Afterglow revisited

Finally managed to find someone to accompany me and eat Afterglow (even though it was a pre-dinner snack). The usual response I get is usually the nose wrinkling and head shaking on countless occasions. My whole logic on why I like to patronise such restaurants is that anyone (or most people at least) can make anything taste good with butter and an assortment of animal fats. So I personally think it takes great skill (or great ingredients) to make something taste good without the use of such tasty fats. And that's something that I am quite willing to pay for.

We had the Dragon Pom salad - which was lightly dressed in a lemon oil dressing and topped with chopped macadamia nuts and half an avocado.

I also tried the vegan nut 'cheese' platter - I swear that the nut cheese tastes like the real thing - and there's some herbs, peppers added in so the texture really reminds me of a cheese dip. The crackers on the side are dehydrated beetroot crackers and green apple crackers. Would definitely return to get more of these.

Afterglow

24 Keong Siak Road

Tel 62248921

Next to Muchachos

Afterglow

Hidden along all the hipster cafes and tze-char places in Keong Siak Street, is Afterglow, which is a really nice chill out cafe.

Raw Nut Cheese ($16)

For the uninitiated, nut cheeses are very popular amongst vegans. I think the texture is creamy and similar to that of a cheese spread but it really doesn't taste like your regular cheddar cheese. But with a bit of imagination, it feels like you're eating a not so creamy fruit cheese.

I particularly liked the dehydrated crackers, which are made with spices such as cumin and vegetables like beetroot. It has the texture of the dried cuttlefish snack (can't think of a better way to describe it).

Raw Cauloflower 'cous cous' salad ($15)

I've never tried raw cauliflower or broccoli before because these are typically cooked most of the time. However, the raw cauliflower didn't have the raw grassy taste that I had expected, but instead, was very pleasant and well flavoured with spices.

Achar Nori Roll ($18)

The nori rolls are made with almond meal, with zingy achar and topped with white sesame seeds. No post lunch carb coma with these 'sushi' rolls.

Raw Tiramisu and Cashew Cream ($10)

 I'm a big fan of tiramisu, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the tiramisu actually tasted vaguely like the real thing. Even though there was absolutely no dairy or egg inside. Incredible. Though I must say the portion is tiny. But then again, I can't imagine how many cashew nuts have gone into this dessert. 

Green Juice ($12)

The Green Juice has cold pressed pineapple, bitter gourd and mint, and comes in two serving sizes. I'd recommend that you take the $12 one, cos the portion is really much bigger than the $6 serving. You get to keep the glass bottle after finishing your juice, but you also have the option of returning it. 

If you haven't noticed by now, the recurring word here is 'raw. Afterglow is one of the newest raw food cafes in Singapore. I'm not vegeterian/vegan but once in a while, I do like to explore and try new foods. I'm really fortunate one and a half friends (half cos one is semi-willing to try but isn't crazy over these kind of things) like to try such cafes with me. For example, I can imagine WKR groaning loudly. 

If you have an open mind, do drop by and try some of the dishes here. And if you don't know where to start, get one of the servers to recommend you some dishes. All the dishes above were recommended by our very friendly server. I'll definitely be back to try some of the other dishes. 

Afterglow

24 Keong Siak Road

Tel 62248921

Next to Muchachos