Thursday, September 27, 2018

Ah Ma Lor Mee : by the third generation of Feng Zhen Lor Mee

If you ask me what is the dish that I missed most when away from Singapore, it has to be none other than Lor Mee. I even bother to travel all over Singapore just to taste those recommended choices.

This stall is located in a coffee shop just a stone's throw away from Clementi MRT Station. It is helmed by the third generation of popular Feng Zhen Lor Mee at Taman Jurong Food Centre, using the same recipe. The menu includes Lor Mee ($3.50), Fish Lor Mee ($4.50), Prawn Mee ($3.50) and Prawn Rolls ($3.50). I decided to go with Fish Lor Mee with additional shredded fish and fried meatballs for $6.00. There are garlic paste, chilli paste, coriander and red cut chilli at the counter for self-service.


It came with a good portion of flat yellow noodles with ingredients like braised meat, braised egg, fishcake, fried meatballs, and shredded fish. The braised sauce is thick and quite flavorful, it did not turn watery at the end of it. 


This is good but I still think Feng Zhen Lor Mee is better, but even so, this is definitely amongst the better ones around. 


AH MA LOR MEE
Block 328 Clementi Avenue 2 SINGAPORE 120328
Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

Monday, September 24, 2018

Lucky Wanton Noodle : the familiar taste

I started eating at this food centre a decade ago as I used to work in the vicinity. This is one of those stalls that I have been eating since then as it has been in this food centre for a long time. Another stall that is still around is the nasi lemak stall manned by an elderly couple. The nasi lemak set comes with either chicken wing or chicken drumstick and I always go with the latter option. I always got the freshly fried chicken drumstick as I am one of the regulars. They usually sold out before 1 pm or earlier. Some of the other stalls have already closed including a stall manned by an elderly lady serving Shredded Chicken Noodle but it is long gone. There was a carrot cake manned by an elderly man with his son and it is gone too. There was also a dessert stall right at the corner of the row facing the MRT station is gone too, the stall used to serve one of the nicest chng teng.

This stall is still manned by Mr Ng, the same owner. He started helping his father when he was 9 years old before eventually taking over the business for more than 40 years and counting. The queue was much shorter when I was there after 2 pm. There were just another 2 customers in front. My usual order is always the Wanton Mee at $3. I added $1 for extra wanton and $1.50 for braised chicken feet as I was quite hungry. The lady that is taking the orders can be quite impatient if you are not able to give a specific order. I was asked by the owner in Hokkien whether I want it with preserved green chili which I replied "want" in Hokkien. It was placed on the tray together with the bowl of wanton soup. 


He used to make the Char Siew but has since stopped doing so. Those pieces of char siew were thinly sliced, not too dry but just average tasting. Those braised chicken feet were nice, it was amongst the best that I have eaten. It was braised till the desired softness and quite flavorful too. The nicely cooked noodles were served with dark sauce and chilli, like the Kuala Lumper style wanton mee. 


The well-seasoned minced meat of the wanton has got a distinct dried sole fish flavor, firmly wrapped together and served in the lightly flavored soup.


This is not the best Wanton Mee but that familiar taste is comforting. 


LUCKY WANTON NOODLE
6 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #02-32 Tanjong Pagar Food Centre SINGAPORE 081006
Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 7.00 pm (Daily)

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Jin Fu Hainanese Chicken Rice : worth a try

I went on a Sunday to have chicken rice at this stall. The owner remembered me. He said, "You were sitting in front of my stall about 2 weeks ago and you were taking pictures then." I was amazed by his good memory. I replied, "I was actually looking for a Hainanese chicken rice stall by the name of 金福 with a red signboard but could not find and only realized much later that it might be your stall."  The owner said, "We are located just beside the bak kwa stall." That bak kwa stall is New Eastern Kim Tee Dried Pork & Minced Pork, I bought 500 grams of the original flavor for $24.00 after lunch.

I ordered half of the roasted chicken with liver and 2 plates of rice. While waiting for it to be ready, I told the owner that a friend recommended his roast chicken. I asked, "How long have you been running this stall?" He replied, "About 3 years now." I helped myself with the chilli, they do not have the minced ginger paste but the dark sauce is available. I paid a total of $14.00.


My dining companion said, "The skin is really flavorful, quite thin with a slight crispiness. The meat is moist but the breast part did not have much flavor." I do like the texture of the rice, it is grainy and not as greasy, it also has a nice fragrance. 


There was a constant flow of customers and most of these customers ordered the roast chicken too. The taste actually reminded me of another chicken rice stall at Toa Payoh Central which I have been eating quite often.


JIN FU HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE
Block 210 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 #01-68 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Food Centre SINGAPORE 310210
Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 7.00 pm

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Wang Mei (Chin Ji) Soya Bean : the decades-old goodness

This stall has been in this food centre for more than 30 years, manned by an elderly couple. The Grass Jelly, Grass Jelly Drink, Soya Beancurd, and Soya Bean Drink are still making at the stall. There are 2 sizes for the drink, the small cup at $1.00 and the big cup at $1.20. The Grass Jelly and Soya Bean Curd are priced at $1.50 each. There was a younger guy manning the stall when I was there. I ordered the big cup of Grass Jelly Drink and Soya Bean Drink. He asked, "Less sweet?". I replied, "I like it sweeter." He said, "Most people wanted it less sweet but there are some that prefer sweeter." I told him that a friend recommended it. He smiled and said, "Thank you." The Soya Bean Milk was left just a bit slightly after 1 pm on a Sunday and the Grass Jelly Drink was also finishing. 


The Grass Jelly Drink tasted different from the others out there, it has a comforting homemade taste. There is a rather mild, slightly bitter taste that reminded me of my late mother. She used to buy a block of grass jelly, shredded it and boiled it with sugar. I was telling my dining companion that it has "妈妈的味道". I also told him that this is one of the better Grass Jelly Drinks that I ever tasted. I lost my mother when I was 10 years old and that was part of the memories that I had of her.

The Soya Bean Drink has a thick and creamy taste, an extra amount of syrup was added for a slight sweetness as requested. 


WANG MEI (CHIN JI) SOYA BEAN
Block 210 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 #01-27 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Food Centre SINGAPORE 310210
Operating Hours: 5.30 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Monday, September 17, 2018

Penang Seafood Restaurant : Assam Laksa, a must-try

We came across this restaurant while going to Kwong Cheong Thye to get the ingredients for making mooncake. When we were browsing the menu, a friendly lady approached us. She said, "Table for 2? We are famous for the Assam Laksa and Penang Fried Kway Teow. We used to be at the opposite before moving here." She continued to say, "We are celebrating our 10th anniversary by offering a 20% discount for the food items from 11 am to 4 pm on Monday to Friday till the end of the month."


I decided to go with Assam Laksa, there are 2 sizes, the small portion is at $4.80 and the big portion is $5.80. The same lady was taking our orders, she asked, "Small or big portion?". She pointed at the table next to us and said, "That is the big portion. I can finish it by myself." I opted for the bigger portion. My dining companion ordered the Penang Fried Kway Teow ($5.00) and he requested to have it without chili. We also ordered Prawn Paste Chicken ($12) to share. We also ordered a canned drink ($2.00) and Lime Juice ($2.50). I wanted to order coffee but was told they are using the 3-in-1 instant coffee. 



The canned drink and Lime Juice came right after.


The Assam Laksa came first. There were some reviews stated that this is probably the best Assam Laksa in Singapore. I eagerly took a mouthful. It was flavorful, spicy and tangy. It would be even better if they are using the right type of noodles, those that are thicker and chewier and not using the thick bee hoon. 



The Penang Fried Kway Teow was not as good as expected. The chilli was omitted as requested, it did not taste as savory as expected. They might have replaced it with the usual dark sauce as it actually tasted like the local style fried kway teow. It was stir-fried with ingredients like cockles, lup cheong, and prawn with a handful of bean sprouts.



Those pieces of Prawn Paste Chicken were nicely fried to the desired crispiness but the prawn paste taste was not as intense. 


I am likely to come back for their Assam Laksa if happen to be in the vicinity.


PENANG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
32 Aljunied Road SINGAPORE 389817
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 11.55 pm (Daily)

Friday, September 14, 2018

Fatburger Singapore : disappointing experience

Fatburger, an iconic burger from Hollywood that founded by Lovie Yancey in 1952 has recently opened its door in Singapore. Moe Ibrahim, CEO of Deelish Brands tied up with FAT Brands, a US franchise company to secure the franchise rights to bring in the Fatburger to Singapore. The first location is Kinex Mall, the former OneKM Mall and the other location is Velocity in Novena Square at the end of September. 

Every burger comes with mustard, pickles, relish, onions, mayo, lettuce, and tomatoes, which is part of "The Works". It can be customized by adding beef bacon, cheese, onion rings, eggs, BBQ sauce, thousand island dressing, and even American-style chili. It was mentioned by the CEO during his interview with the lifestyle section of The Business Times that they work with a local butcher to prepare the ground beef according to their specifications. They also import high-quality beef and grind it twice to achieve the desired fat content. It was also mentioned that every Fatburger is lean and they are also working with a local baker to deliver fresh brioche and wholemeal buns daily. Every meal is supposed to cook-to-order using the freshest ingredients and traditional cooking methods using the chilled and not frozen beef with a ration of 80 percent lean meat to 20 percent fat. You are able to choose from brioche, wholemeal and gluten-free buns.

The burger comes in different sizes from Single ($7.90), Double ($10.90), Triple ($13.50) and Quad ($15.90). There is also Skinny Burger ($7.50) that replaced the buns with patties and Western BBQ Burger ($9.90) that came with onion rings and beef bacon with BBQ sauce. There are choices of Fat Fries ($3.90), Skinny Fries ($3.90), Sweet Potato Fries ($5.90), Onion Rings ($5.90) and Chili Cheese Fries ($5.90) for sides. The add-on items like beef bacon, cheese, onions rings, and eggs are available at $1 each. An option is available to top up $4 to make it a meal which includes free-flow of soft drinks and a choice of fries.

Fatburger is co-branded with Buffalo's Express for its chicken wings and sandwiches. There is the selection of Bone-In Wings (from $5.90 for 6 pieces), Boneless Chicken (from $8.50 for 6 pieces), and Chicken Tenders (from $6.50 for 3 pieces). There are Crispy Chicken ($7.90) and Grilled Chicken ($7.90) for sandwiches. There are a total of 7 sauces to go with starting from Death Valley, Hot, Cajun, Thai Sweet Chilli, Teriyaki, BBQ, Lemon Pepper or simply have it plain. 


We ordered the Single Burger with Sweet Potato Fries and Soft Drink and Double Burger with Onion Rings and Strawberry Milkshake as well as Bone-In Buffalo Wings (6 pieces) for a total of $39.10. The service was personalized. They asked for your name and even have it printed on the receipt and they will call you by name when they served it to your table.

The Strawberry Milkshake is made with hand-scooped ice-cream but it is not as thick and creamy as expected to be. The other flavors are Cholocate, Vanilla, and Oreo. 


The first bite was a disappointment. The patties were so well-done thus it tasted dry. Having paid so much, I expected it to be better. Shake Shack has always cooked their patties at medium when it comes to the degree of doneness, which is different than most of its competitors. 



My dining companion said, "It reminded me of the Double Whopper that I had at Burger King just recently. The patties were equally dry. This type of quality is more acceptable at a cheaper price. It does not quite make sense to pay so much for such a lousy burger." He continued to say, "I would rather go to Macdonald's and order one of those burgers listed in their Signature Collection, it is cheaper and tastier." He said, "This is so not worth it and probably one of those overrated meals that I had had."


The Double Burger was equally disappointing. I have tasted it before when I was in Macau, it was much better then. I hope this is a one-off due to the probable inconsistency as they are newly opened and still adjusting. 



The onion rings are made from scratch daily, it is dipped into their special batter and fried to perfect crispiness but a little too greasy. 


When I asked for the recommendation, I was told that Bone-In Buffalo Wings are the classic choice. I opted to have it with the hot sauce. The heat was quite mild and it was tasty, the carrot and celery sticks that served along were a bit dry though still crunchy.


Overall, this newly opened burger joint somewhat reminded me of Wendy's and they did not quite make it in Singapore. 


FAT BURGER
11 Tanjong Katong Road #01-70/71/72 Kinex SINGAPORE 437157
Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

[Japan] Shake Shack : my favorite fast food joint

Shake Shack is likely to be coming to Singapore. If you wonder what exactly is Shake Shack, it is a fast-growing American fast food restaurant chain based in New York City. It started out as a humble food cart outside Madison Square Park in 2001 serving only hot dogs and it moved to a food stand in 2004, it included burgers, hot dogs, fries and milkshakes to its menu. It has over 170 outlets in America and overseas. It is rumored to be opening at the upcoming Jewel Changi Airport in early 2019. 

I had it for lunch when I was in Tokyo just recently. There are a total of 9 outlets in Japan and 5 of them are located in Tokyo. I went to the outlet at Ebisu in Tokyo. The restaurant was almost full during lunch on a weekday. I ordered their signature Shack Stack, ShackBurger, Crinkle Fries, Strawberry Milkshake, and the Shack-made Lemonade. Their beverage menu is customized to the local flavors of the city, just like the special Hong Kong Milk Tea Shake together with 3 different Hong Kong style frozen yogurt desserts at their outlet in Hong Kong.


The Strawberry Milkshake is thick and creamy with a well-balanced sweetness. Their milkshakes have been reviewed as one of the best. The Shack-made Lemonade consists of Shack-made syrup in original or featured flavor. The featured flavor then was raspberry. 


ShackBurger comes with single or double Angus beef patties topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce, sandwiched between the potato buns. It is a no-frill cheeseburger that done really well. The quality of ingredients determines the taste of the burger which set apart a great burger from a mediocre one. The ShackSauce is none other than mayonnaise, dijon mustard, ketchup, cayenne pepper and pickle juice put together. 


Shack Stack is actually the combination of Cheeseburger and Shroom Burger. It consists of an Angus beef patty and a deep-fried breaded portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheese. It was placed on a melted cheese then topped with lettuce. tomato and the ShackSauce, sandwiched in between the potato flour buns. 


The Crinkle Fries is one of the popular items on their menu, it is the must-order to go along with their burgers.


I am eagerly waiting for their opening in Singapore. 


SHAKE SHACK
Ebisu Minami 1-6 Shibuya-ku Tokyo JAPAN
Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Tiong Bahru Lien Fa Shui Jing Pau : the decades-old traditional snack

This is one of the stalls that originated from the Seng Poh Road Market that was opened in January 1951 before its demolition in 2004 and it is later renamed to Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre. They are famous for their steamed crystal dumplings that are not commonly found these days. There are only 3 types of fillings available, namely yam paste, sweet bean, and turnip. They are made in batches but always sold out pretty quickly, the next batch will have to wait up to an hour or so. It is priced at $0.60 for each dumpling during my last visit.


The skin of these bite-sized dumplings is slightly chewy and is translucent, it is very thin that you could actually see the filling through it and even so, it does not break easily. My favorite has to be the turnip dumplings as it goes really well with the accompanied chilli. The other 2 fillings are the sweet ones.

They are likely to be the only stall that is still handmade these traditional snacks in Singapore.


TIONG BAHRU LIEN FA SHUI JING PAU
120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-10 Alexandra Village Food Centre SINGAPORE 150120
Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 3.00 pm

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Lai Heng Fried Kway Teow at Sembawang Hills Food Centre

This stall has been in this food centre for quite a while, serving Fried Kway Teow ($3/$4) and Banana Leaf Mackerel Otah ($1). They are related to another stall at Shunfu Mart and that stall used to be at the already demolished Lakeview Food Centre along Thomson Road. It is supposed to be manned by the father and sister. The last time when I was there, it was cooked by a lady. It was served in a few minutes. The kway teow were in broken pieces and some were rather charred and dry. I actually thought the portion was pre-cooked then left it in the wok and they just re-fried it to heat up a little before serving it. I did not go back after that. I heard that the father with his 40 years of experience fries very good Fried Kway Teow though. I was at the food centre a few times but did not get to see his father at the wok.

The experience at this stall in Sembawang Hills Food Centre was better. It is one of those stalls that will still serve it to you after ordering. The portion was quite generous even for the smaller serving at $3. It was served with ingredients like cockles, egg, lap cheong with a handful of bean sprouts. It was moist and not overly greasy but not as flavorful as expected to be and it did not have much smoky wok flavor. I did not find any lard amongst it. 



The Banana Leaf Mackerel Otah is an interesting side dish. It was nicely seasoned with a mild spiciness. 


Though I have been in this food centre quite often for lunch, this is not amongst the regular choices. It is getting difficult to find a good Fried Kway Teow these days.


LAI HENG FRIED KWAY TEOW
590 Upper Thomson Road #01-15 Sembawang Hills Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 5.00 pm (Daily)

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Xiang Rui Gourmet at Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre

This was one of the stalls that got a queue during lunch so I decided to join in. I went ahead to order a Century Egg Porridge ($3) added with an egg ($0.50) and You Tiao ($0.60). I also ordered the small portion of Spring Onion & Ginger Pork Liver at $5, the larger portion is available at $8. While waiting, there were more people joining the queue to order. 

The Century Egg Porridge was ready first, it was garnished with chopped spring onions and fried shallots with pieces of you tiao. I waited for another few minutes for the Spring Onion & Ginger Pork Liver to be ready.


The porridge was rather grainy, not quite smooth but it was quite comforting. 


The Spring Onion & Ginger Pork Liver was quite tasty. I wish those slices of pork liver were in bigger and thicker pieces. Those pork liver were sliced a little too thin and that might be the likely reason that caused it to be overcooked. 



This is a good choice for lunch when the choices are quite limited in this food centre.


XIANG RUI GOURMET
110 Pasir Ris Central #01-08 Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre SINGAPORE 519641