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I usually end up eating Yong Tau Foo when I feel that I want something that is reasonably tasty yet healthy. So the idea of a big bowl of soup with Toufu, vegetables and other stuff that has been blanched in water seems to me a good idea for healthy food. Of course, if you choose the deep fried stuff, then it is not so good. But soaking deep fried stuff in water first does remove some of the oil. If you want something healthy, this is NOT the Yong Tau Foo to go for. They don't blanch their stuff in water, they actually deep fry everything before serving it in a Soy based minced pork sauce. So even the healthy stuff like fresh tofu and lady's finger gets deep fried in the oil. But that is what makes this Yong Tau Foo so shiok! If you are the type that finds Yong Tau Foo a bit bland then this one will tingle your taste buds and change your mind! Although they don't use any pork in their filling, their Ngoh Hiang and wontans are all very savoury and yummy. Ah a Yong Tau Foo with oooomph! 4.5/5The other thing that is unique about this YTF the thick beehoon that is served with a meat sauce made from Chicken Mince. According to the Alex, the stallowner, this style of Yong Tau Foo was first introduced by him 10 years ago. The stall had subsequently become so popular that they moved out of the corner coffeshop in Siglap to become a standalone restaurant. Conclusion For those who want some ooomph in their Yong Tau Foo! Fu Lin Tou Fu Yuen 721 East Coast Road 64462363 8.30am to 8.30pm
For all the noodle lovers out there. This one's for you! This is one of the five wanton noodle stores which was featured in a Straits Times article together with Foong Kee, Fei Fei and Sin Hoe Hin and one more which I can't remember. I had initially omitted it in my last wanton mee comparison run since it did not get rave reviews. But I thought that I should include it since it is so established. This wonton mee is good for those who like their noodles simple. I have already declared my preference for dark sauce, juicy charsiew and crispy fried Sui Gao, so this one is not really on top of my list. The noodles were good, but does not have the carbo rush of Fei Fei's. The charsiew and the chilli sauce were competent but unremarkable. The one good thing about it is the liberal use of crispy pork lard. Overall a good plate of wanton mee but not something I would make another trip to go down to eat. 3.75/5ConclusionPeople who like their wanton mee simple may give it a higher rating. Koung's Wan Tan Mee No 1 Lor 13 Geylang Road 7.30am to 8.30pm 67480305
With carnineviand, Tag and iwatch_ueatieat Special Ramly: $3.50.Tak Boleh Tahan, went down to Ole Bubble Cafe again yesterday to have my Ramly Burger fix! I did not taste the improved version with Worchestershire sauce the last time so I wanted to make sure that the taste was right. Anyway based on all the feedback so far, most people found the burger quite shiok. Made some adjustments to the brand of the curry powder used and also got them to toast the bun over the hot plate to get that buttery caramelized taste of the bun. New improved Single Ramly with Egg and Cheese $3My makankakis all agreed that this is the shiokest $3.50 burger in Singapore at the moment. So, for all those who did not make it yesterday.........too bad. 4.5/5
Link to Doubly Ramly in my Tumbly
With carnineviand, iwatch_ueat and dory The appearance of Pasta in hawker centres is a welcomed sight for those who just happen to have a pasta craving but do not want to sit down in a restaurant and have to pay more than $10 for a meal. The problem with pasta is that the raw ingredients are mostly imported, so the price is necessarily higher than local hawker fare. So in order to produce a plate for $5, something's gotta give.
There is no point comparing a plate of plate of Pasta produced at a hawker centre for $5 with a plate of Pasta at a restaurant for $15. That is just not fair. What I do conceptually is to give the pasta a Satisfaction score and divide it by its price to derive a "Satisfaction per Dollar" (SpD) value. So if the $5 pasta gives you a satisfaction score of 4 and the $15 pasta gives you a 5, the SpD of the cheaper pasta is 4/5 or 0.8 while the expensive one is 5/15 or 0.333. Now this does not mean that one will always go for the cheaper one just because the SpD is higher, it just means that you might eat 0.8/0.33 or 2.4 plates of the cheaper pasta for every plate of more expensive pasta. The assumption is, of course that one has limited pocket money. If one had an unlimited amount of money than this really does not apply!
Amatriciana $5.50This plate of Amatriciana is pretty good for $5.50. The sauce is tangy and has enough bite to it. The penne was Al Dente and satisfying. Good to satisfy a quick tomato craving. 4/5The thing that separates this stall from the other Hawker Pastas that I have previously blogged about is that the young Shatec Trained Chef actually insists on cooking each plate of pasta on the spot, the way he had done it when he was working in the kitchens of proper Italian restaurants. So to make this plate of carbonara, the bacon and onions were sauteed before fresh cream and seasonings are added. The carbonara was ok, but lacks the ooomph which had to be made up with the addition of extra parmesan cheese. They actually use proper grated Parmesan here rather than the "Kraft" ultra long life, no refrigeration required, reconstituted from who-knows-what type Parmesan, which is a good thing. An extra handful of grated parmesan will save any cream sauce! 3.5/5ConclusionAnother place to get a cheap and quick fix. I think if you want more ooomph from the pasta, you can always ask the Chef to specially prepare it for you since the sauce has not been precooked. Pasta PlanetGolden Mile Food Centre#01-8211.30 am to 9.30pmClosed on Tuesdays
With Camemberu, liverpool, iwatch_ueat and TagThe Malaysians may insist that Bak Kut Teh is invented in the Klang Valley, but as you know in my last article, I wrote that Bak Kut Teh was actually invented in Singapore by the Teochews at Clarke Quay. Actually if you think about it, how these two stories can be reconciled may be quite simple. I think that the concept of boiling pork bone soup is quite generic and they probably do it commonly in South China. I mean it doesn't take a genius to dream up boiling pork bones does it? Then when our forefathers came to Singapore and Malaysia, they brought the concept with them but changed the recipe to suit the local needs. The Cantonese like to use herbs in their soup, so the Klang version features much more herbs then the Teochew version which uses pepper and garlic. Sounds plausible does it not? (This is my own theory and not from some history book) Anyway, we wanted to feature a Klang style BKT, so we tried this quite well known one along Beach Road. We found the soup to be a little bitter rather then sweet and aromatic that day. It lacked the oooomph expected of a good BKT. The pork ribs though were very nice and tender. 3.75/5Not only I say only yah? My makankakis, Camemberu, liverpool, Tag and iwatch_ueat also say. BUT this place does have a really good Ter Kah that is to die for (literally). Soft, sticky, sweet and savoury, the fats and tendons melts in your mouth and I can feel it go directly into my coronary arteries. Phwa, very shiok but not something you want to admit to your cardiologist on your follow up visit after coronary bypass surgery. Definitely one of the better Ter Kahs I have had in Singapore! Great with a bowl of rice and make sure you drink lots of strong tea to wash it all down. 4.25/5The stewed peanuts here are worthy of special mention. They were stewed till really soft and sweet and has enough umami make you keep eating it. Nice, very nice. 4.25/5ConclusionIt has been reported that the soup here can be inconsistent. Maybe we just went on a bad day for the BKT. The Ter Kah and peanuts still managed to get me to expend my calories for the day. Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh321 Beach Road (Jn Sultan Gate and Beach Road)11am to 9pmWed Closed
There were 1035 people who polled: 31.9% were Rice munchers 50.1% were Noodle lovers 15.2% were Bread eaters Looks like more pasta blogs are required!
On assignment with Professional Photographer, Alec EeSet for 2, $8 Photo by Alec Ee
On this occasion, I was invited to join professional photographer, Alec Ee to a photoshoot of his favourite Braised Duck stall which according to him is better (in a different sort of way) from the famous one at Tekka. This little known braised duck stall facing the Sungei Road thieves market was only started 6 months ago but has already attracted a regular following of braised meat lovers like Uncle Alec, who, until he found this stall, was a regular at Tekka. Being in the presence of a professional photographer was a little intimidating for me at first. When you look at the kind of photos that he takes, you will know what I mean. Because he was so particular about the lighting and set up, it meant that for once, I was the one who had to be patient and wait while others took the pictures. After that I had to take my shots before we got to eat! Phwa I was really hungry by the time I got the first piece of duck into my mouth. Duck Noodle $2.50 Pic by Alec EeThe first thing that caught my attention was the way the stall owner sliced the duck breast. It is in the same style as the braised goose served at Guan Hin. Surely a good sign! When it comes to duck I actually prefer the breast meat to thigh meat. Because duck breast is actually red meat not white, I find that it combines tenderness of breast meat with the taste of thigh meat. Do you know the difference between red and white meat? Red meat consist of slow twitch muscle fibres while white meat consist of fast twitch muscles. Slow twitch muscles are used for slower, sustained activity such as walking while fast twitch muscles are good for quick but short lived bursts of activity. So, chicken breast is typically white meat because a chicken doesn't really fly, it uses its breast muscles to quickly flap its wings when it is excited. The legs contain more slow twitch muscles since it is always walking around. That explains the difference in tastes of the two parts of the chicken. But since ducks actually fly (most migrate seasonally), the breast meat contains more slow twitch muscles so that they can have sustained muscle activity while they fly for long distances. Which is why duck breast tastes more like red meat. Yes or no? The Braised Duck here is quite good. The breast is nice and tender and because it is sliced thin and wide, the texture is very different from your usual braised duck. I like the Lor as it is the thin watery type and is on the sweeter end of the spectrum but it still has enough umami. 4.25/5Aside from the duck, the other thing that you really must order is the pork cheek. Oooh, sinfully soft and chewy at the same time! Not good...... Very Good! 4.5/5ConclusionMy next assignment is to try the famous Braised Duck over at Tekka. The braised duck here is very good, but until I get to compare it with the other famous one, you will just have to take Uncle Alec's word that it is good enough for him to switch loyalties! It's a new stall, but the stall owner really has passion for his craft, so I think it is only a matter of time before other braised meat lovers will discover his stall. Xing Ji Braised Duck Kelantan Food Centre (Facing Sungei Road Thieves Market) 11 Kelantan Road 01-04 10am to 7pm daily
Creating of my Dream Ice Cream!Have you ever wondered what a Vanilla Ice Cream with Lemon Sherbet and Crispy Pork Floss tastes like? Well, wonder no more because at Ice Cream Chefs, you can make the Ice Cream of your dreams (or nightmares) come true! And if they don't have the specific ingredients you want, you can BYO (bring your own) at no extra charge. Kinda reminds me of the days when we brought eggs to give to the Roti Prata man to make egg prata! Ice Cream Chefs is a brand new Ice Cream experience started by 2 guys who could be sitting at a desk with a laptop. It is a concept that is popular in the US. Basically you have a cold stone top upon which you can mix and match any flavour of ice cream and extra ingredients. The home made ice creams come in different base flavours such as vanilla bean, chocolate, green apples, etc and they provide extras like Kinders Bueno, Rice Crisps, Oreo Cookies, Cashew Nuts, Peanut Butter and even frozen sliced fruits like strawberries. Each scoop of ice cream is $3.10 and each extra ingredient is 70 cents. Oooooh, doesn't it sound like something that you could go crazy over? I went nuts (literally) with my Kinder's Bueno, Peanut Butter, Nutella, Chocolate Fudge and Cashew Nuts on Nutella Ice Cream creation. Phwaaaa Say. Don't play play ah! 4.5/5Some of the other more popular (and sane) combinations are the Horlicks and Chocolate Ice Cream with Malteses which you get both the sticky and crunchy textures of malt with bits of chunky milk chocolate. Not very pretty to look at but a wild combination of flavors and textures. Ice Cream Chefs has been opened for 2 weeks, so the guys are still busy experimenting with new flavors and getting their coffee and waffles act together. Some ideas they are toying with are the addition of Kahlua, Rum and Baileys as ingredients to add to the ice creams. Until they do, you are very welcomed to BYO as I mentioned earlier. At this point, I would say that they still need to work on the creaminess and flavors of some of their ice creams. By itself, there aren't any killer flavors to rave about yet. But hey it is really up to you to create that "die die must try" ice cream which is limited only by your imagination! ConclusionThe kind of place where ice cream dreams takes flight! So start dreaming! Ice Cream Chefs 520 East Coast Road #01-06 (Ocean Park) Tel: 64466355 Beside St. Patricks School & Along East Coast Road Sun-Thurs 12pm to 10pm Fri-Sat 12pm to 11pm www.icecreamchefs.com
With Smart, iwatch_ueat and carnineviandGood old Curry Puff: $1 I am glad that somethings never change. This shop has been here for 30 years and they are still doing the same thing. This is the kind of curry puff I grew up eating when I was a kid. I remember that the best part of the curry puff was when you get to that single piece of chicken meat and the piece of egg. It's like a treasure hunt. Of course, this type of curry puff is the Chinese interpretation of the Malay interpretation of the Indian interpretation of an English food. The Indian curry puff is the triangular pastry which the Indians made for their colonial masters back in the days of the British Empire. Then they brought it over to Singapore and the Malays took on the idea of a pastry filled with curry. But they change the shape of the Curry Puff to resemble the Crescent Moon, the religious symbol of Islam. Then of course the Chinese (probably the Hainanese) also want to get into the action, so you have the chinese version of the curry puff with a pastry that is more buttery. This is one of smart's favourite Curry Puffs which he has eaten for the last 30 years. He still swears by it. According to this uncle, the Curry Puff at East Coast Lagoon Food Village was an offshoot of this stall. Little wonder that they both still use an old bottle as a rolling pin. The filling is nice and moist and not overly spicy and the crust is nice and crisp but not too buttery. Great as an afternoon snack! 4/5ConclusionAnother "traditional" chinese style curry puff to add to my curry puff list! Katong Chicken Curry PuffMarine Parade Food Centre01-1328am to 6pmClosed on MondayRecommended by smart
ieat Special Ramly: $3.50 Double pattie, double cheese, egg Unless you have eaten a real Ramly Burger in Malaysia, you might not think much of it. But I remember my first Ramly enlightenment experience which occured 30 years ago in Pekan, a town just before Kuantan in the East Coast of Malaysia. Pekan's a little fishing village where my grandfather settled to open a grocery store when he came from Swatow carrying only a little bag of clothes. It was the sleepy little town where my father grew up. The old grocery store is still there in its original condition doing essentially what it has been doing for almost a century. Anyway, I remember visiting my cousin in Pekan as a kid, and on one occasion he brought these "burgers" wrapped in pink tissue paper. Being the city boy, I thought little of a Kampung burger. We had afterall the latest advancement in Burger cuisine in Singapore, namely MacDonald's. So what do these Kampung folks know about Burgers? I remember he bought like 6 burgers in a plastic bag for afternoon tea. I got hungry after a while so I decided to have a bite of this Kampung Burger. WOW! Damn Shiok Man! I finished like 3 burgers at one shot. Ramly burgers are always split into two and seasonings are addedFast forward 30 years. As you know the standard of Ramly Burgers in Singapore is pretty dismal, which explains why guys like carnineviand did not get excited when I told him I found this cafe that sells Ramly Burgers. I don't blame him. After tasting Ramly Burgers in Singapore a few times, I gave up thinking that I would never find a good Ramly Burger here. Then one day, I chanced upon a Ramly Burger stall in a Pasar Malam. It looked quite promising so I tried one. WOW! THIS is the Ramly I remember! Shiok shiok! I took some pics and posted them in the forum. (I had not started blogging then). I was pretty excited that I had found my "original" Ramly at last. Not only I say, but the Baker also concurred that this was one shiok Ramly. But there was only one problem. Being a Pasar Malam, you had to track them as they move around the island. But as fate would have it, I met this Chinese lady recently who told me she ran a little cafe and that she makes a pretty mean Ramly Burger. She seemed quite confident of her burger, so I decided to pay her a visit. After all, a Chinese Lady (who happened to be an ex-secretary) making a Ramly Burger is like a Chinaman making prata. Must go investigate, no? We tried the standard Ramly burger which I found was quite good. The pattie was actually juicier than the usual Ramly and having the eggs done over easy was better then the usual way of wrapping the pattie with the egg. The great thing about her bread is that she actually steams it so that it is really soft like a "fillet o fish" bun. But there was something still missing. So I asked her to do a special one for me with 2 patties, 2 cheese and with the addition of curry powder when the patties were split. Ohhhhh, yes! Almost there. The only other missing ingredient was worchestershire sauce and I think we got the perfect Ramly. No, the perfect Doubly Ramly! 4.25/5 Should be a 4.5/5 with the additional tweaking! ConclusionRamly burger moves upmarket! For $3.50, I got 2 patties, 2 slices of cheese, 1 egg, mayo, chilli and BBQ sauce in soft steamed buns. This is what I specially ordered, so if you want the same deal, just ask for the ieat Special Ramly. Tastiest $3.50 burger in town! POWER! Price of Normal Ramly is $2.50. With egg and cheese is $3.Ole Bubble CafeBlk 731 Yishun St 72 #01-27 10.30am to 7pm
$4.80 minimum orderI have been driving past this newly opened Cze Char which occupies a whole corner coffeeshop right beside Sungei Bedok for several weeks now. I don't really know how to explain it, but the place has got a romantic kampong charm about it despite the modern decor. The problem is that everytime I drove past, the place does not seem to be "happening". So being a kiasu Singaporean and not wanting to waste any calories and money, I would drive past it to have supper at Simpang Bedok instead. But one night I decided to avoid the bustling crowds at Simpang Bedok and decided to drop in to check out this place. I imagined that even if the food was not great, eating supper beside the canal could be quite nice. I am glad I did or else I would have missed one of the best KL Hokkien Mee that I have eaten in Singapore. If you have been reading the blog for a while, you would probably know how often I lament about not being able to eat a good KL Hokkien Mee in Singapore. Well, I must say that even if this KL Hokkien Mee cannot beat the one in KL, it certainly is a worthy substitute. What I liked about this Hokkien Mee that sets it apart from the rest is their use of thick round Hokkien Noodles which have an excellent texture and bite to it. The shape of the Hokkien Mee enables you to really slurp it unlike the commoner thin flat variety. The sauce is gooey and shiok and, of prime importance, they have really fresh and crispy, "burst in your mouth" pork lard. Ohhhh.... my current favourite KL Hokkien Mee! 4.5/5ConclusionGreat kampung ambiance and a memorable KL Hokkien Mee. I will be going back to try the rest of their Cze Char menu. Stay tuned. Word of caution: Prices of the Hor Fun start from $4 and this KL HKM starts from $4.80. So not your regular priced Cze Char. Bit in between a regular Cze Char and a Seafood RestaurantBig Eater Seafood 34 Jalan Pari Burong Picardy Gardens 62457268
With Tag, iwatch_ueat, liverpool and introducing camemberuRemember in my last Teh Tarik post I asked whether "Tariking" the Teh actually made a difference to the taste of the Teh? Well, I decided to put the question to the test. So in true quasi-scientific fashion, I put the question through a totally unrigorous randomised uncontrolled trial. The type of trial that can never be published in any respectable journal. Here then is the experiment: The Hypothesis: "Tariking" the Teh actually affects the taste of the Teh, making it more delectable to the palate. The Subjects: Camemberu, Liverpool, Tag, iwatch_ueat and ieat. Two females and three males who are totally unbiased, unsuspecting and most importantly, have nothing to gain from lying about whether Tarik or No Tarik is better. Except maybe for Liverpool who as you know owns a cafe and he does only Teh C but no Tarik. He has promised to be totally unbiased..... yeah right. The Design: Two cups of tea are prepared using a common container so that the amount of condensed milk, tea and water are the same. One cup is then decanted into a mug without "Tariking". The other one undergoes three Tariks at a distance of a man's arm. The tea is than decanted into another absolutely identical mug. The subjects where first asked to taste both teas with their eyes opened. Next, the subjects were blindfolded (ok we just asked them to closed their eyes and hope they don't cheat) and asked to taste test the 2 cups of tea and then to tell the rest if they perceive a difference in the taste. A bottle of mineral water was provided to cleanse the palate in between tastings. The Results: Tag was given 2 sips of the Non-Tariked Tea. He claimed that the first one tasted better then the 2nd. iwatch_ueat was given the Tariked one first and the Non-Tariked one 2nd. She claimed the first was the Non-Tariked and the 2nd one the Tariked Camemberu was similarly given the Tariked one first and non-Tariked one next. She got it right the first time, but could not repeat her feat the second time. Liverpool was given 2 sips from the Non-Tariked tea. He said the first was Tariked and the 2nd the non-Tariked. I was honest enough to just say I could not tell the difference. The Trial Conclusion:There is no doubt that we have proven the hypothesis to be false. "Tariking" the tea may lower the temperature a bit and make lots of foam and maybe trap a few flying insects and dust particles in the process, but it does not significantly alter the taste of the Teh such that ordinary makankakis can discern the difference. Back to the Teh Tarik itself. This non-descript "Hole in the Wall" little stall in Kampung Glam is a favourite amongst Taxi Drivers because of the convenient parking and the cheap prices. A cup of Teh Tarik here is still only 70 cents. I was told that it was only 60 cents before, so they might have increased the price recently due to the shortage of milk. It was a good cup of tea. The tea was strong but we felt that it was not creamy enough that day. And, unless you specially ask for lots of foam, the Teh actually only goes through a "half arm" tarik once. Then again, apart from making more foam, it does not actually affect the taste that much as we have shown in our experiment. 4/5ConclusionGood and cheap cup of Teh Tarik. The ambiance of this unassumingly quaint little un-named shop, manned by 2 elderly men with distinguished beards really adds to the whole Teh Tarik experience. No Name Sarabat Stall Baghdad Street Kampung Glam 6.30am to 12mn daily
With Carnineviand, Dory and iwatch_ueatWe Singaporeans continue to be fascinated with the Ang Mohs. When I was young, I had the perception that Ang Mohs here were all very well to do CEOs and Expats in positions of influence. That was because my father worked in an Ang Moh Company and he had an Ang Moh Boss. Nowadays we are seeing more and more Ang Mohs living in the heartlands. (And I don't mean locals dying their hair blonde) But we are still fascinated by them. So when you get an Ang Moh selling sausages in Chinatown, the media gets excited with the story. Somehow, we don't expect an expat to be mingling with the heartlanders. Along comes Sebastian, a very smart Ang Moh who realizes the potential marketing power of an Ang Moh serving Ang Moh food in a Hawker Centre. Little surprise that just three months after their opening, there are so many newspaper clippings in front of their store that they can start selling Kachang Putih (Gone were the days Kachang Putih was sold in newspapers). There are two qualities that make Singaporeans Singaporean. We are world reknown for our love for food and our love for getting a good bargain. So what do you get when you put an Ang Moh in a hawker centre, selling fondue made with genuine Belgian Chocolate at a price you cannot find anywhere else? A "Sure win" situation to say the least. Of course, you can have all the marketing hype, but if your food is not good, people will stop coming. Our hatred of getting "Ketok" (swindled) supersedes our love of getting a bargain. So what I am saying is that the food here is not only cheap, it is also quite good. The waffles here are very nice. They are not the usual thin waffles you get in the heartland bakeries. These waffles are made from dough rather then batter, so they come out with a bready texture. Certainly something you would expect to find in a proper cafe than a hawker centre. Fondue Set $14.80 includes 2 bowls of ice cream (not shown)The chocolate sauce is made from pure Belgian chocolate that Sebastian imports from home. His family actually runs the business of the same name and they have a few branches worldwide. Because the chocolate sauce is made from pure chocolate with no added milk or cream, they don't actually put a candle to heat up the sauce. Instead it is served in a warmed claypot. Our dessert specialist, iwatch_ueat said that this Fondue "Can-do lah", but she still prefers if it was bubbling, so that you can actually melt the marshmallows. I tend to agree. However, you cannot discount the fact that this is a very good bowl of chocolate sauce, and that for $14.80, you are getting a big plate of fruits which includes strawberries, bananas, grapes, marshmallows and honeydew melon, two Belgian Waffles and two bowls of double scoop homemade ice cream. I think your Singaporean instincts are telling you to at least go and check it out, right? 4/5ConclusionThis one of a kind, Ang Moh in the heartland type of stall serving quality Belgian chocolate fondue for cheap. Even if I say no good you would still go and see for yourself right? The Sweet Stone Parad Ice Golden Mile Food Centre505 Beach Road #01-76 11.30am to 9.30pm James 97389868 Sebastian 90078465
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