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Orchard is basically a hotbed of food outlets so we’re always spoiled for choice there. I’d even say it’s tough competition for businesses in the area. That makes it all the more impressive when they thrive, of course, which brings us to New Station Snack Bar in Far East Plaza.
It’s been almost 3 decades since New Station Snack Bar opened in 1994. Despite the name, it’s less of a snacking affair and more for meals when you’re craving zi char dishes.
They’re still running strong as a family-run eatery. There was a never-ending exchange of diners going in and out when I was there. For a hole-in-the-wall eatery, it seems they’re doing rather well.
I didn’t have to wait very long to be seated as it was just a friend tagging along with me. Larger groups had to wait for a while, depending on the available seats. Kind of wild to me, as it wasn’t even the weekend.
What I tried at New Station Snack Bar
The fastest way to win me over as a zi char place is with good salted egg dishes. One of the recommended things to try at New Station Snack Bar was their Salted Egg Pork Rice (S$8).
Starting with the positives: there was a generous amount of sauce. If you’re unlucky, you’d get places that served little to none, only the meat be coated with a layer and left out to dry as a dish. New Station kicks that notion to the curb.
A nice, thick pool of creamy salted egg sauce brightens up the whole plate. It was more than enough to last the amount of rice given. Feel free to liberally scoop sauce with every mouthful.
The pieces of porkchop are rather generous, tender and not overly coated with flour. They are served crispy and pipping hot, so the skin is not soggy despite being drenched in the gold eggy goodness.
Frankly, though, the spiciness in the sauce kind of overpowered everything. Even with me sparsely drizzling it over the white rice, the more I ate, the more my mouth burned. The spice was biting and it removed any inkling of salted egg taste.
Maybe it’s my weak tolerance of spice, but I really would have preferred a more pronounced presence of salted egg flavour. A pity, considering how much gravy you get.
My friend ordered the Sweet & Sour Pork Rice (S$8). Like the previous dish, I’d say the ratio of flour to meat is pretty fair.
The crispy bits of pork, reminiscent of popcorn chicken, are coated with a balanced harmony of sweet and sour sauce. Both sides of the flavour coin are complimented by the array of onions, cucumber and tomatoes.
My friend said she should have opted for the pork ribs version instead, due to the dryness. It’s less liberal with the gravy, compared to the Salted Egg Pork Rice. It wasn’t that the fried pork paired well, she just would have preferred more sauce in the mix.
To top the night off, we decided to share a plate of Seafood Salted Black Bean Hor Fun (S$8.00). The seafood and shahe fen are drowned in a pool of thick garlicky and salty gravy. We’re back to an overflowing amount of sauce with this dish.
You get chopped-up squid, choy sum and 2 pieces of shrimp. For a seafood hor fun, that there were only 2 types was a little disappointing. At least the squid wasn’t overcooked to make it too chewy.
Like the salted egg gravy, one flavour ended up dominating everything. For the hor fun, it was how salty it was.
It was fine for the first few bites, but neither of us could make it through very far because of how overpowering the salt was.
Final Thoughts
On one hand, I understand New Station Snack Bar’s popularity, with its generous portions of rice sets under S$10. Even the zi char menu items meant to be shared are pretty reasonable, with a sharing bowl of Salted Egg Pork starting at S$15.
It makes for a good place to dine with co-workers for lunch or after work. This an apparently widespread sentiment considering a good deal of the diners I saw were young adults.
On the other, I felt like the flavours were all over the place. Or, more specifically, too much in one direction. If you prefer bold, dominant flavours, maybe this is your kind of snack bar.
Expected damage: $6.50 – $9.50 per pax
Order Delivery: foodpanda Deliveroo
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