Staring at the rows of swish restaurants along Orchard Road, it’s reasonable to conclude that meals at the shopping district can be costly. Yet there’s actually plenty of affordable dining options in Orchard, and most of them happen to be in Far East Plaza.
Don’t be fooled by its plain appearance. Step through its doors and you’ll find cheap French food, value-for-money chirashi, and delicious salted egg yolk pork ribs. Bookmark this page the next time you visit Orchard Road and check out these nine Far East Plaza food places!
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Image credit: @174174
Nothing seems to go wrong with salted egg yolk, and New Station Snack Bar has long proven that with their Salted Egg Yolk Pork Ribs ($13++/$19++). Redolent of curry leaves, the creamy and savoury sauce adds depth to the meat. Don’t worry about the dish being jelak, as the chilli padi cuts through the rich gravy with a fiery kick.
Unit number: #05-95
Opening hours: Wed-Fri 11:30am to 9pm, Sat 11:30am to 9:30pm, Sun-Mon 11:30am to 9pm
Tel: 6734 2862
Website
New Station Snack Bar is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @kitchenmaddies
Drop by Far East Plaza during lunch and you’ll notice a snaking queue forming outside Maddie’s Kitchen. This homely eatery has built a growing fan base with their Hainanese curry rice sets. Special mention goes out to their Pork Chop Set (from $7), which are coated with hand-crushed cream crackers and boasts a resonant crunch. Another dish worth returning for is their Oyster Omelette (from $12), which showcases freshly-imported oysters from Korea.
Unit number: #02-10/11/12/13
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 9pm
Tel: 6365 0501
Website
Maddie’s Kitchen is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @turboblackmoo
Even if you aren’t a regular at Far East Plaza, you probably would have heard of Hainanese Delicacy. Their Chicken Rice ($4.80) is fluffy and fragrant, while also lacking a greasy aftertaste. Although some may find the dish rather bland, it pairs well with both their garlicky chilli sauce and their signature Salted Vegetable Duck Soup ($6).
Unit number: #05-116
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am to 8pm
Tel: 6734 0639
Hainanese Delicacy is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @gabond99
With most mains priced below $10, Kra Pow Thai Street Food is my go-to place for legit Thai fare in Orchard. Their Drunkard Noodle Pork ($9) offers a potent slew of flavours, as the fiery chilli blends with the sweet fish sauce and savoury oyster sauce. What completes this full-bodied meal is the distinct wok hei aroma, which elevates the other elements of the dish.
Unit number: #03-26/27
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 3pm, 5pm to 9:30pm
Tel: 6734 1946
Website
Kra Pow Thai Street Food is not a halal-certified eatery.
If bubble teas aren’t your cup of tea, check out these fruit teas at Hi Tea instead! Their cold brews are prepared from freshly pulped fruits, so gulping down these treats comes without a cloying aftertaste. Wash away the heat with their signature Mix Fruit King ($5.80), which features a refreshing hodgepodge of watermelons, passion fruits, pineapples, and more!
Unit number: #01-14B
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Tel: 9339 2822
Website
Hi Tea is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @audreyheng_sg
The Kaisen Chirashi Don ($25.90++) dished up at The Sushi Bar is anything but normal. This palate-pampering rice bowl includes thick and fresh cuts of salmon, yellowtail, swordfish, and tuna. The unsung hero of the set is their yellowtail, which is both fatty and flavourful. For a high-SES treat, opt for their Premium Chirashi Don (seasonal price), which tops up the dish with uni and other seasonal catches.
Unit number: #04-28
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30am to 3:30pm, 5pm to 9:45pm, Fri to Sun 11:30am to 9:45pm
Tel: 9653 6464
Website
The Sushi Bar is not a halal-certified eatery.
With more than thirty years of history, Nanbantei stands as one of Singapore’s oldest yakitori restaurants. If you’re spoilt for choice, check out their Yakitori Bento ($15.50++), which features negina (chicken with leek) and tsukune (chicken meatball). As their skewers are grilled with Japanese-imported charcoal, they possess a unique smokiness.
Unit number: #05-132
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11:45am to 2:30pm, 6pm to 10:30pm, Sun 11:45am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 10pm
Tel: 6733 5666
Website
Nanbantei is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @apul28
Walk into Puncak Best Noodles & Halal Food and you’ll notice their Honeydew Chicken Noodle ($4.50) resting on most tables. The candied sauce neutralises the charred bitterness of the roasted chicken, creating a cohesive medley of flavours. If that isn’t enough, complete your meal with their crunchy Fried Wantons ($5/$7/$10). With diced carrots mixed into the filling, these dumplings carry a well-balanced taste.
Unit number: #05-94
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 9pm
Tel: 6738 4348
Puncak Best Noodles & Halal Muslim Food is a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @nadidr
Cahaya Muslim Halal Restaurant is one of the few local eateries which dishes up halal Hokkien Mee ($5.50). Sponging up the copious amounts of robust broth, these noodles are brimming with umami. If you can handle the heat, request for an additional dollop of their sambal chilli. This relish brings the dish up a notch with its volcanic heat.
Unit number: #05-91/92
Opening hours: Mon-Tue 8am to 8pm, Thurs-Fri 8am to 8pm, Sat-Sun 11:30am to 9pm
Tel: 9169 9482
Greenview Cafe has been dishing out mee hoon kueh for the past 30 years, with their best-selling item being the Minced Pork Mee Hoon Kueh ($5.50). This dish is available as a spicy rendition, but there’s no need to be intimidated by the noodles’ red hue as the spice is tolerable. The noodles are sweet and chewy, and the ingredients were flavourful, especially the savoury deep-fried anchovies. You can also get a bowl of Fried Mee Hoon Kueh ($6), which is done char kway teow-style, or a serving of their Herbal Mee Hoon Kueh ($6.80) if you prefer something lighter.
Unit number: #04-96
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 7:30pm
Tel: 6734 2312
Greenview Cafe is not a halal-certified eatery
Ayam Geprek is a lesser-known dish that’s similar to ayam penyet in terms of its components: rice, smashed chicken with sambal, and assorted condiments. Happy Geprek is one of the few eateries in Singapore that sells ayam geprek, with their most popular item being the Ayam Geprek Rice Set ($6.50). Add some flavour to your rice with any of their eight sambal selections, all of which are made in-house and come with varying spice levels.
Unit number: #05-99
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 11am to 7:45pm, Fri-Sat 11am to 8pm
Website
Happy Geprek is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @an.qilaa
Get spoilt for choice at All About Tiramisu, a specialty dessert shop with over 50 different types of tiramisu. Their dessert comes in four sizes: Regular ($25), Friends ($59), Family ($96), and Party ($150). Alcohol-spiked options are also available, such as the Classic Rum for those who like strong, punchy flavours, or the Bailey’s, which is a chocolatey dessert with hints of vanilla. Their tea-infused options are worth a try too, with refreshing flavours including Mango Yuzu and Rose Lychee.
Unit number: #01-69
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 11am to 9pm, Fri-Sat 11am to 9:30pm, Sun 11am to 8pm
Website
All About Tiramisu is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @lilyofevalley
Get your zi char fix at Susan Chan Food, where you can dig into popular favourites with the likes of mixed vegetable soup, omelette, and sweet and sour pork. All their dishes are priced between $12 to $22, with their most popular item being the Deep Fried Chicken W Salted Egg Milk Sauce (from $12). This sinful dish features fried chicken coated in a sauce that’s fragranced by curry leaves and sweet milky cream. Their Hor Fun (from $6) is also popular but sells out fast, so be sure to drop by early for a plate of wok hei goodness!
Unit number: #05-112
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 4pm
Tel: 6733 5953
Website
Susan Chan Food is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: The Community Coffee
Sporting an industrial ambience and pink neon lights, it’s easy to mistake The Community Coffee for a bar. This indie coffee shop offers drip coffee and espresso-based brews from $4, with beans sourced from Brazil, Columbia, Ethiopia, and Peru. If you’re feeling peckish, get yourself some brunch bites such as the Toast and Jam ($4) or Smashed Avocado On Toast ($5).
Unit number: #02-94
Opening Hours: Daily 9:30am to 6:30pm
Website
The Community Coffee is not a halal-certified eatery.
Yan Ji Seafood Soup is touted as one of the best seafood soup stalls in Singapore, with over three decades of history. According to their website, the flavourful soup base is made using a slow and meticulous cooking process, resulting in rich seafood flavours. Head straight for their basic Seafood Soup ($6.50/$8.50/$10.50/$12.50) and top up $2 for ingredients such as scallops, clams, and abalone. Otherwise, the Premium Seafood Soup ($30) offers a mix of all their seafood items, and is enough to feed a family of four.
Unit number: 01-16A/B
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 4pm, 5pm to 9pm, Sun 11am to 4pm, 5pm to 8:30pm
Website
Yan Ji Seafood Soup is not a halal-certified eatery.
If you’re on a budget after your latest shopping spree, give the restaurants at ION Orchard and Wisma Atria a miss and check out these affordable food places at Far East Plaza instead. Leave us a comment below if we missed out on any of your favourite spots there.
For more value-for-money gems in Orchard, check out our 8 111 Somerset food places guide for beef donburi bowls and halal takoyaki. For more great eats near Balestier, check out our 15 Balestier food place guide.
This article was originally written on 4 June 2018.
Feature image adapted from @kitchenmaddies
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