The Hakka Yong Tau Fu Stall : handmade based on a home recipe

This stall has been around for the longest time and is one of the popular stalls in this food centre, serving traditional Hakka style Yong Tau Fu using a home recipe. I used to visit this stall quite often when working and staying near here. The queue is usually quite long during lunch as well as weekends and they usually sold out before 1.30 pm. Some of the items were already gone when I was there at 12.30 pm and it only left a few choices when I went back later to take away. 

You are expected to choose your items first before joining the queue. When it is your turn, you handed the bowl to that assistant and telling her your preferences. You will be given a number and you are expected to hang around the area to wait for that number to be called in about 15 minutes or so.

Most of the items like egg, pig's intestine, brinjal, beancurd, fishball, yam and others are freshly fried to give it a slight crisp. Each item is freshly made and is stuffed with minced meat or fish paste. Some of the unique items that you should try are the fried pig's small intestine, fried tau pok with minced meat, lotus root with fish paste and fried meat roll, these are my usual favourites. Each of this handmade item is reasonably priced at 0.60 cents and it is served along with a bowl of lightly flavoured soup if you have it dry. There are bits of nicely fried garlic added to the soup for that extra flavour. You could choose to have it with bee hoon or rice for 0.50 cents. It is served separately on a plate then garnished with chopped coriander and white pepper to serve. 

THE HAKKA YONG TAU FU STALL

Block 20 Ghim Moh Road #01-25 Ghim Moh Food Centre SINGAPORE 270020

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 2.00 pm (Daily)

Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh : the decades old handmade Chwee Kueh

This is probably one of the rare few that is still making their chwee kueh on site as most of the stalls are selling those that are factory-made. The owner of this 57 years old famous stall is an elderly Uncle that started when he was 8 years old helping his mother selling chwee kueh on a pushcart near Alexandra Hospital in 1959. After all these years, he is still diligently doing so together with his wife, they passionately mixing the rice flour with water then pouring the mixture into those 1500 aluminium moulds in the early morning to steam it and they are doing it every day. They are still doing it the traditional way that has been passed down. Everything is made fresh, from the chwee kueh to the cai poh and their chilli, with no MSG added.

There is a minimum order of 4 pieces at $1.40 and to have it pack separately from the ingredients, you will have to order 20 pieces at $7.00 and pay an additional of 0.20 cents. Their chwee kueh is softer than the others out there. Apparently, it is not just by mixing rice flour with water and steaming it but takes years of experiences to perfect it. Their cai poh (preserved radish) tasted different from the others, it is done based on a traditional recipe using ingredients like garlic, pork lard and cai poh. It is not added with sugar thus it did not have the sweet taste and also, slightly saltier. However, the spiciness of the chilli has added flavour. 

Somehow, you might not get used to this traditional taste if you prefer a sweeter cai poh like those at Jian Bo or Bedok Chwee Kueh. Nonetheless, this is one of the remaining traditionally handmade chwee kueh stalls around and how much longer would they be around?

GHIM MOH CHWEE KUEH

Block 20 Ghim Moh Road #01-54 Ghim Moh Food Centre SINGAPORE 270020

Operating Hours: 6.15 am to 6.30 pm (Daily)

Pasta & Donburi by Kenny : just so-so

Pasta & Donburi by Kenny is one of the newest stalls in this food centre that has re-opened after renovation about a year ago. This stall is helmed by Kenny Hew, 32, a new generation hawker who used to work as a chef in Western and Japanese fine-dining restaurants for about 12 years. He is serving Italian and Japanese cuisines consisting a combination of pasta and Japanese rice bowls known as Donburi, there are a total of 9 dishes on the menu, priced from $5.00 to $7.50. His stall is located right next to his father-in-law's stall, the famous Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh that has been around for 57 years.

While standing there and deciding what to order, I asked, "What do you recommend?". The assistant there replied, "Each has its own fan." I decided to go with Fried Chicken & Mushroom Pasta with Tomato Sauce ($6.50) and Chicken Donburi ($6.50) which I paid after ordering. There is an LCD panel but I have not been issued a number for collection so I just waited there. When collecting it, I was telling the assistant, "My friend tried it and he liked the pasta." Kenny overheard and he replied, "Thank you." He said, "Everything is made from scratch including those sauces." There is also no MSG added.

Fried Chicken & Mushroom Pasta with Tomato Sauce which comprises a good portion of spaghetti with a piece of deep-fried crumbed chicken cutlet with mushroom slices in tomato sauce then garnished with chopped parsley with some vegetable that tasted like spinach. The spaghetti was cooked just right. The chicken cutlet was done well to have a slight crispiness on its surface and still moist within. I did not like it as much as expected, in fact, I would prefer what I have tasted at Grill & Pasta in Sembawang Hill Food Centre for the same price. 

The Chicken Donburi is the Japanese rice bowl that consists of a piece of deep-fried crumbed chicken cutlet that is sliced into strips then served with shredded onions and eggs in dashi-based sauce on Japanese short-grain rice along with a bowl of Miso soup. It was garnished with chopped spring onions and sesame seeds. The portion was generous but not the best tasting as Konomi Zen, the Japanese food stall at the food centre in Ang Mo Kio is serving a better version at a cheaper price. 

Miso Carbonara with Onsen Egg ($7.00) seems to be highly recommended from those reviews online and I am interested to try it if I happen to be there again. 

PASTA & DONBURI by KENNY

20 Ghim Moh Raod #01-53 Ghim Moh Food Centre SINGAPORE 

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 2.30 pm (Monday)

11.00 am to 2.30 pm / 5.00 pm to 8.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)