Enjoy dining without burning a hole in your pocket, no membership required
Had been going around the Central Business District and got to learn about the opening of a new dining establishment named 聚飽堂 that is located around Nankin Row near 18 Cross — these folks can be found right beside MASHI NO MASHI. 聚飽堂 does look more like a mom-and-pop establishment as compared to most of the other dining establishments that are located along the same stretch and for good reason too — these folks do serve up fuss-free local Chinese fare which sets them apart from most of the other tenants in the area as well. 聚飽堂 has both indoor and outdoor dining areas — there is quite a good number of seating that allows even those whom are visiting the establishment in larger groups to dine together comfortably as well by combining some of the dining tables together. Focusing on noodle dishes, 聚飽堂 serves up variants of Lor Mee, Laksa and Spinach Soup; all of which are favourites for office workers in the Central Business District. They also do serve up Kaya Butter Toast for those whom are looking for a light traditional breakfast item to munch on as well.
The Chicken Cutlet Laksa is one of the variants of Laksa that 聚飽堂 serves up; whilst there is no description available on the elements that are being served up with the Laksa, it can be observed from our order that the Chicken Cutlet Laksa comes with the chicken cutlet being separate from the Laksa — the bowl of Laksa also features elements such as blood cockles, beancurd puff and fish cakes. One thing worth noting about the Laksa at 聚飽堂 is how they do allow patrons to opt for either thick rice noodles or thin rice noodles for their order; we went with the thick rice noodles for our order of the Chicken Cutlet Laksa. The Laksa gravy here is one of the more creamier ones that we have come across in a while; while the hint of rempah spices is definitely noticeable, we did enjoy the richness of the gravy that gave a pretty full-on flavour from the addition of coconut milk. The thick rice noodles also came with a smooth and silky texture that was easy to slurp up, while the blood cockles were pretty fresh and added a briny note to the laksa gravy; the beancurd puffs also soaked up the laksa gravy like a sponge and provided a burst of flavours when one bites into them. The chicken cutlet was pretty decent though nothing much to shout about here; a good-to-have for those whom are not particularly into prawns that is usually found in a typical bowl of Laksa.
