Houson Herbal Braised Duck at Jurong East

It is difficult to miss this stall as you could see the queue from afar. It is located in one of the coffee shops in Jurong East central just a stone's throw away from Jurong East MRT station. They are popular for their Herbal Braised Duck and Kway Chap though there are also other items like Pig's Organ Soup, Pig's Trotter and even the Braised Meat with Preserved Vegetable.

I ordered Kway Chap set for 2, added Braised Duck together with 3 bowls of kway (flat rice noodle sheets) for $13.50. The set also consists of braised egg, large intestine, braised meat, tau kwa and tau pok. 

It did not taste as nice as I remember but the large intestine and braised meat were still good. The braised duck did not have much of the herbal flavor and it was quite salty. I would prefer that it was chopped into bigger pieces as its texture was quite mushy. My dining companion that did not eat the large intestine, said, "I could not quite tell the duck meat from the intestine."

Those pieces of kway were thin and smooth served in a slight herbal-ish broth, it was quite nice.

HOUSON HERBAL BRAISED DUCK

132 Jurong Gateway Road #01-271 Happy Hawker Coffee Shop SINGAPORE 600132

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

Sing's : the former Sing HK Cafe

This hawker stall used to be known as Sing HK Cafe when they first started at Everton Park. They were there for about a year or so before closing down. They have made a comeback in this coffee shop at Jurong East for slightly more than a month. Alfred Mo, the owner, was there when I visited on a Sunday for lunch. He said, "Our signature is the Hong Kong style Salt Baked Chicken." The dishes are prepared and cooked by him daily. I could not quite tell that Alfred is originated from Hong Kong as he did not speak with a Hong Kong accent when I talked with him in Mandarin. He has been living in Singapore for more than 15 years. He used to be working in the private banking sector after obtained his Master's degree. He always has the passion for cooking and that prompted him to open Sing HK Cafe about 2 years ago as he has wanted to serve Hong Kong style comfort food in Singapore.

I decided to go with the Signature Salt Baked Chicken Noodle ($6.50) and Classic Braised Pork Belly Rice ($5.80). There are also Signature Salt Baked Chicken Rice ($5.80), Dry Mixed Noodle with Soft Boiled Egg ($3.80), Dry Mixed Noodle with Braised Pork Belly ($4.50), Dry Mixed Noodle with Shredded Chicken ($4.50) on their menu. It is served along with the free flow of soup.

He asked, "You got to know about us from our Facebook page?" I nodded. He said, "We are going to have new items on our menu and we will announce it on there." As I was the only customer at that time, I did not have to wait too long to receive my orders. Alfred said, "Whether you like it or not, do leave us a feedback."

As a frequent traveler to Hong Kong, I have yet to try Salt Baked Chicken, also known as Yim Guk Gai in Cantonese, right there. It is a classic dish that is done using parchment paper to wrap up the chicken then bury in a pot of coarse salt and simmer. The modern way of cooking this is to boil or steam the chicken. This dish is not as common as I thought, I could not get much information on where to eat it in Hong Kong when googled.

The Salt Baked Chicken did not taste like what we have here. It did not have much saltiness. My dining companion said, "It tasted more like a braised chicken and there is a slight sweetness."  The noodles were tossed in the sauce then topped with some minced meat and a handful of ikan belis as well as sliced cucumber. Those slices of preserved cucumber were a bit too sourish with a strong taste of vinegar which I did not like.

Classic Braised Pork Belly Rice was served with chunks of braised meat, sous vide egg together with steamed sweet corn and sliced cucumber on the rice. The rice was slightly drizzled with braised sauce. The braised pork belly is done using the slow-cooked method to absorb the full flavor. The texture was meltingly soft but was not as flavorful as expected. 

SING'S

Block 134 Jurong Gateway Road Fu Chan Coffee Shop SINGAPORE 600134

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Mon to Sat) / 9.00 am to 8.00 pm (Sun)

Beng Hiang Restaurant : Traditional Hokkien Dishes

This famous Hokkien restaurant was founded in 1978 and it has since to be one of the best Hokkien restaurants in Singapore. They used to be at Amoy Street before moving to Jurong East, next to JCube and directly opposite the Jurong East MRT station. 

This was my first visit. As they were 3 of us, we decided to go with their signature dishes like Spiced Sausage & Fried Prawns Balls ($8),  Steamed Bread with Braised Brisket (Kong Bak Pau) ($16), Traditional Hokkien Noodles ($8) and Fried Oysters with Egg (Oyster Omelette) ($12). We wanted to order more but the elderly Uncle that was taking orders stopped us from doing us. He said, "Wor, so many dishes, need to dabao already!" He said, "I'd suggest you take out the Fried Mee Sua, too much for just 3 people. Trust Uncle, ok?" And, we agreed.

Spiced Sausage & Fried Prawns Balls ($8) came first. It consists of a half portion of ngor hiang and the other half portion of prawn rolls. It actually tasted like the Hokkien spiced meat rolls that my late Grandpa would usually handmade for the Chinese New Year using an heirloom recipe. I would prefer the prawn rolls to the ngor hiang a little more though both were equally tasty.

Fried Oysters with Egg (Oyster Omelette) ($12). This was the best amongst all the dishes that we ordered. This is one of their star dishes and almost every table ordered it. The oysters were fresh and juicy and it was served together with the super crispy egg omelette which we enjoyed, to the extent that we actually prefer it to the oysters. 

We ordered the smallest portion of Traditional Hokkien Noodles ($8). It is something that my last Grandpa would have enjoy, it was perfectly braised in the dark sauce to a delightful softness with ingredients such as veggie, sliced pork and prawns then garnished with dried shallots to serve. It was homely and comforting. 

Steamed Bread with Braised Brisket (Kong Bak Pau) ($16) is a signature Hokkien dish, it is a must-order here. The pork belly was braised to perfection and is flavorful. It was perfectly complemented by the softness of the steamed buns when sandwiched it in between. 

We were also served complimentary Red Bean Soup to end the meal. 

It was a pleasant meal. The only regret that i have is not getting to know this place much earlier so as to bring my dearest late Grandpa here for a meal. Their prices are quite affordable and only service charge is applicable and not the GST. 

BENG HIANG RESTAURANT

Block 135 Jurong Gateway Road #02-337 SINGAPORE 600135

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm / 6.00 pm to 9.30 pm (Daily)

Soi 19 Thai Wanton Mee at Jurong East

Their first outlet is actually near to where i stay. I happened to chance upon it then tasted it and actually enjoyed its unique flavor. That prompted me to write an article on MAKANSUTRA in June 2014 about this Thai Wanton Mee stall, which likely to be the first of its kind at that time. I was told that they are not related to the famous wanton mee in Thailand at Soi 19. The stall got really popular after that and attracted consistently long queues, the queue is still long these days. I am still going back as and when though not as often but usually when there is a shorter queue.

They opened the second outlet in Jurong East just a couple of months ago, it is right next to the CPF building, just a stone's throw away from the Jurong East MRT station. The queue there was so much shorter when i visited on a Saturday as compared to their outlet in Ang Mo Kio. There is an option to choose between a regular bowl ($3.50), a medium bowl ($4.00), a large bowl ($5.00) or a Jumbo Bowl ($6.00) for more noodles with extra ingredients. They do not have the braised pork trotter with rice which is available in their Ang Mo Kio outlet. 

For the large bowl, the portion of noodle is quite substantial served together with 2 fried wantons and 2 soup wantons, char siew, chinese sausage and some green. There are condiments like fish sauce, dried chilli flakes, sugar, green chillies and fried pork lards for self-service at the counter.

As the portion is meant to be shared between myself and a friend that has little tolerance towards spiciness so left out the dried chilli flakes. To start, tossed the noodles well to have it coated with the fish sauce underneath and then ate it with those crispy fried pork lards, it was still a tasty treat. Somehow, i felt the standard is just different, it did not taste as good as what i had at their Ang Mo Kio outlet which is headed by their father that started it. Their chinese sausage was served in smaller pieces over here and the texture was slightly harder. Their specially made egg noodles were cooked to a perfect springiness, though.

Perhaps, the key to enjoying Thai Wanton Mee is about getting used to it. The friend that i was sharing it with has never eaten Thai Wanton Mee before. When i brought it to the table, she starved at it for a moment and said, 'Why no sauce?'. She took a bite and decided that she did not like it. And, perhaps that's the reason why the black sauce version Wanton Mee is introduced, it is available at $4.00, $5.00 and $6.00. I have yet to try this version so could not comment on its taste.

The fried wantons and soup wantons tasted quite similar but somehow, something is just missing though same recipe is used in making them. The soup was lightly flavored.

SOI 19 WANTON MEE

Block 130 Jurong Gateway Road #01-211 SINGAPORE 600130

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays)

Block 151 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 SINGAPORE 560151

Operating Hours: 7.15 am to 3.30 pm (Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays)

Smoothie House Singapore : Desserts from Taiwan

This is a popular dessert place from Yong Kang Street in Taipei, they opened their first outlet at One Raffles Place and followed by the other one at Paya Lebar Square then this one at Westgate. They are famous for their fruit smoothies and snowflake ice desserts. There are a total of 3 sizes to choose from: Healthy ($7.90), Sharing ($9.90 to $12.90) and Family ($15.90). 

Mango Snowflake Ice with Panna Cotta ($9.90) is one of their signature items. The texture of shaved ice was rather fine, smooth and rather creamy with an intense mango flavor and a milky taste at just the right level of sweetness. It was served with a generous amount of chunky mango cubes and topped with a Panna Cotta then drizzled with mango syrup. I enjoyed it. 

Yogurt-Berry Snowflake Ice ($12.90). It was not as sweet as the Mango Snowflake Ice but with a slightly sourish taste and is served with slices of banana, strawberries and blueberries. It was a refreshing choice and equally enjoyable. 

SMOOTHIE HOUSE
3 Gateway Drive #01-08 Westgate Mall SINGAPORE 608532
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Other branches:
. 60 Paya Lebar Road #02-15/16/17 Paya Lebar Square SINGAPORE 509051
. 1 Raffles Place #03-25 One Raffles Place SINGAPORE 048616

The Carving Board : Good Quality Western Food

It was listed in my article that published on MAKANSUTRA as one of the noteworthy western hawker stalls in Singapore. 

We came early this time, we were there slightly before 5 pm and did not quite expect them to be already ready then. I ended up waited for close to 1 hour to order during my last visit when i came around 6.30 pm. We were their first batch of customers of the day this time. We were presented with the menu to go through, most of the items on there are about the same but they are no longer serving Chicken Chop, which has been my usual favorite. 

I decided to order Mix Grill to share. I was asked whether i want the Premium Mix Grill for $22.00 which included a piece of lamb or the Mix Grill at $19.00 which includes the sausage instead, both are served with a choice of side dish. I have also ordered their signature Curry Pork Burger which serves with a portion of fries as well as Grilled Chicken Leg that is served along with fries and garden salad. 

Mix Grill ($22.00) consists of garlic bread and garden salad with perfectly grilled beef, chicken and lamb and potato salad as side with rosemary sauce.

Curry Pork Burger ($9.50) which consists of a piece of pork patty with a pineapple ring, bacon, tomato and lettuce on toasted buns then garnished with curry mayo sauce.

Grilled Chicken Leg ($8.50) was nicely char-grilled to a ideal tenderness serving with a good portion of fries and garden salad.

Please take note that they are currently undergoing renovation and will only be back on 21 June 2015 (Tuesday).

THE CARVING BOARD

Block 252 Jurong East Street 24 #01-107 SINGAPORE 600252

Operating Hours: 5.00 pm to 10.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Mak's Noodle : I Still Want My Local Wanton Mee

This is indeed the Mak's Noodle from Hong Kong, the most talked about wanton noodle that was awarded a Michelin status and have 6 outlets all over Hong Kong. The current owner is still following the exact recipe that being handed down from the founder of Mak's Noodle and its taste has supposedly remain unchanged for almost 100 years. It is currently under the charge of Mr Tony Yung, the son-in-law of the second generation owner that started it in Guangzhou in 1920. They are well-known for its thin and springy noodles and plum wantons with prawns. To maintain the quality, the 2 outlets in Singapore are directly importing the noodles that are made using flour from Canada for a springier texture together with the wanton skins from Hong Kong.

The Director of Asia Gourmet Private Limited managed to persuade the owner of Mak's Noodle to open their first franchised outlet in Orchard then followed by the other outlet at Westgate. Chef Chan For Kam that came from their outlet at Wellington Street is the Head Chef here and will also supervise the future opening outlets, he will be based in Singapore for about 2 years. They will also stationed their other chefs from Hong Kong to the outlets in Singapore.

My last experience at their outlet in Hong Kong was not a pleasant one, i happened to be there when they were near closing time. There was just another 2 tables in there. The service staff seemed a bit reluctant to serve even though they did not turn us away. Our order of wanton noodle and braised tendon noodle came rather quickly and they placed it a bit too hard on the table, giving out a loud bang sound.  I am never really a fan of Mak's Noodle and i would rather go over to Tsim Chai Kee which is directly opposite their outlet in Central, for a bigger bowl and better value wanton noodle anytime. 

My curiosity prompted me to try their outlet in Singapore. There was no queue when we got there for lunch. We were ushered to the table and our orders taken quickly.

If you ever eaten in their outlet in Hong Kong, you might be surprised to find sliced green chili to be amongst the condiments provided on the table along with the same chili paste served in Hong Kong. 

We were then told by the service staff that saucers and chopsticks are available in the drawer attached to the table.

According to Tony Yung, the current owner of Mak's Noodle that wanton noodle is meant to be eaten as a snack and not the main dish, if you are not full then you will have to order another portion. In Singapore, they are sticking to same small serving size about the size of the small rice bowl just like what they are doing in Hong Kong. Such a bowl of wanton noodles is priced at HKD$36, about $6.30 in Singapore. In Singapore, it costs $6.90 here. The 4 wantons that served along are placed right underneath that pile of noodles for a purpose and that is to prevent the noodles from turning soggy by soaking in the broth for too long.

The Wanton Mee Soup ($6.90) came first, serving in an elegant looking blue and white ceramic bowl. The noodles have the distinctive springiness and no alkaline taste, which is good. The broth is flavored with yellow chives and dried sole fish to give it a natural sweetness and savoriness but a bit too mild in flavor.

There is actually a difference between the typical Cantonese wanton and the local wanton as the Cantonese wanton has only prawns and no pork in it. As for this particular one, there was at least 2 prawns in it for an added crunchiness. Fresh prawns rather than the frozen ones are used to ensure a better quality.

Next, came Tossed Noodle with Shrimp Roe and Prawns with Oyster Sauce ($16.20), if without that 4 pieces of prawns is only $8.30. The same springy noodles sprinkled with shrimp roe but rather sparingly, it added with an intense savouriness. Somehow, it did not quite bring out the flavor as it just did not have enough to thoroughly mixed with the noodles. 

There are different types of congee on their menu but i just wanted to have Chicken & Mushroom Congee ($7.50). Congee is rice and water cooked down into thick porridge, Hong Kong style is usually much softer and smoother with every grain nicely dissolved into a thick gruel. It was served with generous amount of ingredients. 

After paying $36.02, we were still left feeling hungry. I would rather have local wanton mee for $3 or $4 that is filling, satisfying and more importantly, cheaper. Worth it or not, it might still be quite an experience for those who have yet to try it in Hong Kong, at least, you do not have to fly there to eat it now.

As a frequent traveler to Hong Kong and after eaten bowls of wanton noodle there, Mak's Noodle has never been my best Wanton Noodle and even some of the Hong Kongers do not eat there too.

MAK'S NOODLE

. 3 Gateway Drive #02-06 Westgate SINGAPORE 608532

. 176 Orchard Road #01-63/64 The Centrepoint SINGAPORE 238843

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

The Carving Board : Good Taste & Best Value

This is one of the top 5 western food stalls that i have featured in my article on Makansutra quite recently. It started by Gary Lum of the defunct The Soup Bar at Tanjong Pagar Food Centre and they have been around since January 2015. There are the only stall operating in that coffee shop in the evening. I was told that the queue can be really long after 6.30 pm on weekdays and after 5.30 pm on the weekends. 

I visited on a Saturday and joined in the queue at about 6 pm and i only managed to order at 7.15 pm. It was served pretty fast after the order is made. It might not be the best queuing system as you have to physically queue up to wait to order. Most of the tables were occupied with customers that have their friends or family members in the queue. The long queue itself is a good indication of the anticipated waiting time and it also served as a discouragement if you are rushing for time.

As it was my pre-birthday dinner, we went for the Mix Grill at $17.00, the Curry Burger at $9.50 and the Calamari Rings at $4.50. The canned soft drink is at $1.40 each. There is no service charge nor GST added to it. 

I enjoyed their Calamari Rings that served with their special Curry Mayo sauce, it still tasted crispy after left it for a while though the texture of the squid ring in it was a bit too chewy to my liking. 

Their signature Curry Burger tasted surprisingly good. It consists of a piece of juicy beef patty with a pineapple ring, a slice of bacon together with lettuce and tomato nicely complemented by Curry Mayo sauce. It came along with a good amount of fries as side. It tasted quite similar to the Curry Mayo sauce that served with their Calamari Rings. 

The Mix Grill consists of a piece of Chicken Chop, Beef Steak, Sausage with a portion of Garden Salad, a piece of Toast and choice of 1 side dish and sauce for just $17.00. The Chicken Chop and Beef Steak were nicely done to the desired texture and went perfectly with the Rosemary Brown Sauce. The Sauteed Potatoes was a tasty and filling side dish to go with this platter. 

This is definitely a good choice if you like to have a taste of everything or to share it with a friend. I would come back this and i will come early this time to avoid the long queue and waiting time. 

THE CARVING BOARD

Block 252 Jurong East Street 24 #01-107 SINGAPORE 600252

Operating Hours: 5.00 pm to 10.30 pm (Tuesday to Sunday) (Closed on Mondays)