Chong Wen Ge – A Unique Peranakan Cafe in the CBD!

The temple entrance to where Chong Wen Ge cafe resides

We have been to many Peranakan restaurants but none of them are like this one. Chong Wen Ge Cafe (崇文阁) is nestled within Thian Hock Keng Temple – the oldest Hokkien temple in Singapore. The cafe is sharing the building with Singapore Musical Box Museum and Peranakan Tile Gallery. That pretty much explains why the cafe is filled with fascinating Peranakan tiles. The colourful Peranakan tiles really made Chong Wen Ge an instagram-worthy food place. The bustling area of Telok Ayer Street and Amoy Street is known to be the place in CBD where cafes and restaurants clustered. Chong Wen Ge Cafe definitely stands out with its own uniqueness!

Storefront of Chong Wen Ge Cafe

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Service and Ordering

We dropped by on a Sunday afternoon and we were glad that it wasn’t too crowded. Chong Wen Ge has only a two paged menu, simple and clear. You can find old school Peranakan delights like Nyonya Laksa, Nyonya Curry Chicken, Satay Bee Hoon as well as small bites like toasts and kuehs. Aside from the gourmet coffee that is commonly seen in western cafes, traditional drinks like Kopi-O, Teh-C and Milo are also available here.

Chong Wen Ge Cafe – Signature Nyonya Laksa

Of all the items we ordered, the signature Nyonya Laksa turns out to be one of our favourite items here. The laksa was served with several big prawns and the gravy was quite comforting. Even though it was a tad less spicy than we expected, we still enjoyed the dish. If you appreciate heavy coconut milk taste rather than the spicy flavour, you will love this! We rate this 3.9/5 and you can get it at S$10.80.

Chong Wen Ge Cafe – Signature Nyonya Curry Chicken

The signature Nyonya Curry Chicken was served with rice in a lovely heart shape and homemade achar. The gravy was thick and milky, but it was such a pity that the curry was lacking of the usual strong curry fragrance. The mid-joint chicken wings and potatoes were soft but a tad too bland. We give the the curry chicken 3.6/5 and it is priced at S$10.80.

Chong Wen Ge Cafe – Signature Nyonya Kueh

Personally I really love assorted Nyonya Kuehs and each time I passed by some stalls selling these, I always can’t stop myself from buying one or two. Here at Chong Wen Ge Cafe, a set of assorted four goes for S$6 or S$1.50 for each individually. Unfortunately most of the Nyonya Kuehs were sold out that day so this is all we got. The Ang Ku Kueh was a little bit too hard  and the Ondeh-Ondeh wasn’t as juicy and sweet as expected. We rate this 3.6/5.

Chong Wen Ge Cafe – Signature Teh-C Special

Just what so special about this signature Teh-C at Chong Wen Ge Cafe that cost S$6.80? This is supposed to be a secret and you don’t find any clues in the menu, but we managed to snuff it out!

The key factor in this signature drink is the important element in Peranakan cuisine – Gula Melaka! Teh-C can be commonly seen around Singapore but not the one with Gula Melaka. We really like this special Teh-C with a Peranakan twist even though it costs three times of a normal Teh-C. David actually ordered one more of this after finished drinking one. We rate this delicious drink 4.2/5. If not because of the price, we might ordered one more to go!

Nyonya Otah Loti (S$4.80) – 3.3/5

Nyonya Achar Loti (S$3.80) – We think Achar is still better to go with rice – 3/5

Fresh Coconut (S$4.50)

The Peranakan Tiles Gallery next to Chong Wen Ge Cafe

Final Thoughts

Aside from getting our Peranakan food craving fix, we really enjoyed spending some quiet time here on a weekend afternoon. If you’re looking for some quiet spots on a weekend and you’re sick of the usual cafe food, try here! We won’t say the food here is super delicious, but it’s really comforting and worth a try. And look at their authentic Peranakan table/floor tiles, where else will you find a restaurant/cafe with such pretty things?

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