YWQ Vegetarian Bistro is a brand new vegetarian eatery that has recently opened its doors at the newly constructed CT Hub building. Right now, this building is absolutely dead. Almost no one is inside, and I'm unsure what the plans are for this building in the future. Whatever the case, this isolation is likely making business hard to come by for YWQ, so let us do our best to support them. YWQ, which stands for Yuan Wei Quan, is not exactly a new eatery. The YWQ vegetarian brand has been existing for 31 years in Singapore. Another eatery under the same name can be found at Toa Payoh Hub.
YWQ Vegetarian BistroLocation: 2 Kallang Avenue, CT Hub, #01-07Contact: 96878535 Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 11.00am-9.00pm. Sunday Closed.YWQ have a wide range of options available, mainly specialising in Asian and Western cuisine, with a plethora of captivating daily specials. We kicked things off with a
Mango Mojito. This was a refreshing accompaniment to the food, but some may find the price a little harsh just for a drink. Additionally, I was a little disappointed to find the mint leaves swimming inside were quite black (not fresh). This is a slightly fizzy drink, with nice coolness - Ideal for a scorching Singapore day, I just wish the price was a little more affordable.
Price: $4.50. 6/10Get ready for a statement that may shock you - The
Laksa at YWQ could be the best vegetarian laksa in Singapore! Most laksa you buy from vegetarian eateries just use a very generic laksa paste, and often it is difficult to differentiate one laksa from another. The YWQ laksa was the closest to perfection that I have experienced for a laksa. I could quite happily pour the laksa gravy into a cup and drink it. The gravy is delectably rich, not too spicy and slightly powdery from the freshly crushed spices. Ingredients inside included beancurd, sliced mock fish ball, mock chicken etc. One of the best dishes I've eaten this year, a truly outstanding dish.
Note - This dish is only available Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.Price: $4.50. 9/10The next dish we selected was from the Western section of the menu, and goes by the name
Teriyaki Chicken Burger. I love how many of the dishes at YWQ are presented on a long rectangular plate. It really enhances the visual appeal of the dishes. This burger was regrettably the most forgettable of the dishes we ordered. Finding a top-quality vegetarian burger in Singapore is a difficult task - Most are either lacking in flavour, too messy, or lacking in any originality at all. The YWQ burger was definitely not the worst I've sampled, but ultimately it didn't have enough flavour. Places like Vegan Burg and Greenzilla have set out the blueprint on how to make original and successful vegan/vegetarian burgers, it is time more places start to emulate this winning formula.
Price: $8.00. 6/10Sticking with the teriyaki theme, we next went for the
Teriyaki Fish with Rice. The mock 'fish' is made out of beancurd sheets and seaweed, and is completely homemade. This is quite refreshing, as most mock meat in Singapore is still merely coming out of a packet. Therefore, it is nice to see an eatery go the extra mile, and not rely on store bought/packaged items. Speaking of the 'fish', it was definitely the highlight of this dish. The seaweed flavour is particularly strong, and the beancurd sheets nice and chewy. The low point was the rice, which was low quality and flavourless. When I first came to Singapore, rice was just rice - It was all the same to me. Only over the years have I learnt that the difference between good and bad quality rice is so influencial in a dish. Not a bad dish, but better quality rice would have elevated it even higher.
Price: $5.50. 7/10Conclusion - If you're wanting to partake in the best vegetarian laksa in Singapore, then YWQ is without question the number one place I would recommend you visit. On a whole, perhaps YWQ has more work to do, in order to raise the standard of the rest of their dishes. I am sure the rest of the menu will improve over time, but irregardless, it is worth visiting just for the laksa - Order 10 bowls of it! I promise you will want more and more.Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 8/10
Value - 6/10
