New Town Cafe: Affordable Crab Dishes & Zi Char In The CBD At Heartland Prices With No GST Or Service Charge

New Town Cafe Exterior_

Amongst all the upmarket cafes and restaurants, tucked away in a hidden corner of China Square Central, most people wouldn’t think of giving New Town Cafe a second glance. However, it has become an increasingly popular lunch spot for office workers in the area.

Previously serving only quick-ticket dishes such as beef hor fun, seafood fried rice for busy office workers, the loyalty of their returning customers has encouraged them to expand their menu to include all-time favourite zi char dishes as well.

Noticing a lack of restaurants serving crab in the CBD, New Town Cafe seeks to fill that gap with a good variety of crab dishes as well.

New Town Cafe Interior 2

The setting of the restaurant was simple and fuss-free, which is probably how they manage to keep their prices low despite being in the CBD. To accommodate the busy lunch crowd, there’s an additional lower deck to the restaurant with more seats available.

We had the pleasure of being the first few to try the highlights of the revamped menu.

New Town Cafe Brocoli Dish_

First up was the XO Scallop with Broccoli ($18, small). Firm and sweet with a pleasant chewiness, the scallops came coated with a thick spicy XO gravy that yielded a nice kick to the dish. We only wish there was more of it to go with the crunchy broccoli as well!

New Town Cafe Tofu Dish_

Light on the palate with a distinct soy taste, the Crab Meat with Tofu ($15, small) was a well-balanced dish. We also enjoyed that the gravy was intentionally kept light in order to highlight and complement the tofu’s natural flavour.

The sweetness of the minced crab meat worked hand in hand to create a delicate balance of flavours. There were even tiny crunchy bits of water chestnut mixed in to introduce a nice contrast in textures.

New Town Cafe Wok Fried Chicken_

Halfway through our first dish, we heard a loud crackling sizzles coming from the kitchen and curiously went to check it out. Turns out the chef was repeatedly basting the Crispy Chicken ($25 for half, $48 for whole) in oil to get the skin super crispy.

New Town Cafe Chicken_

The dark meat portions such as the thighs and drumsticks were extremely juicy while the white meat portions such as the breast and wings were decently tender despite being very lean — a feat that requires mastery over controlling both heat and the cooking time need.

The boss, Mr Chin, then revealed to us that he uses fresh Malay chicken for this dish, which is less fatty and more flavourful than regular chicken.

New Town Cafe Clam White Bee Hoon_

The Crayfish, Lala and Prawn White Bee Hoon ($22) was a real winner as well. Topped with a generous amount of fresh and sweet crayfish and lala, the noodles were imparted with a strong smoky wok hei.

The light gravy complemented the seafood well and ended with a pleasantly faint and mellow aftertaste of ginger. The portion comfortably serves two.

New Town Cafe Fish Head Curry Pick-uP

Next up was the Curry Fishhead ($22, half), which arrived piping hot and bubbling. I always get excited at the sight of a bubbling claypot dish.

The fish meat was moist, flaky and slightly sweet, which went really well with the curry. Don’t forget to carefully spoon out the fish cheek — it’s the best part!

Special mention goes to the curry itself, which achieved a great balance between spiciness, acidity and heaviness from the coconut milk. Even till we were scraping the bottom of the claypot, we still didn’t feel jelak at all. 10/10 with rice.

New Town Cafe Black Pepper Crab_

Crab lovers, get ready for this. New Town Cafe is currently running a promotion on their Sri Lankan crabs for only $3.80 per 100g from 5pm – 9pm on weekdays and 11am – 9pm on Sundays. This is an absolute steal!

We got to try this promotion in the form of it Black Pepper Crab ($46 for approx. 1.2kg). Coated in a thick, smooth and aromatic gravy black pepper gravy, this dish commanded the immediate attention of the entire table when it arrived.

New Town Cafe Black Pepper Crab Pickup_

Just look at the size of that claw!

We had fun cracking the shells in order to get every last morsel of sweet and succulent crab meat. To aid with the shell-cracking process, the waiters here will prepare a large bowl of calamansi-water for you to rinse your fingers with.

So don’t worry about getting your hands dirty!

New Town Cafe Chilli Crayfish_

The seafood galore seemed to be never-ending with the arrival of the Chili Crayfish ($16, small). Doused in a rich and hearty chili-egg gravy, the tender and sweet crayfish peeled off their shells easily.

You’ve got to get some fried mantou with this.

New Town Cafe Crab in Wok_

However, the best was actually saved for last with the Claypot Crab with Thick Bee Hoon ($46 for crab + $5 additional noodles).

The highlight of the dish would definitely be the rich milky broth and the thick springy bee hoon, which absorbed much of the crab meat’s natural sweetness as well as a pleasantly faint hint of brininess from the shell.

New Town Cafe Crab in Wok Pick-Up_

Also, a tip for eating cooked dishes outside that come on a gas stove like this — reduce the flame to about as low as it can go.

While it may seem like a good idea to keep the heat on full blast and the broth constantly bubbling, keep in mind that the dish arrives cooked and hot already. So, you don’t want a full flame to overcook the ingredients.

New Town Cafe Full Table_

Overall, we had an absolute blast with our seafood feast at New Town Cafe. The seafood dishes here were not only fresh but more importantly, well prepared.

If all this isn’t enough to convince you, here’s the kicker — there’s no GST or service charge! For robust and affordable zi char and crab dishes in town, look no further than New Town Cafe.

Expected Damage: $20 – $30 per person

New Town Cafe: 20 Cross St, China Square #01-01/02, Singapore 048422 | Opening Hours: (Monday – Friday) 7am – 9pm, (Sunday) 11am – 9pm | Tel: 9677 7760 | Facebook

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