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2015-09-05
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As far as I know... vegetables are unappealing to most people. If you remove the wondrous healthy properties of vegetables, it will almost certainly be ousted from my diet straightaway (yes... #CarnivoresUnite). Green Dot, a homegrown brainchild by two secondary school friends, have taken upon themselves to overthrow this notion. Their challenge was to provide an option of delicious vegetarian meals - yes, a challenge indeed... I went ahead to see if they manage to change my mind about veggies.G
As far as I know... vegetables are unappealing to most people. If you remove the wondrous healthy properties of vegetables, it will almost certainly be ousted from my diet straightaway (yes... #CarnivoresUnite). Green Dot, a homegrown brainchild by two secondary school friends, have taken upon themselves to overthrow this notion. Their challenge was to provide an option of delicious vegetarian meals - yes, a challenge indeed... I went ahead to see if they manage to change my mind about veggies.
Green Dot has four outlets: Paya Lebar Square (pictured), Bedok Mall, Westgate, and Temasek Polytechnic. Each of the different outlets offer a different menu/ selections due to their kitchen operating size, but Paya Lebar Square has the most comprehensive range of items including their most popular, value-for-money, and delicious hotpots - my number one recommendation from Green Dot.
What do you want to eat? Use Green Dot's quick, easy-to-understand computerized system to order it.
Lion Mane Mushroom Rendang Rice (SGD 9.50) is a perfectly sized rice bowl for those who don't like to share your food with others. Trust me, I know that feeling. Their rendang paste is very fulfilling and has quite a good kick, which pairs up nicely with the crunchy and juicy vegetables on the side. Reminds me of a good ol' well-balanced bahn mi.
If you're coming in a group of 4, the Mushroom Mini Hot Pot Set (SGD 59.90) will be perfect. Including shitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, shimeiji mushrooms, tomatoes, taukee, konnyaku prawn, baby bak choy, Chinese cabbage, green coral in your choice of soup. Otherwise, there is an option for two as well.Depending on your crowd and mood, you can choose among three possible soup bases: Herbal, Tom Yum or Laksa. The Tom Yum is not the kickass spicy and fragrant sort, and the Laksa tended towards the coconut flavours. My personal favourite has got to be the Herbal one which made me feel very comfortable and happy after drinking the soup. Not all soups has this effect. It is essentially made of herbs such as wolfberries, licorice and angelica root. I love it! You can have five different types of rice to choose from to go with your hot pot: Beauty Rice, Emperor Rice, Five Treasure Rice, Fragrance Rice or Sesame Rice.
Providing the laksa base for the hotpots, Green Dot also has the Laksa Bowl (SGD 5.90) going for them, which was a tamer version of the fiery local one, but nevertheless still enjoyable in its own way. This laksa is creamier, evidently from more coconut milk, with sufficient dose of spices, and a lot of sauce-soaked taupoks. The noodles were also the classic sort you find in laksa bowls, and altogether, I can say that while it is different from the typical laksas you find, it is definitely still worth a try.
I was surprised to see burgers at a vegetarian place, but this Lion's Mane Mushroom Burger (SGD 8.90) was slightly disappointing as it tastes almost like a McDonalds burger. Granted, vegetarians will now know how it tastes like.
Their teas - Alisan Oolong and Peach Oolong Tea were beautiful to go with any meal, really. Very fragrant and handpicked by the owners, the hot Alisan Oolong teas have a calming effect on the stomach and mind. The Peach Oolong Tea comes in chilled form, refreshing and great for the summer.
I was further impressed by their fruit juice bar which had so much incredible hidden gems in there! Some of their in-house concoctions include the Soy Caramel Latte (SGD 6.50), Mocha Frappe (SGD 7.50), Avocado Yogurt Milkshake (SGD 6.50), Passion Dragonfruit Green Tea (SGD 5.50), and Strawberry Banana Green Tea (SGD 5.50).The weird has got to go to the Avocado Yogurt Milkshake which received mixed reviews from the table. I found it strange because I didn't find the combination well-gelled together, yogurt is pretty much the outcast that is hard to fit in most places. I am a huge fan of avocado milkshakes so I could turn a blind eye to the nagging strange yogurt taste in the drink, but I don't think it will appeal to the mainstream taste.
The Passion Dragonfruit Green Tea and Strawberry Banana Green Tea, on the other hand, performed well despite the ambitious and potentially strange combinations. Especially the Passion Dragonfruit Green Tea which I was slightly nervous about trying, it surpassed all expectations, the dragonfruit juice was very much in sync with the green tea. The coffees were pretty good but if I only can choose a drink, I'd definitely want to try the fruit-based ones which are very unique.
We ended the night with a sweet bowl of Osmanthus Jelly (SGD 3.50), which was legitly stuffed with dried osmanthus flowers and wolfberries. Even though I was very full at the moment in time, I gobbled this lovely sweet treat in record time. Thumbs up.
Support homegrown brands which have the heart and passion to serve great food! They are really funny, candid and open about receiving feedback on how they can improve their menu so as to prepare even better vegetarian meals for all to enjoy.
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