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2013-12-23
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Ivan's Carbina is a small, modest stall in a nondescript coffee shop that sells a range of western fare. Here, you can find the standard main courses such as the usual Grilled Chicken Chop ($5.50), Breaded Dory Fish aka Fish and Chips ($5.50) and Burgers (from $3.50) to a few items that you would expect to find on a restaurant's menu and not a coffee shop stall, like the Air Flown Ribeye Steak ($11.80) and Norwegian Salmon ($8.80). In addition, there are also appetizers like Cheese Fries ($3.20)
Certainly quite a decent variety of western fare for a coffee shop stall! However, lazy ones like me might find it a little out of the way since it is not super conveniently located right next to the MRT station or in a shopping mall, but the general consensus among us seemed to be that the walk, which was about 5 to 10 minute or so from Woodlands MRT, was worth the short trek. Despite being tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood coffee shop, they have a stream of loyal customers who adore them for their range of good quality food at coffee shop prices. We have been to this stall a few times and there were always no lack of customers patronizing this store each time we were there. This time, we went on a weekday evening to order our favorite dishes as well as to try their roesti.
Cajun Chicken Spaghetti ($5.50)This was my favorite dish on their menu. The chicken pieces were crispy and juicy and the sauce was very tasty with a hint of sweetness that was not cloying. The spaghetti was cooked al dente and was still firm and a little chewy. You can opt for a cream or tomato base to go with your spaghetti and while I have tried both, I found myself leaning more towards the slightly thicker cream sauce even if it was a little more sinful. This time though, the cream was a tad dry although it was perfect the previous times we went.
Carbina Grilled Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce ($5.50)One of the popular choices, you can get the chicken chop with their signature mushroom sauce, or with the black pepper or teriyaki sauce. While the black pepper sauce was pretty peppery and tasty too, we got it with the mushroom sauce this time, which was creamy and had real mushroom slices in it. The chicken was springy and we like that it wasn't oily. Personally though, I preferred their Breaded Chicken Cutlet ($5.50) better although I liked the sauce that you can get with the chicken chop!
Breaded Dory Fish ($5.50)Coming from a fussy eater who used to claim that dory fish are not good for Fish & Chips and yet still loved this dish is probably testament enough of its quality and taste. This was quite crispy on the outside and tasted fresh. The serving size of the breaded fish was quite big too. Like the Chicken Chop, this also came with crunchy french fries and a side of colesaw, but the main star was still the breaded fish.
Carbina's Signature Chicken Chop with Roesti ($7.80)There was a miscommunication with this order as we wanted the original Roesti with Chicken Cheese Sausage ($6.80), but they gave us the Chicken Chop with Roesti instead, which cost more at $7.80. The chicken chop was decent and but the roesti was unevenly cooked and the taste wasn't that exceptional. We didn't really think it was worth the price. You might as well just get the chicken chop on its own instead for $5.50.
Chicken Nuggets ($2.00)We got this to share. I am fussy about my chicken nuggets and I thought that there seemed to be a slight difference in taste compared to the ones I had on our previous trips, which were meatier and tastier. What saved the day was their zesty chilli sauce with a tinge of sweetness, which was great to dip the nuggets with! But of course this was in those chilli/ketchup plastic bottles so you can also have the chilli with your main as well!
Overall, we were in agreement that this stall is worth a visit although I'd recommend going for their mains like the Fish & Chips or for the pasta range. Prices were quite reasonable for a stall that sells above average western food, some of which you don't usually find at coffee shops. Service was also quite okay when we went and I personally felt that one of the young staff handle the wrong order quite well in spite of his age. Just don't expect too much of the ordinary and somewhat isolated coffee shop environment. But for pretty good western fare at coffee shop prices, I think I can put up with the environment, or the lack thereof!
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