September 20, 2012 11:37 AM
What is "Raw pizza"? Singapore's raw food café, "THE LIVING CAFÉ"
[Singapore]
By Masaaki Yasuda August 14, 2012
Keywords : a vegan a vegetarian pizza raw food
Singapore is starting to adapt popular western culture of raw food. Raw food is to consume food in raw material. It is also called living food. We have visited its representative raw food restaurant, THE LIVING CAFÉ.
Raw pizza crust is made with almond and sunflower seeds.
THE LIVING CAFÉ is located at high status housing area Bukit Timah road. There is triathlon shop in neighborhood which is populated by Singapore's rich group of people.
Simple interior with plain flooring and table sets. Health goods are displayed on the wall which makes it look like a shop rather than a restaurant.
Exterior. Doesn't seem like a restaurant outlook
Free and easy interior
The seats are almost full and many locals are seen. The raw food culture was initially stared from western however many local couples and single middle-aged man are having dinner rather than Caucasian customers.
Many couples are seen
Words of "raw" are frequently used in the menu. Each menu has 4 different marks. V is for vegetarians, which include no meat, fish, garlic and leek. R is for Vegan who practices to abstain any animal products and no cooked food is used as well. VM includes no meat, fish, eggs, daily products and honey. GF uses no food contains gluten. Gluten is one of the protein kinds which is included in wheat, barley, rye, and malt. They offer bread without gluten too.
We have ordered Raw-Fusion Hawaiian Pizza. Unbaked crust is made with almond and sunflower seeds. Pineapples, chilies, olives and goat cheeses are on top with raw marinara sauce. No marks are mentioned. The taste was very dry, light and tasteless. Pizza with mark of R or VN should be even more tasteless.
Menu with "Raw" worlds mentioned
Hawaiian Raw Pizza
Another signature dish of "The living café roll" was arrived on the table. Fresh vegetable and avocado with original mayonnaise and wasabi wrapped with sheet of radish which is similar to fresh spring roll. S$12.
Living café roll
Super food power ball for our dessert which is a black ball size of approximately 3cm. S$3 each. It makes you energetic but the appearance makes it a bit of challenge to try out.
Super food power ball
Unlike our expectation of no alcoholic drinks, they serve organic wines of Sauvignon blanc at S$50. Semi-sparking Perrier in blue bottle "Eau de Perrier" was displayed at the counter.
Semi-sparking Perrier in blue bottle "Eau de Perrier"
As multiethnic country of Singapore, there is many vegetarians due to their religiously issues therefore raw food is easily adopted in this culture. It made us think how much Japanese are hedonistic on food when we compare with Islam people who practices abstinence for food culture but that could be the key motivation of making Japanese food more interesting.