Seng House is a new cafe in Tanjong Katong by the family which runs the popular Seng Coffee Bar and Gu Zao Ren Taiwan Porridge (古早人台湾粥) in Changi. Named after their father, Seng House offers casual comfort food that incorporates traditional Hainanese flavours into contemporary cafe fare as well as impressive dinner dishes.
New cafe in Tanjong Katong
The new cafe is located at the junction of Tanjong Katong Road and Poole Road, just opposite the Caltex Petrol Station. The corner shophouse has wide walkways which allow Seng House to have an al fresco dining area. The bar opens out to the walkway fronting Tanjong Katong Road, and counter seats allow guests to have the open air imbibing experience. Retractable awnings provide shelter from the elements.
The interior design features a marble bar counter and a marble bench of curved shape at the entrance area. The indoor dining area is cosy with a variety of seating arrangements – including booth seating, long benches and small regular tables.
Mosiac flooring, hanging lamps as well as door and window frames with patterned frosted panels give the cafe a retro look.
Seng House Menu
The menu of Seng House has different sections for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is some overlap. You can order the Breakfast Feeds from 8 am to 5 pm. Lunch items are available from 11 am till closing while dinner fare is only available from 6 pm.
The fusion menu allows you to opt for kaya toast or pancake stack for breakfast; and Hainanese pork chop or British fish & chips for lunch. Restaurant fare is on the dinner menu which includes Confit de Canard, Grilled Argentinian Ribeye and Sakura Pork Tomahawk.
Below are pictures of sections of the physical menu and screenshots of the online menu.
At Seng House, patrons scan a QR code to access the online menu and place orders. The system allows for various options to suit the patrons’ preferences. For example, we can specify when we like the Affragato to be served. Online payment by credit card is made at the end of the ordering process. It is an efficient system.
Acai Bowl & Claypot Chicken Rice
We picked the Super Bowl ($14.80) from the breakfast menu and the Claypot Chicken Rice ($18.80) from the lunch menu. We also ordered a hot White Coffee ($5) and the Affogato ($8).
Our wait was fairly short and water in a nice big bottle was served while we waited. Our food and beverages arrived in the specified sequence.
The Super Bowl was a bowl of colourful superfood and delicious healthy goodies. A big scoop of açaí and a dollop of peanut butter were accompanied by bananas, blueberries, strawberries, granola, coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds and rolled oats. The açaí tasted like yummy dark chocolate ice cream. The various other items provided a riot of flavours and textures. It was a bowl of delights.
The Claypot Chicken Rice did not quite look like the usual claypot rice we were used to seeing in food centres or at specialist stalls like New Lucky Claypot Rice. The claypot rice at at Seng House cafe looked like a refined dish when the small claypot was presented on a tray with an empty bowl and chilli on the side. Pieces of boneless chicken thigh were neatly stacked on top of the rice, which had been cooked with ginger and chicken consommé.
The staff warned us that the claypot was still very hot and offered to stir and mix up the various ingredients for us. The chicken was cooked just right – it was moist and tender. The rice was very flavourful. The dish was more like the typical Hainanese chicken rice we would find in Singapore than claypot rice. The portion size was quite large for a one person dish. We thought it could easily be shared by two if a side dish was added.
Coffee & Affogato
Seng Coffee Bar is known for its elaborate latte art. Our coffee at Seng House cafe did not have any animal or unusual patterns. However, the classic heart pattern was well done and the barista brewed coffee was good.
The Affogato was simply presented in a coffee cup. The ice cream on a shot of hot espresso somehow made the hot cold combination a delightful dish that was more than the sum of its parts. It was a wonderful way to enjoy coffee and dessert at the same time.
Seng House stands out from the crowd
There are so many new cafes in Tanjong Katong. Supernova, Flock Cafe and Bella People and Coffee are among the cafes that opened in 2022 and all are within walking distance of one another. Seng House cafe can stand out from the crowd because of its unpretentious but hip space with the outdoor bar counter, long opening hours, friendly staff and interesting menu. It can be a great spot to have a relaxing breakfast, meet a new friend or business associate, have a family meal or even a dinner date.
Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 4
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 
Seng House
214 Tanjong Katong Road
Singapore 437007
Tel: +65 9182 6388
Opening Hours: 8 am – 10 pm
The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog
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