the shelter (Fook Hai Bldg)

It is very interesting to see them selling some local dishes like Mee Siam at this place.

But this curry chicken with focaccia attracted me eventually. The curry was surprisingly so rich and tasty that I finished the whole bowl with the focaccia bread. The curry also comes with few pieces of chicken and potatoes.

The rosemary and garlic focaccia really give its fragrant taste when you dipped it with the curry.

The Shelter is a store selling clothing and merchandise, but most people come here to enjoy their foods and drinks also.

You know the weather has been very hectic these few days, so this air-conditioned shop is the perfect place to hide from this hot weather outside.

That’s the reason I choose to go for something refreshing with their grapefruit oolong. A cold brew oolong over house-made grapefruit purée.

However I didn’t taste much of the oolong taste in the drink. But more with the grapefruit purée.

Stumbled upon this cafe at Fook Hai building as I was around Hong Lim market, and it had a decent crowd for an off peak afternoon. Smelled the aroma of the curry and got hungry, and while it isn’t the most wallet friendly, it was one of the more delicious chicken curries I’ve had. The sauce had its balance all right - the consistency, the spice, the coconut milkiness. Chicken was wildly tender, and the best part was the rosemary and garlic focaccia chunks that blended perfectly with the rich curry sauce. They serve other local cuisines as well like Mee Siam and Mee rebus, which all look delicious from their menu. But this is one place I’d bring a friend, both for their excellent coffee and food offerings.

Rate:🌟🌟🌟🌟

For dessert, I was eyeing their creamy Biscoff gelato ($5.50/ scoop) though the others (will get the Hojicha next time) on display tasted great as well. Milky but not overly so, the kind of buttery, caramelised flavour really came through. Studded with bits of cookie crumbs, it was also not too sweet and was wonderfully smooth. Loving their selection of house-made gelato, I found their Charcoal Matcha Waffle ($3.50) to be even more enjoyable as the texture was a nice in-between of dense and airy. The areas with the matcha batter were slightly softer while the charcoal batter seemed to yield a crisper crunch. And I was most impressed by the fact that the mixed batter had a pleasant sweet aroma with the green edges offering a pronounced roasted tea flavour.

What a great hidden find it turned out to be, The Shelter located in Fook Hai Building boasts quite a unique blend of localised bites and cafe fare. Here for dinner, their Curry Chicken with Rice (S$7) was affordable and of a good portion size. With a rich spiced and well-balanced gravy, the bowl also came with a substantial amount of potato chunks and tender fall-off-the-bones meat. Best post-workout comfort food.

I have been to @theshelterroot before for their quality coffee, and I'm glad that I've tried their gelato this time as well!

The Ocean Grey ($6.50) may look gimmicky to some, but if you like your earl grey, this is a flavour you should get. The earl grey flavour is strong yet not overboard, and it doesn't have this strong artificial floral scent. The milk base of the gelato is also good, giving a good richness to the earl grey flavour.

The Matcha ($.5.50) was really strong, almost too strong in my opinion. It can get quite bitter towards the end, but as a matcha lover, this is definitely not a problem to me! We were surprised to find little mochi bits within the gelato which added great texture to the ice cream!

For both gelato flavours they gave a generous scoop as well. Definitely recommend if you are around the area 😍