Fangko House

Fangko Coffee shouldn’t be a name that is too unfamiliar with those whom have been following the happenings of the Singapore F&B scene — these folks have been featured all several social media outlets over the years; their most prominent location being that of their former location at HongKong Street. Whilst they had closed their other concept named Petit Fangko previously situated at Margaret Market in recent times, these folks had not only relocated from HongKong Street to a brand new space within the 68 South Bridge Road where the now-defunct espresso.doc used to be located. Now known as Fangko House, the space can be described as an expansion to their operations previously at HongKong Street; the space being able to accommodate more diners without being too claustrophobic at the same time. Fangko House has made the space theirs by painting some of the walls within the premises; the interior now sports a mix of red and green (the latter being the theme colour of Fangko) that is matched against wooden furniture and fittings with the use of cushioned seatings that provides a higher lever of comfort for its dine-in patrons. The main dining hall largely comprises of proper dining tables and chairs with some seats being bench seats — most takes being configured to seat two (2) to four (4) guests, though one can still find high tables and chairs that lines the windows that makes for a food spot to people watch as well. The food menu at Fangko House is split across several sections such as Hot Item, Light Brunch, Brunch, Chimken, Authentic, Sides and Bakery. Beverages are categorised into sections dedicated to 100% Arabica, Iced Drinks, Health, No Caffeine, Teas and Milk and Traditional Brews.

A trip to Fangko House would not be complete if one doesn’t go for their dishes that features Chimken — having tried a few variants of dishes that features their signature Chimken, we decided to switch things up a little and gave their Wet Indomie (with Chimken) a go this time round. The menu at Fangko House describes the Wet Indomie (with Chimken) to come with elements such as mushy egg noodle, vegetables, onsen egg, shrimp crackers — patrons do get a choice to opt for their desired level of spiciness for their order of the Wet Indomie (with Chimken) and we had went with Level 2 for our order. We do note that the Wet Indomie that is served at Fangko House isn’t exactly that of a soup-based Indomie; that being said, it is one that certainly came a little more sauce-y — like a more runnier version of the chili that is drenched on the noodles. Mixing up the noodles with the onsen egg helps to further provide a richer texture; this also adds a bit of depth to the flavour of the chili as well. At Level 2 spiciness, we do feel that this would work just about right for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness without causing an uncomfortable burn to the tastebuds — the chili being much of a Sambal Balado where the taste of raw chilies can be detected within; all that whilst the Indomie is coated in all that sauce yet remains adequately springy at the same time. The Chimken is Fangko’s specialty offering; these do feel like strips of shredded smashed chicken that is a little bit similar to strips of meat torn from the standard Ayam Penyet that is also drenched with the same chili; these seemed to have soaked up the mix of egg white and chili after we had tossed the noodles — they did lose a bit of that crispiness, but otherwise retained a good meaty bite. The vegetables gave a bit of a crunch factor to the dish which was a refreshing element to have from all the meat and carbs that it came with.

During our visit, we had also given their Fried Rice Kampung a go. Fangko House’s menu does not describe the elements that comes with the Fried Rice Kampung, but it can be observed that the dish does come with a fried chicken cutlet on the side whilst also allowing patrons to make their choice in either opting for the fully-cooked egg or the sunny side-up. We did feel that the Fried Rice Kampung is actually one of the milder flavoured dishes that we had tasted from the various concepts that Fangko Coffee had previously run; whilst savoury, the Fried Rice Kampung didn’t feel particularly salty — there also wasn’t much “wok-hei” here to speak of as well and felt a little more similar to that of egg fried rice to a certain extent. The dish also wasn’t spicy so this would work great for those whom have zero tolerance to spice; we did wish that the fried chicken is crispier and juicier but it still does work nonetheless anyway. The Fangko’Misu is actually a new item that is introduced to the menu with the opening of Fangko House — this would be Fangko House’s take to the classic Tiramisu and is described to come with elements such as
Savoiardi Lady Fingers, Fangko Coffee and Cookie Crumble based on what is mentioned on its menu. For those whom are uninitiated, Savoiardi actually refers to the lady fingers biscuits that have been soaked with coffee brewed using Fangko House’s very own roasts — the entire dessert does carry the ideal texture that one would expect of a Tiramisu with all of the elements being of the same consistent soft and easy to slice through texture; that being said, we do feel that the emphasis is stronger on the mascarpone cheese in the Fangko’misu and a stronger punch of caffeine would have created more impact.

We also managed to give the Fangko Jamaica Rhum Brew which is a beverage that is listed in the 100% Arabica section of the menu at Fangko House. This turns out to be an espresso-based specialty coffee offering where the typical latte is being spiked with an infusion of rum — the Fangko Jamaica Rhum Brew also only being made available as a chilled beverage. The latte does come with a nutty and earthy flavour profile; all that whilst coming with boozy finish from the addition of rum. Whilst being quite a good balance on its own, we did wish that the Fangko Jamaica Rhum Brew does also come with a dash of sweetness that would bring out the booziness of the beverage even more. Fangko Coffee has been an establishment that is probably best known for their Indonesian-style cuisine and it is undeniable that the dishes featuring their Chimken are the ones to go for — a star offering here which is pretty unique to their own with customisable levels of spiciness that would entice those whom are willing to take on the challenge. This is also further supported by a line-up Light Brunch and Brunch items which provides patrons with an extensive list of western-style brunch dishes and main courses should their Indonesian-style offerings aren’t to one’s fancy. Fangko House does seem to be an extension of what Fangko Coffee is all about — further expanding on the Indonesian-style offerings that Fangko Coffee was noted for whilst also focusing on their expertise in espresso-based specialty coffee whilst at it; think items such as that of the Fangko’misu that seems to act as a little bit of showcase to their knowledge on espresso-based specialty coffee. Prices of the items listed in the Brunch, Chimken, and Authentic sections of the menu at Fangko House ranges from $7 to $23; the lowest-priced item being the Wet Indomie (no Chimken), while the priciest of the lot will be the Fangko Big Breakfast. Light brunch dishes on the other hand are priced from $5.50 for the French Toast Maple Syrup. Overall, Fangko House has proven to be quite a unique spot in the F&B scene these days; for those looking for a comfortable spot to dine at with air-conditioning for some spicy Indonesian fare to be paired with espresso-based specialty coffee in a not-so-crowded spot in town during the weekends, this is the place to check out!