Bumbu Restaurant (Kandahar Street)

To see my full write up with pictures see here: http://www.citynomads.com/reviews/items/3558/feasting-it-up-the-indo-thai-way-at-bumbu

Having just recently returned back from the land of Thai, I was already getting withdrawal symptoms from the food there. I was in the mood for something a little bit spicy, something nice and fragrant, and so what better a solution that Bumbu which provides a happy marriage of both Thai and Indonesian and a smidge of Chinese in their menu?

Actually I'm usually a little wary of places which try to offer different cuisines in such a way but I have to say, I'm glad I let my guard down on this occassion.

Tucked away in a beautiful shophouse on Kandahar Street in the Arab Quarter, the interior inside - especially upstairs - is beautifully ornate and quite a lovely surprise I hadn't bargained for. In fact, it did remind me quite a bit of True Blue.

The menu is pretty extensive with lots of variety and all extremely reasonable. I felt like the cat who was about to get the spicy cream!

I am rather addicted to Mango Salad ($8.80). In fact when I'm in Thailand I pretty much live off this but this was definitely the Indo kind. The difference between the two is that the Indo version is more firey and the mango used more crunchy. Still it had it's lovely trademark freshness common to the two and it was a great way to kick off the appetizers.

I'd heard the Pandan Leaf Chicken ($3.20 each) here was good. A Bangkok favourite, the leaf keeps the chicken juices inside leaving the chicken soft and juicy, with a very subtle pandan flavour. Just lovely.

Having never tried Krathong Tong ($7.80), which are essentially crispy tartlets filled with minced chicken, carrots and corn, I thought why not. This was a nice, simple, tasty, home-style dish and though no show-stopper, quite nice to have in the mix.

However the dish that is an absolute must comes under the mains and it's the Coffee Chicken ($10.80). Chicken marinated in coffee? There was no way I was going to let this one pass me by! Juicy pieces of chicken with an intense, sticky sauce and beautiful coffee roast flavours coming through. This dish is genius and I could simply not get enough of it! So much so that guess who is currently looking up recipes to make this one at home....

To read the rest of my review click here. 

For more pictures, do check out my blog post at http://melicacy.com/?p=3650

Bumbu is situated in the Kampong Glam enclave on Kandahar Street, housed in a quaint and historical shophouse. Having featured on our local Channel 8 television show – the Buffet Buffet season 2《永远吃不肥2 》 categorised under the “below $20 buffet dinner” – this restaurant is bustling with activity.

Bumbu Kandahar is the flagship outlet of the establishment, with a second outlet at China Square; the former seats 60 comfortably, while the latter seats 130.

The restaurant is adorned with evocative pieces and collectibles that have been accumulated by the owner over the past decades, radiating a nostalgic and homely setting that makes an ideal place for gregarious family gatherings.

Ala Carte Buffet Items





Bumbu Salad

The Bumbu Salad is Derrick’s personal favourite. Don’t be fooled by its outlandish appearance; the ingredients are well commingled in a delicate dressing with a hint of spice, which works especially well with the century eggs!

Cold Tofu with Preserved Egg

Another dish that comes with century eggs is the Cold Tofu with Preserved Egg. The tofu is soothingly cold and slides down your throat easily. It makes a nice counterbalance to the spicy dishes. The standard of the dish is slightly inconsistent though; we ordered 3 servings of it, and they all tasted slightly differently.

Thai and Indonesian cuisines are usually associated with spices; hence I foresee their recurring presence in the forthcoming dishes.

Seafood Fried Egg Salad

The Seafood Fried Egg Salad is a complete surprise for someone who’s never ventured much into the more exotic Asian cuisine.

Seafood ingredients pile up over the deep-fried egg. The crispness of the egg gives ceaseless pleasure; I was enjoying it so much that everything else on the plate was left untouched.

Chicken Tofu Soup

My mood was dampened upon tasting the Chicken Tofu Soup. It has taste, but lacks flavour. I suspect that they dilute the soup with a high ratio of water and then compensate for the lack of taste by adding salt, thus attributing to the lack of flavours from the initial ingredients.

The soup comes with pieces of tofu and a miniscule amount of minced chicken within.

Tom Yum Soup

The Tom Yum Soup fares better than the Chicken Tofu Soup by leaps and bounds, although not magnificent enough to be crowned the best.

The soup comes brimming with an assortment of seafood, with piquant flavours that immediately whet my appetite.

Red Curry Chicken

I do not recommended the Red Curry Chicken. When I eat chicken curry, I want to be able to identify which part of the chicken I’m about to devour. The Red Curry Chicken comes with tiny pieces of chicken that are thrown in for the sake of doing so, carrying absolutely no flavours of the aromatic curry.

Mini Spring Roll

I absolutely adore the Mini Spring Roll, and I couldn’t stop munching on them. The thin and crispy skin breaks easily in your mouth, enclosed with a soft, juicy filling.

Steam Fish in Spicy Lime Sauce

The Steam Fish boast plump and tender flesh, all in absence of fishy stench. It is light on the palate and makes a healthier choice.

Fried Fish Slice House Chilli

This dish stole the show with the tantalising chilli sauce, crispy textures, succulent flesh and aromas. It is definitely something I would order again and again and again.

Chilli Onion Omelette

The Chilli Onion Omelette is another highly favoured dish; it is a simple, homely and comforting dish. I think my mum will enjoy this, since she loves eggs, but the amount of oil used for frying calls for self-restraint.

Remember to make reservations to secure a table during the crowded weekends!

This restaurant is Halal certified.

Was craving something spicy and decided to check this place out with my mum after reading good reviews on this website. The butter oat softshell crab is definitely a must try! It was really reallyyy good!! The tahu telor is also really good (although this was my first time trying the dish). The seafood tom yum soup (clear) was not bad but not spicy enough. The chicken wrapped in pandan leaves was ok, and the beef rendang was just so-so.

I get to know of this restaurant after watching a TV shows on buffet places. It was a Saturday and I was with my friend's family going around Singapore taking pictures of the life-size elephant exhibit of the Elephant Parade Singapore 2011 and I suggested Bumbu Restaurant for dinner.

Walking into the 2 storey pre-war house is like stepping back into a bygone era. The restaurant is decorated with antique furniture and artifacts everywhere as if it is a antique museum.

The Indo Thai restaurant offers both ala carte and buffet on their menu. We went for the buffet which cost $16.80+ per adult and $8.40+ for children under 10 years old. There were about 23 mains and 16 desserts/drinks on the buffet menu.

Unlike the usual Tahu Telor that is served in one big piece, the Tahu (Tofu) here came in small pieces. It looked mediocre but it was really very good. The Tahu was very soft and smooth.

What a weird combination of Seafood and Fried Egg as a salad dish. The Seafood Fried Egg Salad was served in a lime sauce with a tad of spiciness that married both the seafood and fried egg into a delightful salad.

Gado Gado is a typical Indonesia dish whereby vegetables are served in peanut sauce. I don't fancy the dish because I find it weird to eat vegetable in peanut sauce. Nevertheless, the peanut sauce itself was really nutty and flavourful.

The Steam Fish Spicy Lime Sauce was simple, fresh and nice. The boneless fish slices were not too spicy for the kids and they enjoyed it.

I find the Fried Fish Slice House Chilli was rather pedestrian. The house chilli did not manage to wow me.

Bumbu supposed to be a Indo Thai restaurant and I really not sure why the Sweet Sour Chicken dish is on the menu although they substitute pork with chicken since it is a Halal restaurant.

The Stir Fry Prawn with Egg has a nice fluffy and creamy texture. It was the kids favourite dish.

I think Sambal Kangkong is my favourite vegetable dish. I realized I usually order it when I dine outside. The belacan chilli infused with the kangkong was really shiok. It was not overcooked with a tad of crunchiness that I like.

I was a bit disappinted with the Black Pepper Beef. The beef was a bit rubbery which did not justify for the flavourful black pepper sauce.

You don't often get to find Cold Tofu with Preserved Egg served at restaurant. I remembered the first time I tried this dish in Taiwan and I fell in love with it. The cold tofu was tasteless but paired with preserved egg, salted egg and sauce, it just turned into a very beautiful dish.

The Mini Spring Roll surprised all of us. The restaurant used Otak for the spring roll's filling! It is an interesting and unique combination. The spring roll was fried perfectly with a nice colouring and the skin was very crispy.

You may realized I did not post any dessert pictures. We were so full that we could not eat anymore desserts!

For photos, please visit http://www.sgfoodonfoot.com

 

I simply love the Tahu Telor ($7.80++) here. The smooth beancurd is encrusted by an eggy batter which is glazed with a mellow sweet sauce. Whether eaten alone or paired with rice, it’s still freaking awesome.

Another dish worth ordering is the Beef Rendang ($10.80++). It’s only mildly spicy and if I can take it without breaking a sweat, then pretty much anyone can take it.

Impressed as I was by the first 2 dishes, I was still blown away by Pandan Chicken ($3.20/piece), which I felt was the best I have had in the short span of my life. There’s quite a bit of fat, which explains why it’s so tender but it’s worth every calorie. The pandan chicken’s surface is crisp from the frying and the chicken is marinated well. Personally, I think this is a must-order dish for every visitor.

As for their Green Curry Chicken ($8.80++), I find their curry too watered down to pack a punch.

I had high expectations of the Butter Oat Soft Shell Crab ($17.80++) but sadly, it failed to deliver. Unlike the flavourful oat prawns from good zi char places, the soft shell crab and the oats here came across as uncharacteristically bland.

You will definitely get a bang for your buck here. I paid $15, inclusive of a drink, for an awesome Indo-thai meal that few places can rival.

Bon Appetit!

For the full review/pics, do visit http://yumyumformytumtum.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/bumbu-restaurant-indothai-that-does-not-suck/

We ordered beef rendang, ayam buah keluar, fish maw soup and Gado dado.

The cooking standard for beef rendang and ayam buah keluar had greatly deteriorate. The fish maw was very hard and seen not cooked well enough. The gado gado was too spicy and the sauce was very diluted :(

We could't really finish the food  and felt disappointed.

30th May 2010. Written by Xin Li.

Bumbu Restaurant is located in the historic Kampong Glam area at 44 Kandahar Street, directly opposite Istana Kampong Glam, today known as the Malay Heritage Centre. It is in close proximity with Le Pont Du Vie, a French fine dining establishment and the well-known Rumah Makan Minang featuring Minangkabau cuisine.

Housed inside a refurbished shophouse, one would not notice that it is actually a Thai, Indonesian food restaurant from the looks of it. The interior was decorated with ornate, antique furniture, figurines, lights etc. It is a haven for history lovers like me. Stepping into Bumbu is like stepping into a restaurant or kopitiam of Old Singapore. To spice up the old Singapore atmosphere, old retro Western music dating back to the 1970s and 1960s were being played together with a selection of Jazz music.

The menu was clear cut Thai and Indonesian with a dash of Chinese influence. They featured items such as the Thai Mango Salad, Pineapple Rice, Green Curry, Tom Yum soup etc in their ala carte menu along with set menus based on the number of people eating (something you find in Chinese restaurants). Furthermore, they also offer set menus for the individual which can be found online.

The management was very friendly and thoughtful, they tried to make us feel comfortable when they realized that our group had to sit apart and offered the 1st floor which could sit a larger group but not without telling us that it might be a little too cramped. In the end we still took the 2nd floor and sat apart with my main guest's family having a table for themselves and the rest of us sharing another table since the attendance was more than what the table for 14 downstairs could accommodate.

We had the Set Menu for 8 to 10 Persons ($218.00+). The management was kind enough to change our Clear Tom Yum Soup to Fish Maw Soup because guys like me couldn't take stuff that are too spicy.

Complimentary papadoms (two kinds) were on the table for us to munch on before the rice and drinks were being served to us.

First dish to be served was the Bumbu Salad which consisted century eggs, prawns, chopped chillies and cashew nuts with some kind of citrus juice inside (my guess is lime). It was quite a spicy salad. The century eggs add a jelly texture to the fresh crunchy prawns and nuts. It was quite refreshing at the same time due to the citrus juice added into it (that uplifts the flavours with a subtle hint of sourness).

The second item was the Tahu Telor, tofu slices with a rojak flavour. A sweet and appetizing dish. Soft tofu with some sort of crispy stuff together with a sweet, nutty sauce. One of my favourite dish in the set.

The Fish Maw Soup was being served simultaneously with the Bumbu Salad and Tahu Telor. It wasn't as thick I thought it would be, rather fluid and generous with the ingredients. I like this soup. It was okay by itself, vinegar and white pepper were served for us to add to the soup if required.

Butter Oat Soft Shell Crab looked like the normal Cereal Prawns at first. It was quite fragrant and not too oily. The fact that it was emptied quickly by my fellow diners tells a lot.

We could sensed the next dish when it was arriving. Needless to say, the Coffee Flavour Chicken was aromatic. However, I felt that the coffee flavour wasn't very strong. It was nice for people who likes a some caffeine depth without it being overwhelming. Overall, the dish was on the sweeter side.

Broccoli with Crabmeat Sauce provided us the greens for the day. Generous amount of crabmeat sauce. I thought the broccoli was alright although some might find it on the softer side.

The climax of the set was the Mango Fried Fish. Crispy fried fish with a soft, interior topped with Thai-style Mango salad. It would say it is a nicely cooked fish with quite a lot of meat. The fresh mango salad was sweet and sour that provides some crunch to the dish.

To finish off the meal, we were being served two kinds of dessert, (also part of the set menu). We have the Tapioca with Coconut Cream, a classic dessert you can find in Thai Central or Jai Thai as well as the Steamed Custard Pumpkin. Both dessert are served warm rather than chilled. The coconut cream wasn't too thick, just nice with enough of sweetness. The Steamed Custard Pumpkin is about contrast of texture with the soft pumpkin flavoured custard paired with the firmer pumpkin flesh to go together. The flesh has a texture of a well baked potato.

Overall we were satisfied with our lunch and we find the prices within the reasonable range. The set comes with free-flow of rice as well. The dishes are definitely above-average and I quite like the quaint ambience Bumbu has to provide. The service was quite good too, my only complaint would be that water wasn't served automatically unless you request for it.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed my time at Bumbu especially so when it was a reunion with people I missed so much.

P.S Bumbu Restaurant don't charge GST and it is Halal!

http://the4moose.blogspot.com/2010/06/sumptuous-lunch-bumbu-restaurant.html

Initially selected Bumbu for its proximity to my office plus it serves halal food which is ideal for my boss. Never regret the decision for few reasons.

Number one on the list has to be their service. Excellent service from beginning when we entered the restaurant till the end when we walked out with our appetites fully satisfied.

Secondly, it has to be the food. They served it very quickly and the olive rice is delicious. Can't go wrong with the fried fish with house chilli. The deserts are also fabulous. Tapioca with coconut milk is a MUST-TRY!

Thirdly, the ambience is conducive for lunch meetings as they have partitions to separate each table from the other.

Definitely heading back!

All I can say is...get the fried fish with chili! It's been a few months since I returned to Singapore so I haven't been back yet, but the fish with chili sauce will absolutely blow your mind. It is around 20-25 dollars, but is cooked to perfection; the fish is moist, the sauce is not too spicy, the flavors meld well, and the flesh falls right off the bone.

Other than that, good restaurant, slightly slow service, but friendly staff and is a good place for both friends and family. This place maintains an air of sophistication, so you can always bring your coworkers here for some quality dining without getting our of your suit.

I'll definitely go back!

Cosily done up place and delicious food.

beef was very well cooked.

Beef Rendang, Mango Salad and a plate of special rice (don't remember the name now) = SGD27