Both food for the body and the brain are served at 25ºC. LEFT: the bookstore. RIGHT: the kitchen.

WE’VE all heard the story before: friends who love food so much they decide to open a restaurant and café. For sure, it’s not a new trend, and definitely, it’s not an original idea. But to be able to create a restaurant that’s both original and trendy — well, that’s something we’ll always welcome in Singapore.

At 25 degree Celsius in Chinatown, which opened six months ago, owners Sally Tsai and Karin Chan have hit upon a brilliant idea: a bookstore and dining outlet that also happens to be a test kitchen. The bookstore sells only food-related titles, from biographies of chefs to cookbooks and coffeetable books. The restaurant and café, meanwhile, turns into a bar at night. But the real draw here is the test kitchen. Every month, the owners, who also run an events company on the second floor of their shophouse location, randomly choose a recipe from a cookbook, test it, and serve it for lunch and dinner.

Part owner Karin Chan holds up a book by Japanese lifestyle guru Harumi, whose steak in miso they are serving this May at 25 degree Celsius.

They've already tried recipes from Martha Stewart and Madhur Jaffrey (pan-roasted salmon with wasabi mashed potato) — to resounding success.

This May, they are serving a very intriguing dish from the Japanese chef Harumi Kurihara (who is regarded as Japan's Martha Stewart): Steaks Marinated in Two Types of Miso. It sells for $29.90, served with miso soup and coffee pudding dessert.

If you prefer something a la carte, we suggest the two salads on the menu: Baked Caesar Salad with Garlic Prawns — a fresh take on the classic lettuce-and-bacon bits favourite; and Miso New Potatoes with Bay Shrimps, Quail Eggs, Fish Roe and Seaweeds — a light and deceptively simple dish that bombards your tongue with different flavours and textures which you continue to chase even after it's gone.

We've also heard positive feedback on the entrees, especially the duck and baramundi fillet.

Desserts and cakes are also excellent (a rarity in Singapore, unfortunately) and you should try their sinful chocolate cake, which takes 15 minutes to warm.

According to the owners, the name 25°C refers to both their location on 25 Keong Saik Road as well as the universal standard for room temperature.

"If you start to take a closer look at the recipes in one of your cookbooks, you will realise that the importance of room temperature is being stressed many a time on each page," the owners say. "Cooking is at its optimal when all the ingredients are prepared at room temperature.Without this precision, the look and taste of the cuisine can never be perfected."

That's just the cooking part. For an ideal dining experience, you also need the right combination of a good host and an enticing space. These the owners of 25 degree Celsius deliver effortlessly. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and the service is prompt, intimate and fuss-free. It's almost like you're at your own kitchen.

25 degree Celsius (25 Keong Saik Road, #01-01, Singapore, 089132; tel. no. 63278389) is open from 11am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday.