Elemen 元素 - The Love Song of Mushrooms, Wild Rice, Herbs, Fruits and Truffles

Elemen is another of those restaurants I always take note of when I pass by its store front in Millenia Walk but never get around to trying its food since my companion is a meat eater. So when he is too busy this weekend to have lunch together with me, I jump at the chance to go to the nearest branch, which is at Thomson Plaza.

Nostalgia hits me the second I step into shopping complex. It is exactly the same as when I visited it as a kid, and it was one of my watering hole during my university years. It has strong character due to the unique layout of the stores and the quaint wares sold in these stores. It is unlike others. I love it. It is so different from many shopping complexes of today, which are flashy but has no personality since they are for maximizing profits only, featuring mainly chain stores.

Okay, enough with that, let me go back to talking about the restaurant. First of all, it is not easy to find the restaurant due to, ironically, the unique layout I relish. Luckily for anyone reading this post, here is the guide to get there since calling the staff hardly helps in any way. When one is at either of the main entrances of Thomson Plaza, head to the inner rightmost corner of the place. Elemen is just on the right side of the food court hidden at the back of the shopping complex.

The interior is of Muji style due to the light beige wooden furniture and white walls. The feel of the whole place is very Taiwanese. It reminds me of the Taiwanese tea houses that I visited to relax and hang out with friends in a calming, homely environment when I was a student.

Finally, onto the food! The appetizer served is a pretty trio that is recommend to be savoured in the order of the mushroom, then the black sesame tofu and lastly the tomato. The mushroom with clear teriyaki sauce really hints at what this restaurant is about. The meaty flavour of mushroom allows it to nicely take over the place of meats. And this restaurant fully utilizes this property of mushroom to appeal to non-vegetarians. The beans that come with the mushroom add a refreshing taste and crunchy element to this first appetizer. Black sesame tofu is so amazing because it is very rich in nutty flavour of sesames and its sweetness is accentuated by the savoury taste of the accompanying sesame sauce. The juicy tomato with plum sauce releases a burst of refreshing tangy juices upon one bite, and it totally whets the appetite. This appetizer signifies a good start on what is to come.

Wild Mushroom Cream Soup with Truffle Oil is smooth and is loaded with the coveted woody aroma of fungi, namely mushrooms and truffle. Who needs meat when one has this soup?

Blue Flower Tofu with Black Truffle Wild Rice is a interesting dish, in which I like the rice more than the tofu. The tofu has a nice blue interior due to the blue pigment from butterfly pea flower—I like it that the colour is from natural source. But the tofu is just a nice tofu that can be found in lots of Chinese restaurants, it does not have anything special going for it. As for the wild rice, I must say it is cooked to perfection: almost al dente where it is firm in texture yet surprisingly soft to bite and every grain is intact, sealing the very mild nut-like aroma within them, to be released upon each bite. The small truffle paste on top is a dot of complex flavours. I do wish there is more of such paste.

Chilled Purple Rice Porridge with Coconut Ice Cream has all the elements I love. The flavourful and starchy purple rice and coconut go so well together. This is like the beloved bubur hitam I like. I will still choose dessert if I go back.

Iced Coconut Mint with Butterfly Pea Flower is so beautiful. And the best part is that it is coconut juice, one of my favourite beverages. Without the sugar, it still tastes great and refreshing, exactly my kind of drink. The butter pea flower water at the top adds a nice colour to it. I also finish up the slice of coconut meat decked on top of the drink since I like all things coconut. So no way am I letting that go to waste. By the way, the stalk of mint is edible also.

Service is the kind I expect from Taiwanese restaurants: very friendly, down to earth and full of smiles. The only hiccup is when I called to ask for directions, and the staff sounded as lost as I was. I was angry at that moment, but all of it dispersed when I was warmly welcomed into the restaurant. And they add a nice touch of serving rosemary infused water instead of the same old plain one.

This is one vegetarian restaurant that I definitely look forward to going back.

My Thoughts: My Favourite Vegetarian Restaurant
Nearest car park: Thomson Plaza's car park

Nearest MRT: Marymount

301 Upper Thomson Road
#01-113 Thomson Plaza
Contact No: 64520341

Note that there are other branches in Millenia Walk and Harbourfront

Emborg Gouda/Havarti Cheese

Gouda Cheese is milder in flavour as compared to Emmental. So it is the kind of cheese suitable for everyone's taste. But this still has that bit of bitterness, almost undetectable, to give character and complexity to this cheese's taste profile. And besides using it for sandwich, I also like its melted texture, which has an iota of stretchy quality, when I put one on top of piping hot French Toast.

Havarti cheese somewhat similar to Gouda in term of mildness, but its texture is that of classic cheese. Great for cold sandwiches.

And this is made with 100% natural ingredients. Yes, the usual suspects of milk, salt, lactic acid and rennet.

Country of Origin: Germany
Where to get this: Cold Storage and NTUC supermarkets.

Other brands that carry products made with 100% natural ingredients are Président (France, and not including individually wrapped cheese slices), Kerrygold (Ireland), Dairyworks (New Zealand), Arla (Germany), Organic Valley (USA), Sierra Nevada (USA), Coon (Australia), Entre Mont (France), West Minster (England), Galvani (Italy), Mainland (New Zealand), Tradition (Netherlands) and Ammerlander (Germany).

Arla Emmental Cheese

Made with 100% natural ingredients of milk, salt, lactic acid and rennet, this wholesome cheese, completed with holes, is so delicious. Like wine, quality cheeses have complexity in their tastes. And this cheese features the nutty flavour, an iota of bitter taste and a very mild sweetness that develops after tasting the slight bitterness that I love in Emmental cheese.

I know I want more after finishing a sandwich with this cheese added. But do note that due to the strong taste of this cheese and firmer texture, not everyone is able to get accustomed to it. On the side note, a friend of mine, who is a cheese lover, did tell me that the quiche I made with shredded Emmental cheese is better than other varieties he had tried. Actually, I do agree with that. I have yet eaten a quiche that is better than my Crab Quiche. Though to be fair, I have not eaten lots of quiches outside the ones I made. The key to making good quiche is simply using Emmental cheese, real crab meat and buttery crust made with my secret recipe.

Country of Origin: Germany
Where to get this: Cold Storage and NTUC supermarkets

Note: Other brands that carry products made with 100% natural ingredients are Président (France, and not including individually wrapped cheese slices), Kerrygold (Ireland), Dairyworks (New Zealand), Emborg (Germany), Organic Valley (USA), Sierra Nevada (USA), Coon (Australia), Entre Mont (France), West Minster (England), Galvani (Italy), Mainland (New Zealand), Tradition (Netherlands) and Ammerlander (Germany). But I cannot be trying them all in one go lol

Annie’s Homegrown Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks

Made with organic ingredients, tapioca instead of corn, with no yucky stuff like artificial colours and flavours, and preservatives, this brand of gummies is one of the best sweets available on the market.

I also like its natural lemon flavour and the texture, which is slightly chewy, easy to bite and does not stick to the teeth.

Absolutely one of the best choices to give to children. But still, need to watch the sugar intake.

Country of Origin: USA
Where to get this: Cold Storage (Organic section)

Swee Heng 1989 Classic - Pandan Cakes Galore

Despite hiding at a corner of the basement of Northpoint South Wing, Swee Heng 1989 Classic surprisingly has a queue formed in front of its cashier. So that catches my attention, and I decide to check out what this bakery has to offer. And then I realize the reason to its popularity: unique breads and cakes, with many of pandan flavour. Some of the breads are not the kind one can find in other bakeries.

I set my eyes on Less Sugar Pandan Roll with Gula Melaka since I have a thing for pandan and gula melaka. The texture of this cake is perfect. The cake sponge is soft, fluffy and pretty moist. Gula melaka adds a rich taste of caramel to this confectionery, making it a better pandan cake than most of its commercial counterparts. Though I must say I like this cake, not loving it due to lack of strong aroma of pandan. Perhaps I am spoilt by the unbelievably awesome pandan cake made by my sister, the pandan roll sold at a makeshift stall in Kovan and Lynda Ann’s Pandan Perfection. And there are lots of E*** stated in the ingredient list of Swee Heng’s pandan roll. I do think that most commercial bakeries put these stuff into their products, so I appreciate that Swee Heng is professional to show the ingredients used. Just that I am keeping my love for artisanal cakes.

My Thoughts: Nice Surprises!

Click here for information on the outlets

Australian Scallops

Everyone knows that Japanese scallops are crème de la crème of this class of delicious bivalve mollusks. Australian scallops are not easily found in our supermarkets, and is thus not as well-known. Well, I highly recommend giving Australian scallops a try, for something different.

The texture is springy with very slight hints of the pliability of the fish meat, so even after cooking them for long time, they do not get as rubbery as other kinds of scallops. Taste wise, it is less salty, but the briny flavours atypical of scallops is more pronounced in Australian scallops.

Country of Origin: Australia, obviously
Where to get this: The Seafood Marketplace by Song Fish

The Laughing Cow Cheese

Most people probably don’t know this: most of the mass-produced cheeses available in supermarkets have colour additives. Yes, the beautiful golden hue on cheddar cheese is from artificial colour! And ever since I had read about how nasty these artificial colours are, I go on the search for cheeses with no colours added. It is hard to find any among the numerous brands of individually wrapped cheese slices that come with affordable price tags.

So when I grabbed a packet of The Laughing Cow’s cheese pack and scanned through the ingredient list, I was expecting to see E102 or E110 in there. But surprise, surprise, they are not in there! I was really laughing in joy at that moment.

Maybe due to nostalgia of enjoying this brand of cheese cubes when I was young, I do find the taste to be of old school type: rich in the flavour of cheese with no frills. It is all about cheese ~

Country of Origin: Australia
Where to get: All major supermarkets

Note: Another trip to supermarket, and I found out that no colouring is added to Kraft cheese also. At least that looks like the case, based on my limited proficiency in chemical terms written in Chinese.

Chirashi King Kong - Affordable and Simple but Somewhat Sumptuous Rice Bowls

Judging by the bombastic shop name and quirky inferior featuring pink and blue floodlights, pictures of sea monsters depicted in Japanese's ukiyo e style, orange chairs and Astro Boy figurines, one can guess that this place offers something different. And the difference lies in the truffle-infused Japanese rice and the wide selection of toppings available.

Each grain of the starchy rice has a pearl-like sheen, indicating that it is quality Japanese rice well-cooked. And with a bit of truffle oil added, chopped mushrooms, tobiko and furikake, which is a kind of Japanese seasoning of seaweed, sesame, bonito powder, mixed in, we have a bowl of wholesome, flavourful rice that can be eaten on its own. I recommend to add on the rice since this restaurant is pretty generous with the raw fishes, so need more rice to go with them.

There is a great variety of rice bowls available for choosing, from the very value-for-money $10.90 Salmon to the $22.90 decadent Uni Negitoro Ikura. I like the great number of choices, and I go for the somewhat value-for-money and somewhat sumptuous option of King Kong Chirashi—well, being a fan of negitoro, I cannot resist choosing this. Quite a lot of ingredients, such as negitoro, ikura, aburi otoro, wakame, pickles and jellyfish, are added on top of the truffle-infused rice. The negitoro is pretty good, with no hint of the fishy smell, and the melt-in-your-mouth texture of the otoro is accentuated by contrasting texture of its seared surface. The other ingredients are nice, flavourful additions to the rice bowl.

As for the Assorted Fish Chirashi, I like it that raw, plump scallops are added to it and the price is pretty reasonable.

If I am looking for a fuss-free, quick, wholesome meal, this place definitely comes to my mind.

Note: The photos of the rice bowls have a nice but distracting blue tint due to the lighting there.

My Thoughts: Think I'm going to visit this place often!

Nearest car park: Millenia Walk's car park
Nearest MRT: Promenade

Millenia Walk #02-17
9 Raffles Boulevard
Singapore
Contact No: 8733 5537

Thumbs Down to Social Enterprises

I want my affordable, good food, and I also want the hawkers to run their stalls at a sustainable rate instead of bleeding to death. So the only option is for greedy corporations to stop running the hawker centres. The promises for all the cheap options for food mean nothing when you charge exorbitant rental rates and add in ridiculous terms and conditions.

Based on my observations, what these social enterprises bring to the table are only nicer environments and variety of food. With those management dictating what the hawkers can and cannot do, there is no room for them to maximize their potential and inject creativity into their craft. This is why some of the best hawker food are still found in the most run-down places because there is no counterproductive management team who knows nuts about food to hamper them from doing what they are good at.

To illustrate my point: one of the best popians I had eaten can be found at this pretty old coffeeshop at BLK 133, Ang Mo Kio, and the stall is only opened on weekends from afternoon onwards. I guess the owners are in half retirement mode already, thus only operating the stall at specific timings. Can one imagine what happened if some money-grabbing corporation takes over the place and dictates that they must work from 9am to 8pm? Guess they will just wrap things up instead of subjecting themselves to being slaves to those social enterprises. The biggest losers are the fans of their popians.

Food Paradise will become Barren Hell in no time if this goes on.

Social Enterprise is now the dirty word that we look at with disgust. Just ban them, for goodness’ sake. Alternatively, hawkers should take charge of their own livelihood and just boycott social enterprises. Remember, social enterprises need you to function, not the other way round. There are other places where you can set up your stalls.