Vicky's vs Lana Cakes : who serves the best Chocolate Fudge Cake?

What constitutes a good chocolate fudge cake? Basically, it should be rich and satisfying. It also has to be moist and not too fluffy with a rather dense and thick frosting that has a good chocolate flavor. The cake-to-frosting ration has to be right as well in distinct layers. 

A blind taste test was conducted by The Sunday Times to find the best chocolate fudge cake in Singapore in 2016. Lana Cakes was listed as the number 1 and Vicky's as number 10. There were a total of 10 cakes selected from different bakeries. I posted in a group on Facebook asking for a recommendation of a Chocolate Cake and Vicky's was amongst those that are recommended. Some even commented that it is better than Lana Cakes. 

VICKY'S

833 Bukit Timah Road Royalville SINGAPORE 279887

Operating Hours: 9.30 am to 6.00 pm (Closed on Sundays

UPDATE: They have relocated to 1 Jalan Anak Bukit #02-K47 Bukit Timah Plaza SINGAPORE 588996 in January 2019.

It was started by Ms Vicky Tan, 73 in 1982 at Henry Park Apartment in Holland Grove Road before moving to Royalville along Bukit Timah Road in 2012. Vicky is the niece of Violet Kwan, the owner of the famous Lana Cakes at Greenwood Avenue. Vicky used to work for her auntie before setting up her bakery. It is so much easier to order a cake from her, you could do so by inputting it into their website or simply just call them 3 days ahead. You could even try your luck by walking in to get it.

I bought the smallest Chocolate Fudge Cake at 800 grams for $40 for a friend on his birthday and we agreed that it is, in fact, better than those from Lana Cakes. The chocolate used in the fudge and base sponge was of good quality that came with a well-balanced sweetness and did not taste too oily. The sponge was moist, tender and rather light.

LANA CAKES

36 Greenwood Avenue SINGAPORE 289239

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 6.00 pm (Tue to Fri) / 10.00 am to 5.00 pm (Sat)

Mrs Violet Kwan, the owner, is in her late 80s and she is looking for a successor after being in the business for more than 50 years. She started it in 1964 from her home in Serangoon Garden before moving to Hillcrest and opened her shop at Greenwood Avenue in 1975. She is looking to sell the business including the recipe and the shop. Her cakes have been a part of the growing up memories of most Singaporean grown up eating her cakes. It got popular by the spread of mouth and slowly becoming the old-fashioned comfort food for generations of Singaporeans. Till date, it still brought back forth fond memories of enjoying the cakes while growing up for most Singaporean. 

It is still difficult to get a cake from Lana Cakes. You cannot just walk in and buy one right there. You have to call at least a week ahead. If you call too early, you would get told off as it is not possible to order so far in advance. It is also difficult to call through as there is a pretty high chance that the call is left unanswering. And, they do not have a website. 

The Chocolate Fudge Cake used to be better. It was springy and light, rich, not too dense and not overly sweet with a strong chocolate flavor then. The standard has since dropped. It did not taste as good when I ordered an 800 grams Chocolate Fudge Cake at $44 for a birthday last year. It was not as moist and a not too strong chocolate flavor. Maybe it is not so much about the actual taste of the cake but more on the familiar taste that creates a sense of nostalgic.

Ah Poh BBQ Seafood : the better BBQ Stingray

It was rather chaotic when we were there for a late dinner on a Saturday, as most of the tables were taken up at that time and the only empty table was right in front of the satay stall, that very much explained why it was the only table available. 

There are 2 stalls serving BBQ seafood, but we decided to order from Ah Poh BBQ Seafood, the most popular stall amongst them. There was another customer ordering when I was there. I decided to go with BBQ Stingray, Sotong and 2 bowls of rice. I was asking Auntie that took my order, "How long would it be? about 30 minutes?" She replied, "No, not that long, should be shorter." I went back to wait at the table. A friendly Uncle came by with chopsticks, spoons and 2 saucers of dipping sauce. 

The Uncle came over with Sotong and the rice. I was expecting the BBQ Sotong, but it turned out to be the Sambal Sotong, the smallest portion is priced at $12. It was my fault as I did not specify that I want BBQ Sotong when ordering, the Auntie did not ask me as well, so I assumed it. It was stir-fried with shredded onion, green pepper, and some chilli but it did not taste too spicy, the sauce reminded me of those that usually for Chilli Crab which was unexpectedly appetising. 

We had waited for another 5 minutes before the same Auntie came over with the BBQ Stingray. And, I said, "Really less than 30 minutes." Auntie replied, "It is usually quite fast as we "long pang" and cook the orders together."

After our first mouthfuls, my dining companion and I agreed that this has to be one of the better-barbecued Stingray that we have ever eaten, it is much better than the famous BBQ Stingray by Hong Chang Eating House along Braddell Road. The smallest portion is reasonably priced at $12 which consists of 2 slices of nicely barbecued stingray; the medium portion is at $15 and the large one at $18. 

The surface was nicely seared to give a slight crisp but still retained its moisture within then smeared with the chilli to serve. I liked the chilli that has a mild level of spiciness and I wished there were more of it; perhaps I could try to request for more when I visit again.

AH POH BBQ SEAFOOD

51 Upper Bukit Timah Road #02-119/120 Bukit Timah Food Centre SINGAPORE 588172

Operating Hours: 5.00 pm to 11.00 pm (Daily)

Original Jalan Tua Kong 132 Mee Pok at Sixth Avenue

This stall at a coffee shop along Sixth Avenue and they claimed to be the Original Jalan Tua Kong 132 Mee Pok but is not quite so. There is 132 Mee Pok at Marine Terrance and also Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok from Simpang Bedok. The original is supposed to be the 132 Mee Pok at Marine Terrace as they are the original family that started it but decided to take a break and handed it to Ah Lim that relocated it to Simpang Bedok. Then, the next generation of 132 Mee Pok took over the business and made a comeback. The stall at Sixth Avenue is manned by an ex-worker of Ah Lim and it has been there for quite a while.

Their menu consists of Fishball Minced Meat Noodle ($4/$5), Fish Dumpling Noodle ($4/$5), Abalone Noodle ($10) and Pacific Clams Noodle ($6).  There are also Fishball Soup, Fish Dumpling Soup and Mixed Ingredients Soup available.  I went ahead with the larger portion of Fishball Minced Meat Noodle at $5 and added $1 worth of Fish Dumplings to make it $6. I was given a pager to collect the order later. 

The noodles were cooked well to have a springy texture and still retained a nice bite. And, I requested to have an extra amount of chilli to be added but regretted a little later as I did not expect it to be that spicy. It came with 3 fishballs, sliced pork, fishcake, prawn, minced pork and also fried pork lards, the ingredients tasted fresh. 

It was quite enjoyable and its standard is comparable with the Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok at Simpang Bedok. I have yet to try the 132 Mee Pok so not able to make the comparison.

ORIGINAL JALAN TUA KONG 132 MEE POK

24 Sixth Avenue Good Good Eating House SINGAPORE 

Operating Hours: 6.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Fresh Generation : Premium Seafood Soup

Fresh Generation is the newest hawker stall at Bukit Timah Food Centre that has recently opened in March, it is near to Beauty World MRT station. They serve seafood soup in various sizes with different types of seafood including crayfish and lobster at premium prices. It seems this is the current food trend as there are many such stalls mushrooming and they are serving similar items.

And, they are related to Woon Woon Pek Bee Hoon at Changi Village Food Centre, in fact, it is an expansion based on the success of their popular white bee hoon after 8 months. The chef, Ah Soon, 62, is a former restaurant head chef that has decades of culinary experience under his belt. Now, you can expect a certain standard of their seafood soup. He is also the father of Reece Wong, the co-owner of the stalls and Javien, is the other owner. They used to be corporate business partners but sold away their companies then venturing into the food business. 

The menu features the Original Seafood Soup ($6 for 1 pax and $16 for 3 pax), Crayfish Seafood Soup ($10 for 1 pax and $28 for 3 pax), Scallop Seafood Soup ($10 for 1 pax and $28 for 3 pax), Lobster Seafood Soup ($28 for 1 pax and $58 for 3 pax) and their Signature Seafood Platter ($28 for 3 pax). There is the option to go with either rice or noodles for 0.50 cents. It is prepared upon order, the ingredients are wok-fried first before adding in the soup to bring forth the wok fragrance. The soup base comprises of clams and flower crabs simmered for a relatively long period to bring out the flavour, it is used for all the soups.

I decided to go with the Crayfish Seafood Soup and I opted to go with rice. I added 3 pieces of Lobster Balls for $2.00. There are also options to add clams for $2.00, sliced fish for $3.00, scallop for $5.00, crayfish for $5.00 and lobster for $22. The Crayfish Seafood Soup came with fresh tasting prawns, clams, sliced threadfin fish, lobster balls and crayfish. The soup though lightly flavoured but it was full of natural sweetness, this is definitely a healthier choice. 

The lobster balls are forgettable though, it tasted just like those that are readily available in the supermarkets and only order if you want more varieties.

You should try it if you are in the vicinity. 

FRESH GENERATION

51 Bukit Timah Road #02-164 Bukit Timah Food Centre SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Master Tang : Possibly the Best Beef Brisket Noodle in Singapore

The elderly Mr Tang Siu Nam, 84, is back in action. He used to run a hawker stall in Chinatown Complex Food Centre but closed it down, he then rested for 10 months before resurfaced in this coffee shop at Sixth Avenue in Bukit Timah for a few months now. Mr Tang is running this stall assisted by his wife. He is likely to be the oldest hawker in Singapore. He used to be the Head Chef of Crystal Jade Kitchens, he created their signature Cantonese style wanton mee that is served with a unique sambal chilli paste then. 

I was there during lunch on a rainy afternoon and there was only a short queue right in front of the stall. The menu is quite simple which includes Beef Brisket Noodle / Rice ($6), Cantonese Style Noodle with Shredded Meat ($4), Pork Knuckle Noodle / Rice ($5), Wanton Mee Dry / Soup ($3.50), Wanton Soup ($3.50) and Dumpling Soup ($4). I decided to go with Cantonese Style Noodle with Shredded Meat, Beef Brisket Noodle and Wanton Soup.

The Cantonese Style Noodle with Shredded Meat was good. The texture of the noodles is indeed different, it has its desired chewiness and springiness though with a slight alkaline taste but it was cooked just right. The braised shredded meat was nicely done and its sauce added flavor to the noodles and is also served along with some greens. The secret ingredient to the deliciousness is none other than the special sambal chilli that he created which added the comfort factor to the dish and it blended perfectly. 

Beef Brisket Noodle was amazingly good, the perfectly braised beef brisket has its delightful tenderness and it was served along with 2 pieces of radish. Its flavorful braised sauce went well with the noodles. This has to be one of the best beef brisket that i have tasted in Singapore, it is almost as good as those that i had in Hong Kong. 

Wanton Soup came along with 6 pieces of plump wantons in it. Those wantons have a tasty filling that consists of a mixture of pork and shrimp, served with some greens in light flavored soup.

MASTER TANG

10E Sixth Avenue Kopitown Coffee Shop SINGAPORE 276474

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Thursday)

133 Penang Authentic : Prawn Noodle is just so so

It was a Monday and this stall happened to be one of those stalls that were opened. This stall has been in this food centre for a few years, serving Penang Fried Kway Teow and Penang Prawn Noodle, both items are equally popular. There is usually a long queue if you come during lunch on weekends, and the waiting time could be quite a while as most of their customers are here for their Penang Fried Kway Teow as it is done by batches. Some of these customers could not wait and actually gave up queuing and walked away. 

There are 2 different types of Prawn Noodle on their menu, the Penang Prawn Noodle that is served in the soup version and the local style Prawn Noodle that is served in the dry and soup version. I ordered the dry Prawn Noodle with extra chilli which is offered at $3.50 and larger portion at $4.50. I was there just before lunch so no queue at that time.

The portion at $3.50 came with a good portion of yellow noodles along with a few slices of fish cake and lean meat with 2 pieces of prawns and some greens, garnished with a handful of dried shallots and fried pork lards. Though with extra amount of chilli added, it did not taste as spicy as i would like it to be. Its overall taste was just average and not quite memorable. Their Penang Prawn Noodle might actually be a better option since this is what they are supposedly famous for.

I have eaten their Penang Fried Kway Teow before though it is not too bad but i would not bother to queue for it as there is actually a better Penang Fried Kway Teow at Yu Hua Food Centre at Jurong East Avenue 1 by Simei Penang Laksa Specialty which i enjoyed much more.

133 PENANG AUTHENTIC

116 Upper Bukit Timah Road #02-193 Bukit Timah Food Centre SINGAPORE 588172

Operating Hours: 8.30 am to 3.00 pm / 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm (Daily)

Eats near Beauty World MRT Station

My article on MAKANSUTRA about some of the best eats near the newly opened Beauty World MRT Station.

MI CASA

51 Upper Bukit Timah Road #02-199 Bukit Timah Food Centre SINGAPORE 588215

Operating Hours: 11.45 am to 2.00 pm (Wed to Sun) / 5.45 pm to 9.00 pm (Tue to Sun)

* They will be moving to 102 Jalan Jurong Kechil Singapore 598602 near end of April 2016.

PENANG SIGNATURE
51 Upper Bukit Timah Road #02-28 Bukit Timah Food Centre SINGAPORE 588215.
Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Daily)

YONG SENG SATAY
166 Upper Bukit Timah Road #02-123 Bukit Timah Food Centre SINGAPORE 588172
Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

HAMBAOBAO

144 Upper Bukit Timah Road #04-49 Beauty World Plaza SINGAPORE 588177

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 8.00 pm (Wed to Sun)

TOP 1 HOME MADE NOODLE

144 Upper Bukit Timah Road #04-44 Beauty World Plaza SINGAPORE 588177

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

MAY'S KAFE

144 Upper Bukit Timah Road #B1-K20 Beauty World Plaza SINGAPORE 588177

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)

NONYA DELICATESSEN

1 Jalan Anak Bukit #B1-K69 Bukit Timah Plaza SINGAPORE 588966

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 4.00 pm (Daily)

RISE & GRIND COFEE CO.

1 Jalan Anak Bukit #L1-CA1 Bukit Timah Plaza SINGAPORE 588996

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 9.00 pm (Mon to Thu) / 10.00 am to 10.00 pm (Fri) /

                               9.00 am to 10.00 pm (Sat) / 9.00 am to 9.00 pm (Sun)

Rise & Grind Coffee Co. : A Cosy Coffee Hangout

This cafe is located right before the entrance of Beauty World Plaza, it has been around since April 2015. 

The service was impressively attentive from the moment when i entered. I went straight to the counter as i took notice of that sign that said, 'Pay and Order Here'. I was quickly approached by a service staff, she suggested that i take a seat first and she will bring the menu to me. I decided to try their newest creation, Pulled Pork Benedict ($15). I went to the counter to place my order as i could not find their other options of coffee on the menu, it took me quite a while to decide. The counter staff noticed it and he asked, 'Looking for the coffee? Latte, Cappuccino?' I went with Cappuccino.

The Cappuccino came first, it was rather rich and smooth and i enjoyed it.

Their Pulled Pork Benedict is quite a surprise. it comprises of slow-cooked then shredded pork shoulder with 2 perfectly poached eggs, served on sourdough toast then garnished with apple cider hollandaise. 

Their Tom Yum Seafood ($17) and Burger The Gold Standard ($18) are also worth a try. Their dishes are nicely executed and also reasonably priced.

RISE & GRIND COFFEE CO.

1 Jalan Anak Bukit #L1-CA1 Bukit Timah Plaza SINGAPORE 588996

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 9.00 pm (Mon to Thu) / 10.00 am to 10.00 pm (Fri) /

9.00 am to 10.00 pm (Sat) / 9.00 am to 9.00 pm (Sun)