Tuesdays are special to them... and they'll make the SNS-Ji special to you.
It is an open secret that The East has lots of cafes - while Bedok has an enclave of them, Katong is another area that has so many of them, you'll need a couple of visits to conquer them all. So let's start with one of them: The Holqa Cafe. Entering this quaint little space, it is evident that the owners love photography, with a whole wall dedicated to vintage cameras and another, to lovely framed pictures.
Why do I say that Tuesdays are special to The Holqa Cafe?
I do mean that it is special to you as well. At Holqa, it's half-priced pastas every Tuesday, which means more moolahs for you to spend on more awesome dishes like their SNS-Ji! Their famous pasta involves an inventive Braised Asian Pulled Pork Pasta, an interesting fusion of the Italian pasta with the savoury, moist and tender pulled pork. The other pasta which I prefer is the Almost Carbonara is named as such because the owners have thoughtfully considered how carbonaras can become very thick and filling after a while, and have therefore tweaked the recipe to make it more 'soupy' rather than the usual rich creamy type.
What on earth is the SNS-Ji?
I was confused by the name for a while, before realizing it was a wordplay of SNSD (the Korean girl-pop group Girls' Generation) but refers to "sweet and spicy chicken fried chicken mid-joints". For non-Chinese friends, Ji means chicken in Chinese and rhymes with 'D'. Putting the name-issues aside, this has definitely got us sitting straight and savouring the Korean-inspired juicy chicken which were coated with this sticky sweet and fragrant herb sauce... highly recommended to order this to share! Psst. One isn't enough for each person...
More worthy mentions...
For a larger group dining together, you can get two side dishes (SNS-Ji as previously mentioned) as well as the Spiced Paprika Fries which were super addictive! Paprika is easily my favourite spice right now because it is very appetizing.
The Savory Cream Cheese French Toast & Crispy Bacon feels like something I would choose for breakfast or brunch rather than dinner... but I know that there are some owls for would love some all-day breakfasts like this! The brioche were coated with buttery and egg goodness, toasted and then the essential bacon. Of course.
The Braised Asian Pulled Pork with 3 Cheeses Sandwich was the table's favourite which was a sinfully delicious creation with braised pork howl topped with three different types of cheeses - gruyere, mozzarella, cheddar cheese. To ease your sense of guilt, you can munch on some fresh mesclun salad and pickled cherry tomatoes.
The Holqa Cafe
37 East Coast RoadSingapore 428755
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