Snacks @ Tampines Mall

After my long absence, its time to finally post what i have had during my time away. Tampines mall houses many restaurants and snack bars which may or may not be worth your time and that is what we are going to find out.

Location: Tampines Mall Basement Level

Price range: $2-5 per stall

Xi Men Taiwan Snacks

Packet

Deep Fried Chicken Chop

A close up look

Deep Fried Button Mushrooms

Sorry i forgot the price of this stall but i think its probably between $3-4 for each item. The chicken chop/cutlet is supposed to be reminiscent of the version found in Taiwan. Personally, i've never tried the Taiwan version before so this came as a surprise. The batter was crispy and non intruding with the meat and mushrooms being surprisingly juicy despite the deep frying. The accompanying chilli powder or msg helped to enhance the taste but gets overwhelming with each bite. Health wise, prolonged exposure to this kind of food gets you a class visit with neurosurgeons and heart surgeons much earlier as well. Good for sharing and occasional bites, bad for everything else.

Tako Pachi

Box

$2.20 per box

Prawn Tako Pachi

After a Taiwanese snack, why not settle for a Japanese snack or 2? First up, Tako Pachi. Prices have soared since the last time i had this item but has the taste improved? Sadly, the answer is a big no. Its the same as it was years ago when it costs a mere $1.50 for the same quantity of items. That said, this version is still acceptable since i like my snacks hot and prawns crunchy and sweet. Although most of the taste comes from the teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise piled on it, it still served its purpose of satisfying my "little" hunger pangs.

Tori Q

Bag

Bacon and asparagus

Another charred look

The last order for the day, bacon and asparagus coated in honey and baked over a slow flame. This used to be a rather healthy dish as i remembered it with less oil and less charred surfaces. I also remembered it as a tasty little snack i could have at any time. Not anymore, apart from the the higher price, the taste has sadly declined. The asparagus was neither crunchy nor sweet, as is the bacon which seemed to lack the smoky bite it had which contrasted the greens so well previously. This was a disappointment through and through.

Overall Score: 5.5/10 (6/10 for Tako Pachi)

Last Word:
Snacks or different cultures adorn the halls but yet lacks any character whatsoever. The generic taste simply did not encourage me to come back to these snacks, as does the absolute lack of any health serving items and the ridiculous prices for such simple fare.

Don's (Your Personal Pie Club)

Don's was introduced to me recently by my gf after she bought me one to enjoy at my leisure. They tout themselves as being the one stop solution for chicken pies and have been around for quite a long time and currently have quite about 4 outlets selling their products. Is it good enough to warrant another purchase though? Read on.

Address: 20 Cross Street, #01-34/35/36, China Square Central, Singapore 048422

Contact: 63274344

Website: http://www.donpieclub.com.sg/

Don's Your Personal Pie Club

Interior

A Slice of the Pie ($16.50)

Another Look

I've always liked chicken pies but struggled to find one thats dependable or remotely worth a mention to recommend. Well, i guess the search is over for now. We actually bought the pie on take away on Friday night and ate it over the weekend as breakfast after heating it in the oven. What can i say? Its delicious.
The crust is of medium thickness, which means it feels just right without making you feel like you just paid for flour instead of a pie. It was also fragrant and very appetising, and thats only talking about the crust. The next thing you notice about the pie is how heavy it is. For something that small, its actually quite surprising how much weight it packs. And it is so because of the thick stuffings and ingredients they used for the pie.
For the ingredients, they used chicken meat, egg, potato, corn, green pea, mushroom, celery, peppercorn and spices and everything is halal so our Malay friends can have a slice of the pie (pun intended) and eat it as well. Everything in it tastes authentic and fresh which makes it definitely worth the price.

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Last Word:
Try it to see if it is indeed worthwhile of being a pie specialist. Try it and let me know if you feel otherwise or if you know of anywhere better, but whatever your reason, try it!
To Christine, thank you for introducing this to me. Its indeed very good. :)