HĒ Bistro And Bar: XL-sized Har Cheong Gai Cutlet Found In Insta-Worthy Café Along Duxton Road

There’s no shortage of watering holes and dive bars along the trendy streets of Duxton Road. If you are getting a little bored of the usual offerings of where to relax, prepare for an immersive experience like no other.

Hē Bistro and Bar is a semi-art gallery/Instagram haven that aims to satisfy hungry bellies as well as aesthetic-deprived feeds.

From the clear acrylic tables and art adorning the walls, you know the moment you step into Hē Bistro and Bar this place was made for the ‘gram.

Having spent a good 30 minutes (okay, 45 minutes) taking some photos that will perhaps never see the light of day, my tummy and I concurred it was time for a meal.

Besides the quirky arty walls, Hē Bistro and Bar also serves modern Singaporean food with witty names.

To satiate our already grumbling tummies, we started with one of the sides called Mar Mar Baguettes (S$10). These crispy slices are first slathered with Marmite before covered with a good serving of mozzarella.

If you don’t already know, Marmite is that salty, black jam-like spread that is commonly eaten with bread. Sometimes, a little too much haha.

These little toasts were toothsome mouthfuls. However, I would’ve liked just a bit more of that salty Marmite to cut the gooey mozzarella and perhaps the bread to be toasted just a bit more for that extra crunch.

What is a trendy bistro and bar without a pasta dish? Recommended by Mayne, one of the co-owners, we sampled Lil Nonya (S$22). For a serving, you get an angel hair pasta in an assam Nonya sauce with three generous slices of salmon.

Given how thin and delicate angel hair pasta is, it’s usually paired with a seafood sauce or thinner sauce that is light in flavour. I did like the assam sauce, as it was piquant with the right amount of tang.

The only downside of this pasta dish was that the salmon was a little fishy and not as fresh. Being quite a lacklustre plate, I would give this one a miss.

To put our faith back in Italian carbs, we had one of Hē Bistro and Bar’s signature dishes, Prawn Bisque Mac & Cheese (S$22). This is just like your regular Mac & Cheese but with a good ladleful of prawn bisque and covered in that trademark cheese. 

This dish piqued my interest quite a bit; I like prawn bisque and Mac & Cheese as two separate dishes, but together?

The texture of this Mac & Cheese was intriguing, to say the least. You have your characteristic cheesy top and satisfying cheese pull when you take a spoonful of this macaroni dish.

But, because of the addition of prawn bisque, the middle part of the macaroni resembled a sort of prawn soup with macaroni. The prawn bisque was akin to a very rich prawn noodle soup which I enjoyed.

Unlike your usual Mac & Cheese which, as decadent as it sounds, can get a little bit jelak for my liking. However, I reckon I could have downed the whole Prawn Bisque Mac & Cheese by myself.

One tiny gripe about the Mac & Cheese is that the prawns that came with it were frozen. There’s nothing wrong with frozen seafood, but this dish would have further benefited with the addition of fresh prawns.

One of the best dishes of the night, Har Cheong Gai 鸡-ken cutlet (S$20). This featured a massive boneless chicken steak deep-fried and seasoned with yummy fermented prawn paste.

For the uninitiated, Har Cheong Gai is a common (and well-loved) zi char dish of chicken wings marinated in har cheong (prawn paste). The result is fragrant and succulent chicken wings that are downright addictive.

The chicken cutlet was breaded and fried well, with each bite followed by a satisfying crunch. I would have preferred the har cheong to be a little punchier but still found the cutlet quite enjoyable.

The spicy chinchalok that accompanied the chicken is a nice touch, adding even more local flair into the dish.

Still not quite satiated from all the food, we decided to get Mini Prawn Toast (S$14) from Hē’s Bar Bites menu. These triangular toasties are loaded up with prawn paste and then deep-fried.

These parcels were crispy and would certainly fill you up if you are still hankering for a small snack to tide you over in between meals.

These prawn bites also come with a creamy mentai dip which I thought complimented the seafood-y flavour of the bites.

Now, you didn’t think I’ll forget about the bar section of Hē Bistro and Bar, did you? Besides being lady bosses of Hē Bistro and Bar, Mayne and her co-owner also run Poppin’ Soda. A drinks company specialising in prismatic drinks.

Therefore, you can expect the drinks at Hē Bistro and Bar to have the same creative flair as Poppin’ Soda.

Here are the Peanut Butter Shots (S$32 for four shots), consisting of XO Cafe Liqueur and Baileys with an M&M crust. I liked how creamy and decadent this was and the M&Ms was a playful touch.

If you want something a little more refreshing, POP That Berry (S$20) is a good bet. Another creative endeavour, the popsicle is filled with cranberry juice placed in a glass of red wine.

An interesting take on how drink sangrias but overall nothing to shout about.

Hē Bistro and Bar certainly has the potential to be the next popular hangout. In terms of decor and ambience, Hē Bistro and Bar checks all the right boxes.

When it comes to the food, I do think some tweaking and fine-tuning is needed to ensure that Hē Bistro and Bar can compete in an already saturated café and bistro scene.

Expected damage: S$20 – S$30 per pax