Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Lai Kee Homemade Pau . Dim Sum : Chicken Nest Pau (鸡窝包)

Their Chicken Nest Pau (鸡窝包) is the reason why i took notice of this dim sum stall in a coffee shop nestled in the neighborhood estate of Bukit Batok, within walking distance from Bukit Batok MRT station. The last time when i eaten Chicken Nest Pau was in Johor Bahru and i liked it so much that i even took away a few from there to have it at home. Though this was not my first time eating this unique dim sum dish in Singapore but i have yet to find a good one so far. 

Ah Lai, the owner, he used to be helping his relative in Malaysia before started his own stall in Clementi and eventually expanded to 4 outlets now. He is not making all of these dim sim by himself but hired dim sum chefs to do it in the central kitchen. There is quite an extensive choices for different types of dim sum on their menu but i was there just for their Chicken Nest Pau this time. 


It is quite reasonably priced at $3. If i remember correctly, the size was not as big as the one that i used to eat in Johor Bahru.


The skin though fluffy was a slightly too thick.


When pulled part of the skin slightly, ingredients like slices of canned mushroom with pieces of meat fallen off.


If you look at it carefully, you could see bits of salted egg amongst the other ingredients. 


All these ingredients seated on a lump of glutinous rice. All in all, i enjoyed it but i could not say this is the best that i ever tasted. I felt it would be better if they are not using the canned mushroom as part of the ingredients. It might not be quite economical for them to do so if taken the difference in cost into consideration unless the customers are willing to pay a higher price. 

I am definitely interested to come back for their Kong Bak Pau and Amy Yip Big Pau next time. 


LAI KEE HOMEMADE PAU . DIM SUM
来记自制包點 . 點心
Block 207 Bukit Batok Street 21 #01-118 Food Park Coffee Shop Singapore 650207.
Operating Hours: 6.30 am to 9.30 pm

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Jia Le Hong Kong Roasted Food : It's So Good!

The only time when i ever ordered from them was when they had an outlet at AMK Hub a long time ago. I remember ordering Roasted Duck Drumstick rice at that time. That used to be my favourite. They moved to Marina area for a bit and then to this location. Their current location is not too far from where i am staying.

Mr Charles Tan, the chef cum owner, trained under masters from Hong Kong, has decades of experience in roasted meats. All their roasted meats are done using charcoal fire.

I was there on a Sunday for lunch. It is rather easy to spot their stall, they are located in a coffee shop along Upper Aljunied. If you are coming by bus, they are directly behind the bus stop. There was a short queue of a few people when i was there with most of the tables taken up in the shop. The queue moved rather quickly though. It is self-service here, the order is made at the counter followed by payment then collect your orders. 


I ordered the smallest portion of their Suckling Pig for $12 and a platter of their roasted meat with char siew for $8. I was told these are the prices they charged when they were at Marina area and they did not change it even after moved into the heartland. Though a bit steep but it is acceptable given the quality and standard of their roasted meats.



I particularly enjoyed their Suckling Pig. They do serve Suckling Pig rice for $6 but i could not help but wonder what is the portion like for that price? Again, Suckling Pig is not easily available in a coffee shop environment so it is still worth paying $12 even for such a small portion. This was my favourite amongst all the roasted meats tasted nonetheless.





The level of saltiness was slightly lighter but equally robust in flavor. It was perfectly roasted to give the skin a delightful crispiness. You could clearly hear the cracking sound when you have in your mouth. This was definitely one of the better ones that i had eaten and i totally enjoyed it. 



Char Siew was amongst the best that i ever tasted, it has got the perfect proportional of fat and lean meat to give it the desired texture with just the right tenderness, juiciness and succulent. The meat was slightly charred and nicely caramelised to give its the shiny coating and sweetness. This would definitely be the reason that would get me to keep coming back.



I ordered Wanton Soup ($4) but i was served the Dumpling Soup ($4) instead. Those dumplings tasted just fine with not much surprises. 


I will definitely go back for their Roasted Duck and Japanese Kurobuta Char Siew which is not usually available. Customers are expected to call in advance to make an order for their special Char Siew.


JIA LE HONG KONG ROASTED FOOD
383 Upper Aljunied Road Teck Huat Eating House SINGAPORE 367868.
Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 9.00 pm

Monday, May 25, 2015

Zhen Ming Pork Ribs Prawn Noodle : Traditional Taste

This stall has been around for quite a while, they started at Tampines then moved to Serangoon and to the current location. I was there at about 12.30 pm on a weekday and there was a queue of a few people right in front of the stall. 

There are quite a few selection available, starting from Prawn Noodle ($2.50/$3/$4), Pork Ribs Prawn Noodle ($3/$3/$5), Pork Ribs Noodle ($3/$4/$5), Pig's Tail Noodle ($4/$5) and Lor Mee ($2.50/$3/$4). I went for Prawn Noodle at $4 and Pork Ribs Prawn Noodle at $5. Just right after i placed my orders, only 2 more bowls were left as i saw Auntie got ready those 'SOLD OUT' tags and was about to put it out. As i ordered both at the largest portion, it was served in an oval shaped bowl rather than the usual round one. Auntie suggested i should have a saucer of dark sauce with red cut chilli and light soya sauce for the other one since i ordered 2 portions. She asked whether i would want to have it with fried shallots and fried pork lards before she scooped them onto the soup spoon and placed it on the saucers of red cut chilli.



Auntie arranged everything neatly on the tray for me to bring to the table and she asked me to come back for the other bowl of soup later. She even called out to the cleaner that happened to be standing in front of me to be watchful and not to knock against me. I was a bit amazed when she said thank you in english when i came back for that bowl of soup.


For the $4 Prawn Noodle, it is served with 4 pieces of prawns together with a few stalks of green, few slices of lean meat and fish cake. Though i requested to have extra amount of chilli added but the level of spiciness was just comforting. The spoonful of dried shallots and fried pork lards added just a bit of flavor as the fried pork lards were not as crispy and not as fragrant. The rest of the ingredients tasted very fresh particularly those few pieces of prawns. 


The mee pok was abit too soft to my liking and not as springy as expected to be. The soup was still good even though the prawn flavor was not as intense. 


If you look at it carefully, they made an effort to remove the shell from the centre part of the prawn so you do not need to dirty your hands to remove it yourself. Such thoughtfulness is definitely commendable. 


The $5 portion of Pork Ribs Prawn Noodle came with quite a few pieces of pork ribs and 2 pieces of prawns, a few slices of pig's skin and greens. Auntie was saying that pig's skins were given for free as it is not usually included in it. The softness of those pork ribs was amazingly good, it was so soft that it came off the bone effortlessly. Even for those pig's skin, i did not have an intention to eat it initially as i am not a fan but i started to like it after eaten the first piece.


The texture of mee pok was the same, a little too soft and lacking of springiness. I actually this to be in the soup but Auntie heard it wrongly i suppose.



And what exactly distinguish them from other Prawn Noodles has to be their broth. They added in ingredients like pork ribs, pig skins, red dates, prawn shells and also a chicken. Instead using the rock sugar, they replaced with black sugarcane from Malaysia to give the broth a delightful natural sweetness. 


ZHEN MING PORK RIBS PRAWN NOODLE
Block 162 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-04 Mayflower Food Centre SINGAPORE 560162.
Operating Hours: 8 am to 1 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Yellow Submarines Cheesesteak : The Better Cheesesteak Experience

After the absolutely disappointing experience at The Cheese Steak Soup located at Kallang Wave Mall, i am still on the hunt for the best possible Cheesesteak in Singapore. And, it brought me to Yellow Submarines at Toa Payoh Central. I was there slightly after lunch on a Saturday, the place was not as crowded as expected. The ordering counter is at the level 1. You are expected to place your order and made your payment right there. A receipt will be given with a number stated on it and that shall be your collection number when it flashes on the LED panel. 

There are quite a few sets on the menu board for selection. I went for the Yellow Submarine Classic (Set 1) set meal for $9.90 and Philly Submarine (set 2) set meal for $10.90. You could choose to have beef or chicken and i opted for the beef for both sets. Cheese fries and drinks are included in the set. You are expected to collect your drink first then the rest later. 


The number flashed in a bit on the LED panel for collection. The cheese fries were served in a paper cups and the sandwiches were nicely wrapped.


The cheese fries though not particularly crispy, it did not turn too soggy either even after left for a while. It was served with a generous amount of cheese sauce and quite a bit left over at the bottom of the paper cup even when done eating with those fries.



Yellow Submarine Classic consists of thin slices of beef Sirlon served with their specially blended cheese sauce and caramelised onions in a bread roll. First impression was the cheese sauce tasted a little like those made from powdery cheese rather similar to that particular type of cheese sauce for Cheese Fries. I liked the beef slices much more as compared to those shredded beef used in those sandwiches mentioned in that disappointing experience.  The beef slices here were bigger, juicer and tender. A good amount of Cheese was added with a rather tomato-ish sauce.

For $9.90 a set, i felt it is rather good value as compared to the $34 for 2 sandwiches, 2 drinks and 2 sides mentioned in this unacceptable experience







Could you see the amount of cheese in it as compared to this? Now, tell me which one would you choose? I guess the answer is rather obvious.


Their Philly Submarine ($7.90) was overall acceptable. It is only $10.90 if you order it as a set. The options for their sets include the beef too and not just chicken.


A substantial portion of same beef Sirlon slices and caramelised onions together with provolone cheese were sandwiched in between the bread roll. You could even see the cheese slowly pulled apart in the sandwich. I strongly felt that cheesesteak can never be called a cheesesteak is not enough amount of cheese is added to be so. Would you even bother to try if you have to pay an extra for more cheese to be added or ask for cheese sauce to make it a cheesesteak? I believe in paying for what it is truly worth and not topping it up with extra cash just to get what you expected it to be. 


More pictures of the Philly Submarine. What an appetising sight with cheese shown in the sandwich in all these pictures. 





A rather big slice of beef spotted in this picture.



Though not addicted yet but i gotta be caution as habit is slowly forming to loving their cheesesteaks.


This might not be the best cheesesteak that i ever tasted but it was much better than the other that i tried in Singapore. If you too, craving for cheesesteak then perhaps you should give Yellow Submarines a try and totally forget about going elsewhere unless you want to have a bad experience




YELLOW SUBMARINES CHEESESTEAK
Block 177 Toa Payoh Central #01-110 Singapore 310177.
Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 10.30 pm