Singapore Cafe

I called them today and confirmed they are CLOSED.
What a shame, this was a great place. Suppose I should have gone there more often…

We used to come here a lot in college. A pleasant place to eat with good food and not expensive. Their fried rice comes in a giant mountain… actually, all of their portions are large. I haven’t been by in ages, but I have some good memories of nights starting with a great big meal here.
Definitely worth going, not mind blowing, but fun when you’re very hungry.

Still partial to the tiny cramped hole-​in-​the-​wall around the corner (can’t remember name, does it even have one) that sells a crazy assortment of agar-​agar and nasi lemak out of a blue pail, but this place’s soft-​shell crab is in another league: lightly battered and fried, served with a sweet slightly spicy mango salsa slaw. And the hainanese chicken rice – Penang pales so far in comparison

I’ve been here a couple of times and the only thing I go here for is the Roti Canai since it is served Singaporean style (most of the places in Chinatown either serve it Malaysian style or serve scallion pancakes). The food here is a bit lacking. The curry served with the roti is sometimes too oily and not really of that curry-​consistency. I ordered a noodle dish and it came out overly soggy, which made me wonder how long the food had been sitting around. We also ordered a half order of Hainese Chicken that was surprisingly small (compared to what I’m used to at least).
The staff is, however, super friendly. They speak English pretty well, which might be good for tourists looking for a cheap eat. The people that were eating around the time I was there (~6pm) were mostly of nonasian descent. I wish my food was better because I always love good service. I’ll come back for the roti but I’d be hesitant to order anything else.

friendly service, great taste, clean.

This place shouldn’t use Singapore in it’s name. The food served there would make Singaporean cringe.
The only thing I remember about my first visit there many years ago was the how disappointed I was. Many years has passes I thought I’d give it a try, and I was really hungry to walk all the way to the other end of Mott st.
This time still disappointing, I ordered Hainanese chicken and a glass of Malaysian iced tea. The chicken was bland, even swimming in the sauce didn’t help. The glass of tea mostly filled with ice, few sips and I was making those horrible empty glass sound my son like to make. The only thing that was decent was a bowl of rice.
I took pictures of my food, hurriedly ate and outta there.

An okay dingy restaurant.
29. Baby Oyster Omelette* 7.00
The egg had a good combination of salty flavor, mushrooms, and plenty of oysters. The oysters were a little too strong for my liking though.
51. Seafood Chow Fun In Light Egg Gravy Sauce stir fried flat noodle topped with seafood & vegetable, splashed with egg sauce 8.00
They were quite generous with the seafood portions of squid, scallops, bok choy, and noodles. A little greasy, but pretty good.
41. Hainanese Chicken With Rice steamed chicken with bone served with chef’s special superior soy sauce 5.50
Do not recommend. Very little chicken. Not as much bone as the previous reviewers stated, but only about 4 pieces of meaty chicken.

I ate here because I was hurting for some Singaporean food, and this seemed to be the only place that really fit the bill. (Lots of good Malaysian around, but not so much Singaporean hawker food.) It’s funny, there’s a pretty big range of reviews on Unilocal for this place, and now I understand why.
I went with three friends. Two of us were really happy with the experience, one seemed mildly disappointed, and one was absolutely livid.
I ordered prawn mee, which is a classic Singaporean prawn-​pork-​nooodle stew in an angry red broth. It was absolutely perfect, at least for my taste. Another friend ordered a seafood stew with tofu, and it was also fantastic – not unlike an egg drop soup, but much more loaded with egg and tasty fishy stuff and an occasional bit of vegetable. (Hm, I made that sound kinda gross. No really, it was great. Not kidding.)
I hate to say this, but I think that the unhappy couple just ordered badly. One ordered an outrageously boring fried chicken dish (recommended by the server after my friend said that she didn’t like spicy food), and hated it («boring and too salty»). Can’t say I blame her for disliking the dish, but I also can’t blame the server for recommending a bland dish to customer who seemed to be afraid of spice. The other dude ordered pepper beef, which looked like it could have come from any cheap, crappy Chinese takeout joint anywhere in the city. A little bit goopy-​looking, if you know what I mean.
Prices here are really, really cheap, and I’ll certainly come back for a $ 6.50 bowl of angry red prawn mee bliss. It seems like you’ll be very happy here if you order the right thing, but bitterly disappointed if you make a crappy choice. But either way, at least you won’t waste too much money.

With one star, I think I’m still being overly generous.
Where do I start? Well, to sum up my experience, the food was below average for ‘Singaporean’ prices, and just simply ridiculous for the prices that they do charge. And the service was just as poor.
First, there was the Hainanese Chicken Rice. The rice had a bizarre and toxic-​looking yellow ring around the very top of the rice pile, which one might presume was due to some artificial additives, except it lacked any flavor. In fact, the rice itself was maybe just a notch above plain rice, and the chicken bits (I say bits, because of the stingy portion of 75% bones with clumps of meat attached) were perhaps the only saving grace of the dish, and that is NOT a compliment.
Singapore’s favorite dish was reduced to a «…I guess…», which would not have been so bad if it had not been a price. True, I’ve had worse, but considering you’re paying US$ 5.50 for a serving size even a Singaporean would be ashamed of, for shame!
It was, in fact, so ‘petite’, that I just had to order a ‘Half Chicken’ to help me finish my rice. At this point, I would like to add that when eating chicken rice, I more often than not end up finishing my rice well before my chicken. At this restaurant, the complete opposite was true, and I still had 75% of my rice left (and it was a small serving) by the time I finished my chicken bits.
The ‘Half Chicken’ was perhaps the serving size of a little over what a true serving of Chicken would be at any self-​respecting Chicken-​rice store in Singapore, and cost US$ 9. Impressive, considering that neither this, nor the dish before it, came with soup or chilli! The usual, de-​rigeur condiments associated with the dish!
My friend did not bother finishing her dishes, and the Chendol pathetically only had a very unsurprisingly meager serving of beans and tapoica.
And now for my absolute favorite part, the service!
At first, our server was excellent. He listened, served us tea as soon as we sat down (which we didn’t order, but were charged for anyway), and gave us all one minute of his time chatting to us! If it was not for his colleague, Mr. Grumpy, I doubt I’d have even bothered joining this site to write a review!
Mr. Grumpy, a moniker I’ve designed for this waiter, is such because as soon as our server served us the second serving of chicken as previously mentioned, Mr. Grumpy made a snide, insulting remark in Chinese directed at us, not thinking that we would understand what he said as both my friend and I had American accents, I presume.
Again, this would not have bothered me, but while we waited for the check, I decided to take a trip to the restroom. Allow me to explain here briefly the layout of the restaurant. The bathrooms are located in the basement, so one would need to descend down a very narrow flight of stairs in order to use their facilities.
When I was about to head down those stairs, I noticed Mr. Grumpy walking out of the door in the basement. He paused, looked up at me, and I smiled and gestured for him to come up first. He caught my eye, but looked away, and without even having the courtesy of returning the gesture, or letting the customer go first, he instead decided to walk up the stairs at a snails pace. I assumed this was on purpose, as he glanced up at me (waiting for him at the top of the stairs) about three times, and quickly glanced away. Now if you had any doubts about how slow he was, three times, punctuated by very long intervals, should give you a good idea.
After he reached the top of the stairs, he glared at me before walking away.
Whatever right? I sat down, and suddenly, he quickly flocked to the table with a smile. «Check?» he asked.
Mr. Grumpy hovered over us as I looked over the check (which was written in Chinese), and only briefly left our side when it became obvious that I was more interested in conversing with my friend. We got up and left, sans tip.
Below is a transcript of what happened:
Mr Grumpy dashes right out the restaurant after we depart. Quite a feat, considering he was standing at the opposite end of the restaurant when we left.
M.G: Excuse me!
Me: Yes?
M.G: Would you like to leave a tip?
Me: No thanks.
M.G: Come on, don’t be like that.
I begin walking away.
M.G (Yelling): That’s not very nice. Don’t come back here again!
Once again, a tip is a courtesy. But to be yelled at and embarrassed outside a restaurant in front of my friend and complete strangers for simply not leaving a tip? Inexcusable. And while I understand the frustation waiters may experience if a large group doesn’t leave a tip (since this would require quite a bit of work), having such a response to only a table of two? Especially after treating me like dirt?
Suffice to say if this restaurant represents Singapore, then I am most ashamed of such an assocation.

I felt obliged to write a review for this restaurant only because I was born and raised in Singapore, and I believe that other natives would agree with me that this place is a poor representation of authentic, Singaporean cuisine.
I would have given this place one star, if it had not been for their Yusheng (Singaporean cold platter w/​raw salmon, fried crackers, shaved nuts and assortment of vegetables) which they served during Chinese New Year. I thought that they did an excellent job re-​creating this dish in NY chinatown.
Also, I’ll give this place credit for understanding what «horfun» and «laksa» is. Their kangkung belacan is good for NY standards, but I also don’t think many people would crave this dish in particular.
If you speak to the manager (she is very personable) and place special requests for dishes that are not listed on the menu, she will attempt to produce them in some form.
Don’t expect to be impressed. The food is either average, or way below the bar. However, because of the limited options out there for Singapore an food in the city, I would not deter other Singaporeans from coming here to try it out, because at least you’ll get a slight taste of home.

Due to the fact that this place is open for the wee hours of the night due to the crowd of club go-​goers, the cooks in the kitchen figure that it’s ok that there’s black bits of wok-​particles in my rice dishes and that people are too drunk to realize their shrimp in the wontons aren’t fresh.

This place is really good. The owner is very nice. He is very charismatic. He also is bilingual which is very cool. I had some Japanese friends with me and he was conversant in Japanese. I can’t get over how personable he was. Ahh likability…
Ok, now the food. Not bad. Nice portions and the price is on par.
Every time I come I have a good time there.
You should try at least once and see for yourself.

I just recently spent a week in good Olé NYC with my cousin who had never been there before. So in doing the tour, we hit all the major tourist spots and China Town was a big hit. Live frogs in a 5 gallon bucket, fresh fish, shrimp, all kinds of funky foods just waiting to be picked up. Made me wish Boston’s China Town was even close to New Yorks.
Though finally all that walking around was making us hungry and for some reason seeing fried pig snout skins in the window of restaurants just kind of turned me off. Weird cause I have no problem with duck carcasses. So we walked into Singapore Café, after the urging of the maitre D or owner and said what the heck.
The food was delish — simple and tasty, though it annoys me when you order a soda and you get a can of soda for over a dollar. Everything was piping hot and the décor was quite entertaining. After a filling lunch it was off to head back to 5^th Ave and walk the length of it! WHAT A HIKE!

Singapore is the size of my pinky yet it has a huge variety of complex food and flavors. In Singapore, each of the dishes on the menu at «Singapore Café» would be sold at individual hawker stalls by cooks who are the masters of their trade. To do every dish well is a monumental task.
For a list of Singaporean dishes, check out this wikipedia article:

Last night, I tried the Beef Rendang and I was surprised and happy by the heat level (but that’s a personal preference). The coconut flavor shined through and the beef was tender. I’ll be going back again to try the hainanese chicken rice, nasi lemak, and char kway teow.
Maybe you’re wondering «What’s Colin’s credibility on the subject?» I was born in Singapore and lived there for 16 years.

I just moved to New York, rather spontaneously. At this moment I was SUPPOSED to be sitting at a hawker stall in Kuala Lumpur with a friend eating Asam Laksa and Hainanese Chicken. But my plans didn’t turn out that way and instead I was sitting in Chinatown off Mott Street eating Asam Laksa and Hainanese Chicken (without the friend).
I’ll take it.
Also, the waiter asked how I’m doing and if I was malaysian. Didn’t know NY service industry was capable of such friendly small talk. Two stars for that alone!

Water tasted funny.
Smoke coming in from outside.
Kinda amateur service.
Cheap food.
Food was ok for being so cheap.
I wouldn’t go here again though.
=/​

«We spent 3 weeks in singapore so we know what Singaporean food tastes like»???
How ridiculous is that statement?
Would you spend 3 weeks in Chicago and claim you know what American food is like? How about going to Paris for 3 weeks and telling the French you are an expert in French cuisine?
Singapore food is as diverse as the Singaporeans — there are 4 major races there and each race is further divided into many different subgroups based on geography, religion, language etc.
So for each subgroup, you have really different cooking styles and food and you can find most of them in Singapore. For example, you can find really amazing Cantonese, Hokkien, Hainanese, Shanghainese, Beijing, Hunanese, Szechuan food (to mention only a few Chinese cooking style) in Singapore and that’s just Chinese food!
Thus having a Singaporean meal is really a possibility of having great chinese, indian, malay or eurasian food — sometimes a combination of 2 or 3 food types in one meal itself.
3 weeks might give you a superficial understanding of Singaporean food but I certainly wouldn’t play Anthony Bordain based on 3 short weeks.

Here is the low-​down on what my experience was — went here
after a happy hour (looking to get a cheap and yummy dinner).
Got decent food — even tasty! BUT then a cat came around and
one of the staff asked if we minded– we said «no», she says «that’s
good because he helps us … get stuff, keep out stuff» and smiles.
That was the beginning of a turning point for me — the tofu that
had been fried and tasted so good, the pad thai with chicken,
the peppered beef and tasty pork spare ribs … all of it took a
serious tumble when a cockroach was crawling around the
all next to my seat on the wall. Between the reference to the
vermin from the staff and the roach on the wall, I lost my appetite
and will not be back…

I’ve always kept a place for Singapore in my tummy. (lol)
Maybe its my Malaysian cravings or rather its because the service was so good and attentive… either or it was a great experience every time I visit Singapore Café in Chinatown. And the concept of the interior design was really cool and relaxing. It was an atmosphere you’d feel comfortable dining in along with your friends and family.
Personally I believe that the best dishes are:
Exotic Mango w/(Shrimp, Chicken Or Beef) ($ 15)
My review of this dish: The sweetness and exotic flavor of the mango combined with either shrimps, chicken, or beef goes great together! I perfer the Exotic Mango with the Shrimp or Beef. The chicken is «okay, not too bad».
Pad Thai (Thai Noodle) ($ 7.50)
My review of this dish: Gotta love the Pad Thai here! The noodles are not too sticky. not too bland either… its just «right». However, I’m not too sure why is it that the shrimp kinda taste «cheap» lol And yes, I «do» have a tongue that is «very picky!» hehe.
Beef Chow Fun ($ 7)
My review of this dish: The Beef Chow Fun is a satisfying dish! Its flavorful sauce mixed in with the beef and noodles is an excellent combination! If you like soy sauce flavored beef and noodles… then this is the perfect dish for you!
Chicken Rendang With Bone Or Boneless W/​Meat ($ 10)
My review of this dish: This dish is what I would like to call a «spicy chicken lover’s kinda dish». The sauce is not too spicy nor is it bland. White or coconut rice tastes delicious with this dish!
If you are like me… a «rice» kinda person… please do order rice! Especially the side order of Hainanese Or Coconut Rice ($ 1)
Be sure to save room for their delicious dessert! The green tea ice cream ($ 2) was really to look forward to! Their homemade shaved ice ABC ($ 3) and the lychee and or logan ice (both $ 3) are also very good!
I guess they DO save the best for last eh?
Overall…I’d definitely come back here for another round of enticing cuisine! The pricing was reasonable, the manager’s attentiveness and service is another plus, and most importantly the food was decent! So 4 stars for Great service, Good price, Attentiveness, and Interior Design! Why not 5stars? Well… not everything can be perfect about this place. =] So enjoy!

It’s been ages since I been back to Singapore Café, used to be a fave for hubby and I when I first moved to NY from Singapore, unfortunately after they changed management, the food started getting lousy and the pricing went up. Once I even saw them run after some customers because they didn’t leave enough tips, how lame can they be, I was totally disgusted with that action.
The only plus for them is that they open till quite late compared to the other Malaysian restaurants, that’s the only good thing I can say about them.
Oh well, I found New Malaysia Restaurant that is cheap, good and have wonderful service, for sure I will go back to them again and again.