When you walk into this new restaurant at UBS Business Hub (formerly known as Park Mall) with its sleek stainless steel walls and ceilings, you may not have imagined this is a Hong Kong style cha chaan teng.
Pi Food, which is located just opposite Dhoby Ghaut, is ready to delight fans of authentic Hong Kong style cooking.
Helmed by Chef Tsang Tak Ching, a former Sous Chef at Lei Garden Hong Kong, Pi Food takes its name from the number pi (π), a math constant with digits that never end.
This symbolizes the brand’s ongoing innovation, while staying true to traditional Chinese ingredients, cooking methods and techniques.
Experience the “pi” thru its extensive modern cha chaan teng menu, from classic Hong Kong-style noodles, rice, congee, sandwiches and roast meats, to Canto-Western dishes.
At night, it transforms to a modern, vibrant Chinese bar, and the menu shifts to wok-hei infused small plates best suited for pairing with alcoholic drinks.
The 150-seater’s industrial-style interior is bright, airy and spacious, sporting, and wide windows. A model train gliding overhead serves as décor, point of interest and conversation piece.
Feel free to chill out in their outdoor dining area and or sit at the bar which serves alcohol from 6pm onwards.
Here are 10 of Pi Food’s recommended dishes and drinks:
Stir Fried Beef Noodles ($13.80)
With so many options (over a hundred on the menu), nothing beats a classic Cantonese delicacy like Gon Chow Ngau Hor (乾炒牛河) or stir-fried beef noodles.
Slices of beef are wok-fried over high heat, enough for them to sear-til-they-char and feel that “breath of the wok” aka wok hei.
Magic happens once they are tossed with soft, chewy rice noodles to create a simple yet timeless masterpiece. One of the favourites here.
Lotus Leaf Rice with Roasted Duck Meat ($16.80)
This steamed rice dish uses the woodsy aromatic lotus leaf to wrap HK-style roasted duck,steamed in between sticky rice. For best experience, enjoy this fragrant dish while still hot.
This unassuming dish turned out to be well-liked by many.
Satay Beef Noodles with Ham and Scrambled Egg ($13.80)
This was the first thing I ordered during my maiden visit. While Satay Beef Noodles are dime-in-a-dozen in Hong Kong, you don’t find this that easily on our sunny island.
Available from 8am – 11am, treat yourself to a Hong Kong-style brekkie using simple ingredients in a unique, winning combination.
A hot bowl of instant noodles is served with ham, scrambled eggs, and tender chunks of satay beef.
Comforting and filling, a dish guaranteed to bring childhood nostalgia to many HK-ers and frequent visitors.
HK Style Baked Rice with Pork Chop, Tomato Sauce and Cheese ($16.80)
A quintessential fave in HK tea restaurants, this baked rice dish offers a hearty slice of pork chop, seared til golden brown to lock in the juices.
A smoky aromatic egg fried rice serves as base, topped with the meat (I wished it was more tender) and covered in a rich, chunky tomato sauce and melted cheese.
Served hot while the cheese sizzles.
Sweet and Sour Pork ($15.80)
Savour cutlets of marinated pork dredged in flour, then deep-fried to a crisp exterior.
These crunchy pork bites are tossed Cantonese-style in a vibrant sweet and sour sauce ‘til they are thoroughly coated.
Adding colours and texture to the orange stickiness are chunks of yellow pineapples and green peppers.
Iberico Pork Char Siew & Scrambled Egg Rice with Homemade XO Sauce ($16.80)
A savoury dish featuring the esteemed Iberico pork barbecued Cantonese style.
The thick-sliced and succulent pork char siew is served over steamed rice, then topped with silky soft scrambled eggs – to me are the highlight.
A splash of homemade XO sauce adds sweet, smoky, spicy flavours.
HK Fresh Shrimp Wanton Noodles ($10.80)
Familiar, comforting taste of HK Fresh Shrimp Wanton Noodles. A clear yet flavourful broth cradles a serving of classic HK-style noodles alongside four pieces of dumplings. I did wish there was more body in the soup though.
The wantons were not bad, with each one bursting with fresh flavours as they are filled with a blend of shrimps and minced pork.
Slow Cooked Pork Belly with Pumpkin Puree ($22.50)
Add a touch of Western flavour to your meal with Slow Cooked Pork Belly with Pumpkin Puree – of a slab of slow cooked pork belly served atop a bed of pumpkin puree.
The meat is braised till tender and has soaked up all the herbs and spices in the marinade. Dab a piece with a dollop of creamy pumpkin.
On the dinner menu are more Western style items such as Braised Beef Short Ribs with Carrot Puree ($26), Duck Confit with Sarladaise Potatoes ($23.80), Pork Bolognese Linguine ($18) to even Cauliflower 3 Ways ($12). Though overall I thought that the Hong Kong style dishes here are stronger in their execution.
HK Style Milk Tea ($3.80 for hot, $4.80 for iced)
Your HK food exploration won’t be complete without a HK-style Milk Tea. Taste the special creaminess of their evaporated filled milk, using the preferred brand of cha chaan tengs Black & White.
Or try your tea blended with coffee with their HK Style Yuan Yang. A cup offering the best of world worlds – the soothing taste of tea and the robust flavour of coffee.
Just want coffee? Fret not, you can go for a HK Style Coffee anytime. All drinks are $3.80 for hot, $4.80 for iced.
Don’t miss their line-up of non-dairy drinks, served in handy ready-to-go jars.
Order from any of their house specials like the brand-bearing Pi Fruit Tea ($6.80), a sweet refreshing blend of assorted fruit tea. Other variants include Roselle Tea ($6.80), Peach Gum Tea ($6.80), Golden Lime Marmalade with Chia Seeds ($6.80), and Liquorice Siraitia Tea ($6.80).
Pi Food
9 Penang Road, #01-18, Singapore 238459 (UBS Singapore Business Hub)
Tel: +65 8932 0632
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Pi Food.
