Nasi Lemak and Mee Rebus at Toast Box @ Chijmes

Toast Box’s coffee shops are everywhere in Singapore. We visited their outlet at Chijmes on a Sunday morning. We did not have the firm intention to eat at Toast Box, merely to go to Chijmes and see what catches our eye. What we discovered that day was that, with the exception of Toast Box, all the restaurants at Chijmes (or at least those that we checked out) open at 1130 or later. There were quite a few groups of like-minded people on that day. In the end everyone descended on this coffee-shop. It was a very busy restaurant in this tranquil location at Chijmes. The photo above was taken at another time. The photo below shows the real situation.

We realised that while we had patronised Toast Box before, we had always ordered various types of toast. So we decided to try out their non-bread items that day. We ordered the mee rebus ($5) and nasi lemak ($6.50). The staff as well as the air-conditioning were under a lot of pressure as this place was obviously not designed for so many people. After a 15 minute wait or so, we were summoned to collect the food by the buzzing disc.

Our expectations were not high in relation to mass-produced food especially when prepared by highly-stressed staff. We were therefore pleasantly surprised by the quality of the mee rebus. It was quite a  visually attractive dish. The gravy was thick and flavourful. It did not feel mass-produced at all. The nasi lemak however was another story. The presentation was not bad but the taste of all its components were disappointing. The rice had a very dry texture and did not have the fragrant smell as you would expect from lemak rice. The chilli was too sweet for our liking. The chicken was over-fried.

The coffee was good local style coffee. All in all, it was a fair meal in a crowded coffee shop. Hopefully other eateries in the area can open earlier to cater for the early birds on weekends.

Ratings:
Food: 3
Service: 3
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 3 TOPs     

Toast Box @ Chijmes
F1-10 Chijmes
30 Victoria Street
Singapore 187996

Tel : +65 6336 1046

Opening hours :
Daily: 8am to 10pm

Nearby Stations : City Hall, Bras Basah

www.toastbox.com.sg

The Ordinary Patrons
Singapore Food Blog by Ordinary People looking for Places to Eat