Since time eternal, a garden has symbolised vitality and abundance for many... my timely visit to a restaurant with the same namesake has put back that spring in my step after a much dreaded hiatus due to a bout of "low immunity" made worse by the unpredictable weather in tropical Singapore lately.
By a stroke of luck, a good friend and I decided to tempt our jaded taste buds with the latest offerings from a health conscious eatery - THE GARDEN. Located next to Spa Botanica tucked deep in the secluded lush greenery of the hotel grounds of the Sentosa Resort & Spa, this 25 indoor seater eatery ( with a dozen or more seats outdoors ) came across as a cosy kitchen rather than a stuffy elite restaurant. The staff were attentive to every need and were well informed about the ingredients that went into each dish.
An in-house sommelier of sorts for the "choose your own" salads & fresh juices would have made the task of "conscious" salad selection less daunting for diners who are less adventurous or new to the idea of customised dining. This option would definitely make any self-confessed foodie happy to personalise a salad / juice of their choice and also meet the needs of the unfortunate few afflicted with allergies, or those who are under any special dietary restrictions.
We both ordered a salad with ingrdients of our own choice. And both concoctions arrived in a porcelain white bucket shaped bowl filled with a colorful mix of vegetable greens, cooked vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts, dried or fresh fruit. You could choose a salad dressing of your choice which came encased in a large test tube with a cork stopper. This would make a great idea to store your pre-made vinaigrette ready for use anytime you feel like tossing a a homemade salad at home/at work. What sets this salad apart from the rest is that they finish off the tossed salad with a complementing mist of either lemongrass, champagne, ginger,etc depending on the type of salad dressing chosen. I had the honey soy vinaigrette with ginger mist and my fellow gourmet diner chose the orange vinaigrette with tofu & lemongrass mist. The deep bowl not only served its purpose as a retainer for thorough tossing, it retains the wonderful aromas the final spritz of flavoured mist brings. Such an elegant touch to a simple dish. Certainly elevates the experience of enjoying a salad to a different level. Chomp your way through fresh succulent greens like the Red Chard, accented with a touch of tart with berries in the menu , complimented beautifully with the crispy flaxseed crepes which provide that savoury feel to this starter. Organic figs imparted some natural sweetness and organic walnuts gave some crunch to this medley of vegetables. The walnuts might have tasted even better if they were roasted slightly :) By the time we finished our salads, both of us felt quite full, so we settled for the "First" as our main course with the hope of leaving room for some dessert.
Check out the lunch & dusk menus, not forgetting the food photos & whet your appetite to an evening of gastronomic abundance in the simple but lush menu 'THE GARDEN' has to offer....
http://www.thesentosa.com
I look forward to they day when this concept of "choose your own salad/juice combo" can be improvised and made more readily available in our foodcourts, supermarkets & juice bars (in place of all the sugar stuffed & fat laden fast food & coffee joints rampantly raging through our tiny island). Or even brought into school/office canteens where the young can enjoy greens in a fun way & the chronic-disease prone office population have easier access to healthier food options. (Pictures courtesy of The Garden)
Here's a salute to all the salad enthusiasts in out there ! Eat your greens !!!
