Part of the Black Hole Group of restaurants, The Co-Op is a ‘family dining concept’ that has taken over the space I am Cafe used to occupy in Bukit Batok’s HomeTeamNS clubhouse. Like I am, it’s also Halal-certified and boasts a broad-ranging Western menu, with a couple of local fusion dishes thrown in.
Naturally, I wanted to try the waffle first. Rather than having it with ice cream like usual, though, I opted to pair it with fried chicken instead.
Chicken & Waffles: This classic soul food dish was served with gula melaka sauce here. It would’ve been perfect if only the waffle was crispier and didn’t go soft so quickly. The chicken cutlet was tender, well breaded, nicely seasoned, and just extremely tasty all around. It’s too bad the waffle didn’t match up (and this was after I requested it be baked crispier). The gula melaka sauce was also a little too watery and tasted more like regular caramel syrup, but that’s a minor gripe since I don’t think the dish really needed any sauce.
Rating: 4.5/5 (Chicken), 2.5/5 (Waffle)
Classic Burger: A dapper-looking burger for sure. Alas, looks can be deceiving. The brioche bun was nice and toasty; however, the beef patty was rather bland and chewier than I would’ve liked. I didn’t feel like there was enough cheese either, and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t like his burgers to be too cheesy. The fries that came along were good, though – thick and crispy without being overly potato-ey.
Rating: 3/5 (Burger), 4/5 (Fries)
Spicy Seafood Laksa Pasta: Being a fan of dry laksa, this dish really hit the spot for me. The gravy was thick, flavourful and mildly spicy without being too jelak. The seafood (sauteed prawns and black mussels) tasted pretty fresh and they weren’t stingy with any of the portions. In fact, if you don’t go in with a big appetite, you can easily share this dish with a friend or S.O.
Rating: 4.5/5
Chocolate Fudge Milkshake: A pretty underwhelming drink. According to the menu, dark chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce is blended to create this milkshake. But it didn’t taste anything like chocolate fudge compared to other similar milkshakes I’ve tried (eg. Swensen’s) and lacked the rich, thick flavour you’d expect out of choc fudge. I’d definitely describe this as more of a plain ol’ chocolate milkshake that’s average at best.
Rating: 3/5
Would I come back to Co-Op? My dining experience was good enough to make me interested in trying the rest of the menu, so yep. I’ll probably give the waffle dishes a pass next time, though.
Address: 2 Bukit Batok West Avenue 7, #01-07 A/B, HomeTeamNS, Singapore 659003
Contact: 6258 2843
