How was it ah?
Restaurant Name: The Twenty Cavans Cuisine: Western/ Asian Fusion Average Price per Person: SGD 20 Location: Canvan Road, Singapore Recommendations: Chicken Galangal Rice Bowl
Ratings (out of 5): 3 Taste: 3.5 Creativity/Authenticity: 3.5 Atmosphere: 4 Service: 4 Bang for Buck: 3
Shiok !!!
"The Twenty Cavans!" suggested my OG homie, Grace.
This small cafe's name has been floating around our office, which is quite near to Jalan Besar, home to many, by now, infamous cafes such as The Refinery and The Bravery. So when one our colleague's birthday came up, we decided to hop on down to this new joint.
My immediate reaction upon stepping in was one of comfort. I love large windows in cafes, nothing makes food looks (maybe sometimes taste better) than plenty of natural day light. The furniture and interior designs, industrial chic, follows the hallmark of other hipster cafes around the area. As an art director, I'm a sucker for these kind of little details. Give me a concrete floor pair it with good lacquered wood seats, and tungsten lightbulbs and I AM THERE.
"What good Grace?" I asked.
That's her right there, enjoying her fries. She suggested the lunch meal set, which really affordable. If you go for a combination of 3 or 4 dishes (appetizer, main, and dessert) it will only set you back about $21 which is a true blessing in the age of cafe food.
I am also a very cheap person, I cringe at anything overpriced. Holla if you can #relate.
The appetizers came first, mine was the soft shell crab. Look at how pretty that is. From the research I've gathered (aka I googled online) the chef came from a hotel background. So you can bet all of his dishes are very aesthetic and instagram worthy. But how does it taste?
The soft shell crab was crispy and not dry, the seasoning on top was also a surprise. My unrefined palette tells me that it was something like curry? Forgive me if I'm wrong but the the bottom line is that it tastes great.
Next was the main dish, Chicken Galangal Rice Bowl, which was heavily recommended by Grace.
"I think it's good lah. Taste a bit healthy but a filling." SOLD.
I mixed the rice bowl thoroughly, I see bits of chicken, cucumber, chicken, pumpkin, edamame beans and a couple of other ingredients. It seems like a bastard child of a healthy salad and a rice bowl.
The biggest plot twist for me was the black rice. Clearly I didn't read the menu carefully, I'm familiar with white and brown rice, but black rice was something new for me. It adds a good balance to the bowl because it adds a healthy tasting boost to the deep fried egg. The bowl was a great combination of savoury and freshness, definitely something that is healthy-ish but it ain't a freaking salad, so I'm totally onboard with this one.
Intermission-
Lighting status: industrial aesthetic lights on fleek.
What did other people ordered at our table? One of the interesting one was the Beef Udon (with lemon marinated beef) as well as the dessert dish.
Will I come back again? Definitely. The lunch set definitely allows you flexibility to try out their other dishes. The space itself was comfortable to go down to even if you're just enjoying coffee and catching up with a little bit of work.
The Twenty Cavans
20 Cavan Rd, Singapore 209851
