Hideout by The Local Box

Been wanting to try the chendol waffles at Hideout for a while. After a failed attempt a few weeks ago when we arrived at 9pm and found the cafe closed, we reached at 8.30pm this time. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to try the waffles once again as they were out of ice cream. This none of the desserts with ice cream could be served (chendol waffles, pulut hitam waffles, ice cream croissant, etc). I was tempted to try their cakes (they had earl grey and chocolate banana) but ended up going for the chendol ($4.50).

Bad choice.

The chendol arrived quickly. The ice, though fine, was completely drenched in sugar syrup. It was WAY too sweet for any of us to take more than 2 mouthfuls. I ended up scooping the red beans and shaved ice at the bottom of the bowl which hadn’t soaked up the sugar yet to eat with the chendol pieces. I did like the texture and taste of the chendol, but the sweetness of the shaved ice really threw me off. We basically left about 90% of the syrup-laden ice in the bowl after scavenging the red beans and chendol pieces.

I’m quite disappointed that I still haven’t managed to try the chendol or pulut hitam waffles at Hideout, but their mains look pretty interesting and I might make a trip back to try. However, the chendol is a no go in my books and I would not recommend it to anyone else unless you have an extreme sweet tooth.

Hidden at the basement of The Heeran, this is actually a good place to have your meal consider they have lesser visitors at the moment.

They actually generous with the amount of chicken pieces and their salted egg sauce was excellent. $12.50

Pretty happy to have found a cafe serving our local dishes with their own system of customisation.
Take this Nasi Lemak for instance. It starts at a price of $8 which I assume, covers the basics of the rice, fried egg, ikan bilis with peanuts, cucumber and sambal. Then depending on what you choose to add, the total amount increases. I picked the Ayam (chicken) Rendang which was fragrant and tasty. The other options listed on the board included Ikan Kuning and Edamame with Corn.
What I found to be the highlight on this plate was the sambal. It’s dryish, more savoury than sweet and when eaten with the coconut milk-rich rice, very shiok.

In the heart of Orchard Road, within the basement level of The Heeren building that also houses the flagship store of Robinson’s is the Hideout Care. I had tried their Teh (tea) with “gula jawa” (palm sugar) once before and liked it. So since I was in the area, I decided to grab a bite here.
Ordered two items, one of which was the “wet” Mee Siam (they also do a “dry” one). It was my first time seeing this dish come topped with an onsen egg and served in a bowl with a pair of chopsticks. Makes sense though as the gravy is closer to that of a soup. Nevertheless, it still had sufficient body and was tasty. It’s not too spicy either but they have a sambal that you can add on if you like your food with more heat.

From Hideout Cafe by The Local Box; a new establishment from the folks behind The Local Box at Icon Village. Must say that the Soup Laksa with Soft Shell Crab is pretty well-balanced; not overly creamy but a good balance of both rempah spices and coconut milk — all accompanied with Mee Tai Mak for easy eating. The short noodles were slurpy yet chewy, whilst accompanied with fresh and plump shrimp and a reasonably fresh, Soft Shell Crab coated in a golden brown batter on the exterior that is crisp. $13.80 for a bowl of Laksa can be a little pricey, but the spot does make for an easy place to settle for some food whilst settling last minute Christmas shopping at Robinsons without exiting the building; not to mention this variant comes with Soft Shell Crab as well.