Blackbird Cafe: Ravenous for Risotto

Having nursed a risotto craving for quite a while, I jumped at the opportunity to visit Blackbird Cafe after a friend recommended this eatery for its rendition of this classic Italian dish. 

For the mains, I had the seafood risotto, while my dining partner had a burger (oops, my faulty memory fails me now as to the specific kind of burger that she ordered). According to her, the burger was decent, and the fries - which I sampled as well - were more like potato wedges. More specifically, they were chunky and hearty while refraining from being overly greasy and salty, making for a delicious side. 

Burger

Despite the above-average burger, there was no doubt that the highlight of the meal was the seafood risotto, which was the best risotto that I have tasted thus far. Unlike the risotto at Platypus (Bugis Junction) which is often rather grainy, Blackbird's rendition was cooked to soft, silky perfection, replete with an aromatic appeal. Furthermore, the risotto was infused with a multitude of flavours characteristic of the sea, though the chef could have added a tad less of salt. To top it off, the generous serving of seafood (3-4 scallops and 2-3 prawns) was befitting of the dish's "seafood risotto" title, giving me immense joy in polishing everything off my plate.

Mm, what a delight.

As for the drinks, we had the bird's nest, a berry smoothie and a lychee soda. The bird's nest - a cocktail with Chinese white wine as a base and complemented by syrups of traditional Chinese ingredients - was extremely light and tasted a little awkward. As for the non-alcoholic drinks, the berry smoothie was good in that it was not cloyingly nectareous, although it had not been blended homogeneously enough as annoying bits of ice remained. Finally, the lychee soda was decent in that it was not overly saccharine as well. 

Bird's Nest

Berry Smoothie

Lychee Soda

All in all, the meal at Blackbird Cafe was a surprisingly satisfying one. Given the reasonable prices and above-average standard of the food, I would definitely not hesitate to make a return trip to this diner.