New in town: Toa Payoh’s latest coffeeshop has old-school satay bee hoon, charcoal claypot, seafood & more
Tucked within a residential neighbourhood along 94 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh sits Seng Huat Coffee House. It has an old-school feel in a modern setting. The grand opening is on 8 Sep but I snuck in an early preview.
When I visited, the main signage was covered in a red cloth (above, left), waiting in anticipation.
There are a total of 9 stalls, including drinks, and all but one – Charcoal Claypot – was open when I visited. Nevertheless, the wide array of options available left me spoilt for choice.
In the middle of Seng Huat Coffee House is Seng Huat Bak Chor Mee. All noodle dishes here are priced at S$4.50 or S$5.50, so you can slurp away your cravings for local delights. You can also indulge in their Speciality Mee Sua, Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle, Handmade Fishball Noodle or Laksa.
Just 2 stalls to the right lies the perfect stall for all seafood lovers out there: Wanglee Seafood Restaurant. Their top catches include Claypot Big Prawn Vermicelli and Fish Head Steamboat.
Those looking to tantalise their taste buds should head over to Kangkar Mala where a vast spread of spicy Chinese delicacies awaits. You can enjoy individual dishes such as their Boiled Sliced Fish (S$14) and Cumin Mutton (S$14).
If you are seeking something more extravagant, try the Chong Qing Grilled Fish with either Spicy, Pickled Veg or Sauce Stewed broth where you can have either the Seabass (S$22) or Dory (S$18).
The stall also contains Mala Guo and Mala Tang with original, tomato and pickled vegetable soup options. Meat selections start at S$2.80 per 100g and Veg selections at S$1.80 per 100g. Also on offer is their set meal consisting of your choice of 5 vegetables, 2 meats and 1 bowl of rice for S$8.
Around the corner is a stall with an old-school atmosphere called 70’s Satay Bee Hoon Ngoh Hiang. Indulge in dishes such as the Prawn Satay Bee Hoon (S$7) or a vast variety of accompaniments including Ngoh Hiang Roll (S$1.40), Chinese Sausage (S$4/S$8) on their own, or with their Economic Bee Hoon (S$1.80).
I arrived with the busy lunch crowd at around 1pm, looking forward to trying their Satay Bee Hoon (S$5). Alas, all the dish had already sold out; be sure to arrive there earlier if you want to try it!
Located just next door is Lai Kee Dim Sum which caught my attention for their wide array of unique dim sum selections from Seafood Tofu Prawn (S$2.50) to Crab Pincer (S$2.50) to 4 Colours Bao (S$1.20 per pc).
To complement the dim sum were steamed rice bowls, which I indulged in during my visit.
I tucked into the Braised Pork Preserved Veg Steamed Rice (S$5), which was slightly underwhelming. The pork was overall slightly flaky, a bit dry and lacking in flavour. Nevertheless, the preserved veg and peanuts had a really strong flavour profile.
Coupling this dish with their sambal – which wasn’t too spicy – made it more palatable and added depth of flavour.
Before leaving I could not resist trying their unique dim sum. I chose the Salted Egg Mai (S$2.80) and it did not disappoint! The siew mai was overall very rich and creamy, which perfectly balanced the prawn filling. The stall owner recommended I pair this with the garlic chilli sauce and it was the perfect combination to round off my lunch.
I will definitely not hesitate to return to Seng Huat Coffee House to try the other stalls. If you are near the area, be sure to check out the latest addition to Toa Payoh’s vibrant foodie scene!
Opening hours to be determined.
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