13 Stages
1 Stadium Place #01-41
Kallang Wave Mall
Singapore, 397628
T: +65 6384 0502
7 Wallich Street #B2-30
Tanjong Pagar Centre
Singapore 078884
T: +65 6245 0339
FB: https://www.facebook.com/13-Stages-100404353942702/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/13stages
Opens Daily: 1000 – 2100hrs
I’m no stranger to 13 Stages, as I’ve patronized the outlet at Kallang Wave Mall on several past occasions, and in this invited Media Tasting encounter, opens up new depths & insights to the story behind 13 Stages.
I was privileged to be in the company of friends from; Ivan Teh Running Man, Her Pen and Fork, Msginginly & Purple Taste.
Together with 2 friends, Singapore celebrity Mark Lee & wife, put their hearts, minds & wallets in the hat and founded 13 Stages in 2017. The founding was based on Singapore’s all-time favorite local fast food & beverage – Chicken Rice & Kopi (Asian strained roasted coffee).
Why 13 Stages? Viewers & followers of Mark Lee, may or may not know, but more than 2 decades of career, has seen him through 13 different roles in the showbiz industry, namely; Calefare (entourage), Comedian, Television Host, Event Host, Singer, TV Drama Artiste, Musical Performer, Movie Star, Stand-Up Comedian, Script Writer, Director, Radio Disc Jockey, and Movie Producer (in career progression order).
Mark has followers & fans from across the causeway, Malaysia has in total 13 states, and hence, they’ve cherry-picked roasted & ground coffee from all 13 different states, and rolled out their brand of barista brewed coffees. As it stands, there’re 7 flavors of chicken on the menu to choose from, and they’re diligently developing & working to raise the variety to 13 in due cause.
In a glance, the interior design seems like a stage set in the filming studio, brightly lit, while diners take on the roles of Calefare or Lead, subject to individual’s perspectives. Divided in the middle is a counter with bar stool, and offers a full view of the 13 jars of ground Malaysian coffee at barista counter.
On a typical visit, help yourself to a vacant seat and gloss through the menu. Thin as the menu may be, they’ve got quite a few sections to choose from. Once decided, you place your order & make payment at the counter, return to your seat with a number display tag, and your order will be served to you once ready.
Worry you not, 13 Stages is children/ family friendly, and in-house brewed cold treats are available. Winter-melon with Nata de Coco, Lime with Sour Plum and Honey Lemon were some of our random picks. We’ll get to the barista brews later.
The concept of cooking in bamboo steamers is not new, but in this day & age where health consciousness is heightened, and located within Kallang Wave Mall, at Singapore Sports Hub, I think this novelty is brilliant!
The Butter Toasted Mantou is served in a bamboo steamer, is first steamed and rested, butter glazed & toasted, sprinkled with some salt for a tinge of savory finish. A decent amount of in-house kaya is served on a saucer, so you can help yourself to as much or little as you fancy. The mantou & kaya are good on their own, but paired together is quite shiok!
Curry Chee Cheong Fun I’ll consider a rare find in Singapore, but easily accessible in Malaysia. And also one of the few dishes that I indulge when I’m too lazy to cross the border. Here, I find the preparation to be just about right, because you can taste the curry between the layers of rice sheets.
Steamed Egg with Chicken Floss to me, is our response to the Japanese Chawanmushi. It comes in the size of a rice bowl, the egg is silky smooth like tofu, topped with flavorful chicken floss & chopped spring onions. Protein buffs that love to down eggs & lean meals, this should grow on you.
Chicken Rice as we’re all familiar with, almost always comes with greasy flavorful rice, while the chicken though boiled & chilled, is doused with a generous sauce & sesame seed oils.
At 13 stages, steaming is their signature style of clean & healthy cooking. And it’d be counter effective to be offering greasy rice. Their rice has no traces of the oils, but is not lacking in the fragrance & flavor of typical chicken rice. Their soup is also light & clear, that’s to my liking.
The whole chicken leg is topped with the necessary ingredients of the respective dishes and steamed thorough before serving. For the first salvo, we went for the Imperial Ginger Chicken, Danggui Chicken, Curry Chicken and Assam Chicken.
By unanimous decision, the Imperial Ginger Chicken was a winner – I believe this is because the tastes, textures & flavors are most relatable & familiar to the palates.
And the Danggui comes in a close runner up – this too is a familiar flavor to most households, easy on the palates, and has herbal nutritional values.
We didn’t feel the heat in the Curry Chicken & Assam Chicken, so I think it’s safe to say, they’re both children friendly.
So to raise the bar, we tried the Mala Chicken; since the Mala trend is up & coming. Based on my threshold for spice factor, I think the heat is also very manageable. Because the chilies are not thoroughly infused like typical mala dishes.
Steamed fish is also touted to be healthy lean protein. At 13 stages, they offer varieties of flavors over steamed cod fish. For a change, we tried the Sesame Fish and the Steamed Fish & Chips.
The Sesame Fish is steamed cod & tofu, immersed in Japanese Sesame dressing, topped with chicken floss. I consider my palates adventurous, so I actually found this dish enjoyable.
Steamed Fish & Chips is done in a Teochew Style, using the natural flavors of pickled vegetables, dried plums, fresh cut tomatoes & sliced mushrooms. Accompanied with a small portion of vegetable sticks. I think this dish could be better improved if the ratio of pickled vegetables was reduced.
To cap the night, our friends who’re immune to the effects of caffeine, tried the barista brewed coffees – please don’t go spoiling the taste with too much sugar.
Selangor (medium & rich) – aromatic & bitter sweet.
Gems of 3 States Kopi, served with palate cleansing water, and some old school biscuits on the side.
Johor – balanced & smooth, rather mild in my opinion
Perlis – sweet & mild, possibly sweetened through the roasting
Kedah – medium & acidic, probably quite familiar with the Americano
All in all, I find the concept & menu to be pretty exciting & palatable, price point is also pretty affordable. Add to the fact that the preparation is healthier than typical chicken rice, I think I wouldn’t now mind, indulging in more chicken rice. By that I meant, 13 Stages’ chicken rice.
If Kallang Wave Mall is inaccessible, they’ve another branch in town – Tanjong Pagar Centre.
Thanks to 13 Stages for hosting us, and Ivan for sharing the calories.
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Pictures taken using LG V30+
Epicurious Caniggia 