Friday, June 11, 2010

Food Opera: fancy food court, or real gourmet delight?

Food Opera...what an interesting name...suggesting the integrally intertwining of music and food...This is the food court, if you can call this a Food Court, in ION. Complete with chandeliers, the entire place looks more like a restaurant than a food court...



Everything is upmarket...the sister food courts by the same company who does Bread Talk are also a bit up market compared to the regular food courts...and christened Food Republic. But Food Opera is higher end. And more expensive too. A case in point...the very nice banana cake served in Toast Box - the coffee vendor (inhouse by Bread Talk themselves) costs S$1.50 a slice. In Food Opera, Toast Box's equivalent is called Tea Place, and the same banana cake costs $1.70.

But reputation has it that the Bak Chor Mee here at the Opera is better, and more "power"...to use a local colloquialism than their equivelents in Republic. And I tend to agree.

The BCM: top, with chilli, bottom sans chilli. Note wealth of ingredients on these 2 bowls which are the cheapest offered by the store...still a hefty S$5 a bowl.



But all is forgiven with the taste. The noodles are just right, with a tinge of kee, and cooked almost perfect...just slightly soft of al dente. The mixture of ingredients are almost masterful in its composition, amount, and doneness. Each balancing with the other to provide a nice mouthful of noodles and pork. The vinegar is just a tad, not too much as some tend to be, but very nicely balancing the richness of the pork lard which is present in lard crisps as well as the oil used to lubricate the noodles...so to speak. The mushroom and its thick sauce...just a little to provide punch and flavour and not to overpower.



Certainly one of the better BCMs around...pricey, but given the expensive location, and the quality and taste...I am not really complaining.


Food Opera Bak Chor Mee Stall
B4 ION Orchard

No comments: