Meaning of zi char | Babel Free

Definitions

Affordable homestyle or restaurant-style Chinese dishes, from stalls commonly found in hawker centres and coffee shops.

Malaysia, Singapore, uncountable

Examples

“Just three shops away, there’s another zhi char (restaurant-style coffee shop) place.”

“The places I raved about weren’t the posh, fine-dining restaurants, but the declasse zhi cha joints, preferably with seating in an alleyway next to a longkang.”

“Once synonymous with comfort, home-style food, zi char (cooked food in Hokkien) eateries are becoming the hot bed of innovative, if not haute Singaporean cuisine.”

CEFR level