Chef-in-Box Vendcafé (Anchorvale)

Black pepper beef and rice $5
Even if you are desperate, you can do better.

Tell your stomach to chill a little so your mouth doesn't suffer on its behalf. Maybe it was bc I had this at 5am while frustrated and running on severe sleep deprivation, but no one should ever have to eat this. Give me an onigiri from 7-11 any other day.

So i came for this overhype shiat that everyone has been talking about since the pokémon days.. I gotta say i'm royally disappointed. I mean i like the concept that everything is automated and looks neat. Even the cutlery dispenser is pretty cool. But honestly the food really need some serious qc..My grilled chicken was tough af. Given that it's thigh meat, man..I guess my chicken must have been doing squats everyday before it got culled. The sauce was alright but my mashed potato was like potato cream...yuck. And i thought ok maybe it's just one dish that they f it up..so i ordered the Japanese Curry Rice ($5). I mean u can't go wrong with that or at least i never tasted a really bad Jap curry rice before. Well, what do you know..They just have to prove me wrong and i was f in the a once again.. For god sake I have never tasted Jap curry rice this nasty before.. There was like almost no gravy in existence at all. Rice was clumpy af that when i scooped it up the whole base of rice just lifted along with my spoon. I give it to you that you have a real sturdy set of cutlery but boy, i'm not here to be amazed balls by ur cutlery!! I swear in my last name that the microwaveable food that 7-11 serves taste easily 10 times more satisfiable than this crap..And what's more, 7-11 is easily available anywhere. Why do i need to travel to Sengkang..Sorry for the profanities but i can't hold it in any longer. Bottom line, this is nay for me... 概念是不錯但食物味道真他媽的需要大量的調整

This fully-automated newcomer at the void deck of 320C Anchorvale Drive in Sengkang has been attracting crowds of curious onlookers. Swing by this 24-hour VendCafe after pulling a late night at the office and place your order at one of the bright orange vending machines before making your payment (cash or credit card). The machines then dispense piping hot packed meals that are ready to be consumed or frozen ones that are handy for takeaways, all under five minutes. The vending machines are stocked with 19 options from trendy Salted Egg Pasta with Shrimps ($5) and popular Seafood Hor Fun ($3.50) to Halal-certified Ikan Goreng with Sambal Goreng Rice ($4.50) — you'll be spoilt for choice. Freshly squeezed Orange Juice ($2) and small snacks (from $1) are also available.
Avg price: $5 per person
Photo by Burppler Triffany Lim

The concept of getting food from vending machines is now here in SG! Chef in Box 24/7 vendcafé serves hot meals & drinks, orange juice and snacks. The dishes are pre-cooked, frozen and packed to retain the freshness and nutritional value of the ingredients which are then delivered to the vending machines. The vendcafé also offers halal certified mains which are divided into Local/Western delights.

Local Delight menu ranges between $3-$5 with dishes like Curry Chicken with Rice, Claypot Chicken Rice, Yang Zhou Fried Rice with Brown Rice, Mutton Rendang with Briyani Rice, Ikan Goreng with Sambal Goreng Rice, Nasi Goreng Istimewa, Vegetarian Nasi Briyani, Japanese Curry Chicken Rice, Seafood Hor Fun, Vegetarian Bee Hoon and Wholegrain Vegetarian Been Hoon.

Western Delight menu ranges between $4-$5 with dishes like Grilled Salmon with Mixed Vegetables, Roasted Chicken with Muchroom Sauce, Braised Chicken in Duo Olive Pronto Sauce, Chicken Bolognese with Spaghetti, Chicken Spaghetti with Cream Sauce, Chicken Penne with Cream Sauce, Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs, Grilled Salmon with Spaghetti in Tomato Concasse and Salted Egg Yolk Pasta with Shrimps.

Placing an order was easy. However, the machine only accept $2 & $5 notes and coins. Alternatively, you can use contactless payment via Credit Cards or Nets Flash Pay. Do visit them early to avoid disappointment with limited choices. Each meal takes approximately 3 minutes to be heated up and each customer is entitled to purchase 2 meals at a time and food are replenished every few hours.

The area has very limited seatings so I decided to bring them home to eat. There are also options of purchasing a hot meal which takes a few minutes to heat up or a frozen meal where you can reheat and consume it in the comfort of your home.

The food tasted quite alright with the right amount of ingredients. The tenderness of the meats are good too. This would be a convenient midnight hunger fix for me since it’s just a walking distance from my home.

I ordered Ikan Goreng with Sambal Goreng Rice, Ayam Maska Merah with Dhall Rice and Claypot Chicken Rice 》$4.50 / $4 / $4

Tried out their salted egg prawn pasta ($5), not too bad for my liking! Was quite amazed by th crowd here! -J