It’s not hard to find a cha chaan teng in Singapore, though they usually come with mod decor and menus. Since opening earlier this month, new Hong Kong teahouse Friends Cafe has been attracting a queue for being, well, an authentically traditional cha chaan teng that looks like it was transported straight out of Kowloon City.
Also known as bing sutt (‘ice chamber’ in Cantonese), these cha chaan tengs originated in Guangzhou and gained popularity in Hong Kong for being air-conditioned spots where diners could enjoy snacks and a cup of milk tea.
1of7
The menu
While you can find cha chaan teng mainstays like French Toast ($3.50), Char Siew Macaroni and Chicken Chop Noodles (both $6.50 for a set with a side and buttered toast) here, the wallet-friendly menu is missing a conspicuous item: Hong Kong-style nai cha (milk tea). We were rather dismayed to find no milk tea or yuan yang (coffee and milk tea) offered here.
Keith explains that he’s waiting till he can hire more staff to brew and make tea. He says, “I’d rather not sell it for now, when we’re short on manpower. Details are very important - the staff need to be able to mix the tea and not make it too sweet. So I’d rather that we [serve our] milk tea later than have people say, ‘Wah, this is not good, I’m not coming back.’ (laughs)"
But you can find more unusual dishes here like Preserved Vegetable Beehoon with Pork and Spiced Pork Cube Noodles (both $6.50 set). “A lot of Hongkongers cry when they see this preserved vegetable beehoon,” laughs Vicky, adding that she uses Hong Kong-made bee hoon for the dish (unfortunately, it was unavailable during our visit).
She also plans to add bolo buns to her menu in the future. “My wife can make very good bolo buns, but we have no manpower ’cos we didn’t dare to hire more staff during this Covid-19 period. Everyone was asking us to sell bolo buns,” says Keith.
2of7
Curry Fish Balls, $4 for five pieces (8 Days Pick!)
Unlike the teeny fishballs swimming in a vat of curry at Hong Kong’s roadside snack stands, Friends Cafe’s “premium” fishballs are enormous, bouncy orbs draped in a fragrant, tasty HK-imported curry sauce. The feisty sauce is so good, we wish we got more than a drizzle of it.
3of7
Char Siew Macaroni, $6.50 for a set (8 Days Pick!)
There are nine $6.50 set meal choices here, including this char siew macaroni. Each set comes with (rather dry) buttered toast, and your choice of a fried egg, scrambled eggs, luncheon meat, ham, sausage or a hash brown. Our bowl of tender marinated char siew with macaroni in creamy soup is comforting with a side of silky scrambled eggs.
4of7
Satay Sliced Beef Noodles, $6.50 for a set
Don’t expect skewered beef in this classic HK breakfast dish with the city’s famed Doll brand instant noodles; the ‘satay’ part merely refers to the satay marinade for the meat. The beef slices, while succulent, could do with more spiced oomph along with the too-light broth. You can opt to swap the Doll noodles for the more premium Nissin instant noodles.
5of7
Spiced Pork Cube Noodles, $6.50 for a set
Canned spiced pork cubes and soupy instant noodles make up this simple but popular HK-style dish (we ordered a slice of ham with our set). We’d get the eggs as a side next time; it would go better with the salty processed pork.
6of7
Red Bean with Ice Cream, $4
While there are no typical cha chaan teng drinks like milk tea and yuan yang here, the cafe offers a selection of Yuzu, Kumquat and Red Date Teas($2.20 - $3), plus nourishing picks like Honey Lemon ($2.20) and Red Date Ginger Tea ($2.20). There’s also the dessert-style Red Bean with Ice Cream, a thick concoction with milk, cooked-down red beans and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Not bad, but we prefer the refreshing fizzy Pineapple Drink ($3) with fruit chunks.
7of7
Address and opening hours
Address: #01-18, 60 Springside Walk, S786020
Tel: 8621-1125
Opening hours: Open daily except Tues, 11am to 9pm
I consent to the use of my personal data by Mediacorp and the Mediacorp group of companies (collectively “Mediacorp”) to send me notices, information, promotions and updates including marketing and advertising materials in relation to Mediacorp’s goods and services and those of third party organisations selected by Mediacorp, and for research and analysis, including surveys and polls.
New coffeeshop stall Ayah Dim Sum serves HALAL snacks like chicken char siew bao and xiao long bao, made from its Hong Kong owner’s recipes! #8dayseathawker #8dayseat #dimsum #halal
The Coconut Club's 'new-gen Singaporean' concept, Belimbing, serves well-loved local dishes with interesting twists! Like kueh salat, which head chef Marcus Leow has turned into yummy Corn Salat, made with every part of an ear of corn! #8dayseatrestaurant #8dayseat #belimbing #sgfood
You can get a variety of matcha muffins at viral shop Pretty Good Muffins, which offers over 20 flavours at $2.50 and under each! #8dayseattrending #8dayseat #muffin #viral
For just $3, you can get generously-portioned nasi lemak, mee rebus, mee siam, lontong and mee soto at well-loved stall Nurul Delights. The best part? The food is SUPER sedap! 😋 #8dayseathawker #8dayseat #nasilemak #cheapandgood
Husband-and-wife hawkers Nurul and Nazreen are well-loved in the west side for their unique Muslim-owned stall. The couple offers heartily-portioned dishes like nasi lemak, mee rebus, mee siam and lontong for just $3 each! 🫶 #8dayseathawker #8dayseat #muslimowned #nasilemak
After her grandma was diagnosed with dementia, former Les Amis sous chef Chia Jin Fang decided it was time to leave her kitchen career and spend more time with Granny — by opening her own excellent cafe at home! Other than cafe-standard brews, she introduces fancy flourishes like a torched caramelised banana and delicious matcha lattes! #8dayseatcafe #8dayseat #matcha #cafe #coffee
People are queueing for Pretty Good Muffins even before it opens for business. Their wallet-friendly muffins with over 20 flavours and a matcha latte menu are not to be missed! #8dayseattrending #8dayseat #matcha #muffin
Husband-and-wife hawkers Christopher and Christina offer a very unusual treat — muffins that are meant to be eaten cold! The couple came up with their own special muffin recipe to ensure it still tastes good at fridge temp 😱 #8dayseathawker #8dayseat #muffin #dessert
Good friends Vicky and Atiqah met as makeup artists on the set of Ch 5 drama Tanglin. They have now opened a halal dim sum hawker stall together, after a bouncing back from an unsuccessful venture bringing in Haidilao’s instant hotpot sets! #8dayseathawker #8dayseat #halal #dimsum
Retrenched at 55, former engineer Christopher became a hawker selling his own unique creation — cold muffins that taste just as good chilled! 😋 #8dayshawker #8dayseat #muffin #hawker
Napoli pizza legend Vincenzo Capuano has mesmerised the internet with his pizza-making, and here’s how he makes his Provola e Pepe pie! #8dayseatrestaurant #8dayseat #pizza #vincenzocapuano
Napoli pizza legend Vincenzo Capuano has mesmerised the internet with his pizza-making, and here’s how he makes his Provola e Pepe pie! #8dayseatrestaurant #8dayseat #pizza #vincenzocapuano
You May Also Like
Content is loading...
This browser is no longer supported
We know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with 8 Days to be fast, secure and the best it can possibly be.