IT WASN'T love at first taste when I went to Food For Thought cafe a few weeks ago.
A friend, a health-conscious foodie who swore by the specials - $7.90 to $9.90 for various combinations of soup, salad and sandwich - had taken me to the eatery in North Bridge Centre.
After one sip of the shitake mushroom fennel soup ($4), I wondered: "Where's the salt?"
I also began to think 'health-conscious foodie' was probably an oxymoron.
But then I took another spoonful, and a third, and realised that plain wasn't tasteless.
Made with no cream, little salt and lots of shitake slices, this was thick, earthy mushroom soup at its go-back-to-nature best.
As chef David Heng, 26, who attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney, explains: "We want to keep everything as natural as possible."
And natural, yet delicious, much of it is.
Not really a rabbit food person? The excellent tomato lemongrass corn salad ($5) might be the dish to change your mind.
There is never a dull mouthful here. Munch on it and a range of flavours, from the spiciness of watercress leaves to the sweetness of corn grains, explodes in the mouth. The master touch is in the slice of homemade chilli lime butter, which rounds off the sharp tastes.
Even more sizzling is the braised pork sandwich ($7.90).
This is a spiced-up take on the Hokkien kong bak pau (braised pork bun) that is based on the recipe of Chef Heng's mother.
The pork - fatty but not too fatty - is cooked Chinese-style with dark soya sauce and garlic, and served Singapore-style with chilli and chilli oil. It melts in the mouth and burns the tongue.
For dessert, try the chocolate malteser cake ($5.50) or orange chiffon cake ($2).
The former is less rich than the usual chocolate cake but is still satisfying. And while the latter is richer and more substantial than the usual chiffon cake, the flavour is also more subtle.
At first you may wonder where the sugar is. But after a few more bites, you should come round to its natural, slightly sweetened goodness.
Food For Thought 01-06 North Bridge Centre, 420 North Bridge Road Open: Mondays to Saturdays, 9am-10pm Rating: 4/5
IT WASN'T love at first taste when I went to Food For Thought cafe a few weeks ago.
