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The Provision Shop | 3.5/5

SINGAPORE — It seems the heartlands are the new culinary hotspots.

SINGAPORE — It seems the heartlands are the new culinary hotspots.

Of late, charming, trendy establishments have sprouted across the island, from Kallang — where cake and coffee shop Maple & Market draws a hip crowd — to Tiong Bahru, where residents bemoan the crazy traffic that businesses like Open Door Policy have brought with them.

Now, it seems Everton Park could be the next big heartland hip spot, with the newly-opened The Provision Shop leading the way. Unlike the other casual offerings by the Unlisted Collection Group — Esquina, Market Grill and Keong Saik Snacks — The Provision Shop has a comparatively simpler set-up, being a gourmet deli that serves a tight menu of salads, sandwiches, cakes and, yes, homemade ice cream.

These are no ordinary salads and sandwiches. With Anthony Yeo, the Unlisted Collection’s head chef for Cocotte restaurant (on Dickson Road) at the helm, you get ham and brie with homemade cherry jam between beautifully toasted slices of sourdough (S$10) and a Reuben sandwich (S$10) that had us swooning.

Much of the sandwiches’ appeal lies in the Bridor sourdough that’s flown in from France. Cut into thin slices, they are toasted to a crusty crunch so that they hold up perfectly to the luscious fillings within. There is never too much bread in these sandwiches — and in the case of the Reuben, the hearty but delicate slices of toast hug thick slices of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and piquant Russian dressing so that everything is just sizable enough to take easy bites of.

Although the salads are just as substantial, they aren’t quite as good as the sandwiches. The Nuts About Smoked Salmon (S$14), with apple, cucumber, walnuts, asparagus, salmon roe and mint, makes a filling lunch, but tends to be taste heavy and boring after the fifth bite. It could use little hits of sweetness, in the form of raisins perhaps, to break up the monotony.

The prosciutto and walnut pesto pasta salad (S$12) was similarly one-dimensional.

Our advice: Order a sandwich and a simpler salad like the mini caprese (S$9), with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, and save room for the chocolate walnut caramel tart (S$8). The hearty wedge was sticky and chewy and chock full of walnuts, with a crumbly biscuit crust that just begs for a shot of espresso (S$3.50). ANNETTE TAN

3.5/5

The Provision Shop

Where: Blk 3 Everton Park #01-79

Telephone: 6225 9931 (No reservations)

Opening hours: Daily 9am to 9pm

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