This is a review of the restaurant Baba Chew’s, part of the #FEastCoastRoad series.
We had walked past 86 East Coast Road many times and were always intrigued by the restaurant occupying it. While the name Baba Chew’s suggested that it does Peranakan food, it seemed more like a bar when we looked in through the window.
Hence we decided to satisfy our curiosity with an 11am reservation on a Saturday.
Apparently the colonial-style building was the former Joo Chiat Police Station, built back in the 1920s, and only decommissioned in 1987.
Baba Chew’s occupies the western portion of the building, sharing with ever-popular Starbucks. The sign outside indicated the cuisines (Modern Asian and Western) that it offers.
Decor of Baba Chew’s
The centre piece of the restaurant is the Perankan tiles-clad island bar at the centre. Being inside a colonial building with high ceiling, there is an old-school charm to it.
We were shown to our table at the corner of the restaurant by the friendly staff who was in Hotel Indigo-branded uniforms. It appears that Baba Chew’s is operated by Hotel Indigo Katong, which is located right behind 86 East Coast Road.
Menu of Baba Chew’s
The staff first gave us the Weekend Neigbourhood Breakfast Menu and advised that we could access the regular ala carte menu online.
We were aware of the 1-for-1 offers with UOB credit cards and the staff brought us the menu upon our prompting.
The missing letters wasn’t due to the quality of the picture, it was because of the poor quality printing.
Food of Baba Chew’s
Drinks were served quickly and Green Beans got a cappucino.
My TWG Earl Grey was served in a glass cup with rooster design.
Belgian waffle with berries – we couldn’t resist ordering one due to the affordable cost and it was the only food item we ordered from the Neighbourhood Breakfast Menu.
The dish came with berries compote, whipped cream, mint leaves as well as a good sprinkle of both maple syrup and almond slices. Very good for 10 SGD.
From the 1-for-1 menu, Green Beans got the Chili Crab Tagliatelle (20 SGD) while I had Blackened Fish and Chips (22 SGD).
Close up of the pasta dish:-
While the tagliatelle was still nice, the taste wasn’t as what Green Beans had imagined. She thought that the sauce would be similar to the regular chili crab sauce. However, it tasted more like a spicier Arrabbiata pasta and we joked that the item should read Chili. Crab. Tagliatelle. instead.
In comparison, the taste my blackened fish and chips were more run-of-the-mill. The black colour was due to the buah keluak beer batter. Buah keluak is actually poisonous and requires fermenting before being used as an ingredient; it’s best known for being used in the Peranakan dish ayam pongteh (chicken and potato stew). To be honest though, I wasn’t sure if buah keluak added any extra to the taste.
The dish also had a good portion of tobiko to go with tartar sauce. In all, it was a generous serving and I couldn’t finish the fries.
Final Words
With the affordable food and incredible 1-for-1 deal, the value is hard to beat. It also has a nice environment and friendly staff and it isn’t difficult to image one can have a leisurely weekend brunch with friends there. Certainly a place that we will visit again in the future.
Visit Date: 17 October 2020 (Lunch)
Good for: 1-for-1 deal, fusion food with Peranakan touch, cheap waffles
Cost: 46.89 SGD for 2 pax
Location
Address: 86 East Coast Road, Katong Square Singapore 428789
Phone: 6723 2025
Opening Hours: Wed to Fri 11am to 2.30pm & 5.30pm to 9.30pm, Sat & Sun 9am to 9.30pm
Check out the rest of the #FEastCoastRoad reviews here.
