Value for Money

Roxy Square has recently seen in a huge change in tenants at the level 1 coffee shop, bringing with it fresh thronging crowds during lunch hour. Amongst them, a new Western food stall replacing the venerable Strands & Grains, as well as Meraki Bowl, which specialises in sous vide meat and rice bowls.
-
The menu is succinct, with only 5 bowls to choose from, which come in small(Ladies Bowl) and large(Gentleman's Bowl) sizes, with prices ranging from $5.9 - $9.9.
-
I went for the Thai Pork Collar Bowl, featuring a generous amount of subtly smoky meat, sous vide egg and cherry tomato over a bed of rice. The pork itself was rather lean and dry, but had good flavour. This was alleviated by the nam jim-eque chilli dipping sauce, of which very little was given and whose spice level was far milder than expected.
-
As a quick lunch, it was satisfying enough, but it wouldn't warrant making a special trip down for.
-
Taste: 3/5

Leave any notion of moderation behind, Fatty Bom Bom's chicken cutlet is a guilty pleasure I’d like a repeat performance of. Featuring 2 very large pieces of chicken cutlet, a mountain of wedges, coleslaw and a fried dinner roll, this will leave you stuffed and then some.
-
Each cutlet is incredibly crunchy on the outside, and oh so juicy and tender within, a combination of this quality that's not oft found in hawker western fare. The wedges also score well, they are crisp yet fluffy and none too stodgy.

Taste: 3/5

Located in the quiet Jalan Batu hawker center near the end of Mountbatten Road, this unassuming stall tucked in the rear of the building serves up no-frills rice, meat and veg combos.

For convenience, you can pick from a choice of 10 set meals, including curry fish, mutton curry, curry chicken, chicken chop, pork chop and even biryani with all the aforementioned proteins! All sets include rice and vegetables.

Otherwise, if you're greedy like me, go ala carte and mix 'n' match your favourite items. I did stir-fried cabbage, an onion omelette and breaded chicken chop, all slathered in a rich and thick Chinese-style curry gravy. Hearty grub, all for the princely sum of $3.5!

Taste: 3/5

Located in the same coffeeshop as the highly popular Geylang Lor 29 charcoal fried hokkien mee, Bruce Lee does a very decent plate of chicken rice that's generously portioned. The white chicken is slippery and succulent and fares better than the roast chicken which tends toward the dry side. As for the rice, it's unctuously oily, which goes well with their tangy and fiery chilli sauce. An added bonus is the free flow achar that you get to take as much of as you want.
#BurppleTakeaways

Taste: 3/5

The old guard has passed on the reigns to new owners at this institution, and though its a slightly different beast, my fears were unfounded and the food is still surprisingly good.

Not surprisingly the menu has been expanded to add more variety, such as this artery clogging hokkien mee “zhnged” with roast pork belly. As to the noodles itself, they aren’t as saucy nor lard-infused as the original owner’s version, but you can make up for this now with the free flow lardons. In a twist, the prawns have gotten even bigger and juicier. Nice!

#BurppleTakeaways

Taste: 3.5/5

When have you ever seen the humble kopitiam egg cooked to perfection using an Anova immersion circulator? At Brunners Coffeeshop, you can. No fiddling with timing or the mess of cracking the eggs yourself, this is a little luxury that's affordable and I wouldn't mind indulging in daily.

Taste: 3.5/5

More clean tasting than their black carrot cake but no less delicious, the soft pillows of rice cake are fried along with eggs to a slightly charred crisp on the edges, and the “cai po” as well as garlic really come through.

Taste: 3.5/5

The generous amount of preserved radish is what makes the carrot cake here appealing to me. Its crunch and tang help break the monotony of the silky smooth and soft blocks of sweet dark soy sauce-stained carrot cake streaked through with ribbons of egg.

#BurppleTakeaways

Taste: 3.5/5

No school like the old school, these two large pieces of shatteringly crisp breaded chicken stuffed with cheese and chicken ham were addictive eating and a nostalgic throwback to simpler times. I also appreciated the tart and crunchy coleslaw between bites of fried chicken.

Thanks @burpple for the invite and @dstarbistro for the hospitality!

Taste: 3/5

Of the 3 pastas I had a chance to try, this was my favourite. They don't stinge on the garlic, oil or chilli here, and that's exactly how I like my aglio olio – spicy and pungent with every al-dente strand coated in garlicky goodness. The snap peas were a well-thought addition too, breaking the monotony with bursts of crunchy, sweet freshness.

Thanks @burpple for the invite and @dstarbistro for the hospitality!

Taste: 3/5

The ubiquitous mushroom soups commonly found at cafes here are usually disappointing, not so @dstarbistro ‘s. Chockful of succulent sliced mushroom pieces in a rich and creamy potage,each spoonful made me want to go back for more. The slice of homemade garlic bread was light, crispy and generously slathered with garlic butter too. And at only $3.50, this is a real steal!

Thanks @burpple for the invite and @dstarbistro for the hospitality!

With wok hei levels through the roof and the noodles slick with greasy goodness, this was definitely an above average version which I have been aware of for years in my neighbourhood but just never got around to trying. Am I glad I finally did because it was delicious and especially value for money with cockles thrown in.

#BurppleTakeaways

Taste: 4/5