Garden Fresh

Whilst Tower 88 and Tower 92 within Punggol Coast Mall and Punggol Coast Hawker Centre had been the main highlight of the Punggol Coast neighbourhood when it comes to the dining options in the area, it seems that the opening of the businesses located within Tower 98 has introduced a wider variety of F&B options for the folks residing in the area to dine at. Tower 98 Punggol Coast Mall is also the building that houses the FairPrice Finest supermarket within Punggol Coast Mall, whilst also housing F&B tenants such as that of an outlet of 87 Just Thai, an outlet of Song Fa Bak Kut Teh and Aka Sushi Bar. Also entirely new to the local dining scene here would be Garden Fresh; a cafe that is situated around the same area as one would find the Song Fa Bak Kut Teh and Aka Sushi Bar. From outside, Garden Fresh should be quite noticeable given the use of red bricks in its store facade; it does attempt to carry vibes of a garden-themed cafe given the use of faux greenery in he space and its signboards. It does seem that Garden Fresh is attempting to achieve a slightly more intimate vibe considering how the establishment is decked in dim yellow lighting whilst matched with cushioned dining chairs and couches; all that with wooden furniture and fittings whilst tables does come with a marble-esque appearance — the dining tables being configured in a manner that would best seat groups of patrons visiting them in a size of four (4) pax. Garden Fresh’s food menu is rather extensive, and is split into sections dedicated to Green Goodness Healthy Bowl, Protein Power Healthy Bowl, Prestige Bread Collection, Farmer’s Table Salad, Chef’s Signature Sizzling Chicken, Voyage of Asia Bingsu, Freshly Baked Patisserie and Artisanal Cakes. Beverages available at Garden Fresh are categorised into sections such as Heritage Nanyang Espresso Reserve, Uji Matcha, Barista’s Signature Espresso Blend Reserve, Lim “Cha” Corner, Boss’ Little Secret and Classic Drinks.

Dropping by Garden Fresh on a weekend dinner service, we found ourselves gravitating towards their Chef’s Signature Sizzling Chicken offerings — this also does seem to be the section of the menu in which most of the patrons were also ordering from; variants of the Chef’s Signature Sizzling Chicken that Garden Fresh has to offer includes the Classic Teriyaki, Rustic Mushroom, Garlic Creme, Curry District and Black Midnight Pepper. The Thai Kick Chef’s Signature Sizzling Chicken is described to come with hotplate-grilled chicken, their signature spicy Thai sauce, Thai salad and garden fresh salad. We were really impressed with the hot-plate grilled chicken itself; the dish does come sizzling with the sauce bubbling on the hotplate — the sauce does seem to be one that comes with the base note of what one would expect out of a black pepper sauce, and provides the hot-plate grilled chicken with a tangy, savoury and peppery kick. The hot-plate grilled chicken featured tender flesh that was juicy and moist, but it was the crispy skin that really got us here. The signature spicy Thai sauce does seem to comprise of a relish of red onions, garlic and chili — zippy, tangy and spicy; very refreshing, while the accompanying Thai salad does also seem to feature the same dressing that was helps to cleanse the palate. Meanwhile, the garden fresh salad interestingly features dried cranberries that adds a touch of sweetness whilst coming with a raisin-like texture for a bit of bite amidst the leafy greens.

During the same visit, we had also decided to give one of the items from the Freshly Baked Patisserie section of the meh a go. Considering that we made our visit on a weekend evening, the selection of Freshly Baked Patisserie left available for the day was rather limited — we snagged up the last remaining Uji Matcha Cruffin that was available for the day. We did find it a little strange that the Uji Matcha Cruffin is being stocked in the display chiller and this definitely had some effect on the consistency of the cruffin itself. Whilst coming topped with a layer of Uji Matcha-infused milk chocolate and also Uji Matcha-infused pastry cream in the interior, the Cruffin came with a rather stiff and dried-out texture — the bread having lost much of the moisture due to the refrigeration and therefore wasn’t quite as fluffy and flaky; instead felt pretty stodgy and oddly buttery. The Uji Matcha-infused pastry cream was also not as fluffy, light and moist as we expected it to be, but it did carry the bitter undertones of the Japanese tea while the Uji Matcha-infused milk chocolate glaze on the side carried an even richer note with the underlying sweetness of milk chocolate in its finish.

Noting the availability of their line-up of Heritage Nanyang Espresso Reserve offerings especially considering how these folks are operating as a cafe, we found ourselves going for the Kopi. We found that the Kopi was one that comes as quite a strong brew carrying quite a caffeinated kick from the use of Robusta beans typically used for Nanyang-style Kopi — we would probably prefer it could come with a little more condensed milk which would give the Kopi a little more depth and a corresponding sweetness to better bring out its aroma a little more.

Garden Fresh felt like an establishment that is all about wholesome eating — this can be felt from the way its menu is being designed where its concept heavily focuses on salads, healthy bowls and protein bowls. That being said, it is one of such sorts of cafes that does not alienate those whom are looking for satisfying cafe fare that suits its image as a cafe — this can also be seen from the availability of other items such as the line-up of Chef’s Signature Sizzling Chicken as well as the items listed in the Voyage of Asia Bingsu, Freshly Baked Patisserie and Artisanal Cakes section of the menu. We liked how they have also made the establishment one that seemingly caters to Al age groups, a clear attempt of doing so is by offering both Nanyang-style Kopi and espresso-based specialty coffee through its Nanyang Espresso Reserve and Barista’s Signature Espresso Blend Reserve offerings — makes them quite a suitable dining destination for the whole family. We did wish that Garden Fresh does pay slightly more attention to how their Cruffins are being served however, considering the texture of the Uji Matcha Cruffin was a little less than ideal to say the least. Prices of the main dishes at Garden Fresh are between $9.90 to $18.90. Whilst not designed or intended to be a spot that serves artisanal cafe fare, we do feel that Garden Fresh would serve the residents at Punggol Coast looking for comforting, wholesome and healthy cafe fare in a comfortable setting pretty well.