It’s challenging to get good, delicious vegan food here, that is, food made without dairy products and eggs – until we found Back to Eden.
This plant-focused artisanal cafe and micro-bakery, tucked away at a quiet corner of Prinsep Street (just beside MacKenzie Rex Restaurant), is a little piece of heaven for those looking not just for vegan dishes but wholesome ones, made with fresh ingredients and without any mock meats.
The side dishes are a must-try here. Start with the highly addictive Oyster Mushroom Berempah ($11.90), a moreish plate of fried mushrooms coated in “Kakak’s secret berempah recipe” – a piquant herb and spice mix, then deep-fried with fragrant curry leaves and paired with a creamy herbed lime mayo dip. Trust us, mushrooms never tasted this good.
Holy Chips ($11.90) are paper-thin deep-fried lotus roots tossed in numbing housemade mala powder. They might be a tad salty, but the accompanying Lao Gan Ma mayo dip helps to cut the intensity. The maple-glazed Roasted Butternut Squash ($13.90) is a pleasant surprise, sitting atop a Barbie-pink hummus and finished with dukkah that anoints the dish with a nutty flavour.
As for mains, the Mediterranean dish Shakshuka ($18.90) brims with robust flavours, featuring chunky peperonata (tomatoes and bell peppers) topped with an pumpkin, carrot and Himalayan black salt “yolk”, smoked cashew sour cream, and a coarse-grain homemade dukkah, complemented with slices of house-baked herbed focaccia.
Crispy Potato Rosti ($18.90) is another highly recommended dish that’s served with herbed cashew sour cream, creamed spinach and slow-roasted tomato topped with a herbaceous basil pesto. We suggest adding the Tofu Scramble (additional $3) made with tau kwa, oat milk, turmeric and Himalayan black salt.
The Roasted Roma Tomato Soup ($15.90) comes only in a full-sized meal portion but if that’s not enough, diners can top up an additional $4 for a Cheese Toastie – although it doesn’t actually contain cheese. Instead, it’s generously slathered with marmite, Dijon mustard and sweet onion jam.
Time for tea (or coffee)
The cafe also serves up respectable desserts and other treats such as housemade cookies and muffins. The signature 7 Chakras ($18.90) is packed with carefully selected ingredients. This is a 100 percent organic acai and coconut chia pudding crowned with a medley of fruits and superfoods such as toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almond and cashew nut butters and lashings of maple syrup.
The Home-made 10% Whole Wheat Buttermylk Waffles ($14.90) has fresh seasonal fruits and pure maple syrup. A plant-based vanilla yoghurt is available as an add-on for an additional $5.90.
Round off the dining experience are the cafe’s smoothies that are thoughtfully concocted with health-boosting ingredients, and top-notch freshly brewed coffee by Strangers’ Reunion (again, only plant-based milk is used for all its drinks).
Back to Eden is at 64 Prinsep St, Singapore 188667.
