Fill-a-Pita - Tanjong Pagar

Today I am very excited.  Over the many years that I have been reviewing vegetarian food in Singapore, it is on very rare occasions that food from an eatery really rocks my world.  This post represents one of those aforementioned rare occasions where I review somewhere, which I truly believe will bring a breath of fresh air to the vegetarian scene in Singapore.  Ladies and gentleman, I present to you Fill-a-Pita...













Fill-a-Pita
Location: #01-02 Shenton House, opposite SGX building
Contact: 98351446
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 8.00am-3.00pm.  Sat 12.30pm-2.30pm.  Sunday closed.


Recently Fill-a-Pita have revamped their menu slightly.  Before I continue, I must thank my loyal reader Raymond for first bringing Fill-a-Pita to my attention.  The food at Fill-a-Pita is Egyptian style Middle Eastern, which traditionally is slightly more spicy than Egypt's neighbouring countries.  The owner of Fill-a-Pita is very knowledgeable on Buddhist vegetarian (no onion/garlic) and vegan diets, and most of the menu suits those diets quite well.  It is really an eatery that anyone and everyone can enjoy.


The menu at Fill-a-Pita is consistent throughout the week, however occasionally daily specials are available.  Friday, for example, has koshari rice as their special.  Babaghanoush also sporadically pops up as a special on the menu, which is definitely worth one's attention.
The story of the Fill-a-Pita owner Hassan El Nahas is quite fascinating.  Hassan, who was educated at Harvard University, has lived in Singapore since 1999, working as a successful banker for many years.  Originally born in Kuwait, Hassan moved to Egypt at the age of 9 where he completed his schooling.  In 2010, Hassan left his job as banker and embarked on two years of travelling the world, exploring five continents in total.  After the two years were up, he moved back to Singapore and came up with the idea to open a vegetarian Middle Eastern eatery.  Although not a vegetarian himself, he felt drawn to the idea of serving only vegetarian food because it is healthy and good for the environment.  He also felt that the vegetarian options in the CBD were quite limited, therefore he opened Fill-a-Pita in a central location where the working crowd can easily access.  Fill-a-Pita officially opened in April 2013.


Hassan has really impeccable customer service skills.  Every customer who visits his eatery will leave feeling truly valued and appreciated.  One of the special added touches he often does is to offer complimentary pistachio nuts and sweet dates as starter/dessert.

Whenever we think of Middle Eastern food, the first dish that pops into most peoples minds is inevitably Hummus.  In order to accommodate to those who can't consume onion and garlic, Hassan wisely makes two separate kinds of hummus. - One with garlic and one without.  For those who don't know, hummus, it is basically a mixture of chick peas, tahini, parsley, olive oil, garlic and cumin powder blended together.  The Fill-a-Pita version of hummus is slightly more coarse in texture, compared to what I am used to, but the flavour is certainly splendid.  When eaten with a couple of piping of pita's it is even more outstanding.

Price: $2.00.     7/10
Moving on to the Falafel Pita, this pita is basically a mixture of tomato, lettuce, tahini sauce and falafel.  The most important aspect of this dish is undoubtedly the falaffel.  Although I really cant fault the taste of the falaffel, I do think that it is a little bit dry for my liking.  If you get a good bite, with a healthy amount of sauce, then this dryness ceases to be a problem.  If, on the other hand, you bite somewhere with less sauce, it can be dry.  The pita used at this eatery is exceptional, it has delicate softness and yet a degree of elasticity.  I think I could put raw bittergourd inside this pita and still happily eat it - That is a testament to the quality of this pita bread.

Price: $5.50.     7/10
My personal favourite pita is unquestionably the Fava Bean Pita.  Being someone who naturally prefers stronger tasting food, this pita was heaven for me.  I love the mixture of crunchy red cabbage and fava bean chilli, which is packed with flavour.  Hassan will often ask you if you wish for extra chilli, this can really spice up the pita so unless you can take a lot of spice, it is best to opt out.  After trying this pita, I returned back on five separate occasions to order it once more - I hope that can emphasise how highly I rate this dish.  One of the most outstanding vegetarian food items that I have had the pleasure to eat in Singapore.

Price: $4.50 (S).     10/10


I would highly recommend ordering the Mixed Pickles to go along with the pita bread.  The pickles come in many forms, but my particular favourite is the jalapeno chilli.  The pickle (as one would expect) is sour, and matches sensationally with the pita. 

Price: $1.00.     8/10

I returned to Fill-a-Pita once more on a Friday, specifically with the intention of trying the special Koshari Rice dish, which is only available on that day.  Koshari is basically a mix of white rice, lentils, macaroni and red pepper sauce.  Also a key flavour component of the dish is fried onions, which are sprinkled liberally on top.  If you can't consume onion, you can always request for them not to be added.  This is a dish that may be too spicy for some, but I really enjoyed the level of spice.  For me, the crunchy fried onions were key.  Portion size was quite alright for the price.

Price: $7.00.     7/10







Conclusion - If you haven't guessed already, I am pretty thrilled about having an eatery like Fill-a-Pita in Singapore.  Many will draw comparisons to Pita Pan, another 100% vegetarian Middle Eastern eatery.  But in my humble opinion, Fill-a-Pita is significantly better both in terms of quality and value for money.  If an eatery can balance excellent food, affordable price and top notch customer service, then it is surely destined for great things.  A remarkable place, that everyone should visit.

Overall Rating
Food - 9/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 10/10
Value - 9/10