Isle Cafe, Cuppage Plaza
Some of you have noticed that my posts have gotten a little irregular lately. Thing is, life's gotten incredibly busy. Apparently, fitting out a home requires a lot of work! This sudden realization is exacerbated by the Hubs falling prey to the aedes mozzie, leaving me to juggle a million to dos. From the renovation quotations, to the furniture shopping and electronics comparables, not to mention the driving to the various ends of the island to get cookware, bakeware, utensils, dinnerware, flatware, serveware, drinkware, bed linens and whatnots, I'm a solo warrior. If I didn't fully appreciate how having a partner in life halves your workload before, I sure do now! And, because I'm looking for the best possible deal out there, I'm sifting through every single store to ensure I get maximum bang for my buck.
So, I was at Robinsons last weekend to get bedding and a Tempur mattress during their bi-annual sale. Quick aside: if you're thinking of getting a new mattress, get a Tempur. It's ah-mazing. You'll sleep like a baby in her mama's womb, I swear. It's THAT good. *end of aside* And, since I'm not a Robinsons member, I shamelessly asked a lady in the queue if I could "hop on" and utilise her discount as well. I know, I know, it's such "auntie" behaviour right? But, it was a good 40% discount so the thickened skin was completely worth it!
After getting my mattress and bedding, we headed to Cuppage Plaza for a no-frills cheapo lunch. After splurging on the Tempur, I was feeling quite broke. Cuppage Plaza is famous for 3 things, dodgy massage parlours, underrated restaurants frequented by Japanese expats so you know it's super authentic, and last but not least, hole-in-the-wall cze char and economic rice stalls that are dirt cheap.
We headed to Isle Café, one of many economic rice stalls, but with the longest queue, a sure-fire indication of good food. The food turned out more than decent. It wasn't particularly refined stuff, but it had that very-missed homecooked feel to it. Plus, 7 dishes for 2 persons cost us only $13! How ridiculously low is that? Although, we did see a baby roach traipsing across the cashier's countertop. It was really gross but if you think about it, the reality is that roaches present at almost every hawker center. Just because you don't see one doesn't mean they don't exist. There's just no way to completely eradicate such pests. At least it was a baby one and not a full grown one. And no, we were completely fine after dining here. No tummy upsets or anything.
We had the Ginger Pork, sautéed in a thick sticky dark soy and oyster sauce for a full-bodied flavour. The pork was very lean but it was sufficiently moist. This was great with steaming hot white rice.
The best thing about the Nonya-style Curry Chicken was the gravy. Thick, creamy, rich, with a manageable spiciness and completely droolworthy.
While the Pepper Chicken was a tad tough, it was still palatable.
The cannot-go-wrong option of Fried Luncheon Meat. So full of artificial junk but so dependably good.
The whites of the Fried Egg were a little rubbery but the yolks were perfectly done. Considering that these had been sitting in the display for a bit, the soft, semi-runny consistency of the yellows was quite the feat. Great for smearing it all over white rice.
The Sautéed Spinach had a clean and clear taste that was so delightful.
Strictly as a matter of personal preference, I would have liked the Stewed Cabbage to be softer as this had a bit of a crunch, but this was still pretty decent.
Isle Café
5 Koek Road
Cuppage Plaza #01-04
Tel: 6887 3834
Open daily from 7.30am to 7pm
So, I was at Robinsons last weekend to get bedding and a Tempur mattress during their bi-annual sale. Quick aside: if you're thinking of getting a new mattress, get a Tempur. It's ah-mazing. You'll sleep like a baby in her mama's womb, I swear. It's THAT good. *end of aside* And, since I'm not a Robinsons member, I shamelessly asked a lady in the queue if I could "hop on" and utilise her discount as well. I know, I know, it's such "auntie" behaviour right? But, it was a good 40% discount so the thickened skin was completely worth it!
After getting my mattress and bedding, we headed to Cuppage Plaza for a no-frills cheapo lunch. After splurging on the Tempur, I was feeling quite broke. Cuppage Plaza is famous for 3 things, dodgy massage parlours, underrated restaurants frequented by Japanese expats so you know it's super authentic, and last but not least, hole-in-the-wall cze char and economic rice stalls that are dirt cheap.
We headed to Isle Café, one of many economic rice stalls, but with the longest queue, a sure-fire indication of good food. The food turned out more than decent. It wasn't particularly refined stuff, but it had that very-missed homecooked feel to it. Plus, 7 dishes for 2 persons cost us only $13! How ridiculously low is that? Although, we did see a baby roach traipsing across the cashier's countertop. It was really gross but if you think about it, the reality is that roaches present at almost every hawker center. Just because you don't see one doesn't mean they don't exist. There's just no way to completely eradicate such pests. At least it was a baby one and not a full grown one. And no, we were completely fine after dining here. No tummy upsets or anything.
We had the Ginger Pork, sautéed in a thick sticky dark soy and oyster sauce for a full-bodied flavour. The pork was very lean but it was sufficiently moist. This was great with steaming hot white rice.
The best thing about the Nonya-style Curry Chicken was the gravy. Thick, creamy, rich, with a manageable spiciness and completely droolworthy.
While the Pepper Chicken was a tad tough, it was still palatable.
The cannot-go-wrong option of Fried Luncheon Meat. So full of artificial junk but so dependably good.
The whites of the Fried Egg were a little rubbery but the yolks were perfectly done. Considering that these had been sitting in the display for a bit, the soft, semi-runny consistency of the yellows was quite the feat. Great for smearing it all over white rice.
The Sautéed Spinach had a clean and clear taste that was so delightful.
Strictly as a matter of personal preference, I would have liked the Stewed Cabbage to be softer as this had a bit of a crunch, but this was still pretty decent.
Isle Café
5 Koek Road
Cuppage Plaza #01-04
Tel: 6887 3834
Open daily from 7.30am to 7pm
Comments
and cai fan is one of my favourite things. I never thought I'd say that, but after years of restaurants (excepting tapas) where you only have the option of one thing for your main, the variety is so liberating.
the haze has gotten so bad we're actually wearing masks in the office! there's no better time to travel out to the fresh(er) air of oz than now man. too bad our finances are all tied up in our new home...major sigh!
This is very bad for our health no matter where we are. Even if we are in air conditioned room, air con filters cannot filter such super fine particles. So well.. =(
btw coming back to food,Isle cafe food is not bad their zichar dishes such as hor fun and bee hoon goreng are quite good too.
Take care
time to get air purifiers!
didn't know isle cafe serves hor fan or bee hoon goreng. will try those nxt time, thanks for the tip!
Oh yes their curry puffs are quite good too!
btw: air purifiers are sold out. can't get any thus far