Rayben King of Seafood Soup at Sin Ming

The owners, Ray and Benson started this stall in the midst of December 2020 serving seafood soup, There are only 3 choices on their menu, the smallest portion at $8.00 followed by $18.00, and then at $38. Ben was there taking the order. He recommended that we should try the $18.80 as it is good to be shared amongst 2 pax. 

I asked, "Why do you choose such a location? How is the business so far?" He said, "We wanted somewhere to start and the rental here is reasonable. And, we have been doing good so far. We even have customers coming from as far as Jurong." Ray mentioned competing against a popular stall and wanting to serve the best. I asked out of curiosity, "Who is this competitor? Do not tell me it is one of those that serve Pao Fan as I do not like." He replied, "I think Pao Fan is gimmicky. The texture of rice after soaked in the broth usually was too soggy." He later mentioned that this stall is the popular Yan Ji Fish Soup at Marsiling Mall Food Centre. 

We were given a buzzer after done with the payment. The medium portion consists of half a rock lobster, half a flower crab, 2 tiger prawns, Batang fish, squid, la la, and pacific clams. It came with choices of rice as well as thick bee hoon and we opted for rice. 

My dining companion tasted the soup and said, "The soup is quite tasty, naturally flavored." He said, "I could taste there is milk added." Benson happened to walk past and he asked, "How was it?" I said, "You added milk into it?" He replied, "I added just a bit of milk for a smoother texture."

My dining companion also said, "It is not the usual coffee shop pricing and is not quite worth the value. I would actually prefer a simple bowl of seafood soup without those premium ingredients added like the one by Yan Ji though they use Dory fish. I enjoyed their chunky handmade meatballs."

I did not try to ask for more soup though it was suggested in a review posted on their Facebook as someone tried but was declined. It is also not a practice to refill soup at Yan Ji Seafood Soup. The soup is supposed to serve concentrated and if they allowed refilling of soup then they would have to dilute the soup to make it more which does not quite make sense. 

I would just go for their basic bowl of seafood soup if I do come back.

RAYBEN KING OF SEAFOOD SOUP

39 Sin Ming Drive SINGAPORE 575713

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

Hao Kee Seafood Deluxe at Toa Payoh North

Jeremey Tan, 37, the owner is running the stall with his wife. We went on a Sunday, the coffee shop was really quiet and there was just another table ordered some dishes from the stall. While looking at the menu board, I was greeted by the wife. I decided to go ahead with ordering the Chao Tah Bee Hoon ($6) and Chye Poh Hor Fun ($5). Both dishes were served at the same time. 

Chao Tah Bee Hoon, the "burnt" bee hoon, was a little disappointing. I could not actually taste the wok fragrance nor the smokiness though the pile of bee hoon was nicely charred. There were pieces of prawn, sotong and bits of fried lard embedded within. The first impression was that the bee hoon though dry, it did not taste as crispy as it was expected to be. The underneath of the bee hoon was quite greasy, it was a little overwhelming after a few mouthfuls. 

Chye Poh Hor Fun, a Teochew classic, did not fare too well though slightly better. The wide rice noodles were nicely stir-fried but not enough to infuse the charred flavor. The taste of chye poh (preserved radish) was not too distinctive, it would be nicer if they added a bit more chye poh and less greasy. There were other ingredients like egg, bean sprouts, and greens.

HAO KEE SEAFOOD DELUXE

Block 203 Toa Payoh North #01-1097 SINGAPORE 310203

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 2.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 10.30 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Cai Ji Wanton Mee : old-school delight

I was there for lunch on a weekday. This coffee shop was not as crowded as it is nestled in a neighborhood estate and most of the diners are the residents staying in the vicinity. A friend recommended this particular Wanton Mee that has been around for more than 30 years. The current owner took over when the original owner wanted to retire, using the same recipes to keep it going since then. 

Their signature Wanton Mee ($3) is the most popular item so I ordered it. There was no more mee pok so I went with the mee kia. I decided to add extra wanton. The Uncle asked, "The fried or the soup one?" I replied, "Both. I came all the way from Ang Mo Kio so have to make this trip worth it." He replied, "I also stay in Ang Mo Kio, next to AMK Hub." I asked, "Why did you not open a stall in Ang Mo Kio?" He said, "I am only a worker." He then asked, "Do you eat chicken feet?" I nodded. He placed a piece on the plate and said, "Give you eat". 

Everything was placed neatly on the tray and I bought it to the table. The next moment, I saw the Uncle walking quickly towards us. He said, "Sorry. I left out the char siew." He picked up the plate then walked away and came back in a bit. This time, the noodles were topped with slices of char siew, leafy greens. 

My dining companion took the first mouthful after tossed it well and said, "Not bad, quite nice actually." The noodles were slightly thicker and springier in the concoction of only chilli and ketchup that gave it a rather clean old school taste.

My dining companion that usually like the fried wanton, said, "I do not find the fried wanton to be nice. The skin was slightly too hard with very little filling." He added, "In fact, I find the soup ones to be nicer." He took a bite and shown it to me, said, "See! It has more of those well-seasoned filling. I could actually taste the white pepper and sesame oil in it." He also said, "The soup is light but flavorful."

Those wantons though smaller but quite plump. He continued to say, "Those slices of char siew are dry and quite tasteless." He picked up a piece of the fried lard and said, "This is tasty. I left the bigger piece there for you." 

Such a simple lunch can be quite enjoyable.

CAI JI WANTON MEE

Block 112 Bishan Street 12 KF78 SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 6.30 am to 2.30 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

112 Economic Bee Hoon : another breakfast choice

I walked over to a coffee shop at Block 112 after having breakfast at Block 120 Bishan Street 12. I was told by a friend to try the Fried Horfun from this stall that serves economic bee hoon. I was there at about 11 am but there was no sight of the Fried Horfun so I asked, "Do you have the 炒河粉?" The friendly stall assistant replied, "Finished already. We usually have that at this time but it sold out early today." I said, "I was told that the 炒河粉 is special and nice, particularly so when it was freshly out of the wok." She smiled and replied, "That is quite popular amongst our customers as there seem to be no other stall is serving it." 

I decided to go with the Fried Bee Hoon, there were the white and the dark version for selection and I went with the dark. I added a piece of Fried Chicken Wing and a Fried Egg for $3.20. The lady asked, "Do you want chili?" She also asked, "Do you want to have some curry gravy over it?" I nodded.

The texture of the Fried Bee Hoon was a little softer as compared to the one in the other coffee shop at Block 120. It was probably so after soaked in the curry gravy. Though the Fried Chicken Wing was not particularly impressive, it was tastier than the one that I had earlier. The curry gravy was quite thick and aromatic, it actually went really well with the Fried Bee Hoon. I also prefer the chilli here, it was slightly sweeter with bits of ikan belis in it, it tasted like the chili for Nasi Lemak. 

I was told by the same friend that I should also try the Wanton Mee from the same coffee shop. I should make a trip there soon to do so. 

112 ECONOMIC BEE HOON

Block 112 Bishan Street 12 SINGAPORE 570112

Bishan 120 Economic Bee Hoon : a breakfast choice

A friend told me about this stall, this was the only stall that opened in the quiet coffee shop when I went for an early lunch. I decided to have Fried Bee Hoon with Fried Chicken Wing and Ngor Hiang. I requested to have extra chilli to go along. The Fried Bee Hoon was nicely executed, flavorful and not too greasy, simple yet tasty. Fried bee hoon has always been a beloved local choice for breakfast. This humble noodle dish that consists of stir-fried vermicelli, commonly known as bee hoon as its main ingredient, is seemingly simple, it still requires the right cooking technique to cook it well. The Ngor Hiang was forgettable though and the Fried Chicken Wing failed to impress.

I left the plate on the table and walked over to the drink counter to order an Iced Coffee.  There was an Uncle stood beside the table when I returned. He said, in English, "There was a bird trying to eat your bee hoon and I came over to chase it away." I smiled and said, "Thank you." He then walked away and joined his friends at a table nearly. 

BISHAN 120 ECONOMIC BEE HOON

Block 120 Bishan Street 12 SINGAPORE 570120

新建兴肉脞面 at Sin Ming

I came here to take away once to eat it at home. The overall taste was not too fascinating but rather pleasant. I decided to have it again after having the not too filling mee hoon kueh at the coffee shop next to it. It was lunchtime and most of the tables in that coffee shop have been taken up and most of the tables ordered the noodles from this stall. There were other customers waiting to order in front of the stall. I went with the bowl with add-in ingredients at $5.50 and added chicken feet for an additional $2.00. I was given a buzzer for collection later and I waited for about 10 minutes to do so.

This bowl consists of a good portion of mee pok with ingredients like braised trotter, braised mushroom, braised small intestine, braised chicken feet, minced meat, sliced meat, fishball and slices of fishcake. 

My dining companion took a mouthful and said, "It smells better than it tastes." He added, "Though not disappointing but not much of a surprise." I had agreed somewhat. The chicken feet and pork trotter would be nicer if it is slightly softer, those braised intestine were a little too chewy and not as flavorful. There was also not much sauce underneath the pile of noodles so it tasted a bit dry after tossing it. Though not the best amongst what I had eaten, it is good enough to satisfy a pang of hunger. 

It is getting harder to find a really good Bak Chor Mee these days. Somehow, I still prefer the traditional type with the liver as part of its ingredients. 

新建兴肉脞面

Block 22 Sin Ming Road SINGAPORE 570022

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Yue Lai Xiang Delights at Sin Ming

Joy Yeo, 40, the owner, used to be working as a marketing specialist in printing house before started a hawker stall to serve Hakka style handmade noodle dishes. She first started in a food centre at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 then moved to Jurong West Hawker Centre for a short while before moving to Sin Ming AutoCity then to Block 22 Sin Ming Road recently. Jessie Lee, 62, her mother is helping out at the stall, too.

Their handmade noodles are different, other than the original noodles, there is also the flavored noddles in 4 different colors for different flavors, starting from blue pea, beetroot, spinach, and pumpkin for the ban mian, you mian and mee hoon kueh. Those doughs are made fresh daily. Everything is made from scratch there based on her recipes, from the noodles to the soup base after experimented with various ingredients. I ordered the blue pea mee hoon kueh and beetroot mee hoon kueh, $4.50 for soup and $5.50 for dry with the standard broth. There is also the Premium bowl, it is $7 for original noodles and $8 for flavored noodles.

I tried the blue pea mee hoon kueh first, it did not seem to have much flavor though the texture is slightly softer and smoother. It was served with crispy ikan bilis, sliced pork, minced pork, poached egg, and sayur mani greens, topped with the dried shallots. My dining companion agreed that those pieces of mee hoon kueh did not have a distinctive flavor. The house-made chilli sauce that made of chilli padi, lime juice, vinegar, and minced garlic is a good dipping sauce.

The broth is made up of dried sole fish, pork bones, sweet corn, ikan bilis and garlic without artificial flavoring and MSG. Those pieces of mee hoon kueh were hand-torn upon receiving orders. 

Then, I tried the beetroot mee hoon kueh, mixed it well with the sauce underneath. I could not taste any distinctive taste as well but it was cooked to al-dente for a slightly firmer texture as compared to the blue pea mee hoon kueh. The sambal chilli enhanced it with a richer and spicier flavor though not overly so. I prefer the dry version, the colored mee hoon kueh lends a lovely pinkish hue to the soup. 

It tasted simple with a homecooked feel. I would not mind eating again if I happen to be in the vicinity. 

YUE LAI XIANG DELIGHTS
Block 22 Sin Ming Road #01-224 Food Trail SINGAPORE 570022
Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 4.30 pm (Daily)

Beef Up : Halal-certified Taiwanese food

This stall is started by Jeremy, Ronald, and Rohaizzatd using a recipe from Jeremy's mother who is a Taiwanese. This is probably the only halal-certified Taiwanese food in Singapore. It is located at Grains & Hops Food Court Bistro in the industrial area of Toa Payoh North. I ordered the Beef Noodle ($6.50/$8.00) and I was asked to choose between the 2 different types of handmade noodles, the thinner type and the broader type like those noodles at the ban mian stalls. I also ordered Chicken Cutlet Rice Set ($7.00) and Chicken Bits ($3.00). I was asked to choose between Black Pepper, Seaweed and Plum which I opted for Seaweed. I am not adventurous enough to try their Braised Chicken Lu Rou Fan, which is different from the traditional Lu Rou Fan that is using the pork belly.

I was not informed that I will have to look out for the number on LED panel and match it against the number on the receipt for collection. I actually waited at the counter for a bit before realizing it. I waited for close to 25 minutes before the Beef Noodle was ready. I was told to come back later for the Chicken Cutlet Bento and the Chicken Bits. I waited for another 10 minutes or so and it is still not ready. I chatted with another customer that has also waited quite long for her order. There was only 2 of them manning the stall, one was doing the cooking and the other was attending to the customers. 

Those beef chunks were a bit too lean thus it did not taste as soft as I liked it. My dining companion used to work in Taiwan and he felt that the Beef Noodle has a certain resemblance to what he used to eat there. He said, "It is quite nice. It would be even nicer if the beef is slightly fattier." 

The Chicken Cutlet Rice Set was quite disappointing. The chicken cutlet tasted quite bland. My dining companion, said, "I would expect them to sprinkle some chilli powder like how it usually served the chicken cutlet in Taiwan." He also said, "They are using the normal rice and not the more expensive pearl rice." It was served with pieces of carrot and cucumber together with preserved radish that did not have much taste. 

The Chicken Bits have already turned cold when it was served. It tasted equally bland as I could not taste the seaweed seasoning that it was supposed to have.

I do not think I liked it enough to come back again soon.

BEEF UP
Block 978 Toa Payoh North #02-01 SINGAPORE 319001
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

食香阁 Shi Xiang Ge : La Mian & Shaved Noodle

Mr Liu Yi Zhong that started this stall used to be working with Crystal Jade as La Mian Director. He has a total of 28 years of experiences in making la mian, including the 10 years in China before moving to Singapore in 2000. This stall is located in a coffee shop above Bishan Bus Interchange. It is specialized in Shanxi cuisine, serving dishes like Beef La Mian ($5), Minced Meat La Mian ($5), Hot & Spicy Intestine Shaved Noodle ($5), Poached Szechuan Dumpling in Spicy Sauce ($5), Pork & Vegetable Dumplings ($5), Meat Bun ($3.50) etc. The noodles and dumplings are all handmade at the stall.

There was a long queue when we were there for lunch on a Sunday. We ordered the Beef Shaved Noodle, Minced Meat La Mian and also the Pork & Vegetable Dumplings.  My dining companion has the Beef Shaved Noodle. He took a sip of the soup followed by a mouthful of the noodles and said, "好吃". He continued to say, "The soup was lightly flavored and the small chunks of beef are quite tender. I wish there are more though. It is quite a big bowl and definitely value for money."

The shaved noodle is known as 刀削面 in Chinese, it means knife-sliced noodles. There was a man behind the stall, holding a big piece of dough with his left hand, supporting using its shoulder and using his right hand to hold a knife and repeatedly shaving pieces of noodles out of that dough. The texture of noodles was just right, not lumpy nor clumpy and not too thick. It is served with a mixture of nicely cooked meat and tendons, garnished with coriander. The soup base is made using beef bones and meat. 

The Minced Meat La Mian is known as 杂酱拉面 in Chinese on their signboard, the La Mian is referred to hand-pulled noodles. This is another popular dish that most of their customers are ordering. It is served with a handful of minced meat with pieces of beancurd then garnished with shredded cucumber. What left an impression is not the taste but the texture of the noodles, it was springy and bouncy and is amongst the best that I have eaten. 

We agreed that the Pork & Vegetable Dumplings were just average. The poached dumplings tasted a little bland and uninteresting, its filling was mainly minced meat with a bit of vegetable. The Szechuan Dumpling in Spicy Sauce might be a better option and it seems to a much more popular choice as most customers order that. 

I would definitely come back for their Szechuan Dumpling in Spicy Sauce and I might even try the Hot & Spicy Intestine Shaved Noodle if I am feeling adventurous. 

食香阁 SHI XIANG GE

Block 514 Bishan Street 13 Bishan Bus Interchange Level 2 SINGAPORE 570514

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

Fatty Bombom Sizzle at Toa Payoh North

We were there at about 5 pm but the light of the signboard of this stall was still off even though it is stated on their Facebook page that they are starting at 5 pm. There were also other customers waiting as well followed by more and more customers coming to wait. This seemed to be the most popular stall amongst the others in the hipster foodcourt. Their food must be of a certain standard to be this popular. 

At 5.20 pm, the staff was spotted walking into the stall. The chap at the counter offered to take my order when I was looking at the menu board. He said, "We will only start cooking at 5.30 pm." I decided to go with Cajun Chicken ($6.90) and Crunchy Chicken ($7.20). I was given a buzzer after paying up. We waited till 5.50 pm to receive the orders despite I was the first customer to order. The Cajun Chicken was ready first followed by the Crunchy Chicken. 

The Cajun Chicken did not taste quite like it. What exactly is Cajun? Cajun is relating to a style of cooking originating amongst the Cajuns and characterized by the use of spicy seasonings such as cayenne pepper and paprika. In this instance, I could not taste the spiciness in the seasoning. The chicken was served in a pool of brown sauce and totally covered by the same sauce, which I suspected to be the black pepper sauce. It might be more appropriate if they named it Back Pepper Chicken instead. By the way, there is also a Black Pepper Chicken on their menu. Did they mess up the order? I am quite certain that it was not Cajun Chicken. The chicken tasted quite bland without the sauce. 

The chunky fries were sprinkled with Cajun seasoning though, the spiciness though mild but quite distinctive. 

I could not understand why did they serve coleslaw on the hotplate? It is supposed to be served cold and not warm. They actually placed it on a leaf of lettuce but it did not keep the heat away. They should have it served separately since there are no other choices for side dishes.

The Crunchy Chicken did not fare any better. It was served along with mayonnaise. It was fried well to a notable crunchiness but the meat was surprisingly bland as well.

My dining companion commented that their popularity might have to do with the limited options of halal Western food which I agreed. There is actually a better Western food stall nearby but not halal-certified though.

When I met up with KF Seetoh, the founder of Makansutra, for the first time for an interview for a writing position. He clearly told me that "Nice say nice and not nice say not nice". I have been following this principle all this while and trying to stay objective. Some might think that writing a negative review will have an indirect impact on the establishment. While writing for Makansutra, I went to review OMGrill, a stall manned by the winner of Wok Star, a local TV cooking programme. He was offered a stall in the coffee shop rent-free for the first 6 months by a particular F & B group as part of the prizes. Apparently, the stall did not make it and closed after a while. I seriously do not think my honest review has directly contributed to its closure. 

FATTY BOMBOM SIZZLE

978 Toa Payoh North Grains & Hops Food Court Bistro SINGAPORE 319001

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 3.30 pm / 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)