Indulge Review: Huge Cheesy Chicken Cutlet Bowls With Truffle Mushrooms And More

Indulge offers cafe-style food at a kopitiam

Western food stalls are a dime a dozen in Singapore, but I hardly find one that makes me want to return. Indulge, however, changes that. Opened in January this year, the hawker stall at Upper Thomson offers a handful of classics as well as dishes you wouldn’t expect to find at a kopitiam – think oysters, soba, truffle popcorn, and more.

Food at Indulge

What makes Indulge stand out from regular Western hawker stalls is their Indulge Bowl. You get to customise your bowl by choosing a carb and meat. Options for the former are short grain rice, soba, and salad. Meat choices range from steak to salmon and clams.

First up, we tried their Chicken Cutlet Bowl with Nacho Cheese ($4 for small, $6.50 for large). This comprises a huge chicken cutlet, a poached egg, and truffle popcorn on a bed of short grain rice. We also added on a portion of Truffle Mushroom ($2).

The chicken cutlet was served sliced, with loads of nacho cheese drizzled over it. The golden brown cutlet was satisfyingly crispy, while the chunky meat inside remained juicy. While the nacho cheese tasted similar to the ones at cinemas, it complemented the chicken surprisingly well, giving flavour to the otherwise plain cutlet. If cheese is not your thing, you can go for salted egg yolk sauce at the same price.

The truffle mushrooms helped to add more texture to the mix, but I couldn’t taste much truffle oil in them.

To offer something different, the owners decided to replace typical grilled corn with truffle popcorn. And boy am I glad they did, because that was what we fell in love with. We even got an additional full portion of Truffle Popcorn ($4) just to have more.

The bowl comes with a mix of sweet and salty flavours, with a strong truffle scent. And unlike mediocre movie popcorn, this doesn’t give you the risk of losing your tooth – I didn’t bite into any kernels while inhaling this.

Another bowl we tried was the White Clams Bowl with Hae Bee Hiam Sauce ($5 for small, $8 for large), with an add-on of grilled Salmon ($6).

I really enjoyed the hae bee hiam sauce, which was a flavour bomb that came with a slightly spicy kick. Just the sauce and white rice would make a good meal for me. That being said, the sauce overpowered the clams; I didn’t taste much of the shellfish itself. The salmon, drizzled with teriyaki sauce, was tasty, but not really a standout compared to the other dishes.

Their Chicken Chop Bowl with Mushroom Sauce ($4 for small, $6.50 for large) is worth a mention. The chicken chop was nicely grilled; the meat retained its juices while having a slightly smoky aroma.

I enjoyed the mushroom sauce too. It didn’t taste diluted, and the flavours were stronger than what I’d expected. We got the small portion for this, which isn’t quite filling for a regular eater. Those dropping by for a meal should go straight for their large portions that offer value for money.

There are many more dishes on Indulge’s menu, including Fresh Oysters ($15 for six pieces), Chicken Wings ($1.50 per piece) and Takoyaki ($3 for six pieces).

Ambience at Indulge

Indulge is found in the corner kopitiam that’s in the same row as Rochor Beancurd House and Columbus Coffee at Upper Thomson Road. You have to make your orders at the counter, before proceeding to collect your food at the kitchen window at the side.

The kopitiam is generally breezy and bright, making this a good place to jio a few kakis for a quick meal before heading to one of the ice-cream cafes nearby for dessert.  

The verdict

While Indulge’s rice bowls aren’t as fancy as the ones at Daily Cut and Grain Traders, they are way more affordable and still enough to satisfy. After all, you don’t need to have raw zucchini or roasted sweet potatoes to be part of the #eatclean movement. Sometimes, just grilled chicken on a bed of soba will do. If I happen to be in the area, I wouldn’t hesitate to fill myself up here before going to a cafe for a nice cuppa.

Check out more cheap and good Western hawker stalls around Singapore!

Address: 236 Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574367
Opening hours: Sun-Thur 11am to 10:30pm, Fri-Sat 11am to 12:30am
Tel: 9829 3168
Website
Menu

Photos taken by Ho Jing Yi.
This was a media tasting at Indulge.