Singapore Food in Bangkok: 8 on Eleven

Update 12th May 2017:

It's not easy being a blogger, some restaurants really make me work much harder than others, especially my favourite places for Singaporean food.

I first got to know Champions Restaurant when they were at Sukhumvit Soi 11. They subsequently moved to Suan Lum Night Bazaar Ratchadapisek, but while Champions Restaurant is still in operation as we speak, the Singapore food kitchen seems to taken a full circle and returned to Sukhumvit Soi 11, this time at a whopping new restaurant and club called 8 on eleven.

VVIP opening at @8oneleven. Doesn't look like what I do but it's definitely one of the new go-to places in downtown Bangkok after hours. #8oneleven #sukhumvitsoi11 #bangkoknightlife #newopeningbangkok #bar #bangkokbar #partytime #strangerinbangkok #interiordesign #ednackjack

A post shared by Eddie (@strangerinbangkok) on Feb 8, 2017 at 7:59am PST

Many signature cocktails available too, this one called the Snapdragon.

It might seem a peculiar place to have a Singapore-food dinner (they operate from 5pm onwards) with friends and family, but don't let the ambience fool you. The prices of the food at 8 on eleven are surprisingly-reasonable (you could get a good meal and a drink for less than 500THB), and the entire Singapore food repertoire from Champions is available here, including my favourite Hokkien Mee and curry puffs. The rest of the menu is extensive, and though they do not carry as much of an X-factor as the Singapore food, they certainly present a brilliant value for money for the location, which is a comfortable walk from Nana BTS station.

My favourite Hokkien Mee still tasting great like before, don't forget the spicy yummy salty belachan chilli paste!

Update 27th June 2016:

The accidental Sweden supporter. #pineapplejuicenia #pineapple #championsbarbkk #championsbar #euro2016 #sweden #ibrahimovic #heightenedsenses #ireland #suanlumnightbazaarratchadapisek #strangerinbangkok

A photo posted by Eddie (@strangerinbangkok) on Jun 13, 2016 at 10:36am PDT

A week ago, I was at the new Champions Bar at Suan Lum Night Bazaar Ratchadpisek watching Zlatan's 3rd-last game for Sweden and felt the need to update you guys on how the new Champions looked.

The indoor area which has air-conditioning and also live music every Thursday

Outdoor area in front of the bar

With the opening of their sister restaurant Talay Zaa a few doors away, Champions Bar has now become possibly the only place in the world that allows you to have standard beer, cocktail, pub grub, authentic Singaporean cuisine (see below) and fresh Thai seafood dishes (from Talay Zaa) all on the same table in a sports bar setting. No kidding!

Best Hokkien Mee in town hands-down, and much better than the average plate in Singapore too!

Original review:

In the most unlikeliest of places, probably the most authentic-tasting Singaporean food in downtown Bangkok has been found. Previously Bangkok's Manchester United Cafe, Champions Restaurant and Sports Bar looks like the place to be with your pals who want to down some draught beer while watching their favourite football match. You could do that, but what if you could also have some Singapore Laksa or Char Kway Teow while doing so, 24 hours a day, everyday?

How it looks in the day

Yesterday, with my family and a few Singaporean friends, we hopped down to Champions Restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 11 just in time for their popiah party (this either needs to be ordered in advance or you need to get REALLY lucky, like us). What I loved about the popiah party was that they let us wrap the rolls ourselves so we could do it to our personal preferences.They also have a Singapore food brunch buffet every Sunday so we got to enjoy a plethora of different dishes.

Popiah party!

Probably the dish I enjoyed the most on a day I had to eat with Noah sitting on me the whole time

New dish on the block, Mee Siam, tasty and tangy

They have a good chicken rice as well

Char Kway Teow with huge fresh cockles which are not too raw when served

Prawn noodles, with a clear robust broth and noodles nicely al dente (very important for me)

If you are a Singaporean/Malaysian living in Bangkok, and have been craving for some authentic flavours from home, please trust me that at Champions Restaurant, every dish you get will be better than the average plate you order in the hawker centres in Singapore. Aside of the dishes I ate yesterday, they have other Singaporean favourites like Laksa, Nasi Lemak and Chicken Curry too. I would loved to have tried them all, but God only gave me one tummy, shall save them for my next visit!

So now to my absolute favourite dish from Champions. Even though I have never been a really big fan of curry puff, I frequently eat it when I was in Singapore. Thus, it shocked me when a recent taste-test conducted from the Straits Times yielded Polar to have the best curry puffs in Singapore. I certainly feel that the ones from Champions are more enjoyable!