Cafe Oliv: The Trend of Affordable Western Meals Gains Momentum!
With Blind date, island, holy drummer, percussionluv and iwatch_ueat
Salted Egg Soft Shell Crab $4.90 1 crab
The busiest places along the East Coast Road stretch late at night are Astons on one end and HK Cafe on the other. These places are packed even after 10pm! So along comes Cafe Oliv which is strategically located in between these two night haunts offering Value-for-Money, mid-range Western Food right up till Midnight. I'd say that it is sure win situation as long as the food is good.
And the food here is pretty decent overall with a few items worth mentioning.
The first is the Battered Soft Shell Crab with Salted Egg. Great for those who are battling a low cholesterol level. It is a pretty tasty morsel to whet one's appetite. Though it is nice on its own, I think a bit of seasoned Japanese rice or other carb would go very well to balance the salty savoury taste of the crab and salted egg. 4/5
Pork Ribs $14.90
If you like Ribs, this is one that you would want to try. The homemade BBQ sauce is excellent and the ribs are cooked till the meat is tender and separates easily from the bone. Just before serving, it is also quickly grilled so that you get that nice chargrill taste. What I find most exciting is the fact that they use a very special cut of ribs specially imported from Germany which includes the soft bones at the end of it. You can see just how long the rack is. For me THIS IS the best part of the pork ribs. And the ribs are slow cooked till the soft bones are just about gelatinised so the whole thing can be eaten. Oh yes, this bit really sets it apart from all the rest! 4.5/5
Lamb Shank $14.95
The Lamb Shank gets my pick for the Best Value Lamb Shank in town! I don't think I have ever come across a 600g lamb shank for less than $15. If you love to eat lots of meat and want to pay as little as possible, this one is for you! The taste of the stewing sauce is pretty good, albeit a predictable "Ghoulash" type sauce. The meat was tender but we felt that it would be even better if it was stewed just a little longer. 4/5
Beer Batter Fish $10.90
The beer batter fish was nicely done. I am accustomed to beer batter being really thick and oily, so this thin and crispy beer batter was a bit of a surprise. Chef and owner Kevin Heng uses a bit of tumeric to coat the fish to give it a bit of colour and curry flavour. At $10.90 it is pretty good value if you are comparing it to Fish & Co. The fish is well seasoned and served with potato wedges. But a Dory is a Dory if you know what I mean. So don't expect any big surprises tastewise. 4/5
Conclusion
Yet another new cafe in town offering "Value for Money" western food. But don't expect to pay $6 for a main meal here. The meals are a little more upmarket but we still felt that the prices are very reasonable for what you are getting. Cafe Oliv aspires to offer more creative fare to differentiate itself from the rest of the crowd, but I would like to see Chef Kevin push the envelop of creativity further. The other thing that is really good is that they don't add the GST or Service Charge here and are open till 12 midnight. It is great to see the trend of offering affordable western food gaining momentum and moving upmarket. It can only be good news for all of us!
Cafe Oliv
220 East Coast Road
63443114
11.30am to 12mn daily
Sunday: 8am to 12mn
29 comments:
I ate at this place when they first opened 3wks back! I like the chicken wings and the soft shell crab. The cheese sausage is nice too
eh... i remember i only get one crab. how come you get 2? biased!
Thanks for the feedback. Let me check again because we actually ordered the sampler which included several other stuff like the wings and mushrooms but I only mentioned the crab because it was more special.
HEY,cafe Olive:
I like ur soft shell crab and ur pork rib alot...it is so crispy when i put in my mouth when i start chewing..!!!
And for my next visit i sure will try out ur ....
Beer batter fish ,Lamb shank, Chicken wing
.. it look so good in the photo and the comment which given..
Oh yay! Another affordable Western joint in the East! :D I'm hoping they'll be better than The Garden Slug at Telok Kurau!
This and Werner's Oven will replace Astons as my regular East coast makan haunt.
Thanks for the review.
i love pork ribs.....
i think i will go try it... i hv seen it newly opened, but it seemed nondescript, so wasn't too sure.
And many of the previous establishments which used to occupy this shop space were pretty crappy in the past.
...
1 more cafe to dine, too bad its a bit far, as I'm staying in the West. I use to go down to Gone Fishing Cafe, nice & cosy place. They serve Suzanne's Roast Chicken. The chilli sauce is very shiok! And my fav creamy mushroom chunky soup.
i'm already drooling........
:P~
Great! Another good makan place to check out since Aston is always so crowded and have to wait at least 30min-45 mins just to be seated.
I certainly hope Cafe Oliv's waiting time is much much shorter than Aston's :)
Thanks for all the prices! lol. Now i am stucked! I am gng to Katong soon! Cafe Oliv or Aston specialties! ^.^
Just tried out Cafe Oliv just now. Not too bad but can afford to give it a miss. We've tried the Ribs and Fish n Chips. The Ribs is hard. Probably tastes better at Tony Roma's. Fish n Chips is like what you said. ok.
oh btw portion is not that big also.
Probably better off checking out Aston's superburger.
i had the same view as "whatisthis". i tired the ribs and jus like wad had mention, its HARD. think u should be feeling hugry after the meal. wastin too much engry to cut the ribs.....
when e soft shell crab was served, i was surprised! Only one crab!
but sure muz menTion 1 thing: thEIr serVIce was GooD!
i also ate at this place when it just opened! i love the prawn paste chicken wing.. is so crunchy and the taste still remains in my mouth till now.. haha.. the cheese sasauge is nice too..
Just returned home and I immediately had to comment on this newly opened (now 4 weeks old)Cafe Oliv.
It was around 6pm prime time and yet Chef Kelvin came out to talk to me when I casually mentioned that some forummers complained that the Pork Rib is hard. He gave me a complimentry piece to try. That small piece is the end cut but yet it is soft and tender.
Had the following: Calamari good with 3 type of sauces 2 are made by the Chef. Salad ok dressing is favourable. Soft self crab is excellent. Very crunchy when you bite and blended well with the salted egg. The best is the Lamb shank, soft and tender and the gravy as described by ieat is 'Ghoulesh'. I think Chef Kelvin took ieat's advice and stew a little longer.
Chef Kelvin is passionate in his cooking which is a great PLUS and I believe Cafe Oliv will draw more foodies.Tonight the place is fully booked! So those who stay in the North/West pls book before coming.
p.s. Met another foodie Daniel and Esther. They came with camera taking pictures of their food.
I tried several of their dishes and i think i like the lamb shanks best, too! Besides that, the sausages are worth a bite! best thing is their prices, can get a main course for less than $15. nice place for friends and family.
Pls note their Lamb shank is $15.90 but is big portion. My daugther suggest they add a piece of crunchy white bread so that you can enjoy the superb gravy.
The pork ribs are to die for! The beer batter fish is a generous portion, but the super-value-for-money is the lamb shank! Other like the seafood platter are recommendable too.
On my first trip, I personally liked the seafood linguine as it is pretty mild and not too heavy, though others would think it's not 'creamy' enough.
Prime location, passionate chef, simple black-n-white decor, chill-out atmosphere and long operating hours.
A great place to hangout in Katong anytime of the day!
My siblings and I have been frequenting Cafe Oliv for lunch on x-times-per-week basis.
Cafe Oliv now has a classic selection of cakes going at half-price now (according to my bro who was there with sis this afternoon).
Chef Kevin is also set to revamp his menu to include COD FISH. Mid-month. I can't wait!
Stay tuned. =)
food...ok laa...bt y kelvin hired mostly waitress?Brian Heng Ting Tien told mi tat he wanted to attract more people...i tink they sld depend on their skills rather than beauties
sux
and the lamp shrank...is nothing...others can even do better than him...
I would like to reply to the previous anonymous reader posting on Oliv cafe,
Quote:
"and the lamp shrank...is nothing...others can even do better than him... "
Well not that I don't appreciate negative comments, in fact all comments are welcomed. But please, when you post them, could you at least give some details why it didn't satisfy your tastebuds, what suggestions you have for the chef to improve or even any alternate locations serving the same food at a similar price range. Not to compare the lamb with Morton's or Lawry's, they are not in that league.
For those who have been reading this blog for a while, smart, holy drummer, liverpool1965, khim, camemberu, liverydream etc etc just to name a few can be the blog fiercest critics, but if you notice , they write from the heart, ie. for the love of food, so if you really have an issue with our good doctor blog postings, please use a PENAME/CALLSIGN/WADEVER and give alternate ideas/places to that blog posting that disappointed your tastebuds and your wallet.
(to the anonymous commenter who gave negative comments on the lamb shank)
Firstly, its LAMB SHANK. -_-"
Second, I think it is unfair for you to put people down by saying their food "sux". Much effort goes into putting a plate of food on your table which others enjoy even though you might not.
No doubt that you might not like it, but do notice that you're the only one in this comment box to actually say that the lamb shank "sux", and if it does not satisfy you perhaps you could suggest another place where they sell this dish for just $15.90, that can do it this good. This is a stall which offers western food which is value for money, so its unfair to compare it to high end restaraunts.
Taste is subjective, but surely it will be in the best interest for you and others to actually think about what you say before making such snide, rude and vague comments while hiding behind a veil of anonymity to protect your own interests while attacking others'
To others
Kevin has just revamped his menu by including dishes like grilled cod ($19.90), and trio mini burgers ($14.90)
The mini burgers consist of Cod, Tenderloin and a choice of Ba Kwa or Kong Bak. It is really nice, but a tad too dry, so do request for sauces. :D
And I do recommend the Teriyaki Chicken Breast stuffed with cheddar. I stole a few bites from my sister, and it was heaven. The cheddar is not your typical kraft/cheesedale. The Chicken is tender to the last bite.
wooah!? I remember had a nice dinner at Cafe Oliv a month back and they have revamped their menu? OOO!
But i m quite skeptical about this bak kwa burger thing
u sayed that i am rude...indeed...bt what would you feel when you kill lamb just for cooking and your satisfaction?i think it is obviously cruel to the lamb!!!Maybe u guys are so-called cold-blooded...i suppose.And spending large amount of money to get a better choice...i think is worthy...and wats more the chief is my relative...so y can't i criticize him?and i seriously can't b bothered abt ur nonsensial messages!!!
cold-blooded? shave all your hair and become a nun or monk... Dun even be a vegetarian cos it's living things... Carry on your life consuming plastics as they are hard to decomposed and at the same time you are helping our earth~!
Cafe Oliv is certainly one of my favourite cozy place to have dinner with my boyfriend. In fact, I've tried the food many times since it first started.
Besides the fabulous pork ribs and lamb shank (which my bf absolutely adores), my personal favourite would have to be the salmon pasta. The salmon pasta comes with a generous portion of grilled salmon, and you get to choose your own pasta sauce! So you'll never get bored of your pasta. In fact they have more than 5 pastas sauces to choose from. Of which, I found the salty egg aglio olio rather interesting as it blends western and chinese food together. I also found the clam clowder soup superb here in Cafe Oliv, there's such generous serving of seafood and of course, Clams! So next time if u are having a meal, you can actually top up a dollar or two for a clam clowder instead of the regular soup of the day.
The dessert in cafe oliv is really something that keeps me coming back. The mudpie is really something, Huge portions with the right amount of sweetness. Yummy.
In general, cafe oliv is somewhere I find very cozy and friendly as staff and chef kevin are really nice people. Also, if u hate waiting too long, or the crowd, this is the perfect place for you. (:
It is a cool place to eat.. i am a diehard of such indie places.. for people staying in the north, check out little part 1 cafe, pretty laid back cafe serving simple comfort food. A rare find. Support indie!
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