Curry Chee Cheong Fun QI LI XIANG 七里香 is probably one of those names that would be familiar to those whom are regularly around the Novena neighbourhood — these folks have been situated around Royal Square @ Novena for quite a while for now, though they had recently vacated their small nook around the corner in the vicinity of the link bridge between Velocity @ Novena Square and Royal Square @ Novena in favour of a larger-sized unit within the same mall that they are located in. Now situated closer towards the main entrance of Royal Square @ Novena from Thomson Road, its new premises are bigger and brighter — these folks had ditched the old-school coffeeshop theme that they had adopted for their previous space in favour for a look that is brighter with a cafe-like appearance; with a more simple design decor that comprises of cushioned stools and white tables for its dine-in furnishings, this matched quite well with the white walls and wooden accents in the other furniture and fittings. One can also observe several quotes that has been plastered over the wall. Being an establishment that is positioned similarly to the likes of what we now dub as Nanyang Kopitiam-themed dining establishments, QI LI XIANG’s menu heavily focuses on what one would expect to find at such establishments that centres around Malaysian Chinese-style cuisine; the food menu comprises of dishes like Nasi Lemak, Fried Bee Hoon, as well as several meat plus rice dishes — for those whom are looking for noodle dishes to go for, there is also the Luncheon Egg Noodles, Hor Fun Soup Noodles and Laksa. Other dishes offered at QI LI XIANG includes a line-up of toasts and Chee Cheong Fun items, while the range of beverages available includes Nanyang-style Kopi & Teh, as well as Milo, ginger-based beverages and chrysanthemum tea amongst others.
Whilst the main focus at QI LI XIANG would really be on their Nasi Lemak / Rice offerings (which we had also tried their Nasi Lemak during our visit made to their previous location within Royal Square @ Novena), we had always been wanting to give their Curry Chee Cheong Fun. The Curry Chee Cheong Fun is part of a line-up of three (3) Chee Cheong Fun dishes that QI LI XIANG has to offer — these would namely be the Curry Chee Cheong Fun, Prawns HK Style Chee Cheong Fun and the Sweet Sauce Chee Cheong Fun. QI LI XIANG does not describe on the elements that would come with their dishes; that being said, it is worthwhile to note that the Curry Chee Cheong Fun is available in both ala-carte or as a set — patrons would be able to pick between a large-sized hot drink or small-sized cold drink if they went with the set. It can be observed from our order that the Curry Chee Cheong Fun came with elements such as beancurd puff, long beans, spring onions and half of a hard-boiled egg. More of light bite than a full meal, the portion of the Curry Chee Cheong Fun is a little bit on the smaller side; one can also order the Curry Chee Cheong Fun as a side to share around the table as well. Going for the Curry Chee Cheong Fun, we liked how the rice vermicelli rolls were pretty springy — they also absorbed much of the flavour of the curry gravy that it was drenched in. That being said, it is of no doubt that the true star of the dish was actually the curry gravy itself — this was immensely fragrant; there is quite a bit of complexity in its flavours coming from the rempah spices where it can be described as savoury and umami, hitting all of the right notes without being particularly jelak from the addition of coconut milk. The dish was also adequately spicy; one that should be pretty manageable for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness — all that whilst the beancurd puffs have also absorbed the curry gravy and releases a burst of flavours as one chews on them. The long beans here adds an element of crunch that gives the Curry Chee Cheong Fun another dimension of textures.
Whilst we were making our order at the counter, we were informed by the staff that for the Kaya Butter Toast, they were serving up the bread that comes with their Thick Toast line-up rather than the brown sugar-infused bread that is being illustrated on the printed menu for the Kaya Butter Toast. We went for the Kaya Butter Toast anyway despite the difference, though it does seem that the bread that these folks use for their Thick Toast offerings does seem to be that of commercially-made loaves that can be easily found at supermarkets. There really isn’t much to comment on the Kaya Butter Toast from QI LI XIANG; considering how the local F&B scene has been infiltrated by many of such Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishments that serve up more inspiring versions of the Kaya Butter Toast, we did find that it is a shame that QI LI XIANG had served up a version that is pretty average at best that doesn’t really leave an impression to say the least. One thing that QI LI XIANG does seem to pride itself on would be their Iced Kopi; this item is also sometimes referred to as their QLX Signature Iced Kopi in some of its marketing collaterals. Though the Iced Kopi at QI LI XIANG does come short without the overflow element, the Iced Kopi still comes with that frothy and bubbly aesthetic that Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishments typically serve up.
The Iced Kopi at QI LI XIANG does come with a inherent sweetness as the coffee beans used in the Hainanese-style Kopi here have been roasted with margarine; we do note that the Kopi is definitely thicker than most around, while the level of sweetness does seem to be well managed — definitely quite close to what one would get from across the border. QI LI XIANG is one of those establishments that we had been longing to make a revisit for quite a while — these folks are pretty much a hidden gem that is rarely mentioned about on social media. Whilst the bread used for the Kaya Butter Toast was a little bit of a letdown for us during our visit to their relocated shop unit at Royal Square @ Novena, the Curry Chee Cheong Fun still carried a rather authentically Malaysian flavour that we would associate with QI LI XIANG having previously tried them out before. Prices of their ala-carte rice, Nasi Lemak and Fried Bee Hoon dishes range from $7.90 to $12.90; a little steep compared to that of a food court setting but QI LI XIANG offers a nicer dining environment with air-conditioning which we find to be still reasonable overall. Looking forward to be back to give their Nasi Lemak a go again; wishing these folks success in all that is to come!