Bliss Restaurant – Ang Mo Kio (Cheng San Community Club)
Singapore has active community clubs in almost every area of the country. They conduct courses and recreational activities and occasionally have coffee shops or juice machines for light bites. But I have never visited a sprawling space in the form of a restaurant in a community club. Hence I was pleasantly surprised to see the lovely ambiance of Bliss Restaurant situated on the side of Cheng San Community Club which is around a 5 minute walk from Ang Mo Kio MRT. They have spacious indoor seating in the form of long community tables and four seater tables and the alfresco area consists of white furniture and a bar. The space is well-lit and has a vibrant atmosphere in the evening. Bliss restaurant is a social enterprise that offers employment opportunities to all without discrimination, even those with immutable traits. We went there for dinner and the place was abuzz with people indicating that it was clear favourite among people who stayed in and around the area.
The Orders
The menu is quite exhaustive, but in terms of vegetarian options there are starters, juices, pastas and desserts. I wished they had 1 or 2 more vegetarian options in their mains section.
To begin the meal, we tried the ‘Cheesy Garlic Loaf’ which was substantial for 2 pax. The bread had been baked to garlicky perfection with the cheese nicely melting into the crevices and made it a good starter option. Its the pull apart bread that allows you to enjoy the strings of cheese as you grab a bite.
For the mushroom lovers, you have the ‘Mushroom Soup’ or the ‘Fried Mushroom’ dishes as starter options. At the onset, let me tell you that I am not a mushroom fan but I don’t mind trying it sometimes depending on the type of cuisine. Both the mushroom dishes lacked seasoning and I found the soup to be better than the mushroom fritters. The soup could do with a little more richness and was bland and hence the garlic bread on the side helped to lend more balance to the dish.
For light bites, we took a break from the usual potatoes and ordered the ‘Sweet Potato Fries’. One word that I would use for these fries is addictive. The fries were crunchy, a perfect mix of salt and sweet in taste and were well-seasoned. Highly recommended.
It was heartening to see ‘Sugarcane Juice’ made using the actual sugarcane machine and that makes all the difference. Apart from that, the addition of chia seeds was a good way to pack some nutritional punch in the juice. I was thankful there were no artificial sweeteners or sugar added in the juice to make it extremely sweet. This was quite refreshing as a thirst quencher.
In the mains, for vegetarians, there are only pastas. The pastas can be made in 3 cooking styles – rich cream, aglio olio and marinara. And for toppings, you can choose from garden vegetables, plain pasta or mushroom. We tried the ‘Garden vegetables Pasta’ in aglio olio and marinara cooking styles. I was so glad to see that there was no dearth of veggies in the pasta and it has broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers and long beans. Both the pastas were top-notch and made with correct seasoning and doneness. In terms of the sauce, the Aglio Olio pasta has the cleaner flavour with the veggies taking center stage. On the other hand, the tomato sauce is well made, has the right consistency and complements the veggies. You can’t go wrong with either choice. I can safely say that for now, it features in my ‘Top 3 Vegetarian Pastas’ in Singapore. Highly recommended.
To end the meal, we tried the ‘Chocolate Cheesecake’. This turned out to be a small, but sinful dessert. I would have liked the texture to be a little looser and lighter. It was a touch too dense and rich. I’d recommend sharing it.
Overall there were many hits and few misses in terms of the dishes. Its a good place to hangout with friends and families and eat quality food at affordable prices. If you are in the area, its definitely worth a visit.
| In a Nutshell | Deelightful Rating |
| Cuisine Type: Western | ★★★1/2 |
| Nearest MRT: Ang Mo Kio | |
| Address: 6 Ang Mo Kio St 53, #01-01 Cheng San Community Club, Singapore 569205 | |
| Timings: Sun-Thu: 5pm – midnight , Fri-Sat: 5pm – 1am | |
| Website: http://blissrestaurant.com.sg/Bliss_Restaurant/Welcome.html |