The Garden Slug

You must be wondering, “What kind of a name is that for a restaurant?“

For one, Boyfriend thought that The Garden Slug was a vegetarian restaurant when we spotted it off Jalan Kurau the recent Saturday. Yes, it was his birthday, so I decided to bring him to a place where good food (or so the reviews say) resided. And apparently we even got lost looking for the place, which was tucked neatly under a subtle-looking building called Bright Centre. Once again, what kind of a name is that for a building?

We were spoilt for choice, especially Boyfriend, who had picked out a beer to complement his order for the evening. I stuck with the waistline-friendly iced tea.

I like the fact that the sugar for my iced tea came separately in a no-nonsense teacup.

Shots of our main courses: Hickory Babyback ribs (half slab) (S$18.9) and Pasta with roasted veggies in cream sauce (S$12.9).

After reading close to 90 odd reviews, I’ve made a mental note of the dishes I wanted to put to the stringent test with my tastebuds that day. One of them was their Ugly Salmon Cakes (s$14.9). 

Yes, I’ve never eaten anything which crumbles and falls off my fork everytime I try to put it into my mouth. But they didn’t disappoint; the salmon flakes were tasty went well with the mash that held the small patties together in a, urm, ugly kind of way. Just a little sidenote: the patties came off as a little too salty for my liking, and Boyfriend agreed. Plus he liked it better with a little hot sauce.


No birthday’s complete without birthday candles, so I did a prior request for the Garden Slug’s Apple Streusel with Gelato (S$9.5), complete with a candle for my Birthday Boy to blow out.

Some past customers have lamented the lack of conscientiousness when it came to decorations, but I found it as comforting as the food. The chairs, the tables, to haphazardly-painted walls, the dozens framed photos on the walls… simplicity was the key. The staff were attentive, but Saturday night seemed like a busy night for them, because there were a few reservations made, and the alfresco area was filled as well. So making a booking via email or phone will be a better safety net. (I did an email reservation and they replied within 24 hours. Just don’t expect an instantaneous response. They don’t just sit by their computers and swat flies.)


Overall:
Ambience: 3.7/5 (can get rowdy during the weekends)
Food: 3.9/5
Price: $$
Service: Mediocre/Satisfactory/Goof/Excellent

Eat where:

The Garden Slug, 55 Lor L Telok Kurau #01-59/61 S(425500)

Contact: 63460504, justask@thegardenslug.com

Website: www.thegardenslug.com