Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Hidden in the corner of the basement at The Heeren lies Hideout, which serves up local favourites with a twist in a relaxed cafe environment.
Similar to its parent outlet, The Local Box, Hideout also delivers its food to nearby offices. Now, office workers don’t have to leave the office for lunch!
The old-school decor is meant to evoke nostalgia, from its black-and-white tiles to the vintage paintings. On top of that, I thought the retro pillows with Singaporean dishes on it were a nice nod to the theme too.
We tried several of their recommended popular dishes, and one of them was the Pan Grilled Satay Chicken Kong Bak Pau (S$9.50).
I was slightly confused at first, since the “kong bak pau” had a golden outer crust which was more like a deep-fried mantou, instead of a steamed fluffy bun. These kong bak paus were stuffed with purple cabbage, cucumber, crushed nuts as well as satay-flavoured chicken.
The chicken thigh meat was dry-rubbed with satay seasoning before being grilled on a pan. Surprisingly, it had a strong turmeric flavour like curry and tasted quite gingery. I enjoyed the charred and smoky chicken skin, while the cabbage and cucumber provided a refreshing crunch.
However, I felt that the generous portion of chicken was slightly dry, and could do with more satay sauce. I could not really taste much of the satay flavour, and it tasted more like curry.
To complete the dish, I would recommend going for a Gula Melaka Coffee (S$3.50). This classic twist on a ‘kopi C’ uses gula melaka instead of regular sugar, adding a caramelised sweetness to the coffee.
The coffee blend is a mix of coffee beans from locally-sourced roasters and is unique to Hideout. Slightly milky, the combination of gula melaka with fragrant coffee definitely woke me up from my food coma.
Get the best of both worlds with an Ayam Rendang (S$11.90), a take on the traditional nasi lemak with chicken rendang on the side.
The chicken was fork-tender and came off the bone easily. Although the rendang sauce was slightly watery, it was still very flavourful.
Infused with aromatic coconut milk, the nasi lemak rice was truly “lemak”! To complement the fluffy rice, the dish also came with a side of freshly fried, crispy ikan bilis and homemade sambal.
I really enjoyed the sambal because it had a distinct dried shrimp taste, giving the dish another layer of flavour.
Each mouthful was full of different flavours and textures, from the fragrant rice to the rich rendang and the crunchy ikan bilis. I would also recommend requesting for more rendang sauce, as my dish didn’t come with much sauce.
My favourite dish at this place has to be the Laksa With Soft Shell Crab (S$14.90). Instead of the usual thick vermicelli, they used mee tai mak for a chewy texture. The soup was very decadent with a much thicker consistency.
With the right amount of spice and coconut milk, each piece of mee tai mak was coated evenly.
As if the dish wasn’t sinful enough, it came with fried soft shell crab. Juicy and succulent, the soft shell crab actually came with a lot of meat. It also added a crispy texture, contrasting the creamy thick broth.
As I dug further into the bowl, I also found tau pok slices which soaked up the laksa broth.
The meal wouldn’t be complete without the traditional dessert, Gula Jawa Chendol (S$4.50). Instead of the gula melaka that we are used to, they used gula jawa from Indonesia. Gula jawa has a caramelised charred sweetness that’s slightly more bitter compared to gula melaka.
The shaved ice was topped with loads of this sweet sticky sugar, with coconut milk and red bean hidden beneath. I would recommend mixing it to get the combination of luscious coconut milk and bittersweet gula jawa with fine shaved ice.
Although the food at Hideout was creative and ingenious, some dishes needed tweaking and fine-tuning. The Pan Grilled Satay Chicken Kong Bak Pau was a playful twist on the conventional kong bak pau. However, I felt that more sauce could be added to prevent the meat from drying out.
Despite that, I would still come back for the unique Laksa With Soft Shell Crab (S$14.90) and the Gula Jawa Chendol (S$4.50).
Conveniently located in the heart of Orchard Road, Hideout is a good spot for a quick meal while getting some work in.
Expected Damage: S$20 – S$30 per pax
