They wowed me with farm-to-table food back in 2018, and I have been following their metamorphosis over the years. Now they are the benchmark for the genre.

The Working Farm

Located among Minden Cluster of the old British barracks in Dempsey Hill was a gem of a place called Open Farm Community. And when they started, many of the ingredients were sourced elsewhere. These days, almost everything is grown on premise, and the rest sourced locally.

They are Singapore’s pioneering urban farm and restaurant concept; a timely reaction to the increasing disconnect between people and their food. I highly recommend you take a stroll in the edible garden. Better still if you come with children, enrol them in the garden tour to understand about sustainability and urban farming.

There’s a sculpture garden right next to a lawn bowl green. The sculptures, well, are eclectic and Freudian in inspiration. Luckily my teenage Princess was amused by all these and did not ask difficult question about the birds and the bees.

The main dining space is designed to feel very open, with high ceilings and glass windows like a glasshouse. There is also some outdoor seatings scattered around the perimeters and a veranda behind the glasshouse, if you can cope without the aircon. If you bring along your furry kid, you will be assigned an outdoor table, just indicate when you reserve. It was a cool day, so we didn’t mind sitting outside.

The Weekend Brunch

Supported by a large network of “local organic growers, herders, food fanatics and general busybodies” this is an ingredients-led operation that bursts with beautiful, innovative ideas.

Marigold, blue pea rum, pineapple, calamansi, Cointreau aromatic zesty grapefruit & vibrant peppermint flavour

A cocktail inspired by the colours and taste of nature. Made with blue pea-infused rum, and a combination of fruity and refreshing pineapple, calamansi (tropical lime also known as kabosu in Japan) harvest from the garden and grapefuit, with a touch of Cointreau and vibrant peppermint grown in the garden to give a minty bittersweet ending. Delicious for a lazy (cue the octopus) afternoon in the garden in the shades.

Small Plates

These are appetisers for sharing, something to munch before your mains come.

Focaccia with seasonal butter

Good focaccia should have a slight sourdough taste. This means giving the yeast time to do its thing. Excess yeast causes extra air bubbles to form, creating holes in the baked bread. Served with flavoured salt, extra virgin olive oil and bacon butter.

Housemade taramasalata, toasted sourdough

Next gluten, a creamy housemade taramasalata paired with golden toasted sourdough. The taramasalata is made with sustainably sourced fish roe and seasoned with spicy and herbal mediterranean flavours. Spread some of these on the focaccia (ye, not the sourdough), lay some of the smoked salmon and eat it as an open faced sandwich. Then, eat the sourdough with the butter and olive oil that came with the focaccia.

Burratina, chargrilled okra, chilli garlic pesto, sumac, crispy rice

Creamy, milky and decadent, the burratina was made in-house and served with a side of their farmed okra and a chilli garlic pesto sauce for kicks. Topped with tangy sumac powder for that exotic taste and crispy puffed rice for an added crunch. This dish was very good, and we ordered another portion as it was too little go around.

Large Plates

They used to serve sharing portions for their mains. But these are portions for one person. You have to order one per adult so that you can share among the folks on the table. Even so, some popular items aren’t enough going around.

Udon pasta, tomato base, crispy chickpea, farm & garden herbs, smoked cheese sauce

I wanted to order their laksa-inspired pappardelle that I had in previous visit, but that has been removed from the menu. In its place was this udon pasta dish. Not exactly the Japanese udon, but udon-like wheat-based pasta. Tasted like a normal creamy marinara, but the smoked cheese used was rather pleasant. But I did not agree with the crispy chickpeas – that’s something from the kacang puteh man when you go to the movies.

Prawn roll, sriracha mayo, calamansi

Think lobster roll and you would be disappointed. There wasn’t much prawn, and it wasn’t like its famous cousin. The sriracha may was quite runny. What served the dish was the bits of herbs that was placed on the prawn-mayo filling – peppery and refreshing.

Hanger steak & fries 150g, pure black angus, sunny side egg, balinese pepper jus, mexican tarragon mustard

Hanger Steak & Fries are available only during Weekend Brunch. And we needed something more substantial to share. The medium rare steak came with a sunny side up on top with a quenelle of Mexican tarragon with raw mustard. The Balinese pepper jus was used to marinate the steak.

Featuring Australian black angus that had been done medium rare, the thickness of the steak meant that the juiciness was gone by the time the doneness was achieved. Accentuated by the Balinese pepper jus, each bite was rather tender, while the Mexican tarragon mustard added a delightful twist of zest.

Sides

We just had to add some sides to complement the mains.

Smoked king salmon

Added some smoked king salmon to go with the focaccia.

Fries

While there were some fries that came with the steaks, it wasn’t enough to go around. So we ordered another portion not that they were so good.

Dessert

And after all that savouriness, we needed something sweet to round up the meal. Instead we got sour.

Chocolate sake fondant, chocolate soil, white chrysanthemum gelato

Lava cake with a fancy name, the chocolate sake fondant was paired with chopped dried cherries for the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Served with a delicate white chrysanthemum (harvested from the garden) gelato on crunchy chocolate(?) soil to take this dessert to another dimension, creating a delectable masterpiece of flavour and texture.

Guava 3 way, granite, macerated, espuma, black been powder & yoghurt

Bottom up, strips of macerated guava sitting on a yoghurt bath, topped with guava granitas and covered with espuma of guava to look like a toadstool. The espuma was sprinkled with ferment black bean powder to give it the savouriness and taste to go with the guava. Interesting, but not something that I would order again.

The dishes regularly change, so I cannot recommend a particular meal but go with an open mind and experimental palate. I was quite disappointed by the brunch menu as it was a notch off their usual performance. From now on I will just stick to dinners here.

Open Farm Community
130E Minden Road Singapore 248819
Tel : +65 6471 0306

Visited Nov 2023

Michelin Singapore Guide Plates 2021-23, Selected 2024

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