Thanks to the growing market for naturally cultivated food, Laura Dannen found making an entirely organic meal easy enough. But could she stomach the price tag?

Crisp veggies. Golden pears the size of a large man’s fist. Pizza that’s good for you. 

When you go organic, the culinary world seems idyllic: local farmers grow fresh produce without the use of pesticides or chemicals, while animals raised for meat or dairy aren’t pumped with growth hormones. It’s a regulated industry focused on eco-friendly farming and healthy living. Who wouldn’t buy that? 

Then you turn over that bag of fresh green beans and reality hits: $10 per kilo. Riiight. Did fairies grow these things? High prices alone are enough to turn some people away from organic food; others prefer their char kway teow just the way it is. And though there are more than 40 organic stores, cafés and warehouses in Singapore, most stock products grown and produced in Australia, New Zealand, the US or Europe. 

Still, Singaporean consciousness is more in tune with the organic ethos now than it used to be, according to managers at local organic groceries, who say business is growing – slowly but steadily. 

All this made Time Out Singapore hungry for a home-made, 100 per cent organic Italian dinner. How hard would it be to go natural for a whole meal, from appetisers to dessert? Surprisingly easy, as we found out. 

The appetiser 
Caprese salad (tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil in extra-virgin olive oil) with baguettes
Where we got it: L’Organic 
It may scream ‘expat’ (a store on Dempsey with an L’ in front of it?), but L’Organic made shopping for our particular meal easy, with more than 60 varieties of fruits and vegetables and an array of French and Italian nonperishables. Though the goods are grown abroad, the point is to make them more accessible to locals, says Agatha Loh, the shop’s special project manager. 

‘[Owners Philippe Briandet and Tuyet Nguyen] found that people had to go to many places, so they started this store in February 2006 to get everything under one roof,’ says Loh. 

The mozzarella ($19, 200g) was the biggest find – few of the stores we visited carried blocks this big. Baguettes were equally abundant; here they come in plain, multigrain, sesame and kamut (for people who can’t eat wheat). When in doubt, L’Organic’s website offers a helpful, comprehensive list of fruits and vegetables, their health benefits and meal ideas for each. 

The main course 
Penne pasta in tomato sauce with sweet Italian sausage and roasted red capsicum 
Where we got it: Eat Organic 
While L’Organic has a European sensibility, Eat Organic stocks a wider range of products, from organic soy sauce ($6.50, 310ml) to frozen pizza (Chef Antonio’s thin-crust margherita, $16) to skincare and cleaning products. It’s also where we found the cheapest San Remo penne ($3.60, 500g), made in Australia of durum wheat, which is high in fibre. The sausage ($20, 12oz) comes from US distributor Niman Ranch and is free of antibiotics and hormones. 

Since opening seven years ago, this ‘veteran’ grocer has seen a shift in the organic scene in Singapore, says coowner Fun Hwee Leng. It opened to fill a ‘niche market’, and initially business was ‘very hard’. ‘But now I think more people are more aware about what organic is all about,’ says Fun, who sells to an equal number of locals and expats. 


The side dish  
French-cut green beans with almonds
Where we got it: FairPrice Finest supermarkets have already started scattering organic produce throughout their fruit and vegetable aisles, but the newly renovated NTUC FairPrice Finest in Bukit Timah Plaza has clearly designated sections for organic, health and speciality foods. Some items come relatively cheap – $6.93 for a large bag of almonds – while some do not, such as the aforementioned green beans. But with Cold Storage opening its Naturally Marketplace in VivoCity, could this be a sign of an island-wide expansion? Once supermarkets go organic, one-stop shopping will get easier – on the wallet. 


The drink and dessert 
Can Vendrell cabernet sauvignon/ tempranillo (Spanish wine), chocolate-covered raisins 
Where we got it: Bunalun
The shiny black-and-white veneer of the Bunalun stores in Chip Bee Gardens and Takashimaya can be intimidating, and so can their prices. But when it comes to organic indulgences – the kind that are normally bad for you, but here are good – this is the place. The Can Vendrell cabernet sauvignon/tempranillo, a Spanish wine ($40) for sale at the larger Holland Village outlet, is made from grapes grown organically, says chef Jimmy Mun, director of the café/store. If you feel like binging and splurging, try the milk chocolate-covered raisins ($26-$28, 275g) – no, they’re not dipped in gold. 

Image matters here: Though organic or natural, the website says, ‘We are not modern-day hippies.’ Mun notes that they cater to a modern European and Asian crowd, and plan to expand beyond Singapore and Australia to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. 

Final Verdict 
Though we could serve a family of four and still have leftovers, this meal broke the bank. But really – can you put a price on eating healthier and supporting sustainable agriculture? ‘As the market grows, products will get cheaper and cheaper,’ says Mun at Bunalun. ‘And it’s still growing at the moment.’ 

Keeping tab: 
Tomato = $2.60 for 100g. L’Organic. 
Mozzarella = $19 for 200g. L’Organic. 
Basil = $3 for 20g. L’Organic. 
Baguettes = $8 for two. L’Organic. 
Extra-virgin olive oil = $27 for 500ml from Bioitalia. L’Organic. 
Salt = $4.95, 140g. Bunalun. 
Pepper = $13.95, 150g. Bunalun. 
Penne pasta = $3.60 for 500g San Remo pasta. Eat Organic. 
Tomato sauce = $8.50 for 25.5 oz of Muir Glen organic Four Cheese sauce. Eat Organic. 
Sweet Italian sausage = $20 for 12 oz of Niman Ranch sausage. Eat Organic. 
Red capsicum = $2.40 for 100g. Eat Organic. 
Green beans = $2.50 for 200g. FairPrice Finest. 
Almonds = $6.93 for 240g of Natural Wonders nuts. FairPrice Finest. 
Wine = $40 for bottle of Can Vendrell. Bunalun. 
Coffee = $14.50 for 250g of Wiener Kaffeehaus Viennese coffee beans. L’Organic. 
Tea = $7.50 for 20-25 bags of Clipper teas. L’Organic. 
Chocolate = $26 for 275g of milk chocolatecovered raisins. Bunalun. 
*Cheesecake = $30 for Wholly Wholesome cake. Eat Organic. TOTAL = $240.43 

* We couldn’t resist. 

Where to eat 
Bunalun
Glow Juice Bar and Café 
This casual spot boasts minimalist decor, a kids’ menu, and organic food and drinks –including the Hi-Lo smoothie made with bananas, oranges, yoghurt, soy and wheat germ. Wonder how many of those Paris has had? 
L’Organic Café 
Whatever 
Nestled above its New Age bookstore, Whatever’s café offers a ‘cosy and personable atmosphere’ as you suck down your organic green and apple juice – or some wine. (Hey, there are many definitions of ‘wellness’, okay?)

Where to buy 
Bollywood Veggies
'Farmpreneur’ and Singaporean icon Ivy Singh-Lim runs Bollywood Veggies, one of the few local farms to raise organic fruits and vegetables. Advertising ‘planet friendly’ fare grown without pesticides or fertilisers, they specialise in ‘fruit vegetables’ like cucumbers, pumpkins and gourds. Though Bollywood Veggies is practically in Malaysia, no one said it’s convenient to be a trendsetter. 
Eat Organic 
FairPrice Finest Jones the Grocer 
This Aussie chain recently opened on Dempsey Road, bringing its famed cheese room and gourmet food to the masses. Naturally Marketplace by Cold Storage Paragon Marketplace SuperNature 
This Park House grocery store, open since 2001, offers the ultimate organic holiday treat: a roast turkey shipped from California ($200, excl GST).
Tanglin Marketplace NTUC FairPrice and Cold Storage locations across the island. 
  

RECIPES
Caprese salad Three vine-ripe tomatoes, 1/4-inch thick slices
200g fresh mozzarella, 1/4-inch thick slices 
20 to 30 leaves (about one bunch) fresh basil 
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling 
Salt and pepper 

Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each, on a large, shallow dish. Drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste and serve. 

Penne pasta in tomato sauce with sweet Italian sausage and roasted red capsicum 500g penne pasta 
25.5oz store-bought jar of tomato sauce (favourites: four-cheese, marinara, bolognese) 
12oz sweet Italian sausage 
One red capsicum 
Olive oil, salt, pepper 

Bring a large pot of salted water, three-quarters full, to a boil. Add pasta, stirring occasionally, and cook for eight minutes or until al dente (tender but firm). Drain. 

In a separate pan, cook sliced red capsicum in olive oil on medium heat until soft. Set aside; then cook sausage in olive oil until golden brown on the outside (six to eight minutes). Add jar of sauce, roasted red capsicum and sausage to a medium pot and let simmer, stirring, until heated or near boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Combine sauce with drained pasta and serve. Feeds four. 

French-cut green beans with almonds 100g French-cut green beans
50g sliced almonds
Olive oil, salt and pepper 

Fill a pan with water until half-full, and bring water to a boil on high heat. Add a pinch of salt and the green beans, and cook until tender (five minutes). Drain, then run under cold water to stop beans from cooking and set aside. In the same pan, toast almonds in a bit of olive oil until golden brown (three to five minutes). Mix with green beans, add salt and pepper to taste and serve. 

Source: www.FoodNetwork.com