iamthewitch.com

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 09:00 PM PDT

Go organic, eat organic. We hear this all the time from radio, TV and any form of print ads, but what really is organic? Generally, organic food refers to food that has not been modified synthetically, whether through the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers or food additives. Many people have the misconception that organic food means vegetarian food. No, poultry can be organic too, as long as they are fed with organic feed and are free from preservatives. With such hype created for organic food, it’s no wonder that more restaurants are jumping on the bandwagon and creating various organic dishes to offer to the public. Wellness Recipe, a newly opened restaurant in 10 Boulevard, happens to be one of them.

Organic food

The interior of the restaurant is based on a green theme, literally. The wall is lined with artificial green leaves, while the couches are made to look like green grass. The white and green spacious interior portray a very clean and comfortable environment, in line with their concept of going organic.

Fire place

Being in an organic restaurant, I have to say that my expectations were set differently. To start off our dinner, we shared a portion of Vegetarian Rojak, a local delicacy made from a variety of fruits topped with chopped nuts, sesame seeds and a thick, toffee-like sweet sauce. Shrimp paste is commonly used in the sauce but since this is a vegetarian version, it explains the lack of spiciness with the sauce. Still, what stood out with this dish was the freshness of the fruits used. The jicama, pineapple, carrot and cucumber were all so juicy!

Vegetarian Rojak

I was quite impressed with the presentation of the Korean Style Steam Hot Pot, which was a mix of mushrooms and vegetables cooked in hotpot with Korean sauce. They certainly did put effort in arranging the vegetables nicely on the side, ready to be cooked with the hot soup. My only gripe was that the pot was too small to fit in all the raw vegetables, and the soup’s temperature was less than ideal for cooking. Therefore, most of the raw vegetables and mushrooms were left unattended while we slurped on the soup. Or perhaps we’re supposed to eat those vegetables in the raw form?

Wellness Recipe

Korean Style Steam Hot Pot

The signature dish from Wellness Recipe is actually their Organic Juicing Noodles. They come in 3 forms/colours:

BarleyGreen by Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara, a spray dried powder, juiced from organic young barley leaves is processed to make it easier for your body to absorb nutrients

BetaBeet – a soluble powder made from the juice of organically-grown beets and contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients including folic acid, iron, calcium and betaine

BetaCarrot – captures the natural benefits of organic fresh carrots and acerola berries, providing your body with two of nature's best antioxidants, beta carotene and vitamin C

Wellness Recipe

Organic Juicing Noodles – BarleyGreen, BetaBeet & BetaCarrot

Now these noodles may look like spaghetti but they actually have a softer texture compared to its al dente counterpart. To be honest, the 3 types of noodles did not taste any differently from each other when eaten on its own. Topped with a savoury and sour tomato-based sauce, however, it became rather delectable. The smooth texture kept us slurping away, not to mention the very attractive colours of the noodles. Best of all, I felt less guilty downing the carbs knowing that I’m nourishing my body with essential nutrients.

Organic Juicing Spaghetti

As mentioned earlier, organic food doesn’t mean only vegetables. This restaurant makes a really good plate of Wellness Signature Organic Chicken that raised our eyebrows. The chicken fillets were lightly fried before being mixed with a sweet, sour and slightly spicy herb sauce that was really delicious and tasty. I’m not sure if it’s due to the fact that it’s organic but I felt that the chicken tasted better, more tender and moist. Well done!

Wellness Signature Organic Chicken

As if the organic chicken dish was not impressive enough, they also make a mean bowl of Green Curry. No doubt this was a vegetarian dish with lots of mushrooms and a variety of vegetables, but it did not lack in terms of taste. The texture was medium thick, slightly thicker than that of clear soup, and packed a lot of flavour. It was not overly spicy but tasty enough to make you want to finish a bowl of brown rice with it.

Green Curry

Mushroom Fried Brown Rice

Last but not least, an organic bowl of dessert to finish the very healthy meal. The Wintermelon Longan Tong Shui was generously filled with plenty of wintermelon that it reminded me of the way how grandma cooks it. It was naturally sweet, and very home-cooked. Lovely.

Wintermelon Longan Tong Shui

Dining at an organic restaurant for perhaps the first time definitely was an interesting experience. Aside from the fact that I feel healthier after this meal, I also learnt that organic food can be delicious too, if done in the right way.