Great Nanyang Heritage Cafe Opens In Somerset With Curry Chee Cheong Fun And Milo Toast

Great Nanyang Heritage Cafe opens its second outlet in town

Compared to its neighbour 313@Somerset, 111 Somerset is the less crowded, more lowkey shopping mall. Don’t underestimate it, though, as it is home to a variety of restaurants such as Jakarta Ropang Project and So Good Char Chaan Teng. The newest addition to this mall is Great Nanyang Heritage Cafe, which has opened its second outlet there. 

The restaurant is adorned with 90s-style decorations such as vintage Kickapoo glass bottles, magazines, and even Kong Guan biscuit tins. According to the staff, the owner personally went to Malaysia to source these items in order to increase the old-school retro vibe in the restaurant. 

With their new opening, the restaurant also unveiled several outlet-exclusive items such as Claypot Mee Tai Mak ($9.90), Curry Chicken Chee Cheong Fun ($9.90), Curry Chicken Toast ($7.90), and Milo Toast ($4). 

My personal favourite is the Claypot Mee Tai Mak. This dish contains prawns, minced meat, and mushrooms covered in a savoury black sauce, then topped with a raw egg on top. After mixing the egg in, the gravy became very flavourful and rich, which complemented the chewy noodles and ingredients very well. I also appreciated the slight smoky aftertaste after each bite. 

Another must-try is the Curry Chicken Chee Cheong Fun. Here, the rice noodles are cut into thin strips that resemble kuay teow, instead of the usual thick rolls. The Chee Cheong Fun is coated evenly with house-made curry chicken, and then deep-fried beancurd skin and rench beans are added to the mix. 

The chicken curry was very fragrant and tasty, without being overpowered by spiciness. From the crispy beancurd skin to the tender chicken thigh, I enjoyed how the different textures in this dish went together. Fans of curry chicken should definitely try this!

If you’ve been to their first outlet at Tanjong Pagar, you should know about their rendition of Nanyang-style kopi. Here, however, their newly launched drink is called Sai Ka Hor ($3 for hot, $5 for cold). Known as 狮咬虎 (shī yǎo hǔ) or translated literally to “lion bite tiger”, this drink is a unique blend of tea and milo that originated from Malaysia. 

My dining partner and I really enjoyed the Sai Ka Hor. While it may sound like an odd combination, both flavours went well with each other without being too sweet. It is best enjoyed icy cold on a hot day. 

For desserts, try their old-school popsicle sticks for $3 apiece. Currently, they are having an opening promotion from 5 to 7 April 2024, where you can get their popsicle sticks at half price . Flavours include sour plum, ribena, kopi-o, to name a few. 

If you would like your desserts to-go, the restaurant uses a unique takeaway system. You can grab your popsicle from a small refrigerator outside the restaurant before putting your money in a Milo tin that is hanging from the top! This system is still in its testing phase, so we’ll update with more information soon!

Great Nanyang Somerset is located on the first floor, opposite Hvala, and right next to Jakarta Ropang Project. Be sure to check it out if you’re in the area! Otherwise, check out our review of Great Nanyang Heritage Cafe’s first outlet in the CBD! 

In related food news, Jeong’s Jjajang has moved to Somerset! Previously a hawker stall at Bukit Merah, they’ve since upgraded to a standalone eatery along Killiney Road. Otherwise, for more food in the area, check out our Somerset food guide, where we feature 15 dining spots with mains under $20!

Address: 111 Somerset Road, #01-09, Singapore 23816
Opening hours: Daily 7.30am to 9pm, last order at 8.30pm
Website
Great Nanyang Heritage Cafe is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Casandra Nicholas.
This was a media tasting at Great Nanyang Heritage Cafe.