Tang's Island Cafe

Tang's Island Cafe has been around for quite a while now and it's one of the few casual places in Orchard that I would go to if I'm looking to have some local fare in a peaceful and cosy restaurant setting. The menu has a fair bit of variety that I believe could do for a simple meal, or a brief respite from all those hours of shopping. Do check out their delectable-looking cakes on display too, they seem quite affordable and I'm sure they would go quite well with some coffee, tea or coolers. Sweet treats.


I liked the Crayfish Laksa, quite a lot too actually. I don't normally hold high expectations for laksa served in a restaurant but this was an exception. The piping hot gravy was thick and spicy, and as it warms you up inside chomp on the all-quintessential tau pok (deep-fried tofu) and fish cakes. The café did not scrimp on the crayfish too, a good thing because there was fresh, succulent meat on both halves. Satisfied much, I really wouldn't mind having this again next time.


Or, just maybe, I should have a go at the Black Pepper Crab Tang Hoon instead, which looked really appetising too. This was stir-fried rice vermicelli, cooked with a strong hint of black pepper and served with a crunchy soft-shell crab on the side. Quite a healthy portion too if I may add. Come to think of it, I'm sure it would have been good to pair it with the laksa gravy, just so it would stay a little moist and have a bit more flavour to it as well. Hmm, I'm getting all hungry just thinking about it.


With such satisfying main courses you would expect anything on the dessert menu to be equally good, if not more. I'm afraid we can't say so for the Thai Red Ruby though, because the ice was not finely shaven enough and the coconut milk was a wee bit little. Somehow it looked quite clumpy when it first arrived, and a pity this wasn't a case of judging a book by its cover. If I may suggest, the café may like to try adding a scoop of coconut ice-cream, I'm sure that will be quite well-received!

Service
Very good.

Price
$16 for the crayfish laksa
$14 for the black pepper crab tang hoon
$6 for the thai red ruby
$4 for a glass of ice cappuccino

* Prices subject to the usual 7% GST and 10% service charge.
** AMEX Cardmembers get 15% off.

Place
Tangs Orchard, Level 4.

Pictures taken with the Apple iPhone 4.