Singapore Chom Chom, Bourke St

Singapore Chom Chom
188 Bourke St, Melbourne
(03) 9663 3778

Went with a couple of friends to Singapore Chom Chom for lunch today. This eatery isn't one of the best in its class for Malaysian  / Singaporean food, but we went there for a try anyway.

Hot chinese tea / water, a bowl of chicken soup and condiments (chilli, belachan, soy sauce) are complimentary. So far so good, right? Lets take a closer look.

Hainanese Chicken Rice with green beans in belachan paste. I was expecting the faint fragrance of Pandan leaves in the chicken, but there wasn't any unfortunately. The rice is a little dry too. And while I may not mention this if the food tastes great, I would appreciate if more attention was paid to presentation of the dish. The rice does not look compact enough, and there are no other vegetables used for garnishing.

Another variant of the chicken rice with stirfried beancurd. You have to add 70 cents to have this beancurd combination though.

Satay chicken on rice. Looks decent, but I'm not sure if it tastes as good as it looks.

Noodles in soup with minced pork and pork balls. It also looks pretty decent, but I'd prefer a large bowl of Vietnamese noodles over this.

A large broth of steaming hot curry laksa. Looks great, doesn't it?

Well, have a taste of the broth, and you'd be quite disappointed: it's pretty tasteless. I would recommend laksa lovers to stay away from this dish at all costs (unless you're prepared to be disheartened).

Hmmm.. so far I've not really recommended any dish from Singapore Chom Chom. How will this Kapitan Curry Chicken fare since it's what I ordered ?

Okay, for $10.80 (including fried egg for $1), this is quite a pricey dish for what it is. The fillet curry chicken has a pleasant taste, and its not overly spicy too. The rice is also a little dry similar to the rest of the other rice dishes.

My take? This cafe is alright for what it is despite the mediocre food, but if you'd like better tasting curry laksa at a slightly cheaper price, try Chatterbox in Tivoli Arcade just across the road. I don't think you'd be disappointed.