Not Just Another HK Cafe

As if Singapore’s HK Café market isn’t saturated already, C Nai has opened a new branch in East Coast Park, making it the second franchaise in the vicinity. No complains though, because before this upbeat eatery popped up, the area was occupied by a boring, rather unpopular and out-of-place food court with an unnaturally green and orange sign. What a combination eh...

  

This 300-seater eatery has a modern and lively feel to it, a drastic change from its previous tenant. There are stylish, comfortable couches and platformed seating areas. The tables are also not too close together, so comfort and personal space are not compromised.

 

C Nai draws crowds from all walks of life - groups of families, friends, Singaporeans of different races were  all spotted on a crowded Sunday night, tucking into a table full of bento sets and baked pasta dishes.   

  

Apart from the usual HK Café fare of thick toasts and baked pastas, C Nai differentiates itself by offering HK-styled “Bento sets” on their menu. It also carved a name for itself by serving an instant noodle dish priced at $16.80. Not shocking, once you hear that it’s instant noodles for the upper-class – the carbs are piled with a whole lobster, the lobster is smothered with mozzarella, and then baked.

 

Attentive and friendly, the service at C Nai may have surpassed my expectations, they greet you the moment you enter the premise, immediately whisk you to the most comfortable seat they can offer, and are fast & efficient to clear plates from the tables, but the waiting time for the food was a bit too long.

 

Ice-blended Mango & Pomelo ($3)

The combination of mango and pomelo is very popular in traditional Cantonese restaurants. Somehow, mango’s sweet-sourness offsets and thus complements the sweet-bitterness of pomelo very well. This icy blended drink is a good thirst-quencher, but taste-wise wasn't fantastic. It had none of that bursting fresh mango oomph; rather, it tasted like bottled mango puree. The saving graces were its smooth sloshy texture, and the generous bits of fresh mango and pomelo teardrops.  Priced at $3 though it’s quite a steal, because you can’t really get an iced blended beverage for that price in eateries these days.

 

Deep- fried salt & pepper squid ($6.90)           

This is a must-try dish at C Nai. Freshly-fried with fragrant spring onions, garlic and chopped chilli padi toppling over its squid mountain, these crunchy, golden morsels were a joy to devour. The portion was very generous too. Definitely worth the wait.

 

Spaghetti with beef brisket in Portugese sauce ($9.80)

Whatever Portugese sauce is, I will never know. But this dish was so tasty! A heaping serving of spaghetti, cooked ‘til al dente, is topped with thick, Japanese-curry-coloured brown sauce, tender, soft beef brisket and melted mozzarella. It sure could do with one more generous handful of mozzarella, but this dish was satisfying and scrumptious anyhow.

 

Thick toast with peanut butter & condensed milk ($3)Thick toasts at C nai come with a little flask of honey/golden syrup. Honestly, I had better peanut & condensed milk toast at Tong Shui (Liang Seah St). The toast here at C Nai was thick, roughly standing at about 5 cm tall, but it just wasn’t crispy enough, and the insides were sooo dry. There also wasn’t enough peanut butter & condensed milk, which contributed to a devastating lack of moisture. Maybe that’s what the syrup flask was for. But for $3, I guess you get your money's worth given how the toast was so darn thick.