Ameising Memories 爱美心 (Raffles Place)

One of the dining establishments that had been undergoing works in the latter part of 2023 in the Central Business District is Ameising Memories — an establishment by the same group behind the F&B concepts with “Ameising” in its namesake, other establishments that is run by the same group includes notable names such as that of Ameising Bar & Dining (at Hong Leong Building, taking over the now-defunct Rookery Singapore), Ameising Live House (at Suntec City), Ameising Hikaru (at Asia Square, taking over the now-defunct 63Celsius) and Ameising La Volta (at Lazada One); just to name a few. Their latest concept is Ameising Memories; situated within the ground floor of CIMB Plaza, they are located inside the building taking over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Kanada-Ya Ramen that is also around the same area where Wai Cafe is. Ameising Memories is probably the most oddball establishment amongst that of the Ameising-branded eateries out there; whilst most of their locations serves up Western / Japanese fare and usually has a bar-like element to it, Ameising Memories is a concept that stems from childhood flavours that is familiar and comforting to the tastebuds. Much work has been done to the interior of the shop here; there is a use of green and pastel pink hues that create a warm environment that matches up well against the dining chairs featuring a rattan-esque design and wooden furniture and fittings — the colourful tables adding to a vibrant look to the space. Ameising Memories serves up a mix of both local and Taiwanese fare — the menu being split into sections such as Mains, Snacks, Toast & Eggs, Kopi • Teh, and Beverages; expect items such as that of Seafood Laksa and the Ameising Nasi Lemak served together with dishes like Braised Pork Rice and Mee Sua with Slow Braised Intestines. Beverages include Nanyang-style Kopi & Teh, as well as other interesting drinks such as a selection of the ginger-based beverages, Iced Taro Sesame, and Bubble Milk Tea — just to name a few.

We made our visit to Ameising Memories during a weekday lunch service; it was definitely difficult to pick between the list of Taiwanese dishes and the locally-inspired items from the “Mains” section of the menu. That being said, since we had already decided to also go for an ala-carte order of the Kaya Butter Toast, we had decided to go for one of the Taiwanese dishes for our choice of main course instead. Ameising Memories offer two different varieties of Mee Sua in its menu here; one being the Mee Sua with Baby Oyster, and the other being the Mee Sua with Slow Braised Intestines — we went for the former since we are not too much of a fan of innards anyway. As per the description on the menu board, Ameising Memories’ Mee Sua with Baby Oyster to come with elements such as Taiwan Mee Sua, baby oysters, garlic, black vinegar and coriander — the item in reality being observe to be pretty much what it is described on the menu. Orders can be made at the counter, while electronic buzzers will be issued once payment has been made so that patrons can be buzzed to collect their food once the order is prepared. The Mee Sua with Baby Oysters comes with a thickened soup base that is sufficiently dense; not quite as heavy and sticky as some that we had come across, though definitely does seem to come across as so on first impression.

The Mee Sua itself is a little soft here, while the thickened soup base does carry quite a strong umami note — savoury with a hint of underlying briny-ness that is fairly evident; mixing the vinegar and ginger gives it a bit of tang and zing that makes it even more appealing, though gives the thickened soup base a texture that is slightly more runny / watered down than desired. We felt that it could do even better with a dash of chili for some spice, though the coriander added does lend its hand to the dish with its distinct notes to cut through all of the flavours that the thickened soup base and the baby oysters carry. While the baby oysters do come in a good size that carries a good mouthfeel, we did think that the oysters came a little too fishy for our liking — there was certainly a briny note that it brought to the dish, though it did tasted a bit heavy and does somehow get into the way of the entire dish. That being said, the Mee Sua with Baby Oysters from Ameising Memories is still likely to resolve any desperate cravings for the Taiwanese dish. The Kaya Butter Toast on the other hand came with quite a huge slab of butter, though we wished that there was a better-managed balance of Kaya to go along with it; the toast hit the spot though, maintaining its crisp texture even when left on the table for quite a while. Considering how mad the price increases for food are at even when 2024 had barely started, Ameising Memories does present itself as a well-priced dining establishment in the heart of the Central Business District; with prices of the items listed in the Mains section of the menu ranging from $7.80 to $10.80, the prices are certainly comparable to the offerings of stalls situated in air-conditioned food courts especially in the Marina area. Yet another well-priced dining establishment worth considering to lunch at for office workers around the Central Business District.