Different Taste Cafe & Restaurant

2026.1.4 (Sun) Different Taste is an established eatery in the east. I have been here many times but it’s rarely my first port of call. The standard is similar to many Tze char stall and it’s a tad pricier bec of the aircon. The taste is acceptable but you are really paying for AC and ambience. Our crispy seafood noodles and Penang Fried Kway Teow (both signature dishes) are above average. The prawns are very fresh! We enjoyed a quick and quiet dinner here. No GST here! ✌️

I dined at Different Tastes Cafe & Restaurant for the first time and found the atmosphere to be simple and unpretentious, resembling a cozy family dining spot. The minimal decoration gives it a homely feel, and the air-conditioned environment is certainly a plus, making it a comfortable place to enjoy a meal.

Took away Chicken Chop Even if it isn't a specialty or regular item, portion is shocking. For $9, amount of fries given is remotely enough. Baked Beans served in a miniature cup Stinginess is unparred and food item is a joke.

Was searching a place to take my elderly mother for a Sunday lunch. She says her arthritis is acting up and the doctor suggests she add some spice to her diet. Came across this place. Not too excited about the locale because the parking is quite the challenge. And true enough the lane with parking available was near impossible to navigate, but nevertheless, parking was found. Ok, so they’re predominantly a Peranakan joint, but with a melange of various dishes also made available. Since there were only 2 of us, we picked a Penang char kway teow, a ayam buah keluak, sambal okra with prawn, and then a tahu goreng. The okra could have been a little spicier, but the ayam buah keluak was really sesap (yummy!), I had to get a bowl of rice. The tahu goreng was fried quite crispily, and the peanut dressing was rich. The Penang kway teow was flavorful, but could probably do with a little more accoutrements like lup cheong. Overall, the food was great, and the staff attentive. I would recommend this place. On a Sunday morning, they had many takeaway orders, so, you may want to consider coming a little earlier to avoid the crowd. And btw, they don’t charge for service nor gst.

The restaurant has been in the neighborhood forever. Typical local Chinese/Asian food offerings cooked to a consistently decent standard , but nothing spectacular. One of the go to places when we feel a bit lazy to cook on our own and want a simple uncomplicated meal.

We used to visit the downtown east bowling branch back in the 2000s when they were still there. Decided to try this one at Frankel. Taste wise, only the sauce from the lemon chicken tasted the same. The rest of it brought back no nostalgic memories. Now, food wise, it was decent. Tastes good. Nothing spectacular or mindblowingly good. It was just decent. There were no memorable dishes of the night. Next, the price is exorbitantly high for the portions. The "large" yam ring, at $42, is even smaller than outside tze char regular sized ones. The hae cho prawn rolls costs $20. Frankly, I was a little shocked at the price point.

Place was noisy & vibrant. Food is relatively good. Chendol was solid! However the Crispy Garlic Chicken was a letdown. Nasi Lemak is above average, Penang Kway Teow, fish maw soup & stir fried beef horfun are definitely good. The service staffs are busy. So much so that they served the soup without sending us the bowls & serving food without cutleries. Understand that they are busy so we get them ourselves.

The Penang fried kway teow was one of the best delicious dishes I have ever tasted. The fish maw and the beef kailan was quite good too. We also ordered the garlic paste chicken, and it was quite good as well. The home-made barley was equally good. And we had a good lunch. We will come back for more.

Along the stretch of shophouse, the family restaurant looked rather out of place when it was surrounded by cafes such as Cedele, Dutch Colony Coffee Co. and Bird Bird. The place looked quite old and we were seated right at the back where one barely felt the aircon. Menu was a simple 1 piece of sheet, similar to most zhi char places. We started with drinks such as Homemade Chin Chow 自制仙草水 ($2.00), Ice lemon Tea 自制柠檬荼 ($2.00), and Plum Juice. I had plum juice which was quite refreshing and cool me down after my long walk from the MRT station. Fish Maw Crab Meat Soup 鱼膘蟹肉羹 ($14/$20/$30) The soup was rich and thick with umami taste, filled with lots of ingredients. Penang Fried Kway Teow 槟城炒果条 ($5.50) The noodle was well fried with distinct flavours. Curry Fish Head 咖哩鱼头 ($20/$26/$34) The curry was rich and creamy without too spicy. The meat was firm and chunky. Ayam Buah Keluak 黑果鸡 ($13/$20/$26) The chicken was quite tender and gravy was rich without too spicy. However I felt that the taste of Buah Keluak inside the nut was not too distinct as it mashed into a paste with other ingredients, tasting more like fish cake. Chicken Prawn Paste 虾酱鸡 ($12/$15/$22) This dish was the hot favourite of the meal that we ordered a second serving. Best had it while it was still hot and juicy. One can taste the prawn paste quite distinct without too salty. Beef with Black Pepper Sauce 黑胡椒牛肉 ($12/$18/$24) The sliced beef was quite tender and melt in the mouth. Broccoli with Crab Meat 蟹肉西兰花 ($13/$18/$24) For one who did not really eat vegetables, I really like this dish. The broccoli was soft. Topped with the crab meat rich sauce, it kind of reminded me of creamed broccoli. Foo Young Omelette 芺蓉蛋 ($9/$13/$16) I like that there was a lot of different ingredients in the fried egg. We ended the meal with desserts such as Sago with Gula Melaka, Longan Tofu, and Cendol. The Sago with Gula Melaka was well made as it was not too sweet with the sago pudding soft and melt in the mouth. The cendol was the hot favourite. Besides not too sweet while been rich and creamy, the ice was shaved just right without been too rough and the green jelly strips retained its texture without turning frozen as was the case of most cendol stalls faced when using factory made jelly strips. Although I felt at the beginning of the meal, it was quite cold for me at the end of the meal. Surprisely the restaurant was packed for a weekday nite.

This restaurant is a staple of those who frequent the Frankel Estate area. We practically grew up on the food from this restaurant, all the way from back when it was operating as a cafe inside Jackie's Bowl. Zhi-char prices in an air-conditioned setting. The Nasi Lemak is well recommended. My favorite is the Seafood Crispy Noodle. My kids love the honey pork ribs and the sweet and sour fish. The Fish Head Curry is also pretty good. This place can get really crowded at dinner time on weekends and any groups larger than 4 should call ahead to reserve a table.

Different Taste is a family favourite and is my family's go-to place for celebrating occasions like birthdays or anniversaries. While the place itself is unassuming in ambience or appearance, the food is usually worth a return visit. Among our favourites include the unshelled cereal prawns, prawn paste chicken, foo yong omelette, curry fish head and the broccoli with braised mushroom. The honeydew sago is also worth a try if you have any space left in your tummy after everything. If you're coming in a small group, you might want to consider having the nasi lemak set alone instead. Can get crowded on weekends so do make a reservation in advance.