Chinese New Year @ Xin Wang Taiwan Cafe

Having eaten at Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe several times previously, I was kinda glad to have the chance to eat at the Taiwan version of the cafe yesterday, when we had to settle dinner outside with my sister & her daughter, Tiffany, before we go house-visiting.

I hadn't expected the outlet at Bukit Panjang Plaza to be open on the 2nd day of Chinese New Year. So might as well try something new for the new year, right? ;) The menu not as extensive as the Hong Kong cafes.......or rather, there's nearly as many snacks as main courses to choose from, which I guess is unavoidable since the Taiwanese street snacks are so popular.

We got a long table, which Sam & Tiffany could fit comfortably without resorting to the wooden baby chairs. My problem was trying to keep Sam on the bench, since he kept scrambling down under the table to retrieve his cars whenever they fall off the table.

Hubby ordered a Braised Minced Pork Rice 鲁肉饭 ($6.80), which he shared with Sam. The pork was actually not minced, but fatty meat sliced thinly. The Taiwanese style of braised meat tends to be sweet, instead of salty. I don't really mind it, but I've tasted better. Sam enjoyed everything though, including the braised egg that came with the dish.

My sis shared the Stir-fried Bee Hoon with Braised Meat 台式炒米粉 ($4; $3 without the meat) with Tiffany. The Taiwanese-styled bee hoon is different from our local version too - white & plain with no sauce nor bean sprouts. Tiffany managed the dish on her own on the small white plastic plate that's available at every table, as with the metal fork (and all the other cutlery). I fed Sam from a small white plastic bowl I requested from the waiter.

I myself had ordered the sinful Crispy Fermented Chicken Rice 南乳鸡排饭 ($7.80), which took the longest time to serve. The fermented chicken tasted quite good, though a tad similar to their Taiwanese Salted Chicken 盐酥鸡 ($4.80). Sam loved both versions.........I guess being crispy & juicy was more important.

The biggest surprise, for me, came in the way the drinks were served. I had not expected all the cold drinks we had ordered to be in bubble tea style: plastic cups sealed at the top, to be pierced with a fat straw. After all, we didn't expect any chewy pearls in my Ice Calamansi Tea ($2), the Ice Honey Lemon Tea ($2) nor the Homemade Barley ($1.50).

Sam didn't fancy the Barley I ordered for him (luckily I like its obvious homecooked richness, with plenty of barley in the cup), fighting instead for my Calamansi Tea, which was both sour & sweet, just the way we like it. The drinks took longer to prepare than the food apparently, being served after most of the dishes had appeared on the table. Perhaps none of the young staff on duty during the holidays were familiar with the sealing mechanism? ;P

All in all, we spent just under an hour inside the restaurant, thanks to its prompt service & serving of food. Just right for our purpose!


Xin Wang Taiwan Cafe
1 Jelebu Road
#02-27/32 Bukit Panjang Plaza
Tel: 6892-6953

T3 - Xin Wang

Brought Sam to Changi Airport last Friday, when his childcare centre was closed for preparation for the new school year. It was our 1st visit to Terminal 3, and Sam was excited during the train trip to the airport. Asked me at every train stop if it was our turn to get off the MRT!

We both enjoyed T3, which wasn't crowded, that being a blessing when the suburban malls were all jostling with crowds even on a weekday afternoon. For lunch I took the 1st restaurant I came across in the 3Top area, Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe (新旺香港茶餐厅), partly because I have the membership card and thus would be able to accumulate rebates to offset my next bill.

The waitresses were very friendly & prompt, maybe cos the outlet wasn't as busy as the ones in Anchorpoint & Northpoint, where it was sometimes impossible to attract the attention of the serving staff. The 2 of us were given a large 4-seater couch table, which I accepted since Sam was tall enough to eat on it, without using the plastic-and-metal foldable baby chair.

One convenience about this restaurant chain was the utensils are placed in a special holder on every table, which means I could choose the metal fork & spoon, or in this case, the chinese soup spoon, without the hassle of bothering the waitresses. Of course, it also means that on the smaller tables, I have to look out for Sam grabbing the utensils or knocking the whole contraption off the table.

Ordered the fried mee sua with luncheon meat & egg ($7.50) for Sam. Admittedly it wasn't a healthy choice. But then, the restaurant is about quick & affordable HK-styled cafe food, so it's a matter of choosing the lesser evil from the menu, the moment one decides to dine there. Moreover, my choice was based more on the likelihood of Sam liking the dish. ;P

Well, my son enjoyed the egg & luncheon meat, as I expected him to. The mee sua was soft & smooth from its bed of oily sauce and it was a new taste of noodles for Sam, but he took to it well, finishing half the portion. I had forgotten to toss the mee sua thoroughly before cutting it up in the small plastic bowl I had requested the waitress for, so the noodles turned out a trifle dry & sticky. The 2nd serving to Sam was better after I tossed the noodles.

The vegetables were a total turn off, though, looking yellowish & limp with a thick coat of congealing gravy when it was served. The kitchen staff was obviously not as good as the ones in Northpoint, where I've eaten a much better version of the exact same dish earlier this month.

For drinks I got Sam the hot barley ($2.50), which was homemade and a trifle sweet for my taste, but then Sam loved it, so what could I say? My shanghai-styled fried rice with pork chop ($8.50) turned out to be too salty for me, with all the preserved vegetables (梅菜) fried into the rice. So I had to order a 2nd drink, hot honey green tea ($2.70), to help me finish the meal. Sam loved the sweet drink, which had more honey than green tea. In fact, I could hardly tell that it was green tea!

The main advantage of dining on level 4 of the 3Top area was the view. I could see the planes landing & taking off from my seat, since the restaurant had no windows & was open to the Viewing Hall. Sam, being much shorter, could only see the planes only if he stands on the chair. And it was a good thing the toilets - with foldable diaper changing station - are just behind the restaurant too, when I had to change Sam's diaper immediately after the meal. Sam even tried to drink from the automatic water cooler outside the toilets, but I forbade him as he was still a trifle too short for the child's version & risked getting all his clothes wet.

All in all, T3 would have become a fav place to bring Sam, if not for the fact that it takes us one whole hour to travel there from the west!


Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe 新旺香港茶餐厅
Changi Airport Terminal 3
#04-02 North Viewing Mall
Tel: 6241-5201