Singapore Chom Chom - Another one bites the dust
It's with great sadness to announce that Singapore Chom Chom, on Bourke St in the city, has shut its doors for good. I wish the nice owner and his warm and friendly family all the best in his building business and his wife's extremely successful hair salon located in the next building.
The business had a really promising start, at a time when there were hardly any Singaporean-style cafes or restaurants in Melbourne. I've eaten there for many years, practically the day they opened their doors. It was the only place where I could eat Kway Chap. They also had several dishes Singaporeans recognise and love, totally different to M'sian fare. Admittedly over the last year or so, we have not been going back in ages. The owner devoted more time to his building business and the food standards really suffered. The prices were still competitive with the rest of the other Chinatown mob, and I certainly don't mind paying for good food, but when their signature Hainanese Chicken Rice chilli was reduced to a vinegar/chilli watery mess, we knew it was a matter of time.
Genuinely, they had a great run and business was fantastically brisk, but over the last couple of years, the food was nowhere near how it used to be. Unfortunately everyone noticed.
The business had a really promising start, at a time when there were hardly any Singaporean-style cafes or restaurants in Melbourne. I've eaten there for many years, practically the day they opened their doors. It was the only place where I could eat Kway Chap. They also had several dishes Singaporeans recognise and love, totally different to M'sian fare. Admittedly over the last year or so, we have not been going back in ages. The owner devoted more time to his building business and the food standards really suffered. The prices were still competitive with the rest of the other Chinatown mob, and I certainly don't mind paying for good food, but when their signature Hainanese Chicken Rice chilli was reduced to a vinegar/chilli watery mess, we knew it was a matter of time.
Genuinely, they had a great run and business was fantastically brisk, but over the last couple of years, the food was nowhere near how it used to be. Unfortunately everyone noticed.
Really disappointed about this. I don't know what the food was like before as I only discovered the place about a year ago and have been a frequent customer ever since. They had the best Nasi Lemak, a bit different to the ones I've had at Malaysian restaurants around town, and very addictive. Don't know what I'm going to do now...
ReplyDeleteHey Andrew, try Selera Singapore, it's even more authentic Nasi Lemak from a Malay auntie who used to sell Nasi Lemak in Geylang, Singapore, for 34 years. You can find my post on the food somewhere in this blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, it looks good but... Forest Hill is a long way from here (I live in the CBD). I'll make a note of it and give it a try if I'm out that way some time. The pandan crepes look nice too.
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