Back with another episode (or rather blog post) on healthy organic cafes in Singapore. This time I’m eating raw and clean at The Living Cafe by Balanced Living. And I am going to be back here next month for a nutrition seminar by Dana Heather, the founder of Balanced Living! This nutrition talk is part of the
30 Day Challenge with
Breathe Pilates.
It’s about making wise choices everyday though I’m guilty of not keeping my body in the best state of health on certain days. And on those days, my body felt like crap. So the way I treated my body that day would reflect the state of my body and mind is in. If you feed your body with good and nutritious food stuff, you will feel good about yourself all day. So I could really attest to the quote by Buddha which was printed on one of their menu pages.
” To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Buddha
The Living Cafe’s menu is not just any other ordinary menu with a list of food items and prices labelled. There’s other tonnes of interesting information about their origins, background and what raw food is all about. And I guess what differentiates the living cafe from other vegan/ vegetarian cafes is the emphasis on eating clean and raw at the same time which wasn’t clearly advocated in other vegan/vegetarian cafes in Singapore other than the Living Cafe.
Thanks to Living cafe, my interest for raw food has now been heightened. I was even thinking about starting a 7-Day raw food diet challenge on my own to see if I could survive eating raw food in Singapore for a week with so many temptations of good non-raw food ‘lurking’ around.
By now, you should be wondering what the raw food diet is all about right? As the word suggests itself, it’s about consuming raw food stuff excluding meat and poultry items which you wouldn’t want to eat it raw unless you are either a barbarian or cannibal.
So, a raw food diet would consist of raw natural food that has gone through minimal processing and should be not be heated to temperatures beyond 46 degrees celsius. Why 46 and not 50 or even 100? Scientifically speaking, what I do know of is that enzyme usually denature at temperatures ranging from 42 to 46 degrees celsius. Thus, food is only considered ‘raw’ by the raw vegans’ standard when the enzymes as well as other heat-sensitive nutrients like vitamins in the food substances are still well-preserved and functioning. Having said that, it’s akin to eating food in its most primitive way, just like how our ancestors consumed the fruits,vegetables and seeds in the forests. But that’s not to say that raw foodists only devour carrots sticks and celery stalks all day. We aren’t exactly consuming our food just like how other native primates would do. You’d be surprise by how raw vegans or raw foodies are able to prepare their raw meals in the most innovative and creative ways. And that creativity did spurred me to prepare raw meals just to see if they do taste really good. My first meal at The Living Cafe, which is seemingly raw to me, has also justified the fact that raw food could taste and look as good as poached eggs sitting on smoked salmon with lucious cream cheese.
Wheatgrass Slammer (SGD 5)Double wheatgrass shot with a small wedge of lemon
The vegan’s espresso veggie shot – a highly concentrated drink which is sure to prep you up for the day.
Steamed greens do looked pretty daunting sometimes because you would just be thinking, “these high fibrous plate of greens looked tasteless”. It may not really whey your appetite but just tell yourself how much these greens are going to change your body and the way you feel once you start eating it.
Quinoa Chicken Bowl ( SGD 12.00)
Organic Quinoa, grilled chicken, diced vegetables with mixed salad
Roast Pumpkin and Spinach Sandwich (SGD 13.00)
Spiced roasted pumpkin,caramelized onion,baby spinach, goats cheese, pumpkin seeds and balsamic dressing
Steamed Vegetables (SGD 4.00)
Carrots, broccoli and sweet peas
The roasted pumpkin and spinach salad is the most palatable one out of the three dishes we ordered. Since it’s roasted, you can’t exactly label this as raw food or even vegan-friendly due to the presence of goat cheese. If you’re exactly not into raw food but just wanted a healthy and hearty meal, this pumpkin and spinach sandwich is one great option for you. The fresh creamy goat cheese,which has a slight dairy cream taste, is the one that really enhances the overall taste of the roasted pumkpin sandwiched in between toasted slices of bread.
Raw German Chocolate Cake (SGD 8.50)
Dates, coconut, psyllium husk, Almond, Agave, Zuchinni, Palm sugar, Macadamia
There’s probably no traces of cocoa in it so I wondered why it was labelled as ‘chocolate cake’. Though it didn’t taste chocolate-ty at all, it was appetizing and true to its raw taste of dates and coconut. It’s kept cold which is perhaps why it tasted like ice-cream cake to me.
Besides this chocolate cake, they had ‘cheesecake’ made from blended cashew nuts, dates and agave. Again, there isn’t any cheese in it but just purely non-dairy natural food products which are blended together in a food processor, moulded and cooled to form a cake. Wouldn’t you be interested to find out how the ‘cheesecake’ could taste like? I have to try it the next time I’m back here. But a slice of this raw cake don’t come cheap. It costs about SGD 8.50 per slice.
I was typically intrigued, once again, by how vegans and raw food dieters could actually make a delicious cake without baking it. It’s not only healthy but super easy to make. In fact, if your family is on a raw food diet, all you will need is a food processor, blender, juicer or a dehydrator ( to remove moisture from food). The simplicity behind preparing raw food meals is indeed quite attractive so to speak.
I’m really inspired to make raw desserts. Watch this space for such ‘raw’ recipes!
Balanced Living (The Living Cafe)
779 Bukit Timah Rd
(Just before 6th Avenue)
Singapore 269758
Phone number:
+65 6468 4482
Opening Times:
Daily : 8.30am – 7pm
(last order at 6:30pm)
