5 Leicha Thunder tea rice 擂茶 to try in Singapore

Lei cha or 擂茶 or Thunder tea is a traditional Southern Chinese tea-based beverage or gruel. Its history dates back to the Three Kingdoms period or even Han Dynasty and is favored by the Hakka people.

Thunder tea rice is rice topped with assorted vegetables, beans, nuts, and tofu, and served with a green soup made of various herbs, tea leaves, nuts, and seeds. Not all thunder tea rice, however, is vegetarian. It's always a good idea to double-check before placing an order.

Thunder tea rice has a number of health benefits, including reducing cholesterol, detoxifying the body, improving digestion, and aiding weight loss. However, it is best to consume it in moderation.

1) 擂茶树 THUNDER TREE (PEOPLE'S PARK CENTRE)

擂茶树 veg stall serves thunder tea rice, kolo mee, and clay pot dishes. Ingredients are mostly organic. In addition, they do not add MSG and artificial colorings. They have an option of rice and kolo mee which is not commonly found in lei cha stalls in Singapore. 
And of course, being the noodle lover, I had to try the kolo mee. Noodles were so springy. The tea abit too gao to drink but just nice when mixed with the noodles, vegetables, and nuts in the bowl. 😍😍Since they have Hakka Yong tau foo as well, I had to try their braised tofu which was also pretty good!

Apart from the Chinatown outlet, they also have another one at North Bridge road located at Raffles Hospital.

Address: 101 Upper Cross St., People's Park Centre #B1-06 Singapore 058357 
Opening Hours: 10 am - 6.30 pm

Closed on Sunday

擂茶树 THUNDER TREE menu

2) 客家佬擂茶 Hakka Thunder Tea Rice

If you didn't know, Tanglin Halt Food Centre will be demolished by the end of 2021. 客家佬擂茶 Hakka Thunder Tea Rice is located at Tanglin Halt Food Centre. There was a snaking queue during lunchtime and it was a long wait, but good food must wait, right? 🤣🤣

I ordered their standard lei cha and added a piece of tofu from the young tau foo selection. The lei cha seriously very gao!!

Address: 3A Commonwealth Dr, #01-31 Tanglin Halt Food Centre, Singapore 141001
Opening Hours: 10 am - 3 pm
Closed on Monday

3) SUNNY CHOICE CAFE (BUKIT TIMAH)

SUNNY CHOICE CAFE (BUKIT TIMAH) is located at the rail mall, but they have outlets at Bukit Batok and Bukit Merah, both quite far as well. They are a full vegetarian cafe. The lei cha was thick on its own but was so good when mixed in with all the ingredients. I also ordered the curry rice set which was very good as well. The curry was thick, flavorful, and spicy! I think the rice portion a bit too little for the amount of curry though.

Address: The Rail Mall, 434 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 678060

Opening Hours: 10.30 am - 9 pm daily

4) Living Wholesome Vegetarian (Thunder Tea Rice)

Living Wholesome Vegetarian (Thunder Tea Rice) 生活天然健康素食 comes with the option of bee hoon which was a rather refreshing alternative instead of rice. Didn't expect the soup to go so well with bee hoon. I poured everything in and the bee hoon was so drenched and soaked up the flavors really well. Loved that they have the tofu which was a different kind of crunch aside from the nuts.

Address: Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre

51 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, #02-188, Singapore 588172

Opening Hours: 10.30 am – 2 pm, 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm

5) Thunder Tea Rice Pte Ltd (Toa Payoh)

I was craving for something healthy and Thunder Tea Rice Pte Ltd (Toa Payoh) came to my mind. I remember they are located at HDB hub basement. The ingredients were just the usual Thunder Tea Rice ingredients and the soup 🍵 here was kind of watery and not as creamy as I expected. Nonetheless, this was a hearty meal and the portion was huge!

Address: 480 Lor 6 Toa Payoh, #B1-01 HDB Hub, Singapore 310480

Opening Hours: 9 am - 10 pm daily