have to say that this was much softer, more moist and hence tastier than its 8Q counterpart! 8Q has it in a triangular slice whilst this is clearly rectangular. The triangular slice has more layers but the cream here is thicker.

Item Number 2:

Lime Curd Tart with Marshmallow ($4): This sweet piece was so good because of the contrast of the lemon curd and marshmallow. It is also very light such that you don’t get sick and tired of it. I have to say that it might be too sweet for some, but this was my favourite.

Item Number 3:

Strawberry Profiteroles ($1/one, $2.50/three): So I had to get 3. When I saw profiteroles, I thought of ice creamed ones. I was slightly disappointed that these didn’t have ice cream in them, but then again… traditionally, profiteroles are filled with cream. These cute little things were topped with white cream and a little flower. Basically I can pop these cute little things into my mouth and not get sick and tired of them. The cream was pretty good. Look at it either way, the simplicity of this pastry made it work. (But it might be too simple for others…)

Item Number 4:

Cinnamon Roll ($3): This is your typical cinnamon roll, topped with white icing. They also warm the roll up for you. Honestly, this was too big, and I think the novelty of the other pastries my friend and I had made it seem pale in comparison. It might’ve helped if the roll was just a tad more moist. In short and in my opinion, you could always give this a miss!

I particularly love “1 SAVOUR every minute” and “3 love your FAMILY”. All 5 of these seem to form good tenets of life huh?

I’m definitely headed back to try all of their pastries and to try their grill bar!

One last thing, the concept of paying at the counters and then making your way to the tables is very good, because you don’t feel the pinch after having a good time. So you basically feel rather happy as you make your way out! Also, the walk to the underground car park is a mere 4 metres away! How convenient!

With the circle line up, you could alight at “Botanic Gardens” and walk! Do note that FFT is at the Orchard Road side, and not the Cluny Court side!

Also, do take note that you have to pop by FFT at the gardens because their menu is different from the other branches!

My second visit to this outlet, is documented here.

Blog: http://www.foodforthoughtsg.posterous.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ffthought

Food For Thought Restaurant
1 Cluny Court
Botanic Gardens

The other branch is at…
8 Queen Street, T: +65 6338 9887 F: +65 6338 1080
E: omnomnom@foodforthought.com.sg
(reservations and enquiries)

Tea Party, Pronto! gives this
 out of 5 kisses!