Well, it’s the school holiday season! As everyone rushes to book their flight tickets or cross the checkpoint to Johor, we decide to take things slow. Why fight with the crowd when we can just chill and visit the foreign cuisine that’s already in Singapore? *not a sponsored article*
This week we’ll take you on a jaunt and a trip down memory lane with the vibes of Hong Kong cha caan teng (cafe) at JUJU 津津. The cha caan teng inspired cafe is located at Wheelock Place and opened by Charmaine Hui — better known as TVB veteran actor Benz Hui’s daughter.
So let’s get straight to it! We ordered the Toast w/ Peanut Butter & Condensed Milk ($6.90), Juju Wings ($7.90), Juju Mala Fishballs (can’t quite remember the price but the Curry Fishballs there was $4.90), Egg Luncheon Meat Noodle ($8.90), Hawaiian Fried Rice ($8.90). This will be a heck of a jaunt as we are really craving for HK food.
Toast w/ Peanut Butter & Condensed Milk
Some people might be put off by the idea of having peanut butter and condensed milk on their toast, but trust us. We thought about that too. Things like: “Won’t it be too sweet?” and “I don’t want to get diabetes!”. But we held up our fork and knives and began slicing a piece of the toast, closed our eyes and put it in our mouth. Surprisingly, it wasn’t exactly that sweet as we imagined it would be. The condensed milk helped to moisten the peanut butter so it wasn’t too dry and was really easy to eat. We’d definitely be drizzling some condensed milk on our peanut butter toast in the future. 😉
Juju Wings
The Juju wings was a little interesting — not so easy on the eyes but definitely easy to eat. The wings are actually cut into half so we don’t have to lick or wiggle the meat that’s stuck in between the bones. That’ll definitely save you some embarrassing and awkward moments if you’re on a date. And great news, it wasn’t that oily at all. Not so sure if it’s deep fried or air fried, but definitely did a great job at minimising the oiliness of the wings. The wings are crispy and salty on the outside but somehow the meat inside wasn’t as well seasoned. But the flavourful batter definitely helped balance things out. It would have been even better if some salt and pepper was coated on the outside of the wings. Just thinking about it make mouths water. So if anyone from JUJU 津津 sees this, please try this idea out!
Juju Mala Fishballs
We all heard before curry fishball, but have you heard of Mala Fishballs?! It’s newly added to the menu at JUJU, so we have to give it a try. As a Mala fan, Mala fishball was exactly like what we pictured. The ‘ma wei’ (numbness) and ‘la wei’ (spiciness) makes you want to crave more. And the fishball skin was slightly crunchy and crispy. But really slightly. Still delicious 😋 If you’re wondering how spicy it is, we would say probably a ‘xiao la’ level of spice. So mild spice eaters should be fine.
Egg Luncheon Meat Noodle
What else can we say when instant noodles taste just like instant noodles? It’s the best compliment that one can give. Never disappoint, always consistent and never bored is how instant noodles should be. As the name suggests, this noodle dish has a sunny side-up, luncheon meat, some greens and NOODLES! That pretty much sums it up.
Hawaiian Fried Rice
For those who aren’t a fan of pineapples on pizza, you might want to skip this part before you have an emotional breakdown or start a heated debate. …………. Alright! We’ll begin. Imagine all the ingredients you put on a Hawaiian pizza but this time, replace the pizza with rice and fry them all together and you’ll get Hawaiian Fried Rice! But unlike the classic Shanghai fried rice where wok hey and the dryness of the rice is prioritised, the HK style Hawaiian Fried Rice isn't as dry. In fact, it’s a little mushy — not in a bad way. It really takes us down memory lane and reminisces about the kids menu. This would definitely be a kids favourite with the mix of tomato sauce, ham and pineapple, befitting for a kids palette.
The Verdict
Hong Kong cha caan teng emphasise on the ambience, how customers feel comfortable and at home; nothing too fancy or over the top. We think that JUJU 津津 managed to hit all the points and brought out what’s it like dining at a HK cha caan teng right at the hearts of Orchard Road, Singapore’s prime shopping district. Though the food might not be the michelin star type that amaze people with unimaginable taste, it remains down to earth and truthful to what cha caan teng is all about.
P.s. We also got to meet Benz Hui that day and took a photo with him.
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