328 Katong Laksa : It is a pure disappointment

Now, when walking along the stretch of East Coast Road, you do not longer see the war of Katong Laksa going on, in fact, 328 Katong Laksa is the only surviving one right there though there is another one at Roxy Square, which is directly opposite.

The shop has already lost its rustic charm as it went through a renovation and is air-conditioned now though there are a few tables outdoor. When entering, i proceeded straight to the counter and ordered right there, just like in a Fast Food Restaurant, then paid and waited for the order there. There are 2 options for their Laksa, the smaller portion at $5.50 or the bigger portion at $7.50. I went for the bigger portion and ordered a Luo Han Drink at $1.95 to go along. A small packet of sambal chilli was given with it.

They are still serving it with just spoon and without the chopsticks. I stirred in the sambal chilli with the thick bee hoon, a few cockles and some small prawns together with a handful of beansprouts. After tasting it, i did not like it much as the the gravy was rather diluted with not much of coconut flavor. Honestly, it just did not make much sense to pay $7.50 for such a bowl of mediocre Laksa as there are many better and cheaper options out there.

And, i wonder how did they manage to beat Gordon Ramsay in the Hawker Heroes Challenge orangised by Singtel with such a standard? I remember it did not taste too bad then so perhaps there might be a drop in the standard? I have a feeling that most of their customers are the tourists and they are not likely to be able to tell a good bowl of laksa from a mediocre or even a bad one. 

It was so disappointing that i did not even finish it, i left about half of bowl unfinished and walked away, likely not returning anymore. 

KATONG LAKSA

51 East Coast Road SINGAPORE 428770

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Poon Nah City Home Made Noodle : Not My Number 1 Ban Mian

If you ask for a recommendation for homemade noodle commonly known as Ban Mian, this particular one is usually amongst one of the recommendations. Some even listed it as one of the best in Singapore if is not the best. I have heard about them but i have not been to this part of Singapore much so never have a chance to try it so far. When i was supposed to visit an old coffee shop in Geylang, i made an effort to come here for lunch. 

They are located at the food court at level 5 of City Plaza. You could choose from their 8 different types of noodles than paired it with sliced fish, prawns, kidney, fish maw and even clams. After some thoughts, i went with their ban mian with prawns, the dry and the soup version at $ 3 each. After ordering, i was issued a buzzer for food collection later and it took slightly more than 5 minutes before it buzzed.

They do offer some deep fried items to go with their noodles, i tried their fried beancurd, fried ngor hiang and fried fish balls amongst the others like luncheon meat and more. Since it did not taste too special, i would rather just skip it but it did taste nice when eaten with their spicy chilli.

Their soup You Mian consists of a good portion of noodles, served with prawns, sliced mushroom, minced meat, vegetables and ikan belis. Perhaps it has to do with my expectations as i did not find anything too special of this bowl of noodles. The texture of noodles was just right with a slight springiness and not overly soft but the soup did not have much flavor.

The choice of noodles for the dry version was Ban Mian, it was a slightly better choice than the You Mian that i had for the soup one. It was served with the same ingredients but added with their dark sauce. To start, i tossed it a little to mix the dark sauce well with the Ban Mian together with the chilli underneath. The Ban Mian was cooked just right for an al-dente texture with a firmness and chewiness. It tasted nice though not too impressive as i had eaten better one than this. 

Overall, i do not think i like it enough to just come specifically for it. I might just eat it again if i happen to be in the vicinity with no other better option.

POON NAH CITY HOME MADE NOODLE

810 Geylang Road #05-02 City Plaza SINGAPORE 409286

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Alternate Saturdays)

The Wanton Mee in Joo Chiat

Which is your favourite amongst the few well-known Wanton Mee in Joo Chiat? Read my article on MAKANSUTRA about them.

FuLin Fried Yong Tofu : Average Tasting with Bad Service

I expected it to be different but it turned out to be quite a disappointment. The taste aside, the service was rather bad, to be exact, it was kind of rude. The total cost of food ordered was $7.70, rather expensive. I am not quite likely to be back.

FULIN FRIED YONG TOFU

112 East Coast Road #04-01 112 Katong SINGAPORE 428802

Peach Fantasia at Azzura Gelato Bar

AZZURA GELATO BAR

30 East Coast Road #01-01/02 Katong V SINGAPORE 428751.