Fast Food, Casual Eateries

Sorry I was too hungry and started eating before I took this photo :P Actually not too bad a bowl of Tom Yum noodles - soup was savoury and a little spicy, and the noodles were chewy. They were quite generous with the seafood, there were a few chunks of fish and also 3 prawns.

We also got the Gula Melaka Milk Tea with Pearls ($4.80), which was pretty average, some pearls were a bit hard on the inside.

Overall not too bad, wouldn’t pay full price for this but it’s alright with the 1-for-1 Burpple deal. They are very flexible with the options applicable for the Burpple deal - the staff literally told me “everything also can”, which is a great plus point!

Probably not for fussy eaters but as long as you don’t expect some amazing restaurant quality food here, I honestly think it’s a pretty okay option to just grab something casual, sit down and chat with friends with no pressure of dining time limits and such. We visited on a weekday night and it wasn’t too busy, didn’t have to wait too long to get our food either.

Seafood broth infused with cheese - a salty tasty heaven. Interesting with the beehoon, definitely an adventurous take on a fusion dish. Not sure why we didn’t have prawns in our dish - I felt that the ingredients in the dish were very lacklustre and minimal. Not worth the price.

Visited on a weekday night and it wasn’t too crowded. There’re quite a number of seats in the eatery so it was easy enough for my friend and I to get one.

A little too salty for me but overall a very savoury and tasty dish. So many great flavours coming together. It’s hard to go wrong with beef and egg!

We visited on a weekday evening and managed to get seats for two easily. The place is quite a casual eatery with good quality udon at reasonable prices. There is also 8% GST that will be charged in the final bill.

A satisfying, colourful poke bowl! I liked that there were so many options to choose from - you can customise your poke, sides, base, garnish, and sauces. There’s a small sauce bar at the side where you can squeeze sauces onto your bowl and add garnishing on your own, which is great if you prefer to decide how much of each goes in and all. There are signature bowls too for the indecisive people that find themselves paralysed by the multitude of choices.

Overall this is a fuss free, healthy “fast” food option, suitable for those who want something quick and casual. We’re not huge eaters so the Light size (75g poke) was just right for us. We visited on a Sunday afternoon, and there was quite a bit of seating in the area.

We indulged ourselves with these little snacks on sticks, deep fried with seasoning. Very sinful, but the seasoning and the crunch make it so addictive. There’s a fair range of loklok to choose from, and the platter comes with some simple Asian style sauces.

Finding the shop was a bit shady as a whiff of cigarette smoke overwhelmed me when I entered the mall, followed by some pretty girls in short dresses and high heels walking past me. The loklok shop itself was fine though - the dining area is in a dimly lit bar, with high chairs and all.

There’re two screens in the bar where they play and screen karaoke songs. You can ask for the mic if you’re brave (or drunk) enough to sing in front of all the customers. At some point I think some of the staff were singing some Chinese songs.

Was overall a fun experience enjoying our loklok with some soju, singing along to some pop songs - yeah we didn’t take the mic - but sang, ate and drink to our heart’s (and stomach’s) content!

Now the differences between buying these fries ala carte instead of paying more for a set (fries + drink) to go with your burgers is: you get more fries, and you get a special dip - choose between Truffle Mayo, Spicy Mayo, Cheese Sauce, or House Tartar. The fries that come with the normal set just comes with the classic ketchup and/or chilli.

We chose the Truffle Mayo and it was surprisingly amazing! Honestly it was totally unexpected but we ended up loving every bit of it and polished the whole container of dip with our fries. The truffle taste was strong and fragrant, and the creaminess of the mayo just tied everything together well. Would recommend this for all truffle lovers out there.

Oh and I forgot to comment on the fries after raving so much about the sauce 😂 The fries were goooood. Crispy on the outside with substantial amounts of potato on the inside. It was a great accompaniment to the burgers.

There’s quite a bit of seating area in the restaurant but it can be quite crowded during peak periods, due to the hype around it right now. We visited on a weekday early evening and had to queue for about 20minutes or so, before being seated and proceeding to make our orders.

Overall a pleasant experience - this is a place you can consider if you’re at the Somerset area and craving for some good ol classic burgers.

Beef Patty was pretty good, and the brioche bun absorbed most of the juices up deliciously. I liked that it was just a no frills cheeseburger, but executed well. Simple but good.

It’s worth a try for burger enthuasiasts, and its convenient location doesn’t give you many excuses not to give it a shot. I wouldn’t mind coming back again to try their other burgers if I’m around the area.

There’s quite a bit of seating area but it can be quite crowded during peak periods, due to the hype around it. We visited on a weekday early evening and had to queue for about 20minutes or so, before being seated and proceeding to make our orders.

Overall a pleasant experience - a place you can consider if you’re at the Somerset area and craving for some good ol classic burgers.

I had a burger craving, and Hambaobao hit the spot. Hammered it, even. It was a simple, no frills burger, but each element was executed perfectly. The beef patty was so juicy and full of flavour, just a bite in and I was already in heaven.

The shop is tucked at the corner on the 3rd floor of Trio Building, so it can be a little bit difficult to find. But trust me - it’s worth the hunt. It has an open kitchen and bar concept, with Lil’s Taproom sharing the space, providing craft beers (and even kombuchas, if you’re feeling healthy) to pair with your badass burgers.

I’ll be back to try their other burgers and drinks, definitely!

Unfortunately we didn’t quite enjoy the subs here. Bread was dry, ingredients were average, overall taste of the sub was average, and definitely not worth the price tag - we’d very much prefer Subway. Even with the 1-for-1 Beyond deal, I’d hesitate recommending this place because $4-5 (after beyond’s discount) for just a subpar sandwich is not worth it.

We actually stood at the Blimpie counter for a full five minutes being ignored, before the staff said that we have to order Blimpies at 800deg woodfired kitchen counter instead. I thought a sign telling us to do so would’ve been helpful. At least the staff was quite friendly.

Overall - wouldn’t come back, wouldn’t recommend.

Pork katsu was very crispy and juicy. The nori rice was a pleasant surprise as it was mixed with roe and furikake, making the whole dish very tasty. The bowl also comes with half an ajitama and a few small slices of pickled radish.

Serving size was average. Personally I thought it was a pretty good deal for bar food in the Orchard area after the Burpple Beyond 1-for-1 deal, all things considered. To note that the 1-for-1 deal is only applicable for dons and udons, with no exceptions in these categories.

Staff were friendly and helpful, creating a positive overall dining experience. The bar is spacious with multiple tables and chairs for groups, and its laid back atmosphere makes it suitable for casual group gatherings. Decoration-wise this place was pretty unique - dimly lit, with the ceilings and walls lined with unique toys, bottles of alcohol, neon signages, and street graffiti.

I would come back if I were around the area and craving for casual Japanese food, but only with the Burpple Beyond 1-for-1 deal.

We also got a free mug (yes, they were pretty generous with the serving size!) of highball after reviewing them on Google. Good stuff, or should I say GudSht? I guess they do live up to their name indeed.

The army stew was rather thin and light tasting, similar to the type of soup you’d get in instant noodles. I was expecting a heavier, stronger tasting one. It’s still overall an okay tasting soup though, if you think of it just as a fancy instant noodle soup of some sort. Could do with more of them thicker chunkier spam instead of thinly sliced ham too. The stews comes with a small bowl of rice as well by default but feel free to pay more for additional noodles.

As part of the Burpple deal, you get a drink (choice between canned coke or canned ice lemon tea) and an ice cream (melona, supposedly).
But the owner didn’t tell us when we were ordering that there was no more ice cream, so only after we’ve paid and finished our meal that he told us there was no ice cream left and offered to give us a can drink in replacement. Which was SO not worth it btw, but honestly what can we say!? We’ve already paid - my opinion is that he should’ve checked and made sure we were okay with the replacement before he took our payment. Otherwise, the staff was actually quite nice.

We visited on a Thursday evening and there were not many patrons. It was easy enough to get a seat although the shop is small with limited capacity - a table for 4 and a counter-facing table for 2-3. Wouldn’t be suitable for big groups.
In conclusion an alright choice for the price and location only after the Burpple deal. Would only get it if I happen to be around the area and am craving for some Korean stew but don’t want to pay too much for restaurant prices.

Quite the typical Taiwanese rice dish, everything tasted pretty normal. You order a Taiwanese dish at the food court and this is what you get. I think the braised pork could be braised longer to become more tender and flavourful but I think the current standard that it is is good enough for the convenience you get at the food court.

Definitely extremely reasonably priced with the Burpple 1-for-1 deal, it’s difficult to get cheap food in malls nowadays. We visited on a weekday to redeem the deal. They didn’t charge extra for takeaway so that was convenient for us.