Killiney Kopitiam (Stellar @ TE2, Woodlands MRT Station)

Killiney Kopitiam has been massively expanding their operations all across the island of the late and there definitely has been quite a few outlets that had sprouted up in the last number of years here — the outlet at Stellar @ TE2 within the Thomson-East Coast Line wing of Woodlands MRT Station has been around for quite some time since the opening of Stellar @ TE2 itself that is the name of the shopping gallery within the station. This Killiney Kopitiam is a little bit of a unique location considering how this outlet has introduced food items that is rather uncommon across other Killiney Kopitiam establishments islandwide; whilst carrying the usual Hainanese-style breakfast toast and the usual Laksa, Mee Siam and other items of the likes on its menu, the Killiney Kopitiam outlet here does serve up a variety of Prazza (supposedly Prata-based pizza) as well as— most recently, this outlet has also included Burmese dishes on its menu. Though not a first for a Killiney Kopitiam location since its Fortune Centre location offers the same, the Stellar @ TE2 outlet offers a more limited selection that only includes Shan Noodle, Burmese Noodle Salad and Malai Tea.

The Burmese Noodle Salad here would be much the same as the Nang Gyi Thoke that we have tried at other Burmese establishments thus far. The menu at Killiney Kopitiam does not describe the elements that are included with each dish but the Burmese Noodle Salad does come with the usual suspects — thick rice noodles that comes coated with toasted chickpea flour and red oil; it also does come with shredded chicken, fish cake, half of a hard-boiled egg, raw onions and crispy rice noodles. Squeezing a little bit of lime into the the Burmese Noodle Salad comes with chewy thick rice noodles. The red oil does provide that moisture to the dish that allows for a slurpier texture, while the toasted chickpea flour provides an earthy yet savoury with a very slight nuttiness that compliments the fragrance of the red oil that comes rather reminiscent to the chili oil without the crispy bits that one would often experience with mainland Chinese cuisine; the red oil here carrying a more nuanced note whilst at it in comparison to the what one would expect for mainland Chinese cuisine. Squeezing lime juice above the Burmese Noodle Salad adds this zippiness that tantalises the tastebuds even further, whilst complimenting the zing added by the raw onions on the side. The addition of raw onions adds a crunch for a textural contrast, while the inclusion of crispy rice noodles gives a light, airy and crisp texture for some variance. The inclusion of the half-boiled egg, shredded chicken that came with a very light curry-esque note and fish cake gives the dish a more wholesome touch, though it is often noted that portion sizes of any sort of meat are not aplenty for Nang Gyi Thoke, but sufficient to make it feel less carb-intensive. For those looking for a location outside of the usual industrial areas within Clementi, Jurong West and Peninsula Plaza to give Burmese cuisine a try, Killiney Kopitiam in Stellar @ TE2 might be an option worthy to consider for the convenience and variety of other cuisine they have to offer that one can go for as an alternative — despite the very small range of Burmese cuisine that they have to offer.