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)

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)

Carona Chicken : The Past & The Present

These are the 2 stalls using the original recipe behind the now-defunct Carona Chicken. Victor, the owner, started Victor's Famous Fried Chicken Rice & Hainanese Chicken Rice and the nephew of the creator of that particular recipe started Two Wings.

Now, give both a try then decide for yourself which is the better wing.

Read my article on MAKANSUTRA.

VICTOR FAMOUS FRIED CHICKEN RICE & 

HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE

638 Veerasamy Road #01-101 SINGAPORE 200638

Operating Hours: 8.30 am to 8:00 pm (Daily)

TWO WINGS

119 Bukit Merah Lane 1 SINGAPORE 151119

Operating Hours: 12 pm to 3 pm / 6 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

Uncle Chicken : Is their Recipe worth $42,800?

This chicken rice stall has made news just recently when Niven, the owner offered to sell his family recipe for $42,800. He is the son of the famous Sin Kee Chicken Rice that originated from the already demolished Margaret Drive Food Centre. 

The chicken tasted tender with a noticeable taste of chicken fragrance. It was perfectly cooked to retain its tenderness then served with their specially blended sauce consists of light soya sauce and sesame oil. Though the taste was slightly towards saltiness but not overly powering and nicely complemented the chicken. 

The ginger dip is different from others. It is made with roughly blended ginger with a good mix of chopped spring onion. It is the concentrated version as compared to the watery version out there. Apparently, their chilli did not manage to leave an impression. 

The rice served warm with a delightful fluffiness and rather grainy in texture. It has a rather light chicken broth flavor.

I would think Uncle Chicken is amongst one of the better chicken rice that i have tasted but it might not quite justify the $42,800 for only the recipe. According to Niven, that figure is his dad's favourite figure. He said, he is to teach by allowing the person to work at his stall and participated in the running of the stall then to master the recipe. He would continue to be their Consultant even after the person mastered the skills and left to set up the stall. He mentioned the sum invested is likely to be recovered in a period of about 12 months. 

He has imparted the same recipe to Big Bowl Chicken Stall that has been doing well in their business. 

UNCLE CHICKEN

Block 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-74 Alexandra Village Food Centre SINGAPORE 150120

Operating Hours: 11:30 am to 8:00 pm (Closed on Monday)

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

Salut Kopitiam

Braised Pork Belly by Immanuel French Kitchen, Fried Chicken Chop by Two Wings, Ramen Burger by miàn (the travelling c.o.w), Orange Green Tea by Brown Sugar and Tarts by Jollybell and  many more in this atas Kopitiam. 

Read my review on Makansutra.

SALUT KOPITIAM

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

那味道，记忆深刻。

CHINATOWN TAI CHONG KOK CONFECTIONERY (HUA KEE)

Block 122 Bukit Merah Lane 1

#01-62

SINGAPORE 150122.

简单的味道 。幸福的喜悦

LOVE CONFECTIONERY

Block 122 Bukit Merah Lane 1

#01-60

SINGAPORE 150122.