FIVE TEN at South Bridge Road Review - Five or ten-dollar Taiwan-style fusion plates
You would rarely associate 'Taiwan-inspired' menu with 'hip', but that's exactly what Five Ten is. One of the latest hipster outfits to open in the Chinatown stretch, this place has a full dark exterior from the outside, and the interior is outfitted with grungy brick walls and dark brown wood surfaces. None of the reds you'd usually think of when you talk Taiwanese-inspired.
At night, they do drinks together with the small plates, which makes it ideal if you are looking to kick back a few with colleagues/friends and don't mind a darker setting.
They stick true to their name - all bowls here are at $5 or $10. The lunch menu features 3 choices of Don (rice) Bowls of $10 - 1) Pork Belly, 2) Steak slices, 3) Intestines. Note: Rice bowls only available for lunch; small plates are available for dinner, but you will find the rice bowl proteins (steak slices, braised pork) available as small plates too.
Cold Brew - White ($5)
We heard that their in-house brown brew was the best, as it has chocolate mixed into it. Unfortunately, this was unavailable when we visited, so we settled for the white. The coffee is milky, but and slight more to the acidic side. Decent, but perhaps I'd prefer the brown better.
Steak Slices Rice Bowl ($10)
The Steak Slices Rice Bowl with egg ($10) is delicious compactly packed. Medium steak, with a charred exterior and seasoned simply with salt and pepper; an oozy onsen egg on a base of fluffy white rice doused with house sauce. Worth the $ for the quality, and portion is filling if you have a normal appetite.
No. of Tiaras: 4.5/5
Grilled Squid ($10)
We went "ooo" when we had this. The squid was not over-done and the resulting texture is chewy and tender, with a smoky grilled taste. The accompanying lime provided a sour tinge to the soy sauce flavour.
No. of Tiaras: 4.5/5
Five Ten Pork Ribs ($10)
The pork ribs are done sous-vide style, which results in a tender meat texture that easily separates from the bone. The hoisin glaze that the ribs come coated in isn't my favourite, because of its sweet slant, but for those who like their ribs sweet, this should be a good choice.
No. of Tiaras: 3.8/5 (or 4.0 for those who like ribs sweet)
The concept is certainly interesting and the quality of the food is on par, if not greater value, than the price point. Don't be tempted to order too much though as it adds up. Start small, which we did and will repeat the next round when we return. It gets crowded particularly during lunch time, so be there early or be prepared to queue.
Five Ten
237 South Bridge Rd, Singapore 058786
Open Tues-Sat 10am-10pm; Sun 10am-2.30pm
Tel: 6924 7352
Nearest MRT station: Chinatown
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