One of the most visited cha chaan teng in Hong Kong has finally arrived in Singapore’s very own Holland Village! I know I’m kinda late to the party since they’ve been around from the start of January. I’ve heard so much about Tai Cheong in Hong Kong, they have a whooping 164 bakeries and restaurants spanned across Hong Kong and China, and I’ve only tried their egg tarts once when I was there. Some more is not I buy one, haha! I digressed.
I was excited when I heard about their arrival in Singapore since I’ve not been to any of their outlets in Hong Kong before! And seriously, who doesn’t like cha chaan teng dishes? That macaroni, toasts and everything comforting.
The Place
Tai Cheong is located conveniently at holland village! Well, a lot of people will say siao HV where got convenient. BUT got circle line now mah! I last time always go Holland V one, so I think it’s pretty accessible la!
Here’s the virtual tour of the place. Really liked the design! They are situated pretty close to Nakhon and 2am Dessert Bar!
The Menu
I liked how straightforward the menu is, without all those fancy pants dishes. Would have been better if they actually showed HOW AMAZING their 3 colored silky eggs dish looked. Seriously, I gaped in amazement when I saw someone devouring a plate of that at the al fresco area, and wanted to try immediately. Haha! (Obviously haven’t done my research)Prices are pretty competitive as well. No additional GST nor service charge, and the better part about having Tai Cheong in Singapore than Hong Kong? No horrifyingly cramped conditions and rude servers.
The Food
I was tempted to order one of everything, but Explodingbelly is always on a diet. So we ordered just enough for the 2 of us.
1. Three Colored Silky Eggs with Rice – Roasted Pork and Crispy Pork Belly ($9.90)
What. SO insanely affordable. Look at those slices of pork belly and.. I don’t think you can see – the chunks of char siew.
Grab a mouthful of everything – egg, rice and protein, you’d feel the warmth chorusing down your oesophagus and your spine, and you find yourself smiling involuntarily. Haha! A super homely yet satisfying dish. Oh oh, they weren’t overpromising when they said SILKY eggs. Super impressed.
2. Scrambled Eggs Toast with Chicken Chop ($9.50)
Mmm.. This definitely sounded like a winner. Eggs, toast and chicken. Everything I liked on a plate.
BUT. Reality fell short of my expectations. The toast was made soggy from the scrambled eggs, and in stark contrast, the chicken chop was WAYYYYY TOO DRY. Like so dry, I thought the skin was going to cut my throat. We tried smothering the chicken with the mushroom sauce (i suppose), but nope. The meat was so dry. It was an utter disappointment.
The eggs were on point though.
Their mains are really filling, however. We were stuffed just 75% through. Worth it lah.
3. Cocktail Bun ($2) + Egg tart ($1.90)
The cocktail bun is the one that looks like a random bun from any bakery. We ordered it because I just wanted to see what a cocktail bun looks like. Haha! Actually it’s quite nice cause there’s butter and coconut flakes in the middle of the bun. BUT, being a bun made in Singapore, the fillings is like 30% la, one small dollop in between.
I finally saw the draw of Tai Cheong Egg Tarts. I don’t quite remember myself enjoying it as much of at Hong Kong previously. This time round, I was convinced. That fragrant buttery crust with the smooth silky egg custard like filling. Wow, just wow. I bought more home after having one.
And honestly if you all want to buy their egg tarts, come to the HV outlet la, queue less than 5 mins. Haha! YES I AM CONVINCED THAT THEIR EGG TARTS ARE GOOD. Are they worth queueing 45mins for? I have my reservations about queueing for food.
Closing Remarks
I was overall pretty impressed by my experience here at Tai Cheong Bakery. While I’m a fan of hong kong cha chaan tengs, there are less than a handful that are impressive in Singapore. I came into Tai Cheong with my doubts, but after trying out the first dish, I was sold. Hahaha! Very nice leh!
The price point was also really reasonable. I was very surprised, because I thought they would give a crazy mark up since they’re such a hit in Hong Kong. Good, good, I like, and I’ll be back for more!
How to get there?
31 Lor Liput, Singapore 277742
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 10am to 10pm
Saturday and Sunday: 9am to 11pm
Hmm nice post, will go check out next weekend 😀
Looking forward to more lifestyle post like below, your readers like me are interested! 🙂
https://explodingbelly.com/2014/11/15/the-path-less-travelled/
Shoik 😀