YUAN 原

It does seem that Cross Street Exchange is seemingly undergoing a change of tenants and some renovation works recently — the building had seen several tenants move out from its premises, and there are also some new ones that had recently found home within the building. Apart from Supergreen which had recently opened their latest outlet there (their very first outlet being located at the basement of Marina One, though they have expanded quite a fair bit within the Central Business District since then), there is also the new YUAN 原 they had also opened its doors at the ground floor of Cross Street Exchange recently. YUAN actually bears a pretty clean look for an establishment or its type — despite being a local coffee house that is comparable to that of the likes of Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Toast Box, the modern look with geometrical elements, pastel colours and a somewhat Balinese-style interior decor of its interior is likely to mislead folks into thinking that it is a cafe serving up specialty coffee instead. The menu at hahah does speak to the heart of locals though, considering how it seems the feature dishes with a very subtle twist of fusion elements that one would find inventive, yet hearty — think dishes that are split into categories such as Signature Rice Bowls and Local Favourites, Yuan also offers quite q good variety of dishes that one can share across the table in their Side Dishes section of their menu. Of course, the toasts and eggs selection is not to be forgotten here, as well as their range of beverages which include Nanyang-style Kopi and Teh, as well as both a sparkling and non-sparkling version of Calamansi Sour Plum, homemade drinks like Homemade Barley, and fruit juices.

We visited YUAN intending to have something that is fuss-free, and we were glad to have found that the Scallion Ginger Poached Chicken Thigh Rice is probably just what we were craving for on the day when we made our visit there. The Scallion Ginger Poached Chicken Thigh Rice is an item that is being listed on their Signature Rice Bowls section of the menu — one thing to note about the Scallion Ginger Poached Chicken Thigh Rice is how this is not something that one should expect to be a regular bowl of Hainanese-style chicken rice that we are all familiar with; this is especially so considering the format of which it is presented in, as well as how YUAN is all about serving up something familiar with a bit of a twist. Here, the poached chicken thigh comes with scallion and ginger relish over the top; all whilst sitting atop a bed of short-grain rice beneath — it also comes with stalks of greens for a balanced touch.

Digging into the bowl, this feels all familiar with the exception of the rice; rather than to serve the dish with flavoured rice, the approach taken here is to drench the rice with scallion oil that provides a savoury bite to the dish — there is ample scallion oil drizzled atop the rice for a good flavour without causing the entire bowl to become too salty. The poached chicken is considerably smooth, juicy and tender — quite palatable considering how this is not an establishment specialising in chicken rice after all, while the scallion and ginger realise over the top feels quite like a Chinese form of pesto that is zingy and savoury with a crunch from the fried shallots. Pairing it with the chicken rice chili on the side provided a bright and tangy note with a good kick of spiciness that would work fine even for those tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. Also tried the Toasted Hainan Bread with Kaya and Butter — crisp with a good proportion of cold butter and Kaya akin to that of those used at neighbourhood bakeries; even the Hor Ka Sai (Hot) deserves a mention for the balanced note of chocolate and Nanyang-style Kopi. Needless to say, a spot which we would not mind dining at for lunch if looking for a spot serving local fare with a twist in an air-conditioned environment with good vibes to boast.