Petals & Leaves Bistro

Had the opportunity to indulge in a food tasting session at Petals & Leaves Bistro one grey Saturday afternoon, courtesy of the bistro's management, which runs Garden Asia, an event management *** landscaping company.

The place proves quite a hassle to get to, hidden deep within the wilderness of Kranji. Housed within the premises of Garden Asia, Petals & Leaves is the epitome of idyllic-ness. A large sheltered al fresco dining area flanked by a pond amidst lush flora and fauna, with only the light patter of raindrops breaking the tranquility - the perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life.

The Works Platter - We started off with The Works Platter, which consisted of sausages, chicken wings and cheese sticks - typical pub grub which I personally fancy quite a bit. Nothing came across as particularly outstanding though. The sausages were alright but a little on the bland side. The cheese sticks didn't have the gooey cheese oozing out of the sticks and the taste of deep fried flour threatened to overwhelm the already faint taste of the cheese. As for the wings, I personally felt that they lacked marination and chomping on one was akin to chewing on flour.

Chicken - The piece of chicken thigh looked really well grilled and most appetising. However its appearance belied the fact that marination was lacking and the texture tended more towards the rubbery side. The sauce did seem a little weak as well.

The Bull's Eye - A slab of beautifully grilled medium rare ribeye, topped with red wine pepper sauce and apparently a signature dish of the eatery. A pity it was rather lacklustre, coming across as a little too tough sans the inherent sweetness of the beef. What I thought was mildy interesting was the side of sliced potatos which were coated with potato flour then deep fried, giving rise to something that tasted a little similar to potato tempura.

Oreo Tiramisu - Oreo Tiramisu

I 've always been a fan of oreos and tiramisu. Put this two elements together and I would expect something explosive, if not decent at least. The truth be told, it wasn't fantastic but at least it was palatable. The sponge fingers had little icicles in it probably due to water being present during the freezing stage of the tiramisu and that affected the overall texture. Apparently there was Baileys in it but I couldn't make any out probably due to my alcohol desensitized taste buds. Last but not least, the mascarpone cheese leaned towards the heavy side - a little too much egg yolk maybe? The oreos didn't make much of a difference to the dessert in my humble opinion.

Well, I wouldn't say that the food was totally bad but it certainly has lots of room for improvement. I like the ambience of the place though, charmingly serene and tranquil - perfect for whiling the morning/afternoon away with a nice cup of tea/coffee in hand. Please allow me to end off by thanking Petals & Leaves for kindly extending their invitation to me. Thank you.

See all my pictures here.