Farm to table cuisine in the heart of the city
By Nicole-Marie Ng; Images: Courtesy of Open Farm Community
When you do something different, people are bound to take notice. Unlike other cafes serving the typical brunch, Open Farm Community (OFC) serves food fresh from the garden, a concept lost to many urban dwelling Singaporeans. As a result, the cafe in the middle of a farm has generated plenty of buzz since it opened last year despite its onerous location.
If you’ve been putting off a visit to OFC, now’s a good time to reconsider. Executive Chef Ryan Clift of Tippling Club and Head Chef Daniele Sperindio have collaborated to update the menu with 11 new dishes. Each dish is made with fresh, locally sourced produced and cooked in a custom-built charcoal oven. The oven was designed by esteemed Italian artisan, Paolo Parisi exclusively for Chef Ryan, making him one of only two chefs in the world to own such an oven. The other oven belongs to Lorenzo Cogo, the head chef of Michelin starred restaurant, El Coq.
These are five of our favourites from the new menu that you should order.
1. Sweet Corn & Basil Soup ($19)
This insta-worthy dish is not just stylish, it also has substance. The mild taste of basil lightly perfumes the creamy soup and the pops of charred baby corn adds both smokey depth and sweetness.
2. Carnaroli Risotto ($30)
While there’s a heavy focus of garden greens at OFC, this is one dish that the veggie-averse will enjoy. The luxurious combination of salty chorizo, cuttlefish, ebi, green peas, and crispy serrano ham over saffron flavoured risotto is OFC’s answer to a Spanish paella.
3. Minden Road Pesto Trofie ($26)
When mee tai mak meets gnocchi, you’ll get an interesting chewy pasta known as Trofie. The short, twisted pasta is tossed in OFC’s signature pesto sauce made with herbs straight from the garden is a simple and fuss-free meal.
4. Coconut Laksa Barramundi ($29)
One of the most value for money items on the menu, the generous portion of seared barramundi sit on top of a mild coconut laksa sauce. The true kick of heat comes when you bite into the crushed potato cake which is made to taste like otah-otah.
5. Spiced Pumpkin Cake ($18)
The chefs’ artistry and experience really shows when plating this medley of flavours together. The light and fluffy spiced pumpkin cake paired perfectllly with the rich butternut ice cream, a combination not a lot of chefs would ever come up with.
Open Farm Community. Address: 130E Minden Road, Singapore 248819. Tel: 6471 0306
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