Heng Heng Curry Café – A Boutique Café filled with Nostalgia

The Thai Express Group has finally opened its first local-themed restaurant, Heng Heng Curry Cafe at Marina Square and Causeway Point, that serves dishes from almost all the dialect groups found in Singapore.

From Hokkien Ngoh Hiang and Braised Pork Rice,to Cantonese Noodles and Teochew infused Fish Head Curry, enjoy the different dialect favourite dishes at this cosy coffeehouse.

The Signature Home-made Ngoh Hiang Meat Roll (家乡美味五香, $9.90) is handmade with prawns and pork everyday. It would taste better if water chestnut was added into it for the crunchiness. However, the chef is generous with the ingredients and the flavour, and it is not oily.

The golden deep fied Homemade Beancurd (自制豆腐, $9.90) is made from soy beans and it is very soft and smooth. This dish delivers in heartiness, taste and texture. You can dip it into Thai sweet chilli sauce which makes the tofu sing.

Hailing from homes and kitchens across South Asia, curries are local favorite with their distinctive combination of flavor and heat. From traditional curries to more innovative recipes, the secret behind every dish lies in having the right balance of spices.

The use of spices is less heavy handed in Heng Heng Signature Curry Fish Head (招牌香浓咖喱鱼头, $28.90). The seabream head is fresh and steamed before being finished in the curry just before serving. It is soaked in a light tangy curry with loads of veggies like ladyfingers, cherry tomatoes.

I find the flavours of this curry well balanced. The sauce is milder and not as tangy as other fish head curry. It is a good thing actually, for I can enjoy the sweet freshness of the fish better. It can serve up till 3 pax so you can share with your friends or family.

I am sure we have all tried Kong Ba with preserved vegetables, but how about Curry Kong Bah (咖喱扣肉, $9.90)?

The thick curry sauce came with thick slices of pork belly. I would still go for my traditional kong ba in dark soy sauce, as I felt the herbs in the curry didn’t bring out the beauty of pork belly. But, I think it is a dish worth trying.

Another dish I would recommend, is the Signature Fragrant Pumpkin Rice with Nonya Prawns (招牌金黄五味饭娘惹虾, $14.90). Crunchy and succulent prawns were fried in aromatic Nyonya sauce. It is a savory offering that combines the freshness of the prawns with the sweet and spicy sauce.

When you visit the restaurant, forget about eating white rice. Their pumpkin rice was very moist and fragrant. Traditionally cooked in a claypot over a charcoal fire, the pumpkin rice was boldly flavoured with dried shrimps and shitake mushrooms. You can’t really see the pumpkin pieces but you can taste the sweetness of the pumpkin. This came in a set, either with Nonya prawns, Kong Bah with preserved vegetable or fried Chicken Thigh.

Filled generously with chendol strips and kidney beans, the Chendol (钱多, $4.80)  is a seductive concoction topped with a dark treacle of melted palm sugar (gula melaka) and rich coconut milk. It is very rich and creamy.

Have a cup of Refreshing Lychee Drink (荔枝蜜, $3.80) or Fresh Grass Jelly Drink (仙草水, $2.80). They are served in the traditional looking tin cups.