Welcome to Kovan.

It has been a while since the BreadTalk group had introduced a concept with a nostalgic coffeeshop vibe after the openings of the Toast Box outlet at Ngee Ann City, as well as both Toast Box Coffee House and Today Restaurant 日日茶室 at Tiong Bahru in 2024 — that being said, the group seems to be starting the year of 2025 with a bang with the opening of Today Restaurant’s second location at Upper Serangoon Road. This outlet of Today Restaurant is situated within walking distance away from Kovan MRT Station; the establishment taking over the former premises of the coffeeshop where Yi Dian Xin Hong Kong Dim Sum 一点心港式点心 was once located at. The Today Restaurant location at Upper Serangoon Road is decked fairly similarly to the very first location of Today Restaurant at Tiong Bahru — the space had been decked in a vibe that replicates the look of an old-school coffeeshop way back during simpler times; there are some cues of nostalgia that one can observe within the space such as the abacus hung on the walls, as well as fittings replicating old mailboxes and the vintage payphone placed around one of the pillars of the establishment. There is plenty of dine-in seating that can be found around the space; most of which features colourful tables that replicate old-school Formica tables matched with wooden chairs and stools to further go with that retro look. Much like Today Restaurant at Tiong Bahru, Today Restaurant at Kovan is a multi-concept eatery almost similar to the likes of an actual coffeeshop with several brands located under one roof — the main offerings would be that of Today Kampung Chicken Rice 日日甘榜鸡饭 and Tonight Zichar 夜夜煮炒; the latter being available form 5pm to 3am. Other tenants that share a space with Today Kampung Chicken Rice and Tonight Zichar within Today Restaurant includes First Street Teochew Fish Soup 第一街潮州鱼汤 and First Street Fried Prawn Noodles 第一街炒虾面, as well as the Today Kopi / Nanyang Toast stall tucked right at the end of the space.

Despite being much of the same concept within Today Restaurant at Tiong Bahru, there are some slight differences in the items offered at Today Kampung Chicken Rice, Tonight Zichar and Today Kopi / Nanyang Toast at the Today Restaurant in Kovan. That being said, we had decided to give First Street Fried Prawn Noodles a go instead considering how they seemed to be a relatively new entrant introduced by Today Restaurant at its Kovan location. There are only two (3) items listed on the menu at First Street Fried Prawn Noodles; one being the Signature Big Prawn Fried Prawn Noodles and the other being the Fried Prawn Noodles; the former comes in a single portion size that is priced at $12, while the latter comes in three portion sizes that are priced at $6, $8 and $10 respectively. We went for the Fried Prawn Noodles at the smallest portion priced at $6. There is some waiting time involved with the cooking of our order, though patrons are issued electronic buzzers to collect their order at the counter once it is ready. While the menu at Today Restaurant does not describe the elements that goes into their dishes, it can be observed from our order of the Fried Prawn Noodles that it comes with sotong, prawns, pork lard, sliced pork, omelette, beansprouts and spring onions that had been simmered in a broth that is also served with a mix of thick rice noodles and yellow noodles.

The Fried Prawn Noodles are done with a slightly more dry consistency here, having seemed to have absorbed all the umami-ness of the stock that it is being simmered in; the stock being adequately thick and flavourful, while the noodles does seem to come with a very light touch of wok-hei. The addition of Sotong does provide for a springy bite, while the three (3) pieces of prawns were reasonably fresh and came with a sweetness that it inherently carries; the sliced pork adding a chunky meatiness that gives a bit of bite without being particularly porky, while the chopped-up omelette adds a fluffiness in between the chunks of meat, slurpy noodles and umami broth. Mixing the sambal into the noodles, this helps to add a zingy yet savoury note with a level of spiciness that should be manageable for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness; the addition of beansprouts also provided a dimension of crunch for more texture.

Meanwhile, the Kopi from the Today Kopi / Nanyang Toast stall is largely consistent to what one can expect out of Toast Box outlets / the beverage stalls at Food Republic food courts — we did find that the mugs used at Today Restaurant at Kovan to come with a nostalgic flair; the Kopi also does seemed to be served less sweet by default as well. It was initially thought that the Upper Serangoon Road area around Kovan would had lost a dining establishment that is opened till late when the previous operator of the coffeeshop had moved out of the premises before Today Restaurant has occupied the space — we are pretty glad to see how Today Restaurant has preserved that with its operations of Tonight Zichar going past well over midnight. With that being said, it remains to be seen if the popularity of Today Restaurant would only last for during its initial phase of opening, or if it would be for the long-term. That being said, one could also only wonder if we will be seeing more of such concepts from the BreadTalk group opening up all across the island in time to come …

So comforting and yummy. Food like this I eat too little because I associate them with cmi, but it's misguided.

Healthy and good, especially the ytf.

Again, tasty, generous but oily.

Tasty, generous but oily.

they're quite heavy-handed on the oil but not oily how to be crispy😂

Surprisingly satisfying. I love yam and the tau huay was good too. This usually has taro balls too but they had run out so we only have paste and mini taro balls.

I probably wouldn't choose to eat here but the fiancee was tempted. Mainstream veg. I do want to give five stars to the service. They're attentive and friendly. This service level is rare and it made me very pleased.

I probably wouldn't choose to eat here but the fiancee was tempted. Claypot rice quite legit, especially after seeing this place is opened by a real chef. The use of pork is unusual but it's very good pork. I do want to give five stars to the service. They're attentive and friendly. This service level is rare and it made me very pleased.

Medium but doesn't feel so. I finished easily. I prefer Simon Road Hokkien mee.

We finally tried this pasta-focused stall. I'm impressed. The pasta was no-holds-barred, sibei strong. The chicken was grilled so well it's crispy machiam fried.

[Hougang, Singapore 🇸🇬]

Sliced Red Grouper Fish Soup (S$12)
Fish Maw (S$2)
Rice (S$0.50)

Soon Lee Fish Soup
Address 🛖 : 4 Defu Lane 10, Singapore 🇸🇬 539185