Singapore is intense. As a citizen, I'm only all too familiar with the intense pace, crowds racing helter-skelter to the next appointment. That intensity can only be matched by the variety of culinary delights offered on this small island. Just check out 12pm on any given weekday: hungry Singaporeans in staggering formations, lining up for literally anything the heart desires. And as with most Singaporeans, it's all too easy to over indulge, spiralling into debauchery. Restaurants like Ci Yan are essential to balance the nom nom debauchery, with healthy and equally tasty vegetarian fare. Many typical vegetarian restaurants serve mock meats that are akin to masticating a lump of gluten. Many too are bland, if not MSG laden. This is NOT the case with Ci Yan. For more than two decades, Ci Yan has been using the best organic ingredients to create daily menus based on seasonal availability, or sometimes even thoughtful menus to combat the weather (e.g. cooling herbal soups during hotter months). Sheltered in a heritage shophouse away from the noisy, touristy hawkers in Chinatown, this unassuming family-owned establishment may throw you off at first with its candid decor and hospitality. The interior decor features no-frills seating that tends to fill up quickly especially during lunch time. Yet the atmosphere is always calm and serene thanks to the many religious statues and images displayed. What I meant by hospitality, the owners are a lovable, quirky elderly couple who WILL talk to you. They may seem too blunt at first but you will really enjoy conversations with them when you let go of your own ego and really communicate. For first time visitors, there is only ONE menu that is displayed both at the entrance before you enter, and at the counter inside. I am a regular customer, and have tried almost all of their dishes. The daily menu will always feature their signature Brown Rice Set. It's a must-try. The side dishes change regularly, yet delivering the tenets of a good healthy meals (carbs, protein, fiber.. etc). The second must-try, and for me an absolute favorite, is the Herbal Soup (Dun Tang). This is the real deal, just the best ingredients doubled-boiled overnight for the heartiest broth you will ever taste. Because of the preparation, there are only a limited number of bowls per day. After these two menu essentials, the other items vary I personally suspect based on the whims of Aunty, who is a lauded chef and the head of the Ci Yan kitchen. This is another aspect of what keeps me returning: the surprise of the menu. For this review, I've posted the photos of their Five Elements Noodle Soup, which is really full of healthy and hearty roots such as turnips, burdocks and carrots. For the more "umami" palate, I love their Mala noodles, Nasi Lemak, Yong Tau Foo and Chicken Rice dishes. The testament to her skills as a chef really shines in these vegetarian takes on local favorites, Aunty is able to maintain the authentic flavors without the use of garlic and onions. How she got the Chicken Rice chilli down to taste is beyond me. Desserts are incredible as well, never ever too sweet. Ci Yan is a national treasure that seriously deserves all the attention and support. Fun fact: call the restaurant and listen to Uncle's inimitable daily narration of the menu. It's precious.

Nice and quick, if uninspiring, vegetarian food in the heart of Chinatown. Food was served in about five minutes and was tasty. Not the best vegetarian food I had in Singapore, but the staff were friendly and explained their whole menu. This was only four items when we went, as it changes every day.

Pure vegetarian food. Claiming to be healthy and herbal. Food is optimally cooked, less spices, good service, silent and peaceful ambience. Can definitely try once at least.

Wonderful tasty organic vegetarian foods! Awesome! Menu varies daily and the owners lovingly select the best produce of the day and painstakingly cook with organic seasoning to bring out the best wholesome goodness to nourish our bodies. #Vegetarian #Vegan #Organic #CookedWithLove

They change menu regularly. Oyster omlette was on the menu when i was there. It was delicious! Other dishes were decent too.

Quaint place run by a lovely uncle and auntie who were so hospitable and chatted with their customers. The food is excellent, simple and tasty. The vegetarian take on pork trotter in vinegar was so good, I'd come back for more again. Come here for a respite from crowds and the hustle.

Everything is vegan, no palm oil or MSG. Service is extremely fast, I ate here 3 times in 24h and waited max. 3 minutes for my food. Menu changes daily. Very healthy wholefood restaurant.

the menu changes so it is displayed on a board. there were about six options. the guy was really pushing us to get certain items. they use organic ingredients and no garlic & onion. we ended up going for mushroom ho fun noodles which were yum. they don't have a massive selection of drinks, just some soft drinks and ice teas.

Love the ambience and how chill the place is. Feels like home with the statues around, TV, and all the books you can take. Foods are delicious!

An interesting cafe that serves a small selection of vegetarian dishes. Menu changes daily and is reflected on the poster board located at the entrance. The vegetarian roll comes highly recommended with a generous amount of finely shredded carrot cucumber mang kuang and greens with roasted mock char siew wrapped tightly into a super thick roll. Every bite is a delight with a freshness of the crisp vegetables and the smoky char siew in harmonious marriage.

Nice home cooked vegetarian place by a live-in Buddhist family. Loved the organic Brown rice set meal for $7, it's super delicious & filling. Brewed corydalis flowers tonic soup has a thrillingly unusual taste, we loved it. The lady of the place is friendly.

Tasty vegetarian food and a friendly service. Will visit again.

LOVE it

Looks deceptively simple yet this humble and authentic vegetarian food is full of flavours and interesting textures. Who says veggies are boring...

A lovely friendly, local vegetarian cafe with lots of traditional dishes made vegan - noodle soups, rice and veggies and more. They also do delicious iced herbal teas. The family who run it are very friendly and speak English and can accommodate for allergies. If you're looking for a vegan place to eat in Chinatown this is a great place!

Light and healthy food

Delicious Healthy food, cosy tranquil environment.

Had high hopes after reading all the good reviews but the place did not live up to the hype. The portions are small and expensive for what you get. Sure it’s healthy but the food did not taste very good. The person serving our food blew his nose then continued to handle food without washing his hands on multiple occasions which i don’t think is okay. I’m not sure if i trust the hygiene at this place. I’d stay away from this place.

Yummy vegan food! I come here for a healthy dose of veggies (I’m not a vegetarian). The owner is very nice as well

yummy organic food

Very nice secret vegan place!

Good

Feel like stepping into a completely different world - a home-run buddhist restaurant which is surprisingly opposite to the bustling touristy ambience of the street right outside. Food is quite nice however not the top notch

Awesome food

Terrible service. Extremely rigid and rude. Expected more from this place given the good reviews.

My first time at this tiny cosy place and I had a very interesting experience. The menu was very limited but appetising. There were mushroom noodles, Tom yam aglio olio, rice set with 4 vegetables, pumpkin soup, ginger trotters and 2 other dishes I cannot remember. We got the signature rice set with veggies and mushroom noodles. The food came almost immediately and I was in love with it on the first bite. So so so delicious!!! I decided to order ginger trotters which they were a bit hesitant to serve as it is apparently an acquired taste but I have to say it was absolutely delicious. Mildly sweet and sour with a hint of ginger and loads of Umami. What is unique is the setup of the place. It is almost like sitting in a friend's living room and eating. We loved it and would certainly visit again and again!!! The uncle and aunty who run the place are also very sweet.

Love this place, hidden in Chinatown and the food is so straight out of the earth like. The service doesn't take more than 5minutes. Being vegetarian, the food is one of the best veggie food I've eaten.

I'm a vegetarian and was looking forward to trying this place. Unfortunately, my visit started as a disaster. They had a menu listing about 6 items, but the host told me that the restaurant was actually serving only two items -- neither of which was on the menu! (I don't understand why they couldn't write the actual menu items on the chalkboard.) Then he went back and checked, and informed us that even one of those two items was not available, but a different item was. We placed our orders and I requested water, and the host said that they DID NOT HAVE WATER. I was amazed, and not in a good way. Afterwards the host apologized and said that they were experiencing some difficulties due to COVID. He offered us some free curry as compensation. In the end, the food turned out to be decent, but not good enough to warrant the price.

Thank you Mdm Wong for having this dish again. The texture, the taste of the orh luak and the chilli is absolutely fabulous. Eating your food lifted up my spirit. You're a talented chef and the passion you put into the food you prepare really brings joy to the people eating it.

This is a good place for getting healthy vegetarian food at a cheap rate. There is no fancy menu or tens of options. Just a list of 5-6 items written on a black board. The ambience also reflects the simplicity of this place. If you are looking for a fancy restaurant with nice lights, jazzy menu, uniformed waiters, then this is not the place for you.

Food like home. Exclusively vegetarian. Affordable. Recommended.

Food is healthy but doesn't taste good

I like the idea of having new dishes everyday!they are so passionate in organic dishes and I must say that it’s the best organic restaurant in Town!

SUPER yummy, yummy,,,??

Fantastic food! Great atmosphere. A must when you are in Singapore.

6 Stars out of 5! This place is a gem and one of my favorite eating spots in Singapore!!! Adrian is a wonderful host... I always feel like I’m eating with friends when I come here... even when I go by myself! I moved out of Singapore and will definitely miss this place!

A local cafe that offers vegan, healthy food! Simply delicious yet you get to enjoy the taste of the food.

The Lor Mee reminds me of the yasashii taste in Japan, the Michelin stars and homemade goodness all combined. Best noodles I've ever eaten. Perfect. The decor is entirely hip and out of this world too. Ive never seen it in Singapore. Very very old style not sure of the generation but very good!

(Translated by Google) I like the quiet and comfortable environment here. The food is different every day, but there will definitely be brown rice set meals. The food is fresh, delicious and full of flavors and colors. This time I just met the lady boss who made a crystal bag. The proprietress introduced it. After I ate it, I found it really delicious (chestnuts and shiitake mushrooms ~ very special taste; the special chili is the key point; the combination is very good!) (Original) 喜歡這裡安靜舒適的環境。每天的食物都不同，但肯定會有糙米套餐。食物既新鮮又美味可口，色香味俱全。這次剛好碰到老闆娘有做了水晶包。老闆娘介紹吃，我吃了後，覺得真的好吃（栗子加香菇～很特別的味道；配搭的特製辣椒是重點；配搭得非常好！）

serve nice vegetarian meals and good service too

The best Vegan Orh Lak in Singapore. ? It's cook the way I like it. Crispy, fragrant and favourful with less tapioca flour.

Great place

No fancy deco, no great service. Daily different menu and desserts. Decent food.

Very good and healthy food

One of the most innovative vegan eateries in town!

Tasty and original vegetarian food

Good and simple food.

The Food was not really tasty, nearly no spices used. A litlle disappointing. At least it was vegeterian.

My regular haunt for healthy vegetarian food that satisfies my every craving ! Amazing just try their regular organic brown rice set meal with a daily selection of 4 seasonal vegetables fried in 4 different styles (I've never tried anything like this no same wok smell/taste) or their daily special - the most special of which in recent days is the vegan oyster omelette made of fresh beancurd, seaweed and kelp (fine substitute for gluten) and delish straw mushrooms ! Call beforehand for their voice recorded menu so u know what treats are in store ! 62259026. Hate to share this secret gem so near the CBD but the owner asked me to share my joy soooo here goes !

Original taste. For vegetarians food their dishes are delicious and unique. But some of them are overcooked, but still it taste good.

I was bit reluctant to enter, since it was looking old building. But food was good, service was quick and price is reasonable too. I always prefer my guests from abroad try local vegetarian delicacies like this.