Two Hana - Halal Fusion Cafe With Value For Money Set Lunches

Two Hana joins the repertoire of food selections in the newly refurbished Century Square. It's a halal korean-western fusion cafe. With its instagrammable food and cafe style setting, it's location choice in a shopping mall would bring lots of convenience to many end consumers. I've got to highlight that their weekday lunch sets with nett prices are really impressive!

Kicking off the meal, I chose the Chicken Bulgogi Linguine set ($15) that comes with a side and drink. Got to say that the flavour and taste has been rather heavily flavoured. The spiciness is mild and goes well with the onsen egg in the dish. Portions are huge which makes it hard to finish overtime because I felt rather 'jelat'. The linguine could have been executed better but it's definitely competent for the deal on the table.

The side I picked was this truffle tater tots that really tastes like truffle hash browns. It's addictive and easy to finish. Highly recommended for a side!

The other mains selected was the Korean Mushroom Bab Set ($15). The kimchi rice is surprisingly fragrant and on point with all the flavours. The bowl mimics a bibimbap bowl and does a really good rendition of it. The side chosen was a mushroom soup which was surprisingly competent for a set lunch side.

I felt a bit cheated by this kimchi mac and cheese ($10.90) because I saw online that it has a very attractive cheesy stretch. The one served to us was totally off and it was so bad neither me or my dining companion finished even one cube. To be fair, it was fried to crispy and the mac and cheese does have flavour. However with the heavy meal in front of us and a underwhelming carbo dish, we really didn't feel willing to consume the unnecessary calories. I really think Two Hana should control the quality better.

If I worked nearby, I'd be back often to have more set lunches. The food ranks quite high among its value for money competition. However the food isn't amazing if you need to travel. I would say it's a good treat for the working crowd and residents of Tampines but it's a far cry from those cafes where they can be located at ulu locations and not worry about going out of business.

Two Hana
Century Square, #01-21, 2 Tampines Central 5, 529509

WORD.

This week is all about balloons. I started a hobby on balloon sculpturing and have been spending a lot of time twisting various patterns, taking my lessons from youtube. Also, I've found less pleasure heading out for food on weekends and gain more satisfaction enjoying good food and meet ups on weekdays when the rest of the world is working. I foresee more food reviews to be coming from weekdays in future!

WORD. was recommended to me by a friend whom I was asking for recommendations on budget food. Honestly, I don't think WORD. falls in the category of budget. My friend must have grown atas after she started working this year. WORD. is founded by the people who did the Rainbow Bagel at the Ramadan Bazaar. The restaurant is halal and the name of the restaurant I surmised is catered to the menu's play on words. This visit was made with the brother.

We kick started the meal with one of their quirky drinks called the Word Concoction ($7). It's a home-made drink which is refreshing, ingeniously presented in a light bulb and in my view expensive. Worth a try and I like it that it's camera friendly.

For mains, I chose the Mother Cluckers ($14), which basically is a whole baked chicken leg with potato puree and grilled vegetables. It's surprisingly good! The chicken was tender, easy to eat. The meat peels off the bones freely and the seasoning made the taste rich and aromatic. I'll eat it again!

My brother picked the Seafood Marinara ($18). Such a safe choice made me a little disappointed because I thought it'll be boring photos and food quality. Again, we were pleasantly surprised by the plate brought before us. The portions were generous, it was aromatic and the taste lingers in the mouth. Awesome!

In short, WORD. is a hidden gem. Its ulu location is making it bad for business. When we arrived, we thought the place was closed because we were the only patrons on a Sunday afternoon. The food really is a winner but obviously not many people know that. The MRT Springleaf station will only be ready in 2020. By then, I doubt WORD. would still be around. Please visit it while you still can. It's worth the hassle :)

WORD.
906 Upper Thomson Road