Fried Baby Corn With the closure of Ampang Niang Tou Fu at East Coast Road, there seems to be yet another cafe that has since sprouted up in the Katong neighbourhood — pretty much as though there isn’t enough of them in the area. Located at the same stretch of shophouses where one will find F&B establishments such as Mei Yuen, Project Acai and Neptune (with others such as a Brunners Coffeeshop, Isshin Machi, the now-defunct Forty Hands East Coast, Brawn & Brains and Chin Mee Chin Confectionery located across the road) is the new Good Chai People, which they have proclaimed themselves to be Singapore’s first cafe concept with an emphasis on Chai tea. The entire layout and design of the shophouse seemed to have been reworked ever since Ampang Niang Tou Fu had moved out of the premises; while the facade used to be just a simple signage with metal roll down shutters, the shophouse’s current facade now features a door and two geometrical windows; the latter can be opened for a view outside. Inside, the shophouse is decked with a Scandinavian / Balinese interior design theme — there are heavy usage of elements featuring wooden and wicker here, while most of the tiles, furniture and fittings feature an earthy colour tone for an easy look to the eye and a welcoming vibe. The ordering counter is situated to the left of the shop as one makes their way into the cafe from the entrance; the display shelf featuring the croissants and danishes available for the day taking up its space right beside the espresso machine, while another display shelf on the right after the cashier shows the tarts and cakes available for the day. On the right side of the cafe after entering from the entrance, there is a space dedicated to a retail section of Nine Wicker Ave where one can find scented candles and other merchandise. The dine-in area located at the deeper end of the shophouse past the kitchen features a faux grass flooring; perhaps an attempt to create a patio-like vibe that is close to nature. Being a full service cafe, the food menu at Good Chai People is segmented into categories such as Brunch, Pastries, Salads, Sides, Mains and Dessert; the beverage menu has a focus of various types of Chai within the Chai category, whilst also has sections dedicated to Coffee, Smoothies, Teas, Sodas and Beers.
Having only ordered two items at Good Chai People to share, we found the Fried Baby Corn was probably the more impressive item of the two that we have ordered. An item on that is listed on the “Sides” section of the menu, the Fried Baby Corn can be said as a healthier alternative to the usual finger food that features deep-fried elements. Coming with a thin golden brown batter on the outside, the batter is lightly crisp, while the baby corn itself retains a good crunch; the flavours of the baby corn being pretty subtle here. That being said, the Fried Baby Corn is finished with Furikake over the top; the Japanese seasoning helping to add a umami touch for the entire dish, giving the baby corn the flavour it needs. Whilst being quite a simple dish, the Fried Baby Corn makes for quite a decent side to share across the table; one which found to be really appetising and polished up in no time.
Other items that we have tried at Good Chai People were the Braised Beef Cheeks Polenta, as well as the Sticky Chai Latte (Hot) and the Lime Tonic Espresso; the former two felt rather lacking overall — the Braised Beef Cheeks Polenta felt like it missed the point with its odd use of tomato purée in its base for the braised beef cheeks and somewhat felt quite like a basic beef stew being served atop the polenta rather than the braised beef cheeks that it has promised, while the Sticky Chai Latte (Hot) just felt especially diluted and milky and didn’t really carry a punchy note of cinnamon and spices like what we had expected. We had also noted that some of the brunch items that other tables have ordered does seem like a simple assemble of store-bought / supplied elements, and they seemed to have sold out of most of their fancier croissant / danish offerings such as the Almond Croissant, Churros Croissant and Hojicha Oreo Croissant even before 12 noon on a weekend brunch service. The service here could also be a little bit more attentive as well; found it weird that we were asked how many pax were dining in by another staff just a minute or two when we were already seated down by the first service crew member who brought us in from the entrance, and it took a third one to ask (again, after a minute or two) if we have just arrived before we were given a menu. With so many cafes at East Cost Road, perhaps there are a lot more finer details that Good Chai People might need to look at — from the availability of the items, all the way to the execution of some of the items we have had, and the service; hopefully these are all teething issues considering it was their first day of operations when we visited. We would, however, probably be still sticking to the favourite spot whenever we are in this ‘hood; Good Chai People might still be a spot that avid cafehoppers might add to the list for the ‘gram just to check it off the list of cafes to try out.
