likebyregina Few weeks ago, I went to a newly opened Singaporean eatery, Shiok. During its soft-opening week, I heard some good things about it, and it is hard to find authentic Singaporean cuisine in Vancouver. So, I decided to pay a visit with Ethan.
We arrived at 5:30 pm on a Saturday, and it started to get crowded around 6 pm. We grabbed our seat first, prior to ordering. This eatery is partially self-served. We need to order the food at the counter first. Then servers will bring over the food to the tables.
The menu has limited items in each category, but they also have special items written on the blackboard that change in a rotational basis.
Food Menu for Shiok 
Drink Menu for Shiok
We ordered Kopi-C and Teh. The owner said that the main difference between Singaporean coffee and others is that Singaporean coffee beans use butter in the roasting process, which gives a thicker and smoother texture. Kopi-C is Singaporean coffee with carnation milk, while Teh is a tea with condensed milk. Both are not bad, and they pair well with the meal.
Kueh Pie Tee is one of the special items, and the dish comes with 5 pieces. Inside the crispy shells, there are carrots, shrimp, and peranakan spice of jicama. Though the appetizer has a crunchy texture, it is bland. I hope to have sauce or additional spice in each piece.
I ordered Laksa, which is an authentic Singaporean dish. It is a curry soup base, and you can choose between white or yellow noodles, or mixed. The bowl comes with bean curds, fish cakes, shrimps, and half of the hard boiled egg. The noodles are slightly over-cooked, but the soup is flavourful. The portion is perfect for me, but it is relatively smaller size than normal.
He ordered another special item, Beef Rendang. It is a spicy curried coconut beef, serviced with rice. Though it is only $10, the portion is what you pay for. The taste is okay, but nothing stands out to make it special.
Overall Impression
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Shiok prior to our visit, but I think the dishes are hit and miss. The price on the menu is inexpensive, but the portion is relatively smaller. So for Ethan, he can easily eat two Beef Rendang in addition to the appetizer and drink. It is a family-owned restaurant, so everyone is friendly. As a restaurant in the soft-opening stage, its service is good, and there are no delays on orders.
Taste : 3.5/5 • Service: 3.5/5 • Ambiance: 4/5 • Quality-Price: 3.5/5
