Once a well-known shopping paradise for the hip and young crowd, Far East Plaza may have lost some of its retail fame from the ‘good-old days’, but retains its foodie reputation for fuss-free eateries.
The mall holds plenty of affordable dining options. Stop by for zi char, value-for-money Chirashi, Japanese Yakitori, to Thai food. (And cheap cut-fruits.)
The Sushi Bar, Penang Kitchen, Wasabi Tei, Hong Hu Express, Nana Thai Restaurant, Happy Geprek, Cahaya Restaurant, Tanjung Pinang Delicacies, Isle Café, Wok Wei Kitchen, Ah Yat Kitchen are just some of the many food choices there. Not forgetting the ever-popular Mr Coconut kiosk outside.
Here are 10 Far East Plaza dining options you can try:
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any content and photos without express and written permission from DFD is strictly prohibited.
Maddie’s Kitchen
Far East Plaza 02-10/11/12/13
Tel: +65 6365 0501
Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)
For Fried Oyster Omelette, Curry Rice, and Beef Tenderloin Horfun
The menu of Maddie’s Kitchen is intriguing, serving a range from Hainanese Curry Pork Chop Rice, Beef Tenderloin Hor Fun, Seafood White Bee Hoon, to Seafood Soup.
The ‘hidden’ Maddie’s Kitchen has been described as selling zi char.
There are the usual Seafood Hor Fun, Beef Char Kway Teow, Beef Fried Rice, Fried Rice Salted Fish & Chicken, Prawn Paste Chicken, Prawn Rolls, but yet there are all these other things.
The signature dish here is an Oyster Omelette ($10.80, $15.80, $20.80), a dish you may associate more with the likes of Newton Food Centre and East Coast Lagoon.
In fact, this was the very first dish presented on the menu when the owners toyed with the idea of opening a F&B.
Owner Mui Leng first learnt to cook Oyster Omelette not in Singapore, but from her yearly winter vacations at Hokkaido. She fell in love with the fresh large sashimi grade oysters and wanted to see how she could incorporate that with her own recipe.
This resulted in a version with crispy layers, fluffy eggs and creamy plump oysters sourced from Korea.
Greenview Café
Far East Plaza #04-96
Opening Hours: 10am – 8pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Hand-Torn Noodles With Comforting Flavours
This particular eatery Greenview Café tucked on corner of Level 4, is the food fix you need if you love Mee Hoon Kueh. (Also read: 10 Delicious DRY BAN MIAN In Singapore)
The name “Greenview” has been passed down from the original business some 30 years ago.
Out of simplicity and the fact that the founders Aunty and the late Uncle Choy took up the name “Greenview”, the new owners continue to use this name as it established a good following.
In terms of noodles alone, there are choices of Minced Pork Mee Hoon Kuey ($5), Herbal Soup Mee Hoon Kway ($6), Fried Mee Hoon Kuey ($5.60), Prawn Mee Hoon Kuey ($6.50), Fishball Mee Hoon Kuey ($5), Sliced Fish Mee Hoon Kuey ($6.00), and Tom Yum Mee Hoon Kuey ($7).
The star item here is the Dry Mee Hoon Kueh ($5), made with a special concoction of house-made sambal mixed with premium dark and light soy sauce.
Indeed, you would experience those soft chewy hand-torn noodles (lovely texture) tossed evenly in this savoury and spicy sauce, contrasted with crispy ikan bilis.
Nanbantei Japanese Restaurant
Far East Plaza #05-132
Tel: +65 6733 5666
Opening Hours: 11:45am – 2:30pm (Mon – Sun),
6pm – 10pm (Mon – Thurs), 6pm – 10:30pm (Fri – Sat), 5:30pm – 10pm (Sun)
Yakitori Restaurant That Is In Business Close To 40 Years
Nanbantei is one of the longest-standing and possibly first Japanese yakitori restaurants around in Singapore, in business since 1983.
Its core menu, while rooted in tradition, constantly changes with the season or the availability of unusual ingredients from Japan.
Nanbantei offers a wide array of yakitori (à la carte 2 sticks) from skewered meats to seafood and vegetables.
Popular choices include negina (chicken with leek), tsukune (chicken meatballs), tebasaki (chicken wings), bonjuri (chicken buttocks), shiso maki (pork with shiso leaf), butabara yuzukosho (pork belly with yuzu citrus paste), wagyu maki (wagyu beef with salt & pepper), lamb yaki (lamb chop).
The simple art of yakitori cooking uses fresh ingredients grilled over flaming charcoals. The meat is seasoned with sea salt, while the special charcoals are imported from Japan.
These give the yakitori its distinctive taste and texture, nicely charred on the outside while still retaining its flavourful juices.
Kra Pow Thai Restaurant
Far East Plaza, 14D Scotts Road, #03-26/27 Singapore 228217
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 3pm, 5pm – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
Thai Eatery With Strong Following, Popular for Drunken Noodles
Many-in-the-know have already visited this eatery – for its value-for-money, quite authentic Thai food at Orchard Road.
Most of the other Thai street food dishes, from Stir Fried Kang Kang ($9.90), Pad Thai ($9.90), to Green Curry Chicken ($7.90) managed to capture some of that Thai essence without tasting too generic or factory-like.
There are two versions of Drunkard Noodles available at Kra Pow – with Pork ($7.90) or Seafood ($8.90). Fried with broad flat rice noodles (kway teow), the use of chilies and fresh holy basil give rise to its distinct spiciness.
Hainanese Delicacy
Far East Plaza #05-116
Tel: +65 6734 0639
Opening Hours: 10am – 8pm (Mon – Sun)
Hainanese Chicken Rice Shop Operating Since 1986
This restaurant has a pretty convenient location. However, only those in the know would head up to Level 5 for this Chicken Rice.
It has a no-frills casual layout with simplistic décor, and is often packed during peak lunch hours.
If you want to avoid tediously long queues, try to make it there before 12pm. The large menu is stuck on a glass wall.
The Chicken Rice starts from an inexpensive $4.80, with options of Drumstick Rice ($6.80), Quarter Chicken ($15), Half Chicken ($20), and Whole Chicken ($38).
Customers can add on other sides of Salted Vegetable Duck Soup ($6) – which is a highlight, Bean Sprout ($3, $5, $8), Braised Beancurd ($1.60), and Braised Egg ($0.60).
Loved how tender and soft the chicken meat was in texture. Enhance the flavours with some of the soy sauce, minced ginger and ‘power’ chili sauce.
New Station Snack Bar
Far East Plaza #05-95
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 9pm (Mon, Wed – Fri, Sun), 11:30am – 9:30pm (Sat), Closed Tues
Zi Char Place’s Salted Egg Pork Ribs Rice Has A Thumbs Up
Don’t be fooled by the name. This restaurant is more than a snack bar, with a team of efficient servers, good cooks, and a wide range of local dishes.
Their zi char menu is sizeable, but most people flock to their salted egg pork ribs. The Salted Egg Pork Ribs Rice ($7) is great.
The pork rib was tender and juicy, and the salty egg yolk gravy was a delicious creamy blend. Curry leaves scattered add a nice tinge of spice.
A tip for the salted egg pork ribs: The owners have said that their gravy is made without water. So, expect to get a thick, rich sauce, best to be mopped up with rice.
The next crowd favourite is the Claypot Beef Bee Tai Mak ($7), served with clear soup in a mini cauldron. You can taste the seared taste of ‘wok hei’, with generous slices of beef and fresh vegetables. Add a plate of crunchy Bean Sprout with Salted Fish ($7) and a comforting dish of Hot Plate (Dou Foo) Bean Curd ($11).
There are plenty of dishes on the menu for sumptuous dinner, and their prices are affordable, given that it is located in town.
Susan Chan Food
Far East Plaza #05-112
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 6:45pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Home-Cooked Goodness With Long Line
If you miss home cooked food, this eatery which calls itself a mum and pop stall, may help to ease homesickness with its cooking. The queue is quite long at lunchtime, and food choices run out fast.
Their signature dishes include many zi char favourites such as omelette, sweet and sour pork chop, and mixed vegetables soup. The dishes are around $12-$22.
The Hor Fun options are plenty, popular that it often sells out and costs around $6-$10. You can choose from seafood, sliced fish, and beef noodles.
Besides the zi char dishes, the draw for many diners is their economy rice (cai fan) dishes. You’ll see at least 8-9 vegetable dishes (okra, eggplants, si Ji dou, long beans, leeks, garlic bulbs, broccoli, leafy vegetables, carrots and more).
Puncak Best Noodles Halal Restaurant
Far East Plaza #05-94
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 9pm (Mon, Wed – Fri, Sun), 11:30am – 9:30pm (Sat), Closed Tues
Halal Noodles Eatery With Affordable Fare
Puncak Halal Restaurant is one of the most popular Halal eateries in Orchard Road. They have been around for two decades and see a steady stream of diners at lunch time. Seats are often quickly filled.
While there’s a lot of dishes worth mentioning, we must share what’s the ultimate crowd-puller here: Honeydew Roasted Chicken Noodles ($5.50).
There is no actual fruit in this dish. The chicken is marinated with honey and then fried to a crispy perfection. The secret sauce might have honeydew juice infused in it, but it is a mystery.
There are other noodle and rice dishes worth trying. Their Curry Chicken Rice ($5.50) is supposedly one of the most underrated dishes, as diners constantly go back for it. While you are there, get the wantons for a snack ($5.50).
Yanji by GoodEarth Seafood Soup
Far East Plaza #01-16A/B
Opening Hours: 11am – 4pm, 5pm – 9pm (Mon – Sat), 11am – 4pm, 5pm – 8:30pm (Sun)
Comforting Seafood Soup For The Rainy Day
Yanji used to be a stall at Marsiling Mall and has expanded its reach to Far East Plaza. Famous for the unique flavour of its seafood soup, they use a blend of premium ingredients and long-simmering process to cook their soup to a rich, full-bodied taste.
The slow but meticulous cooking process allows the different ingredients to develop into a hearty richness like you may not have experienced before.
In addition to the classic Seafood Soup, popular items on the menu include Red Grouper Seafood Soup, Crayfish Seafood Soup, and Red Grouper Seafood Set.
There are only five options on the menu. Most first-timers will probably go for the Crayfish Seafood ($12/14/16/18), Red Grouper Seafood ($12/14/16/18) or Seafood Soup ($6/8/10/12).
You can also add fish maw, pacific clams, Venus clams or scallops at $2 each and abalone or crayfish at $4 each.
The restaurant has it proudly displayed on the menu that their cooking is unique – a slow but meticulous cooking process which allows the different ingredients to develop into a hearty richness like no other.
The Community Coffee
Far East Plaza, 14 Scotts Road, #02-94, Singapore 228213
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 6:30pm (Mon – Sun), Closed PH
Focused on Sourcing, Roasting, Brewing and Serving Quality Coffee
Those who frequent Orchard Road will realise that it is not easy to find indie coffee shops for a cup of coffee, probably due to the high rental cost in town.
Located at level 2 of Far East Plaza where youngsters (used to) frequent, The Community Coffee may seem like a bar from a distance.
Pink neon lights, dim interior, an industrial outlook, a bar table for filtered coffee and 18 seats in total.
The items offered here are nothing fanciful but back to the basics with only coffee and simple bites and pastries.
For espresso-based drinks ($4-$5), the beans used are of single origin (Guatemala) and roasted by Compound Coffee Co – which had smooth and medium body and without being too acidic.
Other Related Entries
10 NEW Guoco Tower Food Places & Menus
10 NEW Orchard Cafes & Coffee Places
12 Best Hong Kong Cafes In Singapore
10 Exciting Clarke Quay Restaurants
15 Best Somerset Cafes
* Compiled by Daniel Ang @DanielFoodDiary and Juliet Huang.
