Encik Tan @ Kallang Wave

It looks like a food court. It feels like a food court. Is it a restaurant dressed up as a food court or a food court set up as a restaurant? The name is also intriguing. Is he a Mr Tan from across the causeway or is he a sergeant major from the army?  In any case, Encik Tan serves rather good local hawker food.

Located in Kallang Wave, the mall at the newly opened Sports Hub (National Stadium), Encik Tan attracts a long queue. That may be explained in part by the ordering system and in part by the fact that currently it is one of the only few eating outlets that have opened for business at the mall. The fact that it is a Muis halal-certified eating establishment (according to a recent list of Halal-certified Eating Establishments on MUIS website) may also be a factor. However, we suspect that decent affordable food is a major reason. We see students, families, office executives and even tourists eating there.

Like in a food court, you have to “chope” your table and decide what you want before proceeding to order. You queue to order your food and pay at the cashier. While the cashier was slowly keying our orders, the food was being prepared by another staff. Within a short while after we have paid the cashier, our wanton noodles and laksa were ready for us to bring to our table.

The wanton noodles ($4) were excellent. The wantons were nicely cooked and were tender and tasty. The noodles were done just right and were delicious. The portion was rather small though. The nonya style laksa ($4) was not too spicy and was quite good; it would have been better if the laksa gravy was richer and thicker.

Encik Tan also offers fried carrot cake ($4), oyster omelet ($5), po piah ($2.50), fish ball noodles ($4) and other local favourites. You can also get a kaya toast, eggs and coffee set ($3.70), Penang chendol ($2.50) and other coffee shop beverages.

It may not be a place for the first date but Encik Tan offers a great option when you want decent local hawker fare in air-conditioned comfort at prices lower than those in some food courts.

Rating
Food : 3
Service : 2
Value : 4
Atmosphere : 1
Overall Rating : 3 TOPs

#01-32 Kallang Wave Mall
1 Stadium Place,  Singapore 397628

Nearby Stations: Stadium, Mountbatten

enciktan.com.sg

The Ordinary Patrons
a Singapore food blog by ordinary people looking for places to eat