The Lawn Cafe Tasting Session

The Lawn Cafe Tasting Session
31 Biopolis Way
#01-07 Nanos
Opening Hours (Biopolis):
Mon - Fri: 11:15am - 9pm
Sun: 10am - 4pm

8 Shenton Way
#B1-11 AXA Tower
Opening Hours (Shenton):
Mon - Fri: 10:30am - 9pm

http://www.thelawn.com.sg/
https://www.facebook.com/thelawncafe

This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session, but I did pay the standard price during subsequent visits.


More Than Just Salads

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 6
Value for Money: 9
Budget about SGD $10 ++ per person.


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I'm not much of a salad person... Think I love meat too much! But if there was one place that could possibly change my mind, it would be The Lawn Cafe. This 2 plus years old hidden gem of a cafe is unlike any other. Casual, comfortable ambience? Check. Great tasting yet balanced food? Check. Premium ingredients? Check. Affordable price? Check. Flavours of both East and West? Check. Add in a brand new delivery service and The Lawn Cafe has a lot going for it!

I loved the ambience at The Lawn Cafe. The faux grass acts like a comfy carpet under your feet, and the furniture is casual and functional. Choose from either indoor seating or outdoor seating at The Lawn Cafe Biopolis. Personally, I prefer outdoor, as the Nanos building here is specifically designed to act like a wind tunnel, channelling cooling breeze along the exterior of the The Lawn Cafe.

The open kitchen and prep area provide interesting distractions while waiting to order, and I like the olden looking gas lamps hanging in a bunch. There was a blackboard near the cashier counter, and I noticed several diners accidentally knocking into it while ordering / making payment. Might be better if they moved it elsewhere.

The Lawn Cafe Interior

The Lawn Cafe Kitchen & Carrot

The Lawn Cafe Lights

The Lawn Cafe Prep Area

The Lawn Cafe is largely self-service. Indicate your order on an order chit, then queue and make payment at the counter. Collect a buzzer, which will signal you to collect your order when ready.

Order Sheet & Prices March 2014

But the real question is, what should you order at The Lawn Cafe? The base is either a Salad or Olive Rice, but there is a near endless combination of items to add on, including 13 grilled meats / seafood, 30 different salad toppings, and 12 types of salad dressing / sauces. This mind boggling variety means you could eat everyday at The Lawn Cafe and not get bored!

The basic Salad Bowl (SGD $7.90) comes with a base of fresh, crunchy lettuce and arugula, plus a choice of 5 different salad toppings, and 1 type of salad dressing sauce. The 30 salad toppings include a variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and others such as egg or tofu. You may then choose to add on 1 or 2 types of grilled meats or seafood.

The first combination I sampled was the Mesclun Salad With Couscous, Pineapples, Corn Kernels, Alfalfa Sprouts, Chestnuts, Grilled Teriyaki Chicken. The chicken was juicy and nicely grilled, with a slight sweetness, complementing the pineapples and soft chestnuts. The corn kernels added a nice flavour and slight crunch, while the couscous and alfalfa sprouts made it fun and playful.

Create Your Own Salad - Mesclun Salad With Couscous, Pineapples, Corn Kernels, Alfalfa Sprouts, Chestnuts, Grilled Teriyaki Chicken 01

Create Your Own Salad - Mesclun Salad With Couscous, Pineapples, Corn Kernels, Alfalfa Sprouts, Chestnuts, Grilled Teriyaki Chicken 02

Create Your Own Salad - Mesclun Salad With Couscous, Pineapples, Corn Kernels, Alfalfa Sprouts, Chestnuts, Grilled Teriyaki Chicken 03

The second combination I sampled was the Mesclun Salad With Egg, Green Apples, Olives, Beetroot, Granola, Aceto Balsamico Beef Cuts. The beef was tender and moist, with a rounded savouriness, complementing the olives and egg. The granola added a textural crunch, while the beetroot and green apples added a little sweetness.

Create Your Own Salad - Mesclun Salad With Egg, Green Apples, Olives, Beetroot, Granola, Aceto Balsamico Beef Cuts 01

Create Your Own Salad - Mesclun Salad With Egg, Green Apples, Olives, Beetroot, Granola, Aceto Balsamico Beef Cuts 02

Create Your Own Salad - Mesclun Salad With Egg, Green Apples, Olives, Beetroot, Granola, Aceto Balsamico Beef Cuts 03

Alternatively, choose the Olive Rice & Side Salad (SGD $7.90). Unlike the Thai or Greek Olive Rice, the version of Olive Rice at The Lawn Cafe is a Teochew recipe from the founder's grandmother. Each mouthful is a distinctly Asian flavour of spices. Lovely.

Olive Rice & Side Salad 01

Olive Rice & Side Salad 02

Sampled 10 of the 12 different salad dressing / sauces available at The Lawn Cafe. My personal favourites include Me So Spicy, a potent kick of fresh chili, sambal belachan and fresh mint; the Wasahoney, a sharp yet sweet combination of wasabi, honey and mayonnaise; and the Perky Sesame Ginger, a combination of sesame seed, coriander root and grated ginger that tastes like Chicken Rice. The variety of sauces is well balanced, having both Western and Asian flavours, light and heavy sauces, and sweet, sour, bitter, salty and spicy flavours.

Sauce Manly Mango, Wasahoney, Honeyball, Maple Peanut, Citrus, Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Red Island, Wafu, Me So Spicy, Perky Sesame Ginger 01

Sauce Manly Mango, Wasahoney, Honeyball, Maple Peanut, Citrus, Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Red Island, Wafu, Me So Spicy, Perky Sesame Ginger 02

Ben's Beef Rub, so named for the friend of the founder who gave him this recipe, features tender beef with a peppery, savoury dry rub, that is grilled well. Choose a sauce that is sweet, sour or spicy to complement this.

Ben's Beef Rub

Perfectly grilled, premium dory fish is used for the Butter-Seared Pacific Dory With Parsley Rub. Meaty, flaky and juicy all at once, a sour, bitter or spicy sauce would complement this.

Butter-Seared Pacific Dory With Parsley Rub

The 2nd most popular grill addition, the Char-Grilled Prawns With Garlic features fresh and plump deshelled prawns / shrimp. Juicy with a nice savoury char from grilling, with a satisfying bite, pair this with a salty or bitter sauce with maximum taste.

Char-Grilled Prawns With Garlic

The Chicken Breast With Maple Infusion is the 1st most popular grill addition at The Lawn Cafe. The moist and tender premium quality chicken breast is infused with sweet maple syrup, making it both savoury and sweet at once. Pair with a sweet or salty sauce for best results.

Chicken Breast With Maple Infusion

The Lawn Cafe now also offers delivery service throughout Singapore, for corporate events and 1 day advance orders. I think this is especially useful for corporate catering or events throughout Singapore, as you'll be getting a good meal at reasonably low prices. Or you could choose to do self-pickup advance order instead. Beat the long queues snacking out the doors at lunch hour!

Meal

Overall, I find The Lawn Cafe be excellent value for money. Where else can you get tasty, flavourful food, have creative input, yet enjoy a healthy balanced meal? The Lawn Cafe makes a good case for healthy living!





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