[Invited Tasting & Revisit] The Lawn, Shenton Way

The CBD is a vegetarian's dream. There is no higher concentration of salad shops anywhere else on the island than in the CBD. You cannot walk a hundred yards without passing by a salad shop. I think, it's to fill the demand of many health-conscious office workers. A lunch and/or dinner dominated by raw veggies is a nice counter to the sedentary lifestyle of an office worker typified by the parking of butts on ergonomic chairs all day.

With the launch of The Lawn's second outlet in the ultra-competitive Shenton Way/Tanjong Pagar bit of the business district, the typical salad greens is given a meaty twist. I've mentioned before that I'm not a fan of raw greens, but I actually like The Lawn's salads. Their flavourful grilled meats make the idea of a bowlful of raw vegetables totally palatable, and quite delicious. Needless to say, The Lawn would make for a ideal meal of choice for the carb-averse dieters and health-conscious carnivores looking to add a bit of greenery to their plates. 

Price points at this CBD outlet are a smidgen higher here than at Biopolis to account for the higher rent, but really, it's a negligible extra taking into consideration the convenience of this centralised branch.

I like that The Lawn is open till 9 pm at night so those pulling a late-nighter at work can still opt for a light and healthy, but yummy, dinner. I've changed things up a bit below so the review of the invited tasting is done first, followed by the revisit a few weeks later with a couple of my galfriends. For the record, my galpals are now fans of this salad-cum-grill shop.

At the tasting, we had the Salad, topped with baby tomatoes, parmesan and mozzarella, capsicums, and onions. Clearly, us cheeseheads aren't too concerned with our health. This really was massive, and we had a little trouble finishing it. A big eater would definitely appreciate this.


One of my must-trys when I dine at The Lawn: their Teochew-styled Olive Rice, based on the owner's grandmother's heritage recipe. This is so good I didn't want to share.


The Lawn here in the CBD differs from the suburban Biopolis in that it doesn't serve Portobello. Instead, Mixed Mushrooms are offered as an alternative, which was just as well, because it's awesome. A liberal dose of garlic, a pinch of salt and really good olive oil is all that's needed to bring out the juicy earthiness of the shitakes and white buttons.


Another must-try here is the Ben's Beef Rub. Juicy, with a smoky char imbued into the bite-sized morsels of thoroughly marinated meat.


The Garlic Prawns here also rank at the top of my favourites' list for their freshness and bouncy texture.


If you still have the space, The Lawn also serves up cakes from Gobi, a boutique dessert cafe renowned for their sweets. They were ALL delicious. And they cost the exact same price as at the café; $7.30 per slice (a normal slice is double what you see in the photo). The Chocolate Therapy, with dark chocolate ganache and light spongy layers, was nicely nuanced. The Oreo Cheesecake was moist and creamy. The Matcha was really good as well but I prefer my green tea as a drink and not in my dessert. The Carrot Cake is one of the best I've had, its "carrotiness" was well balanced by the sweet nutty elements. Purely as a matter of preference, my vote would go to the oreo cheesecake. Awesomesauce.


At the revisit, the 3 of us womenfolk shared a Salad ($9.90) garnished with tofu, egg, carrots, sweet corn kernels and baby potatoes. Of note was the Wafu Dressing, a newly introduced, Japanese-inspired mayo, sesame oil and ginger emulsion. The fragrant piquant dressing adds just that right amount of pizazz to jazz up the bowl.


We also shared the Olive Rice ($8.90), which was delicious as always. Even the bride-to-be, who's trying desperately to stay away from carbs, kept nicking this.


We asked that the grills be served separately to facilitate sharing and the really accommodating staff readily obliged. Kudos to the nice but slightly slow service here. The Garlic Prawns ($4) coated with that crispy probably-carcinogenic-but-so-good-that-we-don't-care-anyways char was sweet and fresh and aromatic.


The Butter Seared Dory ($4), brushed with mixed herbs, and grilled perfectly moist and creamy, was a hit as well.


Of course, the Ben's Beef Rub ($5) was not to be missed, and the tasty chunks of red meat were devoured in a flash.


Another grill exclusive to the CBD outlet is the Cajun Chicken ($3), with spicy paprika playing a central flavouring role to the succulent chicken bits.


We loved the Mixed Mushrooms ($3) as well. Garlicky, fragrant and dripping with woodsy juices.


Many thanks to Jonathan for the invite and hosting a fabulous party!

The Lawn
8 Shenton Way
B1- 11 AXA Tower
Tel: 6534 8749
Open daily from 10.30am to 9pm

Comments

FoodieFC said…
oh they are at the shenton way? Their first outlet at fusionopolis is just too far.
Bern said…
oh yes, go visit!
jonathan said…
thanks bernice! glad we survived your test again! gonna share this on our The Lawn At Shenton facebook fanpage =)
Anonymous said…
prawns, and the fish, and the mushrooms, so good.

and I can't believe I haven't ever tried the olive rice!
Bern said…
u shd have come over and sampled mine! try the olive rice at biopolis...v near your workplace babe.

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