Note: Sinpopo Brand (Joo Chiat) has relocated to Tangs Orchard. Note the review below is for their Joo Chiat Outlet.
Our Sinpopo Brand Review
Sinpopo Brand is a concept retro cafe located at the Joo Chiat district (well known for its Peranakan culture and cuisine) and run by the same guys behind Awfully Chocolate. This cafe is well known for its local food like Nasi Lemak and local desserts like Gula Melaka Cake, Pandan Tart and Durian Pengat Cake which are all prepared with a Modern Touch.
We chanced upon this cafe while walking around Joo Chiat on a weekend afternoon and we were captivated by the nostalgic look and the interesting Peranakan-style menu.
Some Good Old Memories
We saw some of their furniture which brought back memories of the times during our parent’s. Like this (black-and-white) TV and those button knobs for changing the channel and volume (no remote at those time), the telephone which we had to spin (to dial) the numbers as well as the cup which we normally brushed or drink our milo with.
What We Ordered?
— Their Mains and Sides Menu
Their Mains and Sides Menu had some interesting items like the HJK (Har Jeong Kai) Burger ($16) and Muah Chee Salad ($12). Their recommended item was the Sinpopo’s Nasi Lemak (for 2) ($28) which consisted some of the sides. We chose differently and went with their Sinpopo Sliced Wagyu Horfun ($18) and Nonya Kiam Chye Arg ($16).
— Nonya Kiam Chye Arg ($16)
As per the menu – Nonya Kiam Chye Arg is a Traditional Nonya styled Salted Vegetable Duck Soup boiled for hours to achieve the Depth of Flavor a Bibik (a Peranakan word as a form of address for an elderly lady) would be proud of. Topped off with a Confit of Crispy Duck Leg and served with Tang Hoon (vermicelli / glass noodles) to make a Complete Meal. With Spicy Belacan (shrimp paste) on the side.
We had different views on the soup taste. It tasted a bit too salty for her whereas it tasted authentic for him. The duck meat was quite tender and we could easily peel the meat off the bone without much effort with the chopsticks. The duck skin was thin but crispy enough. Overall we had wished that the duck confit was more ‘meaty’. The Belacan was good and spicy but not strong enough to take away the taste of the main dish. The combination of the salty soup and spicy was definitely good and really whetted up our appetite.
— Sinpopo Sliced Wagyu Hor Fun ($18)
As per the menu – We make a robust and flavorful local-styled beef broth and infuse it with herbs and spices. We pair that with our unique crispy horfun (wide Chinese Noodle made from rice) and layer it with tender wagyu beef slices.
This item gave us a refreshing (and unique) way of eating horfun. The first time we saw it, we thought those crispy strips were something complimentary to the beef. But after digging around and looking for the horfun, we were surprised to find the crispy strips were actually the key ingredient (the horfun). It was fun eating the horfun as the taste of it got better as it got infused with the beef broth. The sauce was salty when we drank it. But eating the wagyu beef, crispy horfun and the beef broth together made the taste stood out the most.
— Longan Slushie ($7) & Sng Muay Pop ($5)
They has some interesting items on their Drinks Menu as well like Horlicks Peng Sinpopo Style ($8) and Fake Bird’s Nest ($5) which were very popular drink items back in the past. We went with the Longan Slushie ($7) and Sng Muay Pop ($5).
The Sng Muay Pop was a drink made with Lime and Sny Muay (Sour Plum) covered in Ice. It came served in a metal cup. Interestingly this was a fizzy drink and a fun drink where we could melt the ice-covered sour plum in our mouth and eating the sour plum after that. Only thing we wished was that this drink came in a bigger size.
The Longan Slushie was a sweet drink made with canned Longans (found in most local supermarkets) and partially melted ice (thus the name Slushie) served in a metal cup which became ‘sweaty’ from the melting ice. This was something that our family would usually have as an after-dinner dessert but had to eat less now due to the high sugar level (everyone was becoming health conscious) in the syrup.
Interesting Cakes!
We saw some interesting cakes on the display near to the exit which looked very tempting and we would want to try them if we visit them again.
How To Get To Sinpopo Brand?
- Old Address: 458 Joo Chiat Road Singapore 427671
- New Address: 310 Orchard Rd, #02-22/27/29 Tang Plaza, Singapore 238864 (Google Maps)
- Nearest MRT for Old Address: Dakota MRT
- Nearest MRT for New Address: Orchard MRT
- To Reserve A Table: Click Here
- To Order Their Cake / Cookies: Click Here