[Review] FLAVA Contemporary Bistro and Grill

Located in a quiet shophouse row on East Coast Road, FLAVA Contemporary Asian Bistro and Grill is a spacious yet cozy restaurant to relax and enjoy some great tasting dishes from both Western and Asian traditions – plus everything is 100% halal.

Ambience

Walking in, we felt a sense of openness with the high ceilings, a glass wall between the outdoor tables and the indoor,  and the spacious booths. Patrons waiting for their order could read from a bookcase stocked top to bottom with magazines, while caged light bulbs, vintage signs, and coloured figurines rappelling from the wall added a touch of quirkiness to the place.

Drinks:

Drupe and Pome – $7

This drink combined apple syrup and mango puree for a zest that rushed from sour to sweet in an instant. Coupled with cool carbonated sprite, this deep mug beverage really freshened up our palates for food. Just like the orange spiral on top, all the citrusy tastes swirled together for one fantastic flavour.

Flava Sling – $7

The Flava Sling is like the Singapore Sling, but non-alcoholic, a soft and delicate drink with the right combination of sweet and refreshing components. Fruity like a smoothie but lighter, it let us enjoy our meal without feeling full.

Food:

Balinese Chicken Skewers – $12

In this starter dish, the chunks of sweet tender chicken came with fragrant, yet spicy peanut sauce. The meat’s delicate flavour and slight smoky smell was balanced by the fresh cucumber, fragrant onion and soft ketupat.

Peking Duck Buns – $12

The restaurant’s best-selling dish sees thick slices of smoked duck breast wrapped in traditional chinese buns and arranged around the pickled veggies like petals of a flower. The smoked meat was as soft as sausage, and the black pepper glaze gave a distinct sweetness to each bite.

Korean Spicy Mid Joint Wings – $8

These wings are the right choice if you want to try something oh-so-spicy. Defined by a strong fiery taste and an extremely sweet sauce that is perfect for chicken wings, this is a dish that is both intimidating and satisfying.

Kimchi Burger – $22

Highly recommended, this burger was excellent in many ways. Imagine biting through a soft buttered bun, lightly toasted, into a ferociously savoury beef patty, with a spicy kick from the kimchi underneath. This enormous patty was flavoured with bulgogi sauce and spicy mayo, a winning combination. A serving of sweet potato fries helped to calm our overly excited taste buds.

Crispy Crab Pasta – $22

The linguine was very well cooked, the chili sauce both sweet and spicy, and the generous chunks of soft shell crab fried to crispy perfection. A ring of green bean sprouts completed the look and the taste of this dish. It was delightful to slurp up pasta with shreds of crab meat in the sauce. Biting into a crab leg was a wow moment, like eating a delicious piece of fried bread that was very soft, and bursting with the taste of deep-fried crab.

Dessert:

Strawberry Sweetheart – $15

Made from two large pieces of honey toast, a scoop of ice cream, a huge scoop of raspberry sorbet, and some fresh raspberries and blueberries, this dessert was both large and impressive. Though the toast was a little hard to break through, and the whole dish a little too sweet for our tastes, the variety of textures and ingredients made it stand out.

Price:

Given large portions, quality food and a fresh approach, FLAVA’s higher meal prices are fairly reasonable and make them stand out from many of the restaurants which share their price range. If you’re looking for a peaceful neighbourhood with friendly staff, to share a hearty meal, FLAVA is an excellent choice.

FLAVA Contemporary Asian Bistro & Grill

907 East Coast Road

#01-03, Springvale

Singapore 459107