We tried Singapore’s worst-rated zi char

I’ve always been the one assigned to write about the best-rated series. So, when the tables turned and I had to embark on my first-ever worst-rated write-up, I felt both nervous and excited. After doing some digging for zi char,  I landed on Che Kitchen by 车老板. With a 3.4-star rating and 238 reviews on Google Reviews (at time of writing), it wasn’t terrible, but certainly not great.

While going through the reviews, there were many negative comments regarding its rude service, long waiting times and tasteless food. I always believe in approaching critiques with a pinch of salt, including mine.

The restaurant was nestled within the Toa Payoh North Industrial Estate. We were ushered to a table with cutleries already set. A zi char menu was then presented to us without the regular menu.

When I requested the missing menu from the lady server, she quickly rattled off a lot of information, making it difficult for me to process.

It turned out that if you just ordered from the regular menu, you had to shift to the tables without cutleries and walk to the front counter to place your order. I opted to get a mixture of food from both menus, allowing me the convenience of ordering directly from the table.

Weird system, I must say! But at no point did I feel uncomfortable. Firm, yes, but not rude.

What I tried at Che Kitchen by 车老板

Some comments mentioned that, despite the restaurant being less than half full, it took at least 20 to 30 mins for the food to arrive. However, my first dish, the Moonlight Hor Fun (S$7), was served within 8 minutes, so no complaints!

The hor fun came with pieces of Chinese sausage, tiny cubes of char siew, fishcake slices, prawns, and an egg yolk meticulously placed on top.

I proceeded to jab the round orb of sunshine with my fork, causing the yellow yolk to trickle down in all directions.

After integrating the yolk with the rest of the elements, It was as if the entire plate of hor fun had undergone a wax treatment at the car wash— it was gleaming with a layer of shine.

The hor fun had mild wok hei when it was still warm, but diminished as it cooled. The char siew pieces were a little tough for my liking, but overall, the combination was decent, albeit not mind-blowing.

I wasn’t sure if the lady server had spotted my camera, but she came to our table and asked whether the kitchen crew had remembered to add the egg yolk. Whatever her reason, it was nice of her to check in on us— a plus point!

I was nervous when the Crispy Noodle with Egg Gravy (S$6 for small) arrived. It was one of the dishes that was badly criticised for its small portion and lack of flavour.

For S$6, I felt that the portion was decent. The crispy noodles were accompanied by slices of pork and fishcake, green veggies and 2 small prawns. A thick egg gravy was then drizzled all over.

The parts of the noodle that weren’t drenched in sauce retained a crispy texture. The gravy tasted healthy, but I wouldn’t say it was tasteless— I just wished it had a tad more seasoning.

Although some pieces of pork were chunkier than others, each was soft and tender. The prawns were firm and flavourful, and the use of green vegetables enhanced the dish’s aesthetic appeal, countering the netizen’s white-washed portrayal.

Another dish that had tongues wagging was the Oyster Omelette (S$14). Comments like “There were some shells in the egg” and “The omelette was burnt” were just some of the bad feedback received. Indeed, the omelette was slightly chao tah in a particular area.

Slicing through the egg with a spoon, we discovered onion slices, button mushrooms, and oysters concealed within. It was as if the chef had forgotten to add salt; the egg turned out bland and underwhelming. It was also on the dry side.

The oysters were passable and didn’t have any unpleasant aromas or taste. The only consolation was the button mushroom slices, which were fresh and not served straight from a can— it contributed a much-needed earthiness to the omelette.

That being said, my dining partner who doesn’t have any cooking experience commented that he can cook a better egg than that— we all giggled in disbelief.

However, adding the chilli provided a spicy and citrusy boost, making the oyster omelette a bit more palatable.

We then moved on to the Prawn Paste Chicken (S$12). The small bowl was filled with 8 pieces of battered chicken, fried till golden brown.

As I sank my teeth for the first bite, a wave of umami essence emanating from the prawn paste hit me instantly. The batter was slightly thick but crispy, giving way to moist and flavourful flesh inside. This was one of the recommended dishes, and I’m glad I ordered it.

For the last dish, we decided to try the Stewed Spinach in Superior Soup (S$10), which had received high praise. The spinach had pieces of tau pok, bits of century egg, roasted garlic cloves and strings of vermicelli, all steeped in a light-yellow broth.

I found the broth to be quite flavourful and slightly peppery, but my dining partner said that it needed more seasoning.

The garlic cloves injected a fragrant punch of flavour to the spinach and the century egg bits gave the vegetables some richness. In a nutshell, the dish was enjoyable.

Final thoughts 

With short waiting time and decent service, I had a better experience at the restaurant than what was depicted online. As for the food, the chefs could work on making some dishes more flavourful.

In summary, the rating of 3.4 for Che Kitchen by 车老板 is justified; I would have rated it the same. It definitely wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated.

Expected damage: S$6 – S$16 per pax

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