Review: Chock Full of Beans

Interestingly popular place despite the distance from the city. Filled with the average working crowd you would expect in town, you can find them at Chock Full of Beans during the lunch hours. Attracted by the appealing set lunch ranging from $12 to $14, for a main and a drink or a soup, is not too bad of a choice, especially if the drink is of premium coffee.

An average size shop, like any other along the Changi Village shops, the owners make full utilise the space by offering al fresco dining. Quite a number will be sitting outside, for 2 reasons. Firstly because they have been in the office for too long and want to defrost, and secondly because there is no other space.

We ordered the BBQ Pork Sandwich ($12) and the Salmon Penne ($14). The lunch sets come with either a soup or a drink. We took one of each, Mushroom Soup and a Café Latte. Food didn’t take very long to come despite the full house. Latte came first, then the soups and the mains, as expected.

Famed for their latte art, such as the iconic Angry Bird or the Hello Kitty, we got a normal cat – but a feat on its own to be able to produce such an intricate design. Latte was good, smooth and light. They also use the same cups as Kiasu Espresso, where I went to the day earlier, but in a different colour.

Mushroom soup was slightly too watery and the mushrooms were minced too finely, lacking in the surprise bite of mushroom to bite on. I quickly tucked into the Salmon Penne, which was orange in colour, a first for me. It was cream based pasta, nice and creamy, the way I like it, and not too strong taste of Omega 3 which Salmon can produced if not well seasoned and cooked. Penne was al dente but could be a little more. Nonetheless still an interesting find.

The Pork Sandwich was nice but I didn’t find it great. Accompanying the slices of pork was a few sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of cheese, seems like Parmesan. I guess it elevated the main a little.

I would come back to this place, more so for the drinks (and cakes), as they are more affordable than other artesian coffee places in Singapore. Also too, if I’m in the area for a chalet or heading to Ubin, to stop for a cup – on a warm sunny afternoon to refresh ones soul.