Chiak – Mapletree Business City (Closed)

Situated in between Kaisen Ichi and Paik’s Bibim/Coffee, Chiak is the latest F&B tenant in Mapletree Business City to commence operations.

A new F&B concept affiliated with Cedele, Chiak is a salad-cum-noodle bar with an Asian influence. Decked out in soothing tones of orange and blue, the interior is also decked out in natural elements with wood widely used in the furnishings, as well as marble table tops which give it a relaxing, yet close-to-nature vibe. Several menus are available and various times of the day, with breakfast served from opening to 11:30am with a couple of noodle soup dishes, porridge and toasts served. For lunch, expect salad or noodle bowls to be served, with an extensive selection of ingredients to mix-and-match for Design Your Own Bowl options (more to be explained later) or the signature bowls which comes with preset ingredients. Tea time menu starts from 3:30pm onwards to closing and is largely similar to the breakfast menu with the addition of the sandwich set. A variety of cakes and bakes are also available around the shop to grab and go, ranging from cakes to cookies and even pineapple tarts as well.

(Chiak Toast Set – Black Sesame Butter & Vanilla Custard Toast)

We made our visit nearer towards the end of their breakfast hours so we could try out both Breakfast and Lunch menus. While the toasts are available ala-carte throughout the day, the Chiak Toast Set is only available for both lunch and tea hours. Opting for the Black Sesame Butter and Vanilla Custard Toast, the Chiak Toast Set also comes with Coffee/Tea alongside, which we opted for Kopi. Using wholemeal bread for the toast, the bread was toasted and spread with the abovementioned Black Sesame Butter and Vanilla Custard before being served. As quirky as it may sound, the roasty flavours of the Black Sesame worked well with the subtly sweet Vanilla Custard to create a pretty appetizing flavour that you would yearn for more. Personally, I would prefer the Black Sesame Butter to carry more flavour, for it seemed to be hiding within the shadows of the Vanilla Custard though it was still something I loved. Kopi was actually pretty decent, and quite comparable to what you might get from chain stores or even coffeeshops elsewhere; commendable for a salad-cum-noodle bar.

(Honey Spiced Chicken Wings & Prawn Otah)

Design Your Own Bowl is only available on the lunch menu which starts at 11:30am onwards, and there is also an option to make it a set. Set A is the one we opted for, which comes with a choice of hot or iced lemon tea and Honey Spiced Chicken Wings & Prawn Otah for an additional cost of $3.80. Unlike the usual mass-produced Otah out there, the Prawn Otah was chunky without being the springy fish cake-like texture, evident of the rempah used with a moderate level of spiciness that catches you on surprise on the very first bite. The Honey Spiced Chicken Wing came doused in a savoury-sweet sauce with a squeeze of the lime, which injected a little zingy touch for the wing. Although I did like how it turned out, I thought it would have been slightly better if the meat was a little bit more tender and moister.

(Design Your Own Bowl – Dry Soba with Beanie Hoisin dressing, Belly Pork Char Siew, Jicama, Carrot and Mango Salad and Shimeiji Mushrooms for sides with Cherry Tomato, Grilled Pumpkin and Seaweed Flakes)

For Design Your Own Bowl, one gets to pick a base (soba/noodles/rice), a protein, two sides and three toppings. There is a choice of both dry noodles or a broth, where a dressing is also available for the dry noodles option. We opted for the dry Soba with Beanie Hoisin dressing, Belly Pork Char Siew for protein, Jicama, Carrot and Mango Salad and Shimeiji Mushrooms for sides with Cherry Tomato, Grilled Pumpkin and Seaweed Flakes for toppings. While we liked the combination for we chose the items we love, we were quite impressed with the Belly Pork Char Siew which was flavoursome with savoury-sweet flavours that was of a standard that was pretty near those of a good roasted delights stall; something which we found commendable for a salad bar even though texture-wise it could have been a little bit more tender. Grilled Pumpkin was soft, sweet of its natural flavours and earthy while the zesty Cherry Tomatoes were fresh and were pretty juicy. We also quite liked the Shimeiji mushrooms which were earthy and bouncy as well.

(Gula Melaka Swiss Roll)

With plenty of bakes/cakes on display around the shop space, we have picked the Gula Melaka Swiss Roll which we felt was pretty alright. While the cake was fluffy and light, the aromatic vanilla flavours felt a little heavy-handed against the Gula Melaka, which drowned the flavours of the Gula Melaka cream within. Apart from that however the cake was pretty decent and definitely works as a treat to couple with a cup of coffee or tea for a short mid-day break.

Strategically located within Mapletree Business City, Chiak seems to be one of the more affordable dining options amongst the other tenants within the area (except for the food court) that carries a local touch. Offering salads and noodles for lunch with a variety of other options during tea-time and for breakfast, it gives patrons a little reason to hit Chiak at any point of the day to try out different items with every visit. The food is of decent quality, and the salad and noodle options felt pretty wholesome yet light; something that would definitely hit those who are a little bit more conscious of the food that they eat. For office workers in the area looking for a salad and noodle bar with a Singaporean touch, this is the place for you.

Chiak
40 Pasir Panjang Road
Mapletree Business City
#02-37
Singapore 117383

Web Page: http://chiak.sg/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/chiaksg