Bugis Chomp Chomp offers a surprisingly comprehensive range of Singaporean and Asian-inspired dishes at good value. Come to think of it, any establishment won’t be able to survive the cutthroat competition in Banawe (be it food or vehicle related) if it doesn’t offer fair pricing and good quality.
The expected Laksa, Hainanese Chicken and Bak Kuh Teh dishes are complemented by a representative selection of Asian staples, from Nasi Goreng and Char Kuey Teow to Sukiyaki and Bihon Guisado. The menu could thus be characterized as pan-Asian with a strong Singaporean bent.
Bugis’ “Singaporean Laksa” had nice, springy noodles that gave good bite. The rich broth had medium spiciness, its coconut base commendably present with every slurp. Instead of chicken, this laksa was filled with egg, shrimp and all sorts of fish balls, squid fingers, tiger rolls, crab egg rolls which could be ordered separately as skewer-appetizers. The soup was a full meal in itself.
The Chicken Chop’s breading was interestingly chewy, reminding me somewhat of the gooey concoction that holds a traditional Chinese oyster omelet together. The bad part of the dish was the chicken, unfortunately. The fillet meat encrusted by the breading was too thin. The mushroom gravy was good.
On a separate second visit, I gorged on full orders of the Nasi Goreng Rice, Salted Egg Spareribs and one of the Chicken Wings sauce variants. All were satisfying in a general Asian comfort food kind of way. The salted egg flavor in the pork dish could’ve been stronger, but for the price, there wasn’t much to complain about. The ribs weren’t too spicy either, despite the generous sliced sili toppings.
Bugis Chomp Chomp is worthy of repeated visits. Both the food and atmosphere are much better than Makati’s Hawker 101 Food House, the other Singapore-Asian street food-hawker establishment I visited recently. This Banawe restaurant is good for hungry family outings.
