Singapore is drowning in nostalgia. In the last two years, Nanyang-style cafes have opened left, right, and center. They are everywhere. Some are in high-end malls, polished and expensive. Some are in HDB void decks, like the Wanglee Cafe I wrote about recently. They all sell the same dream: old-school breakfast, retro decor, and the promise of a simpler time.
Most of them are just marketing. They sell the aesthetic, but the food is often an afterthought.
I went to Great Nanyang Heritage Cafe at 111 Somerset to see where it stands in this crowded field. The long queues that defined its opening months are gone. The hype has cooled. That is usually when you find the truth about a restaurant.
Let’s not waste time. Here’s what’s actually good.
We started with the curry fish balls. This is a common street snack, easily ruined by weak sauce or rubbery texture. Here, it was decent. The curry had a good punch: spicy, savoury, aromatic. The fish balls were deep-fried, giving them a slightly crisp skin that yielded to a bouncy, “Q” interior. They soaked up the curry well. It was a solid snack. Clean flavours. Clear intention.
The kaya butter toast followed. It was thin and crisp. The kaya was fragrant, and the butter was cold. It was a decent rendition of the classic. However, if we are talking about the gold standard, it does not beat Ya Kun. Ya Kun’s toast has a specific shatter, a specific balance that is hard to replicate. Great Nanyang is good, but it is not the best.
But then came the eggs.
I have always maintained that Ya Kun sets the benchmark for soft-boiled eggs in Singapore. I was wrong.
The soft-boiled eggs here were superior. The yolks were huge: deep orange orbs floating in perfectly set whites. They were cooked to absolute perfection. The texture was creamy, rich, and consistent. There was no watery run-off. This dish shut me up for a moment. It is rare to find a simple boiled egg treated with such precision.
The tea, unfortunately, was just standard. It was decent, hot, and sweet, but nothing to shout about. It lacked the strong, tannic kick of a truly great Teh C.
So, where does Great Nanyang Heritage Cafe fit? It is a solid option for a local breakfast. The food is competent. The eggs are exceptional. The pricing is what you expect for a cafe in the Somerset area: higher than a hawker centre, but you pay for the air conditioning and the seat.
It is better than Wanglee Cafe. It has more soul in its cooking. But is it a destination? No. It is a convenience. If you are in town and crave a local breakfast, this is a good place to stop. The hype may be gone, but the kitchen is still working.
Just order the eggs. Trust me.
