Food Review: Friends Cafe HK At The Brooks In Springside Walk | Old School Retro Hong Kong Teahouse Along Sembawang Road

Posted on September 21, 2021 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place Located in Springside Walk at The Brooks (a mixed condominium development), Friends Cafe HK (朋友冰室) is a casual Hong Kong style ‘char can teng’ teahouse which opened recently. My first Hong Kong moment is the signboard at its entrance, reminiscent of those in Hong Kong. The interior takes after quintessential teahouse decor and vibes in Hong Kong, with a mix of tables and banquette seating.

I had a brief chat with the staff and understood that the space is run by a couple from Hong Kong, and I do hear conversations in Cantonese from the kitchen, which is a positive sign.

The Food Expect a wallet-friendly, home-style menu, with the likes of snacks like French Toast (S$3.50), Deep Fried Sotong Balls (S$2.50), Curry Fish Balls (S$4) and Peanut Butter Milk Toast (S$1.80). There are also set meals at S$6.50 or S$7, which comes with a main course, side dish of your choice (eggs/luncheon meat/sausage), and a complimentary toast with butter.

I had the Luncheon Meat Noodles with Egg (S$6.50) set, along with scrambled eggs. A comforting dish which is on every Hong Kong tea house menu, you really can’t go wrong with this.

There is already a sunny side up egg for this noodle, but I still chose scrambled eggs as my complimentary side dish.

The other set I had was the Chicken Chop Rice (S$7) with Black Pepper Sauce. Similarly, I chose scrambled eggs as my side dish for this set. This is quite decent too as you get a punchy black pepper flavour. Note that the rice is quite substantial.

The complimentary Toast with Butter which comes with the set meals can definitely do with more butter.

For snacks, I enjoyed the French Toast (S$3.50) as I can control the amount of maple syrup I fancy. The toast is crispy and this sinful snack is a must have here.

Rants There is neither HK Milk Tea nor Bolo Bun here, which left me slightly disappointed.

Will I Return Again? Cosy family run spot in the north, expect very casual fares here at Friends Cafe HK. It is a no-frills spot to satisfy the Hong Kong teahouse urge, an alternative to So Good Char Chan Tang.