The Hainan Story Launches Its First-Ever Coffee House Concept At NEX

Immerse yourself in the rich Hainanese heritage through the restaurant's repertoire of new, exclusive offerings and perennial favourites.

Venue: 23 Serangoon Central, Nex, #02-17, Singapore 556083
Operating Hours: 8am to 10pm, Daily

The Hainan Story's First-Ever Coffee House Concept at NEX

Fans of The Hainan Story, rejoice! The restaurant has unveiled its fourth outlet at NEX, continuing to weave its rich tapestry of beautiful Hainanese food tales. Furthermore, the NEX outlet marks a unique chapter in the restaurant’s history, as it is its first-ever coffee house concept.

Nostalgic Vibes All Around

Step into the coffee house and be whisked away to a bygone era. The playful palette of red, green and brown creates a cosy ambience. Brick feature walls, louver windows and mosaic tiles further add to the nostalgic flavour.

New Dishes

Exclusive at this outpost are four new dishes:

Hainanese Ah Mai’s Chee Cheong Fun

Bound to whet appetites, the Hainanese Ah Mai’s Chee Cheong Fun takes the humble dish and spruces it up with ingredients such as fried fish ball and hard-boiled egg. The ingredients are then drizzled with chee cheong fun sauce, green chilli sauce, rojak sauce and light soya sauce. The overall dish is garnished with fried shallot, spring onion and Chinese celery for a fragrant lift. The shallot oil also lends an aromatic undertone.

Hainanese Pig’s Trotter Assam Curry Noodle

Another must-try dish is the Hainanese Pig’s Trotter Assam Curry Noodle. Cooked for hours in a sour-spicy assam curry, the pork trotter falls off the bone. It offers a nice ratio of meat and fat for the perfect mouthfeel. Soaking up the curry sauce are ribbons of al dente rice noodle. Beansprout, fish cake and hard-boiled egg round out the line-up.

Hainanese Pork Patty Noodle Soup

Continue the indulgence with the very comforting Hainanese Pork Patty Noodle Soup. Perched atop the noodles is a slab of the quintessential Hainanese pork patty, which is juicy and tender. The patty, rice noodle, chye sim, fish cake and soft-boiled egg all come together in a slurp-worthy noodle broth.

Baked Hainanese Rice Cake Lasagna

From Uncle Robert Western, which is known for injecting an Asian flair into British mainstays, comes yet another creative offering: the Baked Hainanese Rice Cake Lasagna. This is a new take on the beloved chwee kueh. The chefs have jettisoned the usual caipo for a blanket of sliced cheddar cheese, which melts into gooey goodness under high heat. The blocks of wobbly rice cakes are soused in an eggplant tomato stew and accompanied with fine French bean and a lovely bechamel sauce.

Signatures

Love The Hainan Story’s signatures? You can also enjoy them here at the NEX outlet!

Hainanese English Crispy Chicken Cutlet & Crispy Pork Cutlet 

The 1980’s Hainanese English Crispy Chicken Cutlet and Crispy Pork Cutlet are highly addictive. The satisfying crunch of the exterior is owed to the use of potato chip crumbs, which also lend the dish a more flavourful profile. Both the cutlets are drenched with a lip-smacking BBQ sauce, and accompanied with onion ring, green pea and diced potatoes.

Old English Oxtail Stew

Do not miss the gelatinous Old English Oxtail Stew, a wildly popular dish during the British colonial era. Braised for hours with fresh tomatoes, spices and onions, this historic dish features melt-in-your-mouth meat paired with homemade mashed potatoes.

Pasta Dishes

Spaghetti lovers can also expect different fusion-style offerings, such as Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Soft Boiled Egg, Neapolitan Spaghetti with Soft Boiled Egg and Hae Bee Hiam Spaghetti with Soft Boiled Egg. Choose to beef up your pasta with proteins like chicken cutlet, pork cutlet, pork chop, chicken chop and cheesy meatballs.

“Ah Kor” Hainanese Lamb Stew with Rice

Have also the “Ah Kor” Hainanese Lamb Stew with Rice, which is packed with nutritious spare ribs, spongy tau kee beancurd, black fungus, carrot and broccoli. The flavours of the winsome mixture of herbs and spices — including star anise, shallots and preserved beans — permeate every inch of the lamb through long hours of cooking.

F&B Stalwarts

Newspaper Curry Rice & Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice

The enclave will house signature The Hainan Story brands, such as Newspaper Curry Rice and Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice. Newspaper Curry Rice is not just any regular restaurant: the brand’s most treasured possession is a curry chicken recipe that has been passed down the generations from a staunch Hainanese matriarch. You will not find any shortcuts or instant curry powder here: all its sauces and recipes are made from scratch, including the homemade sambal, and of course, its signature curry, which contains blue ginger, chili, curry leaves and freshly-ground pepper.

Childhood Fried Chicken Wing Set

The brand has come up with a new Childhood Fried Chicken Wing Set. Served piping hot, the chicken wing boasts the tangy note of lemongrass. Each bite is crispy and juicy. As if the indulgence is not already enough, the set comes complete with seasonal vegetables and fried egg.

Mama Wee Curry Chicken Drumstick Set & Mama Wee Braised Pork Belly Set

There are also different sets to choose from, such as its signature Mama Wee Curry Chicken Drumstick Set — served with a generous helping of tender chicken and addictive curry sauce — and Mama Wee Braised Pork Belly Set, which showcases a succulent braised pork belly. All sets are accompanied with freshly steamed rice, sambal belacan, seasonal vegetables and fried egg.

Breakfast Staples & Dessert Delights

Traditional Hainanese Toasts

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and at The Hainan Story, you can start the day on a right note. The restaurant doles out old-school breakfasts, such as traditional Hainanese toasts that boast thick, fluffy buns with a pillowy-soft centre and wonderfully crisp crust — unlike the thin, flat toasts commonly found elsewhere. Top the toast with Home-Made Gula Melaka Kaya & Cold Butter or the crunchy Rojak & Peanut Jam Spread. Kaya lovers can also bring home the Home-Made Gula Melaka Kaya.

Traditional Drinks

Wash the delicious food down with some good ol’ decadent ‘Kopi Gu You’ – either Kopi C (coffee with milk) or Kopi O (black coffee) with a slice of butter thrown in.

Pandan Waffles

For dessert, sink your teeth into the new Pandan Waffles. Coming in a gorgeous green colour, and packing the distinctive note of pandan, the waffles can be paired with sweet toppings, such as gula melaka kaya, peach jam or even savoury offerings such as rojak jam, avocado egg mayo or cheese.

You may also check out The Hainan Story's social media channels, i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Telegram and 小红书.