The trip to Epiphyte is long overdue for various reasons. There's simply too many cafes to visit and deciding which one to go is one of the good problems I have to solve each week. Also, there's pretty much mix reviews on the food. Some say taste nice, some say nice for camera only... in any case, Vain Pot and I mutually decided to give this place a go. Epiphyte is in a way a garden themed cafe. A step inside the cafe will showcase a display of different types of plants into different pots and containers around the cafes. The shop decor provides a very relaxing feeling with lush greenery all around you. It's interesting to watch the staff preparing more of their plants while waiting to serve customers.
For mains, Vain Pot and I shared the Pink Risotto ($22) and Seafood Cartoccio ($26). The pink risotto is one of the better renditions of risottos that I've tried. The pink colour is made through roasted beetroot cooked with risotto creating a natural pink. Along with pan-seared scallops and parmigiana, we found the balance of the dish to be just right. I like it that the creaminess is not too overwhelming you get tired of eating after awhile and that the beetroot taste isn't overpowering. I also liked it that the rice is fat, plump and easy to swallow.
The Seafood Cartoccio has a strong laksa taste in the sauce which I found to go very well with the bread that comes with it. It is actually coconut prawn broth with daun kesom (Vietnamese coriander). I've nothing much to complain about the ingredients, found the entire dish to be generally enjoyable but not particularly stand-out. A safe choice I guess.
For desserts, Vain Pot ate the Terrarium ($13) which is the green looking thing in a glass container. It's basically pistachio siphon sponge with a little bit of mint leaves, croustillant, plum konnyaku, diplomat and flowers. The peach liquer sauce comes on the side and goes well to add moisture to the sponge making the entire dish enjoyable. I don't take mint so I merely took a bite. I found the sponge with cream and cookie crumbs to be highly addictive and if they could remove the mint leaves, I would have devoured the entire thing on my own.
My choice of Twilight ($10) is superficially with the intent of taking nice Instagram photos. That said, it turned out to be an enjoyable dessert. It's made of dark chocolate mousse, cointreau orange curd and light chocolate sponge. I enjoyed the milkiness of the chocolate mousse and the orange curd gave the added sourish zest that balanced out the sweetness.
On the whole, I found my entire experience at Epiphyte to be satisfying. It's definitely a very refreshing way to dine away from the typical brunch food or standard mains I'm used to having. In fact, I would say this is one of my more adventurous experience. I like the colours, I like the common food made different, I like how camera friendly the food look and I like it that the food doesn't suck. I think this is the kind of place to bring someone you wish to impress without the pretense of posh and glamour.
Epiphyte
47 Neil Road, S088827
(Please check the operating hours before you go, it usually opens at 4pm but has exceptions on certain special occasions and weekends)