Geylang Claypot Rice : a disappointing encounter

This popular claypot rice used to be at Geylang Lorong 33 and was there for more than 30 years before moving to Beach Road, opposite The Concourse. Their claypot rice is cooked upon order over the charcoal fire for about 25 minutes. There are 3 sizes, the smaller portion at $15 for 1 to 2 pax, the medium portion at $26 for 4 pax and the larger portion at $36 for 6 pax. Their menu includes dishes like Double-boiled Soups, Salted Egg Pork Ribs, Prawn Paste Chicken, Cereal Prawn, etc. 

We went for lunch on a Public Holiday. We were approached by the service staff and he asked, "Do you have a reservation?" I replied as no. He then asked, "If you want to eat claypot rice then you will have to wait for about 40 minutes. Can you wait?" We decided to wait. He brought us to the table and said, "I will order the small portion of claypot rice first while you decide what to order next." He came back to hand me a name card and said, "You can call to place an advance order and to reserve a table next time so that you do not have to wait too long." I ordered a canned drink and also the Salted Egg Pork Ribs ($12) to share. The canned drink is priced at $2.80. The same service staff came to pick up the order chit. He asked, "Do you want your Salted Egg Pork Ribs to serve together with the claypot rice?" I nodded. 

We waited for about 30 minutes before receiving it. The claypot rice came first and waited for a few minutes before the Salted Egg Pork Ribs was served. 

The service staff came by, he lifted the cover of the claypot rice. He asked, "Do you want to take a picture before I mix it?" I quickly took a picture using my phone. He then started to drizzle the dark sauce lightly and mixing it using a metal ladle repeatedly for a few minutes before presenting it to us. The claypot rice is served with ingredients like chicken chunks, Chinese sausages and there was supposed to have salted fish but we did not taste it nor see it. There was a layer of crispy rice bits right at the bottom of the claypot.

My dining companion said, "This is one of the worst that I have tasted. It did not have much taste. The chicken though not tender enough but still quite acceptable." He also said, "The only thing that is good is the service." Cooking it over the charcoal fire is supposed to give it a smokey flavor but it was missing here. 

The Salted Egg Pork Rib was another disappointment. Though tasted crispy, the texture was tough, the meat did not stick to the bone and it did not have much salted egg taste. 

The possible reason for such a drop in the standard probably has to do with the departure of their head chef. Chong Hoi Ching, also known as Ah Ching, left Geylang Claypot Rice. He was there for more than 10 years. He then started a hawker stall in Toa Payoh and moved to Bedok South before moving to East Village in Simpang Bedok. He franchised the Eng's Char Siew Wanton Mee and included the claypot rice in the menu. He recently opened another outlet in one of those shophouses along Thomson Road, directly opposite the Novena Church.

GEYLANG CLAYPOT RICE
361, 363, 365 Beach Road SINGAPORE 199576
Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 2.30 pm / 5.00 pm to 10.00 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

Kakak Kentang : giant fried potato ball

Started by the Dapur Ummi Abdullah Dining Group headed by Chef Ummi in November 2017, this stall at FOMO, serving jumbo fried mashed potato balls. This is the most popular stall in this latest hipster food court at Sultan Gate, in the heart of Kampung Glam. 

There are 2 choices, Bombistik and Chikabom, the regular-sized at $6.90 and the large-sized at $9.90. The Bombistik is stuffed with minced beef in tomato bistik gravy and Chikabom is filled with minced chicken, served with chicken soup soto gravy. They are also serving snacks like Abang Popiah for $2 and if you get 3, it will be only for $5, there is also Adik Char Kuay for $5.90.

When ordering, I asked, pointing at the pictures of Bombistik and Chikabom just beside the counter, "Which one would you recommend?" The lady at the counter, replied, "Both are nice." I then decided to go with Chikabom but could not quite make up my mind whether to go for the regular-sized or the large-sized. There was another customer collecting her order. I pointed to her bowls and asked, "This is regular-sized or large-sized?", the same lady replied, "That's regular.". And, I said, "Regular-sized for me then, the large one is a bit too much." I was told to just wait at the counter as I was the only customer at that time as they were already in the midst of preparing the order. While waiting, I took notice of the sample on display to show the actual size of the potato balls. 

My order was ready in few minutes. Chikabom is actually the upgraded version of bergedil, a Malay-style fried potato patty, in a bigger size and served in chicken soup soto gravy topped with shredded carrot and radish with dried shallots. The fried potato ball turned soggy rather quickly after soaked in the gravy for a while. 

It tasted just like the usual bergedil, that is available at those Malay stalls, to go with Mee Siam or Mee Rebus, or as part of the selection for Nasi Padang, at a smaller size and cheaper in price. 

KAKAK KENTANG

38 Sultan Gate FOMO Singapore 198486

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Mon to Thu) / 3.00 pm to 9.00 pm (Fri)
12.00 pm to 12.00 am (Sat & Sun)

Fatty Thai : Thai Wanton Mee

Edmund, Darryll and Wei Zhe, are the owners of this stall and all of them are 22 years old. They met during their school days and decided to start this stall after their national service in this coffee shop along Beach Road. Almost everything is handmade including their char siew which is done in-house based on a recipe that they obtained online.

I ordered Ba Mee Kiao Moo Dang, the Thai style wanton mee, the smallest portion is at $3, followed by $4 and $5. Another item on their menu is Khao Ka Moo at $5 and $7, rice is 0.50 cents per portion. When I was asked whether to go chili, I replied, "How spicy is it?". Edmund replied, "Very spicy. I will just add a little and leave it by the side."

Edmund was in-charge of cooking, assisted by Wei Zhe and Darryll was taking the orders. Though it is stated as "self-service", Darryll offered to serve it to our table.

The smallest portion that I ordered came with a good portion of noodles with slices of char siew and some green, garnished with dried chili flakes and preserved green chili.

Their wantons tasted a bit different, there was a distinct sourish taste and got my dining companion to wonder what it is. I suspected it might be caused by adding in lemongrass as part of the ingredients, which is common for making Thai style wantons. 

There was a strong flavor of lard oil, other than the usual fish sauce and sugar as the base. It is different from the regular wanton mee as it is much drier with no sauce. The noodles were thinner and rather springy. The lards were not as crunchy and fragrant as expected though. 

What left an impression was their friendly service. If I am going to compare this with the popular Soi 19 Thai Wanton Mee, I would still think the latter fared a bit better. 

FATTY THAI

341 Beach Road Lim Si Mi Cafe SINGAPORE 199567

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

The Beast : the Yum Seng to SG52 promotional set for National Day

And, to get to eat this, we made 2 trips in total. The first one, we were there at about 1.30 pm but was told that the Yum Seng to SG52 set was sold out for lunch. The service staff asked whether we would want to come back for dinner on the same day. And, he mentioned that we could actually call to make a reservation. We strongly felt that there was a lack of flexibility in handling this. There is totally no mention that there are limited sets available for their lunch on their Facebook page when they open from 11.00 am to 12.00 am during weekends. At that moment, we felt that this promotion was an insincere one and we even tempted to leave a bad review on their Facebook page but we decided to give it a second chance. This time, we called right after they opened on a Sunday to reserve a table for 2 and also that promotional set before going there at about 1 pm. 

This Yum Seng to SG52 set consists of Nasi Lemak Burger, Salted Egg Yolk Chicken & Pandan Waffles, Beef Rendang Cheese Fries and 2 glasses of Pandan Arnold Palmer at $56++. It would be $52++ if you "yum seng" (make a toast) with their staff and agreed to record a video. We decided to skip it. This set is only available for the month of August. 

The 2 glasses of Pandan Arnold Palmer were served in just a while. My dining companion could not quite tell the flavor of it. He said, "It tasted a bit strange and a bit too sour." He did not like it. This drink is none other than pandan infused lemonade with southern sweet tea.

Nasi Lemak Burger, the most talked about in town about Macdonald's launched its version and sold out soon after that. It has recently announced that they will be bringing it back at the end of August. I wonder how good could their Nasi Lemak Burger be since it is served without the rice which is one of the main components of the Nasi Lemak. I did not get to try it the last round and I doubt I would do it even when they are back.

The Nasi Lemak Burger by The Beast is pretty legit. They served it with a fried egg, a fried chicken together with lettuce and cucumber, sandwiched in between 2 pieces of rice patties and served along with luncheon meat fries. 

The hand-shaped coconut rice patties were coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried to achieve the desired crispiness and it stayed crispy even after left for a while.

The fried chicken thigh was smothered with their house-made sambal tumis. My dining companion said, "It is the sambal chilli made it tastes so authentic." I shared the picture on my Facebook and a friend asked for the review which I replied, "They got the taste and combination correct."

Salted Egg Yolk Chicken & Pandan Waffles. This consists of a piece of salted egg yolk chicken served on a crisp pandan waffle with a side of creamy milk sauce. 

At this point, after just done with the Nasi Lemak Burger, this was a bit overwhelmed. It is like the typical American food, it came in massive portion and it was quite a challenge to finish it. It happened to the table next to us too, that group of guys did not manage to finish their food as well.

The moistness of the fried chicken caused the waffles to be soggy pretty fast and we left most of it unfinished. Just like the fried chicken for the Nasi Lemak Burger, it tasted quite bland if without the salted egg sauce.

The fries were topped with their rendang using their secret recipe and melted mozzarella cheese. This was not bad though not quite memorable.

THE BEAST

17 Jalan Klapa SINGAPORE 199329
Operating Hours: 5.00 pm to 12.00 am (Mon to Wed) / 5.00 pm to 1.00 am (Thurs & Fri)
/ 11.00 am to 12.00 am (Sat & Sun)

25 Degrees Singapore at G Hotel, Middle Road

This burger & liquor bar originated from the famous Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel at Los Angeles in the United States with branches in Chicago and Bangkok; it has also recently opened a branch in Singapore at the G Hotel along Middle Road. It is named after the precise temperature difference between a raw and well-done hamburger.

I was there on the Independence Day for lunch, the restaurant was almost full at that time, but it was still possible to get a table for 1 pax. I was there for their lunch special that they have on weekdays, it consists of a burger with fries for just $12++. I asked for a recommendation and was told that Number One burger is their popular choice. I asked to change the fries to onion rings for an additional $1.50 to have it go along with a Strawberry Milkshake ($10.00++).

There is a total of 5 burgers on their menu; you could choose between the Number One, Number Two, Number Three, Number Four and also a Veggie Burger at $14 each. Number One to Number Two burgers are served with beef patties and different fillings, but Number Four is served with seared Yellowfin Tuna with lettuce, crispy fried onions, and spicy aioli. There is also an option to "Craft Your Own" burger by choosing the type of meat and cheese, sauces and even add on extra toppings.

The Strawberry Milkshake came first. The chilled milkshake is made of real ice-cream topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. 

I waited for quite a while for it to be served but it is well worth it though as the burger arrives juicy and tender with crispy onion rings. The Number One burger is a classic American burger with a premium twist which comprises of USA Angus beef patty, creamy Crescenza cheese, Gorgonzola Prelibato cheese, smoky bacon, caramelized onions, arugula with Thousand Island sauce. The burger for lunch special is the smaller version as compared to their ala-carte order and even so, the meat to bun ratio is quite perfect, without being overwhelming and the buns were not too dry but eating it can still be quite messy though.

Overall, it is not great, but it is not half bad as well though the taste can never be as authentic as their original outlet in Los Angeles. And, night owls will be glad to know that the last call for the kitchen is 3 am on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 am for the rest of the week.

25 DEGREES SINGAPORE

200 Middle Road G Hotel SINGAPORE 188980

Operating Hours: 11.00 to 1.00 am (Sun to Thur) / 11.00 am to 3.00 am (Fri to Sat)

Seow Choon Hua Restaurant : the Best Foo Chow Fishballs in town

This is a family-run business that has been around since 1983, located along Sultan's Gate in Kampong Glam. They are well known for its handmade Foo Chow (Fu Zhou) Fishballs. I was told that they only only closed on the first and second day of the Chinese New Year and kept it opened for rest of the year. There is usually a long queue when it is near Chinese New Year and these regular customers are here to get their Foo Chow fishballs in dozens to have it with steamboat at home. They are one of the existing ones that is still handmade these fishballs traditionally rather as most of it are machine-made these days. 

I  usually go with the Foo Chow Combination at $5.00, it is a bowl of soup with all types of ingredients like the famous Foo Chow fishballs, Yan Pi and Wanton. The handmade fishballs are made using different types of fishes. These fishballs are unevenly shaped and delicately made with seasoned minced meat embedded in it, the texture was quite dense though not as bouncy. 

The Yan Pi is a traditional pork dumpling, the texture is in between a wanton and a siew mai. The skin is rather thin but resilient and rather chewy with tasty filling that consists of minced meat and water chestnuts. The wanton has the similar tasty filling but it did not quite stand out. 

You could choose to have it with their noodles, it is flat just like those handmade noodles but less springy and it is served doused in braised dark sauce.

Red Wine Mee Sua at $5.00 is one of the rare find on their menu. It is the lesser sweet version as compared to the Hakka style, it is not too oily and most importantly, it is not overwhelmed with the 'ang zao' which is also known as red glutinous rice wine lees. The flavor was nicely absorbed by the radish and chicken but it will even be nicer if the texture of the mee sua is less soggy. 

SEOW CHOON HUA RESTAURANT

33 Sultan Gate SINGAPORE 198481

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Seng Kee The Black Seed by Chef Benny : the modern Kopitiam

This recently opened coffee place is a brainchild of Chef Benny that founded Eighteen Chefs, it is located at Bugis Junction, right in front of the taxi stand along North Bridge Road. It is a modern kopitiam serving Eggs & Toasts, Chee Cheong Fun, Sandwiches and Curries in Bread Bowl together with drinks like Kopi and Teh in cold and hot versions, Grass Jelly Bandung and Milo T-Rex. The menu includes desserts like Sour Plum Sng Pao and Soursop Sng Pao that are quite interesting.

It was not as crowded as i expected to be when i was there slightly after 12 pm on a weekday. I was expected to order at the counter then paid and wait for my drink there then wait for my order no to be flashed on the LED panel to collect food at the other counter. 

As i just had lunch, i decided to have their 63 degrees eggs (2 for $2.50 and 1 for $1.50) and Iced Pandan Teh ($4.00).

The sous-vide eggs were slowly cooked at 63 degrees to give the yolk a runny texture, the temperature and timing are really mattered for a perfect soft-boiled egg that has such a desired degree of tenderness. 

Their Iced Pandan Teh at $4.00 is a bit steep for just a glass of normal tea that is infused with a rather slight pandan taste and served with crushed ice. Again, if it is going to be compared with some of those atas cafes out there, their menu prices are considered as quite affordable and in fact, it is slightly lower.

Their customer service was not as attentive, the service staff that took my order did not inform me that there is an ongoing opening promotion that offer set meals that are of better value. And, i do not quite remember seeing any indication about the opening promotion. 

If i do visit again, i would probably like to try their Curry Chicken with Chee Cheong Fun or in a Bread Bowl and also Singaporean-inspired Ciabatta and Focaccia sandwiches if i do visit again. 

SENG KEE The Black Seed by Chef Benny

200 Victoria Street #01-71/72 Bugis Junction SINGAPORE 188021

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 10.30 pm (Daily)

Prince Coffee House : that nostalgic feeling

This 40 years old coffee house used to be located at Shaw Tower and is named after the now-defunct Prince Cinema where they stayed for 13 years. They then moved to Coronation Plaza at Bukit Timah for 22 years before moving to the current location for about 5 years now.

I was their only customer at 11.15 am and i was greeted by the elderly Jimmy Lim, 72, he is one of the owners that has been with the coffee house since 1977. He used to be the Head Waiter before he bought the business with his partners when the original owner retired. Though i have not been here for a while but it is still the same familiar coziness that is so welcoming. The last time when i visited was for my article on Makansutra.

Set lunches serve here on the weekdays from 11.00 am to 3.00 pm. Chicken Cutlet is served on Monday, Pork Chop is on Tuesday, Grilled Fish on Wednesday, Chicken Chop on Thursday and Fish & Chips on Friday for only $8.80+. Alternatively, they also serve air flown Sirlion Steak at $13.80+ from Monday to Friday during lunch. You could also choose a al-crate dish and then add on $4.00 to make it a meal. Their lunch sets include a soup of the day, drink and dessert. Their prices have not changed in the last couple of years. 

I opted to have Ice Lemon Tea to go with the set lunch. It came rather quickly followed by the soup of the day, which was Cream of Chicken that is served along with a piece of garlic bread.

Next, came along the Sirlion Steak with fries, carrot and long beans on their decades old Pyrex plate. The steak was nicely done at medium to medium-well that still have its tenderness and is served with their signature brown sauce.

When a serving staff came over to clear my plate, i asked to take away 2 Chicken Pies with a Yam Cake. While waiting for the orders to be packed, Uncle Jimmy came over with a tray of different types of desserts consisting grass jelly and cut fruits. I picked the cut papaya from there. When leaving, he was waiting by the entrance just to say thank you and followed by 谢谢 in Chinese. 

It is that feeling of such old school heartwarming service that is always leaves an impression. And, this is often missing in most modern eateries that is usually focus too much on efficiency and quick services thus ended up becoming cold and impersonal.

PRINCE COFFEE HOUSE

249 Beach Road SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Daily)