Dabao Nation

Finally featuring Tea Party 🎉 I’ve come to understand why students like it - it’s super affordable and yummy in a comforting way. The Seafood Marinara has somewhat become my go to order - the pasta is always served al dente, piping hot in a tasty tomato sauce and the ingredients are pretty generous too! The staff here are always friendly and the aunty has a knack for remembering the special orders of her regulars.

So happy that I’ve finally found a chicken rice that I would crave for! I’m not one to eat chicken rice usually as I dislike the heavy, oily feeling the meal usually leaves me, but not this one! This one feels “healthier”.

For me, I judge my chicken rice by the rice and the condiments - this one definitely gets ticks for both. The rice is fragrant and fluffy, with each individual rice grain separated but not too oily. The condiments really complete the dish - the chilli is equal parts garlicky + tangy and I like how the ginger is freshly grated, topped off with spring onions, instead of being doused in oil.

The Social Kitchen is truly a hidden gem at Orchard/Dhoby Ghaut. Nestled on the 4th floor of the YMCA building, TSK is a social enterprise that partners with community organisations to operate their kitchen and cafe to optimally benefit the disadvantaged. I chanced upon them while scrolling through Grab, where their 1-1 offer on their vegetarian series caught my eye.

The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente with an addictive tomato based sauce on the sweeter side. Not quite sure how I feel about the “NoMeatballs” as it is my first time trying them. I was served by a really sweet waitress and her friendly supervisor who quickly whipped up another portion of pasta when they realised they had gotten my order wrong ☺️.