Thursday, September 24, 2015

X i n Wang Hong Kong Cafe, Yishun, Singapore - late night eating

Y i n  Y a n (g) or X i n  W a n g - you probably already recognise the F u n g  Sh w ai for dark and light or good and evil. That's the origin of this restaurant's name, pronounced the Cantonese way.
A group of Singaporeans went for supper after a meeting which finished at around 10 pm, when many restaurants are closing down. Several branches of this chain are open until 2 am, and more until 10 or 11.

The other main advantage of these outlets is the huge menu. The varied choice suits a large group of people with different food requirements. I don't know about the other branches, but this one is a vast hall, with long tables like the big canteen-style restaurants in Beijing and major Chinese cities.

I went to the branch in North Point, Yishun. The also have a branch in Changi airport.

The staff we spoke to were mainly Cantonese speaking but the manageress spoke Mandarin and Singlish. She was quick to step forward, translate and take our orders.

Kaya Toast
One of the diners ordered kaya toast, which looked like toast with butter and jam, and tasted like toast with butter and jam. However, I was assured that the 'butter' was coconut 'jam'.

Soup
Like Japanese restaurants, the dishes were shown in colour photos which made selecting easier. I picked out a reddish-purple soup labelled bors. I mistakenly thought it was a mis-spelling of borsht and would be beetroot soup.

The liquid tasted of tomatoes and contained vegetables. The closest similar soup would be Minestrone.

I thought it was expensive for what it was. The drinks came to more than the food. I opted for a fresh watermelon juice. I could have had just the soup and saved money. Or halved my bill
by sticking to the juice. The soup was S$4.90. Add on your GST (government sales tax) and service of 10%.

Angela Lansbury Travel writer and photographer.

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