The Gen XY Lifestyle

Open Farm Community – A Revolutionary Food Project

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Join Open Farm Community as it celebrates local farmers, creative chefs and delicious seasonal fare with its educational activities and innovative food.

Open Farm Community

Sprawling over 35,000 square feet along Minden Road, Open Farm Community (OFC) is an experiential space featuring a mix of an urban farmland and a horticultural hub. As a new collaboration between the Spa Esprit Group; celebrity chef, Ryan Clift; and award-winning food garden specialists, Edible Garden City, Open Farm Community was established to help Singaporeans develop a deeper and more meaningful connection with food and farming.

OFC’s outdoor and covered spaces include a coffee bar, fresh juice and cocktail bar, as well as educational spaces alongside group activities such as lawn bowling and table tennis. Families can come together to explore the many facets of food through art, tours of the vegetable and fruit orchards, talks, gardening workshops, and of course, eating. Through the interactive programmes, visitors can explore the communal pleasures of fresh produce, renewable agricultural practices, and are encouraged to actively reflect on food in all dimensions.

As for the open-concept kitchen and restaurant, Chef Ryan focuses on locally sourced, seasonal and innovative dishes.

Here are some of the dishes we tried:

Starters

‘Hail Caesar’ house smoked chicken, 5J Jamon, horseradish caesar dressing & fresh romaine lettuce

OFC_‘Hail Caesar’ house smoked chicken

A light and flavourful appetiser to kick off your meal, this dish comes packed with three types of meat – speck (Swiss farm bacon), thinly sliced 5J Cinco Jotas Jamon Iberico (cured ham produced in Spain), and sliced, poached chicken breast (from Malaysia). With baby romaine lettuce forming the salad base, the dish is further embellished with boiled barne organic eggs (soft core), sliced parmesan cheese and ciabatta bread croutons. To top it off, the dish is served with a unique Caesar salad dressing made with Japanese mayonnaise and horseradish.

The ‘Hail Caesar’ house smoked chicken is going at SGD 22.

Fermented carrot ‘tartare’

OFC_Fermented Carrot Tartare2

If you’re looking for something unconventional yet refreshing, be sure to try the Fermented carrot ‘tartare’. Featuring baby carrot fermented in a nuka-­bed (a mix of roasted Rice bran, kombu, salt, miso etc.) with a barne organic egg yolk on the top, this tartare is more of an acquired taste. What’s interesting about this dish though, is the selection of seasonings and dressings such as shallots, chives, capers, gherkins, herbs and gochujang (Korean fermented chilli paste) to pair the tartare with. If you’re feeling slightly adventurous, mix all the seasonings and dressings in and enjoy your flavourful pasty carrot tartare with the warm oven-baked bread with curry oil on the side.

The Fermented carrot ‘tartare’ is going at SGD 24.

Coal baked omelette with smoked haddock, tarragon & grain mustard mornay

OFC_Coal baked omelette2

This hearty dish is a must-try for egg-lovers. Featuring oven-baked barne organic eggs omelette topped with sliced smoked haddock (salt water fish from France), the dish is further layered with Mustard Mornay sauce (a Béchamel sauce with shredded and grated cheese) and served with rocket salad and shaved parmesan. The result is an endless bite of savoury, melt-in-the-mouth eggs.

The Coal baked omelette with smoked haddock is going at SGD 24.

Chilled avocado and ginger soup with poached yabbies and fresh radish

OFC_Chilled Avocado and Ginger Soup with Poached Yabbies

For something a little tangy to refresh your senses, opt for the Chilled avocado and ginger soup. The base of the soup is a Thai Tom Kha broth made of galangal, lime leaf and coriander, mixed with avocado puree and coconut milk. Served separately from a bowl of diced avocado, shallot, red radish, fresh poached yabbies (from Malaysia) and herbs, watch the magic happen as you slowly pour in the brightly coloured, creamy broth and savour it with the warm pita bread on the side.

The Chilled avocado and ginger soup is going at SGD 20.

Mains

Coal baked barramundi with cucumber coleslaw, roasted eggplant & a fresh mint dressing

OFC_Coal Baked Barramundi

Pan seared to perfection, the Malaysian-farmed Barramundi is served with generous amounts of flavourful baba ganoush (a Middle Eastern dip made of roasted eggplant, onions, yogurt, curry, oil and various seasonings). To add a multi-textural touch with flavours reminiscent of Indian cuisine, the barramundi is topped off with a crunchy mix of shredded cucumber, yogurt and herbs, mint dressing and chopped peanuts with drizzled curry oil.

The Coal baked barramundi is going at SGD 26.

Charred S.A. lamb rump with garden peas, bacon, lettuce, mint, whipped mash & a rosemary thyme jus

OFC_Charred SA Lamb Rump with Garden Peas

For something heartier, opt for the juicy 160g Lamb Rump (from Australian brand, Thomas foods). Prepared sous-vide then pan seared and sliced, the lamb is served with smooth, creamy mash potatoes, diced Swiss farm bacon, pickled pearl onion, green peas, chopped romaine lettuce and mint sautéed with butter. As an additional touch, the dish is sprinkled with herbs and rosemary thyme jus.

The Charred S.A. lamb rump is going at SGD 32.

Roasted baby chicken, braised leeks with hazelnut butter & wild watercress salad

OFC_Roasted Baby Chicken

Not a lamb person? Not a problem. This dish features brined baby chicken confit and pan-seared breast meat served with braised leek in a sour marinade, half roasted US potatoes and watercress salad. What gives the dish a hearty flavour is the crunchy hazelnuts with dark brown chicken jus.

The Roasted baby chicken is going at SGD 28.

Pastas

The handmade pastas at OFC are a definite must-try. The unique texture and flavour of the pastas are almost unforgettable; and will leave you coming back for more.

Strozzapreti with 48 hour barolo braised oxtail, parmesan wafers & wild thyme

OFC_Strozzapreti with 48 hour barolo braised oxtail

The Strozzapreti (“priest­choker”/”priest­strangler” in Italian, is an elongated form of cavatelli) may be one of the less common pastas around, but it certainly will not disappoint. Served with tender chunks of Black Angus Oxtail ragout marinated in Barolo red wine for 48 hours and braised with mirepoix, this tomato-based dish also features wilted baby spinach and Parmesan crisps.

The Strozzapreti is going at SGD 26.

Rigatoni, local mushrooms, smoked pancetta topped with stilton & balsamic reduction

OFC_Rigatoni, local mushrooms, smoked pancetta2

If you’re adventurous, and also a cheese lover, this dish will excite your palate with its hints of Stilton blue cheese. The Rigatoni (tube-shaped short pasta) tastes almost like a heartier, denser version of the local kway teow noodle, only with a texture that’s more addictive. Served in a sauce of mixed mushrooms (from a local mushroom farm), with butter, a touch of cream and bits of smoked pancetta, the bits of Stilton blue cheese hidden within adds a slight sharpness to complete the well-rounded flavours of this dish.

The Rigatoni is going at SGD 26.

Pumpkin & pine nut tortelli with local yabbies & minden pesto

OFC_Pumpkin & pine nut tortelli2

Fans of pesto will love this uniquely shaped handmade Tortelli (ring-shaped pasta). As you sink your teeth into the densely packed tortelli, be pleasantly surprised by the butternut pumpkin, pine nuts and chicken mousse sautéed basil pesto sauce hidden within. Accompanying the pasta are micro tomatoes (from Japan), chunks of butternut pumpkin and yabbies (fresh water crayfish from Malaysia).

This Tortelli is going at SGD 24.

Mud crab spaghettoni with Thai curry sauce, crunchy yellow squash, coconut, crispy shallot Thai basil

OFC_Mud Crab Spaghettoni

If you like your pasta spicy, this is the dish for you. The Spaghettoni pasta (which seems almost like the Japanese udon noodle), is served with crunchy Patty pan yellow squash tossed in a sauce made of mud crab (from Indonesia), spicy Thai curry and coconut milk. The burst of ethnic flavours are further enhanced with freshly grated coconut, crispy shallot and herbs.

The Mud crab spaghettoni with Thai curry sauce is going at SGD 28.

Desserts

Lemon tart with basil ice cream

OFC_Lemon Tart with Basil Ice Cream

This aesthetically-pleasing dessert features crispy sable biscuits layered with piped lemon curd dots in between. The tart, citrusy flavours from the lemon curd nicely complements with the refreshing basil ice cream and basil chia seeds seasoned with lemon and basil oil.

The Lemon tart with basil ice cream is going at SGD 17.

Hot and cold chocolate cake with chocolate sorbet and mint meringue

OFC_Hot & Cold Chocolate Cake

Chocolate lovers are in for a real treat with this one. This dessert features varying textures of chocolate – steamed chocolate sponge cake, frozen microwaved cake, chocolate curd, bitter chocolate tuille, and bitter chocolate sorbet. Amidst this chocolatey haven is a crisp peppermint meringue that serves as a pleasant contrast.

The Hot and cold chocolate cake with chocolate sorbet and mint meringue is going at SGD 17.

Open Farm Community is located at 130E Minden Rd, Singapore 248819.

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