Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Last year, I discovered my new favourite food: thunder tea rice (also known as lei cha fan). I simply enjoy the mix of multiple ingredients, especially veggies, into the food. When I shared this with my mum, she immediately recommended her favourite lei cha stall to me: Fire Flies at Basement 1 of People’s Park Centre.
After that, I patronised the stall on 2 occasions with a group of friends, but realised that I should also visit the stall with my mum because she was the one who recommended this place to me.
What to order at Fire Flies
When we reached the stall at 11am on a Thursday, there was no queue in sight. We ordered their signature Lei Cha Rice (S$6.80) and Lei Cha Kolomee (S$6.80), along with a Bittergourd and Tempeh Set (S$4.20).
Although this wasn’t our first time here, neither of us had tried their bittergourd and tempeh set before, so we decided to eat it first.
By simply holding the bittergourd with chopsticks, we could feel its soft texture. This made it different from the bittergourd at other places, which is usually hard. Looks like this bittergourd was cooked for longer.
I expected the bittergourd’s natural bitterness to overwhelm me. However, this was partially masked by the sweetness of the tofu within it. A few seconds later, I tasted the bitterness of the gourd, which was not as strong as I expected.
The sauce of the dish was sweet, but I could immediately taste the ginger within it. As a ginger hater, this wasn’t to my liking, but my mum enjoyed it, commenting that the ginger was crunchy and finely sliced.
Next, we tucked into the tempeh. Upon hitting my taste buds, I tasted the strong sweetness and sourness of the sauce. While fans of sweet and sour sauce would probably love this, I would prefer a milder taste.
In terms of texture, I enjoyed the thin yet uneven surface of the tempeh!
Finally, it was time to try out their signature dishes! We first drank some lei cha, or pounded tea soup.
Their lei cha is more bitter compared to that of other stalls, but this is perfect for me! If you prefer something less bitter, you could request that the soup be thinner; that’s what my friend does when he patronises this stall.
Looking at the bowl, we loved the sight of the garden of ingredients on top of it!
Besides my favourite veggies like cabbage, french bean and carrots, there were also peanuts, tofu, black fungus and beans within it! Simply looking at them made me hungrier!
After pouring the lei cha in, we immediately tucked into the rice and kolomee! Speaking of kolomee, this is my first time hearing of a lei cha stall that offers a kolomee option, interesting!
When eating the kolomee, my mum said that it reminded her of her younger days, when she ate kolomee more often. She also mentioned that she preferred the kolomee over the rice, which made the dish more special!
I still prefer the classic lei cha fan, because the rice effectively absorbs the taste of the lei cha within it. The kolomee, on the other hand, has a mild savoury taste, so eating it partially covers the lei cha’s flavour, which I would rather fully savour.
Eventually, we both finished our meals, and while this sounds like the most normal thing, it was an accomplishment for my mum considering her tiny appetite. Looks like she really enjoyed this meal!
While leaving, we realised that the food court had become more crowded and a queue had formed outside at the Fire Flies stall. Luckily, we had an early lunch and avoided the queue!
Who Fire Flies is best for
If you’re looking for vegetarian food, enjoy veggies, or simply love a mix of ingredients in your food, Fire Flies would be just the place for you!
How to get there?
The nearest MRT station is Chinatown (NE4/DT19). Head out from exit D, enter People’s Park Complex and head to basement 1.
Do we recommend Fire Flies?
Yes! If you’re eager to try lei cha with kolomee, you should drop by Fire Flies for a taste of it!
Order Delivery: foodpanda
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