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)

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)

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

Ming's Prawn Noodle by a Gen-Y Hawker

Cai Jiaming, 26, started this hawker stall after graduated from At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy serving prawn noodle. He heads to Jurong Fishery Port almost every day as early as 3 am to select the freshest prawns before proceeding to the wet market to get the pork ribs then to his stall to start preparing the master stock to be used for the prawn noodle. Their menu is kept simple, there are prawn noodle and pork ribs noodles at $3.50 each, for dry and for soup version. There is also an option to have both the prawns and pork ribs at $5 per portion. 

I decided to go with the Pork Ribs Prawn Noodle. It was ready in just a bit, and I was asked to help myself with the fried lard, ground chilli powder, and the sliced red chilli. A packet of wet tissue was placed together with the bowls of noodles and soup on the tray. I requested for an extra amount of chilli to be added, and I topped it with 2 spoonfuls of the ground chilli powder together with a handful of fried lard.

The soup served hot, it tasted light and even so it was still flavorful with a slight prawny taste. As for the prawn noodle, it came with a good portion of yellow noodles that were cooked to the right texture, with 3 pieces of medium-sized prawns and 3 pieces of pork ribs together with bean sprouts and kang kong. The pork ribs were not as fatty, it has a thin layer of meat that was cooked to the desired tenderness. The prawns were rather plump and it tasted really fresh. 

It is heartening to see such a passionate young hawker in doing his part to contribute and preserve our hawker culture. 

MING'S PRAWN NOODLE

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

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

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

Jack Ripper : One of the Worst Burgers Eaten

The owner named this burger stall after one of the most known serial killers. This stall is located at the atas Salute Kopitiam together with Two Wings and Immanuel French Kitchen.

Their burgers listed on the menu are quite pricey : Fairy Fay ($16), Emma and Martha ($24), Mary Ann ($18), Annie ($18), Elizabeth ($18), Mary Jane ($12) and Catherine ($14). And, 5 of these burgers are named after the 5 victims of Jack the Ripper. This burger stall is a collaboration between Chef Nicolas Reynard and the son of the Koptitiam's owner. On the menu, it stated, "Our 'Juicy Lucy Style' Burgers are made of 100% natural ingredients, designed and create by Chef Nicolas Reynard'. For this, i was expecting these burger to be of certain standard. I decided to go with Mary Ann since i am such a big fan of bacon.

It took quite a while before my buzzer buzzed, at least a good 15 minutes wait even though i was the only customer at that time. The 2 cooks did not seem to be too experienced, in fact, they seemed to be a little clumsy when assembling the burger. This burger, as described on the menu, it is actually similar with their signature Fairy Fay, it consists of a 150 grams juicy beef patty with cheese, romaine lettuce, tomatos but with an additional of 3 slices of crispy bacon. And, all the burgers on their menu come with fries. 

First impression was the burger buns seemed to be a bit over toasted as the color was a bit too dark.

When inspecting the burger, the 3 slices of bacon were overcooked as the color gave it away. The texture was not crispy but hard with a distinct burnt taste that led to bitterness detected. The cheese was supposed to be oozing out as described on their menu but in fact, it was dry and sticked on to the beef patty. The beef patty was not too firm and tasted quite bland as well. Those fries were just normal.

This is one of the worst burgers that i have ever eaten, crazily bad. I wonder why did they even bother to serve this burger? The 2 foreign cooks were likely to be just employees thus they did not seem to be bothered in presenting such a burger. I remember that i came across an advertisement placed by the owner of this burger stall for foreign cooks and they will provide accommodation and meals when hired. As a trained HR professional, i am aware of the issue in hiring incompetent employees and worst, send them to do their job without given the proper training. This is likely to be the case here. No pride. 

LATEST UPDATE: The owner responded to this post by sending me an email. He mentioned that they took notice of my comment and even invited me for a food tasting which i declined. 

JACK RIPPER

Block 119 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-40 Salut Coffeeshop SINGAPORE 151119

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 3.00 pm / 5.30 pm to 10.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

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)

Immanuel French Kitchen : Christmas Menu

If you are still in the midst of deciding where to eat during this Chrismtas season then you might want to give Immanuel French Kitchen a thought. They are serving a simple yet affordable Christmas menu that includes Roasted Pumpkin Soup ($4.90) and Sous Vide Turkey Breast ($16.90) which i happened to try and enjoyed it totally. 

The Roasted Pumpkin Soup is a must-order, it was amongst one of the better that i ever tasted. It has always been my comfort food and this one, is just exactly how i would liked it. It was done perfectly to give it a just right texture, nicely thick and rich but not overly creamy then served with bits of rice crackers to give it the nice bite. 

The Sous Vide Turkey Breast tasted just fine, pleasantly nice but it did not manage to amaze me. The texture was moist and tender though the taste was rather light and a little plain but it was a nice traditional dish to have during the Christmas. It was served along with a delightful pile of mashed potato in a pool of caramelized onion gravy.

IMMANUEL FRENCH KITCHEN

Block 119 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-40 SINGAPORE 151119

Bak Kee Teochew Satay Bee Hoon

I have heard about this Satay Bee Hoon, some even claimed that this is one of the better ones if it is not the best Satay Bee Hoon. It was closed during my first visit and i came back this time purposely and hoping to taste it. I was there for an early dinner, there were just another 2 customers right in front of me, the waiting time was a short one. The Satay Bee Hoon is available at $3 per portion. I heard their Cuttle Fish Kang Kong is another popular dish at $3, $4 and the largest portion at $4. I decided to go with just the Satay Bee Hoon and that leaves me something to look forward to come back the next time.

It has clearly stated on their signboard that they serve the Teochew style Satay Bee Hoon, though i could not quite differentiate the clear difference but this is one of the few that included pork's liver as part of their ingredients. 

The bee hoon and ingredients were cooked just right to give it the perfect texture and i particularly liked the pork's liver. The fresh tasting ingredients used were slices of lean meat, pork's liver and tau pok together with cuttle fish and cockles with a few leafy greens added. 

The peanut sauce has got a noticeable nutty fragrance with bits of chunky peanuts to give it a rather rich and thick texture. It tasted particularly good when mixed it well with the bee hoon. 

This is a must-try stall if you happen to be here, it is worth waiting even if you have to queue for it. 

BAK KEE TEOCHEW SATAY BEE HOON

85 Redhill Lane Redhill Food Centre SINGAPORE 150085

Operating Hours: 11:30 pm to 7:30 pm (Closed on Wednesday)

Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle : What is Good?

This stall has been featured in one of the recent episodes of 'Makan Lost & Found' thus i expected them to be of certain standard. This stall is solely operated by an elderly Uncle. I remember it was the same Uncle that appeared in the TV show. 

I went with Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle ($3.30) and Fishball Noodle ($3.30). As i was the only customer then for an early dinner, the waiting time was a short one. 

I requested for an extra amount of chilli to be added to Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle, the level of spiciness was still rather mild but a little oily. A substantial portion of mee pok was served along with minced meat, slices of lean meat and liver with braised mushroom. The liver was in thick and big pieces and cooked pretty nicely to give it a just right texture with a desired softness, just exactly how i liked it. For that alone, i am likely to eat it again if i happen to be in the vicinity. 

The Fishball Noodle tasted quite ordinary. A same equally good portion of mee pok served with minced meat, slices of fishcake and a few pieces of fishball. Seemingly, the fishcake and fishball did not taste like handmade as it has little elasticity. 

If i have to choose between both, i would think that the Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle is of a better choice and value. 

LAI HENG MUSHROOM MINCED MEAT NOODLE

165 Bukit Merah Central #01-3683 SINGAPORE 150165

Operating Hours: 9 am to 9 pm (Monday to Friday) / 9 am to 3 pm (Sunday)

Alexandra Village : Avocado Juice - Who does it best?

There are 5 stalls at Alexandra Village Food Centre serving Avocado Juice as their signature drink. Read my article on Makansutra to find out who does it best.

ALEXANDRA VILLAGE FOOD CENTRE

Block 119 Bukit Merah Lane 1 Singapore 150119