LOVING HUT: Vegan & love.
Having heard about many good reviews about Loving Hut, I knew I had to visit this cafe as soon as possible.
"Loving Hut originated with the vision that all beings can live in peace, love and harmony with each other and in tune with the Earth. Loving Hut is leading the way in promoting an alternative, sustainable lifestyle on our planet. Loving Hut stands for love, peace, compassion, economy and healthy eating every day of our lives!
With environmentally friendly concept and healthy, high quality ingredients, we invite you to share our international cuisine which makes it possible for all of us to eat delicious fare while we are making a contribution to the environment. All the areas in our restaurant are smoking free, and all our beverages are non alcoholic, creating a safe and suitable environment for families or customers of any age. Loving Hut is the fastest growing chain of international vegan restaurants in the world. All our ingredients are 100% vegan. We use as much organic vegetables and non-GMO products as possible for all our dishes and drinks, with a particular focus on sourcing our ingredients from local producers to offer our customers the most natural, healthiest and most delicious cuisines."
(Taken from http://www.lovinghut.com.sg)
THE PLACE
"Loving Hut originated with the vision that all beings can live in peace, love and harmony with each other and in tune with the Earth. Loving Hut is leading the way in promoting an alternative, sustainable lifestyle on our planet. Loving Hut stands for love, peace, compassion, economy and healthy eating every day of our lives!
With environmentally friendly concept and healthy, high quality ingredients, we invite you to share our international cuisine which makes it possible for all of us to eat delicious fare while we are making a contribution to the environment. All the areas in our restaurant are smoking free, and all our beverages are non alcoholic, creating a safe and suitable environment for families or customers of any age. Loving Hut is the fastest growing chain of international vegan restaurants in the world. All our ingredients are 100% vegan. We use as much organic vegetables and non-GMO products as possible for all our dishes and drinks, with a particular focus on sourcing our ingredients from local producers to offer our customers the most natural, healthiest and most delicious cuisines."
(Taken from http://www.lovinghut.com.sg)
THE PLACE
The name of the shop cannot be easily spotted due to the awning but you can easily tell apart this brightly-lit eatery from the row of dark and dim shops. Unfortunately, since the cafe is located along Joo Chiat Road, it is hard to find a parking space very nearby. My dad, thankfully, managed to find a parking lot a stone's throw away (some side road, I think), so we walking was our pre- and post-dinner exercise! ;)
Love the deco of this place! Even my dad, who doesn't usually say much, said that this shop put in a lot of effort into their deco! He even pointed out the potted plants at the side. It's no wonder why this shop has been lasting for so long!
When you enter the cafe, there is a long table at the entrance, followed by a large counter lined with drinks and a shelf at the side filled with various health foods (which I will be featuring in my haul later!)
Shelves after shelves filled with vegan goodness *_*
My parents brought me there on a Saturday evening at around 7pm and as you can see in the photo above, it was packed! Okay, not that packed such that all the tables were occupied and a long queue was formed but most tables were occupied! Really shows how popular this cafe is!
I like how the walls were almost fully covered as it gave me a sense of familiarity and warmth of home.
Love the photo frames filled with quotes about veganism as well! Short but impactful phrases - perfect to promote veganism.
Specially in love with this lit up sign near to the entrance at the right of the picture. "Vegan & love." Though it's just three words, it packs a powerful punch as it encompasses the earth and animal-loving aspect of this plant-based lifestyle.
When we entered the cafe, the servers greeted us warmly before ushering us to an empty table. They then gave us a menu and a set of cutlery (which I found really cute and also, made me feel like I was at my granny's home or something).
They then gave us each a cup of water (which is apparently alkaline water) and told us that the first cup is free while after that we need to pay. Considering that the water is alkaline water, it's really great that they are willing to give us our first cup for free! Some places *cough real food cough* really overcharge for water, not to mention alkaline water.
The servers were all generally very warm and friendly, smiling at us from time to time. There was one male server (the one who told us about the water), in particular, who was specially attentive to our needs. He somehow knew that three of us were sharing the three dishes and automatically gave us three small bowls, three small plates, three sets of cutlery (chopsticks and soup spoon for the laksa) and even gave us a serving spoon! I must say, I was really impressed by the service we received. Keep it up!
THE MENU
They then gave us each a cup of water (which is apparently alkaline water) and told us that the first cup is free while after that we need to pay. Considering that the water is alkaline water, it's really great that they are willing to give us our first cup for free! Some places *cough real food cough* really overcharge for water, not to mention alkaline water.
The servers were all generally very warm and friendly, smiling at us from time to time. There was one male server (the one who told us about the water), in particular, who was specially attentive to our needs. He somehow knew that three of us were sharing the three dishes and automatically gave us three small bowls, three small plates, three sets of cutlery (chopsticks and soup spoon for the laksa) and even gave us a serving spoon! I must say, I was really impressed by the service we received. Keep it up!
THE MENU
There were a wide array of choices available on the menu. However, we only tried the mains and not the starters/sides and desserts. Will come back to try them all soon though! :)
THE FOOD
THE FOOD
What we ordered last night: Nyonya Laksa Lemak (which came with sprouts and sambal chilli), Papa's Portobello Burger (which came with French fries, ketchup and a side salad) and Vegan Lasagne (highly recommended by my friend)!
Our food came within 10-15 minutes, looking so aesthetically-appealing and mouth-watering! I was pleasantly surprised by the speed by which the food was prepared considering that they are prepared upon order and couldn't wait to have a taste of all of them (after my mini photoshoot, of course)! Thanks for waiting for me to take my food pictures all the time, dear friends and family :-)
Nyonya Laksa Lemak ($9.90): 7/10
Our food came within 10-15 minutes, looking so aesthetically-appealing and mouth-watering! I was pleasantly surprised by the speed by which the food was prepared considering that they are prepared upon order and couldn't wait to have a taste of all of them (after my mini photoshoot, of course)! Thanks for waiting for me to take my food pictures all the time, dear friends and family :-)
Nyonya Laksa Lemak ($9.90): 7/10
The Nyonya Laksa Lemak was the first to arrive and came with another plate with sambal and sprouts (doumiao).
When I took my first sip of the laksa soup, I was sold. It was creamy and milky, yet light and not oily AT ALL. The noodles were slippery and smooth with good bite while the spiralised cucumber and raw sprouts added a good contrast in texture to the noodles. The taupok was very absorbent which allowed it to soak up the soup, so when you bit into it, all the soup would flow into your mouth. YUM. However, there were small pieces of white rubbery things floating inside the soup as well (which I assume is to mimic fishball pieces), which I did not quite enjoy. I feel that that was unnecessary and could well be substituted with more vegetables or maybe tofu instead. Sometimes, vegan versions of non-vegan dishes need to have their own character as well.
But what made the dish perfect for me was definitely the sambal. Before tasting the sambal, I was doubtful that the sambal would taste as good without shrimp paste but I WAS PROVEN WRONG. The sambal had the usual saltiness that sambal ought to have, with a slight hint of spiciness (which could have been kicked up a notch for me since I am a spicy food-lover). However, what really impressed me was that the sambal was NOT OILY AT ALL! Really amazing - who would have guessed that I would like vegan sambal chilli better than the normal non-vegan kinds?
This dish was my dad's and my favourite dish of the night. I would definitely recommend this vegan laksa for not only vegans, but also for those people who are craving this famous local dish but don't want to ruin their diet and even for people who want to try out something new!
Papa's Portobello Burger ($14.90): 7/10
This dish was my dad's and my favourite dish of the night. I would definitely recommend this vegan laksa for not only vegans, but also for those people who are craving this famous local dish but don't want to ruin their diet and even for people who want to try out something new!
Papa's Portobello Burger ($14.90): 7/10
Without even me suggesting it, when my dad saw the menu, he immediately pointed at this burger and said, "I. WANT. THIS." So we did. And it was the best decision of our lives. I really liked how the mushroom patty was used to replace the beef patty because it was way juicier, more tender, more succulent than any beef patty you could ever chance upon. The addition of the crunchy onion ring on top was really nice as well as it added some flavoural contrast to the mushroom. The burger bun was also soft and fluffy and the tomato sauce really brought the whole burger together very well.
The chips were hot and crispy, which shows that they were freshly fried upon order. I like how the chips are coated in some sort of paprika-salt-spice-herb blend, which added nice flavour. The side salad was pretty bland though - I was hoping for and expecting some kick-ass homemade vegan dressing over my leaves and the fact that only balsamic vinegarette was used left me slightly disappointed.
Overall, this was my mom's favourite dish of the night. My dad and I also really enjoyed it!
Vegan Lasagne ($13.90): 8/10
The chips were hot and crispy, which shows that they were freshly fried upon order. I like how the chips are coated in some sort of paprika-salt-spice-herb blend, which added nice flavour. The side salad was pretty bland though - I was hoping for and expecting some kick-ass homemade vegan dressing over my leaves and the fact that only balsamic vinegarette was used left me slightly disappointed.
Overall, this was my mom's favourite dish of the night. My dad and I also really enjoyed it!
Vegan Lasagne ($13.90): 8/10
This vegan lasagne was DELICIOUS. The texture of the sauce in between the pasta sheets was so similar to that of cheese sauce that I think that I could be fooled even if you told me this was the real non-vegan cheese sauce. I was completely bewildered how that sauce could be vegan. However, I feel that it was slightly unseasoned and that they were also too generous with the sauce (opposite of the usual restaurants I've come across with barely any sauce visible between the layers), causing it to become a bit of a chore to consume around the last part.
The pasta sheets were also either too thin or overcooked, such that I could not taste the layers of pasta, but instead was eating the whole chunk of lasagne like a block of ooey gooey mess. However, the rest of the components of the dish were close to perfection. I loved the addition of chunks of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, eggplant and other veggies in the top layer of the lasagne - it was not only aesthetically appealing, but also made me kind of excited whenever I chanced upon a colour under than the yellow colour of the lasagne. I also really adored the tomato sauce the lasagne was doused with. It was seasoned to perfection (quoting Gordon Ramsey). The beige yellowy sauce around the sides of the lasagne looked suspicious to me though, but added a nice creaminess to the lasagne. However, I would well have preferred more of that tangy sweet tomato sauce all around the lasagne in replacement of that yellow cream sauce.
Even though this wasn't any of our favourites that night, I would definitely still recommend this dish to all those cheese-loving people out there! If you hate/dislike vegan food, this vegan lasagne may really be the game-changer for you, trust me. In fact, I sure had a hard time deciphering whether this or the laksa (in fact which amongst all three dishes) was my favourite!
TAKEAWAYS
When my dad was paying up at the counter, I couldn't help but take a glance at the shelf filled with vegan goodies. As a result of looking, I couldn't resist buying some snacks to try (even though I still have quite a lot of food in my pantry LOL).
The pasta sheets were also either too thin or overcooked, such that I could not taste the layers of pasta, but instead was eating the whole chunk of lasagne like a block of ooey gooey mess. However, the rest of the components of the dish were close to perfection. I loved the addition of chunks of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, eggplant and other veggies in the top layer of the lasagne - it was not only aesthetically appealing, but also made me kind of excited whenever I chanced upon a colour under than the yellow colour of the lasagne. I also really adored the tomato sauce the lasagne was doused with. It was seasoned to perfection (quoting Gordon Ramsey). The beige yellowy sauce around the sides of the lasagne looked suspicious to me though, but added a nice creaminess to the lasagne. However, I would well have preferred more of that tangy sweet tomato sauce all around the lasagne in replacement of that yellow cream sauce.
Even though this wasn't any of our favourites that night, I would definitely still recommend this dish to all those cheese-loving people out there! If you hate/dislike vegan food, this vegan lasagne may really be the game-changer for you, trust me. In fact, I sure had a hard time deciphering whether this or the laksa (in fact which amongst all three dishes) was my favourite!
TAKEAWAYS
When my dad was paying up at the counter, I couldn't help but take a glance at the shelf filled with vegan goodies. As a result of looking, I couldn't resist buying some snacks to try (even though I still have quite a lot of food in my pantry LOL).
These are all the stuff I got! Paid $20 for all these!
The Daily Crave Veggie Chips & Veggie Sticks ($2.50/pack)
The Daily Crave Veggie Chips & Veggie Sticks ($2.50/pack)
Haven't tried these ones yet but planning to eat the veggie chips dipped in salsa and serve the veggie sticks together with a vegan sandwich/burger/wrap as a side on another day! Will update the blog after I try this!
Ditched my plans on the guac and salsa because we were too lazy to prep them, LOL. Initially wanted to just try one piece and then get the guac and salsa but after the first piece, we couldn't stop HAHA. That's how good they were. Preferred the chips to the sticks because they had better crunch (due to higher surface area in contact with teeth)!
Simply Sprouted Way Better Snacks Simply Sweeet Potato Corn Tortilla Chips ($2.90/pack)
Simply Sprouted Way Better Snacks Simply Sweeet Potato Corn Tortilla Chips ($2.90/pack)
When I saw these Sweet Potato Corn Tortilla Chips, I knew I had to get them. Sweet potatoes? Tortilla Chips? I'm in.
Another night, I made chia seed wraps for dinner with hummus, lettuce, avocado, sweet potato, black bean chickpea cucumber salsa and yellow mustard, served with a side of the sweet potato tortilla chips! IT WAS AMAZING. Literally everyone in my family LOVED it. Even mom commented how these tasted crunchier, crispier and tastier than the regular tortilla chips. I agreed with what she said and also felt that it did not have the usual bitter aftertaste regular tortilla chips have! Highly recommended.
Bonvita Vegan Chocolate Bars (Classic, Dark, Golden) ($10 for 3 bars)
Bonvita Vegan Chocolate Bars (Classic, Dark, Golden) ($10 for 3 bars)
Got these three chocolate bars out of curiosity what vegan chocolate tastes like since apparently ricemilk is used to substitute regular milk. Will update soon!
Nature's Bakery Stone Ground Whole Wheat Fig Bar ($2.10/bar)
Nature's Bakery Stone Ground Whole Wheat Fig Bar ($2.10/bar)
There was both the peach apricot and the raspberry flavour available, but decided to get the raspberry-flavoured one instead since I prefer raspberry-flavoured things.
Had the whole packet for recess one of the days! And apparently one serving size was half of the "twin-sized" bar, oops. But it was so small! And sadly, barely filled 1/8 of my tummy. The bar was made up of some sort of apparently whole wheat pastry-like thing that had the texture of cookie though and the taste of mooncake skin (much nicer though, I HATE mooncake skin, as in the non-snowskin varieties)? The inside of the bar was filled with fig jam, which was sticky and really sweet, with a slight hint of raspberry flavour. It was slightly overly sugary and not filling enough for me unlike muesli bars. Don't think I'll get this again, not even to try the other peach apricot flavoured one.
LAST WORDS
Overall, my experience at Loving Hut has definitely been an excellent one. From the friendly service and the warm environment to the quality and taste of the food, I am sure to return very soon to try their other dishes like All-star Burger, Aglio Olio Supremo, Best-O-Pesto, Almond Crumb Fillet, Banana Leaf Nasi Campur and a few of their desserts! Oops, I nearly listed everything on the menu because EVERYTHING SOUNDS SO GOOD. I would definitely recommend everyone to try the three dishes I got and remember to buy some of their healthy vegan snacks home as well! In short, Loving Hut is definitely one of the better cafes (not to mention vegan cafes) out there! :)
RATINGS
Location: 2/5
Taste: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Speed: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Overall: 7/10 (Recommended)
LOVING HUT
Address: 229 Joo Chiat Road #01-01 Singapore 427489
Contact: +65 6348 6318 (Reservation Mon-Thur / Takeaway order)
Website: http://www.lovinghut.com.sg
Opening Hours: 11am – 9:15pm (No reservations on Fri/Sat/Sun/PH)
LAST WORDS
Overall, my experience at Loving Hut has definitely been an excellent one. From the friendly service and the warm environment to the quality and taste of the food, I am sure to return very soon to try their other dishes like All-star Burger, Aglio Olio Supremo, Best-O-Pesto, Almond Crumb Fillet, Banana Leaf Nasi Campur and a few of their desserts! Oops, I nearly listed everything on the menu because EVERYTHING SOUNDS SO GOOD. I would definitely recommend everyone to try the three dishes I got and remember to buy some of their healthy vegan snacks home as well! In short, Loving Hut is definitely one of the better cafes (not to mention vegan cafes) out there! :)
RATINGS
Location: 2/5
Taste: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Speed: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Overall: 7/10 (Recommended)
LOVING HUT
Address: 229 Joo Chiat Road #01-01 Singapore 427489
Contact: +65 6348 6318 (Reservation Mon-Thur / Takeaway order)
Website: http://www.lovinghut.com.sg
Opening Hours: 11am – 9:15pm (No reservations on Fri/Sat/Sun/PH)