This place has become more than just a dessert hangout to me.
At one time, I thought that would be all Tuk Tuk Cha was- but after having more of their meals, I have come to realize that this place is indeed more than just a spot for toast cubes with dip, thick toast, ice cream waffles and milk tea.
It is a place for spicy tom yum boat noodles.
It is a place for beef soup noodles.
And it is a place for beef rendang.
We've gone to a couple of outlets- my Co Diner and I- and it's funny how each time we tend to eat the same thing that we did the last time, the last, last time, and the last, last, last, time.
I guess that's what happens when you have your favorite dish at the café..
I like the beef soup noodles. Not only are the thin flat rice noodles prepped in such a way that they stick together when they're first served, which is exactly how I like them, they've got plenty of beef too. Three different kinds, don't ask me which is which, I don't know, but I like the ones that look like they're beef strips and are really soft, slightly fatty and super tender.
But it is the broth that draws me in the most. See, where beef soups done Chinese style tend to be clear (and sometimes tasteless), this broth here has a lovely brown color, a nice smooth texture, and a rich rounded taste.
The Co-Diner has a special love for the beef rendang. The rich vermillion color, the distinct sweet taste, the floury potatoes and the chunks of beef make for a great dish that goes well with the soft, perfectly fluffy steamed rice.
It might seem amusing, but I find the steamed rice here particularly appealing. You don't get the hard rice grains that sometimes come served with mixed economical rice, and neither do you get the moi quality of Teochew porridge. Here the rice is steamed such that you can see the grains, you can count them even, but scooping out each spoonful is like eating a warm rice cake, moist, warm, fluffy, full of warmth, and full of soul.
At one time, I thought that would be all Tuk Tuk Cha was- but after having more of their meals, I have come to realize that this place is indeed more than just a spot for toast cubes with dip, thick toast, ice cream waffles and milk tea.
It is a place for spicy tom yum boat noodles.
It is a place for beef soup noodles.
And it is a place for beef rendang.
We've gone to a couple of outlets- my Co Diner and I- and it's funny how each time we tend to eat the same thing that we did the last time, the last, last time, and the last, last, last, time.
I guess that's what happens when you have your favorite dish at the café..
I like the beef soup noodles. Not only are the thin flat rice noodles prepped in such a way that they stick together when they're first served, which is exactly how I like them, they've got plenty of beef too. Three different kinds, don't ask me which is which, I don't know, but I like the ones that look like they're beef strips and are really soft, slightly fatty and super tender.
But it is the broth that draws me in the most. See, where beef soups done Chinese style tend to be clear (and sometimes tasteless), this broth here has a lovely brown color, a nice smooth texture, and a rich rounded taste.
The Co-Diner has a special love for the beef rendang. The rich vermillion color, the distinct sweet taste, the floury potatoes and the chunks of beef make for a great dish that goes well with the soft, perfectly fluffy steamed rice.
It might seem amusing, but I find the steamed rice here particularly appealing. You don't get the hard rice grains that sometimes come served with mixed economical rice, and neither do you get the moi quality of Teochew porridge. Here the rice is steamed such that you can see the grains, you can count them even, but scooping out each spoonful is like eating a warm rice cake, moist, warm, fluffy, full of warmth, and full of soul.