Wins! Hearty, Heart-Loving Brunch!

Brunch is the bane of all waistlines. We know that, but we weaken when we find ourselves faced with tempting buffet spreads heaving under the weight of all manner of luscious, sinful foods, to be washed down with torrents of Champagne. Does it have to be so? How do you indulge and not bulge?

I say, avoid excess and go for good meals where every calorie is expended only on good luscious flavours. You still go back well satiated, but not regretful nor uncomfortably bloated.

A great place to indulge sans guilt is Heart Bistro which serves a lovely brunch every weekend and public holiday. Located in the basement of Palais Renaissance, the brunch here gives you four courses (soup, appetiser, mains and dessert) with a glass of prosecco, beer, wine or freshly squeezed for $40++. Nice price and lovely food! (Click on the banner ad on the lower right to see their menu & website.) Despite being in the basement, the setting is airy, cheerful and bright, with tables well spaced apart and under a very high ceiling.

I have been going to the restaurant a number of times lately, bringing friends along simply because the food here is absolutely fab. What’s remarkable is you’re getting ‘wellness cuisine’ here: it’s heart-friendly fare but you’d never guess because there’s not a birdseed or protein supplement in sight! In other words, healthy, luscious and packed with gobs of flavour.

Says owner William Tan, an F&B veteran who is himself trim and fit and probably runs a disgusting number of miles every day: “Maintaining one’s overall nutritional wellness is really not so difficult. If you think too much fat, salt and sugar is bad for you, then trim it! You don’t need to eat tasteless, bland food. Food is to be enjoyed…it is what goes into it and how it is prepared.

“The menu at Heart Bistro has been thoughtfully designed, cooked using lighter techniques, but yet full of flavour from a good balance of spices, fresh herbs and controlled use of oil, sugar and salt. The result is delicious food that is light on the waistline. Finally, as a restaurateur, I feel that we must serve you not only great tasting food, but food that is good for you!” And you know – he does!

So back to the brunch…..

“We always start you off, with a complimentary cup of soup, ‘oh so good’, guaranteed to tame the nastious hangover!!” says William.

After that, it’s on to a choice of appetisers, both sweet and savoury: Homemade bircher muesli with mixed nuts + berries, honey oats or chocolate crisps with organic honey, nuts, berries + fruit; mesclun salad with salmon poke + ponzu dressing; perfectly chilled tropical fruit salad soaked in  freshly squeezed orange juice. Are you salivating yet? The muesli comes highly recommended but I’ll take the Valrohna French Toast, thank you. Heart Bistro is the only restaurant I know here which serves the Hawaiian dish of poke, or marinated raw fish. The poke served here is sashimi grade salmon seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, sesame seeds, shoyu, sesame oil, chopped green onions and ebiko. Light but so lovely. 

 

Mains are a selection of Heart Bistro’s signature dishes. Must try’s include the Kahlua Chicken Burger (above right) with Avocado which I had recently for lunch. A generous bun studded with pumpkin seeds, lots of toasty flavours and a juicy, sweet chicken patty in the middle, enhanced by the richness of avocado. The flavours came with plenty of work: the chicken was first smoked in tea leaves before it was grilled, which imparted a lovely deep flavour. No ordinary burger that one!

 

For something heavier, the braised beef cheeks are meltingly tender and rich in flavour (one of my favourites), while the seafood porridge with chicken broth will surprise you with its full flavours. Don’t let the Teochew-style porridge mislead you. The Eggs Benedict is a firm favourite, and for those with a sweet tooth, how about Nutella waffles with mix berries compote + vanilla ice cream, or French banana pancakes with maple syrup + crushed nuts! Yums.

With about five choices of dessert, you can go as light or as sinful as you like. I tried the fresh fruit confetti with sorbet + lemongrass jello not long ago and it was lovely and refreshing – exceedingly chilled, pretty, and light. On the other hand, the sticky date pudding – a signature here – is wellness for the soul! William says that the choices for all the courses on the menu are changed ever so often, so if you see the carrot cake listed, don’t pass it up – it’s one of the best in town, and carrots are good for you; and the pandan trifle is excellent too. Throughout brunch, wine and Champagne by the bottle are available at 20% discount. (So you see? Indulging is possible with healthy restraint! Good on the wallet, too. What more can you ask for?)

Another plus for me who absolutely detests crowds: Heart Bistro is effortless to get to. There’s always space in the car park, and from the lift, you just swan in to the restaurant’s B1 location, hair still in place. You can bring kids there, your date, and jokes aside, an elderly family member too, because wheelchair access is not a problem. You don’t need to navigate stairs or steps to get there.
So who’s going this weekend?

 

Heart Bistro
390 Orchard Road
#B1-08/09/10C Palais Renaissance
Tel: 6737 2148

HEART BISTRO ‘WORLD HEART DAY’ GIVEAWAY!!

World Heart Day is 29 September 2011. Reminding us that “you are what you choose to eat”, Heart Bistro is so generously giving away $100 vouchers each to three lucky winners on Simply Fabulicious this month! To get your hands on them, just answer the following questions:

 
1. Heart Bistro’s cuisine is “healthy, luscious and packed with ______ of ______________”.
2. Name one dish mentioned in the story that you’d love to sink your teeth into!  ________________________

Email your answers to us at simplyfabulicious@gmail.com together with your full name, NRIC, email and home address by midnight, 30 September 2011, with the subject line to read “Wins! Heart Bistro Giveaway“. Winners will be announced on the e-zine soon after.(Only for Singapore residents.)