Cafe Oliv

More east-side food with my east-side friends...
I didn't realise that I was visiting the same place tha ieatishootipost had his trios burger, till I sat down and opened the menu. It's a little casual eatery tucked into one of those conservation shophouses which has horrendous parking. We got there around 6.30 to 7pm on a Saturday, and to our suprise it was completely empty (we even booked in anticipation of a que). But the restaurant did fill up later on. I suppose that if I lived in the east I'll come here more often.
Quesadilla - not ordered by me, neither is the starters. The quesadilla was not bad, but nothing to rave about. I found it a bit too dry for my liking, and the cheese was too scarce.

Starters - Chicken wing, Calamari rings and Deep fried battered whole mushrooms. Overall, I thought this was not bad, and the people ordering it didn't expect such a large portion.

What I like about cafe oliv is that they're really flexible about the set menus. I wanted to try the salmon linguine with pink sauce, but it wasn't available as a standard set. I was pleasantly suprised to be told that every main course in the menu could be made into a set meal by topping up $6. Set dinner consists of a drink, soup and dessert (choice of brownie with ice cream or creme brulee)This was the soup of the day - we were told it was mushroom soup, but I think it's chicken soup cos there were little bits of chicken and no mushrooms at all. Nevertheless, it tasted very homely and the presentation was nice.
Salmon linguine with pink sauce ($12.90, $18.90 for the set). I really like pasta with pink sauce - so whenever I see pink sauce on the menu, I will confirm order it. The sauce was slightly creamy, and tangy at the same time. It somehow reminded me of thousand island sauce, but not as creamy or sour. Maybe it was because of the appereance? The salmon fillet was done just right, and it wasn't too dry or raw.
Braised Lamb Shank ($23.90 for the Set Meal) It's a good sized portion of lamb, in a meaty gravy and with fluffy mashed potatoes.
Brownie with ice cream - A good sized dessert (not those small measley kind that you'll expect with most set menus) drenched in chocolate sauce topped with a huge scoop of ice cream. I was very full after eating this.
Creme Brulee - It's the warm version. I thought it was not bad, with a soft wobbly smooth texture but I think my brownie was better (cos it was cold).Overall, I quite liked the restaurant - food was good and reasonably priced, very value for money and the place was clean and brightly lit and very conducive for dining (and phototaking). Service was quick and efficient too.

Michellelim stars:
Cafe Oliv

220 East Coast Road

Tel: 6344 3114