Dude! My cravings were satisfied at Artichoke.

I had the pleasure of being in the company of 10 over chefs-to-be from the Culinary Institute of America at an informal, lively communal dining at Artichoke Cafe & Bar. I swore to stay away from town during the F1 weekend, but relented in the end because I was seduced by the special menu. Be prepared to drool buckets because the food was AWSUM.

The three different types of dips came first, served with piping hot and crispy breead with an olive-y soft centre. The red one is called Beetroot Borani, the one in the middle is the Carrot Curry Tzatziki and the one on the top right is the Chickpea Hummus. My favourite is the Carrot Curry Tzatziki with the pomegranate seeds. The hummus is one of the better ones I've tasted, really smooth and flavourful. Yum.

The dish in the middle with the round thing on top is called the Midnight Munchies. It is made up of crunchy ramen, fresh veggies, kimchi (I swear, it must have slipped past my buds cos I didn't taste any) smoked egg and some nuts. We had a good time picking at the salad and I got a little too excited when Rasyidah cut the egg and out came the perfect yolk. No regrets there.

The Salmon Pancake caused the war of flavours on my tastebuds. There were so many different flavours infused in one dish, I had trouble savouring them. The pancakes were soft and the smoked salmon was like any other smoked salmon but the sour cream gave it an extra kick. Nay on the onions though. Maybe if it were caramalised, I might reconsider.

This was my second favourite dish. These babies were glazed with Red Bull. How cool is that? I make an exception to my no-sweet-on-my-savoury tastebuds to these wings. They were crispy, the glaze went perfectly well with the wings...
Awwww, yeah.

My picture does not do justice to this steak. Each slice was succulent, melts in your mouth and packed with flavour. One tiny downside though, the sauce was rather sweet. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't overpoweringly sweet, I just don't like my meat.. sweet. Hmm. Let's just say I prefer things that are savoury to stay savoury. Otherwise, it was a great piece of steak. Price was slightly steep though. But good steak.

I didn't get to try the Artichoke's signature Bak Chor Mee sandwiches because I don't eat pork. Bak Chor mee is essentially a noodle dish of Teochew origin with minced pork and loads and loads of sambal (chilli paste) on it. I remember my Chinese friends devouring bowls after bowls of these in school, and the redder it was with chilli, the spicier it tastes and the more 'shiok' (awesome) it was.

So this signature dish had savoury minced meat and crispy deep fried meepok noodles (flat, yellow and starchy kinds) encased in soft, steamed buns. Traditionally, the noodles be boiled.. but in this case, it's deep fried. The meat seemed to have been braised in soy sauce.. with a tinge of spiciness from the sambal. Rasyidah added that it's a 'ride for the mouth and the palette'. So it must be excellent. It had to be, since it was the dish represented Singapore at a recent Copenhagen food event.

The Lamb Poutine was my favourite dish of the lot. It may not look wholly appetising in this picture, but trust me... that was some delicious lamb. The meat was succulent, just like the steak and bits of it were charred to perfection and the fatty taste was just mmmmmm~ The fries paled in comparison to the party that was going on in my mouth, but hey... I have to admit it was a great sidekick.



We topped the meal off with a great tray of dessert. I am not a huge fan of sweet things, but I love the soursop meringue pie. It's sweet and sour and the crust is crispy and semi-savoury. So, so good.

Overall, the dining experience at Artichoke was a pleasant one. Loved the ambiance of the cafe; it was very warm an welcoming. The service is great, plus, we did a tour of the edible garden right outside the cafe! We got to try Chocolate mint leaves among other leaves. I am so not a culinary student. The prices were a little too steep, but the experience was definitely value for money.

I love the idea of communal dining where we'd order a few things to share and you have hands reaching out all over to grab at a piece of food. It doesn't make you feel completely full, but a meal always tastes better when shared. 

Don't you think?

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