Qi Ji at Heartland Mall was fully packed at 1.30pm on Sat., 29 Mar 08. Fortunately, a table was available within minutes of our arrival. With the way tables are squeezed together in the cafeteria-style food outlet, it's really not a conducive place to sit and chat for long as diners at neighbouring tables can hear every word of your conversation and vice versa.
We ordered Set 1 Nasi Lemak which came with ikan bilis, peanuts, chicken sausage, fried egg, otah, sambal chili and breaded fish cake. The fish cake is missing from the pic above as the kitchen ran out of it when they were filling my order. Freshly prepared fish cake was subsequently delivered to our table, crispy on the outside and soft inside. Actually, I am quite impressed they remembered as the place was bustling with people.
I found the rice a tad soft for my liking (I prefer fluffier and drier rice) but it was lemak enough and very fragrant. They definitely did not stinge on coconut milk and pandan leaves.
The sambal chili complemented the rice well but could have been spicier. Side dishes were average in taste, nothing to rave about. Still, it's value for money at $3.90 per set.
The laksa was edible but a disappointment. Gravy was much too thin. Could have done with more coconut milk and laksa leaves to add fragrance.
At first glance, the tauhu goreng was rather unappetising. Thick, dark brown peanut gravy covered the tauhu and vegetables, resembling a mound of body waste - the solid kind!
The gravy was far too sweet, without any distinctive flavour. The saving grace was their generosity with peanuts that were quite fresh. Would suggest reducing the sugar and adding some tamarind juice to provide contrast and lift the flavour.
Mee Siam
We ordered the mee siam when we found we still had room for more and because everyone around us seemed to be eating it. Forgot to take a pic as I was busy tucking in by then.
The mee siam gravy seemed rather thin and pale at first. However, after adding a good dollop of sambal chili (left at the counter for customers to add on their own), I could understand its popularity. It had exactly the right balance of sourness and sweetness, and was fiery enough to satisfy me.
Qi Ji is a good, cheap place to enjoy hawker-style food in airconditioned comfort. We paid less than $17 for 4 dishes and 3 hot drinks.
They have outlets island-wide, including Marina Square, Tiong Bahru Plaza, Century Square and Hougang Mall.
