Special Dry Ban Mee (add: Chilli) Got to know about New Nanyang 新南洋 whilst scrolling through social media one day — a seemingly new addition to HillV2 that is a short walk away from Hillview MRT Station along the Downtown Line, New Nanyang is one of the new contenders joining in the league of nostalgic Nanyang coffeeshop-style dining establishments that had been slowly sprouting up around the island; the more renowned players in this segment in the local F&B industry being Nan Yang Dao 南洋岛, Great Nanyang 大南洋 and The Hainan Story 海南宝. Situated at the second level of HillV2, one can find New Nanyang located in between iO Italian Osteria and the outlet of Tandoori Culture there, taking over the former premises of the now-defunct Fun Toast there (some may also remember the shop unit being operated by the now-defunct Kinsa Sushi). The interior of the space at New Nanyang does remind us of old-school coffeeshops in the colonial era that brings us a sense of nostalgia — this includes the use of mosaic tiles on the walls, booth seating that comes with rattan accents, as well as tables featuring wooden, wrought iron-esque and marble-estate elements; one can also find old-school blinds that one can find in colonial-era black-and-white houses situated at the end of the interior that bears the establishment’s name as well. The menu at New Nanyang is surprisingly wide; perhaps an attempt to replicate the hipster nostalgic Nanyang coffeeshop-style eateries that have become quite popular in neighbouring Malaysia; that being said, the online menu does feature a slightly more limited selection of food items as compared to the printed menu — the hard copy printed menu has sections dedicated to Classic Toasts, French Toasts, Nasi Lemak, Rice Specials Set, Noodles, Hainanese Western, Pasta, Snacks, Side Dishes and Desserts. The list of beverages available at New Nanyang includes a list of “Traditional” drinks that comprises of the usual Nanyang-style Kopi and Teh, as well as Milo, Coke with Lemon etc.; there is also the “Freshly Made”section where one can find items like Fresh Soya Milk, Honey Ginger, Ribena etc., as well as a “Specialty” that features more unique concoctions like the Pandan Milk Tea and Chrysanthemum Goji Berry.
Skimming through the menu for a main dishs that would work well for a lighter palate considering how we weren’t craving for something as substantial as a rice dish when we dropped by New Nanyang on a weekday dinner service, we found ourselves eventually opting for the Special Dry Ban Mee. New Nanyang does allow for some form of flexibility for its patrons for their order of the Special Dry Ban Mee; patrons can opt for the noodles to come as-is, or to opt for the variant that comes with chili at no extra cost. New Nanyang does not describe on the elements that come with their dishes, though it can be observed that our order of the Special Dry Ban Mee does feature Ban Mian, a soft-boiled egg, minced pork, anchovies and braised mushroom accompanied with dark soy sauce and dry chili on the side — the dry chili being from our specified addition of chili for our order. Giving everything a good toss, the first impression of the dish was how it comes doused in a little too much sauce — no doubt it does give the entire bowl an enticing aesthetic, though we did find that the dish felt overly wet to a certain degree. Truth to be told, the composition of the entire bowl just felt rather decent — the dark sauce definitely giving the dish a flavour that veers towards sweetness while the dry chili does add a bit of umami and just a very light kick of spiciness that should work well for those whom are tolerable to minimal amounts of spiciness. While the soft boiled egg does come with runny egg whites, the egg yolk does seemed to have lost the molten consistency that would allow it to mix well with all the sauce and noodles; other elements like the minced pork did provide a meaty bite and the braised mushrooms provided a bouncy texture and an earthy and savoury note.
The Ginger Tang Yuan was a nice-to-have; coming in a portion size of four (4) Tang Yuan that patrons can either opt for all four (4) peanut-filled or sesame-filled Tang Yuan or a mix of two (2) of each, the Tang Yuan here though likely being commercially-made ones, were chewy and soft. They were well-filled irregardless of the type of filling that it comes with, with the sesame-filled ones coming with a heavier note of tart sesame flavour and the peanut one carrying a sweet and nutty note having sugar mixed into its filling. There is also some contrast of texture with the Tang Yuan where the chewy glutinous rice balls comes with a slight grittiness from the black sesame filling or a bit of a crunch from the peanut filling, though we felt that the ginger soup was a little harsh with its transition of flavours from sweetness to the inherent spiciness that it brings — we had certainly had more refined versions where it had felt more soothing . The Iced Kopi that we have had did looked the part with the shade of colour that it came with; that being said, it felt a little lacking considering how the flavours felt rather confusing even. New Nanyang is most certainly that sort of eatery that is cashing in on the hype behind the modern and hip Nanyang coffeeshop-style dining establishment that is in trend these days — that being said, our experience does seem to be telling on how the food felt a little less inspiring even when compared to similar establishments around the island with the same theme. With that being said; considering the lack of choices of dining establishments within the close vicinity of HillV2, New Nanyang does make for a decent dining option for those residing in the area that isn’t too particular about food in general.
