The Food Nazi

The slogan for Eden Cafe is, "...where it all begins." Sadly enough for me, Eden Cafe is where it all ends. Perhaps I'm overreacting just a tad, but this yuppy cafe has convinced me to boycott salads for the remainder of my trip in Singapore. The large part of the problem, of course, started with two meals I had at the California Pizza Kitchen along Orchard Road. I ordered the field green salad with carmelized walnuts and fresh mozzarella, as I usually do back home in the states. What came out of the kitchen was an unattractive pile of crudely cut iceberg lettuce (not mesclun greens) and a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella (not fresh) and a handful of plain walnuts (not carmelized or baked). And, being a man who rarely learns from his mistakes, I assumed this to be a freak accident by some newbie chef so I ordered the salad a second time aorund. This time was even worse! Not only was the salad browning (from obviously spending far too much time in a refrigerator), but the mozzarella cost an extra $2 SGD!


Eden Cafe has confirmed for me that, if you want yuppie cuisine (or just a decent salad), go to the land of the yuppies: try New Haven - they've got a pretty decent garden salad at Atticus Bread on Chapel Street. Anyway, that's just a foot note to all of this. Patrons at this institution were obviously yuppy expats (from the UK) looking to satisfy their yuppy desires with organics and whole wheat. Some were, from what I learned by listening into their conversations, frequent customers at Eden Cafe. One woman strutted right into the restaurant, walked right into the kitchen and placed her order (a burrito?).

To be fair, the owners at Eden Cafe have done a wonderful job of making the place inviting - I suppose for the typical yuppy expat, this cafe serves as a comfortable oasis far from the grime and dinge of local hawker centers and food courts. (Lord knows how "dirty" Singapore tends to be.) I too found it a bit refreshing to be in the yuppy embassy for a change. The minute you walk into the restaurant, you are greeted by a lovely dessert case full of exquisite desserts: rose petal brownies and orchid apple crumble and the like. I did not try any of these desserts because I was so obviously disappointed by the end of my meal that I refused to pay another cent, but I suppose I would (if asked) go back to try some of their dessert selections some other time. Their orchid fondue sounds interesting enough for a go.

Eden Cafe prepares cafe-style cuisine (soups/salads, finger foods, pasta) - for an added touch (and this is their signature), they garnish their dishes with edible orchids and rose petals. I'm not sure how these flavors actually infuse into the dish because the orchids used on my dish were purely garnish (they were not incorporated into the dish in any creative way).

To start, I ordered the fruit and vegetable summer salad which is served with, instead of vinagrette, a bit of yogurt and garnished with yellow orchids. The base was a mixture of unattractive iceberg lettuce and purple cabbage (which lent a certain bitterness to the dish that actually went horribly with the yogurt dressing and the watermelon/strawberry garnish). The dish was horribly inspired and actually hard to stomach (especially at $8.50 SGD). Any idiot could have made just as good (if not better) a salad at a college dining hall. What the dish really could have used was something to give the dish more meat and flavor since watery iceberg lettuce is pretty unremarkable as far as salad greens go. I would suggest a few slices of avocado to lend their characteristic buttery texture to enhancing the dish. I would also suggest substituting the yogurt for something a bit less tangy since the tanginess only seems to make the iceberg lettuce even less appealing to the palate.

I also ordered a plate of what the menu calls "Pie Tees." These are essentially wonton shells stuffed with a slice of lox, a basil leaf, tomato, and a dollop of American-style mayonaise (or was it Ranch dressing?). While this dish was slightly more appetizing, what was just as obvious was the fact that this dish could have been conjured up by anybody with half his wits. For $4.50 SGD, you'd be better off ordering 3 popiah rolls at a local hawker center. It's quickier and much tastier.

Long story short, don't go here unless maybe you want to sample some desserts....but do so at your own risk. Don't be fooled by the charm of this yuppy emporium - it'll take your money and your sense of pride.

Eden Cafe / 54 Club Street Singapore 069431 / 6536 1181

Posted by J. Lo on Monday, July 16, 2007 at 11:44 PM | Permalink