A Taste of Singapore at Shiok

About 3 weeks ago, Yuri and I had one of our busiest Saturdays ever.  Two of Yuri's best buds decided to get married on the same day.  What made this whole thing even more of a dilemma was that both weddings were set to take place at about 60 kilometers away from each other.  This is why guys should talk more to each other about things that actually matter like their feelings and stuff like that... right?   I'm dreading the evil glare I'll be getting from Yuri once he gets to read this so I'll stop here.  So anywaaaay, as I was saying, one wedding was scheduled at Greenfields in Laguna while the other one was to take place at The Mango Farm in Antipolo.  Good Lord!  These guys had no idea that they planned their weddings on the same day, and by the time they did, they'd already booked the churches and the venues.  So that was that.  It was up to us to figure out the logistics of it since Yuri, naturally, wanted to be there for both of his friends on their special day.

We decided to hitch a ride with two of our friends, Eric and Rinah, to both weddings.  Both weddings were set to happen in the afternoon.  So, before we headed out for our road trip, we decided to grab a quick bite first.  Eric and Rinah took us to this new-ish Singaporean-Chinese casual dining restaurant in the Bonifacio Global City area called Shiok.

"Shiok", apparently, is a slang word commonly used in Singapore and Malaysia to convey feelings of happiness, excitement, or sheer pleasure.  I was about to find out if this place was SHIOK or not.

Shiok Menu.

We only had thirty minutes before we had to head out, so I decided to have the Char Kwey Teow.  I was torn between that dish and the Nasi Lemak (Malaysian Coconut Milk Rice), but I wanted something quick and easy to eat plus I had been craving for some really good Char Kwey Teow at the time.

Char Kwey Teow Php 160.00

Char Kwey Teow is made from flat rice noodles (approx. 1 cm thick) that's stir-fried over high heat typically with soy sauce, chili, belachan (shrimp paste) , prawns, bean sprouts, and chives.  The version that I'm familiar with, and is the benchmark for every other Char Kwey Teow I come across, is similar to what I've just described except that it's stir-fried with egg as well.  Now Shiok's version is quite new to me since they added slices of Chinese sausage into the mix.  It added a nice sweetness to it.  This is an unhealthy and high-cholesterol dish but oh so goooooood when done right.  Shiok did this dish justice.   Even though this version was different from the Char Kwey Teow I'm used to, I daresay it's still the best I've tasted so far in Metro Manila.  I thought it was worth sharing with you guys here.  Another up side to this is that this dish is plenty enough for two people.  Yuri was forced to order his own plate of Char Kwey Teow because I was unwilling to share.  Yep, I'm pretty set in my piggy ways. *snickers*

Way back when, my parents (especially my mom) used to eat char kwey teow every other Sunday morning at our favorite hawker stalls in Kuching (Sarawak, Malaysia).  It was either char kwey teow or laksa for them.  For me and my brother, it was no other than kolok mi but I'll save that for another story.

I feel right at home at restaurants like these.  These dishes always take me back to my happy childhood years in Malaysia and Indonesia.  Singaporean food is a melting pot of Malay, Indian, and Chinese cuisines and Shiok is just that.  In their deceivingly brief one-page menu, you get to sample dishes that touch on each of these cuisines AND you get them at reasonable prices to boot.

I know I only got to eat one dish on this particular trip, so I've left you guys with their menu so you get an idea of what they have to offer.  I plan to go back to try out their Nasi Lemak (which I've heard was good), the Hainanese Chicken Rice (of course!), and possibly the Beef Rendang.

Oh and just in case anyone was wondering, we somehow made it to both weddings, and both were all sorts of romantic.  The trip was definitely worth it :)



Address: 105 Forum Building, Bonifacio Stop Over, 31st and 2nd St., Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
Hours:  Mon-Fri 10:00AM - 10:00PM; Sat 11:00AM - 10:00PM; Sun 11:00AM - 9:00 PM
Tel. #: 466-6291