AFTERGLOW BY ANGLOW: Raw, healthy, tasty.
I have been absolutely obsessed about going to these hipster vegan/vegetarian cafes recently and was absolutely intrigued by the concept of this "farm-to-table, plant-based, non-processed, fresh, local" cafe serving up raw foods.
"We aim to bring sexy back to vegetables. Often being misunderstood as boring, unsexy and dry, a plant-based diet is actually extremely flavourful, refreshing and sexy. With our food, you will begin to understand why we are so passionate about going back to basics, with our feet firmly planted in the soil." (Taken from http://afterglow.sg/)
THE PLACE
"We aim to bring sexy back to vegetables. Often being misunderstood as boring, unsexy and dry, a plant-based diet is actually extremely flavourful, refreshing and sexy. With our food, you will begin to understand why we are so passionate about going back to basics, with our feet firmly planted in the soil." (Taken from http://afterglow.sg/)
THE PLACE
The slightly tainted windows of the cafe does make it a bit hard to spot!
I like how bricks and wooden furniture are used in the interior design of the cafe, giving the cafe a rustic and cozy look.
The walls are lined with pretty abstract paintings and fake mooseheads.
Though the indoor space is quite dark, I do like the ambience quite a lot!
Some Afterglow products displayed on the shelves!
Afterglow painting on the wall.
THE MENU
THE MENU
Food menu
Drinks menu
Seasonal menu
THE FOOD
THE FOOD
Between the two of us, we decided to order one appetiser (starter), one main, one add-on (side) and one sweet (dessert).
We got the Afterglow kimchi nori roll, raw masala pizza, sweet potato wedges (which was served with a side of sweet chilli) and the raw chocolate salted caramel fudge. We paid a total of $60 ($30 each) for all these food, which is really expensive! However, the food was pretty filling, raw and really delicious so you pay for what you get I guess!
Afterglow Kimchi Nori Rolls ($14/6 pieces): 6/10
Afterglow Kimchi Nori Rolls ($14/6 pieces): 6/10
This may look like a typical sushi filled with kimchi, but here's the twist - almond 'rice' is used in place of the usual sticky Japanese rice. Cool, huh? The almonds were ground to resemble the texture of rice, but I feel that nothing beats the texture of rice. However, this would be a good substitute for those on a raw diet.
The kimchi used is their homemade 7 days aged kimchi, the 7 days whereby the kimchi was fermented gave it a nice tangy sour taste. Even though I generally prefer sweet fresh kimchi to the sour fermented ones, but this kimchi was really quite nice. Even though it was slightly sour, it wasn't too acidic but had just the right amount of tartness which paired perfectly with the nuttiness of the almond 'rice'. It was also nice and fresh and crisp, which together with the raw carrot strips, provided great contrast in texture to the almond 'rice'.
The kimchi used is their homemade 7 days aged kimchi, the 7 days whereby the kimchi was fermented gave it a nice tangy sour taste. Even though I generally prefer sweet fresh kimchi to the sour fermented ones, but this kimchi was really quite nice. Even though it was slightly sour, it wasn't too acidic but had just the right amount of tartness which paired perfectly with the nuttiness of the almond 'rice'. It was also nice and fresh and crisp, which together with the raw carrot strips, provided great contrast in texture to the almond 'rice'.
I like how the rolls were rolled very tightly such that even when you take a bite, it doesn't fall apart that badly! The chilli flakes made the dish look really pretty as well but didn't contribute much in terms of flavour. I think that they could perhaps drizzle the rolls with some homemade raw dressing or provide a dipping sauce of some sort at the side so as to elevate the flavour profile of the dish. Overall, this dish is quite good, but not spectacular. Considering its crazy price, I would advice you to give this dish a miss.
Raw Masala Pizza ($22): 9/10
Raw Masala Pizza ($22): 9/10
This dish was recommended by one of the staff there from the seasonal menu. When I saw $22, I was expecting to be served with a giant huge-ass pizza the size of the table (okay, not that big but you get what I mean). But no, I was served this tiny little slightly-bigger-than-my-palm-sized pizza. Before the meal, I was complaining to my dining partner how small this was for $22, but after eating my share of the pizza, I was surprisingly full! I think that this is because the crust of the pizza was made of nuts, which has a high fat content making it filling to the stomach.
The crust is a thick layer of compressed finely-ground almonds, which is firm and crispy but can still be broken with a little bit of force. It has a really addictive nutty aroma to it. I really really enjoyed the crust eaten together with the toppings. The crust is also spread with a thin layer of their raw curry spread which had a really strong curry smell I enjoyed!
I like how the pizza is PILED with all sorts of vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, pea sprouts, cucumbers and olives. All the vegetables tasted fresh and crisp! They also provided alfalfa sprouts at the side, which I did not enjoy because they taste like... armpit hair (not their fault though, I'm just not a fan haha). My dining partner does like alfalfa sprouts though, so I happily gave it to her and she happily received it. The mountain of vegetables was also topped with a creamy raw macadamia 'cheese', which was really creamy and delicious and cooled down the whole dish as a whole.
See how the pizza can be cut (more like broken) perfectly into slices! Overall, I would really recommend everyone to get this despite its high price. Even though it isn't very worth it in my opinion, but I feel that it was really really delicious and something really unique which you cannot get anywhere else. This was one of my two favourite dishes of the day!
Sweet Potato Wedges ($6/bowl): 5/10
Sweet Potato Wedges ($6/bowl): 5/10
Shall not talk too much about these sweet potato wedges because they were a complete miss. Not only were they served cold, they were also soggy and limp. The only plus point was that they were quite sweet. The sweet chilli sauce it was served with was also too spicy for me. I reckon that you should give this a pass.
Raw Chocolate Salted Caramel Fudge ($12.50): 10/10
Raw Chocolate Salted Caramel Fudge ($12.50): 10/10
When I saw $12.50 on the menu, my eyes almost popped out of its sockets, but when I had my first bite of this cake, my jaw really dropped to the ground. The crust was actually a medjool dates infused walnut crust, which was crumbly in texture, unlike that of the raw masala pizza. The choice of walnuts for the base of the cake was really quite a wise decision.
There is a thin layer of tahini, which is supposed to resemble salted caramel. However, I didn't taste much saltiness in the 'caramel', perhaps because it was overcome by the rich chocolatey goodness it is covered by. Yes, the main highlight of this dessert is the rich mousse-like chocolate fudge layer. It was so so decadent and creamy, I just couldn't pause in between every bite. It is such a pleasure to know that the fudginess comes from the raw avocado and raw cacao fudge it is made out of becomes it makes it feel less sinful (even though this is just a psychological thing, haha). Head over to my dayre to see the video of how smooth it was.
The shredded coconut or grated white chocolate (still can't tell which one it is) paired perfectly with the cake as well. Put simply, THIS CAKE IS A MUST-ORDER, 'nuff said. However, friendly reminder to all vegans to take note that it does contain honey and therefore, is not vegan-friendly. Even though it is pretty expensive for such a small slice of cake, I feel that it is really worth it and would definitely order it again.
LAST WORDS
In conclusion, even though the food at Afterglow is really expensive, but it is healthy and tasty - definitely worth a try at least once. I would definitely recommend the raw masala pizza as well as the raw chocolate salted caramel fudge! The next time I return, I'll definitely keep more tummy spae to try more of their desserts!
RATINGS
Location: 3/5
Taste: 4/5
Value: 3/5
Speed: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Overall: 7/10 (Recommended)
AFTERGLOW BY ANGLOW
LAST WORDS
In conclusion, even though the food at Afterglow is really expensive, but it is healthy and tasty - definitely worth a try at least once. I would definitely recommend the raw masala pizza as well as the raw chocolate salted caramel fudge! The next time I return, I'll definitely keep more tummy spae to try more of their desserts!
RATINGS
Location: 3/5
Taste: 4/5
Value: 3/5
Speed: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Overall: 7/10 (Recommended)
AFTERGLOW BY ANGLOW
Opening Hours: 12pm - 11pm (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday), 5pm - 11pm (Tuesday), 12pm - 12am (Friday and Saturday)