Campus Raid!

Campus Raid!

Join along the trail of fancy campus food in Singapore's various education institutions to find affordable and good eats. Who said campus food has to be boring?
Xing Wei Chua
Xing Wei Chua

Chanced upon the social media pages of IMA Sushi which has recently opened its doors within the campus of Singapore Management University — the location of where IMA Sushi is at is fairly close to Bras Basah MRT Station; and is situated just right beside Triplets by Bakery Cuisine that is most familiar with the students from Singapore Management University for serving up wallet-friendly neighbourhood-style Pandan Waffles. Occupying quite a large shop unit, there is plenty of space between tables — pretty much a luxury for dine-in restaurants these days; the space is being decked out in a minimalist style that carries an industrial look considering the concrete walls, metallic fittings and wooden furnishings, which is a look that we found to be rather fitting for a sushi joint situated in a campus environment. Being more of a casual sushi restaurant, IMA Sushi does serve up quite a good variety of sashimi and sushi in the menu here — think a Nigri Sushi, Gunkan Sushi, Makimono and Special Rolls for the different type of sushi which they are serving up. Those who are not into sushi or raw food can also opt for other items such as the Donburi and Noodle items as well. IMA-Sushi also attempts to also cater for a fuss-free experience for students who are looking for a quick grab-and-go sushi takeaway, offering takeaway sushi sets as well. Beverages available at IMA Sushi are however limited to canned drinks such as Coke, Sprite, and Ayataka.

Wanting to go for one of the Special Rolls that they have to offer, we went for the IMA Special Roll — something which we thought was an item that we should not miss considering it bears the namesake of the restaurant. The IMA Special Roll is essentially a Spicy Cheese Salmon Maki. Going for straight for one piece of the roll, the IMA Special Roll does seem to be pretty well-made; the sushi roll being held together firmly without bits of the elements filled within falling out when picked up with the chopstick. Chewing on the piece, we note the freshness of the salmon sashimi which was being used here; all that whilst the roll includes sushi rice that was mildly sweet which carried a decent flavour. There was quite a good portion of cream cheese that came filled within the roll for that slightly savoury, saltish touch that somehow gelled everything together with its creamy texture; this included the chunk of cucumber that is included for a good crunch. Being described as a spicy sushi, the addition of what seems to be a Lao Gan Ma chili of sorts atop the salmon with a brush of chili oil helped to add a hint of umami-ness and a very light hint of spiciness that gives a tingle to the tastebud. All in all, a rather competent sushi roll that is relatively well-made especially when compared to the commercial Japanese establishments that are catered to the mass market which are often found in shopping malls and the likes of it.

Having also tried several other items such as the Salmon Belly Sashimi and the Aburi Tamago Mentai Sushi, we felt that IMA Sushi is a spot that really suits its target demographic really well — a casual Japanese sushi restaurant that is meant to meet the cravings of the students studying at Singapore Management University. We were actually rather impressed with the quality of the Salmon Belly Sashimi especially; came with a sufficiently thick cut that gave it so much bite, yet immensely fresh and flavourful on its own — something which we would really recommend one to have should they make their visit to IMA Sushi. The Aburi Tamago Mentai Sushi is also pretty decent; again, we liked how there was structural integrity for how the sushi was made — nothing falling apart whilst we picked the sushi up with our chopsticks, while the sweet Tamago comes with a dollop of Mentaiko Mayo that has been blowtorched for that smoky, umami note which is a crowd pleaser on its own. Whilst we did not have many of the items which they serve up to give a fair verdict, we must say that the food quality does somewhat surpass what one would usually expect from a restaurant made to serve the mass market; something which we thought was pretty commendable for a restaurant within a campus. A spot that is likely to be both a favourite haunt for students and staff of Singapore Management University, as well as probably being so with the office folks within its immediate sushi for a simple fix to a sushi craving.

2 Likes

Never had an Appam before until several years ago when we had made Tekka Centre a lunch destination due to it being near the work ‘hood — ever since then, we have been pretty much on a lookout for the dish all around the island. Thankfully, it does seem that Appam is slowly getting popularised of the late — the most recent opening of a Appam specialty store that is widely-known would be Mr. Appam at Maxwell Food Centre that had pretty much the hype all over social media. Hidden away in the North Food Court of Republic Polytechnic within walking distance from Woodlands North MRT Station along the Thomson-East Coast Line is yet another Appam specialty store named Appam Aunty. There is no denying on how big they are on Appam here — the menu features a wide variety of Appam ranging from classic ones such as the Plain Appam, Cheese Appam and Egg Appam, all the way to inventive ones such as those listed in the “Delights” section of the menu which includes Red Velvet & Sea Salt Caramel Appam, Avocado & Gula Melaka Appam and a Power Berries Appam — just to name a few. Then, there is also the “Local Favourites” section; think items such as Cempedak Appam, MSW Durian Appam, and Nasi Lemak Appam (yes, a savoury flavour), while there are also Kulfi Appams as well. Aside from Appam, Appam Aunty also serves up other dishes such as rice sets and Nasi Lemak sets; probably to cater to the school kids here whom may not appreciate Appam as much as we do over here.

There are really too many flavours of appam to go for here and we found ourselves going for the Mango Sticky Rice Appam since it pretty much stood out for us. We were served pretty quickly here and with good reason; the Appam is the only item that requires preparation, and the other elements for the dish are simply drenched atop. The Mango Sticky Rice Appam sees a generous drizzle of mango sauce, accompanied by a glutinous rice purée atop the Plain Appam that is used as the base here. As far as the Appam goes, we really quite liked the one here — light and crisp sides; all that with a fluffy centre that bears almost the same texture as a Kueh Bingka. It is fluffy, chewy and came with a slight tang in the middle; really went well with the sweet mango sauce that they had decided for it come with over the top. We found the glutinous sticky rice purée to be really interesting of the lot however; the purée was something almost akin to a rice pudding — there is this “rice-y” note going on amidst all the sweetness that attempts to replicate the glutinous rice usually found in the typical Mango Sticky Rice. Overall, a really inventive creation by the folks here that deserves a bit of cred.

As far as it goes, Appam specialty stores do typically carry some special flavours on their own but Appam Aunty does seem to push the limits here quite a fair bit — the flavours offered at Aunty Appam can be said as a more “hipster” offering; something which may appeal to the younger audiences in general which is pretty much probably a consideration since they are located within the food court / canteen of a campus. Some may argue about this being the start of gentrification of traditional fare, but it is possibly necessary after all in order for traditional foods to survive the test of time and remain relevant in the long run. Whatever it is though, Appam Aunty does pretty decent Appam; a rare find considering the lack of such fare within Woodlands, and is a worthy mention for its attempt to bring Appam to a wider audience. Looking forward to be back to give their savoury Appam as well as the Avocado Gula Melaka Appam a try; those items definitely piqued our interest as we were skimming through the items on their menu!

Visited the new Canteen Bistro at Singapore Management University, which takes the place of the former premises of now-defunct B3: Burger Beer Bistro, located just a short distance away from Bencoolen MRT Station. Serving up only Omurice during lunch service, the Omurice here comes with various selection of ingredients such as Crispy Chicken, Fish Fillet or Mushroom, as well as a choice of sauce from Cream Sauce, Marinara, and Demi-Glacé.

The Meatball Omurice is decently portioned for $8, though comes with its own hits and misses — the hits being the omelette itself and the Demi-Glacé sauce; the egg comes flavourful and blankets the bed of flavoured rice perfectly, being slightly runny for a good texture, while the Demi-Glacé sauce comes with an evident hint of meatiness, being a beef sauce that carries also the savoury notes of a typical brown sauce. The rice comes with a slight tang, though that it could be cooked for slightly longer considering that the grains were a tad tough, while the meatballs also felt a bit dry and doughy somewhat; the Omurice also comes with some greens such as cherry tomatoes, cucumber and coleslaw for a refreshing crunch and burst of flavours. Not too bad for those who are not too picky with what they are eating, and an interesting option to have around on campus overall.

3 Likes

Hong Seng Curry Rice Express at SMU now has a monthly special — for the month of April, the Special is a Creamy Tom Yum Katsu Bowl that carries elements such as Crispy Chicken Katsu that is drenched in Creamy Tom Yum Sauce, Hae Bee Hiam, Onsen Egg, and Hainanese Curry Sauce.

Being the first time here, it is interesting to see them offer a brown rice option for health conscious folks which I also opted for. I was initially skeptical about the Hainanese Curry and Tom Yum combination which seemingly sounded conflicting, but both flavours were distinct — the Chicken Katsu was crisp with tender meat which surprisingly wasn’t dry (pretty good considering I had this past 7pm); the creamy Tom Yum carried that promised sour and spicy flavour combination whilst being made creamy with coconut milk. It does not interfere with the thick, gloopy curry sauce that is drenched the brown rice. The onsen egg was a tad disappointing for how it lacked a flowy yolk, while the Hae Bee Hiam whilst adding a crisp texture to the brown rice if eaten together, verges towards saltiness for me. Still, a pretty good takeaway meal that would satisfy the tummies of students at SMU — school food that is actually delicious; not just something to rid the hunger with.

7 Likes

As the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side — this saying holds true especially if one is trying to look for light bites that are out of the usual in SIM; just head over to Ngee Ann Polytechnic from the rear gate (both campuses are interlinked) and options are aplenty over there.

From Food At The Source, taking over The Hotdog Stand at Ourspace@72 or rather, Smooch Cafe @ 72 way back in the days when I was still studying there (they are now Cupplets btw); Food At The Source serves smoothies, waffles, Swiss rolls and sandwiches — easy, quick bites for students looking to sneak a bite in between classes or to munch on something while working on projects. The Houjicha Swiss Roll felt more spongy than light and fluffy, but the matcha cake carries a light but evident tea aroma that was of a balanced and tasteful bitterness which made the Houjicha buttercream taste of a rather flat roastiness without much depth. That being said, $2 is pretty much decent for a slice if you are looking for something light — spares me from eating one too many wanton on sticks (my guilty food) in between tightly packed classes.

7 Likes

I don't really fancy having lunch at the school's food court, especially when the food court is awfully packed during lunch hour with snaking queues and a almost fully seated dining hall. If I don't have the luxury of time to travel out for lunch however, I would usually wind up here for a bowl of rather decent Bak Chor Mee. There isn't many dry Bak Chor Mee that's as saucey as this (the way I like it though) — lots of sauce, lots of chili; noodles tossed in the moderately spicy and flavoursome sauce. The accompanying meat is a little dry and stiff, but the meatballs seemed to have absorbed all the broth it was soaked in. What I like most here is that they have placed a bowl of pork lard at the counter which you can help yourself with; just spam as much you like! The vinegary Mee Pok here is something I don't like smelling in a lecture hall but it's definitely something I don't mind having in the food court!

8 Likes

From the western stall at Food Club at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Quite decently portioned, the grilled fish was crisp on the exterior though being a little dry inside, though still quite fine since it was drizzled in a lightly spicy black pepper sauce. Mash potatoes were pretty passable, though the vegetables were pretty generic and tasted coming from a freezer pack.

4 Likes

From a stall named Gurtsy Yogurt at Food Club food court in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Soft serve yogurt is pretty similar to llaollao; smooth consistency without being overly sour. Each Petite Yogurt is entitled to one topping, though I opted for two (additional toppings at $1 each). Mini Matcha Mochi are like slightly harder, but still chewy gummies with a light matcha flavour. Caramel sauce was a little bitter in flavour; perhaps a little burnt and overdone; opting for other sauces like Honey might be a better option.

5 Likes

From Waa Cow!, a new eatery serving Japanese rice bowls at NUS Shaw Foundation Alumni Clubhouse. Headed down after seeing this particular don via Burpple, though they seemed to have reduced the portion quite a bit it seems. That being said, the bowl was satisfying; from the slightly charred, sticky Japanese short grain rice with a little savoury flavour from the beef sauce to the brilliantly pan-seared Wagyu beef which was pretty tender. Like how they included the shallot jam which were undeniably sweet yet garlicky, flavouring up the whole bowl. That being said though, I would rather Grilllo's version than this, but this would definitely settle the cravings of the students of NUS without traveling all the way out. Would definitely be back to try the Aburi Bara Chirashi Bowl some day! PS: NUS alumni, students and staff gets a 10% discount.

7 Likes

From a new stall named Chido's at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Poolside Food Court. The original set was to come with two chicken wings but they gave an extra one as they were closing. Rice was pretty flavourful; your typical flavoured rice that comes standard with Tenderfresh's fried chicken while the fried chicken was a tad inconsistent, some a little bit floury but the chipotle powder does add a little spiciness to the wings. Probably would have been rather enjoyable if I had visited them earlier when everything is served hot.

5 Likes

From the Taiwanese Food stall at Munch at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Batter was a little too thick, but it was quite amazing how these weren't too greasy and were pretty crisp, well seasoned with plum powder and chili powder.

7 Likes

From a new Yakitori stall named Yakiya at Makan Place at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. They serve quite a selection of grilled meats, seafood and vegetables. Chicken Wing is glazed with sweet-savoury sauce; perhaps one of the better options here. Ebi was floury, though hot and crisp, while the meat were either too stiff and dry or a little too soft. Wouldn't really go for this the next time I am here.

7 Likes

Up, down and everywhere around for food.

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