One of those places that had been popping up on our social media profiles quite often of the late does seem to be Sin Chao Culinary 芯潮饭店. Located at Northshore Plaza II at the same exact spot where the now-defunct outlet of Penang Culture was previously located; Sin Chao Culinary is also not to be confused with Sin Chao Gardens 新潮園 that is situated along River Valley Road — the latter being an independently-run serving up Teochew-style cuisine. The interior space of Sin Chao Culinary is decked rather simply; apart from wallpapers used on its walls that mimics the pattern of tiled mosaic walls that also sees the use of complimenting murals to evoke a sense of nostalgia, the rest of the furniture and fittings do seem to be more for function than for form with the large use of wooden stools and tables for its dining furniture. For those whom are unaware, Sin Chao Culinary describes themselves as an establishment serving up “Taiwanese inspired homely food”; the menu having split into sections dedicated to Claypot Dishes, Ala-carte, Rice, Bento Selections and Double Boiled Soup with Fragrant Pearl Rice. Beverages available at Sin Chao Culinary includes drinks such as Chinese tea, canned drinks and house-made concoctions — just to broadly categorise what they have to offer.
While its various Claypot Dishes are possibly the highlight here at Sin Chao Culinary, there are also a few items listed on the Bento Selections section of the menu that would work well for those whom just want to go for something a little more balanced and have a little of everything. Our choice for the item from the Bento Selections section to go for would be the Crispy Fermented Beancurd Pork Belly Bento. Sin Chao Culinary does not describe on the elements that come with the Crispy Fermented Beancurd Pork Belly Bento; that being said, it can be observed from our order that the dish does come with elements such as Crispy Fermented Beancurd Pork Belly, Taiwanese Sausage, Braised Egg and Braised Vegetables — all of which sitting above a bed of white rice. The highlight here is indeed the Crispy Fermented Beancurd Pork Belly; these were crisp on the exterior yet come with meat within that had a melt-in-the-mouth texture — the fried batter on the outside being absolutely crisp with an evident umami note from the use of fermented beancurd in the marination process; all that whilst not being greasy. The Taiwanese Sausage does help a bit of a bounce and a slight hint of sweetness — a crowd pleaser on its own, while the braised vegetables were cooked to a soft consistency with a slightly savoury note to balance things out a little. The Braised Egg in itself was nothing much to shout about; one thus came with a fully-cooked egg yolk, while the bed of rice does get a little flavour from the wet elements such as the braised vegetables over the top — overall a fairly decent eat though not a dish that one should expect to come with a gastronomical factor whilst at it. Other dishes that we had tried during our visit to Sin Chao Culinary included the Curry Sakura Chicken — this is definitely a crowd pleaser here that one should not miss especially for those who can’t do without a curry dish in such settings. While there wasn’t much to shout about when it came to the chicken (which also came in chunks with bone-in) and the potatoes (we found that they could have been done a little softer), the curry itself is rich and flavourful — a pretty good one to pair up with a rice dish on the side.
When it came to the Braised Eggplant with Minced Meat, we felt that the savoury notes of the dish came a little flat; the eggplants were also sliced a bit thinly to provide the contrast of flavours that it need though was thankfully cooked till soft with the minced meat providing a good meaty bite for another dimension of textures. Overall, Sin Chao Culinary is that sort of establishment that seemingly focuses more on serving up homely Chinese fare with a Taiwanese touch that seems to be more evident in their Bento Selections section of the menu; their other dishes do however suggest that they are little bit of a zichar-style eatery. Considering how Sin Chao Culinary only serves up their dishes in one single portion size and considering the size of the claypots being used here, the dishes does seem to be more suited for individual diners where one can simply order a single dish with a bowl of rice on the side, as well as smaller groups whom can order several item from their Claypot Dishes section of the menu to share. With all that being said, one shouldn’t be headed to Sin Chao Culinary and expecting a gastronomical meal; that isn’t quite what they aim to be either. Instead, they are more of an establishment that serves up decent comfort food that works on those days where a meal outside is preferred over cooking at home. Prices of a large number of their dishes are priced at $10 or below, making it quite an affordable dining option in Punggol for most to go for.
