I've always empathized with the invidious situation many vegetarian/vegan students are faced with in Singapore. Unfortunately, most primary/secondary/junior college/polytechnic establishments don't have any meat-free options for their students. Thankfully, students at Ngee Ann don't have that problem, thanks to this deceptively brilliant stall, located at their Koufu 'Makan Place' food court, which is at block 51.
Little Prince Cuisine
Location: 535 Clementi Rd, Blk 51, Level 2 Ngee Ann Polytechnic (Makan Place)Contact: 91871461/97815334Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 10.30am-8.30pm. Closed Sunday. Looks can often be deceiving. From a distance, Little Prince looks just like a typical run-of-the-mill food court vegetarian stall, nothing unusual. However, upon looking closer, it is really mind-blowing how much variety is available. There are over 30 dishes to choose from, plus rice and dishes (available in the morning/afternoon),
plus daily specials. Impressive.
Not only does this stall have great variety, but the prices are insanely cheap. Most of the Western dishes range between $3-$5, you won't find that price anywhere else in Singapore for Western food. The menu is void of egg, onion and garlic. Some of the pasta and soups have cream, but chef James is working to replace these with soy, so that vegans can also consume. In general, the menu is very vegan friendly though. No MSG is used in any of the cooking also.
The head chef of Little Prince Cuisine may be familiar to some of you. James Ang was formerly the head chef at famous Singapore vegetarian restaurants
Deli-Vege and
Vege Sensation. James is a talented, yet extremely humble chef.
On this particular food outing, I was lucky enough to be joined by not only my girlfriend, but
Mr and Mrs Vegan too. We kicked off this marathon of Western delights with the
Fish & Chips. Out of all the Western dishes we tried, this one was my favourite. The mock fish patty had a nice crumbly outer exterior, matched with a juicy soy based mock meat. Along the outside is seaweed, which adds that authentic 'fishy' flavour.
Price: $4.50. 8/10Next Western dish we sampled was the
Chicken Chop. For vegans who are wondering about the sauce used in these Western dishes, they are totally vegan. James uses soy based sauces. The components for all the Western meals is pretty much the same - Salad, french fries, mock meat and sauce. I found that the french fries were a little hard and rigid. I would have preferred softer (perhaps thicker cut) fries. The chicken chop mock meat was tender and juicy, once again being derived from soy.
Price: $4.50. 7/10For those who have visited
Thousand Vegie/Deli-Vege in the past, the mock patty used in this
Little Prince Fried Chicken may look familiar to you. The fried chicken mock meat used is the same, however Little Prince's version is not as juicy and succulent. Price wise, once again this is a dish which represents superb value.
Price: $4.80. 7/10Lastly, we selected the
Aglio Olio Spaghetti. Obviously traditional aglio olio relies heavily on the use of garlic. Little Prince is a Buddhist eatery, so no onion or garlic is used in the food. This aglio olio doesn't really miss the garlic, and has a lot of good flavour. The spaghetti is cooked very well, and there are many ingredients added inside. Perhaps this isn't the most traditional looking or tasting aglio olio, but it still a decent dish nontheless.
Price: $3.80. 7/10Conclusion - Chef James isn't limited to cooking purely Western dishes. Other signature dishes, such as his minced meat noodle and chicken noodle are also available at this stall. You can't argue with the value and portion size. Ngee Ann is a pretty inconvenient place to get to for most, but a visit to Little Prince and Chef James is worth the journey.Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 8/10
Value - 9/10
