Gullible Travels

Eighteen Chefs

POSTED ON Sunday, January 04, 2015 AT 5:05 PM \ leave a comment (0)

kicking off the year with something very down-to-earth. there's nothing fancy about this western food chain that is expanding at quite a rapid pace. just like Astons were at one time, Eighteen Chefs brings fast, casual dining at a very affordable price point. it helps further that the creator of this concept carries an inspirational yellow-ribbon story.

Eighteen Chefs prides itself for being willing to give everyone a new lease of life. several of the kitchen staff at their outlets have previously been convicted or carry a difficult past, struggling to make ends meet. Previously convicted himself, owner Benny Teo believes in a philosophy of helping people back into society and picking up some life skills in the process. with the restaurant's fast serving, affordable pricing and no frills concept, Eighteen Chefs is reaching out to the youths of Singapore, and spreading the key messages to the right group.

being no frills doesn't mean that the chain doesn't quite have its own unique creations and recipes. there are a couple of specialty dishes here and we tried them all. the first being this "Heart Attack" fried rice - it's so good you might just get a cardiac arrest. the flavourful fried rice is served either with spring chicken or beef strips (both in this case) and is a popular choice amongst diners here.

the other unique thing that this place offers is the "be-you-own-chef" option, where you get to create your own dish from your choice of carbs, ingredients and toppings. we tried making a cheese-baked pasta with chicken in spicy tomato sauce. there can be many variations of these with the double-cheese baked rice base as their signature. there's also a wide variety of toppings you can choose from, allowing you to make one very hearty dish at under $15.

Eighteen Chefs offers desserts as well, from ice-cream to cakes. this peach-in-a-jar is actually fresh peach served with lotsa ice-cream and raspberry sauce. nothing really fancy, just a couple of ice-cream dishes served in jars or with waffles. most people however, go for their black-beauty, which is a brownie dish served with ice-cream and chocolate sauce. the brownie is actually not bad!

we came into Eighteen Chefs without any expectations (just like how you'd walk into a regular western food chain) and were pleasantly surprised by the offerings. of course, they are growing very rapidly now and many of the chefs/kitchen hands are still trying to master their craft. i'd say the rice dishes are much better than the pasta ones for now, but i believe they're improving and increasingly making themselves familiar to the heartlands. the next time you decide to eat-out, you might just wanna give 1 of their 6 outlets a try..

Eighteen Chefs
23 Serangoon Central, NEX
#01-57
Singapore 556083

Opening Hours
11 am to 10 pm (daily)

They are also located at Bukit Panjang Plaza..