Think Happy Thoughts: Food For Thought
Finally getting some downtime, I realized I still had one more backlog post from my stay in Singapore. With breakfast being my most favorite meal of the day, trying out a brunch spot was a fitting finale for my food adventures in the sunny little island.
Come to think of it, Singapore seemed to lag behind the Philippines when it comes to all-day breakfast places. (Wow, that's a first for my country!). The "brekky" revolution was already sweeping the Philippines years ago, when almost every corner boasted of an all-day breakfast menu. It came in all shapes and sizes: from the classic Pancake House, to the classy Breakfast Club, even to the downright dirt-cheap carinderia (hawker) style Kanto Freestyle Breakfast.
That's why it seems Singapore is poised for its own "brekky" revolution. And I just had to experience it before it went full blast. The difficulty in finding a brunch spot is that most places there offer a typical English breakfast, instead of the usual greasy American breakfast I was more acquainted with. Nevertheless, after scouring the web for hours, I found a good place tucked nicely in a botanic park.
Located right smack in the entrance of Singapore Botanic Gardens, Food For Thought boasted of a serene and tranquil dining experience. Unfortunately, we arrived on a holiday and quite late, so the place was absolutely packed.
5 Steps to Success according to the gospel of Food.
The really long queue was both an encouraging and upsetting sign: it was evidence that the food should be spectacular, but the wait would be epic. As with most shops in Singapore that don't charge for service, we had to line up before ordering, thus adding to the hunger pangs. I just crossed my fingers and hoped it was worth all the effort.
Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork, SGD 9.00 (approx. PHP 310, GST included)
I was craving for brunch worthy burger, and the Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork seemed to fit the bill. This huge sandwich barely kept itself together. The pork meat was bursting out between the hapless buns, topped with a creamy vegetable slaw.
The messy, merry mix was draped in a sweet tangy barbecue sauce, and added both zest and body to the sandwich. The pork meat was a bit inconsistent: soft in some parts, too big and tough in other portions. The flavor also seemed to be concentrated in some morsels but lacking in other parts. The slaw was a good contrast in flavor, adding a little sourness to it. The potato fries (add SGD 2.00) that came with it were quite good - none of that fast food flavor, that's for sure.
House Works, SGD 15.00 (approx. PHP 518, GST included)
A leveled-up version of McDonald's Big Breakfast, the House Works was a colorful and enticing sight to behold. It served the whole package: carbs, proteins, and some greens. The butter brioche was made in-house. It was soft on the inside and toasted perfectly on its sides, slathered on the surface with butter and caramel kaya. Being a fan of kaya toast, I absolutely loved it.
United colors of breakfast.
The bacon was also divine - it was pork, finally! Crisp on the edges, it tasted more heavenly than before, perhaps because of our long separation anxiety from bacon. The scrambled eggs were fluffy and had the right saltiness, although it seemed too watery. Nonetheless, it paired well with the bread and bacon. The greens were fresh and crisp and surprisingly enjoyable, drizzled lightly with sweet vinaigrette.
The pleasant surprise, however, was the marble-sized hash browns. It was quite unusual for these to be cooked like this, and it tasted fabulously. Deep-fried to perfection, the inside was surprisingly mushy and salty. It was a shame there were only a few pieces, since it was highly addicting and I could certainly eat a whole bunch of it. The House Works was indeed the full package, and my only gripe was the butter they used was Anchor. For this price tag, I would have preferred something like Lurpak. Heck, the barbecue guys in Maxwell FC could serve Lurpak with their dinner rolls, so what's stopping Food For Thought, right?
Pancakes with banana and walnuts, SGD 14.00 (approx. PHP 483, GST included)
No all-day breakfast will be complete without your typical slappy cakes. Sadly though, the choices were limited to two options, although one can add a few more toppings. We went for our favorite mix of banana and walnuts.
One interesting variation in their pancakes is that they use gula melaka syrup instead of your run-of-the-mill, off-the-grocery-shelf maple syrup. Their syrup thus was milder in sweetness, and felt healthier!
However, they seemed to have scrimped on the syrup as the pancakes felt a tad dry in some parts. I usually prefer my pancakes nearly soaked in syrup. The fresh cream compensated for the milder sweetness of the syrup. The banana was also underwhelmingly flavored, perhaps not yet ripe enough. The walnuts was a good contrast in texture, adding crunch to the fluffiness of the pancakes. The pancakes itself were light and soft. It was akin to the ones in IHOP, save for the milder sweetness.
Despite its farther location from the city center, Food For Thought in the Botanic Gardens is worth the trip. Away from the hustle and bustle, the tranquility leads one to leisurely enjoy a hefty and hearty breakfast while taking in the sunshine and the breeze from the lush garden. Prices are commensurate with the serving size, especially noting that service charge is nil. There were some hits and misses with our orders, but overall, Food For Thought is perhaps the best value-for-money for an all-day breakfast place. It was a fitting finale as I closed this chapter of my life. And whenever I want to reminisce on my stay in SG and think of happy thoughts, Food For Thought will always be remembered.
Jones
Food For Thought
Singapore Botanic Gardens
1 Cluny Road, Tanglin Gate
#B1-00
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