The New and Old Café – Cosy Place in Tanjong Pagar With HK-Style Milk Tea & Bo Luo Bao

Tucked away among an unassuming row of stores in International Plaza, and a short walk away from Tanjong Pagar MRT, The New and Old Café offers a quiet respite from the busy CBD life with a jack-of-all-trades menu. 

At first glance, I would have pegged it for a modern take of cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong-style cafes) based on bestsellers such as HK-Style Milk Tea, East Meet West (Yuan Yang), bo luo buns and condensed milk buns. But another look revealed more diverse offerings including Traditional Okonomiyaki ($6.90 – $8.40), Special Beef Multigrain Rice ($9.90) and weekly specials like Dry Laksa ($7.90) available on Wednesday. 

There’s also a dessert section for sweet-toothed folks. Think home-baked Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cake ($6.50 per slice, $18 for four inches, $60 for nine inches) and Baileys ‘Gao’ Tiramisu ($6.90 per cup, $18 for 4.5 inches). 

Spruced up with potted greenery, muted colours and quaint wooden decor, the modest café gives off a warm, cosy vibe that almost makes you feel at home. The lack of background music made it just a little quiet though, especially since it was such a small space. There also wasn’t enough room for a sizeable kitchen so I was wondering if all the food had been prepared beforehand. 

I decided to start off with lighter bites and opted for the Pineapple (Bolo) Bun with Luncheon Meat ($3.90) and Crispy Bun with Condensed Milk ($2.90). While the inside of the bun itself was adequately fluffy, the crust was not as crunchy or buttery as I had hoped it would be and was fairly thin compared to other bo luo baos I’ve had. It made for a pleasant pairing with the savouriness of the fried luncheon meat. 

The Crispy Buns with Condensed Milk were evenly toasted with a drizzle of sweet condensed milk across the top of the halves. I felt like one had a more distinct crunch than the other but overall, it was a fairly good snack to munch on. 

I happened to pop by on a Thursday, which meant that their Dry Mee Siam ($7.90) was available. Boasting a vibrant orange hue and served with a sprinkling of chives and a hard-boiled egg on the side, the thin bee hoon had pieces of tau pok (fried bean curd) and a few baby prawns mixed in. 

It was honestly a little disappointing as the mee siam was heavy on the lime which overpowered the already-mediocre amount of spice. It also wasn’t very satisfying portion-wise, and this is coming from someone who isn’t even a big eater in general. 

Rather than food, The New and Old Cafe’s pride and joy seemed to be their HK-Style Milk Tea ($2.90 for hot, $5.50 for regular iced, bottled). With a recipe that took half a year to be perfected, this was one of the best HK-style milk teas I’ve had in Singapore. 

Smooth and silky, the flavour of the tea was very pronounced and gelled beautifully with the milk. The chilled version, which was what I got, came nestled in flower-infused ice cubes in a metal cup to keep the bottle cool without diluting the taste of the tea. Thumbs up for the aesthetics because I couldn’t stop staring at the ice in fascination. 

I decided to close my meal with dessert and chose the Ondeh Ondeh Cake ($6.50), which also happens to be a permanent item, in collaboration with the Yellow Ribbon Project. The cake layers were delightfully soft and infused with the heady fragrance of pandan. It went especially well with the mildly-sweetened cream and bits of desiccated coconut on top. 

While I wouldn’t go the distance to make my way to The New and Old Café, their chilled HK-Style Milk Tea would be just the thirst quencher I’ll seek out if I’m in the area. Their menu is also always expanding so you can always look forward to something new here!

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to The New and Old Café. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!