Colleagues who frequently have lunch with me would realize i am more a meat and deep-fried food person and things like vegetables often don't get to appear on my plate. There were exceptions though; like the recent strange craving for thunder tea rice!
This particular eatery at Bugis, near the famous Kwan Im temple, was on my radar for quite some time and i finally got try it with my elder sister after a karaoke session at Manekineko in Bugis Plus!
Joyce ordered and paid for the meal while i was taking out my camera for the necessary photo-taking for the purpose of this blog! And before i knew it, the serving of thunder tea rice, with a bowl of tea, was placed in front of me.
Unlike the thunder tea rice i had at Toa Payoh, i did notice a piece of tofu-like stuff in the middle of the bowl and since it's in the way for me to mix up the healthy greenies in the bowl; i took a bite. That stuff was actually preserved radish (chai-po) omelette and it's seriously the best i ever have; oily, fluffy and darn flavorful! Good to go with plain porridge!
What i didn't know then was that the omelette was a separate top up from the regular thunder tea rice; not that expensive at only S$1 a piece but in my opinion, it was a necessary addition.
As a whole, the thunder tea rice was pretty good with a taste that didn't overwhelm; somewhat like a home-cooked meal that's on the bland side yet healthy with vegetables, tofu, nuts and a touch of bitterness from the tea.
I would definitely draw comparison with the Hakka thunder tea rice at Toa Payoh's HDB Hub and while this version at Tea Square didn't impress me with their taste, its simple chai-po omelette was simply unforgettable and the main reason i managed to clean up the entire bowl of content!
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Location
180 Bencoolen Street,
#01-06, The Bencoolen,
Singapore 189646
Map
As above.
Facebook Page
Menu
As above. Aside from thunder tea rice, you can also find yong tau foo and pork with ginger in black vinegar. You can also opt for brown rice instead of white rice.
Pricing
Thunder Tea Rice - S$5.00
Chai Po Omelette - S$1.00
Additional Information
Vegetarian thunder tea rice is available on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month. Weirdly, i thought my order was vegetarian as i didn't notice any meat product and the day i visited definitely didn't fall under the aforementioned two days.
There's a separate counter for those who required more food; you can find glutinous rice, pumpkin kueh, yam kueh, ang ku kueh, muah chee and steamed egg cake. I would give it a try the next time i dropped by!