Herbal Oasis (一盅汤) @ Neil Road

Just within less than a minute walking distance from Department of Caffine, is another totally different type of cafe opened by a Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) Clinic, Ren Hai Clinic (仁海堂). The cafe, Herbal Oasis (一盅汤) is located on the 2nd level of the 2 storey shophouse with the TCM clinic on the first level. The cafe serves nourishing and healthy set lunches and teas in a cozy and relaxing environment.

Herbal Oasis (一盅汤) offers a valuable and healthy Set Lunch from $15 onwards that incorporated the benefits of traditional chinese medicine in the dishes. The set lunch comes with a choice of rice, soup and main, with a top up for $5 to complete the meal with a dessert and herbal tea.

Yam Rice 4.2/5 Walnut Brown Rice 3.5/5

Although there are 4 choices in the rice selections, only the Yam Rice ($4) and Walnut Brown Rice ($4) is available when I visited the cafe. Between the two, I preferred the more flavourful yam rice with chucks of yam with its low glycemic index that can help to control blood sugar. The walnut brown rice with raisins may not be as fragrant but comes with a delightful crunchy bite. The other 2 options available on the menu are Olive Rice and Pumpkin Rice.

Black Herbal Chicken Soup 4/5 Snow Pear with Fig Soup 4/5

There are 6 types of soups available on the menu which are Black Herbal Chicken Soup ($8), Snow Pear with Fig Soup ($6), Almond Aloe Vera Herbal Soup, Bitter Gourd Cooling Soup, Old Cucumber with Duck Soup and Qi Tonic Chicken Soup. We tried the black herbal chicken soup which is a booster for qi and blood that helps vitality and rejuvenation. The snow pear with fig soup and almond is good for those that has a troubled cough. The light and refreshing soup will help to nourish the lung and clear the phlegm.

Poached Spinach with Wolfberries 4/5

Luffa with Black Fungus Meatballs 4/5

Broccoli with Fish and Mushroom 4/5

Same as the soup menu, there are 6 choices for the main dishes. They have Asparagus with Black Fungus and Lily Bulbs, Broccoli with Fish & Mushrooms ($9), Celery with Walnut & Black Fungus, Fish with Danggui & Mushrooms, Luffa with Black Fungus Meatballs ($9) and Poached Spinach with Wolfberries ($7). If you noticed, every main dish comes with a green for a balanced diet. The seasoning is not very heavy but yet tasty. I am a person that needs my meat so if given a choice among the three dishes I tried, I would go for the Luffa with Black Fungus Meatballs or Broccoli with Fish & Mushrooms over the Poached Spinach with Wolfberries.

Afternoon Tea  Set

Too full for a proper meal? Herbal Oasis also offers a value for money Afternoon Tea Set ($7) that comes with a Herbal Tea and a Dessert. Beside the brew of the day, a range of health benefit teas are available on the menu such as the Nourishing and Claming Tea, Noble Tea for Rejuvenation, Clear Vision Tea and Complexion Enhancing Tea. Add on a dessert such as the Red Dates Muffin, Orange Muffin, Black Sesame Muffin with Lemon and Banana Walnut Cake to complete the afternoon tea.

Red Dates Muffin 4.2/5 and Black Sesame Muffin 3.5/5

Eating healthy does not mean that one has to eat bland and tasteless food. Ren Hai Clinic (仁海堂) with its traditional chinese medicine knowledge has specially created these nourishing and health benefit dishes that is not only delectable but promotes health living through natural means and daily lifestyles. My only disappointment and also my worry for the cafe is their menu. A lot of the items were not available during my visit. The menu is already small, further with limited items this deprived customers from the choices which they supposed to be entitled. Hopefully this is one off as the food is really not bad.


Herbal Oasis
27A Neil Road
Singapore 088817
Tel: +65 62218798
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herbaloasis
Website: http://renhai.com.sg/herbal-oasis.html
Nearest MRT: Outram Park (EW Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12pm - 7pm
(Closed on Sun & PH)

Direction:
1) Alight at Outram MRT station. Take Exit H. Walk straight to Kreta Ayer Road. Turn right on Kreta Ayer Road and walk to the end. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

Sergeant Chicken Rice @ Kopitiam Hougang One

Can we get a good plate of Hainanese Chicken Rice at food court? The answer is Yes you can because Sergeant Kiang is back at the food court scene once again but this time with Kopitiam instead of the other big food court brand to impart and teach his chicken rice recipe to the staff so we can get a plate of delicious and succulent Hainanese chicken rice on our table. I am glad that Kopitiam has brought back Sergean Kiang and strike a partnership.

So who is Sergeant Kiang? Well in short he is the chef that created the famous ChatterBox Chicken Rice at Mandarin Hotel, subsequently Sergeant Chicken at Rasa Singapura and Jiang Ji Chicken Rice. After several different ventures that did not really materialized, it is great to see him back in the food scene imparting his culinary skill and recipe to the next generation who is keen to learn and continue the hawker heritage. I have to thank Ian for introducing me to one of the godfathers of Hainanese Chicken Rice in Singapore.

Hainanese Chicken 4.8/5

Roasted Chicken 4.2/5

I have not eaten the Chatterbox chicken rice because I am not willing to pay big bucks for a hawker dish and neither do I have the chance to try Jiang Ji Chicken Rice before it pulled down its shutter. Nevertheless, thanks to Sergeant Kiang unselfishness in passing down his recipe, I now can savour this tender and succulent Hainanese Chicken at affordable food court price. Compare to the Roasted Chicken, I still preferred the white one because of the layer of jelly like skin. This is simply delicacy that melted in the mouth. And not to forget the special blend of chilli and garlic dip that further accentuated the whole enjoyment.

Char Siew 3.5/5

The Char Siew on the hand was rather average. The sweetness of the char siew was lacked down by the missing charred flavour. Decent but not outstanding.

As Sergeant Kiang is moving around the different Kopitiam food courts to teach and impart his recipe to the different chicken rice stalls, he may not be always at the Hougang One Kopitiam. If you want to have a delicious plate of chicken rice, just look out for the sergeant brand at any of the Kopitiam chicken rice stalls. That means they are using Sergeant Kiang's recipe. Do also note that he has left the other big brand food court and the recipe there may have changed.


Kopitiam
Hougang One
1 Hougang Street 91
#01-19
Singapore 538692
Website: http://www.kopitiam.biz/index.html
Nearest MRT: Hougang (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 24hours

Direction: 
1) Alight at Hougang MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop along Hougang Central (Stop ID 64541). Take bus number 72. Alight at 6 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Hougang MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Hougang Central Bus Interchange (Stop ID 64009). Take bus number 116. Alight 6 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]