Ashes Burnnit : a new muslim-owned burger joint

Lee Syafiq, 26, the owner, started this burger joint on 16 September 2019, taken over the stall where Burgs by Project Warung used to be. He is the co-founder of Burgs by Project Warung, a local burger brand that he started 3 years ago with 2 partners. He used to work for Terra Tokyo Italian, one Michelin-starred restaurant and he met one of his partners there. Syafiq was there to take my order. I asked, "What do you recommend?" He replied, "Do you eat beef? if yes, you might want to try the Truffle Mushroom Burger. If not, the Best of Both World Burger to try everything."  I decided to order Fried Chicken Burger and the Best of Both World Burger. He asked, "Single or double patties?" I said, "Single for the Fried Chicken Burger and double for the Best of Both World Burger". 

While waiting to pay, I asked him, "Is this stall related to the previous one?" I continued to say, "I saw the announcement of the Facebook page of Burgs." He replied, "I am one of the co-founders of Burg. " He also said, "We ever tried to launch a different menu when running Burgs but it caused confusion to our customers. That is the reason we set up this stall to differentiate from them." He said, "We are different team but under the same owner." Nonetheless, a post was issued by Burgs by Project Warung on their Facebook page, claimed that they have ceased operation at Golden Mile Food Centre and they are not affiliated with the current stall. What exactly is going on? Theoretically, it was right to say that it is a different team but the same owner as he co-founded Burgs. 

A buzzer was given after paying up and it buzzed in just a while. Both burgers are served with fries. The Best of Both World Burger is $9.00 for the single patty and $11.50 for double patties. It consists of 2 handcrafted beef patties, smoked turkey bacon, parmesan mozzarella cheese that is added to the mac n cheese as described on their menu board. 

I felt the beef patties were a bit too dry and not as flavorful. It is a unique creation but it did not taste too special and not quite memorable. I did not like charcoal buns, the texture was not fluffy enough and a little too dry.

My dining companion said, "The texture of fries is crispy but it did not seem to have much taste. The mac n cheese also did not have much cheese taste." 

The Fried Chicken Burger is $5.90 for the single patty and $7.90 for the double patties. The burger consists of a piece of fried chicken as patty served with sriracha mayonnaise and lettuce. 

My dining companion said, 'It is the sauce that makes it special, other than it is just a normal Fried Chicken Burger that did not quite stand out."

There are other interesting burgers on the menu, like Ashes Smash Cheese Burger, Truffle Mushroom Burger, and Grilled Chicken Burger as well as the Froissant, icecream-filled croissant to try.

ASHES BURNNIT

505 Beach Road #B1-24 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE

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

Chef Choo Signature : affordable Western hawker food

Chef Choo Siew Leong, 32, the owner, used to be working in Regent Hotel and Grand Hyatt before starting this stall. He is experienced in Western and Italian cuisine. His dishes are supposed to be of the same standard and quality that are comparable to those by 5-star hotels and restaurants but at affordable prices.

I happened to go during lunch and there was already a crowd gathered in front of this newly opened Western hawker stall. There are a total of 11 items on their menu. There are 4 different types of pasta dishes, the Sizzling Seafood Spaghetti ($6.90 for 1 pax and $12.90 for 2 pax), Spaghetti Carbonara ($5.50), Spaghetti Bolognese ($5.50) and Spaghetti Agli-olio ($4.00) followed by Chicken Chop ($4.90), Norwegian Salmon ($5.90), Pork Chop ($5.90) and Hot Plate Seared Beef ($5.90). I decided to try Chicken Chop with garlic rice and Hot Plate Seared Beef with Onion & Garlic Rice. I was told to come back in between 20 to 30 minutes to collect. I went back 30 minutes later but it was not ready yet. Chef Choo looked up while cooking and said, "好吃的东西是值得等的" (good food is worth waiting). I said, "I will come back later." I happened to be seated at a table near the stall and a few minutes later, the white-haired lady signaled me to come over. Both dishes were ready.

My dining companion had the Chicken Chop with garlic rice, it was served with a sunny-side-up egg. He said, "It actually tasted quite average, the rice was just plain rice served with the garlic sauce. The underneath of the egg was rather charred though it did not affect the taste. The chicken did not have much flavor." The presentation did not look quite appetizing. 

I was not impressed with the Hot Plate Seared Beef with onion and garlic rice too. Those slices of beef were tender with a rather slight smoky flavor. The sauce tasted just like the garlic sauce that was served with Chicken Chop.

I tasted a similar but better dish by chef Sebastian Ho when he was still running Sebastian Fusion, a hawker stall in a coffee shop. He is currently the owner of At The Myo, a cafe nestled in Everton Park. 

CHEF CHOO SIGNATURE

505 Beach Road #B1-45 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 8.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Yaloh : Herbal Roasted Duck, must try

On 13 November 2018, there was a free delivery provided to Ang Mo Kio. I took the opportunity to order and tried the Herbal Roasted Duck for the first time. I ordered by sending a WhatsApp to the number stated. A response was received later. The order was confirmed and I paid via PayNow to reserve a duck and for it to be delivered to the drop-off point of my house.

On Tuesday, a message was received at 5.30 pm informing me that the duck has been despatched from the kitchen. It was mentioned that the estimated delivery time would be 10 minutes. I replied that I would be waiting at the drop-off point at my place. A message was received to inform that it has reached the other carpark. Jovison actually made the effort to walk over when I mentioned I was at the drop-off point of the other carpark. He handed the duck to me and reminded me to give a review after that. 

The duck was nicely packed in 2 boxes with the 2 portions of herbal sauce and chilli. It actually tasted just like the herbal roasted duck from Dian Xiao Er but at a more affordable price. They have a stall at Golden Mile Food Centre. Though the duck was roasted with various types of herbs, the flavor was rather light and the skin was slightly soggy but it still tasted good when eating it with the herbal sauce.  You could choose to pour over the roasted duck or use it as a dipping sauce. It has a distinctive taste of Dang Gui (当归) or Chinese Angelica Root, though slightly strong but not overpowering. I would prefer to eat it without the chilli as it has not much effect in enhancing the flavor.

This is an alternative for the herbal roasted duck. It is as good if not better, a must try. 

YALOH

505 Beach Road #01-109 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)

Penang Authentic Delicacies : Penang Fried Kway Teow in banana leaf

I came across a picture posted by an FB friend not too long ago. It showed the Penang Fried Kway Teow wrapping in banana leaf in the shape of a cone, it is by a new stall in Golden Mile Food Centre. I was not particularly looking for this stall but wanted to eat Hainanese Curry Rice and it just happened this stall is just next to it. I changed my mind at that point in time and decided to try the Ah Gong Penang Fried Kway Teow. There are the $3 and the $5 portion which I decided to go with the big portion. They do serve Penang White Curry ($3/$4.50), Fried Mee Tai Mak ($3/$5) and also Fried Mee Sua ($3/$5). The lady that took my order, said, "Go, take a seat."

I asked, "Why did you choose to wrap it in the banana leaf? Is this a practice over in Penang? The lady replied, "This method and the recipe are passed down from our Ah Gong (Grandpa). He served it in this way to better preserve its aromatic flavor." Then, I asked, "Are you from Penang? "She said, "No. Not me. My husband is from Penang though."

It was ready in less than 5 minutes as I was the only customer at that time. The lady handed it to me and said, "Thank you." I have traveled to Penang quite a few times but never come across such a method in presenting the Fried Kway Teow there. I slowly unwrapped it by moving the 2 toothpicks that were used to hold the banana leaf together. I was greeted with a nice smoky flavor. The thin flat rice noodles were stir-fried with prawns, clams, roasted meat, Chinese sausage, fish cake and a handful of bean sprouts for a textural contrast. They actually made an effort to peel the prawns leaving only the head and tail part.

It definitely requires the right ingredients coupled with the correct techniques to stir-fry a plate of fried kway teow at high heat for a charred taste. And, this might not be the best that I have tasted but it was actually better than most of the others in Singapore. It was savory, moist and drier in texture, not oily too. I requested to have an extra amount of chill added for a spicier flavor.

PENANG AUTHENTIC DELICACIES

505 Beach Road #01-111 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Yankee Chicken : Salt Baked Chicken

We happened to sit at a table right beside this stall, though no queue but there were random customers quite constantly. This stall is serving Salt Chicken and we decided to go with the Drumstick set ($5.50) out of curiosity. There is also the option for half a chicken at $10.90 and a whole chicken at $19.90. Besides, they serve different types of satay as well, chicken satay and pork satay at 0.60 cents together with mutton satay at 0.70 cents. They also have Bak Kwa at $25.00 per 500 grams. 

It was manned by an elderly Uncle all by himself. He was busy when I wanted to order. He said, "You need to wait for a while." When I asked him whether should I pay first, he said, "It is alright. You can pay later." I pointed to the table where I would be.

He came by about 5 minutes later with my order. The chicken drumstick is served along with a pile of rice and some lettuce with a saucer of chilli by the side. My first impression was that it did not look too appetizing but no longer think so after tasted it and I know what they meant by "手撕" (hand-torn) on their signboard. The texture of the salt baked chicken was so soft that it could be easily pulled apart by just using hands unlike some of those salt baked chickens that I had tried which often came with very dry meat. It was so tasty that could be eaten without the accompanying chilli sauce. I said to my dining companion, "This is good, meat is so soft and flavorful." and I urged him to try it too. He shared the same opinion after he took the first bite. We enjoyed it very much.

When leaving, the Uncle was with a friend, seated at the table right behind us. I said to him, "The chicken is very nice." Uncle replied, "I am just a worker." He continued to say, "Come back more often then." I would take away a whole chicken when I come by again. This is a simple dish but unexpectedly memorable. 

YANKEE CHICKEN

505 Beach Road #01-96 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Nyonya Fish Maw Soup : the comforting taste

This is an interesting find amongst the others in this food centre. It is located at the corner unit, and it was quiet during lunch on a Public Holiday as I was their only customer at about 1 pm. I decided to go with the smaller portion of Fish Maw Soup at $6, there are also the larger portions at $8, $10 and $12. 

The older man took my order, and the younger one was preparing it. They are not particularly friendly nor chatty but when the older man overheard I told my dining companion that I ordered a bowl of rice to share and he asked, "Do you need another bowl?" which I declined. A friend on Facebook shared his encounter. He tried asking when he was at this stall whether they are Nyonya but was given an unpleasant response. 

After a few sips, the soup was quite flavorful though not as "gao gao" ("thick thick") as indicated on the poster that they displayed at their stall. It has a homely taste though, this is something simple that most Peranakan families would be cooking at home. The soup is lightly flavored, and there were fish maw, prawns and handmade meatballs in it, the ingredients tasted fresh.

The handmade meatballs were made of minced meat with bits of water chestnuts embedded in it. My dining companion commented that the texture was a bit too soft and he did not like it.

They are serving it with rice and tang hoon at 0.50 cents each.

This is worth a try if you are looking for something different yet filling.

NYONYA FISH MAW SOUP

505 Beach Road #01-80 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Prawn Village : affordable prawn noodle for a satisfying experience

Anson Loo, 30s, started this stall on 1 December 2016 and prior to this, he was in nursing for about 16 years, worked in the NUH, the Navy and also private emergency medical services before entering hawker trade. Tom Loo, his brother, the owner of Tom's Citizoom Mee Pork Tar at Ghim Moh Food Centre is another prominent Generation Y hawker.

It happened years ago when he was in Penang for a holiday where he chanced upon a particular stall that serves good Penang style prawn noodle. He actually asked the boss there to consider imparting the skills and sharing the recipe, he never quite expects to receive a yes as an answer. He spent about 2 weeks there to learn the required skills to set up this stall. He has been adjusting the recipe while cooking for his family and his friends through the years and it ended up tasting like the Penang style prawn noodles though not quite like it. 

There is the dry and the soup version available at the standard price of $4.00 with different types of noodles like yellow noodles, kway teow, bee hoon and thick bee hoon to choose. Their homemade fish cake is available at $1.40 each and it is handmade by Tom daily. 

A standard bowl of prawn mee comprises of 2 medium-sized prawns with slices of fish cake and lean meat with kang kong then topped with fried lard before serving. The prawns are only blanched upon order and Anson actually made the efforts to de-shell the prawns, left with just the head and tail. The prawns are deveined as well though it is rather time-consuming. These prawns tasted relatively fresh. The broth is prepared using ingredients like pork ribs and chicken bones slow-cooked for hours to bring out the flavors though light bodied but with a notable robustness. 

Those fresh-tasting fish cakes were fluffy with a noticeable tenderness and bounciness. This is one of the key factors that set this particular prawn noodle apart from the others. 

And, there is no need for the addition of chilli powder as it is already spicy enough as commented by my dining companion. 

Anson was not there when I visited. Overall, the prawn noodle was nice though not quite memorable as yet but do support this passionate young hawker if you happen to be in this food centre. 

PRAWN VILLAGE

505 Beach Road #01-97 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Closed on Saturdays)

Kopi More : Cafe quality coffee at hawker price

Lawrence Tan, 43, the owner, used to be in petroleum broker business but was retrenched about a year ago. He spent a few months researching before setting up this stall at Golden Mile Food Centre. Coffee is an integral part of the daily routine of most people and that urged Lawrence to set up this coffee stall, purely for practicality.

Right here, you do not get to see those traditional steel coffee pots with coffee socks but rather, you will see a European espresso machine. He is using a mixture of Robusta and Arabica coffee powder roasted with sugar and margarine for a richer taste. It is ground right at the stall in small batches to ensure its freshness.

It tasted just like the expensive coffee from those cafes but at a much cheaper price, it is just $1.50 per cup though. Though it is slightly more expensive than the usual coffee from the coffee shop and food centre but the quality is worth it. There are already a group of regular customers supporting his stall.

They serve Coffee ($1.50), Tea ($1.20), Iced Coffee ($1.80), Iced Milk Tea ($1.50) and Salted Egg Custard Bun ($1.60). 

KOPI  MORE

505 Beach Road #B1-49 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

BURGS by Project Warung : quality burgers at affordable prices @ Golden Mile Food Centre

BURGS is by Project Warung Pte Ltd, a Muslim-owned company created by Ridz Uan, Lee Syafiq and M Shah Indra, the 3 young chefs who want to change the halal culinary scene in Singapore. This is their first outlet located in the basement of Golden Mile Food Centre, it has just opened about a week ago on 13 May 2017. They aim to serve quality gourmet burgers at affordable prices to accommodate the growing needs of quality halal burgers. 

When I was there, the shutter was down with a notice on it to inform of their adjusted opening hours as they were away for their Friday prayer. I was happy to see their shutter up after 2 pm and I was told apologetically that they will only be ready at 2.30 pm and they even further explained that they went for their prayer earlier. I went back at 2.30 pm to place my orders. There are quite a few choices on their menu. For beef burgers, there are the Marinara Burger ($4.90), The Classic ($4.50), Mushroom Burger ($5.50), Burg's Breakfast Burger ($6.50) and Burg's Cheese Burger ($5.90). If you prefer the chicken burger, there are Teriyaki Chicken Burger ($5.50), Country Fried Chicken Burger ($5.00) and Burg's 'Seoul' Fried Chicken Burger ($4.50). There are also choices for the fish burger which includes Fish & Chips Burger ($4.50) and Nacho Fish & Chips Burger ($4.90). All the burgers are served with fries or upgrade to onion rings for an additional $1.00. There are also options for sides and add-ons on their menu. 

I went with Mushroom Burger ($5.50) and Country Fried Chicken Burger ($5.00). I wanted to change the fries to onion rings but I was told that it would not be available for the rest of the month as they could not get those quality onions for onion rings. Then, I was asked, "Do you want any side to go along?" I decided to get half a dozen of fried chicken wings for $4.90. I asked for a recommendation when come to choosing the flavour. Lee Syafiq that took my order, said, "I will recommend Honey Soy flavour for the fried chicken wings." The other option is the Korean style. I paid a total of $15.40 and was given a pager to collect the food later. 

When I was taking the picture of their menu, I was asked by M Shah Indra, "How did you get to find out about us?" I replied, "The stalls that I wanted to eat happened to be closed, I was just walking around and spotted your stall. I actually waited for your stall to open."

When collecting the food, I asked, "You buns look special. Do you custom made them?" Ridz Uan answered, "They are from an artisan bakery." They actually have their logo printed on those buns. They mentioned on their Facebook page that only the best ingredients are used for their burgers. 

The Mushroom Burger ($5.50) consists of an American cheese topped beef patty that was well-grilled to medium doneness and served on the artisan buns. It was garnished with a handful of caramelised onions together with a pile of crispy oyster mushroom that added a textural contrast and with nacho cheese sauce. The unique combination is a classic on its own. It was served with a good portion of hand-cut fries. 

The Country Fried Chicken Burger ($5.00) consists of spiced marinated chicken thigh, homemade coleslaw, a sunny-side-up egg and Sriracha Mayo. The fried chicken was nicely fried to the desired crispiness, though a slightly saltish but the homemade coleslaw brought upon a refreshing twist. The texture was further enhanced by the runny egg yolk and it has a slight hint of spiciness from the Sriracha Mayo. And, with the aforementioned ingredients as its toppings, it is one of their special burgers that is not available elsewhere. 

The half a dozen of Honey Soy Fried Chicken Wings ($4.90) was served slightly drizzled with the honey soy sauce then garnished with sesame seeds and chopped spring onions. Those parts that did not coat with the sauce was slightly bland as the chicken itself did not have much flavour. It was nicely fried and it still crispy even after leaving it for a while. 

Lee Syafiq came over to ask, "How was the food?". I said, "I prefer the Mushroom Burger more and the buns are really nice." My dining companion commented, "The fried chicken for the Country Fried Chicken Burger was slightly saltish." He acknowledged and replied, "The chicken patty might be slightly over marinated for today." He handed a copy of their name card and said, "Do check out our Facebook and Instagram."

And, right here, you are getting much better quality burgers at about the same prices with those burgers that are available at the fast food joints. So, which is a better choice? You choose.

BURGS BY PROJECT WARUNG

505 Beach Road Golden Mile Food Centre #B1-24 SINGAPORE 199583

 Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 2.30 pm / 5.00 pm to 9.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Quan Jia Fu 全佳福 Nasi Lemak : a 歌台 (Ge Tai) Singer & his Nasi Lemak

This stall is serving Nasi Lemak and it has been the talk of the town as one of the owners is a relatively popular 歌台 (ge tai) singer, Cheng Ze (承泽). He was one of those singers that participated in the 歌台星力量 that was aired on Channel 8 in 2015. 

Their Nasi Lemak is served on those old-school enamelware plates which you do not get to see it often these days and there is even an old milo tin hung on the ceiling that you only see in those old-fashioned provision shops in the past. One of his partners who is in-charge of all the cooking used to be a cook in a famous Nasi Lemak in Boon Lay. I opted to go with the fried chicken wing, curry vegetable, fried egg and otah for $4.40. 

The deep-fried fried chicken wing was still slightly crispy even after left it for a while. The curry vegetable that mainly consists of cabbage was cooked just right, it has the desired softness that I enjoyed. The fried egg was done right too, its egg yolk was not overcooked. The otah was just average.

The coconut-flavored rice was light and fluffy in its texture. The sambal chili did not taste as spicy as expected to be. It did not taste as good as the one served with the Nasi Lemak by Damien D'Silva at his now-defunct eatery at Timbre+. His sambal chili was amongst the best and the spiciest that I had had. 

It is good to see the amount of effort they have put in to run the stall and this is likely to go far. 

QUAN JIA FU 全佳福 NASI LEMAK

505 Beach Road #B1-45 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 6.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

NOTE: The stall has moved to 2 Bukit Batok Street 24 Skytech Building (level 9) Singapore 659480.

Charlie's Perankan Food : Peranakan cuisines in Hawker Centre

Charlie first started cooking Peranakan food at his hawker stall in Bukit Merah, he even got famous for doing so and he was named the Best Hawker of 1981. He then started a Peranakan restaurant along East Coast Road but closed it down after the lease was up as Charlie wanted to retire. He only resurfaced 8 years later and started a hawker stall at Golden Mile Food Centre in November 2016. 

When Auntie saw me approaching, she asked, "For 2 person ah?". I was with a friend and we were seated at a table right in front of the stall. I said, "Ah, no, for just 1 person." I continued to say, "I want that crab meatballs soup." Uncle Charlie overheard and he said, "That's Bakwan". I nodded. I asked Auntie, "I want to order another dish. What do your recommend?" She asked, "Do you want it to be spicy or non-spicy?" which I replied, "Just slightly spicy". She then pointed to a chicken dish on their menu board. I asked, "How spicy is it?". She then said, "Just a little spicy". I ordered a plate of rice to go along with the dishes. 

Peranakan cooking uses a lot of different spices to enhance its flavor which I have always found it fascinating. It is difficult to find good yet affordable Peranakan dishes in hawker centre and as far as I know, there are only 2 hawker stalls serving it, this one and Popo & Nana at Maxwell Food Centre. 

Bakwan Kepiting ($8) is a homely Peranakan dish, it is soup-based comprising of hand-shaped balls consisting of crab meat, minced meat, and bamboo shoot. It is rather labor intensified and so, this is usually served only during the special occasions. And, that might be the reason why it is priced at $8 for just 5 pieces of crab meatballs in the soup even though it is in the hawker centre. 

Auntie served this first then followed by the plate of rice. The crabmeat balls were served in a lightly flavored soup garnished with chopped coriander. Its overall taste was simple and comforting but not as appetizing as the one served by Daisy's Dream Kitchen, which I think is much tastier. 

Opor Ayam ($6) is a classic Javanese dish which means chicken stewed in coconut milk. The taste was in between a slight sourishness and a mild spiciness and it is topped with dried onion to serve. I could not quite appreciate this dish though I managed to finish the 2 drumsticks but I left the gravy almost untouched. 

The rice is priced at 0.50 cents per plate and quite a big portion was given.

I would be interested in trying the other dishes if i happen to be here for lunch again.

CHARLIE'S PERANAKAN FOOD

505 Beach Road #B1-30 Golden Mile Food Centre, SINGAPORE 199583

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 6.30 pm