Blank Doll thinks - Food for Thought.

Two friends and someone else sent me to Food for Thought, opposite National Library, for lunch. After much searching, a bad sense of direction and faulty directions from friends can do that to you, the little cafe was located.

The service was untrained but good. Refreshing would be the word, the place staffed with young people. We ordered a platter for two which got us two soups, a salad and a selection of three fillings accompanied by bread.

I did not like the shitake soup, watery and lacking in body. It might have been virtuous (the entire place reeks of good intentions, actually) but some porcini or chanterelle might have upped the amp. The sage, carrot and pumpkin delights ladies who lunch and strangely, me. The sage could have been stronger though.

I did not quite like the Chinese Chicken Caesar, cute though it was with the little ikan bilis as anchovy surrogates a quirky touch. East-West fusions, heavy with irony, tend not to impress and the overcooked chicken did nothing for the salad. The use of sesame oil in the dressing was commendable, the dark soy sauce less so.

The sandwich fillings were quite promising. The bread was decent, chewy with the faint whiff of yeast, but lacked the robust flavour of artisan bread. Good though since they offer you as much bread as you want. You will not want for bread however since the dishes on offer were hardly overwhelming in proportions. The pulled pork, as recommended by friends, was a winner. The thyme steak would have been one were it not for the irrelevant canned corn and I did not like the grilled vegetables. Otherwise, get the cuban ham and pork sandwich which bursts with porcine character.

Desserts were quite gratifying. A weakness of mine but the chocolate maltesers banana cake struck a chord. The red velvet cake might have succeeded but the icing exceeded the cake.

A nice place to take lunch with some friends but hardly an experience. For something more uplifting, Tea Cafe nearby offers the right combination of solace and urban centrality. Right opposite Raffles Hotel on Seah Street, it is a cliche oasis that turns out to be rather nice.

Go ahead and order the cucumber iced tea which is a refreshing blend of cucumber, calamansi and soda. The tempo of the service, the personality of the proprietor and the serving of little pastries and cakes can really sooth the nerves. I took offense at the hastily reheated pineapple tarts, a reminder of the need for speed even when searching for time past.

Also, Prada gave us the boy-kini and hunks in tutus, launching a million budding fashionistos into esctastic fits. These people obviously missed the Gaultier boat. Maier gave a rather embarrassing take on workman's clothes at Botega and veered towards hypocrisy in concept. Watch out for more to come, the uber-luxe printed crocodile and gilt stamped calf of last season will soon be replaced by less in your face fabrics.

In the meantime, make yourself a skinny bitch. One part Grey Goose to one part soda, lots of lime. For a tough bitch, two parts Grey Goose to one part soda and lots of lime. Cheers.

C'est tout.