SweeT.Rex : Souffle pancakes

This stall is not to be missed if you are looking for an affordable option for souffle pancake, a Japanese-style pancake. Cassandra Lim, 43, is running the stall with her husband. It used to be at Mei Ling Food Centre before moving to Alexandra Village Food Centre. The choices include $4 for 2 pieces of the freshly made pancake with topping sauce and $5 for 2 pieces with topping sauce and ice-cream. They adjusted the prices after moved here. There is chocolate, strawberry and caramel sauce to choose. There are also Lemon Chocolate Cheese Cake, Homemade Milk Pudding and Homemade T-Rex Snack Bar on their menu.

I ordered a set of pancakes and was asked to choose the sauce. I was recommended to try the chocolate and caramel sauce. I was asked for the table number as it will be sent over later. The pancakes were served with icing sugar lightly scattered then drizzled with the sauces.

The pancakes are made from butter, eggs, milk, and flour. The egg whites were whipped into a meringue to achieve a lighter and fluffier texture despite the pancakes were of a certain thickness. It tasted quite close to what I had in Japan. 

SWEET.REX

120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-79 Alexandra Village Food Centre SINGAPORE 150120

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays & Fridays)

Xiang Jiang Soya Sauce Chicken : Shrimp Dumpling is nice

The owner used to work in the Raffles Hotel before starting a stall in Jit Poh Building at Keppel Road and relocating to Alexandra Village Food Centre. This has always been one of the popular stalls that have a queue even during the off-peak period, serving Hong Kong-style Soya Sauce Chicken. There are also Shrimp Wanton and Shrimp Dumpling to go with rice or noodles. 

The queue was long when I was there with my dining companion for lunch. He joined in the queue and waited for about 20 minutes before getting to order. He was supposed to order the Chicken Drumstick Noodle ($5.00) and Shrimp Dumpling Soup ($4.50) but decided to take away a half portion of the Soya Sauce Chicken after queued up for so long. The Shrimp Dumpling was sold out right after he ordered. 

To start, lightly tossed the noodles with the braised sauce underneath and mixed it with the chilli. It was not bad but not as memorable as some of the other Soya Sauce Chicken that I have tried. The braised sauce was slightly salty and not as fragrant as I liked it to be. 

I enjoyed the Shrimp Dumpling though. The massive dumpling consists of a whole piece of prawn each together with minced meat, black fungus, and bits of water chestnut. 

It is usually sold out before 2 pm.

XIANG JIANG SOYA SAUCE CHICKEN

120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-77 Alexandra Village Food Centre SINGAPORE 150120

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Dover Road Kai Kee Wanton Noodle : the old-fashioned taste

This stall started at the now-defunct Dover Road Market, near to the Fairfield Methodist School before moving to Alexandra Village Food Centre in 2011. It has been around for more than 3 decades, serving old-school wanton mee. The menu includes the Wanton Mee, Dumpling Mee, Shredded Chicken Mee, Wanton Soup and Dumpling Soup at $3.00/$3.50. I decided to order the larger portion of Wanton Mee ($3.50) and added $1 for extra wanton and $1 for dumpling, serving along with slices of chae siew and some leafy greens. 

My dining companion said, "I do not like it. I prefer Cai Ji Wanton Mee at Bishan. And, I prefer the dumpling to wanton." The wantons were like the old-school type, the lightly seasoned filling was loosely encased in a wrapper. The dumplings tasted about the same but bigger in the size. I did not like the char siew much, it was too lean and slightly dry. The noodles were nicely cooked to the desired springiness and served in the concoction of oyster sauce, sesame oil, lard oil, and chilli. 

It somewhat reminded me of the wanton mee from Nam Seng Noodle House at Far East Square that used to be at the front of the old National Library. The lightly flavored soup was mainly just the taste of soy sauce and pepper, garnished with chopped spring onion. 

This is a simple, old-school tasting wanton mee that brought forth the nostalgic taste of the yesteryear. 

DOVER ROAD KAI KEE WANTON NOODLE

120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-09 Alexandra Village Food Centre SINGAPORE 150120

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Shanghai La Mian Xiao Long Bao at Alexandra Village Food Centre

Zhang You Zhu, the owner and Zhao Guilan, his wife, came from Nanjing and have been in Singapore for more than 10 years. Her husband was a chef in Nan Jing before moving to Singapore and worked in a restaurant for about 10 years before starting their stall in 2011.

The queue started to form even before the stall was ready as their operating hours start from 11.30 am. I joined the queue and waited for a while ordering. I decided to go with Xiao Long Bao ($4.50) and Szechuan Spicy Wanton ($10 pieces for $4.50). 

Xiao Long Bao, typically means Little Dragon Bun, is supposed to be originated from Nan Jing. It is a steamed pork dumpling with minced pork as filling and encased in the handmade skin. We were served lukewarm dumplings that might have already steamed ahead to get them ready for the order. We did not like it as we were expecting it to be better after spotted the article from KF Seetoh of Makansutra dated 7 October 2013.

Szechuan Spicy Wanton is none other than poached dumplings served in chilli oil, it tasted more sourish than spicy but quite light and not too oily. It is quite good value for such a dish from a hawker stall. 

SHANGHAI LA MIAN XIAO LONG BAO

Block 120 Bukit Merah Lane #01-56 Alexandra Village Food Centre SINGAPORE 150123

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Yang Zhou Hokkien Sotong Mee : formerly from Beo Crescent

Uncle Lim, the owner, started his stall at Block 40 Beo Crescent and was there for 3 decades before moving to the current location in September 2016 leaving the previous stall to someone else. I did not get to eat it when they were there. While queuing, I quietly observed how the elderly Uncle frying the noodles and he would look up occasionally and to ask for the order then continuously frying the mixture of yellow noodles and thick bee hoon. I decided to go with the smallest portion at $4. There are also the $5 and $6 portions available. 

The Hokkien Mee is different, the texture is much drier as compared to most of those out there as the noodles were nicely fried to give it a charred flavor rather than just braising in stock. He used to be doing so using charcoal fire over at Beo Crescent but no longer doing so as they are not able to use charcoal in this coffee shop. Sua Lor prawns were used together with squid, bean sprouts and egg as the ingredients.

This is a simple yet satisfying Fried Hokkien Mee though not the best that I have tasted but it is good enough. 

YANG ZHOU HOKKIEN SOTONG MEE

Block 127 Bukit Merah Lane 1 SINGAPORE 150127

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Hong Kong Yummy Soup : healthier soup choices

This stall was awarded a Bib Gourmand distinction in the MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2018. The owners are a Cantonese couple originated from Hong Kong. The awareness of healthy eating has brought forth the demand for such healthy soups and that was further proven by the long queue in front of the stall waiting for it to be ready at 12 pm.

The menu only consists of 6 types of soups : Spareribs Soup with Lotus Root ($3.50), Spareribs Soup with Winter Melon ($3.50), Brazilian Mushroom Soup with Snow Fungus ($4.50), Spareribs Soup with Mushroom ($3.50), Cordyceps Flower Soup with Chicken ($4.50) and Night-blooming Cereus Spareribs Soup ($3.50). There are also Steamed Pork Ribs ($3.50) and Pumpkin Steamed Minced Meat ($3.00) as a side order, rice is $0.50 per serving. The soups are made from scratch with no MSG together with specially selected ingredients that have different health benefits like replenishing nutrients, acting as a detox cleanser or removing the effects of humidity. I joined in and waited for about 15 minutes to order Brazillian Mushroom Soup with Snow Fungus and Spareribs Soup with Mushroom together with a bowl of rice. 

Spareribs Soup with Mushroom was light but full of ingredients like different types of mushroom, carrot chunks and spareribs. The texture of the spareribs was so tender. My dining companion said, "There is a strong yet refreshing mushroom flavor." 

The Brazillian Mushroom Soup with Snow Fungus is supposed to be good for the ladies and it is also good for the skin too. There was a chicken drumstick with Brazillian cap mushroom, white fungus, red date added to the soup. The soup tasted healthy and lightly flavored but the chicken drumstick was not soft enough yet. 

My dining companion said, "Their soups are different from the other stalls. They are one of the hawker stalls that are worthy of the Bib Gourmand distinction."

HONG KONG YUMMY SOUP

Block 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-51 Alexandra Village Food Centre SINGAPORE 151120

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 8.30 pm (Closed on Saturdays & Sundays)

Hor Fun Premium : Beef horfun

I was there for an early dinner, the food centre was quite quiet at that time and most of the stalls have already closed and I was left with limited choices. This was one of the stalls that got a short queue and the other one was Hong Kong Yummy Soup that was awarded a Bib Gourmand distinction in the MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2018.

After some thoughts, I decided to have horfun, it is my kind of comfort food. It is getting difficult to find a really good one these days. I joined in the queue without realising that those customers in front of me have already ordered. The uncle saw me, he looked towards my direction and was waiting for my order. I told him that I wanted to have Beef Horfun ($4.50). There are also choices of Mixed Horfun / Mui Fan ($4.50) and Sliced Fish Horfun / Mui Fan ($4.50) together with Pork Ribs Rice ($4.50), Ginger & Spring Onion Beef / Chicken ($4.50) and Prawn Paste Chicken ($8/$10/$12). 

There was a smokiness amidst the nicely charred horfun came with ingredients like sliced beef and greens in eggy gravy that was not too starchy nor too watery. It was good though not exceptionally so I would think it is still better than most out there.

I ordered my favorite avocado shake from Mr Avocado Exotic Fruit Juice to go along with it.

HOR FUN PREMIUM

120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-78 Alexandra Village Food Centre SINGAPORE 150120

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 2.30 pm / 5 to 8.30 pm (Daily)

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

Christmas Buffet at IKEA : A Pleasant Dinner

Where were you and what did you eat on the eve of Christmas? As for me, i went for the buffet dinner at IKEA. This was the second time, i was at the IKEA Tampines last year but decided to go to IKEA Alexandra this year. There was already a queue outside of the restaurant even before 5.30 pm. I overheard a conversation between their staff whether to allow 2 different groups coming in at the same time or having it a group at a time. The queue was rather systematic when we were allowed to enter at 5.25 pm. We were ushered to our table quickly. 

Rather quickly, queue started to form at the buffet table but it was moving rather quick even for those that just joined the queue did not have to wait for too long. 

There is a wide variety of dishes like Turkey, Honey Baked Ham, Baked Smoked Salmon, Gratin with Marinated Hering, Baked Meatballs, Sausages, Salads, Log Cakes and more.

Most of the food items tasted quite average but their Honey Baked Ham tasted rather stale, i left it uneaten. For just $30 per pax with a $10 IKEA voucher given, i have nothing to complain. 

IKEA ALEXANDRA

317 Alexandra Road SINGAPORE 159965

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 11.00 pm

Keng Eng Kee Seafood : Recommended Zi Char Place

It started from their forefathers, Low Peck Yah and Koh Yok Jong that travelled from Hainan Island of China to Singapore in the 1950s. They were determined to use their authentic Hainanese cooking skills to serve delectable local delights to the Chinese community then. They started by selling Hainanese Chicken Rice in a small coffee shop at Old Havelock Road and by using the freshest ingredients coupled with their excellent culinary skills, their business expanded to include a zi char stall in the 1970s. 

Their elder daughter, Koh Liang Hong and their employed chef, Liew Choy was taking charge of this Zi Char stall and eventually, they got married. This led to the Keng Eng Kee Seafood (KEK) now after moving from the the already demolished Havelock Road Food Centre to its current location, and expanded from a hawker stall to take over the whole coffee shop. They are a family run business and the authentic culinary skill has now handed over to the next generation, it is helmed by Chef Wayne Liew. His elder brother, Paul Liew is taking charge of the operations. 

Stir-fried Mee Sua at $5, $8, $12 or $16. Though it might be just a simple dish but it is not easy to di it well particularly to keep the mee sua intact without broken them into pieces. There was a slight hint of wok hei with quite a bit of ingredients added to worth the $5 for this smallest plate.

Moonlight Horfun at $5, $8, $12 and $16 is one of their signature dishes that you do not quite get it in other zi char stalls. It was stir-fried well to give it an aromatic wok hei but a little too greasy. It is served with an egg yolk cracked in the middle of the dish and to start, give it a good stir to have it mixed well with the horfun so to coat it slightly for a smoother texture. 

Salted Sotong at $18, $28 and $38. It was well-fried to give it the crispiness before well coated with the creamy salted egg, it still tasted crispy even after left it for a while. This is definitely one of the better salted egg dishes that i ever tasted.

Another must-order has to be their Mingzhou Rolls at $9, $12 or $15. This dish is inspired and created by Madam Koh, the lady boss of KEK. It serves an alternative choice apart of the usual zi char fare and it has been chosen as one of the dishes featured in SG50 Deliciously Singaporean, specially dedicated to delicacies that is a part of the food heritage culture of Singapore. The roll is stuffed with salted egg yolk, ham, mushroom, prawn and parsley in a tau pok then deep-fried it to give it the delightful crispiness. You could eat it with the accompanied sauces though it is good enough to eat it on its own. 

They have just recently expanded to another branch at Pandan Gardens, this outlet has aircon and outdoor seating. Though the menu is quite similar but they are also introducing modern zi char dishes like Popcorn Crabs, Mango Prawns Rolls, Slated Egg Soft Shell Crab with Wok-fried Spaghetti, Seafood Platter with 3 different dips and many more.

KENG ENG KEE SEAFOOD

. Block 124 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-136 SINGAPORE 150124

. 200 Pandan Gardens #01-12 SINGAPORE 609336

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 2.30 pm / 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm