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Island Cafe Tang’s (Closed)

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Island Cafe Tang’s, along with the rest of level 4 of Tang’s department store in Tang Plaza, Orchard Road had undergone quite a big transformation. We are not sure when this took place but it is probably quite recent as everything looked and felt new. The most interesting development is of course the new and reformed Island Cafe but we will also show you some bonus pictures of level 4 at end of this post.

(2018 Update: Level 4 of Tang’s has been totally transformed and Island Cafe replaced by a new restaurant. Read Peranakan lunch at the new Dulukala Island.)

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Island Cafe Tang’s is located at the same location within the Tang’s department store as before, occupying some indoor space and the balcony. But that is where the similarities end. The old Island Cafe Tangs was dark and rustic. The new Island Cafe is bright and contemporary with a bit of a Scandinavian style. Most of the balcony area has been enclosed by glass and is air-conditioned. There are about 20 small tables, a bar counter and one large communal dining table.

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Here are pictures of the $30 set lunch menu as well as some parts of the regular menu. We decided to try the two signature items – Island Jumbo Prawn Laksa and the Black Pepper Crab Tang Hoon ($24 each).

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Some keropok and another type of crisps (the one with a slight bitter taste, the name of which now escapes me) were served.

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This is the black pepper crab tang hoon.  The dish was not what we had expected. We had imagined that it would be regular crab cooked with the tang hoon (usually in a claypot) to infuse the crab taste into the rice vermicelli. Instead, it was a plate of fried tang hoon with half a deep-fried soft-shelled crab.  There was nothing wrong with the crab, in fact it was fleshy and fresh. However, it functioned only as a topping, There was no crab flavour in the vermicelli.

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This is the jumbo prawn laksa. This, we can remember eating at the old Island Cafe.   It was served in a generous portion and well endowed with a lot of garnishes and ingredients, including a large prawn.  Everything was good except that the laksa gravy was too creamy with coconut milk and there was no kick. Some chili was provided on the side but it was more sweet than spicy.

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Overall, dining at the new Island Cafe Tang’s is a pleasant affair, especially for those in search of local food in a comfortable setting. The food itself was good but not great, which was a pity considering the beautiful setting that we could eat them in.

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As promised we show you a few pictures of the rest of level 4 Tangs. In general, this is  a retail area for ‘lifestyle’ things. There were home and decor items with an emphasis on toys for the boys – Big screen TVs, turntables and other hifi equipment even a glass table tennis table. We could get really comfortable  in this place. The table tennis table costs around $35k, in case you are interested.

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Ratings:
Food: 3
Service: 4
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Overall : 3 TOPs  

    
3 Tops

Island Cafe TANGS
Tang Plaza L4
310 Orchard Road
Singapore 238864

Tel: +65 6311 3424

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