Botanist Cafe Review Singapore

We were informed by our local sources that there was a new cafe opening up nearby which promised to serve good coffee, great food and have a coffee retail outlet upstairs. Tucked away on Neil St we discovered the new Botanist Cafe and Knockhouse Supply Co… we were not disappointed.

The coffee selection is pretty standard espresso but you get to choose which beans you’d like from their coffee menu. I enjoyed a refreshing iced white with the Dark Matter blend beans which were noted to taste of dark chocolate and macadamia. Rodney enjoyed the classic flat white with the Santa Isabel beans from Guatemala which were noted to taste of jasmine and white grapes. Both great!

The food we have tasted so far is simply outstanding; both beautiful to look at and delicious to consume. They have a healthy, classic brunch and lunch pasta / mains menu to choose from and everything sounds amazing. I opted for the Egg Florentine with portobello mushroom, wilted spinach, avocado, poached eggs, tomatoes, chive hollandaise, and toast which didn’t disappoint. Rodney ordered the Corned Beef Hash with homemade shredded corned beef, crusted potatoes, poached eggs with hollandaise sauce which he equally enjoyed and polished off. We will definitely be back again to try some more dishes which their chefs passionately plate up.

The only downside to this cafe is that it isn’t very baby or stroller friendly with no baby change area, a large staircase at the main entrance, another staircase going down to access the main seating area and another steep staircase up to the retail outlet. We did however find they had a back entrance to the rear which was easier to access with a stroller and at least one table suitable. (funny the new criteria we assess a cafe on these days)

As you can see there are also only a small selection of tables available, so fingers crossed this place stays our little secret. Unfortunately Botanist Cafe doesn’t take reservations so we are likely to see queues start to form outside like the other cafes in this area if word gets out how good it is.

Thank you Botanist. We will quickly become regulars there.

 

Botanist & Knockhouse Supply Co

Tues – Sun: 8am – 6pm

74 Neil Road

Singapore

www.botanist.sg

Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes

I was having a few mums and bubs over for a catchup this week so wanted to bake some sweet treats for us. I bought the ingredients for the New York Baked Cheesecake from Taste website but I never found the time to prepare it the day before as my little one was needing my attention. I woke up early the morning of my mum & bub catchup and decided that instead of just ordering cakes from a local bakery I would try making Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes instead. I figured they would be quicker to prepare, bake and set as they would require approximately half the ingredients and occupy a smaller surface area. Not only were they delicious, but they were quick and easy too!

 

Ingredients (makes 10-12):

• 200g plain sweet biscuits (I used digestive biscuits but use anything you have)
• 100g butter
• 250g cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup castor sugar
• 1/2 lemon rind grated
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 large egg
• fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Line a muffin tray with grease proof paper or cup cake casings, and lightly grease the sides of the muffin tray.

Blitz biscuits in a food processor until they become like breadcrumbs. Add the softened or melted butter and process again. Spoon into the muffin tray to create a thin base for each mini cheese cake and then pop into the fridge to set whilst you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Process the cream cheese, sour cream, castor sugar, lemon rind and vanilla essence until just combined, then add the egg and mix together again. Pour the mixture evenly between the muffin trays and bake in the oven for approx 15-20 minutes or until the cheesecakes are slightly firm in the middle.

Cool in the tray and then transfer to the fridge to set for 30mins before serving, otherwise the biscuit base will appear quite crumbly. Top with fresh raspberries (or any fruit you prefer) and accompany with tea or coffee to serve. Enjoy!

Falafel and Tabouli Salad

I was very excited to discover a new falafel mix from Redmart, the online grocery service I started using recently in an attempt to make my life a little easier with a newborn. I had only seen these back home in Australia and New Zealand, so I have made several failed attempts at creating these from scratch. The mix obviously saves heaps of time as they’re ready in minutes and perfect for those with limited time to prepare a delicious and nutritious vegetarian meal.

Ingredients:

• Falafel Mix
• Spinach
• Cous Cous
• Tomato
• Coriander
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper

Prepare the falafel mixture according to the packet instructions. Using wet hands, roll a spoonful into a flat disk shape and then place in a fry pan with a splash of olive oil to lightly fry on each side for a few minutes until golden brown. I have tried cooking these in the oven to make them healthier but they turn out quite dry that way, so I find it’s best to fry them for the right flavour and consistency (just ignore the extra calories).

To create the tabouli prepare 1/4 cup of dry cous cous per person in a dish with a large surface area and a lid. Add the same quantity of boiling water, swirl to coat cous cous and then quickly place the lid on top. After 5-10 minutes of steaming you can fluff the cous cous with a fork. This is the best way I have found to create the perfect cous cous rather than following the packet instructions. Whilst the cous cous is steaming you can chop up the tomatoes and coriander (or parsley for traditional tabouli) in a mixing bowl, add some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, then combine with the cous cous.

Present all ingredients on a plate and enjoy!

If you have an leftovers you can use them to create delicious wraps for lunch the next day. I’d recommend adding some hummus, avocado and cheese if you can squeeze that all in!

 

Quick Steak and Italian Salad

Here’s a super quick and nutritions meal packed with protein and flavour.

Ingredients:

• Rib eye steak
• Mixed salad leaves
• Avocado
• Cherry tomatoes
• Buffalo mozzarella
• Walnuts
• Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Lemon juice
• Seeded mustard
• Honey

Simply heat oil in pan and cook the seasoned steak for a minute or so each side to your liking, then put aside to rest.

Prepare each plate with the salad leaves, cherry tomatoes, avocado, mozzarella and walnuts.

Combine the dressing ingredients of olive oil, lemon juice, seeded mustard, honey, salt and pepper and pour over the salad.

Enjoy!

Remember if you don’t have a particular ingredient you can always swap with something else similar to create your own variation e.g.

Steak – chicken, lamb, fish, etc

Mozzarella – feta, cheddar, ricotta, etc

Baked Salmon Pumpkin and Tomato Salad

Since being pregnant and giving birth to our daughter this year, my outlook and time for cooking has changed significantly. What used to be an unrestrained passion has now become a pursuit for the quickest meals to prepare which are also healthy and delicious. This challenge has discovered some interesting new recipes and creations. I wish to share these with others who face the same challenge in their busy lives to prove that you can still eat well with limited time to prepare and cook meals.

The following recipe is a one dish baked salmon, pumpkin and tomato salad.

Ingredients:

• 150-250g Salmon per person
• 1/4 Butternut Pumpkin per person
• Handful of Vine Tomatoes per person
• Water
• Salt & Pepper
• Handful of Salad Leaves per person
• 1 tbs Basil Pesto per person

You simply line a baking dish with baking paper or foil, place the chopped pumpkin at the bottom and the vine tomatoes and salmon on top. Add salt, pepper and water then bake in the oven on 180-200 degrees until the pumpkin is softened and salmon is cooked. Depending on how thick your pumpkin is cut you may need to cover with foil for an extra 10 mins of cooking once the salmon is done. Arrange salad leaves on a plate, put the baked ingredients on top of the salad and paste the basil pesto on the salmon. Enjoy!

The good part about this recipe is that you can mix it up with different veggies, spices, liquids, salad leaves and pestos to change or enhance the flavours as desired. Alternative examples:

Veggie – zucchini, eggplant, fennel, sweet potato, capsicum etc

Spices – fennel, cumin, chilli flakes, paprika, etc

Liquids – stock, coconut milk, wine etc

Salad – spinach, rocket, kale, romaine, etc

Pesto – parsley, coriander, sundried tomato, olive tapenade etc