Mohd Sultan Rd Cheng Tng: Behave or you don't eat your Cheng Tng!

The concept of the Food Nazi was popularized by Seinfeld and it is a term I use for food sellers who have such a great following that they can afford to be cantankerous but people are still willing to suffer abuse in order to eat their stuff.

Now what is the difference between a Food Nazi and a food seller who just gives bad service? Somehow you still have that respect for a Food Nazi even though you are a bit scared that he might just nip off the tip of your nose. I have had mean and downright impolite people serving me before and these people really spoil a good appetite. I really have no impetus to patronize their stall anymore. But when a Food Nazi treats you bad, somehow you don't really get angry. In fact, you might find that the bad service is all part and parcel of the whole dining experience. So when I call a hawker a Food Nazi, please don't shun his stall. No, the bad service is all part of the fun.



This is the well known Cheng Tng Nazi over at Adam Road. Well known at least to my seasoned makan kakis the HolyC and smart. I just found him to be a tad grumpy that's all. When I asked why his Cold Cheng Tng does not have any longan soup in it, he merely replied that Cold Cheng Tng does not have any longan soup in it. OK, not quite verbal abuse. So what do I need to do to get the real bad service. Maybe he just was not in the mood that day.

The Cheng Tng itself is very cheng (clear) and it was a good Cheng Tng to quench the thirst. There was not really that much ingredients in it. The hot one is better than the cold one. The good thing about the Cheng Tng here is that it is full of that brown frilly stuff which I really like. 4/5

Conclusion

The classic Food Nazi that I know of is in JB and I am planning to blog him one day. If you all know of any other Food Nazis, please write in and let me know!

Mohammad Sultan Road Hot and Cold Cheng Tng
Zion Riverside Food Centre
Stall 7
11am to 9pm daily
Closed Monday nights

No 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow: Old World Charm: Zion Road Riverside Food Centre Part 3 of 3

Talking about New and Old World Hawker Foods, if you want to taste something with a bit of vintage, then you will have to check out this stall. This guy has been around since the days when John Travolta had a really cool hairstyle and a prominent chin. He still looks good but getting a bit thick round the neck, know what I mean?

I prefer Char Kway Teow (CKT) with lots of bean sprouts and Gu Chai (Chinese Chives) as it gives it that special crunchy sweetness and balances out the rich savoury flavours of the Lup Cheong, lard and noodles. So when this plate of CKT came, I was pretty excited. It was one darn good looking, dare I say, sexy plate of CKT.



The Kway Teow was slippery and lively and it has that "This wok has been around before you were born taste". However, my seasoned makankakis, the HolyC and smart both insist that it was even better once upon a time. So even though it was a good plate of Char Kway Teow, I was given room to imagine that it could be even better. For me a dash more dark sauce might have pushed it up a quarter of a point. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Good plate of Char Kway Teow. Next time I order, I will specifically tell him that I want more wok flavour and more dark sauce. I think that should do the trick.

No 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow
Zion Road Riverside Food Centre
Stall 17
12pm - 3pm/6pm to 11pm daily

Boon Tong Kee Kway Chap: Old World vs New World Hawkers: Zion Road Riverside Food Centre: Part 2 of 3

With iwatch_ueat, damien, smartgoh and The HolyC


You know, I am beginning to realize that just as wines are divided into New and Old World wines, each with a distinctive taste, Singapore Hawker Fare can also be divided into Old World and New World tastes.

Food that comes from a 40 year old wok and fried by 60 year old arms will somehow have that rustic taste about it compared to food coming from a brand new wok. New World food just seems to have more of a upbeat, clinical taste about it. I was joking with a 70 year old Char Kway Teow man today that it must be his sweat that gives his Char Kway Teow that unique special flavour. And perhaps that is true since a person's body odour does change as one ages. I am sure you realize that grandparents have a unique smell which my mother likes to call the "Kana Bee". When I was a houseman in Australia, I remember that as I approached the Geriatrics Ward, I could recognize this distinctive smell immediately. We used to call it (with all due respect to our older readers) "Eau De Geriatric".



Now after that lengthy preamble, let me just say that New World does not mean it is bad. It is just different. This Braised Duck has got a New World taste. It is tasty yet has a clinical (clean, orderly, sterile) quality to it. Just 3 years old and run by a young lady, this stall had derived its recipe from the internet, books and experimentation. However, it has already earned many accolades and visits from the usual mediacorp artistes during this short period of time. The braising sauce is thick and tasty and the meats and bean curd were well executed. However, that modern - dare I say, Air-Con Food Court - taste is inescapable. 4/5

Conclusion

Definitely a New World taste, but a good recipe and done very well. It may well be that the new generation of Singaporeans will prefer this version of Lor Bak, just as they would think of Pierce Brosnan as the iconic James Bond. People like myself would always consider Roger Moore to be the real Bond. If you fall into the category that thinks that the only real Bond is Sean Connery, then maybe you will not find this Lor Bak any good at all!

Boon Tong Kee Kway Chap Braised Duck
Zion Riverside Food Centre
Stall 24
11.30am to 10.30pm
91849881

Noo Cheng Adam Road Prawn Noodle: Zion Road Food Centre Part 1 of 3

With iwatch_ueat, damien, smartgoh and introducing the very HolyC

Jumbo Prawn Mee Soup $8

This stall is a branch of the one at Adam Road which I visited previously. The dry version over there was much better then the soup version as I felt the soup there really lacked the ooomph. I mentioned this to the stallowner. He smiled and assured me that the soup here is guaranteed to knock my socks off.

Man he was right. The soup here really does beat the one over at Adam Road! Those looking for a umami rush would be very pleased. 4.5/5




I must admit that after blogging so many different prawn mee stalls, my taste for prawn mee has become more upmarket. After eating the XL Sea Prawns, it is very hard to go back to the scrawny little ones. A freshly blanched Sea Prawn has got that special sweetness and texture about it that is hard to beat!

Conclusion

Another great place for Prawn Mee! As always, it depends on your luck whether the soup is going to be super shiok that day. If you catch it just before they fill the vat with a fresh batch of soup, you will be in for a rush!

Noo Cheng Adam Road Prawn Mee
Zion Riverside Food Centre Stall 4
11am to 11pm daily