Ottawa Foodies

Here's the coconut chicken curry. Very good!

3

This little gem tucked away off of Carling Avenue is still the same! We haven't been to this restaurant since 1993! I am amazed to say that the food tasted exactly the same (which is to say, great!). Same waiter and all. Eating here always reminds me of having dinner in a good friend's home. Everyone seems familiar - they have lots of regulars.

This time we enjoyed the satay beef skewers with the peanut dipping sauce - creamy and divine, served with fresh slices of cucumber on the side. We also had the spring rolls. Not outstanding, but still tasty.

We had the Singapore noodles - spaghetti type noodles fried with egg, chicken, shrimp, vegetables and peanut sauce. It wasn't fancy but it was sooo good. The leftovers that were intended for Monday's lunch...didn't make it that long...

We also had the coconut chicken curry. Just the right amount of spice, lots of chicken, tender pieces of vegetables all simmered in that delicious coconut sauce.

I'm not quite sure why we stopped going to The Singapore, but we'll be back!

JaneDodgson, I can confirm that Singapore Restaurant has NOT closed! I drove by tonight and there were customers inside, eating. It's possible the rumour was started by someone who glimpsed the big sign in the window that reads:

CLOSED
(3pm-5pm)

The word "closed" is much larger on the sign than the time. I'll be sure to mention the potential confusion whenever I visit next.

I heard a rumour that Singapore had closed! Can anyone confirm? Singapore has been a favourite in my family since it first opened.

We ordered Singapore laksa, Beef satay and a Coconut curry dish. I have to say that the Singapore laksa was different from the other Laksas that I've tried before in other cities. They used a rice vermicelli noodle (instead of the laksa noodle) and there wasn't enough soup in the small bowl that it came in. I went with my bf who's actually from Singapore and he said that it wasnt the same authentic one that they serve back home... but I still thought that the curry-based soup with the vermicelli was yummy nonetheless. Not bad, but not worth the long drive to the other end of the city...

The beef satay was nice since one could 'grill' their own satay sticks so they end up having a nice charred grill taste to it... very nice indeed. I liked the ability to interact with my food!

The coconut curry chicken dish was also decent, although it came with random pieces of chicken. I actually really enjoyed the sauce. It wasn't too spicy and one could choose the level of spicy too.

I would definitely want to try Malay restaurants in town with other special dishes on their menu!

HHH, you mention wishing for another Malay restaurant in town. Have you tried Chahaya? Chahaya Malaysia

Its been a while since i've been to either, but I too was less wowed by Singapore Rest. in comparison w/ Chahaya.

My colleagues love the laksa from this restaurant and get it brought in weekly. Me, meh. The taste is nice, but I find their laksa quite greasy. I wish I knew of another Malay restaurant in town to compare against.

Today, at lunch, I branched out and had the Satay Mee (singapore noodles with satay sauce). I won't dare stray on their menu again. This dish was terrible. The noodles were mushy and the satay sauce was gummy. Imagine wet crushed saltines mixed with peanut butter and pepper flakes. Yuck. After two bites I was hoping I would be able to fish enough chicken out to hold me until quittin' time, but alas, 5 measily teaspoon sized bites of chicken barely sustained until the end of the lunch meeting.

Many people rave about this hidden gem on Carling. After 4 attempts, it has yet to impress me.

I really enjoy this place. It's tucked away in an odd location and is always very quiet but it has been around for several years so you know they have something going for them. The food is fresh and homemade although admittedly a little greasy it is quite tasty. They also accomodate customers who cannot eat wheat or gluten by having the option of preparing certain dishes (like lemon chicken) with rice flour. Just ask and they are happy to do it. The owner and staff are extremely friendly and accomodating. Definitely will return!

1

Popped in for a Laksa at lunch recently and while it was pretty good, it wasn't the mind-blowing symphony of flavours I remembered. I'm not sure if my tastes have been spoiled by good Thai and Vietnamese food, or if the Laksa offering itself has changed. Anyway, I thought I'd share the photo since Laksa is not very common in Ottawa.

Ooh, I have to put in my two ringgit worth here! Apart from the laksa - which was decent, if dreadfully squished in that tiny bowl - I found this restaurant to be a total disappointment. I really, really wanted to like it, particularly as it's in my neighborhood, but their food is so bad!

On my first visit there I had the laksa and, as I said, I found it decent. I lived in Malaysia for a year and fell in love with laksa; this one was actually a little bit close to the laksas I had there (although called Singapore, it's actually a Malaysian restaurant). On my second visit I had the fried noodles (kway teow, I think they call it). In Malaysia this was another favourite dish of mine, so my mouth was watering as I waited for it. when it came I was a little nervous as it looked really bad - the noodles were all broken up and it was kind of grey. Not only that, it tasted really bad! Salty, greasy, mushy, tasteless. I tried, but I could not eat it, so I sent it back (which I never do!)

I then ordered lemon chicken, which had been lauded on several Ottawa restaurant review websites. I expected tender pieces of chicken bathed in a delicate lemon sauce, with a fragrant fried rice accompaniment. Instead, I got your typical Chinese-Canadian oversalted fried rice and a slab of chicken battered to death and deep fried. Gross! There was no art, no innovation, no taste, and certainly nothing resembling the delicious food of Malaysia.

I regret to say it, but this is a miss. Definitely a miss!

If you like southeast Asian flavours, this Laksa is a symphony in your mouth! At about 10 bucks, it makes a delicious and satisfying one-dish meal.

These things are kind of like pizza hut pizza crust -- you know they aren't authentic but you crave them anyway and once in a while they really hit the spot! At Singapore, they're exceptionally good.

1

I didn't take a photo, but these tasty little greasy things are satisfying and addictive. They are basically like a flat, triangular samosa filled with curried ground beef. Two for $3.