More Than Just A Gimmick!

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $25 per person.





Part retro diner, part vintage museum, Kombi Rocks (Diner) took over a now defunct coffee shop called Koon Kee at this location along Yio Chu Kang Road. Popular for their affordable Asian style food and great ambience, Kombi Rocks (Diner) can see queues of up to 1 hour, unless you make reservations in advance!

The ambience at Kombi Rocks (Diner) is retro / vintage themed. Decor is a combination of tributes to music, mostly featuring the Beatles, and tributes to vehicles. Furniture is a throwback to the past, with old barber chairs or wooden coffee shop chairs, mixed with metallic tables. Space is small, and tables are packed quite close together. Even the layout is different, ranging from family style zi char table dining, to cozy couple 2 seaters.

The fleet of classic / retro vehicles here are available for rental, and are normally taken up by wedding packages. Toy memorabilia displayed in the cabinets are for sale. And on Tuesday and Thursday nights, Kombi Rocks (Diner) hosts live musicians playing golden oldies.

Service at Kombi Rocks (Diner) is semi self-service, where you order and make payment at the counter, but staff wil serve your order to the table. Staff are generally young, perhaps part-timers, and quite friendly, able to make recommendations if asked. Food is also served quite quickly even despite peak periods, normally between 10 - 20 minutes.

Food at Kombi Rocks (Diner) revolves around Asian cuisine, featuring a mix of influences ranging from Thai, to Chinese, to Singaporean. But there is some hint of Western style influence as well, as Kombi Rocks (Diner) is also a bar, with a decent range of drinks / beer / wine, and bar snacks. Prices are very affordable per dish, but you'll need to reserve a table if you don't want to wait too long!





The distinctive facade of the place stands out among the shophouses, as do all the retro vehicles parked around it!

Kombi Rocks Signage

Kombi Rocks Exterior

Kombi Rocks Interior

Inside, the retro theme continues, with a wall of pictures and guitars dedicated to the Beatles.

Decor

Beatles Tribute

The other wall is a tribute to retro vehicles, including the Volkswagen and the Vespa. And yes, the memorabilia here is for sale, including die-cast limited edition toy models!

Volkswagen Tribute

Auto Wall

Display Cabinet

Choose the type of olden seats / tables you like! Comfort levels vary though.

Barber's Seat

Retro Seat

Both of the Vespa are indoors, and seem to be more for decor than for actual riding purposes.

Vespa 01

Vespa 02

The Volkswagen Beetle car is normally parked nearby. I've never seen both blue and black versions together, so I think it might be the same car, just repainted. This 1959 love bug model has a removable roof, and can be loaned for wedding photography.

Blue Bandit Beetle

Black Bandit Beetle 01, Source

Black Bandit Beetle 02, Source

Black Bandit Beetle 03, Source

Black Bandit Beetle 04, Source

There are 4 different Kombi for wedding photography loan, and they differ by exterior paint job and interior seat configuration. The Sugar Baby Kombi has long bay windows, and face to face rear seat configuration.

Sugar Baby Kombi 01, Source

Sugar Baby Kombi 02, Source

The Scooby Doo Kombi is a tribute to the blue mystery van in the cartoon, with 14 panelled windows and 2 rows of front facing rear seats.

Scooby Doo Kombi 01

Scooby Doo Kombi 02

Scooby Doo Kombi 03, Source

Scooby Doo Kombi 04, Source

The auspicious red Ang Pao Red Packet Kombi features split windows, and is the only Kombi in Singapore with a removable sun roof.

Ang Pao Red Packet Kombi 01, Source

Ang Pao Red Packet Kombi 02, Source

Ang Pao Red Packet Kombi 03, Source

Ang Pao Red Packet Kombi 04, Source

The Porsche 911 Classic with a removable roof.

Porsche 911 Classic

The fierce looking Triumph Spitfire 4 Mark 2, whose engine noise will let anyone know you're coming up behind them!

Triumph Spitfire 4 Mark 2

The bottled beers here are among the cheapest in Singapore, with a Beer Stella Artois at SGD $8, and a German Beer Krombacher Weizen at SGD $9. And while the Iced Green Tea Jug is served nicely chilled and in a generous portion, I find it hard to accept that it also costs SGD $9, at the back of my mind, knowing it's much cheaper just bugs me.

Beer Stella Artois

Beer Krombacher Weizen

Iced Green Tea Jug

I love the intense red bean flavour of the Pulut Hitam Red Bean Ice Cream (SGD $5). Studded throughout with red beans, the consistency is smooth, but doesn't melt easily, great for the sunny weather in Singapore.

Pulut Hitam Red Bean Ice Cream

The made in house Sparkly Cupcake (SGD $5) features a vanilla flavoured sponge cake base, topped with smooth vanilla frosting and studded with crunchy candy sparkles. The candy sparkles give a nice contrast to the smoothness of the cream, and the cake is light and airy without being too rich or sweet. Decent, although the staff here was enthusiastically recommending it.

Sparkly Cupcake 01

Sparkly Cupcake 02

A twist on the classic Chinese Red Wine Chicken from Foochow / Fujian cuisine, the Red Wine Chicken Wings (SGD $15) are deep fried chicken wings doushed with a Chinese red wine sauce. The chicken wings have a crisp, savoury skin, and well cooked but juicy meat. The sauce is lovely, with a tinge of tangy and sweet... Very good!

Red Wine Chicken Wings 01

Red Wine Chicken Wings 02

The Hand Made Thai Fishcake (SGD $8) is excellent! 3 lumps of well cooked fishcake, the exterior skin is crisp and flavourful with herbs and Thai spices, while the interior fish meat is soft and smooth. Not too oily, I only wish there was a bigger portion of it!

Hand Made Thai Fishcake

The Koon Kee Mee Goreng (SGD $6) has the right amount of wok hei, and is tasty and flavourful. The ratio of noodles to ingredients like seafood is also just right. An above average rendition of a Chinese style Mee Goreng, worth a try.

Koon Kee Mee Goreng

The Signature Pork Ribs With Lychee & Pineapple (SGD $13) has meaty pork ribs still on the bone. The meat is nicely glazed with sweet marinade, with just a slight hint of the taste of lychee and pineapple. Pretty good.

Signature Pork Ribs With Lychee & Pineapple

The Thai Style Beef Slices With Basil (SGD $15), as a dish, is quite tasty. But the name sets wrong expectations, as this is nowhere near Thai style cooking. The basil leaves do add a floral herb essence, but the flavour is unmistakably Chinese. The beef slices are also slightly tough. Decent taste, but not value for money, skip it.

Thai Style Beef Slices With Basil

While I loved the flavour of the Tom Yum Soup With Fish & Prawns (SGD $12), there is very little ingredients within, and it's hard to justify the price. The soup is modified from Thai style, making it less spicy, but still as intense in the seafood and lemongrass taste.

Tom Yum Soup With Fish & Prawns

The Hand Made Ngoh Hiang (SGD $7) is excellent! Well fried, crisp outside, with a hot meaty interior, juicy and flavourful. Highly recommended!

Hand Made Ngoh Hiang

Chicken Ring

I totally love the Chicken Ring chicken / ayam flavoured snacks, for their intense roast chicken flavour. The salty, savoury taste is so addictive, and makes you want to keep eating!

The Chicken Ring chicken / ayam flavoured snack is manufactured by Oriental Food Industries Sdn Bhd, in Malacca, Malaysia.









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Cozy Art Space With Decent Food

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 6
Service: 7
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $20 per person.





Born from an imaginative creativity, Cups N Canvas is a combination cafe and art studio, where you can satisfy your soul with painting, and your stomach with decent food. Located in a refurbished shophouse, Cups N Canvas channels a tinge of history for patrons.

The ambience at Cups N Canvas is great, because the cafe is thoughfully laid out, with dining and artwork sections. The artwork already help give the place a fun, playful, vibrant feel, and the quirky furniture aids the artsy appearance. Medium level lighting, high ceilings, and cool air conditioned interior means comfortable dining, and you can easily spot the old shophouse facade just behind the kitchen counter.

Service at Cups N Canvas is decent. Staff are friendly and polite, but ordering and payment is self-service, although orders will be served to you. You can also request to paint here, and there are specific times set aside just for artists to paint. However, it seems that painting is the only option of artwork available here.

Food at Cups N Canvas revolves around brunch, light bites and snacks. They have some unique items on the menu, but the scope is generally limited to breakfast items, salads, sandwiches and pasta. Portions are decent sized, and prices are average for a cafe. Food is generally somewhat tasty, but with cheap / frozen ingredients.





The cafe studio has many art pieces on display, and you can even try your hand at creating your own masterpiece!

Cups N Canvas Decor

Cups N Canvas Counter

Cups N Canvas Painting Gallery

Number 1

Ever had a Sweet Potato Latte (SGD $4.80)? This unique purple / violet hued drink is a non-caffeinated beverage taht is rich and thick with the taste of sweet potato. Goes down smooth, and the small grains of mashed sweet potato at the bottom are yummy.

Sweet Potato Latte 01

Sweet Potato Latte 02

Sweet Potato Latte 03

Sweet Potato Latte 04

The PK Duck Sandwich (SGD $10.90) is a tribute to the Chinese Bejing Peking Duck. Slices of smoky, savoury roasted duck, marinated in an orange and hoisin sauce, topped with fresh Japanese cucumbers, served on a warm, soft, fluffy, ciabatta bread. Topped with melted mozzarella cheese and a chinese style cracker, this dish is excellent, big on taste. I only wish the duck was more substantial, or they gave more slices.

PK Duck Sandwich 01

PK Duck Sandwich 02

PK Duck Sandwich 03

The Iced Cucumber Mint Tea (SGD $5.80) is a perfect summer beverage for those hot days. Fresh diced cucumber and a balanced blend of iced tea, garnished with a mint leaf, this drink is cooling, refreshing, and the perfect thirst quencher.

Iced Cucumber Mint Tea 01

Iced Cucumber Mint Tea 02

Beware the Red Hot Chick Linguine (SGD $15.90), because this is one fiery dish! The aroma of spice hits you the minute it's served, and the burn continues with every mouthful. I would rate this highly, but the chicken slices were dry, overcooked, and not fresh, but frozen.

Red Hot Chick Linguine 01

Red Hot Chick Linguine 02

The Hot Chocolate Canvas (SGD $5.30) is aptly named, for it arrived with a cute foam bear art! The actual drink itself is decent, good solid chocolate flavour, but not rich or deep. Texture is smooth, semi-thick, and bordering on creamy. Worth ordering!

Hot Chocolate Canvas 01

Hot Chocolate Canvas 02

The Blanc Bacon Linguine (SGD $15.90) I find is overall rather decent. It's rather light on cream and eggs, which are the hallmarks of a good carbonara, but heavy on the ingredients, including smoky, salty bacon strips and earthy, thick slices of shiitake mushrooms. A very filling dish!

Blanc Bacon Linguine