Wok-kissed Hokkien mee & tasty kaya toast at viral hole-in-wall eatery

I don’t often have enterprise in Balestier, the land of lighting and {hardware} outlets as many may understand it. Nevertheless, there I used to be on a Tuesday afternoon for one goal: Bao Er Cafe. If you happen to’re all caught up within the food-o-sphere, you’ve in all probability heard a lot about this native eatery. And sure, it was lastly my flip to test them out.

Bao Er Cafe began out as fairly the epitome of a hidden gem. Tucked away on the second flooring of dingy ol’ Balestier Plaza, this no-frills eatery is minimally furnished and drably lit, exuding an unpretentious ambiance throughout.

Nevertheless, atmosphere isn’t typically an eatery’s most important attraction; many would a lot somewhat let the meals do the speaking. What a terrific job Bao Er Cafe did at that — their scrumptious choices proceeded to rack up a lot on-line buzz and media protection that turned the eatery into considerably of an area sensation. Lengthy queues are basically a day by day affair there now.

Specifically, many have raved about their kaya toast and Hokkien mee, vouching for his or her high quality as a few of the finest in Singapore. As anticipated, a lot discourse has been sparked amongst locals; Bao Er Cafe’s tackle these favourites has met with its justifiable share of cynicism as a lot because it has acclaim.

For sure, the one query on my thoughts was: is it well worth the hype or not? There was just one solution to discover out!

What I attempted at Bao Er Cafe

I had my sights set on the Kaya Butter Toast Set (S$5) ever since I got here throughout photos of it on-line. No joke, all I may take into consideration previous to my go to was the second I’d lastly get to sink my enamel into these glorious-looking squares of famed toast.

Every bit of golden brown toast consisted of two halved slices of twice-toasted bread slathered in loads of thick housemade kaya that spilled out over its edges. Sandwiched inside every was a thick slab of chilly butter. Oh, these actually had been beautiful within the flesh.

First chew—or somewhat, crunch—in and I used to be offered. Toasted to a tee, the bread was completely gentle and crispy, flaking aside in my mouth like a fragile French pastry would. It was complemented effectively by the pleasantly candy and fragrant coconut kaya, which had a velvety consistency that I’d liken to a stunning cross between custard and cake frosting. 

After which there was the creamy slab of chilly butter, including an opulent smoothness and layer of richness that splendidly tied all of it collectively. This. That is how all kaya toast needs to be.

Accompanying the toast as a part of the Set was a drink and a pair of soft-boiled eggs you could get pleasure from with as a lot soy sauce and pepper as you want. You may as well get the Kaya Butter Toast by itself for simply S$2 — a steal in this financial system and undoubtedly what I’d go for in multiples on my subsequent go to.

Subsequent up on the chopping block was the Signature Deluxe Hokkien Mee (S$9), the “premium” model of the Chef-recommended Signature Hokkien Mee (S$7) — the opposite of Bao Er Cafe’s most raved gadgets.

Although the eatery is a comparatively new fixture in our native meals scene, their Signature Hokkien Mee carries a seasoned contact. For a bit of context, Bao Er Cafe is helmed by the homeowners of Prawnography, a well-established Hokkien mee joint that debuted in 2022.

If you happen to’re questioning the place the Deluxe aspect comes into play, simply check out these components. Embedded within the noodles had been squid, a number of prawns and plump scallops — the latter of which I’d by no means encountered in Hokkien mee earlier than.

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And now, the second of reality — will this reside as much as the hype just like the Kaya Butter Toast did? Lengthy story brief: it completely did. As somebody who appreciates a great steadiness of moisture in my Hokkien mee, this was proper up my alley. 

The dish was extremely sturdy, possessing a definite seafood sweetness that melded with the smoky notes of its pronounced wok hei. Every spoonful, loaded with al dente noodles enveloped in wealthy umami gravy that was sticky in the easiest way, exploded with flavour in my mouth.

Let’s not neglect the components, too — the crunchy recent prawns, succulent scallops, chewy squid and meaty slivers of pork stomach all had a hand in elevating every mouthful.

If you happen to crave a spicy kick, don’t hesitate to combine a few of their vibrant house-made chilli into your noodles. Infused with zesty hints of lime, the mix not solely provides a light burst of warmth but additionally imparts a refreshing contact of acidity that successfully balances out the flavours of the dish ought to it get cloying for you (though I extremely doubt it could).

My ultimate dish, the Sambal Kampung Fried Rice (S$6.50), is one which few on-line opinions communicate of compared to the Kaya Butter Toast and Hokkien Mee. I ordered it out of pure curiosity — may Bao Er Cafe’s acclaim lengthen past the excitement about its 2 hottest dishes? Apart from, it appeared like a alternative price exploring as I’m an enormous fan of sambal kampung fried rice myself.

If I had been being utterly sincere, the plate that I used to be offered with regarded somewhat underwhelming. The fried rice barely lined the entire plate — definitely not the perfect value-for-money with the S$6.50 price ticket in thoughts.

The dish wasn’t probably the most vibrant both, simply golden brown fried rice dotted with bits of egg, ikan bilis and purple shallots. Sporting minimal purple flecks of sambal, it didn’t look nor style as spicy as I’d have appreciated.

Furthermore, the briny saltiness of the ikan bilis scattered all through lent the fried rice a predominantly salty flavour profile that overshadowed any sambal current. The occasional sliver of shallot reduce by the saltiness with a welcome however fleeting contact of umami.

There was a discernible wok hei that didn’t style overly burnt, although. The dish wasn’t too oily both.

Nevertheless, there was nonetheless a lot to be desired from this plate of fried rice, each by way of style and texture. For one, I’d have most popular if the ikan bilis was fried a bit of crispier for a pleasant textural distinction. Above all, the dish may undoubtedly have finished with extra sambal for extra kick, acidity and flavour steadiness.

Sadly, the Sambal Kampung Fried Rice did not wow me like its counterparts did.

Closing Ideas

Detractors apart, the opinions actually don’t lie. Bao Er Cafe’s most-raved-about dishes actually lived as much as each little bit of reward they’ve obtained, at the least primarily based on my private expertise. 

Each the tasty Kaya Butter Toast and wok-kissed Signature Hokkien Mee are must-tries and may simply contend for a few of the finest in Singapore. I can’t say the identical for the Sambal Kampung Fried Rice, however just a few tweaks within the recipe may undoubtedly raise the dish.

Would I return to Balestier only for Bao Er Cafe? Completely. Who may say no to tasty native fare that’s priced so affordably?

Anticipated injury: S$2 – S$9 per pax

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