So Good Char Chan Tang at Midview City, Sin Ming Lane

This newly opened Hong Kong style cafe, known as "Cha Chan Teng", literally meaning tea restaurant is located in Midview City at the industrial area of Sin Ming Lane. It was unexpectedly crowded when I visited on a Sunday during lunch. They also have bakeries at Asia Square Tower 1 in Marina View and 100AM at Tras Street. The noise resulting from the vibrancy has reminded me of those eateries in Hong Kong. Most of the tables were taken up at that time but we still managed to find a table for 2 right at the corner. I proceeded to order at the counter, there was a queue at that time but it did not take too long before I placed my order. 

There are a few value set meals priced at $7.80 that are available for selection. I decided to go with Curry Beef Brisket Rice and pay an extra $0.50 to go with the cold Milk Tea. I also ordered a Baked Tomato Pork Chop Rice ($8.50).

 I was given a buzzer after ordering, it buzzed in a few minutes and the Curry Beef Brisket Rice set was ready. I waited for another few minutes before collecting the Baked Tomato Beef Pork Chop Rice.

I have very little expectation of the cold Milk Tea. I am not expecting it to taste as good as what I had at Shui Kee Coffee that tucked away in a cooked food centre at Sheung Wan in Hong Kong. It is also not even close to the milk tea from Lan Fong Yuan at Central, Hong Kong. Somehow, it tasted not too far off from those canned milk tea marketed under Lan Fong Yuan that are available in 7-Eleven here.

When having the Curry Beef Brisket Rice, my dining companion said, "The curry is a little too diluted." It tasted much inferior if I am going to compare it to the same dish by the popular Kau Kee Restaurant in Hong Kong. Somehow, it is still passable as this dish is not so commonly available in Singapore so not much comparison. 

My dining companion tried the Baked Tomato Pork Curry Rice and he said, "This is not too bad, it somewhat reminded me of the Baked Pork Chop Rice that I had in Hong Kong Disneyland." I tried the same dish at Mido Cafe in Hong Kong, a signature dish in that decades-old cafe and it tasted much better. 

I went back to order French Toast ($2.80) and Red Bean Ice ($2.80). The Red Bean Ice was alright, reminded me of what I had at Mido Cafe in Hong Kong. The texture of red bean was soft and mushy, it mixed well with the evaporated milk and the shaved ice. 

My dining companion took a bite of the French Toast and said, "It tasted very normal just like those french toast that easily made at home." The toast was dipped in eggs then deep-fried till golden brown, served with a slice of butter and golden syrup in a saucer. 

When we were there, many customers were in the bakery section. My dining companion pointed at the empty shelf and said, "I saw a few trays of Polo buns earlier but it is gone now." I have tried their Polo bun with char siew and the Curry Chicken Doughnut before but the taste was not quite memorable. I decided to just order the Curry Chicken Doughnut ($1.80) this time after reading the review on Straits Times recently. 

The outer layer of bread was slightly crispy and not too oily, the filling was gathered at just one end of the bread, leaving the other with just thick layer of bread. I started biting at that particular end and it took me a few mouthfuls before I got to taste the filling. I did not actually find it to be particularly good, this is especially so after tasting those in Japan. In Singapore, I would prefer the Curry Bun from Pullman Bakery at 100AM to this. 

SO GOOD CHAR CHAN TANG

26 Sin Ming Lane #01-121 Midview City SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)