Coffee Hive : Surprising Good Chicken Wanton Mee 

Never knew Coffee Hive existed since 2012 until I became an office slave in CBD area. There are 6 outlets and the latest outlet replaced a salad shop opposite Far East Square. According to their website, this place was opened by four men in a bid to provide affordable kopi and local food to the working crowds in the area. 

I am usually quite skeptical about such cafes, especially after quite a disappointing experience at Xu Le Straits Coffee House in Far East Square. Fortunately my visit wasn't all too bad, thanks to the wanton Mee that saved the day. 
The thin curly wanton mee turned instantly dark once I stirred them with the brownish sauce at the base. It tasted of a blend of soy sauce and fragrant oil but nothing short of flavorful. I find it especially irresistible when the sambal chilli was mixed in. The chilli boasts a nice "kiam" taste and depth to the noodles. It is most likely to outsourced but this is not a bad thing because at least they picked the right kind of chilli to use.

The reddish chicken "char siu" looked very sad but they actually tasted better than some of the pork versions elsewhere. Lean but not dry, probably healthier too if you ignore the chicken skin. 
However, the Kaya toasts ($1.70/$4.30 in a kopi set with half boiled eggs) were disappointing. The pale-white toasts turned my face into the same color when I saw them. So different from the pictures on the menu. The bread was dry and I noticed the same problem on other tables (one table even had more than half of the bread untouched) 

Nonetheless, counter service was good and there was also a staff managing the crowd to ensure that everyone could find a seat. But I think they should try to get the kaya toasts right and it won't be too difficult since they've already mastered the noodles quite well.

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