Robot chefs? ChefGenie collabs with popular hawker brands and offers S$1.99 meals
Automation and artificial intelligence have been massive buzzwords in recent years — and it seems the next advancement is here: Automated hawker food.
You might have seen one of over 120 InstaChef by ChefGenie vending machines all over Singapore — these machines started servicing customers at NUS in 2023 but have exploded in number since.
Its newest launch sees it serving food from popular local F&B brands islandwide through its fleet of automated kitchen machines that cook up fresh, hot meals.
Starting from Sep 9, ChefGenie will be running a six-month collaboration with eight recognisable names, including Michelin-recognised Warong Pak Sapari and Springleaf Prata.
It’s perfect for those who are looking for good food with the most convenience — especially when it’s available around the clock.
InstaChef powered by ChefGenie
If you’re not acquainted with ChefGenie, it’s an automated kitchen solution by local tech company Aikit. In fact, you might recognise it under its original name, InstaChef — the original name it launched under in August 2023.
These days, you’ll see the machines bearing the name “InstaChef powered by ChefGenie”.
ChefGenie, or InstaChef, first began with a mission: To use automation to ease manpower woes faced by the F&B industry — particularly the hawkers.
Most chef-in-a-box machines churned out pre-frozen meals that were reheated by microwave, so ChefGenie’s offerings were a gamechanger — it provided freshly cooked meals using induction heat.
On one hand, some might see this new tech as added competition for an already stretched and embattled industry — especially with the raft of young hawkers struggling with high overheads, as well as veteran hawkers who are considering calling it a day.
Others might note that it lacks the human touch that made hawker food so beloved, helped put our hawker culture on the world stage, and is recognised on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.
But it’s hard to deny its unparalleled convenience for the public — it’s often nearby and available at all hours of the day — and how it enables bigger F&B players to reach more diners.
When all is said and done, though, flavour is king when it comes to food, so how does ChefGenie fare, especially with its new crop of collaborative offerings?
ChefGenie taste test
As part of Singapore’s first autonomous international food fair, ChefGenie’s machines are now loaded up with food from eight brands, including seven homegrown ones.
The seven brands are:
- Warong Pak Sapari
- Springleaf Prata
- Eat Pizza
- Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks
- Takagi Ramen
- Tuk Tuk Cha
- The Hainan Story
- InstaChef
With all those brands on board, ChefGenie promises plenty of diversity over the next six months. Here’s what we tried.
Chicken briyani (Springleaf Prata)
Verdict: This is one of the new collaborative brands added to ChefGenie’s InstaChef machines! While Springleaf Prata is more known for its creative prata variations, ChefGenie’s pilot uses dishes such as briyani and mee goreng instead — likely for logistical reasons.
The chicken briyani was pretty decent, with the masala chicken being tender, saucy, and full of spice richness, though the basmati rice was lacking in fragrance.
Rating: 3.5/5
Claypot rice
Verdict: One of the items recommended by the ChefGenie team, the chicken & salted fish claypot rice is an InstaChef bestseller and it’s easy to see why.
You get juicy chicken, punchy salted fish flavour, and plenty of crunchy charred rice bits — we won’t complain at all, if we’d gotten this from an actual hawker stall!
Rating: 4/5
Rosti
Verdict: We had high expectations for this new menu item from InstaChef, especially after promises of a proper, crispy rosti — but alas.
The rosti didn’t have much of a crunch on its crust and the insides tasted rather soggy and the potatoes felt undercooked.
Rating: 1.5/5
Truffle pasta
Verdict: Of course, don’t expect restaurant-grade pasta from an automated vending machine but for under S$10, the black truffle pasta delivers as much as it can.
For one, the pasta isn’t overcooked. It’s not quite perfectly al dente, either, but most Asians would prefer pasta softer and slightly overcooked, anyway. We also enjoyed the whiff of truffle aroma, which didn’t taste too artificial or jelak.
Rating: 3.5/5
How it works
In case you’re curious how it works, here’s a quick run down:
Step 1: Order
First, find an InstaChef machine that you want to order from. You can order from the machine itself, but we recommend downloading the app for ultimate convenience.
You can scroll through and see what the machine has to offer — different machines have different offerings — and how long each dish’s preparation time is.
Step 2: Wait
Once you’ve ordered, it’s time to wait. It needs time to cook things up, so dishes can take anywhere from three to around 10 minutes!
Go grab a cup of coffee, if you’re nearby, or prepare to walk down if you’re ordering through the app from the comfort of your home, or office.
Step 3: Collect
When your meal is ready, you’ll get a notification on the ChefGenie app. After that, just go to the screen, select your order and key in the code you were provided with.
The InstaChef machine will dispense your food, all ready for you to grab-and-go — complete with a paper bag carrier, and even cutlery, if you’d asked for it.
S$1.99 Meals
On top of all that, from September 9 to 14, ChefGenie is inviting the public to visit Punggol Coast Mall for S$1.99 meals at its machines!
The offer is available daily from 12pm to 8pm, and is limited to one redemption per account, while stocks last. There’s 4,000 such meals up for grabs.
If your interest is piqued, maybe this is a good chance to check out the robots’ cooking for yourself?
This was a hosted tasting.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on Bjorn Shen’s pivot to pizza at Artichoke and where to go for a good-value but pampering omakase for celebrations!
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
Read more stories from this writer.
