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As prices continue to climb across the board, from hawker centres to casual dining spots, everyone feels the strain on their wallets, myself included. I bet you’ve experienced that ‘cai fan shock’ before, where the price is so unexpectedly high it actually makes you choke. But what if I switch things up and explore the expensive cai fan route for a second, spending over S$20 on purpose? I visit Cafe&Meal MUJI and 666 Cai Fan • Porridge, where a rice-and-dishes meal at these places can potentially cost more than S$20.
Which of these expensive cai fan places will impress me more? Let’s find out!
Competitors
Out of the multiple MUJI stores in Singapore, only 3 of them have Cafe&Meal MUJI where customers can sit down and enjoy a meal. I swung by the Punggol Coast Mall branch, which also happens to be the newest out of the 3. This Japanese establishment prides itself in serving simple, quality food that’s healthy.
Despite being on the pricier side, I’ve heard so many positive things about this place from colleagues and friends. There are around 8 hot and cold deli dishes available, giving you a decent range to choose from.
666 Cai Fan • Porridge is a relatively new stall at 125 Toa Payoh Lorong 1, which opened in May 2025. On the surface, it looks exactly like every other cai fan stall you’d find in a typical coffee shop.
However, pay close attention to the spread and you’ll notice that the slightly pricier options are labelled clearly for transparency. This is meant to stop customers from throwing a fit when confronted with the exorbitant prices of certain dishes.
Cafe&Meal MUJI
Since this is a battle of the expensive cai fan, I naturally went for the 3 Deli Set (S$20.80). I ended up scoring a S$2 off (Tuesday special) as there was a Punggol Coast Mall weekday promotion, making it just S$18.80.
The set includes 1 hot deli, 2 cold deli, a side dish — onsen egg or hijiki (seaweed), carbs — 16 grain rice, white rice or pair of bread, and your choice of soup. If I were to be honest, the portion here is slightly underwhelming, especially for those who have a good appetite.
I started with the hot deli — Golden Sesame Crusted Salmon, Shoyu Sesame Leek Sauce.
The salmon was so tender that it flaked apart effortlessly with just a gentle nudge of my chopsticks. The flesh was cooked to a medium well, retaining its moistness and soft texture. As the menu description states that there’s hojicha added to the sesame crust, I’m slightly disappointed that no smoky tea notes on the skin were present. There were pieces of braised hairy gourd accompanying the shoyu sesame leek sauce, which added a nice zingy and savoury flavour.
To me, the Butternut Mash, Pulled Pork, Kale with Creamy Sesame Dressing tasted like a classic Japanese potato salad — version 2.0. It had all the good qualities of a delicious potato salad — creamy, texturally rich, yet light. But this rendition was truly something else.
The pulled pork oddly reminded me of tuna, which wasn’t a bad thing at all (I love tuna). The small pieces of fresh kale added a subtle bitterness that I didn’t mind, while the pumpkin seeds and cherry tomatoes felt like tiny ‘treasure chests’, each bite unveiling a new textural and flavour surprise that kept impressing me.
The Thick Omelette with Japanese Styled Mushroom Sauce had various veggies like corn, edamame, and carrots, which looked just like a pretty terrazzo tile from the side.
The vegetables added a multitude of texture and crunch to the soft egg, and the demi glace-tasting mushroom sauce lent the dish a gentle umami backbone.
I usually go for Japanese rice, but the 16 grain rice was in a league of its own. It was cooked to the perfect consistency, with each varying grain bringing its own unique texture to the mix. The hijiki appetiser was a mix of seasoned seaweed, carrot strips and soy beans. Its slightly tangy flavour was refreshing and served as a nice palate cleanser.
Shu Xiang: Authentic native Chinese cai fan spot in Orchard with over 30 dishes & loaded portions
Last but not least, I opted for the Carrot Cumin Soup over the miso soup, and thank goodness, it was the right choice. The thick soup was rich and heartwarming, with each sip possessing a robust hint of carrots.
666 Cai Fan • Porridge
This was my cai fan plate, which set me back S$21 — only 20 cents less than the MUJI set. Here’s the breakdown: Salmon (S$5), Brown Sauce Braised Beef (S$5), Lamb Rendang (S$4), Chilli Prawns (S$3), with a balance of S$4 for the rice, braised tau kwa with minced pork, and stir-fried long beans with minced meat.
The fried golden-brown slab of salmon was huge, but also looked potentially dry. Cutting into it, it was indeed dry and quite tough, though the seasoning was adequate. Arriving around 6pm, I can only assume that it had been sitting on the display for a long time, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. A part of me couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t worth the S$5 price tag.
The brown sauce braised beef was great — super tender, beefy and cooked to a delightful medium well. The only problem? There were only 3 pieces! It’s hard not to think about how $5 usually nets you a full plate of rice and 2 greens at your average kopitiam.
The Lamb Rendang was decently tender and flavourful, paired with pillowy cubes of potatoes that melted in my mouth.
I really enjoyed the tau kwa. Though it looked like it was fried beforehand before the minced pork gravy was drizzled atop, the texture was incredibly silky and luscious, making it the ideal vessel to pair with the savoury minced meat.
Though the chilli prawns also came in a trio like the beef, they felt more worth the S$3 I paid for. While I can’t confirm they were fresh prawns, each piece was firm and cooked to perfection, and the slightly sweet and spicy coating was delicious.
Verdict
Both Cafe&Meal MUJI and 666 Cai Fan have their respective pros and cons. Ambience aside, I feel that the overall quality and taste of the food at Cafe&Meal MUJI was executed slightly better, making it justifiable to pay that much for a meal.
Which of these expensive cai fan places would you try? Let me know in the comments.
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