Any trip to Hong Kong wouldn’t be complete without a visit or two to one of their many “Cha Chaan Teng” or cafes there, which bring unadulterated pleasure with their comforting fuss-free food and convivial atmosphere. Admittedly, I’ve had much better food elsewhere in Hong Kong than at Tsui Wah, and the Hong Kong cafes we get here usually leave much to be desired; but how does their Singapore branch match up?
Here are 10 dishes that you can consider trying:
1) Hot/ Cold Milk Tea ($3.50/$4)
The classic beverage of Hong Kong cafes, and they do a decent enough version here—silky smooth and not overly sweet, but with a lingering bitterness that some might find overpowering. The iced version is more refreshing, but also slightly sweeter than the hot one. You’ll probably need two of these after queuing in the sweltering heat outside.
2) Crispy Bun With Condensed Milk ($4)
If you’ve had butter and sugar toast before, then you’ll know exactly what this tastes like—just that the sweetness comes from condensed milk instead of sugar. It had a nice crunch from being toasted, with its fluffy interior providing a nice contrast. Simple and tasty, but something anyone can probably make at home.
3) King Prawns In XO Sauce With Tossed Noodles ($11)
The prawns were plump and fresh, atop noodles which were springy with a good bite, but it was a very dry. The small saucer of X.O. sauce was insufficient to coat the noodles evenly, but the portions which were had good flavours. It came with a cup of fish broth which was very tasty; splash some onto the dry noodles to make your own sauce.
4) Kagoshima-style Pork Cartilage With Tossed Instant Noodles ($9.50)
Ah, instant noodles. We all have them in our cupboards and they cost close to nothing, yet we’re willing to pay exorbitant prices for them; the Hong Kong ones just taste different somehow. Here, the humble noodles (overcooked and too soft) are served with tender stewed pork that was nicely marinated.
5) Beef Brisket And Tendon Curry With Steamed Rice ($13)
There’s something so comforting about the combination of curry and rice; this does the job nicely. The chunks of beef brisket were soft and tender, with a thick enough curry that carried good spices. I’m sure there’s a mixed rice stall somewhere that has a decent curry beef to match, and at a fraction of the price; but the one here’s fine too.
6) Borscht With Thick Toast ($5.50)
The “thick toast” was just a normal slice of buttered bread of regular thickness. The Borscht had an addictive tangy quality from the tomatoes which helped whet the appetite, but unless you really need a cabbage and tomato soup, spend the money on something else.
7) Tsui Wah Signature Pork Chop Bun ($7.50)
Sandwiched between buns which were too hard and crusty to be enjoyable, the thin slice of pork chop was tender and flavorful, but a tad dry—it didn’t help that ours had close to no sauce.
8) Chicken Wings With Sweet Soy Sauce ($11)
This is $11 you should be saving. The wings were mildly sweet and salty, finishing with the subtle bitter notes one might detect in dark soy sauce. These may be a classic, but it’s nothing that special, and definitely not worth ordering. The Honey Wings from CP will bring you more joy. I kid you not.
9) Cold Yuen Yang (COFFEE & TEA) ($4)
This had a good ratio of coffee to tea and struck a harmonious balance between the sweet and bitter notes of both beverages.
10) Savoury French Toast Bites ($9.50)
Crispy and fluffy with a good eggy flavor, these were great dipped in the condensed milk, but still just french toast which you can make at home.
Okay Not $100, But Close Enough
There you have it. 10 dishes for 2 guys, which amounted to a cool $97.10.
(Shout-out to the nice lady who took our order without being evidently judgmental of our gluttony)
Hey, It's Not Bad
Overall, Tsui Wah is one of the better Hong Kong cafes here (some others are simply terrible). The noodle dishes fared better for us, but the rest were just average at best.
Come with low expectations of casual, simple food, and you should leave relatively satisfied with your small bite of Hong Kong cuisine, albeit at very Singaporean prices.
An Ending Note On The Queues
We went at 10.30 a.m. on a Sunday morning and there was already a queue of about 20 people ahead of us, which quickly swelled to about 60 by the time the place opened at 11 a.m. The actual service was relatively quick—we waited barely 10 minutes for the first dish to arrive.
However, here are a few helpful tips on how to avoid the hour-long queues:
1) Queue early before they open or go nearing closing time.
2) Wait for the hype to die down.
3) Wait for the hype to die down.
-A.T.
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