The 3 ‘C’s — Charmaine, 26, Calvin, 29, and Chester, 25 — are vegetarians like their parents. They wanted an easy concept and, inspired by JB’s lok lok scene, decided to offer a meatless version. “It’s also rarely seen in Singapore,” Charmaine said. They rebranded their parent’s stall as Mini Green, serving lok lok exclusively Friday and Saturday evenings, from 5:30pm to 10:30pm. Charmaine added, ‘We also have full-time jobs — I’m in marketing and Calvin is a personal trainer — so we can only run this twice a week.” The trio roped in their friend, Geraint (pictured on extreme left) to assist them in the stall’s operations.
Charmaine also shared that her parents are getting on in years, so this feels like a future plan. When I asked if they would eventually take over their parent’s vegetarian cai fan stall, she said, “My mum’s cooking is on another level, we really can’t replicate it!”
I asked if they had individual roles at the stall, and Charmaine laughed, “We each have our strengths! I handle marketing and customer service, while Calvin does most of the frying.” Geraint chimed in, “I’m the noodles guru and I help to skewer the lok lok!” and Chester added, “I just support and I make the soup!”
The stall offers about 30 choices starting from S$1, including Premium items (S$2 each) that are marked with 2 skewers. Mini Green has a never-ending promo: get a FREE skewer for every 7 sticks ordered. The skewers are tagged with amusing captions that hit differently for locals, such as ‘Fish/otah but fishless lor’ and ‘Zai Er na ge cui cui de’.
To order, simply help yourself to a plate and grab as many as you wish. You can also pair your skewers with a bowl of Mini Noodles (Dry/Soup) or Fragrant Rice + Soup at S$2 each.
I got myself 7 regular and 3 premium sticks, paired with dry Mini Noodles, and Fragrant Rice + Soup, totaling S$16. The portion was big enough for 2, but I was hungry and devoured it solo.
My favourite of the evening was the Lion’s Mane (S$2) mushroom. Dusted with a lightly savoury and spiced powder, it was texturally complex, with contrasts that kept each bite interesting.
The Pandan Chicken (S$2) was another winner — tender for a plant-based version and infused with fragrant pandan aroma. Honestly, I may even prefer it over the meat version served at Thai restaurants, as strange as that sounds!
Some of the other standouts were the Enoki Bacon Wrap (S$2), Broccoli (S$1), Tempeh Fries (S$1), and Fish (S$1). If I were blindfolded, I’d never guess the Enoki Bacon Wrap is plant-based. Even my friends who tried it at a CNY party later on agreed. Be sure to try the Mutton (S$1)! It’s the same delicious mock meat their parents use in their famed curry with potatoes.
The skewers are paired with their in-house crafted sauces — Fragrant Rice Dark Sauce and Fragrant Rice Chilli — together with Shacha Sauce and Thai Chilli. The siblings plan to offer additional dips like peanut sauce, curry mayo, and yangyneom in the future.
The fragrant rice was surprisingly like chicken rice, and I couldn’t believe it was made without any chicken fat. The soup, naturally sweet from red dates, balanced the meal perfectly.
As for the Mini Noodles, there’s room for improvement — the flavour felt a bit one-dimensional. That said, it was pure genius how thinly-sliced cabbage was fried to mimic fried shallots. For a split second, I actually mistook them for shallots.
If you’re looking to eat something fun on Friday and Saturday evenings, why not swing by Toa Payoh and support this vibrant young team? My friends and I are officially hooked, and a return visit is already on the cards!
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