Food for thought (and soul). :)

1st of May 2010, Labour Day. Written by Mu Yao.

What a lovely day it was, saturday morning, all quiet and nice in the CBD area. My good friend Jolyn and I decided to go on a little art excursion at the Singapore Art Museum till we got hungry. So we stopped by for lunch at a queer looking avant garde red building, called Food For Thought. Jolyn pointed out that this was where her colleagues regularly entertain clients or reporters as part of her interning job at the National Heritage Board. I was really surprised by it - for I had reviewed the very same restaurant (which was originally at North Bridge Road, and still there) for my school newsletter about 2 odd years ago. Surprised was the word, for I had temporarily stopped patronising the NBR outlet because the head chef, David Heng, left. Now that he's back again (really awesome and nice guy btw), the FFT I know seemed to resonate in my head all over again.

We got ourselves seated in a pretty cool looking loft like building, and it was surprisingly packed for a CBD restaurant on a Saturday, 20 minutes into the afternoon. Not surprisingly, the FFT enterprise has built up a loyal and substantial following, made up by a diverse clientele of expats and yuppies, which makes it a pretty cool crowd to hang out with. I was pretty impressed with all that was going on, with the utilitarian jars hanging from the ceiling as lights, the busy but friendly staff donning hippie-inspired tees ('cos apathy was so last century) and inverted orchids hanging out from their hung up pots stuck on ceilings. Designer-esque, utilitarian chic. Me likes.

I think we got settled down fairly quickly by the perpetually busy but courteous staff, who promptly seated us once our table was available. We decided to try the Basil & Almond Pesto With Chicken Pasta ($13) and the "Full Works" Breakfast Set ($18). I think more restaurants ought to have all-day breakfasts, and FFT does so till 5.30PM everyday. In case you're wondering about these dishes being a little on the pricey side - take comfort that you're not paying for service charge. (you're encouraged to tip though! :))

The food came in decent time, and the room was a little chatter room filled with polite laughter - a jovial atmosphere. I guess its one of the reasons why I love FFT so much - there's a strange sense of fraternity even amongst guests, that friendly and open vibe the staff emits, especially from the chef david, makes for a welcoming and inviting dining experience. It's quality food, made with love and a lot of sincerity.

First up came the breakfast set. This came with Garlic Mushrooms, Hash Browns (the brown little things), Chicken Sausage, Bacon, Baked Brioche, Scrambled Eggs and a fresh salad with awesome roasted tomatoes. There's just something about the freshness of the ingredients that makes you feel that your momma took great pains to prepare a feel-good breakfast just for you on a lazy saturday morning. Which was just what it felt like. the garlic mushroom were well sautéed with a bouncy bite (not too salty, with a nice mushroomy taste); the sausages weren't too oily or salty; the baked brioche was lovely (sweet, toasty-crunchy on the outside, with just the right amount of texture consistency) and caused me to keep falling in love with it instead of maintaining a proper conversation with my dining partner; the roasted tomatoes were so juicy you could almost mistake them for watermelons; the eggs were not too over seasoned with no runny-ness or sogginess in them; the bacon, though a little oily, felt hearty and fulfilling - all these added up to a solid, wholesome, loving farmhouse breakfast that momma would be proud of, waking up at 5AM to prepare this for her loving sons. Good ol' work.

Next was my friend's Basil Almond Pesto Chicken Pasta. With such a mouthful, you couldn't just get wait to get into it. Which we did. Besides the fact that I'm used to David adding copious amounts of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the unacquainted) to his pasta dishes, I found this dish pretty new. Not that kind new-age, avant-garde, fusion, gourmet-esque nonsense they serve at those restaurants (give me a break), but with a sort of change comes with just a simple pairing of very everyday ingredients, and how incredibly fresh and effective these ingredients make the final dish out to be. Cooking should be about the basics. Good ingredients, smart pairing - good potential for dish! Its a simple formula that's executed well here - the pasta had a nice firm bite with slothery softness on the outside, and the chicken was tender and flavour filled of quality freshness. Wholesome, sincere and humble. That's how David is, and that's how his dishes all generally turn out to me.

We had our lunch at only 33.20 per 2 people. No service charge (although I think they deserve it, hence I tipped) but still have GST (why!) I thought it was fairly manageable for even poor NS men like yours truly. haha.

There's something just is, really charming, comforting and welcoming about the air of FFT. There's a sense of humility and sincerity that goes about Chef David's dishes. A basic belief that fresh ingredients, patiently put together will end up with something new. That's the pioneering spirit of FFT that has stayed on, and will stay on with a heart of humility, diligence and sincerity.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:

Date Visited: 1st May 2010, Saturday

Address: 8 Queen Street

Contact No.: 6338 9887

Website: http://foodforthought.com.sg/Food_For_Thought.html

Operating Hours: 9AM-10PM daily