Usually retro themed restaurants serving Singaporean fusion food sounds like a disaster to me – I think of it as hipster and wannabe, and will most probably not even try. However, when I took a closer look at the menu, they did not serve hipster options like waffles for dinner so I thought that the menu was quite well curated and worth a try. I actually liked it enough to want to come back again after a few weeks! In this post I’ll feature stuff ordered from both visits.

Baked Salmon – $16.00++
Salmon crusted with dao jio served slightly pink in the middle on a bed of glass noodles

The black stuff is like fermented bean sauce commonly used in Chinese cooking. It was a unique pairing with salmon and I won’t say I love this combination but it’s definitely something acceptable and interesting.

Crab Bee Hoon

This looks like something you usually find at coffee shop restaurants (aka zi char stalls in Singaporean lingo) but let’s not compare how much more it costs having it at Sinpopo (also because I can’t remember the price, so let it go.) The broth was so delicious. Everything was so delicious. No other words. I loved it! And usually, I am not a fan of the usual Crab Bee Hoon found at zi char stalls. This version had a much tastier broth. I love it.

I spied other tables having the house special – Nasi Lemak for two and I decided I must come back soon to have that. And I did!

Nasi Lemak for Two – $25.00++

Again, let’s not talk about how much a packet of Nasi Lemak costs at other shops like Punggol Nasi Lemak. The ambiance at Sinpopo is definitely better and we don’t have to queue and have our food stuffed in Styrofoam takeaway packets.

This one is beautiful laid out with dishes portioned for two, not less or more. I like how everything was in somewhat tasting servings so nothing gets too heavy on the palate (aka  jelat in local lingo). It is precisely the small serving of each dish that makes it nice. I have no favourite item here. I like the combination of everything. I felt really happy having this meal (of course you first need to dine with the right person for that to happen) and the price and more importantly calories was worth it.

Chilled Pandan Souffle – $9.00++

The Nasi Lemak was nicely filling and with only space to share one dessert but with a few I wanted to try, it means I need to plan to come here again. I decided to try this because it sounds unique. I love pandan flavoured stuff and anything with pandan tastes better. This was somewhat like a frozen custard with almond streusel and sesame dentelle. The almond streusel gave it a nice contrast in texture, otherwise the pandan souffle may be quite boring to eat on it’s own.

Ambiance: 7/10
Food: 7.5/10
Value: 7.5/10
Overall: A unique restaurant with unusual nostalgic themed Singaporean fusion food that actually works.

Sinpopo Brand
458 Joo Chiat Rd
Singapore 427671

Tel:6345 5034

Tue-Thu: 12-10pm
Fri-Sat & Eve of PH: 12pm-12am
Sun: 12-10pm
Closed Monday