This Hong Kong-style cafe is a branch of Bugis St. Chuen Chuen Chicken Rice. They sell chicken rice in addition to noodle dishes and various Hong Kong Cha Chan Teng dishes.

I was introduced to this cafe by my Godparents in August 08 (I realised that the date of my first visit is captured in this picture). The cafe was pretty new but had become Godpa's favourite place for

Chee Cheong Fun

,

Yam Cakes

and

Glutinous Rice Dumplings

. I liked the food and told mum about it. I found myself there that very same evening because my mum wanted to try the food. Hmm, I think I should

wait a day or two

to tell mum about a new discovery in future since she kinda has a habit of wanting to try it pronto!

Yam Cake 芋头糕 @ S$2

The cafe makes their own

Yam Cake

. It was delicious with the distinctive flavour of the yam but don't expect it to be

filled with bits of Chinese Dried Sausages

. It's great for breakfast or snack throughout the day. I don't really like sweet sauces so its hard for me to appreciate the sweet sauce. I would usually order the Yam Cake with sweet sauce on the side or without any sweet sauce at all.

Chee Cheong Fun @ S$2 with sweet sauce, chili & lots of sesame seeds

Here's a picture of the Chee Cheong Fun (Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls) the way most people like it, ie. with a dollop of sweet sauce on top and chili sauce on the side.

I'm not a "sweet" person (ha ha...yeah, I'm salty, spicy and sour *chuckle*) so I like mine without sweet sauce. I also typically do not like the chili sauce that's served with these snacks because they tend to be sweetish tasting instead of being chili hot. I like it with soya sauce, oil and sesame seeds. The texture of the Chee Cheong Fun was smooth and I loved the crunchy texture and nutty flavour of the toasted sesame seeds.

Salted Egg Yolk Dumpling 咸肉粽 @ S$3 each

This is my favourite item here. It's a savoury Glutinous Rice Dumpling stuffed with Braised Pork, Stewed Chestnuts, Salted Egg Yolk (咸鸭蛋), Stewed Mushrooms, Dried Scallops and Mung Bean Paste. I love it because the glutinous rice grains had absorbed the rich flavours of the fillings, the quality of the salted egg yolks were good, the mung bean paste was deliciously savoury with a hint of sweetness, the stewed ingredients were tender to the bite and robustly seasoned. This is a Must-Try!

Gor Zeng Zong @ S$8

I prefer the Salted Egg Dumpling to the larger and rectangular dumpling (Cantonese: Gor Zeng Zong) because the latter has too much ingredients (fancy saying something like that?) 60% of the dumpling was made up of ingredients. The carb freak in me didn't have enough flavour-filled plump glutinous rice grains to satisfy me.

Do note that the dumplings are usually not available on weekends (they're usually made on Sundays for sale on Mondays). Please call ahead to check if you're headed down solely for the dumplings. They're also not available for sale during the Chinese New Year (CNY) period.

Traditional Ikan Parang Yu Sheng (西刀魚) / Raw Fish Salad (Large) @ S$10

Mum and I like to eat the Raw Fish Salad (traditional Yu Sheng). This was the version that I grew up eating all year round. I prefer it to the modern version served during Chinese New Year because it's not as sweet and the natural flavour of the fish is enhanced by the light seasoning (soy sauce, lime juice and oil).

Fish & Cuttlefish Porridge @ S$3.50

The Raw Fish Salad is a perfect companion for a steaming hot bowl of porridge. I like the Fish & Cuttlefish Porridge because the thick congee is sweetened by the flavour of the fresh fish and cuttlefish. We usually order some chicken to go with the porridge but I arrived late on this occasion and found that the plate of chicken was well, um...not very pretty...so I didn't snap a picture.

Chicken Macaroni @ S$4

This is another of my favourite dishes. I usually order it when I'm trying to eat light. I love macaroni because its easy to eat (all you need is a spoon for the macaroni) and it makes me feel like I'm eating healthier.

I like dipping the shredded chicken pieces into the spicy chicken rice chili sauce with ground ginger because it adds a kick.

Curry Chicken Noodles @ S$4

The Curry Chicken Noodles are reasonably tasty except for the amount of oil floating on top! Ok, I know we need some oil to lubricate the noodles and also to make the curry smoother but it could do with just a little less oil in this case. I loved the potatoes as they were reasonably soft (though not mushy) and were fabulous mashed on a spoon with some curry gravy for seasoning.

Portuguese Style Pork Cutlet @ S$5Served with steamed rice

One of my relatives loved the Chinese Style Pork Cutlet Rice. I didn't find it appealing because I hate sweet corn and the dish was served with quite alot of it. I tried the Portuguese Style Pork Cutlet instead because it was supposed to be a specialty and looked interesting.

It was like an interpretation of Curry Tonkatsu. The Breaded Pork Cutlet was juicy with a crisp crust. The sauce that was ladled over it tasted of butter, curry and perhaps some chicken stock . There were chopped bits of preserved vegetable in the sauce that added a crunchy texture and a slight hint of saltiness. It was delicious even though I'm not a huge fan of pork. This is a Must-Try!

Mango with Pomelo

I love mangoes and pomelo so I couldn't resist ordering this dessert. I didn't really like it as it was made with Thai Honey Mangoes which I feel are very sweet but do not possess the robust flavour that Alphonso Mangoes (seasonal) have. The pomelo sacs added a squirt of juice whenever bitten into, which is fun. I saw a few tables ordering the same dessert and they seemed pretty happy with it. As always, taste in food is but a matter of preference. If you love Thai Honey Mangoes, you'll love this dessert.

HK-Style Teh-C Kosong @ S$1.50 aka "Si Mud" Milk Tea

The HK Style Tea here is pretty good as it is not overly milky neither does it have too much tannins. I wish it was as fragrant as the Teh-C Kosong sold in Tiong Bahru but nonetheless, it is pretty good and is one of the better ones close to my home.

They are open throughout CNY and serve dinner even on the Eve of CNY. If you're too lazy to spend hours slaving in the kitchen, you can order takeaway portions of Poon Choy (a layered hodgepodge of vegetables, seafood and meat) and Yu Sheng amongst other things. Apparently, the claypot is included (at no additional cost) with takeaway portions of Poon Choy. I guess it makes sense since you'd need to warm it up.

If you need to take a look at the CNY menu, please view it here: CNY Takeaway Menu and CNY Set Menu.

Chuen Chuen Cafe

17 Upper East Coast Road, Crescendo Building (next to Jalan Tua Kong) Singapore 455208

Telephone: +65 6445-3164

Operating Hours: Daily: 7.30am to 11.00pm