Sunday, February 15, 2015

Hong Yuan Prawn Noodle : Promising Prawn Noodle

Bestway Building is just a stone's throw away from the Tanjong Pagar MRT station. And, there is a food court right in this building serving our usual local fares like Prawn Noodle, Yong Tau Foo, Laksa and even Nasi Padang. The famous Mellben has an outlet here too. Hong Yuan Prawn Noodle is the newest stall amongst them, serving the dry and the soup Prawn Noodle starting from $5 to $12 depending on the numbers and sizes of prawns. You could also choose to have it with pork ribs or just Pork Ribs Noodle at $5. 

Though it has stated on their facebook page that they would be ready by 11 am but it was not so when i was there. I was even asked to take a walk and come back in 10 minutes by one of the 2 friendly aunties. 


I decided to go with the basic bowl of Prawn Noodle with Pork Ribs at $5. As i was their only customer then, my order was served quickly. I chatted with the Aunties for a bit. I was told this was their second week and they are still find-tuning on details like their operating hours. According to the aunties, the lunch crowd only started to come in from 11.30 am onward and that is why they did not open on time. 


I was warned that the texture of those pork ribs might be a bit too tough when they placed the bowl of noodle on my tray. This was a fresh batch of pork ribs that they just prepared in the morning as the previous batch was sold out yesterday. I have also been told that the prawns were those that left over and that is why it was bigger than the usual size for the $5 portion. 


The auntie walked over and interrupted when she spotted me taking pictures of the noodle. She said i could have tell her that i wanted to take pictures and she is willing to cook an extra bowl just for that purpose. She said the texture of noodle and taste of soup might be compromised if i did not eat it immediately and she did not want it to affect my opinion. She only walked away when i told her i am about done with the pictures. 

I tossed the yellow noodle slightly and had my first mouthful. Though i requested to have extra chilli added but it did not taste as spicy as i would like it to be. The chilli tasted good though, i could tell they have made an effort to fry it well to release the delightful fragrance and they added dried shrimps to enhance its flavor too. The texture of noodle was cooked just right with a slight chewiness.

And, the prawn tasted rather fresh though. 


The let down has to be the 2 pieces of pork ribs, the texture was really hard and not flavorful. Eating it itself was a challenge. If i have been told earlier that it was a fresh batch of pork ribs, i would likely  to just go with the Prawn Noodle. The soup was full of concentrated prawn flavor, it was good even after it was left to cool down. Overall, it was quite promising. 

It is definitely worth a try if you are working in Tanjong Pagar or happen to be in this part of town. 


HONG YUAN PRAWN NOODLE
12 Prince Edward Road Bestway Building SINGAPORE 079212
Operating Hours: 10 am to 3 pm 

Monday, February 9, 2015

Carona Chicken : The Past & The Present

These are the 2 stalls using the original recipe behind the now-defunct Carona Chicken. Victor, the owner, started Victor's Famous Fried Chicken Rice & Hainanese Chicken Rice and the nephew of the creator of that particular recipe started Two Wings.

Now, give both a try then decide for yourself which is the better wing.

Read my article on MAKANSUTRA.




VICTOR FAMOUS FRIED CHICKEN RICE & 
HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE
638 Veerasamy Road #01-101 SINGAPORE 200638
Operating Hours: 8.30 am to 8:00 pm (Daily)



TWO WINGS
119 Bukit Merah Lane 1 SINGAPORE 151119
Operating Hours: 12 pm to 3 pm / 6 pm to 10 pm (Closed on Monday)

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Eng Kee Fried Chicken Wings

This stall, at the corner coffee shop, is also famous for its fried chicken wings. There is often a queue during lunch or dinner, almost everyone in the queue will goes for their fried chicken wings. Other than fried chicken wings, some of their popular side dishes are stir-fried sambal long bean, braised cabbage as well as fried items like tau kwa, fishcake, fried egg and also otak for selection. 

I was there slightly after lunch and no queue at that time. The service was pretty prompt when i placed my order for fried bee hoon, fried yellow noodle with tau kwa and 4 pieces of fried chicken wings.


The fried chicken wings were perfectly deep fried over a high fire to give the desired crispiness and not overly greasy. The seasoning was a bit too light though. If i am going to compare this to the other famous fried chicken wings at Redhill Food Centre, these fried chicken wings are definitely a better choice, at least there was not a burnt taste detected. 




The taste of bee hoon was simple but they done it well to give it the delightful texture.



The fried yellow noodle tasted flavorful with just the right texture too. I would actually prefer this to the fried bee hoon though both were equally good.


ENG KEE FRIED CHICKEN WINGS
117 Commonwealth Drive #01-711 SINGAPORE 140117
Operating Hours: 12 pm to 10.30 pm (Closed on Saturday)

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Yan Fried Bee Hoon / Chicken Wings : Why did PM bother to queue?

It was slightly after 4 pm when i was there. There was already a short queue of about 4 people right in front of this stall and almost everyone ordered the signature fried chicken wings from this stall. I guess their chicken wings must be so good to even get the Prime Minister (PM) to queue for it. I was told if come during dinner, the waiting time could be as long as 30 minutes or even longer. 

I waited for a short 10 minutes before i got to order, some of their side dishes were not ready then still the choices were rather limited. I ordered a packet of bee hoon with fishcake to take away and requested for chilli to go along but it was overlooked, no chilli is added. I have also ordered for a plate of fried bee hoon and 4 pieces of chicken wings to be eaten there. 


Even before i tasted it, the dark color of fried chicken wings did not seem to be quite appealing. It looked slightly overcooked though the skin still retained its crispiness and not greasy. My first bite has confirmed my suspicious, the chicken wings tasted slightly burnt and a bit too dry. Though crispy but it did not have much taste within. I guess they must have deep fried those chicken wings over a rather high fire to achieve that crispiness but compromised its texture within. They did not season it long enough to allow the marinade to seep through it thus it tasted rather bland. 

A friend that tasted the fried chicken wings by my late Grandpa commented that those chicken wings were tastier as compared to these. I tasted it when the stall was still at the old Commonwealth Food Centre and it was quite good then. Now, there is a significant drop in comparison. I do not know whether is this an one time off or it is their usual standard. I seriously do not understand why did the PM even bothered to queue for such a standard fried chicken wings. There are definitely many more better fried chicken wings out there, like some of those found at the lesser known economic fried bee hoon stalls that without a queue. So, why even bother to queue?


Their fried bee hoon has left quite an impression though, a simple dish but they done it pretty well. It was lightly seasoned with soya sauce but stir-fried well to give it just the right texture and flavor. It tasted good even after it was left for a while.



YAN FRIED BEE HOON / CHICKEN WINGS
Block 85 Redhill Lane #01-19 Redhill Food Centre SINGAPORE 150085
Operating Hours: 4 pm to 10 pm (Closed on Monday)