Eighteen Chefs, Tiong Bahru Plaza

 No thanks to Chef Ramsay, we were dying to have beef wellington. After some snooping around we found a place called The Privateer that apparently does this. As (the lack of) luck would have it, took a ride on the Circle Line and bravely set foot in the Pasir Panjang area, but found out to much dismay this establishment has closed down! After much waving of fists he solemnly met me back on the EW Line, and with heads hung low, we decided 'ah fuck let's just go to Tiong Bahru.'

And that's how we ended up at Eighteen Chefs. 

It's one of those places that seem to have students as their target patrons (i.e. discounts/specials if you display a pass, and as a consequence is filled with Gen Z kids), and therefore did not quite convince us of food quality. But hey we're always game to venture into unknown/forbidden territories ...

 I had the bad habit of googling unknown restaurants on what to order. After a quick snoop and a look at the menu I decided to go the 'create your own style' baked rice, where you choose rice or pasta, what main meat, and what adds (like mushrooms) if you want. Price was reasonable, with mains ~$8 and adds ~$2-3 each. I decided to just get a minced beef one.

{ Create your own baked rice (Minced Beef @ $8.80) }

 As I often say, it was exceedingly normal! The first two bites were not bad, lotsa cheese, but nothing was outstanding at all in terms of flavour, it tastes exactly like what you'd expect minced beef, rice, and cheese to taste like. Was a little dry in the middle but maybe I didn't mix it well. Oh well! My personal favourite baked rice is still @ Kim Gary.



 I chose the beef hotdog, only because  was going for the baked rice lol. Hotdog was okaay. The sausage should rightfully be called a frankfurter though. It tasted and looked like an epic version of those processed frankfurters found in the frozen section of supermarkets. This was then deep fried until the 'skin' is a tad crispy (wrinkly when slightly cool). I did quite like the bolognaise sauce which also went well with the generic fries. I think in my mind, the A&W Coney Dog forever reigns supreme.

 Can't really hold a finger even to the chilli dog at Botak Jones. The dog tasted too supermarket-y, the bolognaise was ok.

{ 9-inch Beef Hotdog ($8.50) }

A beef sausage bun coated with beef bolognaise, served with fries and greens

 Thought the meal should end on a sweet note, so we ordered dessert in the form of 'Belgian waffles'. While it is the correct 'shape', the batter was a bit tooo eggy for my liking. It also wasn't warm enough, so the ice cream actually sat there without melting much. The only plus point I guess is there is a lot of chocolate drizzle. Still, not really worth ordering. I'd rather spend my calories elsewhere!

 Shape of belgian waffle, but the texture was kinda in between belgian and american waffle - a little too soft and an interesting (not in a good way) taste. Overall it was a pretty mediocre waffle!

{ Waffle with vanilla ice cream topped up with chocolate fudge ($6.50) }

 Well ... I'd understand the lack of food choices available to in the plaza, and like all 'new' places you don't try you don't know! I'd stick to Soup Spoon anyday.

HGW Link (67% recommended at time of writing) : http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/eighteen_chefs_tiong_bahru_plaza/

Main website : http://www.eighteenchefs.com/

Rating (out of 4) :