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Mong Kok is a bustling neighbourhood brimming with affordable dining options that will refuel your energy before you head back out to shop till you drop. Adding to the neighbourhood’s roster of restaurants is Singaporean-Malay restaurant Shiok Restaurant by Atum Group, proprietors of Japanese restaurant Hearth Yakiniku and hotpot venue Suppa. The name ‘Shiok’ translates to ‘very enjoyable’ or ‘good’ in Singlish, which captures the vibe of this casual dining spot located in one of Mong Kok’s shopping malls, The Forest.
We arrived at the restaurant on a Tuesday evening and the space was fairly empty. Unfortunately, despite being situated along Sneaker Street in Mong Kok, a popular area frequented by locals and tourists for sneakers and sportswear, the restaurant's inconspicuous location within the mall is not attracting a large crowd.The restaurant’s retro-inspired interior is inviting and features eye-catching decor, which includes colourful posters, decorative displays, as well as bright neon signs. Since it was partially open to the mall, our dining experience was slightly disrupted by the overlapping music from both the mall and the restaurant.
Shiok’s menu provides a decent selection of Southeast Asian dishes at affordable prices. We start with a portion of the coffee pork ribs ($98) which are caramelised and sticky, but the meat is slightly dry. We also order the fried chicken skin rolls ($82) which are delightfully crisp yet moist and tender on the inside. Served alongside a rich and flavourful sambal, the chicken rolls delight us with consistent juiciness throughout the meal. Next, we opt for the Singapore chilli crab meat ($168). Unlike the usual presentation of the dish served with the crab shell, Shiok deshells their crabs and serves the meat on top of the chilli sauce. Although the presentation wasn’t impressive, the dish did not disappoint. The chilli sauce is full of flavour which contrasts against the sweet and flaky crab meat. It also comes with a few pieces of fried mantou, which is handy in mopping up the remaining chilli sauce from the plate.
Following that, we move on to a bowl of Katong laksa ($118) which comes with prawns, fish balls, bean curd puffs, bean sprouts, and a hard-boiled egg. The broth has a strong prawn flavour, but could be thicker. We also have a plate of char kway teo with tiger prawns ($118) which also came with add-ins, such as dried tofu, strips of fried egg, onions, and bean sprouts. The dish has a good contrast in texture, but lacks in wok flavour and is drier than expected. With just enough room, we ordered our dessert. Shiok offers classic desserts like kaya butter toast ($58) - a toasted sandwich with kaya spread and butter slabs – we went for the kaya toast ($58) instead, which has thick toast cubes served with three different kaya spreads – pandan, coffee, and banana. Out of the three kaya variations, we enjoy dunking our pieces of toast into the coffee spread the most, as the coffee’s bitterness was balanced by the sweet flavours of coconut kaya.
As for drinks, Shiok’s offers a range of classic Singaporean and Malaysian options like milo coffee and iced cendol. As a lighter pairing to our meal, we decide to opt for the rambutan and coconut drink ($36), however the drink is quite syrupy and becomes a bit too heavy to drink throughout the meal. We recommend going for the sour plum and calamansi juice ($36), a refreshing palate cleanser to sip on.
All in all, despite some hit and miss aspects on our meal, Shiok's offerings have the potential to become a hit among the crowd in Mong Kok, thanks to their affordability and approachability. This venue stands out among the restaurants in Mong Kok due to its diverse selection of Southeast Asian classics, and with its casual dining atmosphere, it provides a convenient option for people to stop by and fuel up during the day.
Here’s what our star ratings mean:
★: Not recommended
★★: A disappointing experience
★★★: A good experience
★★★★: A very good to great experience
★★★★★: An outstanding experience
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