Places specialising in "local farmers' produce-driven Singaporean cuisine" is certainly not a new concept, but Rustica manages to be one of the better ones I've had (in my books, at least!). The ambience of the cafe is bright and welcoming, and the service staff were so warm, friendly, and enthusiastic.

On to the food, we started off with the Crab Bergedil ($11) and Cereal Fish Bun ($12). The bergedil was fragrant and presentation was adorable, but we felt that there could be a stronger punchiness in taste, either from the crab meat or from the spices. A crispier exterior would also be good. On the other hand, the fish bun was excellent - loved the huge slab of crusty snapper fillet, which paired wonderfully with the herby tartar and soft bun

For the mains, we shared the Roasted Chicken Crown with White Pepper Sauce ($21), Golden Fish Broth ($25), and the Kailan with Fried Garlic ($14). LOVED all three dishes, and I think a recurring comment we had was the depth of flavour in every one of them. The roasted chicken had smokiness, traditional aromas of ginger and scallion, freshness from the crown daisy, and layered with the delicious white pepper sauce (couldn't stop slurping it up!). The fish broth was also thick, milky, gingery, flavourful, and overall warm and comforting. The kailan was also a surprise hit - the veges were crisp and fresh, and one can never go wrong with fried garlic. The table also gets a pot of Local Herb Rice which by itself is savoury (from the fried shallots) but went well with all the dishes.

Washed the fantastic meal down with the SG Lager Beer ($10/btl) and Vanilla Cold Brew ($9). Seriously well-executed dishes, and we enjoyed the unique renditions of local dishes. Definitely recommended for everyone!