Pine Tree Cafe Vegetarian 长春树
Pine Tree Cafe Vegetarian (长春树) is a food stall located on the second floor of Fortune Centre – a dated shopping mall located right next to the famous Kwan Im temple 四马路观音堂. The cafe claims to have operated since 1970 and offers vegetarian versions of Singapore signature dishes like Nasi Lemak, Laksa, Chicken Rice and Curry Fish Head. The stall is popular among Buddhist devotees who visit the temple nearby and is especially crowded on the first and fifteen day of the lunar calendar every month.
Pine Tree Cafe Vegetarian Menu
Below are its menu items and prices:
Tuesday’s Menu
- Chicken Rice 素鸡饭 – $6.00
- Bak Kut Teh Soup 肉骨茶汤 – $7.00
- Thai-style Green Curry 泰式青咖哩 – $7.00
- Curry Fish Head 咖喱鱼头 – $7.00
- Hakka Thunder Tea Rice 客家擂茶饭 – $8.00
- Sweet & Sour Fish with Rice 酸甜素鱼饭 – $6.50
- Sambal Petai Cuttlefish with Rice 三芭臭豆鱿鱼饭 – $7.00
- Xiang Chun Fried Rice 香椿炒饭 – $5.50
- Pineapple Fried Rice 黄梨炒饭 – $5.50
- Sambal Petai Fried Rice 三芭臭豆炒饭 – $6.00
- Chicken Cutlet Dry Noodle 素鸡扒干捞面 – $6.00
- Black Pepper Udon 黑椒炒乌冬面 – $6.00
- Fried Kway Teow 炒粿条 – $5.50
- Jade Roll 炸翡翠卷 – $10.00
- Tauhu Goreng 香炸豆腐 – $5.00
Wednesday’s Menu
- Shu Xiang Vegetable Soup 书香汤 – $7.00
- Nasi Lemak 椰浆饭 – $6.00
- Laksa 拉沙 – $6.00
- Curry Fish Head 咖喱鱼头 – $7.00
- Hakka Thunder Tea Rice 客家擂茶饭 – $8.00
- Sweet & Sour Fish with Rice 酸甜素鱼饭 – $6.50
- Sambal Petai Cuttlefish with Rice 三芭臭豆犹豫饭 – $7.00
- Xiang Chun Fried Rice 香椿炒饭 – $5.50
- Pineapple Fried Rice 黄梨炒饭 – $5.50
- Sambal Petai Fried Rice 三芭臭豆炒饭 – $6.00
- Chicken Cutlet Dry Noodle 素鸡扒干捞面 – $6.00
- Black Pepper Udon 黑椒炒乌冬面 – $6.00
- Fried Kway Teow 炒粿条 – $5.50
- Jade Roll 炸翡翠卷 – $10.00
- Tauhu Goreng 香炸豆腐 – $5.00
Thursday’s Menu
- Organic Soymilk Yam Soup 有机豆浆芋头汤 – $7.00
- Duck Rice 素鸭饭 – $6.00
- Thai-style Green Curry 泰式青咖哩 – $7.00
- Curry Fish Head 咖喱鱼头 – $7.00
- Hakka Thunder Tea Rice 客家擂茶饭 – $8.00
- Sweet & Sour Fish with Rice 酸甜素鱼饭 – $6.50
- Sambal Petai Cuttlefish with Rice 三芭臭豆犹豫饭 – $7.00
- Xiang Chun Fried Rice 香椿炒饭 – $5.50
- Pineapple Fried Rice 黄梨炒饭 – $5.50
- Sambal Petai Fried Rice 三芭臭豆炒饭 – $6.00
- Chicken Cutlet Dry Noodle 素鸡扒干捞面 – $6.00
- Black Pepper Udon 黑椒炒乌冬 – $6.00
- Fried Kway Teow 炒粿条 – $5.50
- Jade Roll 炸翡翠卷 – $10.00
- Tauhu Goreng 香炸豆腐 – $5.00
Friday’s Menu
- Black Bean Lotus Soup 黑豆莲藕汤 – $6.50
- Nasi Lemak 椰浆饭 – $6.00
- Laksa 拉沙 – $6.00
- Curry Fish Head 咖喱鱼头 – $7.00
- Hakka Thunder Tea Rice 客家擂茶饭 – $8.00
- Sweet & Sour Fish with Rice 酸甜素鱼饭 – $6.50
- Sambal Petai Cuttlefish with Rice 三芭臭豆犹豫饭 – $7.00
- Xiang Chun Fried Rice 香椿炒饭 – $5.50
- Pineapple Fried Rice 黄梨炒饭 – $5.50
- Sambal Petai Fried Rice 三芭臭豆炒饭 – $6.00
- Chicken Cutlet Dry Noodle 素鸡扒干捞面 – $6.00
- Black Pepper Udon 黑椒炒乌冬面 – $6.00
- Fried Kway Teow 炒粿条 – $5.50
- Jade Roll 炸翡翠卷 – $10.00
- Tauhu Goreng 香炸豆腐 – $5.00
Saturday’s Menu
- Shu Xiang Vegetable Soup 书香汤 – $7.00
- Chicken Rice 素鸡饭 – $6.00
- Curry Fish Head 咖喱鱼头 – $7.00
- Mock Belly Meat Rice 东坡素肉饭 – $6.50
- Hakka Thunder Tea Rice 客家擂茶饭 – $8.00
- Sweet & Sour Fish with Rice 酸甜素鱼饭 – $6.50
- Sambal Petai Cuttlefish with Rice 三芭臭豆犹豫饭 – $7.00
- Xiang Chun Fried Rice 香椿炒饭 – $5.50
- Pineapple Fried Rice 黄梨炒饭 – $5.50
- Sambal Petai Fried Rice 三芭臭豆炒饭 – $6.00
- Chicken Cutlet Dry Noodle 素鸡扒干捞面 – $6.00
- Black Pepper Udon 黑椒炒乌冬 – $6.00
- Fried Kway Teow 炒粿条- $5.50
- Jade Roll 炸翡翠卷 – $10.00
- Tauhu Goreng 香炸豆腐 – $5.00
Sunday’s Menu
- Bak Kut Teh Soup 肉骨茶汤 – $7.00
- Nasi Lemak 椰浆饭 – $6.00
- Mock Meat Rice 卤肉饭 – $6.50
- Curry Fish Head 咖喱鱼头 – $7.00
- Hakka Thunder Tea Rice 客家擂茶饭 – $8.00
- Sweet & Sour Fish with Rice 酸甜素鱼饭 – $6.50
- Sambal Petai Cuttlefish with Rice 三芭臭豆犹豫饭 – $7.00
- Xiang Chun Fried Rice 香椿炒饭 – $5.50
- Pineapple Fried Rice 黄梨炒饭 – $5.50
- Sambal Petai Fried Rice 三芭臭豆炒饭 – $6.00
- Chicken Cutlet Dry Noodle 素鸡扒干捞面 – $6.00
- Black Pepper Udon 黑椒炒乌冬 – $6.00
- Fried Kway Teow 炒粿条 – $5.50
- Jade Roll 炸翡翠卷 – $10.00
- Tauhu Goreng 香炸豆腐 – $5.00
Pine Tree Cafe Vegetarian Review
Pine Tree Cafe Vegetarian (长春树) is a food stall located in Fortune Centre – a rather old shopping centre that was completed in 1980. As the mall is in close proximity to the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, it houses predominantly vegetarian restaurants, bakeries and cafes to cater to devotees who would visit it for meals or tea breaks after praying at the Buddhist temple. The nearest MRT from the mall is Bugis MRT station, though one could also reach the mall from Bencoolen, Rochor, or Bras Basah MRT stations for about fifteen minutes by foot.
Pine Tree Cafe Vegetarian takes up two shop units on the second floor of Fortune Centre. One unit acts as a kitchen and cashier, while the other that is several units away acts as a dining area. We visited their stall on the first day of the month of the lunar calendar, which was also a Saturday, at around 10am. There were no customers at their stall and we went forward to check out their menu board on top of where they display their Yong Tau Foo items. We took a couple of minutes to browse through the items before we ordered a Nasi Lemak ($6.00) and a Chicken Rice ($6.00). After which, we were told to walk down the pathway to their dining zone to wait for our food.
The dining area was brightly lit and clean though the interior looked like an old coffee shop. It was almost full when we entered but we managed to grab a two-seater table at the corner of the unit. The Nasi Lemak arrived in about 10 minutes while the Chicken Rice came 5 minutes later. The plating of the two dishes were done nicely and the dishes looked pretty appetizing.
After having our first mouths of the two dishes, we find them to be slightly above average. As both items were made to order, they were served hot and fresh. The fragrance from the coconut rice of the Nasi Lemak was very prominent and its sides like the fried crispy tofu, pandan mock chicken, and the peanuts went very well with the dish, with each item adding a different taste and texture to the rice. The fried vegetables was a little out of place though and was only average in taste.
The Chicken Rice on the other hand offered lesser flavors and textures. It comprises of rice, mock chicken made of the typical bean curd skins, braised tofu, and the same vegetables as the Nasi Lemak. The dish tasted similar to vegetarian economic rice that we usually get from the food courts. While it tasted fine, there was nothing to shout about.
In all, the breakfast was filling and taste of the food at Pine Tree Cafe Vegetarian was fine. However, we find their price of $6.00 on the high side given their average food quality and dining environment that we felt was a little lower than a regular food court. We rate its food quality a 3.5/5, its value-for-money a 3/5, its service a 3.5/5, and its dining environment a 3/5.
