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The Singapore Law Gazette

Food Delivery Options: The Tried and the Tested

I’m a picky eater, so once I find a good eatery, I swear by it and never let go. In fact, I’ve got a note on my iPhone that lists reliable haunts on a categorical basis: a handy what’s where for common cravings ranging from fried chicken to hokkien mee. It’s the hallmark of a risk-averse glutton refusing to expend his calorie quota in untested waters.

It never occurred to me how insular I’ve become until the Circuit Breaker came along and thwarted my dining habits. Many of my go-to spots don’t deliver to where I live. Some have cut their menu options by half, while a handful called it quits and shuttered their businesses (sad but true).

So, in this restrictive period, I’m ironically venturing outwards in search for alternatives to my trusty list. Satisfying my fussy palate has been a constant game of trial and error, but I’ve managed to score some hits, and I thought I’d share my favourite five here.

Hadouken

Friday nights are best spent at one of Tipsy Collective’s many outlets, where there’s always an ample supply of booze, live music, and bar grub that’s actually legit. You might have to blast your own music during this period, but you can continue to count on Tipsy to keep the good food side of things covered through its delivery concept – Hadouken. Their signature offering is the Hadouken Bowl – a half Japanese don, half steakhouse experience that comes topped with Australian wagyu beef, pan-seared foie gras, mushrooms, and a poached egg coated in tempura batter. That’s a lot of food in a rice bowl meant for one, but it’s so good I insist on enforcing a no-sharing rule with every order I make from Hadouken. The beef is consistently well-cooked – charred outside, juicy inside, and best drizzled with some runny yolk from the twice-cooked poached egg. And just because you’re gunning for the best doesn’t mean you should ignore the rest. Tipsy serves up a really mean burnt cheesecake, which Hadouken includes in its delivery lineup. It’s a soft, intense mess that comes ensconced in a smokey, caramelised crust. Dial for the mains, but stay for the desserts.

Order by sending a message on WhatsApp to +65 92328457

Menu can be found on Hadouken’s Facebook page.

hadouken bowl

Hadouken Bowl

Restaurant Ibid

Ibid first opened its doors in 2018, helmed by lawyer-turned-restauranteur Woo Wai Leong, who was crowned winner of Masterchef Asia in 2015. The restaurant’s offerings have since gone through multiple iterations, with the Circuit Breaker giving Woo yet another reason to experiment with a refreshed delivery menu. But don’t expect any part of this instalment to be toned down from the restaurant’s dine-in options. Ibid delivers while staying true to every bit of its bold flavours and lavish portions. Regulars will be kept happy by the upgrades Woo has made to his iconic shao bing: the oven-baked Chinese pastry now comes packed with an intensely-flavoured beef short rib filling that’s braised for 12 hours, pulled, then churned with preserved vegetables for that extra oomph. It’s so generously stuffed that a single shao bing is enough to fill you, yet so good you’d not stop want to stop at one. Equally gratifying is Ibid’s take on the traditional lion’s head pork meatball – a deft mix of mince and lard encasing a rich, buttered curry gravy. The lion’s head is served atop scallion noodles and a side of mapo tofu zinged with hits of pepper and spice. Ibid also delivers premium grilled steaks sold by the weight, although I’ve yet to have a go at those. Be sure to gather your family (those who live with you) and have everyone work up an appetite before ordering from Ibid because you’ll likely be getting nothing short of a feast.

Order a day in advance by sending a message on WhatsApp to +65 9151 8698.

Menu, which changes from time to time, can be found on Ibid’s website. Menu is also available over WhatsApp.

Braised wagyu beef shaobing

Braised wagyu beef shaobing

Lion’s Head meatball

Lion’s Head meatball

All Bout Chicken

If you’re lucky enough to be staying somewhere in the northeast, you’ll want to give this humble stall from Chomp Chomp Food Centre a shot. They do, hands down, one of the best fried chicken known to me, and mind you, I’ve eaten plenty of fried chicken in my life. No fancy sauces or sprinkles here, nor are the owners heavy handed with the batter. Instead, the chicken is lightly floured with what appears to be a simple, spiced marinade, which makes munching your way through two to three pieces in a single sitting a deceptively guiltless affair. The meat itself is tender and moist, and has none of that unsettling rubbery texture commonly found with frozen chicken parts. It’s somewhat the kind of fried chicken you’d expect to find at a western hawker stall, just juicier, less greasy, and better executed. I’ve been told that good fried chicken requires skill and technique. If so, the folks over at All Bout Chicken have gotten their artform nailed down to a perfectly-executed masterpiece.

Available for delivery to selected areas on Grab and Food Panda.

fried chicken

Photo from All Bout Chicken’s Facebook page

UbinEats

No week is complete without at least one unrestrained go at a plate of traditional curry rice. Sadly, the stall I frequent doesn’t deliver to my area, and self-pickups would mean enduring a perpetually snaking queue. A friend sounded me out to UbinEats – a virtual eatery recently launched by veteran seafood restaurant New Ubin. Their online offshoot offers local favourites such as nasi lemak, banana leaf rice, and curry noodles. But what really brought things home was their take on Hainanese curry rice, which scrimps on none of the generous decadence you’d expect from its classic counterpart. I’m one of those people who save the best for last, but in this case, I couldn’t decide if the honours should have gone to the tempura-battered chicken cutlet or the stewed fatty pork with flavours that danced between sweet and sour. The Hainanese curry rice comes delivered in a neatly-partitioned bento, but I’d recommend tossing everything in the gooey vegetable curry and lapping up the rustic goodness that comes with it.

Order two days in advance by contacting +65 97406870. Website

bento

Hainanese curry rice bento

Megu Grain Bowls

I oddly missed eating one of those CBD salad bowls, so an online search led me to discover Megu – an events caterer that recently rolled out a selection of grain bowls. If you’re needing guilt-free meals to complement your home-based workouts, this may be just the thing for you. Pick a protein – chicken, salmon, beef, or duck – but whichever your choice, each bowl comes heaped with generous portions of vegetables and fibre. These greens don’t just come in a mixed-up hodgepodge. There’s baby spinach and berries dressed with a bright, zesty vinaigrette. The baby corn comes nicely charred. The tomatoes are plump and juicy, and the cucumber strips stay crunchy right up to your doorstep. Almost as good as tossing up a fresh salad yourself, I’d say.

Order online at Megu’s website.

Bulgogi beef and citrus soy salmon grain bowls

Bulgogi beef and citrus soy salmon grain bowls

Managing Director
Forward Legal LLC
E-mail: [email protected]

Wei Li manages Forward Legal LLC – a small law practice that is extremely fluent in Internet and social-media law. He advises companies, public figures and high-net-worth individuals in online issues concerning privacy, defamation, harassment and falsehoods. On this contentious front, Wei Li has successfully obtained and enforced court orders against major web platforms, search engines, and content hosts for the takedown of undesirable and defamatory publications. On the transactional front, Wei Li works with corporate clients to harness the Internet for business by advising them on issues such as data protection, ethical marketing, online selling, and crisis communications.