Bao Er Cafe (Balestier Plaza)

If it is not for the fact that there are so many social media posts out there raving about the existence of Bao Er Cafe at Balestier Plaza, it is likely that one would probably not know that there is an eatery that is hidden in the second level of this sleepy looking mall that seems trapped in a particular period of time. Most should have heard about the establishment by now; and for those who had not — Bao Er Cafe is an establishment by the same folks behind Pranwography, which runs an establishment by the same name in the nearby Novena Gardens as well as also having an outlet within the Koufu food court at Oasis Terraces. Bao Er Cafe can be described as an extension of what Prawnography is all about; Prawnography being an establishment that focuses a lot on their Hokkien Mee which is pretty much a signature dish of the brand. Despite being a fairly new set-up, Bao Er Cafe does look rather period correct in the compounds that it is being situated in — the furniture and fittings are particularly functional and albeit dated; the dining hall does come with a mirrored wall, while the wooden tables are wrapped with a marble-esque vinyl that wrap that “adds class” to the entire vibe of the space. Offering Prawnography’s signature dishes on its menu here at Bao Er Cafe, one can find their Signature Hokkien Mee here; other offerings on its menu includes a line-up of fried rice dishes, as well as fried Bee Hoon and also waffles and ice-cream. Beverages served at Bao Er Cafe includes the usual selection of local-style coffee and tea, Milo, Iced Lemon Tea and even a series of house-made concoctions of fizzy drinks — just to name a few.

Being much of a Kaya Butter Toast lover that is usually on a hunt to find a good Kaya Butter Toast to have, the number of rave reviews for the Kaya Butter Toast at Bao Er Cafe got us intrigued enough to head down to Balestier Plaza on a weekday morning just to check them out — we did make a failed attempt in visiting them on a weekday afternoon, where we note that there was a big crowd standing around waiting for other diners to vacate their seats while another queue stretched out from the counter with folks awaiting to place their order. While the Kaya Butter Toast is also available as a set under the Kaya Butter Toast Set that comes with the two (2) soft boiled eggs and the diner’s choice of beverages, our order was for an ala-carte Kaya Butter Toast. There is some waiting time required for the Kaya Butter Toast at Bao Er Cafe considering how everyone was ordering the same item during our visit, but we found it to be well worth it. Some would call Bao Er Cafe’s Kaya Butter Toast the best around the island and it is easy to see why there is such high acclaim for the item here — the brown toast does come sliced thinly here whilst coming with a good balance of both kaya and butter. What really stands out with their rendition of the Kaya Butter Toast is how it comes with both cold Kaya and a slab of cold butter; while the latter is more common, there are not many occasions where we come across a variant of the Kaya Butter Toast that comes with cold Kaya.

The Kaya is really smooth here in terms of texture; sure that there are some parts that are a little lumpy, but the Kaya has a silky smooth consistency that isn’t as grainy as the commercially-made Kaya that we all are more familiar with; the Kaya being pretty drippy and was a delight to have with the cold slab of salted butter and the crisp, toasted bread that surprisingly did not turn limp even having sat at the table for a while. On the other hand, the Kopi that they serve up here is pretty lacking in the depth of flavours; a little bland and lacks the caffeinated kick that we would have liked to have out of it. While Prawnography is perhaps better known for their Signature Hokkien Mee, there is no doubt on why the most popular item at Bao Er Cafe is their Kaya Butter Toast — this is definitely a version to die for and it is little wonder why people actually go through the hassle of dining here just to get their grubby hands on one; the Kaya Butter Toast is likely the item that outshines all of their other offerings. Do come prepared to wait in line if one drops by over the weekend; we also note that ventilation in the store is rather weak and one is likely to leave the eatery smelling all smoky from the cooking of the Signature Hokkien Mee despite the kitchen being shielded away from the rest of the space with a curtain. Regardless, we would still think that Bao Er Cafe’s Kaya Butter Toast is certainly worth trying at least once to see what it is all about!

One of the best Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodles I had this year!

We arrived at 6.30pm and the place was packed. Ordered the $15 Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodles (for two) and Prawn Paste Chicken Wings.

Noodle was full of umami from the prawn broth. Came with three large Tiger prawns, scallops, sliced pork belly, fish cakes and sotong. The chilli sauce was placed at the side and it packed quite a bit of heat. I wish the chilli sauce was less sweet and the noodles were less chopped up from the frying. Still it was nice and smoky from the wok heat, even if we had to get at it with our spoons.

Strongly recommended for Hokkien mee lovers.

Overall it is tasty but more on a sweet side, I think it’s overpriced for a plate of $7