Nic & Tom Eatery, Serangoon: “The braising sauce is reason enough to wallow in this hearty bowl”

If I’d known that Serangoon Gardens was the place to be these days, I would’ve paid a visit much sooner (cue the haters calling me out for my ignorance). Boasting an eclectic mix of trendy and nostalgia, it feels like I’ve been transported to an upmarket neighbourhood in JB. However, my journey here today is for Nic & Tom Eatery, which made a splash on the F&B scene the moment it announced its opening.

Run by two cousins, Nicholas Lim and Tommy Pang, they have had their hands busy helping out at their Uncle/Dad’s store, Bai Nian, prior to venturing out on their own. At Nic & Tom Eatery, it’s all about familiar favourites, comfort food, and sharing a meal with the ones who mean the most.

What I tried

I’ve heard almost too many raves about their Tuckshop Rice (S$1.90), a bowl of aromatic pearl rice dressed with special sauce and spice, topped with a perfectly cooked sunny-side-up, and complemented by succulent and crispy fried pork. It’s a shame that there’s a limit of one bowl per person and restricted to dine-in only because I can foresee anyone wanting to order three or four portions of these as a complete meal.

It’s an uncomplicated staple that will have you asking why you aren’t cooking more of this for yourself at home. Stripped of typical fussy restaurant flair, this tiny bowl deserves to be freed of its one-bowl cap.

I seek comfort and this is what I got; Pork Wrap (S$8.90), a marinated pork belly pan-grilled, that’s meant to be eaten wrapped with fresh butterhead lettuce and dipped in their homemade chilli sauce. Reminding me fondly of Korean BBQ, the pork tears almost as easily as the lettuce, so there is no need to prepare your teeth for a see-saw chomping battle.

Although I spot chilli flecks on the pork, heat failed to be part of this succulent recipe—something I’m grateful for, given the pork fat is all I need to give me due gratification.

Not many people are privy to this little secret of mine—that I’d always choose bee hoon over most noodles, from bee hoon goreng to bee hoon fish soup. And that is why the Seafood Cheese Beehoon (S$9.90) makes for a great contender in an attempt to win this bee hoon advocate over. It holds its own secret, carrying cheddar cheese-infused seafood broth. The bowl is swimming with springy bee hoon together with fresh prawns, scallops, mixed paste, and mock abalone, so there’s plenty to discover as I finish this bowl, slurp by slurp.

Contrary to the label ‘cheddar cheese-infused seafood broth’, the broth is nowhere near cloying.  In fact, the sweet seafood flavour enriches the broth assisting me in polishing off this lip-smacking bowl with ease.

I actually had to ask my Mandarin-speaking colleagues for the translation of this dish, but no one could come up with a proper name. So, I’ll go ahead and refer to this as per the menu; 摂弉吓 (S$4.90/S$5.90) is a solid choice on Nic & Tom’s menu, hawking traditional Hakka yong tau foo—which I’m confident everyone is familiar with. Succulent prawn paste, pork paste, tofu, and bitter gourd with pork paste wade in a light soup.

The soup isn’t anything to scream about, as I’ve come to learn about most yong tau foo I’ve eaten across many hawker centres and food courts. I wish this wasn’t the case.

But having this to fall back on in a menu makes sense, especially when your appetite isn’t performing at its best or you need a dependable, soupy option for cold, rainy days.

Noodles and soups aren’t the only good things to consider at Nic & Tom. Their Long Jiang Pig Leg Rice (S$4.90) is a solid consideration—I mean just look at that slick, braised meat. Cloaked with braised tender pork trotter, flavourful pig intestine with kiam chye and meat cake atop steaming pearl rice, it’s begging for a taste.

I recommend taking your time with this number, even though the temptation to wolf this down does reach a particular peak. The braising sauce is reason enough to wallow in this hearty bowl—and if you do so, remember to find delight in this without sharing.

Final thoughts

I hear you, and I can imagine you’re salivating at this screen just waiting for me to share with you how to order your next meal from Nic & Tom. Even though dining out is restricted right now, they do take in delivery orders islandwide. View their menu here and place your order via Whatsapp. If you spend a minimum of S$50, you’ll enjoy free delivery—if not, an S$8 delivery fee applies.

Do note, however, lunch orders must be placed one day in advance, while dinner orders are to be placed before 3pm the same day. It’ll certainly be a case of fastest fingers first, because they’re only opening up 30 slots for each meal period due to a shortage of delivery crew, so please be understanding.

Looking to food as a source of comfort during this pandemic? Nic & Tom Eatery is one place that’ll soothe you, even if just for a meal. Think of it as a good read of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Expected damage: S$5 – S$15 per pax

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