Thai Express @ Vivocity

Lunch times are times that most, if not all, working adults look forward to. This is especially true when the morning is a hurried mess and you just cannot wait to have that little break. Or, when there are changes that would require some exchanges of information, discussion or little gossips. Or, simply a time, to get away from the stressful office, to bond and have a good laugh with your cols.

We headed to Vivocity once again with no eating places in mind. After much deliberation, we decided to pop into Thai Express as there was some decent lunch set promotion going on. Though I have been to Vivo many times, this is the first time I am stepping into this outlet.

The crowds have not arrived when we got into the restaurant hence managed a photo of the nice interior. Smacked right in the center of the picture is where all your food appears from. ;P

This was the lunch set menu that lured us in. Sa-nook means fun and the sets definitely looked fun and yummy J My cols were actually guessing that I would be ordering the Thai Curry but well, they were wrong. haha

All sets come with the Steamed Sweet Tapioca with Coconut cream that was served together with the main course. That is not really a bad thing as you can alternate between your main course and dessert J

This is Sa-nook Tom Yum Seafood Soup set that 3 of my cols ordered.   

It came with Crispy Pancakes Appetizers and rice.  Looks good but forgot to ask my fellow connoisseurs how the pancakes tasted.  :D

This is the Seafood Tom Yum Soup. The seafood consisted of prawn, fish, squid and mushrooms. Not bad considering the price of the set and the rent they had to pay. The waitress said there should be at least one prawn, so if you do not get your, please ask for it  :P

This is the Sa-nook Seafood Pineapple Fried Rice set that another 2 cols and I ordered.  

It came with Tofu Squares Appetizer.  There were 4 slices of fried but tender tofu, drizzled with Thai Chilli sauce and topped with chunky ground peanuts. 

This is the Seafood Pineapple Fried Rice. The seafood rice was considered generous as there were 2-3 succulent prawns, squid, fish and some raisins accompanied by some cucumber, tomato and some quite raw pineapple by the side. The rice was a little too soft for my liking and the taste lacked the punch of pineapple rice. It could have been more savoury.

Overall, I still think that it is a good place to go for group lunches as the food are served pretty quickly, portion is decent and service prompt. :) 

Thai Express

Vivocity
1 Harbourfront Walk
#B2-30 Vivocity
Singapore(098585)
Tel: 6272 1912

Professor Brawn Cafe @ Novena Square

What does it profit a man if he gains the world and loses his soul? - Book of Matthew.

Where in the world would you see such a quote? Well, you would probably see them in books or the Internet but I saw this on the chalkboard in Professor Brawn Café, located on the 2nd level of Novena Square.

This café was opened by family and friends who, besides wanting to provide affordable good food, wanted make a difference to the special needs of the community and others who needed a leg up in the community. I find this very noble and wish that more people can support them in their efforts in helping the society. To know how the name Professor Brawn came about, read here.

The service staffs were very friendly and made us felt at home. They were attentive and responded immediately once we were ready to order after browsing through the menu.

You can treat yourself to a Professor Brawn Special which consist of a hearty soup of the day, Special Black Miso Cod and a choice of coffee/tea or soft drink for just $22.90 or you can select from the list of set meals available.

For dinner, there are 5 different set meals that you can choose from and they come with a main course, soup of the day and their house drink (orange or lime juice). As racking our brains was the last thing we wanted to do, we opted for the set meals.

Our drink of Orange and Lemon came very promptly and so did our soup. The drinks brought back some fond childhood memories. If u share the same childhood as I did where juice concentrates were one big thing, you will know what I mean :)

The soup of the day that was served piping hot was Tomato Soup. It was smooth and had a certain consistency, quite unlike the clear tomato soup (those that looked like minestrone soup) I normally get and was expecting. It tasted kind of like chicken soup infused with tomatoes, with the tomatoes flavour hitting you at the end of every mouthful in a very subtle way.

For my set, I had the Gourmet Sausage with Rosti ($14.90). There were 6 different kinds of sausages that I could choose from, namely, Chicken Bratwurst, Black Pepper Chicken Sausage, Cheesy Chicken Sausage, English Pork Bratwurst, Spicy Italian Pork Sausage and Swiss Cheese Pork Sausage. We shortlisted to the English Pork Bratwurst and Spicy Italian Pork Sausage and I ended up choosing the English Pork Bratwurst as I really missed the Porky whites I had in London!

The rosti was very generous but I wished that it could be crispier. :) The sour cream and salad at the side was great accompaniment to the dish!

The Grilled Chicken with Truffle Sauce ($12.90) was very well prepared too. The portion was generous, the chicken was well marinated and the skin was so crispy that even a non chicken skin lover like me ended up devouring it. :P

The wedges that came with the dish were right at the bottom of the chicken and there cannot be a better place for them! All the excess truffle sauce was soaked up by the wedges. All I can say is you would not be able to get enough of this goodness! ;)

It is difficult to miss the Cafe on the 2nd level of Novena Square with such a lovely ice cream cart and unique chalkboard deco. The next time you are at Novena Square, why not just pop into the cafe and support their good cause?

Professor Brawn Café
#02-78/79 Novena Square,
238 Thomson Road Singapore 307683
http://www.professorbrawn.com/