Green Room Cafe (Bishan Park II)

I've been told quite a few times that there was a nice restaurant in the middle of bishan park but i've never personally been there. Upon arrival, i noticed there were 2 such restaurants side by side and was forced to make a choice, feeling a wee bit exotic, i opted for the Green Room cafe instead of the Acacia which i will revisit at a later time. The Green Room cafe is a concept cafe from Asmara Spas to promote healthy eating habits which inexorably links back to the spa treatments they offer. How good is the food there though?

The location in the middle of the park is reminiscent of Bliss which is located a Punggol Park. Its interior was decent and casual with the exception of 2 rather large trees located right smack in the middle of the restaurant, making it an interesting decoration of sorts.

Vegetarian Mutton Curry with organic brown rice ($12.80) - Vegetarian mutton curry has been done many times and i have never had a good opinion of it since i perceive such foods to be filled with artificial flavorings and being totally unhealthy. This rendition was quite decent however, with the flavorings kept to a minimal and still having slight hints of mutton in it. It was not very spicy despite the use of curry leaves, cinnamon and ginger but complimented the organic brown rice really well. That said, the rice is very different. Thick, moist and chewy, this is akin to japanese rice only bigger. Interestingly good.

Indochinese Spring Rolls ($6.80) - Spring rolls. Why did i order this? Well, i figured they simply can't go wrong with spring rolls in vegetarian cuisine and i was proven right. Served piping hot, with a tangy lime, ginger and red chilli dipping sauce, this was easily enjoyable as finger food. Crunchy vegetables, spicy and sourish sauce, whats there not to like?

Portebello Field Mushroom ($12.80) - Ever since my first introduction to this big fungus, i have grown quite fond of it and its various permutations. This time, it was served with aged balsamic vinegar, homemade potato relish on a warm baked bun. The nachos went well with it as well along with the fresh salad that gave it an sweet, raw and healthy feeling experience. I was only disappointed with the size of the mushroom which really could have been bigger.

The bill for this meal came up to $38.13 which is quite a big sum to pay for the amount of food we had.

After all the good things i have said about the place, why is the score so low? Well, the fact that the food is easily prepared and the contrast between the offerings and the price is the reason, it simply doesn't feel like value for money even though the food is actually quite nicely done. Reduce the price by 30 or 40% and i'll probably return. Moving forward, if anyone wants to try the place, it might be a good idea to go during noon to enjoy the casual surroundings better.