Got to learn about the new Heritage & Taste that had silently opened at the basement of GR.iD (formerly PoMo / Paradiz Centre) whilst scrolling through social media recently — the basement of the shopping gallery had seen quite a number of establishments move in and out ever since the mall’s revamp; the space that Heritage & Taste is located being one that was previously occupied by TRE CAFÉ not too long ago. Located within the same line of shop units as Mom's Hand Mini Bowl Kitchen, Heritage & Taste occupies a fairly small hole-in-the-wall shop space. It does seem that the folks at Heritage & Taste hadn’t changed the space too much after it has been vacated by TRE CAFÉ; the space still seem to have kept much of its furniture and fittings with only some slight changes that includes the mirror covering up the namesake of its former tenants, as well as some metallic grilles around the counter that gives it a familiar local old-school vibe. Despite the size of the shop space it occupies, one can find a small dine-in area comprising of a communal table that seats around eight (8) pax, while there is a high table on the other end that accommodates for another three (3) pax. The menu at Heritage & Taste surrounds around familiar local cuisine that aims to bring a taste of heritage in the flavours that they try to create — the items that Heritage & Taste offers are serving is limited to the Heritage Fried Hokkien Mee, Heritage Famous Chicken Curry, Char Kway Teow, Fried Carrot Cake (Black), Heritage Kaya / Peanut Butter Toast and the Heritage All Day Breakfast. Beverages available at Heritage & Taste would surround around Nanyang-style Kopi & Teh, Traditional Milo, Gourmet Coffee, as well as canned drinks.

We are probably on a phase on hunting for good fried Hokkien Mee and it was the availability of the Heritage Fried Hokkien Mee (Regular) at Heritage & Taste that drew us over to the establishment. Despite being an establishment that looks pretty much like an indie-run cafe, we liked how Heritage & Taste has served up their fare with purple melamine dining ware that pretty much replicates the way that the dishes are being served up at a hawker centre. Whilst Heritage & Taste does not describe on the elements that come with any of their dishes, it can be observed from our order that the Fried Hokkien Mee (Regular) comes default with thick Bee Hoon, thin Bee Hoon and Yellow Noodles that has been simmered in stock, as well as spring onions, crispy pork lard, sotong, egg and prawns — it also comes with chili on the side as well. The stock here seems to have been reduced to a point where the noodles have absorbed most of the sauce; the variant being one that some would classify as the “drier” variant with the stock being sufficiently thick and carrying an umami note. The ratio of thick Bee Hoon, thin Bee Hoon and Yellow Noodles also seemed to have been pretty balanced to keep things from being overly heavy as well. This version of the fried Hokkien Mee also seemed to work particularly well if the chili was to be mixed into the stock — the chili itself carrying a good savoury note to further enhance the umami stock with a slight zing and a kick of spiciness that should be fairly manageable for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. Other elements of the fried Hokkien Mee were also done well — the huge chunks of pork lard being all crisp, while scraps of egg provided a slightly fluffy texture; the seafood such as the prawn and Sotong were also pretty fresh with the latter done to a texture that did not feel particularly rubbery as well.

One of the dishes that we found to be pretty surprising to be served up at Heritage & Taste would be the Char Kuay Teow — a dish that some have speculated to be a dish facing extinction in the near future in the local F&B scene which very few new hawkerpreneurs had attempted to serve whilst older hawkers retire from their trades. The Char Kuay Teow here comes with Kway Teow and Yellow Noodles that is wok-fried with dark sauce, cockles and Chinese sausages. We liked how the Kway Teow and Yellow Noodles are consistently coated in that sweet dark sauce that it is being wok-fried in; there is a little bit of wok-hei with the noodles though we do reckon that it would have been really hit the right spot should it be wok-fried a little more for a stronger hint of the smokiness. The Kway Teow and Yellow Noodles does come with a savoury yet slightly sweet note; all that whilst being complimented with the slices of Chinese sausage that gives a bit of a bite and a different dimension of the sweetness to the dish. We usually dread the cockles that comes with Char Kuay Teow especially if they do turn out to be too raw and fishy; we liked how the ones at Heritage & Taste were done just fine maintaining the bounce without feeling too slimy and sloppy nor carrying a strong aftertaste. The Heritage Kaya Toast was another one of the items that we had tried during our visit to Heritage & Taste — Heritage & Taste uses white bread that has been toasted for their Heritage Kaya Toast, whilst the toast comes spread with the Hainanese-style Kaya with a brown hue and also comes with a slab of butter in between.

The Heritage Kaya Toast was another offering that didn’t appear to be as strong as their Heritage Fried Hokkien Mee and the Char Kuay Teow; we did feel that the notes of the salted butter in the Heritage Kaya Toast to be a bit overwhelming in some parts, while the slicing of the toast can be a bit more even as well. Going for the Kopi, the Kopi was suitably sweet whilst coming with a roasty body; quite a balanced cuppa that exceeded our initial expectations for an establishment of its type. Heritage & Taste is a pretty unique establishment where few had attempted the route it has taken — we rarely see indie-run establishments located outside of food courts, hawker centres and coffeeshops serving items like fried Hokkien Mee, Char Kuay Teow and Fried Carrot Cake. Not only did Heritage & Taste attempted to head into the unknown, but we were really impressed with the quality of its offerings that exceeded what most average food courts, hawker centre and coffeeshop stalls would serve up — something that is pretty commendable to say the very least. Prices are still considered reasonable though can be described as being slightly higher than one would expect at food courts, hawker centres and coffeeshops — the regular size option of its Heritage Fried Hokkien Mee, Heritage Famous Chicken Curry, Char Kway Teow and Fried Carrot Cake (Black) are all priced at $6.80 ala-carte, with the set that comes with a drink would be priced at $7.80. With such quality in the food that they serve at such price points, Heritage & Taste does seem to be a pretty promising establishment even despite it being still early days for them — we do hope that they will be able to maintain or even further improve on the strong foundations that they have set thus far; definitely a spot that those working / studying in the Selegie / Rochor / Dhoby Ghaut area will appreciate having to their convenience!