Singapore’s Central Business District (CBD) wouldn’t exactly be the best place to look for cheap food. Tea Valley though, offers authentic Taiwanese fare at very reasonable prices.
Nestled in the basement of Chevron House, Tea Valley has to be one of the best kept secrets of a wallet-friendly, authentic Taiwanese casual diner in the CBD. One of four outlets in the franchise, it is easy to get to, has a comprehensive menu with promotional meal sets served all day.
Tea Valley has been awarded Singapore’s Best Food as well as the Best Culinary Skills awards in the bubble tea and snack food category. Which is great news for milk tea and snow ice lovers, as well as snackers who can choose from Fried Plum Sweet Potatoes, Fried Cuttlefish and other tantalising bites of which my personal favourite has to be the Crispy Salted Chicken.
I’m not one for heavily battered fried food. The Crispy Salted Chicken was a joy to snack on – juicy and with the right amount of salt to bring out the taste. A dish I would have no issues sitting down with while watching an episode of ‘House of Cards’ on my iPad.
Some of the more popular dishes from their wholesome and family-friendly menu include Braised Pork Rice, Oyster Noodle, Honey Chicken and Three Cup Chicken With Rice. The Hot and Sour Noodle was very well done and balanced. It didn’t stop me from wanting to add some white pepper though for a little extra punch.
Aside from the delicious food, Tea Valley really shines with its selection of Bubble Teas. The bubble tea fad might have burst a long time ago, but after sampling a couple of their offerings, there’s a distinct difference in quality when compared to the run-of-the-mill kiosks.
Tea Valley’s bubble teas are actually that – teas, not some synthetic mystery gunk that many kiosks used to pass off as “tea”. I was torn between the Rose Honey Tea and the Jasmine Honey Tea as personal favourites. Both drinks were very soothing and helped washed down the oils and sauce from the main dishes.
Apart from Chevron House, Tea Valley has a kiosk at POMO and outlets at The Central and Downtown East where they have a steamboat menu as well.