Discovery Of The Week: New Digs For New Ubin In a Far-Flung Corner of Tampines

Beloved tze char eatery New Ubin has a new home: Space@Tampines, an industrial estate tucked between furniture showrooms, electronics stores, and IKEA. In this secluded corner of the east, you can feast on beloved dishes like chili crab, as well as updated classics like foie gras satay and and fresh kaya on a toasted baguette. 

New Ubin, despite its moniker, is nothing new; it’s been around for years, having welcomed scores of patrons to its flagship eatery in Hillview (which closed earlier this year), and its other locations in Sixth Avenue, Sin Ming Industrial Estates, CHIJMES, and Zhongshan Park. 

But their new space in Tampines Industrial Crescent is so ulu, and its exterior so nondescript, that we can’t help but love how thoroughly it embraces being a hidden gem. New Ubin Village houses three concepts: the eatery, New Ubin Tampines; and New Ubin Test Kitchen (pictured above), where the group carries out R&D for new dishes within the virtual restaurant market. A third concept will be announced at a later date.

And don’t mistake its spare trappings for ordinariness. New Ubin Village uses table QR code ordering and cashless e-payments to modernise the whole tze char experience, making it easier than ever to order second helpings.

Here are a few notable things we got to try from their menu:

Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat ($28), a Sin Ming and Hillview favourite made of red snapper fish head, enoki mushrooms, tofu, beancurd, yam and seaweed. An umami-laden antidote to a cold and rainy day. 

Ubin Nasi Lemak ($15), the launch item from New Ubin Test Kitchen. After three months, if this dish is deemed successful, it will be made available on a yet-to-be-announced food delivery service. Stacked with joo hee sambal (sambal cuttlefish), ayam bakar (charcoal grilled chicken), hard boiled eggs, mei ren yu with anchovies, omelette, and cucumbers, this fragrant dish is both cozy and food coma-inducing. 

Green Dragon Vegetables (starting at $8), stir-fried with New Ubin’s signature sambal chinchalok and petai sauce.

Claypot Tequila Chicken ($26), generously spiked with Sauza Gold Tequila. 

Claypot Brinjal ($12 for S, $20 for L), served with minced pork and salted fish.

Garlic Baked Crab ($48 for 500g, $68 for 800g, $9.80/100g for XXL size) – shiok, but make sure you’ve got breath mints ready.

New Ubin Tampines
18 Tampines Industrial Cres #01-16
Singapore 528605
Find out more here