A lot of vegetarian eateries have been cropping up around the recently constructed NEX Shopping Centre. Mainly because there is no vegetarian eatery inside NEX, therefore strict vegetarians will have no choice but to venture outside. This stall opened about six months ago, and goes by the English name E Veg - Although it is more easily identifiable by its Chinese name 益素食. The character '益' (yi) means 'beneficial' in English.
E Veg
Location: Blk 262 Serangoon Centre Drive, #01-85
Contact: 81010028 Opening Hours: Daily 5.30am-10.00pm. Closed on Monday (once every two weeks). The owner of E Veg clearly scouted the area well before opening this stall. Firstly, he is the only vegetarian stall that opens in the evening (even though there are now a total of three vegetarian eateries at block 262) - So in the evenings this stall will be your only option. Moreover, for those boring individuals who want to take economic rice and bee hoon all the time, he gives this option - Which places like
Miao Shan don't. The owner of this stall used to operate a vegetarian stall at Changi airport T1, in the staff canteen.
In addition to economic rice, this stall also features a host of daily specials.
The price may seem a little shocking for this
Crispy Noodle, but to be fair the portion was quite large. However, it was quite a bland dish overall. The dark brown sauce was particularly one dimensional, and the ingredients inside were trite and typical. Basically, conjure up the most stereotypical 生面 that you can think of, and this is what this dish is like. What I like to look for is cooks/chefs that think outside the box, not do their best to be as unimaginative as possible.
Price: $4.50. 6/10Next dish I tried was the
Lor Mee. When done badly, lor mee can be one of the most jialat dishes around. It can give one a heavy and tired feeling after consuming. It is only places like
Onn,
Miao Shan and
Delicious Vegetarian that can capture the flavour of lor mee, without it weighing too heavy on the customers. The lor mee from this stall was very average, even after I overloaded it with vinegar, I still found the taste to be really flat. There were a nice variety of ingredients inside - Such as mushroom, tofu, beancurd - But, like all lor mee, it is the gravy that makes or breaks the dish.
Price: $3.00. 5/10Conclusion - The owner of this stall seems very nice and friendly, but with Miao Shan just a stones throw away, I don't think I would consider returning to E Veg again. The food quality between E Veg and Miao Shan is really worlds apart - But when E Veg have had more time to establish themselves, then perhaps the quality will improve. Whatever the case, it is always good to have another vegetarian option near to NEX.Overall RatingFood - 5/10Ambiance- 6/10 Service - 7/10 Value - 6/10
