Feb 15, 2009
Restaurant food on the go
With eateries offering take-away and drive-thru services, diners are biting
By Huang Lijie
The once-sacred line between restaurant and fast-food is blurring fast.
In recent months, several sit-down establishments here have sprouted take-away counters, drive-thru services and free delivery options to appeal to those living in the fast lane.
And diners on the go are biting. The biggest draws: Convenience and restaurant-quality food on the cheap.
Japanese restaurant chain Sakae Sushi, for example, launched a drive-thru service at its 140-seat outlet in Boon Lay Way last month.
While the drive-thru menu is less extensive than its dine-in offerings, the prices for dishes available on both menus are the same. Its temaki sushi (hand-rolled sushi), for example, costs $2.29.
Ms Joyce Lee, 27, assistant vice-president of Apex-Pal International, which runs the 37-outlet chain, says the concept was introduced because the company saw a need to offer a 'wholesome alternative to the usual fast food' that is sold at most drive-thrus.
She adds that drive-thru orders are 10 per cent cheaper than dining in because the service charge is waived.
For events manager Martin Gwee, 27, who is a regular Sakae Sushi customer, the drive-thru service is much welcomed.
He says: 'I tried the service and I liked it. The handrolls I ordered were consistent with the restaurant's offering and unlike other take-away services, I did not have to pay a parking fee to pick up the food.'
Another restaurant that has tapped into the frills-free dining segment is seafood chain Fish & Co., with its Fish & Co. Express concept, unveiled last October at Downtown East.
At the fast food-style restaurant, diners place their orders at a counter and can choose to either consume the food at its 64-seat dining area or take it away.
Its menu, which is largely different from Fish & Co. restaurants, features burgers such as its teriyaki salmon burger ($4.50).
The popular fish and chips, available at 16 Fish & Co. restaurants islandwide, is on the Express menu, but it is a smaller portion and costs $4.50 instead of the usual $13.90.
For undergraduate Mohd Haireez Mohd Jufferie, 23, the quick, convenient and value-for-money meals at the Express store is what draws him back repeatedly.
Mr Ricky Chew, 45, managing director of Fish & Co., says Fish & Co. Express was conceptualised before the onset of the current economic downturn 'but it is very timely that we launched it during this period of careful consumer spending'.
Chinese restaurant Pu Tien, which specialises in cuisine from Putian in China's Fujian province, is also looking to increase the appeal of its take-away menu and offer customers more value for money.
The four-outlet restaurant launched a take-away counter at its VivoCity outlet in 2005 to introduce traditional Putian snacks, such as oyster cake and pan-fried buns, in an accessible manner.
The popularity of its snacks - some 1,000 pan-fried buns are sold over its Vivo- City counter on a busy day - led to the opening of another take-away counter at its Tampines outlet last September.
Now, owner Fong Chi Chung, 42, intends to bulk up the five-item take-away menu.
Given the economic situation and a demand from diners for quick meals that are cheap and good, 'I am thinking of introducing more noodle or rice dishes to the take-away menu', he says.
For savvy diners grabbing a quick bite, such deals in these penny-pinching times are irresistible.
Indeed, Delifrance's free home delivery service (with a $25 minimum order), which was rolled out last August, has been so well- received that the French-inspired bistro chain is extending its delivery area from central Singapore to other areas such as Bedok in the East.
The delivery menu offers items that are available at its 15 Bistro Delifrance outlets for the same price.
Likewise, the newly opened Oriole Cafe & Bar at the Pan Pacific Serviced Suites in Somerset Road has seen growing interest in its take-away service, which waives the service charge.
Restaurateurs, however, do not think that their dine-in businesses are being cannibalised by these on-the-go dining concepts.
One of them is the Les Amis group, whose Casa Verde in the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Peperoni in Greenwood Avenue specialise in pizzas that are also available for take-away.
The group's corporate communications manager Raymond Lim, 30, says: 'Take-away customers actually free up our tables for more walk-in diners, so we get to sell more pizzas.'
Mr Fong of Pu Tien adds: 'Our take-away counters complement the restaurant's business by helping to build up brand recognition and awareness.'
'Unlike other take-away services, I did not have to pay a parking fee to pick up the food.'
MR MARTIN GWEE, events manager, on why he likes the drive-thru services at Sakae Sushi
WHERE TO GET A QUICK BITE
Sakae Sushi Drive-Thru
Where: 28 Boon Lay Way, 01-175/176, TradeHub 21, tel: 6795-2201
Open: 11.30am to 10pm daily
What: It offers a range of sushi and Japanese foods, including temaki sushi (hand-rolled sushi, $2.29) and bento sets such as its salmon and tempura bento ($14.99).
Pu Tien
Where: 1 HarbourFront Walk, 03-01B, VivoCity Food Republic, tel: 6376-9358,
Open: 11.30am to 9pm, Sundays to Thursdays, 11.30am to 10pm, Fridays and Saturdays, and 4 Tampines Central 5, B1-K19/27, Tampines Mall, tel: 6781-2162, open: 10.30am to 10pm daily
What: Must-trys at its take-away counters include its pan-fried buns ($1.20 each, above, right), and sweet potato cake ($1.20 each).
Delifrance
Where: To place an order for delivery, dial 6339-6363. The minimum order for free home delivery is $25.
What: A wide range of food is available for delivery including seafood baked rice ($13.50), duck confit ($20.90) and grilled tenderloin steak with potato gratin and vegetables ($24.90).
Casa Verde
Where: 1 Cluny Road, Visitors Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens, tel: 6467-7326
Open: 7.30am to 11pm daily
What: Its location next to the Visitors Centre driveway makes it convenient for motorists to pop by and take away its pizzas. Highlights on the menu include its seafood pizza (11-inch, $22) and parma ham with rocket salad pizza (11-inch, $22).
Oriole Cafe & Bar
Where: 96 Somerset Road, 01-01, Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, tel: 6238-8348 Open: 11am to 9.30pm
What: Recommended items for take-away include its grilled cilantro chicken sandwich ($9.50, above) and Oriole burger ($25).
Peperoni
Where: 6 Greenwood Avenue, tel: 6465-6556
Open: noon to midnight daily
What: The popular pizzeria offers a wide array of pizzas for take-away, including pancetta ham with soft egg (9-inch, $18) and ham and mushroom (9-inch, $18).
Fish & Co. Express
Where: 1 Pasir Ris Close, 01-40B, Downtown East, tel: 6583-3039
Open: 11am to 10pm, Sundays to Thursdays, 11am to 11pm, Fridays and Saturdays
What: Its fish burgers are hand-made and includes varieties such as teriyaki salmon burger ($4.50, below) and fish burger with cheese ($3.80). Another highlight on the menu is its classic fish and chips ($4.50), which uses dory fish.
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