Yuet Da Sing Brings Cheap Singaporean Food and Vacation Vibes to Raffles City
Walking from the Dongzhimen subway to the Raffles City, you would think Yuet Da Sing is similar to Toast Box: both originated in Singapore, both are Singaporean-style cafes with laksas, curries, and rice noodles, and both are hidden in the basement of the same shopping mall. We admire Yuet Da Sing's willingness to open an outlet right next to a place with such a similar concept.
Staying true to its humble roots – in Singapore’s Changi International Airport, which frequently tops surveys and lists of the world's best and most comfortable airports – Yuet Da Sing has decorated its interior accordingly, with a travel theme that may give you the impression that you are in an airplane cabin, with little colorful planes, maps, and pictures. Even the back side of the food menu is a fake flight ticket, saying “first class, flight: SQ201512, destination: Singapore, gate: A, boarding time: 10am.” Unfortunately, when we arrived, it seems we had already missed our flight. With this travel-concept atmosphere, ordering is as delightful (or dreadful, in case you fail to detect our sarcasm) as the check-in process at the airport – you have to scan the QR code, follow their WeChat, then order online, and pay the bill online.
Just like when traveling, a little tribulation is always overcome by the travel itself (or, in this case, the food). You will be served free prawn crackers while waiting for your order, which was, in our case, well worth the wait. The laksa (RMB 39) had a spicy and authentic soup with prawns, fish cakes, and fish balls, in a rich broth with noodles.
One of our Singaporean favorites, bak kut teh, or meat bone soup (RMB 42, main image), was a relatively small stew using pork rib broth with tofu and spices. The broth was rich with herbs and spices, making it a heartwarming dish, but it was a bit confusing – it came with tofu and mu’er mushrooms severed in a separate little pot, which is unusual at a Singaporean or Malay restaurant. Nonetheless, there was not much to complain about, because an additional pot of fried Chinese cabbage to made the set quite sizable altogether.
We couldn’t call it a meal without trying a cup of hot teh tarik (RMB 15), Malaysian milk tea, which was sweetened with condensed milk, but not hot as it should have been. Since Singapore is famous for its delicious durians, we tried the durian puff (RMB 10), which had a cold and crunchy crust filled with cold and sugary durian-flavored cream, with an unnecessary touch of chocolate that clashed with the fresh fruitiness of the puff. Authentic? Probably not, but we like this small, humble, and noisy restaurant, not only for the unlimited prawn crackers, but also for the affordable noodles and lunch sets in the heart of downtown, sending us on a little journey without us having to travel miles away.
Yuet Da Sing
Daily 10am-9pm
B1, Raffles City, 1 Dongzhimen Nandajie, Dongcheng District (8409 8896)
越打星：东城区东直门南大街1号北京来福士B1层
More stories by this author here.
Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure
Photos: Tracy Wang
