Saturday, August 31, 2013

[Malaysia] Fried Mee Siam.

If you are wondering, this is the famous Nasi Padang Adam that moved from Restoran Kin Wah right to this Kopitiam, a few shops away from where it used to be located. I tried the fried mee siam for the first time and fallen in love with its taste but the fried chicken wing was slightly disappointing this time. 






NASI PADANG ADAM
QIN GARDEN KOPITIAM
Jalan Trus, Johor Bahru, 
Johor Bahru Town 8000

Monday, August 26, 2013

Bak Chor Mee.

It was that queue that gotten my attention to this noodle stall. This was the only stall that gotten a queue when i was there for lunch. I was curious enough to join in the queue to check out the stall.


I waited for a good 10 minutes before the smiling Auntie asked for my order. I told her i wanted the larger portion of the mushroom minced meat noodle for $3. I paid her then waited for a few minutes for it to be ready.This stall offers Fishball Noodle, Macaroni, Laksa and Tang Hoon for the selection of $2.50 and $3.00.


A good portion of noodle is served with 3 pieces of meatballs, braised mushroom, slices of lean meat and a handful of minced meat. It was served in a bigger porcelain bowl that have got their stall name printed for the $3 portion.


A brunch of beansprouts was added too to add the desired crunchiness to the noodle as well as to make it a slightly healthier choice. It was then garnished with chopped spring onion and dried shallots to enhance its flavour further.


A bowl of hot soup was served along with the noodle in a small porcelain bowl that gotten their stall name, too. It tasted rather light with just a bit of peppery taste with chopped spring onion added to it.


I actually loved the porcelain spoon with the porcelain saucer that we do not usually get to see these days. Most of the hawker stalls are using the plastic spoon with plastic saucer. Some of these hawker stalls are using the disposable spoon, disposable saucer with disposable chopsticks or even have it served in a disposable bowl even for dining there.

I personally did not find those disposable wares to be appealing.


Bits of red cut chilli in the light soya sauce served in the saucer came together with the bowl of noodle.


I tossed the noodle well with the sauce underneath. Then, i was eager to have the first mouthful I totally in love with the taste. Though the chilli did not taste particularly spicy but it complemented the noodle with the ingredients well. The ingredients used have got a distinct freshness. I liked the meatballs the most. It is just the taste that i like.


The texture of the noodle has got a delightful springiness with just the right chewiness to make it desirable.

This bowl of noodle is worth coming back for more.


The queue was still there when i done eating the noodle and i guess many are probably the regular customers that have been supporting this stall. This is likely to be another hawker passionately serving good quality food at an affordable price. This is a great find indeed.


MUI KEE FISH BALL NOODLE
69 Geylang Bahru
Geylang Bahru Food Centre #01-2817
SINGAPORE 330069.

Bak Chor Mee

I went for the northern part of Singapore to the eastern part where this food centre is located hoping to have a taste of that famous soup version Bak Chor Mee. I was totally disappointed when i saw the dim signboard of that stall with the shuttle down.

I shifted my attention to the competitor stall right beside.


I went over to order for a $3 bowl of soup Bak Chor Mee. I was a bit surprised to find out that they do serve the dry version as well but the soup one seems to be a more popular choice. There is the selection of $2.50 for a smaller bowl of the soup one. The dry one is priced slightly higher at $3 for the smaller bowl and $3.50 for a larger bowl.

I given my table and proceeded to wait. The wait was a bit longer than expected. I actually waited for about 25 minutes before i gotten it. I was there for an early dinner at about 6 pm and so it was quite unexpected.


The presentation of the noodle was slightly boring. A handful of the thinner type of noodle served with 6 pieces of meatballs and bits of minced meat in the soup with a spoonful of red cut chilli.

I took a sip of the soup first. The taste was rather light with a slight sweetness detected. The spiciness of those red cut chilli was rather mild so it did not add much flavour to the soup or having it together with the noodle. I do like those tasty meatballs though.


The noodle has got a noticeable springiness with just the right softness to give it the near perfect texture.

Though it did not taste the best but it was a comforting bowl of noodle particularly ideal for a light dinner and on those cold nights.

The queue was getting longer when i done with my bowl of noodle. I am going to make another trip right here to taste the supposedly original stall of this particular version of Bak Chor Mee. This stall is a good alternative though.


SENG HIANG BAK CHOR MEE
Block 85 Bedok North Street 4
85 FengShan Centre #01-08
SINGAPORE 460085.

Satay Bee Hoon.

There was a constant queue right in front of this stall. Everyone in that queue waiting to order their share of satay bee hoon. My curiosity prompted me to join in. This stall is offering Teochew Porridge during the day and Satay Bee Hoon at night.

I was the number 8 person in the queue. I expected the wait to be about 10 minutes but i waited for 20 minutes to order and to collect my order.

This stall is manned solely by an Uncle. He is responsible to do the cooking, to serve it and to collect the payment. That very much explained on the long waiting time. The patience is the key right here.


A basic plate of satay bee hoon is priced at $3.00. It was served on a disposable plate with disposable chopsticks. The portion is quite substantial. It was a big pile that totally covered by the satay sauce.


I mixed it well. A good portion of bee hoon served with generous ingredients of pork liver, cockles, lean meat, tua pok with a brunch of kangkok and beansprouts.


The ingredients tasted fresh. The kang kong and beansprouts have a likable crunchiness added to enhance its texture. The slices of pork's liver and lean meat were lightly poached in the boiling water to cook it. The pork liver still retained its tenderness with a slight redish to indicate it is not overcooked.

If you are not fan of cockles or pork liver then you might want to make it a special order to omit them out.

The texture of bee hoon has cooked well to give it the desired texture.  The satay sauce has got a distinctive taste of peanuts with bits of coarsely grounded peanuts in it. The level of spiciness was just minimum. It complemented the ingredients with the bee hoon well to give it the near perfect taste.

I would likely queue again when i am here next time.


SHI WEI DA CHAO ZHOU MO
Block 85 Bedok North Street 4
85 Fengshan Centre #01-41
SINGAPORE 460085.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Tasty Rojak

I have already eaten lunch when i came across this stall. The owner of this particular stall is a friendly elderly Uncle in his 60s. He looked rather eager when he spotted me walking towards his stall.

He asked, '$3?'. I said, 'No. I just want the $2.50.'

I seated at the table right in front of his stall. The Uncle served the rojak in a few minutes.


He stood beside the table and started chatting with me. He said this stall has been around for 30 years. Honestly, i never quite expect this stall to be around for decades as the signboard looks pretty clean to me. Uncle said he has been painstakingly in maintaining it. And, he said most of the stalls in this food centre are new and these new stalls usually last only a few months.

He started his stall with his Sister and Brother but both of them decided to call it quit and left him alone. He said he has to wake up very early to get all his ingredients then prepared it. He said he usually has to work from morning to about 10.30 pm or slightly earlier.


While chatting with Uncle, i took a bite of the tau pok. Both the you tiao and tau pok have got a delightful crispiness. I told the Uncle so. He said, he toasted it before he served it. He said the only secret to keeping its crispiness is not to serve it immediately after toasted.


He said he insisted in using the freshest ingredients to serve. He told me that he has been using the Prawn Paste from Penang to mix his rojak. He actually proudly having it stated on his signboard, too. The other ingredients found in the rojak were the fresh tasting cucumber, pineapple, turnip and lots of beansprouts to add the desired crunchiness to the texture. It was topped with bits of freshly grounded peanuts to enhance the flavor. The portion was rather good for $2.50. The taste is actually comparable to those famous ones out there. I could tell the prawn paste is of a good quality as it is rather thick with a rather distinctive taste.

I would have invited Uncle to pose for my picture but he is a bit shy to do so. He is the type of hawker that deserved my respect. He is passionate in serving quality food at an affordable price. Uncle shared that the business is not as good as it used to be after the closure of the cinema. I do hope his stall is still around when i am here the next time. I hope his stall is able to survive for another decade or longer.

I enjoyed the chat with the Uncle and his rojak.


TIAN TIAN XIANG ROJAK
69 Geylang Bahru
#01-2735 Geylang Bahru Food Centre
SINGAPORE 330069.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Lunch at Southwest Tavern.

Southwest Tavern is an American Theme restaurant a stone's throw from International Business Park (IBP). Though it is near Jurong East MRT station but it is not within the walking distance. You may talk bus 52 or 105 from the Jurong East Bus Interchange to bring you right there. The restaurant is hidden from the main road but you would not missed it if you follow the direction sign. I called to make an appointment for a table for 2 for a late lunch as i thought it might be crowded. 

There was only another table when we were there at 2.30 pm. We were ushered to a table for 2 quickly and presented with the menu right after.

This is a non-aircon cafe but with quite a few fans around to cool the place down. The heat might be unbearable during those humid days. The ambience is rather cosy with a hint of american cowboy theme decoration to give it a rustic country feel. 

There are a good selection of main courses range from Chicken, Fish, Beef, Lamb, Pasta to Burger. Each of the main course is served with 2 sides. The selection of sides range from mashed potato, coleslaw, baked beans, sweet corn, butter rice, potato wedges, roasted potato and salad. They serve a wide range of selection for drinks from Beer to Cocktail to Hot Drinks to Soft Drinks. 

I took a bit of time to go through the menu and decided to go with a set of Fried Chicken Steak and a set of Char Grilled Chicken Steak. I was a bit hesitant to order their signature Blooming Onion as it might be too much for 2 person to finish. I asked that friendly auntie for advice. She said the Blooming Onion is just finger food so no issue at all. I trusted her and ordered it to share. I ordered a glass of coke too. 


Every table has got a condiment basket consisting of Tobacco, Mustard, Chilli Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Pepper and Salt. This is made available just in case you might need the something extra to excite the taste of the food a bit.

They served the drink first then followed by the Bloomin' Onion and the 2 mains at the same time. 


A Glass of Coke ($2). Reasonably priced and served it in a nice looking glass with just enough of ice cubes to keep it chilled. A pretty good selection if you did not want to have alcoholic drinks during lunch. 


Bloomin' Onion ($12). I was amazed by the size of the onion when it served. It was a pretty big onion and for 2 person to finish it might be quite a challenge. It would be finger food if to be shared amongst 3 to 4 people but not quite so for only 2 people.


 The onion was lightly battered and fried to perfection to give it the desired crispiness. It is an exciting choice. I remember eating it the first time a few years ago in a steak house. This particular one was tasty though not quite as good as the one i eaten before. A small container of Ranch Sauce was placed in the centre of that bloomin' onion. The sauce complemented the sweetness of the onion and the slight saltiness of the seasoning quite well. It still tasted crispy even after left it for a bit. It did not taste too oily, too. It actually tasted just like Onion Rings. 

It would be perfect if to go with beer. 



Fried Chicken Steak with Bull's Horn Wedges and Cow Pie Mashed Potato ($16). It was quite a big and thick piece of chicken most likely from the leg part served with generous serving of mashed potato and potato wedges. 


The fried chicken steak came in 2 parts, a really big piece and a smaller piece hidden below. It was well-marinated to give it the desired flavor then coated with bread crumbs to fry till golden brown to give it the distinctive crispiness then served it with Ranch Sauce.


The presentation is the typical American style. It is messy and in large portion.  The pile of mashed potato has got the likable smoothness and evenness in texture. It was served with a certain sauce which tasted like the Ranch Sauce for the Fried Chicken Steak. The potato wedges came in equally generous serving. It tasted rather average though delightfully crispy. 


Grilled chicken steak with Sloppy Slaw and Badlands Grilled Potato ($16). It came in large portion too. The chicken steak was perfectly grilled to leave its surface a beautiful color and flavor. It was slightly charred on its edges. The texture of the chicken steak was awesomely succulent. I would think the taste of barbecue sauce was a little overwhelming.


The coleslaw consisting of cabbage and carrot tasted rather refreshing but the roasted potato is a bad choice. Though it has been seasoned then grilled but it still tasted kind of bland and too filling. 


As expected, we did not manage to finish the Bloomin' Onion. 

The portion of the main is served in big portion so it might be better to share for small eaters to avoid wastage of food like we just did.

There is currently a Death Wing Challenge to take up 6 pieces of extra spicy suicidal wings with 1 pint of beer in 15 minutes. Those that completed the challenge could have the 6 pieces of wings for free with beer for free and have their pictures put up on the Hall of Frame. Are you dare enough to take up the challenge?

The total bill is $50.20 inclusive of GST. 

The service was pretty attentive. And, the massive amount of foods served is definitely value for money.

SOUTHWEST TAVERN
8 Boon Lay Way
#01-33 Tradehub 21
SINGAPORE 609964.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Comforting Pork Congee.

Happened to be in the vicinity so came by this newly renovated food centre for dinner. My attention was caught by the auspicious sounding stall name on the signboard. This porridge stall is one of the recently added stalls after the renovation. There was a few people waiting for their order when i was there. 



The stall was manned solely by an Uncle then. This stall offers different types of congee like Pork Congee, Fresh Fish Congee, Shredded Chicken Congee, Century Egg Pork Congee, Cuttlefish Peanut Congee and Congee in Boat Style. All are priced at $3. The selection of Raw Fish is at $4, $6 and $8.

Macaroni is available at $3.50.

I quickly placed my order when i gotten his attention. He asked with or without egg then he asked for my table number. Though it is stated SELF-SERVICE but the Uncle offered to have it delivered to my table. I thought it might be due to the long waiting time and he did not want to keep me waiting there. Such thoughtfulness is commendable.


I ordered a bowl of Pork Congee at $3.00 with an egg added for an extra 0.50 cents. It was delivered to my table by the same Uncle in 10 minutes. It was quite a big bowl served with you tiao and chopped spring onion.


To begin, i deliberately break the egg then stirred it into the congee and nicely mixed in the you tiao and chopped spring onion, too. 


The Congee was rather close to what i had in Hong Kong though not as fine and smooth. I was delightful to find the generous bits of minced pork balls as well as slices of lean meat in it. The minced pork balls were nicely seasoned to give it the desired flavour. The slices of lean meat were thinly sliced to give it the right texture.

And, added an egg is definitely a good choice to give the rather plain congee a pleasant eggy taste. The congee was so hot to actually cooked bits of the egg. It did not serve with the light soya sauce and the pepper as it has already added in it. Though it was slightly saltish but rather acceptable. I wish the serving of you tiao would be a bit more generous though.

This bowl of Congee was a good choice for a light dinner.

I really enjoyed the comforting taste.


WANG WANG CONGEE
Block 75 Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Food Centre Toa Payoh Lorong 5 #01-24 SINGAPORE 310075.