Not loving the name, Genius Central, which is a stone’s throw from Telok Ayer MRT. Sounds like the already self-praising Apple Genius Bar with more braggadocio. Some degree of humility is good. Here, you can book a table or a room (with AV equipment for business presentations)–think of it as rental–and some of the “rental” credits can be used to purchase food and drinks – it’s a pretty sweet deal. And the space has good qi, which may explain why there were so many people.

The cafe has many plant-based dishes on their rather extensive and varied and interesting menu and, whenever possible, they use organic and whole-food ingredients. All menu items are made inhouse from sauces and dressings to house-made raw desserts.

First time eating the South Asian dish, khichdi ($18), and it was quite delicious. It’s like an Indian congee and is sometimes one of the first food that a baby eats in some regions of India. The main flavour is yellow mung lentils; it looks like tau suan but the earthy taste is closer to daal. It also has organic organic basmati rice, fresh curry leaves, broccoli, baby spinach, haricot fine beans, house-made plant-based raita, cashew nuts, cherry tomato salsa, mixed herbs. It’s vegan and gluten-free.

I normally won’t order fish in a restaurant because it’s easy to cook and I cook it often. But I didn’t mind the seabass livornese ($26) here. The pan-seared fish fillet is thick and fresh. It comes with a dairy-free mashed potato which is surprisingly palatable. The livornese sauce is bright, lively, and acidic. In addition to being dairy-free, it’s also gluten-free. A satisfying dish.

When the dairy-free, allium-free smoked salmon pasta ($22, option of a gluten-free penne) arrived, it stank of a fishiness. But when we ate it, it was delicious and wasn’t fishy. The spaghetti is coated in a creamy cashew sauce.

We also ordered coffee each and while they were not memorable, they were also not inoffensive.

We weren’t expecting a lot from the cafe but the food exceeded our expectations. The axiom “only unhealthy food is delicious” doesn’t apply here; the dishes were healthy and tasty. Love that the food was served hot. Very on point. The portions were hearty and the price is good. The servers could be more attentive but that might be because we were seated at a corner and they didn’t notice us. I’m genuinely excited to bring my laptop there and try more dishes.

We pay for our own food and review anonymously unless otherwise stated.

Genius Central
Far East Square #01-01, 7-13 Amoy Street Singapore 049949
t: +65 8940 1200
M-Th 8am – 8.30pm, F & Sat 8am-9.30pm, Sun 8am – 4pm
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Food: 7/10
Price: 6.5/10
Service: 6/10
Decor/ambience: 7.5/10

You may be interested in…
–Fangko Coffee, HK St: An Indonesian Cafe With Food That Will Burn (If You Like It Spicy)
–Boyutei, Ann Siang: A Disappointing Cafe Collab Between Michelin-Starred Whitegrass and Matcha Specialist Hvala
–French Fold, Orchard: Asian-Influenced Galette & Crepe Menu Exclusive to This Outlet
–Anson Town Bistro, Yishun / Sembawang: Authentic Malaysian Food. “Feels Like Home,” Vouched My Two Malaysian Friends.

Written by Dr. A. Nathanael Ho.