Real Food is Slow. Wholesome. Organic. Tasty.

Afternoon snack before I left work: Z Bar.

It’s a good thing I keep two flavors in my cupboard so that I don’t get bored of them. These are excellent snacks when I’m too busy working to actually take time to eat something. Most of these types of bars don’t actually have very good nutritional stats and have very high calorie content. The sugar on these is high than i’d like, but overall not so bad. The lower calorie content is a nice little bonus (but it should never be a deciding factor. low cal does NOT mean healthy…)

Dad and I made a last minute decision to go to Real Food for dinner. Real Food is an amazing vegetarian, organic restaurant right near our house. In small towns in the US, people tend to have their go-to neighborhood diner. We may not be in a small town and it may not be your classic small town American diner, but we still like to think of it as our spin on the concept.

It’s a short walk from our house, in a cute little street that somehow manages to feel slower and cozier, even though it is right off the main shopping road.

I think it’s the little shop houses that gives it that feel.

Real Food on Killiney Rd

There are actually two locations. This is the second, larger of the two. They divided the space into three sections. One section is a cafe, where they usually have pies, cakes and gelato popsicles made entirely of fruit. The contents change based on what they have available. I had a slice of the pie once, it was INCREDIBLE. They have low couches and tables, and a long bookshelf that separates the section from the restaurant tables. There are a lot of very interesting titles and you often see people coming in just to sit and read over a cup of tea, coffee or juice (they have a very extensive list of teas and juices, including wheatgrass shots).

My one issue is that their lighting tends to be too dim, more like art gallery lighting than book cafe lighting. It makes the place look even more beautiful and relaxing in the dim light, but not so great if you are trying to read a book over coffee. Then again, I usually come here for dinner. They have very large all glass doors at the front of the restaurant and I imagine if you came here during the day, those would serve to light the whole place up very well.

The dining area is slightly more well lit, and you can choose between long tables, high tables or booths, depending on the size of your party. Once again, easy access to the large selection of books you can read in the store, but there is also a wide selection of magazines that you can read. I LOVE to come here and get caught up on the latest edition of Runner’s World, Women’s Health or Shape. I’m not one of those who re-reads magazines time and time again, and a single copy here can cost more than $10 dollars! Having somewhere I can come to unwind and read my favorite magazines over a glass of apple wheatgrass juice (my favorite combo)? This is one major reason why I love this place. Like World Peace Cafe, I always leave Real Food feeling more relaxed, centered and happy than when I walked in. I think all people need to have this kind of a go-to cafe they can retreat to after a long day of work.

Green apple juice, with a shot of wheatgrass, at Real Food

I finally had a chance to start reading the March 2013 edition of Runner’s World

Dad and I are slowly working our way through the Real Food menu. We try to order something different each time so that we can discover what are our favorite items on the menu.

This time, I ordered a soup and a side.

The soup: Dumpling Soup.

Real Food’s soup selection

I have now tried ALL of the soups here and can say with confidence that my favorite is the Miso Soup, followed by the Lentil and Potatoes Soup, which comes with bread on the side. The bread here is always superb.

The dumpling soup didn’t beat out my two favorite soups, but it was still pretty good. I think if the dumplings had been added to the miso broth, it would have made one absolutely amazing combination.

As a side, I got the stuffed portobello mushrooms.

This actually arrived first. It was REALLY, REALLY good! I think this is my new favorite dish on their menu! The salad had a little bit of light dressing on it, I’m not sure what the dressing was though. Perhaps some kind of light vinaigrette? It was good. There was a bit of soy mayonnaise that paired well with the stuffed mushroom. The grilled vegetables were really finely chopped, adding to rather than overpowering the meaty taste of the portobello.

Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms at Real Food. Isn’t the presentation beautiful? It tasted even better than it looks!

The one thing is that I’m not really sure why this is listed as a side. The portion was perfect as a main course. Not to big, but large enough that I didn’t want anything more.

I ended up having a bit of the soup and two of the dumplings, but packing most of it to take home. My dad had ordered the Miso Soup and we had them put his leftover soup in the same container. I’m really looking forward to having that for my next dinner!

Real Food is definitely one of my favorite places to eat and relax in Singapore. I love the ambiance of the Killiney location, and how they emphasize Slow Food (as opposed to FAST food). Their food and all of the items sold in the shop section of their store is ORGANIC, and I’ve noticed that their produce tends to come from the region.

They have great quotes on the walls of their restaurant, including the ‘Who Are We?’ quote in the bathroom. Unfortunately I didn’t think to bring my camera into the bathroom with me, but it says something along the lines of…

‘We are Indie. We are stubborn and passionate people who truly believe that WE ARE WHAT WE EAT.’

I love it.