Had been following the social media pages of 怡Small Tables (for simplicity’s sake, let’s call them Small Tables) for quite a while before they had officially opened their doors — found ourselves eagerly wanting to check them out when they had posted that they are officially opened during the past weekend. Situated on the ground floor of Pacific Plaza which is located in between Shaw Centre and Royal Plaza on Scotts at Scotts Road, Small Tables has found home in the heart of Singapore’s bustling shopping district. Taking over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Adidas Originals at Pacific Plaza, Small Tables takes up quite a sizeable shop unit for a F&B establishment these days. The entire shop unit is segregated into four parts — guests walking in from the main entrance will find an outdoor seating area that is coupled together with their coffee bar; as one walks further into the indoor area of the restaurant, one would find the closed kitchen that takes up the middle section, splitting off the indoor dining hall into two sections. The section on the left that is beside the shopping aisles of the mall features regular dining chairs and tables, with tables that are more suitable for larger groups, while the section on the right with window views towards Scotts Road and Royal Plaza on Scotts features high chairs and tables with seating more suited for smaller groups. The interior is tastefully decorated; despite having a contemporary look, there is every attempt to try to include some form of nostalgia so as to give it a look that would resonate well with both younger and older folks. With its primary focus on cuisine from Ipoh, Malaysia (hence the “怡” in its name), there are sections of the menu dedicated to Mains, Sharing Plates, Smaller Sides, Asian Salads and All Day Bites. Being a F&B establishment which also has a dedicated coffee bar and an emphasis on Ipoh cuisine, it is well-expected that Ipoh White Coffee would be one of the non-alcoholic beverages being offered here; they also do have quite a few other options for coffee (mostly Nanyang-style, though there is a “Young Punks” that is described to be “coffee infused with new age flavours, served in cold brew”), tea, canned drinks and juices for non-alcoholic options, while alcoholic options include beer, white wine and red wine.

There are quite a few items that we would not give a miss if visiting any establishment that is serving up Malaysian cuisine; one being the Hakka Yong Tau Foo. Described to be served in the “Ipoh Big Tree” style, the menu also describes it as a “selection of vegetables stuffed hakka-style with fish and pork, served with savoury dip”. We found this to be a great accompaniment to the Ipoh Chee Cheong Fun which we have opted for; itself being a great alternative to the Ipoh Curry Mee for those who are looking to try more items since the Ipoh Curry Mee does come loaded with poached chicken, char siu, siu yoke, braised pig's ears,
pig's skin, poached prawns, bean sprouts and mint leaves, while the Ipoh Chee Cheong Fun is more of a simpler item featuring Ipoh-made Cheong Fun (said to have sourced from Ipoh and made fresh daily with natural spring water), fried beancurd skin, special chili sauce, Ipoh curry and green chili. The assortment of items stuffed with the fish and pork paste for the Hakka Yong Tau Foo here includes red and green chili, beancurd sheet, variety of tofu items, as well as eggplant and bittergourd — all items are also deep-fried, and comes with the savoury chili dip on the side. We really like dhow all the items are adequately stuffed with the fish and pork paste here; all of the pieces are not particularly greasy despite being fried items, and we really liked how each item seems to carry their own flavour so things are still kept interesting here — the beancurd sheet being the most impressive considering it is fried to crispy-perfection; a rarity for local Yong Tau Foo standards, while the vegetables carry their distinct flavours from the slight bitterness of the bittergourd to the piquant spiciness of the chili that provides for quite a kick. The tofu items were soft with a bite or crisp as it should be depending on which items it was; the interior being smooth and silken. We really liked how the fish and pork paste was done as well; that is some form of meatiness that provides for a good flavour without any undesirable stench from the pork — the consistency still remains to be pretty smooth and gives a contrasting bite especially to the tofu items. Also appreciated the inclusion of bits of water chestnut in here that provides for a good crunch as well. Dipping the Yong Tau Foo pieces into the savoury dip, the savoury dip was more of a sambal-like dip that is umami with a lightly spicy kick; should be pretty manageable for those who are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness.

It could be really easy to argue how Small Tables might be a spot for over-glorified or over-priced local / Malaysian cuisine considering its setup and price point just by skimming through the menu — the mains being priced from $16 for Ipoh Shredded Chicken Hor Fun to $24 for Hakka Noodles with Cheese & Big Prawns (which serves two pax), while sides lie within the ranges of $12 to $36. That being said, looking past the prices of the food alone and looking into the quality of the food being served up with the ambience / environment of the eatery, Small Tables does serve up food that resonates the price point that it commands — the emphasis and dedication in trying to create an experience that is representative of Ipoh cuisine can really be seen by how they are using ingredients that are imported from Ipoh, Malaysia all the way here so that they are able to replicate that experience to the diners here. With the skill in the execution by the folks in the kitchen, they do seem to be able to provide a seemingly authentic version of the said dishes here. Service was actually pretty decent here, though you do get the vibe that the staff are new to the job hence there may be some teething issues which should be easily resolved as they smoothen out their operations over time. Despite its slightly higher price point, Small Tables does seem to have what it takes as a slightly more upscale, full-service dining destination for those who are looking for well-executed Ipoh fare in a somewhat “fancy” setup and in air-conditioned comfort; probably a spot which we may consider dining at again when in Orchard next time.