Li Na Fishball Noodle : Bak Chor Mee cooked by an Indian

Jeevan Ananthan, 28, started the stall with May Leena Krishnan, 29, his fiancee, in August 2019. The stall is named after the Chinese name of Leena. He is likely to be the first Indian cooking Bak Chor Mee and Fishball Noodle in a coffee shop. There is an Indian-Chinese man serving the traditional Teochew-style Fishball Noodle in a coffee shop at Commonwealth Crescent. There is also a Chinese lady serving Malay-style Biryani at Circuit Road Food Centre. 

Jeevan used to be an Investment Banker for a few years and Leena was a Digital Marketer before deciding to start the hawker stall doing their part to preserve the hawker culture. Jeevan is the main chef and he was trained by an experienced hawker imparting the basic techniques to him. He developed the recipes for the braised mushroom, chilli paste, and the sauces. 

The menu consists of Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle ($3.50/$4.50), Signature Noodle ($4.50), Fishball Noodle ($3/$4) and Fishball/Fish Dumpling Soup ($3/$4). They also have handmade Her Giao (Fish Dumpling) Noodle for $3/$4 and $5, the Fish Dumpling is also available at $0.70 per piece or $2.00 for 3 pieces. 

I ordered the large portion of Mushroom Minced Mear Noodle and added 3 pieces of Fish Dumplings. It was served with a good portion of mee pok with braised mushroom, minced meat, sliced meat, and meatballs, topped with crispy lard and chopped spring onion.

My dining companion took a mouthful and said, "This is pretty good. The chilli and vinegar have a good balance. The texture of mee pok was cooked just right." He then took a piece of the Fish Dumpling and said, "Did they handmade it? It is surprisingly good." 

The queue was still long during lunch.

LI NA FISHBALL NOODLE

Block 116 Toa Payoh Lorong 2 SINGAPORE 310116

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 7.00 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

Old World Bakuteh : Mixed Pig's Organ Fried Porridge, must try

Chef Jemmy Yeo, the co-owner, started this stall with his partner in November 2019 at a coffee shop near Yishun MRT. He is a Peranakan chef that has been based in Singapore for the past 2 decades. He started cooking after getting inspired by his grandmother. Other than Bak Kut Teh ($6.00), the Mixed Pig's Organ Fried Porridge ($5.00) is another popular item. Fried Porridge is not commonly found in Singapore, the other one is by Dynasty Fried Porridge at Foch Road. I ordered the Fried Porridge with Braised Small Intestines ($5.00). Jemmy was there to take my order.

The porridge was already cooked with the dark soya sauce. He would then fried the porridge to infusing the flavor of dried shrimps and fried shallots upon order, adding in the ingredients like minced pork, leaned pork, small intestines, big intestines, liver, tau kwa cubes to the porridge then topped with fried shallots, chopped spring onions and a dash of white pepper to serve. The porridge was served hot and remained hot even after I took those pictures. This is a better Fried Porridge, a cheaper and tastier alternative as compared to the other one that I mentioned. 

The Braised Small Intestines were nicely done too, the texture was soft and not too chewy. 

I went back for the second time in a week to eat their Fried Porridge and Braised Small Intestines.

OLD WORLD BAKUTEH

Block 747 Yishun Street 72 Hiap Hoe Eating House SINGAPORE 760747

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 10.00 pm

Min Ji Laksa : homely food

This stall is one of those with a queue during lunch on a Sunday. The owner took over the stall from the original owner. There are only Laksa  ($3.50/$4.00/$5.00) and Mee Rebus ($2.50/$3.50) on the menu. Most of the customers ordered their Laksa and I decided to do that as well. I joined the queue and waited for about 5 minutes before ordering. 

I ordered the $3.50 portion, it was served with a good portion of thick bee hoon together with fresh-tasting ingredients a piece of half-boiled egg, cockles, slices of fish cake and tau pok with a handful of beansprouts. The gravy was light with a hint of dried shrimps and coconut milk. This homely taste is quite enjoyable. 

MIN JI LAKSA

Block 29 Bendemeer Road #01-31 Bendemeer Food Centre SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian : the soup Bak Chor Mee

This soup version of Bak Chor Mee is a popular choice, particularly in Bedok. There are only a handful of stalls serving this type of Bak Chor Mee and 3 of them are in Feng Shan Food Centre, this is one of the stalls. This stall has been around since 1968 and is amongst the most famous ones. Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee, their direct competitor is just beside but it was closed on that day. There is also Ah Poh Minced Meat Noodles in the same food centre. At this stall, there is a selection of $3.00 and $4.00.

My dining companion asked, "Which is the best amongst them?" I tried the one from Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee once and it tasted quite alike. I did not try the Ah Poh Minced Meat Noodles though. 

This is a simplified version of Bak Chor Mee with just a portion of thin egg noodles with minced pok and meatballs served in the lightly flavored pork broth. It is just no-frills comfort food.

XING JI ROU CUO MIAN

Block 85 Bedok North Street 4 #01-07 Feng Shan Food Centre SINGAPORE 460085

Operating Hours: 12.30 pm to 12.30 am (Closed on Thursdays)

Ghim Guan Fried Oyster : one of the nicest Fried Oyster

I did not expect to see this stall opened for lunch on a Sunday. It is usually closed as they only start in the evening. I have to try their Fried Oyster for the first time. "I heard there is a famous Fried Oyster here. Are you the one?" Auntie just smiled but did not acknowledge. There are 4 sizes for selection, the $4 for the smallest followed by the $6, $8 and then $10. I decided to go with the $8 portion. There are also Oyster Omelette ($6, $8, $10 and $12) and Fried Carrot Cake ($3, $4 and $5). Auntie asked for my table number. I pointed to the table right at the corner. She delivered it in just a while, with 2 pairs of chopsticks and 3 saucers of chilli.

My dining companion took a bite and he nodded, "This Fried Oyster is definitely one of the nicer ones that I have eaten. Though not as crispy as the Simon Road Fried Oyster but the egg is fried well to crispiness with a nice eggy taste." There is a good balance of egg and batter. The oysters tasted fresh and quite plump. 

I went back to the stall to tell Auntie. I said, "The Fried Oyster is really good. The stall is usually closed when I was here. " Mr Ang, the owner, heard it. He said, "We only open in the evening but there are some orders today so we opened earlier. You can follow our Facebook and we will update there if there is a change in our off-day."

This is so good, definitely amongst one of the best in Singapore.

GHIM GUAN FRIED OYSTER

79 Circuit Road #01-60 Circuit Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 370079

Operating Hours: 5.30 pm to 10.30 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)