SF's Food Tasting @ Cafe Oliv

Boy were we glad that the torrential rain failed to dampen the spirits of those who had signed up for Sistafood's first food tasting session at Cafe Oliv. Despite the intimidating storm which threatened to flood the roads in the East, the turnout was exceptional and many had even arrived much earlier than expected! Thanks to all who came despite the bad weather and distance. Sistafood's food tasting session finally kicked off on a Halloween night at 7.15pm in high anticipation and excitement. Whoosh here we go~!

Hokkaido Sea Scallop with Asparagus

Relish in the original freshness of the scallops. Plump and juicy. The Hokkaido sea scallops were just lightly garnished with pinch of salt, asparagus stem and fried asparagus skin. Sweet lingering taste was good but not memorable. Kevin guaranteed that the scallops would not shrink even after cooking!

Oliv Crab Cake

The crab cake was a mixture of crab meat, minced pork belly, herbs and spices. It was a unique creation with strips of fried sweet potatoes and cheese dip, which was made from cheddar cheese and milk. Cheddar cheese dip reminded us of Nachos cheese dip. We were expecting something more distinctive from this dish. The taste was too ambiguous, nowhere close to crab meat or pork. In our humble opinion, perhaps it would be better to tone down on the quantity of salt and incorporate more crab meat.

Flame Garlic Escagot on Spoon

Presentation of this dish sparked off a discussion at the tables whether the escargots on spoons and those on sauce pans were the same lol. Well, obviously they were the same! Cooked with pesto and garlic, these snails which were marinated overnight in liquor and butter were flavoursome and had chewiness similar to mushrooms. A little too oily though.

Mini Cod Burger

Hello cutie, still remember the first time we met?
Kevin managed to find a supplier who can custom bake these cute little buns of various shapes and sizes, even heart shaped buns! He has to pay for the mould though and this will increase the price of burgers.

Crab Dumpling

This dish seemed kinda out of place among the others. Bearing close resemblance to gyoza or 'guo tie', these crab dumplings failed to win the hearts of all present. Once again, go easy on the salt!

Angus Beef Mushroom Kebab

Another popular dish of the night, mushrooms and succulent pieces of black angus beef with smoky charred flavour drenched in mushroom brown sauce. Chargrilled beef kebab was indeed impeccable. Nice.

Bacon Infused Risotto Rice Ball

Creative dish. However, risotto was dry and sticky which tasted more like glutinous rice. Bacons might be a little too fatty to garner support from ladies.

Lambshank Meat Wrap Butterhead

Undoubtedly, lamb shank had won the most votes from majority. Still as tender and heavenly as ever. It is not difficult to comprehend why this is the signature dish of Cafe Oliv. Our unwavering love for this dish has placed it in our top ranking main for the night.

(J: Wrapping the lamb shank inside the butterhead and eating them together reminded me of MOS Natsumi 'burgers' haha)

Mini Brownie

Being the ambassadors for Cafe Oliv's brownie, we had raised everyone's expectations. Need we say more? A sweet ending to Sistafood's first food tasting session at Cafe Oliv~ Although there were some hits and misses, it was definitely value for money at only $25. Thanks to all who turned up despite the horrendous weather and made it so fun and enjoyable :) Also thanks to Kevin for fully taking helm over the kitchen for the night!

P/S: On a side note, we still prefer to pair our brownie with mocha ice cream. Apologies for dashing LIC's brownie dream with the fact that Cafe Oliv's brownies are outsourced, oOps! =X This also explains for the inconsistency in the quality of their brownies, but who knows? You might be the lucky one to enjoy a fine piece of brownie, so check it out! =D

Click on the links below for fellow food bloggers' reviews:

j2k3blogs

the simplest aphrodisiac

ladyironchef

Cafe Oliv

220, East Coast Road

6344 3114

Open daily from 11:30am - 11pm