Yet another day in the office again and checking out the coffeeshop at the foot of Blk 261 Waterloo Street too — this time for CK Cuisine which is located just right beside Liang Ji Char Kway Teow which had since relocated from Tekka Place (they also seemed to have opened outlets at other locations; one being at Sims Place).
CK Cuisine’s menu seems rather Thai-inspired on first look; the menu comprises of items such as Thai Pork Noodle Soup, Thai Grilled Pork, Thai Style Marinated Top Shell etc. — one can also find newspaper clippings of Chef Calvin Koh being hung around the stall about this very coffeeshop stall which he started after leaving his stint at Ibis Styles Singapore in MacPherson.
While the Traditional Nanyang Soy Pork Rice is something that seems a little far from their other items on the menu, this was still a dish that I found exceptionally comforting. Featuring different cuts of pork, there is a good mix of leaner and fatty parts in the bowl — I also liked how they have partitioned the pork away from the white rice in the takeaway packaging so the rice doesn’t turn too soggy if the item needs to travel the distance (‘cos deliveries and takeaways only now). I really loved how this felt like home-cooked food done right; like how it is a simple soy sauce-based item that is aptly thickened for flavour without being all dense and gloopy — the sauce going especially well with rice and was a sheer delight to have. The addition of quail eggs breaks the monotony between chunks of pork; the use of smaller eggs also giving the dish and improved texture over just a single braised egg which sometimes may feel jelak and a tad dry. Was also pretty impressed with how fresh the veggies tasted here — its rare how even the spring onions did carry a refreshing crunch; more often than not used to merely boost aesthetics without adding much value to the flavour of the dish.
Decided to also be a little fancy by pairing up my lunch with a White from Kurasu just located behind the coffeeshop (just a short walk from Clap Cafe, which is located just right beside Kurasu) — satisfaction guaranteed.
