Chong Wen Ge Cafe

One of my favourite hangouts for a quiet afternoon with good food served by friendly staff. Tried laksa and rendang chicken. Both are really tasty. The Babi Pongteh with rice is delicious too. Generous portion of pork. Kueh kueh always sold out by 2pm. So visit earlier if you like Nyonya kueh. Kopi and iced bandung taste good too! 😋

Surprise find in CBD. It's inside Thian Hock Keng temple. Got the Do Re Mi Fa which is half curry chicken, half babi pongteh for $13.80 nett. Really tender chicken and tasty pork. Would be back for kueh - 90 cents ondeh and $1.60 for everything else (expensive). Really attentive staff and wonderful service!

Nice secret location hidden next to the temple. The decor is peranakan, and can find some dishes like Babi Pongteh there. DoReMiFa is curry chicken mixed with babi pongteh. The combination works better than I thought, and is rich and creamy. Rendang chicken was also good. Better leave your diet plans at the door!

The laksa was OK, not among the best (see hums were missing and the tao poks could be softer) nor worst (quite tasty, big portion and fresh and big prawns). Gloves were provided to peel the prawn shells. Again, the kuehs were decent but nothing special. Overall, prices were on the high side but do note that there are no GST and service charges. Despite the relative high prices, the ambience is more of a cafe/canteen than a restaurant. I like that the old tiles on the floor and wall were well preserved. There were also some musical boxes on display. The place just need some decluttering to make it look prettier (eg. bring back the wooden chairs and other Peranakan elements). Service staff were pleasant and accommodating. Definitely a good place to rest your feet while exploring the national monuments that line along the Telok Ayer Street.

This is a very secluded place in the CBD area that offers a quiet space for a cup of calming coffee and delicious peranakan food. Many people tend to miss this place, thinking that this is a chinese temple. Actually it is a museum of musical boxes with a nice cosy cafe with friendly staff. If you are visiting the Tian Fu Gong Chinese Temple, do drop by this cafe, which is literally just a stone throw away. It is also an affordable place whereby you can bring your family to escape the hot sun. You can also choose between indoor dining or outdoor dining. Outdoor dining includes the ancient-looking chinese pavilion which is Instagram-friendly.