13 Stages has two outlets in Singapore; Kallang Wave Mall and Tanjong Pagar Centre. It is famed for its steamed whole chicken leg rice dishes as well as delicious kopi brewed by barista. Opened by local celebrity Mark Lee (李国煌), 13 Stages at Kallang Wave Mall is into 20 months of operations (since August 2017), while the one at Tanjong Pagar Centre is its second outlet.
We sampled some of their bestsellers and is delighted to know that come May 2019, they are expanding the menu with more flavours for its chicken dishes.
13 Stages at Kallang Wave Mall is huge and able to seat a group of 20 rather easily.
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| shopfront |
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| menu |
Walk right up front to the coffee counter and notice the 13 bottles of kopi powder from the 13 states of East and West Malaysia. How to choose from so many? Fret not, its menu had listed out the profiles for each of the kopi so you may want to decide based on that. Otherwise, one could also do the "Best of 2" or "Gems of 3 States". "Best of 2" means guests could order up a mix of two kopi while "Gems of 3 States" allows a tasting portion for 3 selected kopi of the day.
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| 13Stages kopi |
I opted for a taste of my hometown, Selangor (雪兰莪州). Did not know what to expect from the Malaysia Barista Kopi actually. Was pleasantly surprised to see it being served in a clear glass with a tag.
After one sip, I can proudly say that the barista kopi here, hits the spot, especially the kopi from Selangor, The barista made it less sweet to bring out the kopi profile and to me, that was perfect. Adequate, and enjoyable. Thank you!
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| Malaysia Barista Kopi - Selangor (medium, rich, less sweet) |
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| Gems of 3 States |
And if you are ever there during breakfast (10am to 12pm) or kopi-break (2pm to 5pm), do yourself a favour and order up the delicious butter toasted mantou. We had it with kaya but there was an option for condensed milk too. Salty sweet treats that goes well with the freshly brewed kopi.
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| mini butter toasted mantou @ $4.20/$4.80 (4/6 pieces) |
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| with a good dollop of kaya |
We also tried the curry chicken chee cheong fun from its Snacks/小吃 menu. The chee cheong fun was silky smooth and one need not chew too much on it before it disintegrates. The chicken shreds added a tiny bit of contrast in texture. Now, if only we have some yong tau foo items to complete the meal.
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| Curry Chicken Chee Cheong Fun @$5.50 |
Oh, I need to tell you about their steamed egg. Now, this is parked under the Sides/小菜 menu. Served in a small rice bowl, its portion is larger than the usual chawanmushi. Tasted homely and eggy. The chicken floss added a bit of savoury sweetness to this light tasty dish. Perfect when you feeling peckish but doesn't want anything too heavy.
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| Steamed Egg Chicken Floss (肉松滑蛋) @$3.20 |
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| sluurpilicious~ |
Now, let's look at what one could get for lunch/dinner. How about some aromatic chicken rice? It's current bestsellers for its steamed chicken leg rice are the Imperial Ginger Chicken, Sesame Chicken and Curry Chicken. For customers who prefer seafood, there is an unusual 'Steamed Fish and Chips' or one could opt for the Tom Yam Seafood or the Sesame Fish done in the same manner as its Sesame Chicken dish.
All of its Imperial Chicken dishes are priced at $9.50 nett while the Fish/Seafood option goes for $9.90 nett. Each set comes with aromatic chicken rice or plain rice, soup and sauces (chili and dark soy).
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| menu |
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| let's eat~ |
All of us unanimously voted the Imperial Ginger Chicken as the best tasting dish!
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| Imperial Ginger Chicken (姜蓉皇帝鸡) |
The ginger was so good that I do not need to have it with chili. But then, the chili was tangy and did its job to elevate the taste further. The chicken meat was perfectly tender, moist and tasty with the toppings.
The curry chicken here is the lighter version and of very mild spice level.
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| Curry Chicken (咖喱鸡) |
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| Dang Gui Chicken (当归鸡) |
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| lovely aromatic chicken rice |
The assam chicken here is pretty interesting and tasted unlike of the assam dishes that I've ever had. The mala chicken has the numbing spices right but it was oily as well.
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| Assam Chicken |
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| Mala Chicken (麻辣鸡) |
The fish dishes were good too, especially the Sesame Fish. This would rank right up behind Imperial Ginger Chicken, in terms of flavour. Overall, the Sesame Fish leans a tad towards the sweet side.
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| Sesame Fish 芝麻炸蛋鱼 |
Appearance-wise, the entire dish was off-white except for the deep fried egg floss topping which was golden brown in colour. There's tofu in the dish as well.
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| Sesame Fish |
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| tofu |
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| vege sticks with sesame sauce |
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| Steamed Fish and Chips |
The Steamed Fish and Chips is actually similar to Teochew styled steam fish dish. There's salted vegetable, tomatoes, sour plum and mushrooms. The fish fillet is wrapped within the thin beancurd skin and is super tender.
Overall, the food was tasty and the freshly brewed barista kopi was fantastic. Would recommend the Imperial Ginger Chicken, Sesame Fish, Butter Toasted Mantous and of course, the kopi.
Thank you Ivan for the invite and Steven for hosting the dinner. Kudos to the barista for the kopi brewed with love.
13 Stages
Address: No. 1 Stadium Place #01-41 Kallang Wave Mall Singapore, Singapore, 397628
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/13-Stages-100404353942702/
Contact: 6384 0502
Business Hours:
Daily 10am to 9pm
