Revolution Coffee a revelation
If you're a fan of fusion food, we know just the place to wow you
Hainanese curry duck, pork nasi briyani, laksa risotto, kway teow soup kambing - if you get what I am saying, then this will float your boat.
It is about evolving that makan spirit of ours. Like culture, food must progress, otherwise we would still be eating meat roasted over a fire in a forest.
Many of the so-called "traditional" fare we adore today were considered modern once.
The Michelin-starred Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle came up with a Teochew noodle dish decades ago that incorporated sambal with the distinct black vinegar accent we now call our own.
That is what chef Shen Tan - ex-corporate raider-turned-hawker, cafe entrepreneur, consultant, restaurateur and now cafe maven again - is peddling.
She flouts the rules of our heritage without breaking any sacred gastronomic laws.
Since her first foray into the food business with her now-defunct Madam Tan Nasi Lemak at Maxwell Hawker Centre seven years ago, she knew combining foods people are comfortable with "keeps the palate excited yet happy and familiar".
This is what guides her creations at Revolution Coffee, which she co-owns. She also heads the kitchen there.
The Buah Keluak Pasta ($19.90), which I was looking out for, came stacked up high and generous. She even added slivers of sin in the form of pork belly fat that smoothed every bite.
The bits of minced pork were coated with savoury, spicy and earthy black buah keluak paste that coloured the pasta too.
Great for two and easy to like, especially for Nonya folks.
Up next was a signature - Nasi Lemak Crispy Pork ($7.90).
Of course the star was the crispy pork - fried twice, which means double happiness for me.
The rice was lightly lemak, and two types of sambal were offered - a regular sambal and get this, a coffee sambal belacan.
TRY
And why not? It is a coffee joint after all. The coffee sambal belacan resembles the Mexican mole sauce and paste. Go try it. For budget eaters, its decadent Nasi Lemak Fried Chicken rang the till at an affordable $4.90.
The Grilled Laksa Salad ($9.90) piqued my interest.
"It is something healthy that has flavour, so the mind will not perceive it as just healthy, which often means tasteless," chef Tan said.
The roasted greens, with cherry tomatoes, cashews, pesto, laksa leaves and a lime coconut dressing, was strange yet comfortably familiar.
It came warm, and that was a winner for me too.
The sweets are stories to be told. Her signature Shendol Delights ($10), a take on chendol, is back - wobbly coconut panna cotta with chendol, gula melaka syrup and homemade red bean ice cream.
I think you can taste what I just wrote. I'll say no more.
If you like pulut hitam, imagine how she turns it into a Pulot Hitam Pudding ($10), slathered with gula melaka butterscotch and coconut ice cream.
I kid you not.
Revolution Coffee
21, Media Circle, #01-03A, Infinite Studio
Tel: 6777-2110
10am to 6pm daily
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