I visited this restaurant at SingPost, Payar Lebar with my cousin and my aunt. I booked a table at this restaurant and celebrated my cousin’s birthday. I reached the restaurant 5 minutes earlier and found the place a little small. I texted my cousin to check if she wanted to change the restaurant.
It is a Taiwanese restaurant with a Chinese medicine hall (TCM) decoration. I googled a little bit more about this restaurant, and found DFD mentioned in his blog post, “8BarEspresso is named after the coffee terminology where the bars of pressure refers to the brewing pressure to extract the coffee – a 9 bar espresso is usually the industrial standard in cafes.“
The cafe interior is slightly different colours during my recent visit. They added a high table and high chairs to increase seating capacity.
If you want to find out more about what DFD wrote about this cafe, you can refer to the link below.
Sesame bagels
The Taiwanese restaurant is famous for its sesame bagel so we tried the bagel with different pairings; plum chick that uses the in-house plum marinated fried chicken, and sloppy pork that uses braised Spanish Duroc Black Pig.
My cousin liked the plum chick, the chicken was well marinated and the sauce was well tasted. My sloppy pork tasted a little overwhelming after a few bites. The whole bagel had strong flavours making me feel the cherry tomato saved my day.
Chicken roulette rice bowl
My aunt ate the chicken roulette rice bowl. She had the same thought as how I tasted the food initially, and the aftertaste was too sweet for her liking.
Verdict
Besides the meat being different, the other side ingredients are the same. It has plenty of different types of vegetables including shredded onion and cherry tomatoes. The sauce is good and goes well with our meat; it is flavourful and it has a strong taste. The portion is generous too.
Toward the end, I felt the overall taste of the sloppy pork was too overwhelming, and I wanted to wash it down with my drink. I was unsure whether it was because of the meat (a combination of lean and fatty pork). I started feeling I prefer less of everything.
The rice bowl, on the other hand, my aunt said the sauce was too sweet, probably the sauce (what I thought could be a homemade teriyaki sauce) was not something for old folk. The rice portion is not huge, maybe it is half of the bowl.
As for our latte, it is non-coffee based, and it has a mild peach flavour. I did not know how elderflower tasted so I cannot tell other than the peach flavour and the milk. The drink is lightly sweet for my tastebud but okay for my cousin. They serve warm water too.
Maybe, next time if I revisit the restaurant, I will try other food and their coffee or may just go for warm water which is good to wash down the strong flavour too. There is plenty more interesting food on their menu, and I think they have a breakfast menu also, not sure.
Finally, I got my hands on a polo bao! It felt like a never-ending quest, considering how seldom I venture into the realm of HK cafes in Singapore all by myself. But lo and behold, on that fateful day when I feasted with my dear aunt and cousins at Orchard, Singapore, destiny played its mischievous hand. There it was, like a hidden gem amid the bustling mall, the very HK cafe that fulfilled my longings.
Well, I could not resist the temptation of ordering a rich polo bao and a delightful egg tart, even though I was full. I mean, who needs self-control when there is a warm cup of milk tea begging to be enjoyed? My stomach might hate me later, but hey, it is all about living life on the edge, right?
The HK-style hot milk tea cannot be missed. It has a strong tea fragrance with a small trace of slight bitterness in between the milk tea. It goes well with the polo bun and egg tart. Definitely one of the good choices for a tea break on a lazy weekend.
I will give the same rating, 3.8 stars for the food that I tried. They were delicious and satisfying, but, it is not something that I will return real soon for another one.
Address: Honolulu Cafe – The Centrepoint (HK Cha Chaan Teng), Orchard Rd, #01-33 F/G 176, Singapore 238843. Google rating: 3.8 stars.
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My latest favourite coffee is from Generation Coffee Roasters. So far, I tried them twice and I am glad that they opened another stall at Hong Lim Food Centre, Chinatown, Singapore. The two visits were at Bedok, and I tried two different drinks.
The price is affordable for local coffee, tea, and artisan coffee, similar price to Coffee Break. Although the price is cheaper than other cafes in Singapore, the quality is good and comparable too. It is good to have these cafes open at our heartland hawker centres.
Please leave your recommendations in the comment box below. I will go try them and give my feedback. If you like my review and wish to donate, you may do so via the buymeacoffee’s QR code below. Thank you.
I happened to be at Aperial Mall after getting the bread from Thai Baang bakery at Kitchener Complex. I was waiting for a friend to arrive before we walked to the nearby Taiwanese restaurant. While waiting for my friend, I walked around and was glad to see some of the old shops are still around, and there are many new shops too. One of them is Luckin Coffee.
I thought Luckin Coffee just came into Singapore, I did not expect they have a few branches around Singapore including one at Aperia Mall. There were plenty of people sitting inside the cafe which used to be another coffee brand too. I think some of the settings of the previous cafe remained the same.
Background
Luckin Coffee primarily used a blend of Arabica beans for its coffee offerings. Arabica beans are known for their high quality and desirable flavour characteristics. Luckin Coffee aimed to provide affordable coffee options to its customers, and as such, it sourced its Arabica beans from multiple origins to maintain a balance between cost and quality.
$0.99 promotion drink
As Luckin Coffee is having a promotion for new users who downloaded their application to order their first drink for $0.99 only. It is really a good deal especially ordering a cup of iced coffee that is worth $6 or $7. The price is not cheap either. So, it is a dollar off the drink and can choose any drink from their menu.
Once my friend arrived at Aperial Mall, we walked past this cafe and both of us decided to order a drink to share. She has friends in China who knew this brand well but we did not ask them for recommendations. Instead, we just tried our luck by picking the best seller.
Iced Coconut Latte
It is one of their top drinks, perhaps, it is not their best drink. I checked some bloggers who ordered this drink and shared their reviews.
Well, personally, I found the drink tasted quite salty. I wondered why, so some coconut water tastes savoury. The coffee and milk lightly tasted. It was covered by the intense saltiness from the coconut water. It tasted something like a salted caramel drink but less sweet. I did not enjoy it much and I did not want to waste the drink too.
I would not go for this flavour anymore. I think it is good to try their hot Americano to see how its actual black coffee tastes. Overall, I am not putting high hope on their coffee, so I will not be rushing to try 2nd cup.
Address: Aperia Mall, 12 Kallang Ave, #01-34, Singapore 339511. Google rating: 3.9 stars (IMHO, for the drink I will give 3.0 stars).
A hidden cafe called Eden Cafe that is located on the eighth floor of Lot 10 with a beautiful view of KL tower and the surrounding city skyline. It is conveniently accessible from the Bukit Bintang MRT. Many food bloggers in Malaysia shared about it, and I accidentally bumped into it when I searched for places to eat near KL Pavilion.
It has a Google rating of 4.3 stars and serves really affordable espresso coffee. If you are not a coffee person do not worry they serve tea, smoothie, and chocolate drinks too. I ordered a cup of hot matcha latte.
The barista did not give me any latte art but I think it is fine. The portion is good, and I totally agreed it is cheap and affordable. I think they serve small bites too but I did not try any of them.
They have both indoor and alfresco seating. There are plenty of places where you can take photographs on this rooftop. There are plenty of greens and flowers too.
Recently, I tried black coffee at Toast Box after seeing my colleague return to Toast Box for coffee after lunch. I asked my colleague why did not buy coffee from the other coffee stalls at the hawker centres or food courts?
I tried it on one of the weekdays, and I think I know why now. It does have a great aroma; a kind of smell that does not brighten my day only, it gives me the energy to continue my work for the rest of the afternoon. The amount of coffee for a regular cup is quite reasonable and the cost is acceptable too. There is another coffee stall at the Golden Mile Food Complex that sells the same price as Toast Box and the volume is lesser.
My recent visit to IKEA with my cousins brought me to the snack section at level 1 IKEA Tampines. I used to think that the hotdog is the only thing worth getting from here. However, my cousin shared that their spring rolls and curry puff are nice too.
Then, I saw many people queueing for the pastries. I wondered whether it is nice. So, I gave it a try and I liked it. The price is reasonable, IKEA is not any artisan croissants shop, and I think it is very much worth getting if you do not mind the brand.
It is located at The Central, Clarke Quay, Singapore. It is a new coffee shop in this area. A few people in my office have recommended me to Huggs. I dropped here after my lunch to give it a try before my office moves to another part of Singapore. My new office does not have coffee shops or cafes that sell artisan coffee.
Black coffee
I placed my order and stood on one side waiting for them to prepare my coffee. As there were no receipts, no name written on the cup, and no queuing number, I did not know how to identify my cup of coffee. Patiently, I waited for about 10 minutes or so, and then the girl called for someone who ordered black coffee. I hoped, it was only me ordering it because I went ahead to claim it.
Different types of beans
Huggs’ K Blend or H Blend, next time I check out more. They have kopi o also. It uses arabica beans.
Waffles and ice-cream
There are times when we just need desserts for the day. Plain waffle with two scoops of ice cream. I forgot the flavours, however, both are quite matched, and well-tasted. Everything was good when eating desserts.
Address: 6 Eu Tong Sen St, #01-27/28/38 Clarke Quay Central, Singapore 059817.
Back in April, I went back to KL for a short trip. Upon my return from KL, a colleague messaged me that our company would be moving end of April. However, we did not move by end of April due to some delay in the infrastructure installation.
Fast forward, now in November, and I am preparing to move out from Chinatown. So, I plan to try out more different kinds of food and different stall in Chinatown that are available in the daytime and on weekdays only. It is going to be a little far for me to travel to Chinatown during lunchtime after I move to the new location. I will update my food photos and reviews occasionally.
Monan Pork Soup
A random search on Google Maps to find a new stall to try at Chinatown Food Complex. It has good ratings and reviews; it is 4.9 stars from the public so I gave it a try myself. The stall owner was kind and chatty with the customer. I did not talk much with him but I observed his interaction with the customer behind me.
The soup is peppery, and hot and did not have a strong pork taste. Besides tasting peppery, the soup is not salty. I added noodles to go with the pork soup.
This is the malaxiangguo that we would go back to eat again after years. I was introduced to this Chinese stall in the Year 2017 by a bunch of ex-colleagues who can eat spicy food. They trained me well enough that I can eat medium-spicy level.
Do ask them to put in less MSG and oil for a slightly healthy diet. Do not worry the taste remains good.
Address: 2 New Market Road, #01-042/052, People’s Park Food Centre, Singapore 050032. Opening hours: Daily 10:00am – 09:30pm
Original Chew Kee Eating House (Chew Kee Soy Sauce Chicken)
I had my first plate of Chew Kee soy sauce chicken noodles 3 years ago when my ex-colleague brought us here for lunch. Subsequently, we did not visit here in a big group because not everyone wanted to eat the same things, and we have Muslim colleagues too.
I liked their egg noodles although it was not really al-dente, at least it was not soggy after my photo taking. I liked their sauce; it tastes savoury. Knowing that the portion would be small, I added an egg. Surprisingly, the total cost was below my expectations.
Address: 8 Upper Cross St, Singapore 058327. Opening hours: 8.00AM to 6.15PM except for Mondays.
I saw a Singapore food blogger recommending this fish soup stall located at yellow zone in Chinatown Food Complex. I went to queue for the food. It took quite a while before it came to my turn to order my bowl of noodles. The waiting time is long during lunchtime. The aunt did not hear my order properly and served me with the thick version of vermicelli instead of the thin version.
Many old folks like to order this fish soup, and the lady at the stall is kind enough to serve the bowls of noodles right at their seats near the stall.
Generous portion, flavourful soup and the plus points are they added bitter gourd, dried seaweeds and fried shallots into the soup. Also, they put the Chinese parsley. For the first time, it did not give a strong smell when it was mixed into the hot soup. Slowly, I accepted this garnish as part of the noodles. I am loving this newfound fish soup; it is so fulfilling. This stall is one of the many stalls in this food complex that provides disposable cutlery if I am sitting far away from the stall.
Address: #02-028, Chinatown Food Complex, 335 Smith St, Singapore 050335. Opening hours: 9.30AM to 2.45PM daily except for Sundays.
Each time I have a major deployment at my workplace, I would prefer to eat rice for lunch to have more energy throughout the day to complete the work before 6.00PM. The only food with rice that I liked the most in Chinatown Food Complex is this Nyonya stall. I liked to order their fried chicken and bitter gourd with stuffed meat. Sometimes, I will order curry vegetables or fried french beans with tofu.
Address: #02-225, Chinatown Food Complex, 335 Smith St, Singapore 050335. Opening hours: 9.00AM to 1.30PM except for Wednesdays.
I always pass by this stall whenever I walk to the Babas Peranakan stall in the yellow zone of the Chinatown Food Complex. From the menu, I cannot tell whether it is selling Taiwanese food because it looks like the zi char stalls’ menu in Singapore.
On one of the days, I saw a lady eating a plate of fried seafood hor fun. The fried noodles looked pretty delicious so I gave it a try but ordered fried seafood ee mien instead.
Credit goes to the fresh medium-sized prawns. It came with 2 slices of batang fish, 2 little squids, 2 prawns, and some green vegetables. The portion was not big for the price; it was just right to fill some food into the stomach. The starchy sauce is savoury enough, but I did not really like the fried noodles. This stall is one of the many stalls in this food complex that provides disposable cutlery if I am sitting far away from the stall.
Address: #02-022, Chinatown Food Complex, 335 Smith St, Singapore 050335. Opening hours: 11.00AM to 8.30PM
Address: 335 Smith St, #02-049, Chinatown Food Complex, Singapore 050335.
Black and Gold Coffee
A tiny cafe in the basement of the Havelock II building. It sells both local and espresso coffee. Besides that, they offer tea and other beverages too. If not mistaken, they sell sandwiches in the morning. Usually, I will order their long black or latte. They gave a small piece of homemade cookie to go with the coffee.
I went back to the same coffee stall at Hong Lim Food Court when I came back to the office. Most of the time, I did not order toast. However, I felt hungry on one of the visits and added a piece of kaya butter toast.
Other than kaya toast, the coffee stall offers half-boiled eggs too. It is one of the typical morning breakfasts in Singapore. Another option is the chee cheung fun from a stall nearby. I bought mine from #01-153 at Hong Lim Food Centre. Chee cheung fun is a rice noodle roll a Cantonese dish from Guangdong Province in southern China, commonly served either as a snack, a small meal or a variety of dim sum. It is a thin roll made from a wide strip of shade fen, filled with shrimp, beef, vegetables, or other ingredients.
Another coffee shop at Cross Exchange serves breakfast sets at a reasonable price. The coffee was quite sweet. I did not ask for less sweet. If I order a less sweet coffee or go for my usual kopi-c kosong, I believe this breakfast set is one of my favourite breakfasts in Chinatown.
A YouTube vlogger shared that Coffee Break sells a pretty good black sesame toast. I did not try it but I ordered the traditional kaya butter toast. Also, I get their kopi-c kosong (coffee without sugar) as a breakfast set. Their normal coffee or tea is slightly more pricey than normal drink stalls. Maybe, it is because their coffee or tea powders are better quality or some other reason. For flavoured coffee, their pistachio latte is recommended.
I want to share one of the photographs I recently took at a traffic light junction. It was a bright morning filled with a lot of positive energy.
Another view from the bridge that links Chinatown Point to People Park Complex. It faces the Chinatown MRT station and bus stop on the left side of the photograph. You can find some old shop lots in the Chinatown area.
It is built in the year 2007. Admission to this Buddhist temple is free but make sure you do not wear shorts or a skirt above knee level. It is located right in front of the Maxwell MRT station. You will be able to see it from the Maxwell Food Centre too. The history of this building refers in the reference section below.
The classic old-school plain chee cheung fun can be one of the good choices for breakfast in Singapore. However, I did not always see it available everywhere. I would like to share these stalls that I found in the Singapore hawker centres that served decent chee cheung fun.
Background
A rice noodle roll is a Cantonese dish from Guangdong Province. The rice noodles themselves have little flavour. Usually, it is served with sweet sauce, soya sauce, and some chilli paste. It does not have meat inside the chee cheung fun. Also, they will add vegetable oils to ensure the chee cheung food is not sticky. It is different from the Hong Kong-styled chee cheung fun.
The stall does not have an English name and the stall number is #01-43. The uncle is generous with the sweet sauce and chilli sauce and that gives the chee cheung fun enough sauce to mix together. Their chilli sauce is not spicy. But sometimes, their sauce is quite watery. The chee cheung fun is served on a disposable plate, and I use a disposable wooden chopstick to eat it.
They sell fried economic mee, steamed yam cake and bak chang.
Similar to the above, the uncle gives a generous amount of sweet sauce and chilli sauce. The chilli sauce gives a good kick to the sauce mixture. They used to place the food on plastic plates, and now they use disposable plates and two sticks to eat the chee cheung fun. It is quite difficult.
They sell fried economic mee and other breakfast items.
Address: 153 Traditional Cuisine #01-53, Hong Lim Food Centre, 531A Upper Cross St, Singapore 051531.
Address: #02-183 Chee Cheong Fun. Pork Dumpling. Yam Cake. Nonya Dumpling, Bukit Timah Market and Food Centre, 51 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 588215.
Richton Cafe
It is a cafe located at one of the HDB blocks in Pasir Ris that serves chee cheung fun too. The cafe has plenty of Malays eating there. Although Google did not mention that it is a Halal cafe, I think they have the Halal sign, therefore, the Malays are visiting the cafe.
I visited the cafe during the morning time and ordered a plate of chee cheung fun with a cup of hot teh-c kosong (tea with evaporated milk without added sugar).
It is rare in Singapore to find a stall that sells plain chee cheung fun as breakfast. This kind of plain chee cheung fun is different from the Hong Kong style that we eat at dim sum shops. It does not have any meats inside them.
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