I managed a mid week lunch with Fat Fat at Alter Ego. I specially picked the place after I saw this Southern Chicken Sandwich on one of the blogs but alas, its only available in March. Why they even market the food so early?! Disappointing start to the lunch. Alter Ego is the sister outlet to A Poke Theory. Its focus on semi-sinful food is a contrast to the healthy bowls at Poke Theory.
Kicking off the meal, Fat Fat and I decided to share a Grilled Cheese ($11) and the Original Poke Shaker ($16). Fat Fat as her name suggest even wanted to order another main and I had to stop her! The Grilled Cheese is one of their popular dishes and does live up to its popularity. The grueye and taleggio cheese combi gives off this gooey stretch to it when you bite leaving you with cheesy satisfaction. The tangy tomato sauce on the side was the perfect match to the wafer-like cheesy crust, reminding me of good pizza. Definitely worth a try!
The Original Poke Shaker is made up of original shoyu salmon, with their signature sushi rice top with fresh ingredients like pineapple, lime avocado and fresh roasted cashews. Yums! It definitely adds healthy balance to all that sinful cheese. I felt that it would make a satisfying lunch fix on its own especially so for the health conscious. I found the salmon fresh and the cashews has this addictive sweetness that made me can't stop eating.
Fat Fat wanted more food so we added a side French Onion Dip ($10). It basically is a blend of mayo, cream cheese, sour cream and balsamic caramelized onions served with tortilla chips. The taste wasn't as strong as we liked it but I enjoyed the chips. I felt that this dish added a satisfying finish to the meal but the dip certainly has room for improvement.
On the whole, it was a satisfying mid week lunch with Fat Fat. I'm still a little disapproving about the marketing efforts which promoted a burger which wasn't available yet. I saw it late January. How long ago was that?! To be fair, the food is decently priced and the meal teeters between healthy and sinful depending on what you pick on the menu. A perfect place for afternoon lunches with colleagues and friends which caters to all sorts of taste buds. I like it that weekdays they are generally empty (probably due to its location) and it means a cozy place for catch ups with respectable food as well!
Alter Ego
8 Raffles Avenue, #01-13D, Esplanade Mall
(Please note that Alter Ego morphs into a bar grub at night, they also serve alcohol for people who wish to chill)