王老五 Chicken King at Jalan Batu Food Centre

While waiting to order at Belirub, we walked around and looking for something else to eat first at this quiet food centre in Mountbatten. And, we took notice of this stall as it has a catching stall name. The meaning of 王老五 in English is "Bachelor", which means "a man who is not and has never married" and that followed by "Chicken King" right after. They must be of a certain standard to have that kind of confidence to declare themselves as "Chicken King". The stall is located at the corner of the first row and this seemed to be a popular stall as most tables around there have ordered from them. They are supposed to be famous for their chicken rice though there are also duck, char siew and sio bak on their menu. There was another customer in front of me at that time. I decided to go with a quarter of the roasted chicken with rice and old cucumber pork ribs soup. And, I paid $13.50 in total. 

The old cucumber pork ribs soup was intensely flavored and rather comforting. It is of pretty good value for just $3.50 with generous pieces of old cucumber and pork ribs in it. This is something that is worth going back for.

The quarter chicken was in quite a big portion but the taste somehow just did not manage to leave an impression. Though the stall name is Chicken King, its taste is still far to be stood out amongst the other chicken rice stalls to be called the king.

The rice was nicely cooked to a grainy texture, not too greasy and rather flavorful. The chilli did not taste too memorable so much so that I have forgotten how it actually tastes. This stall is worth the try if you happen to be here and is looking for a filling lunch.

王老五 CHICKEN KING

4A Jalan Batu #01-28 Jalan Batu Food Centre SINGAPORE 432004
Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Hock Lam Street Popular Beef Kway Teow

This beef kway teow originated from Hock Lam Street and it has a long history. It has indicated on their signboard that they have been around since 1921. They are still using the century-old recipe to serve the Teochew style beef kway teow. It is still a well-known name after all these years though they were at a few different places before resurfacing at this food centre.

I asked, "So, this is the original beef kway teow from the Hock Lam Street?" The auntie replied, "This is the one." I added, "How about the other stall at Far East Square?" She said, "My niece used to run that outlet but it has closed down last year." She continued to say, "She learned from us too." I asked, "Who is that elderly Uncle that was pictured at this stall?" She replied, "He is my husband."

After considering those choices, I said, "I only want sliced beef and meatballs." She asked, "What type of noodles? $5 or the $6?" and she continued, "The $6 will come with more ingredients." There are chilli and chincalok available for self-service at the counter. I asked, "Should I add the chincalok to the chilli sauce?" She answered, "Most people do that but some prefer to have it separately."

It consists of a good portion of thick bee hoon with slices of beef and meatballs, garnished with chopped coriander and grounded peanuts. It did not have salted vegetables though. Those sliced beef were too thinly sliced and those meatballs were just average tasting. The gravy was not as thick and starchy. Somehow, I did not like it as much. 

HOCK LAM STREET POPULAR BEEF KWAY TEOW

51 Old Airport Road #01-22 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Belirub : the Cordon Bleu hawker

Vincent Terence Tan, 58, the owner, his stall was featured in the latest series of "Buzzing Hawker" just recently under the mentorship of chef Petrina Loh from Morsels. He was a Software Engineer stationed in Houston, Texas before deciding to spend USD $100,000 to pursue a degree at the Le Cordon Bleu at the age of 40. He started working as a chef in some hotels when he came back from the States in 2008. And he started this hawker stall thereafter but this journey has been a hard dream so far. 

I was there at about 2.15 pm on a Sunday and there was a short queue at the stall. Vincent was there all alone. He has to handle everything, from taking orders, answering queries, cooking and serving it. He used to sell in between 15 to 20 plates for an average day before participating in the "Buzzing Hawker" programme. And, he did not earn enough to pay for the operating costs and he eventually run out of funds.

He greeted me with a smile when he finally noticed me. I said, "Hi, Vincent."  I pointed to the picture of Chincalok Wooster Grilled Chicken on the signboard and said, "I like to order this and also the Maryland Chicken." He said, "I am quite busy now. Would you mind to come back a little later?" I asked, "What time should I come back then?" He replied, "Maybe 20 minutes or maybe 30 minutes would be better." He was quite soft spoken and I did not quite get what he said. I went back close to 3.00 pm and there were still some customers waiting for their orders. When he saw me seated at the table in front of his stall, he said, "Next will be your orders, the last ones." He off the light of his signboard right after that.

I asked, "Closing for the day?" He said, "I am very tired now." I asked, "The business is getting better?" Vincent replied, "Just slightly." He sighed a little. He said, "Now, I have to prepare 2 different types of coleslaw. I already have my type of coleslaw but I have to prepare a different one for the new recipe." I asked, "Would you be able to substitute it with your type of coleslaw?" He replied, "No. I don't think so." And, I asked, "Would they actually check on you?" He said, "Quite likely".

I pointed to the vacant stall directly opposite his stall and said, "Your direct competitor, The Spaghetti Shop, has already closed now?" He nodded and said, "I have been doing it for 5 years." I replied, "I have not heard about your stall so far. This is a quiet food centre in an equally quiet estate." He said, "Most of the customers are regulars and they are the ones that keep this stall going." While waiting for the orders to be ready, I counted the used plates that were placed in a plastic container beside his stall, there were about 20 plates in there. When I collected my orders, I said, "All the best." He smiled and said, "Thank you."

My dining companion ordered the Maryland Chicken, it consists 2 pieces of deep-fried breaded chicken cutlets, served with fries and a vegetable side that was supposed to be served hot but it was at room temperature. He said, "It tasted just like the usual chicken cutlets that are available at most Western food stalls." He enjoyed those chunks of carrots and bits of sweet corn with pieces of cauliflower drenched in a sauce. He said, "It tasted just like those cream soups and it is nice."

Chincalok Wooster Grilled Chicken is done using the new recipe created by chef Petrina Loh. The chicken is marinated in chincalok and Kea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce together with onion, garlic, and olive oil. The marinade is also used as the sauce to serve along with the chicken chop. In this instance, I could hardly taste the chincalok in it. The chicken chop did not have much flavor and the skin was torn a little, with a slightly burnt taste. I urged my dining companion to try and he shared the same opinion. We also thought that the chicken was quite a small piece thus not too fulling.

Turmeric is used as part of the seasoning for the coleslaw which I did not like it as much. Those turmeric infused shredded cabbages were not as crunchy and a little overpowering in taste. I just took a bite and left the rest unfinished. My dining companion felt that those baked potatoes were quite nice.

He is a Cordon Bleu-trained chef and he has the abilities to execute these dishes well but somehow it just did happen this time. He is a really nice chap nonetheless and he deserved a chance to do well at this stall. I might just go back after the hype dies down.

BELIRUB

4A Jalan Batu #01-12 Jalan Batu Food Centre SINGAPORE 432004

Operating Hours: 11.45 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Gin Sen : authentic Thai noodles

Tanya, 36 started this stall with Candy, 36, both of them came from Thailand but moving to Singapore after marriage. Gin Sen" means "eating noodle" in the Thai language, a rather common word used amongst friends and families in Thailand which symbolizes a form of bonding over food. Tanya and Cindy decided that the best way to spread their love for Thai food is to share it with the locals by cooking it themselves.  Though their main focus is to preserve the original Thai recipes, the adjustment is made to further suit the taste buds of locals. Their signature dishes include Thai Bak Mee ($4/$5), Tom Yum Bak Mee ($4/$5), Thai Beef Soup Noodle ($5/$7), Thai Claypot Basil Beef Rice ($6.50), Thai Green Mango Salad ($5), Thai Fish Cakes ($5) and Thai Fried Mid Wings ($5).

Tanya was there when I went for lunch on a Saturday. She greeted me with a warm smile and started to introduce some of their signature dishes. I pointed to the Thai beef Soup Noodle on the menu board and said, "This." I was contemplating between ordering this and the Thai Bak Mee earlier. She pointed to the different types of the noodles on the menu board and asked, "What types of noodles do you want?" I asked, "What do you recommend?" And, she said, "Most of the customers would go for egg noodles or flat rice noodles but for a more authentic taste, I will recommend glass noodles." I also ordered Thai Fried Mid Wings at $5.00. I paid a total of $10.50 for both.

While waiting, I asked, "Where is your friend?" She smiled and replied, "We are working on shifts and she will be here later."

The Thai Beef Noodle was ready first. There are some condiments for self-service but I did not go for any. I waited for another few minutes for the Thai Fried Mid Wings to be ready. Tanya actually asked where do I sit and when she knew that I would not be sitting near the stall, she suggested that I might want to come back later to collect it.

Thai Beef Soup Noodle is quite similar to our local soup version of Beef Noodle but the broth was lighter flavor with a tinge of peppery taste. It came with beef balls and a few chunks of beef. The soup was served lukewarm, it would be better if it was served hot. 

Thai Fried Chicken Mid Wings consists of 8 pieces of battered chicken wings. Those middle wings were cut in half then coated with a light batter and deep-fried to the perfect texture, it was served along with sweet Thai chilli. 

GIN SEN

51 Old Airport Road #01-65 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 3.00 pm / 5.30 pm to 9.00 pm (Mon to Fri) /

10.00 am to 8.00 pm (Sat & Sun)

Wonderfull Nasi Lemak : it is a goodbye

It was announced on their Facebook page that they are closing down for good and their last day will be on 26 February 2018. It mentioned that they will be taking an indefinite hiatus from making wonderful nasi lemak. It must be a difficult decision to end such a journey, from the burnt rice to undercooked chicken and to massive 200 pax orders as well as appearing on TV and various publications.

The stall is manned by Lois Er, 26 and Eunice, her younger sister with a recipe from their dad. I decided to visit them for the first and also the last time before they are gone. I said, "I heard that you are closing down for good?" then I continued to say, "Life of hawker must be pretty hard." Lois nodded her head and smiled. She said, "You saw our post on the Facebook?" I nodded. 

She asked, "You actually come all the way here?" I answered, "I wanted to try but did not get to do so. I did not expect the stall at Yishun Park Hawker Centre to be closed down so soon, that place is much nearer to where I stay." And, I continued, "I wanted to know how wonderful is your Nasi Lemak." Then, I asked, "Is it true that you actually burnt the rice and undercooked the chicken as you stated on your Facebook post?" Lois chuckled then replied, "It actually happened." And, she did not share the reason for closing down. 

I ordered the Set D, which consists of a chicken drumstick with an egg, ikan belis and peanuts for $4.20. Eunice asked, "Do you want it with the sunny-side-up egg or the omelette? which I answered, "Omelette please." The chilli and coconut infused rice are the most important components of a good Nasi Lemak and both were actually good. The chilli has a good balance of sweetness and spiciness. The rice is cooked to the right texture with a tint of coconut flavor. The chicken drumstick though not freshly fried but it was still slightly crispy and tender within, quite tasty as well.

Eunice handed me my plate of nasi lemak and I said, "All the best." I was the only customer at that time and there were another to get a piece of otah when I was about to walk off. I do hope that this is not the end of their journey of a hawker. If you happen to be at the food centre for lunch on 26 February, go order this wonderful Nasi Lemak for the last time and bid goodbye to them. 

WONDERFULL NASI LEMAK

51 Old Airport Road #01-96 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 8.30 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Fridays)

Roast Paradise : Char Siew is good but the Sio Bak is just so so

This was my third visit, the last two were about a year ago when they just started. Their queue now was much longer as compared to then. They are in the midst of opening a branch but the location has not been revealed yet. The queue was long but it moved quickly. I waited about 20 minutes before I got to order. I decided to go with 100 grammes of Char Siew ($4.70) and also 100 grammes of Sio bak ($4.70) with a  plate of rice (0.60 cents) and a bowl of Hakka noodle ($2.20). I was asked whether I want to have chilli to go with the Hakka noodle.

The Char Siew is still amongst the best that I had eaten but I could not say the same about their Sio Bak as I actually prefer those from 88 Hong Kong Roast Meat Specialist. The texture of the Char Siew was amazingly soft, this is their signature dish that has left many of their customers smitten. This can be addictive as well, the 100 grammes that we ordered to share did not seem to be quite enough. It is so good to be eaten on its own, without the chilli sauce and even the dark sauce that served along. 

The Sio Bak was slightly disappointing, certain part tasted a bit more saltish and slightly bland at the other part but the crispiness of the skin somewhat made up for it. 

The mee pok was cooked just right and served along with a handful of minced meat and slices of cucumber with chilli by the side. 

I actually prefer the noodle to the rice as I think is a better option. 

Somehow, they managed to live up to the hype and is doing well, which is good. 

ROAST PARADISE

51 Old Airport Road #01-121 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 2.30 pm / 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm (Tue, Thu to Sat)

10.30 am to 2.30 pm (Wed & Sun) (Closed on Mondays)

Xing Li Cooked Food : Fried Oyster - the hidden gem

This unassuming stall is manned by an elderly Uncle all by himself, serving Fried Oyster at $4, $5 and $6 and also Oyster Egg at $6, $8 and $10. It is manned by an elderly Uncle all by himself. There was a queue at about 1 pm on a Sunday. The Uncle was taking the orders in batches and usually about 3 to 4 orders at a time. He then started to work on his big wok which situated at the corner of the back of his stall and preparing these orders at his own pace. He is diligently frying it batch by batch and plate by plate, the key to his Fried Oyster is none other than having patience.

The oysters were plump and relatively fresh nestled amongst the fluffy egg and fried potato starch, together with the spring onion. The tangy chilli is a nice accompaniment which brought forth the flavour though not quite necessary as it is tasty enough to be eaten on its own. He added a generous amount of egg with about 8 pieces of oyster for the $5 which I ordered. Though I usually prefer the crispy version but this moist one is quite good, not too starchy as there is more egg than starch. 

The waiting time was quite long, one of the customers even cancelled the Oyster Egg that she ordered with the Fried Oyster. Uncle was apologetic but the customer said, she will come back another day for it. 

The wait might be long but it is definitely worth the effort as it was one of the better ones that I had tasted. It might not be good enough to be considered the best but it is impressive enough to be called the hidden gem.

XING LI COOKED FOOD

51 Old Airport Road #01-28 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 1.00 pm till sold out

Old Airport Road Food Centre : What to Eat?

Old Airport Road Food Centre is one of the oldest and largest hawker centres in Singapore, it has been around for about 40 years. Listed here are some of the worth trying stalls if you are there.

DONG JI FRIED KWAY TEOW (#01-138)
Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 2.00 pm (Daily)

There is always a queue at this stall as the owner insists to fry a plate at a time, he has been doing it for the past 40 years. The Fried Kway Teow does not quite taste like the usual one out there as it is much drier in texture, it bears a little resemblance to the Penang Fried Kway Teow. Even so, it is slightly sweeter and less savoury as well as not as spicy. You might not like this if you prefer the wetter version like the one from the famous Hillstreet Fried Kway Teow. I would think this is quite good as it is done consistently with a distinct taste of wok hei. The elderly Uncle is a little slow, so anticipate a longer waiting time.

ROAST PARADISE (#01-122)
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 2.00 pm or earlier if sold out (Closed on Mondays)

Their kind of char siew is a classic KL style, which has been intensely marinated and well caramelised to give a distinct sweetness with a sticky texture using the part in between the pig's shoulders and belly, near the armpit, which is supposedly more tender. It is nicely charred and presented in chunky pieces with a slightly crispier texture and a distinct smoky flavor yet not compromising its tenderness, it is partly due to the slightly fatter part that has been used for an excellent mouthfeel. You should try their Hakka Noodle to go with either their char siew or sio bak, both are equally good. 

XIN MEI XIANG LOR MEE (#01-116)

Operating Hours: 6.00 am to 1.45 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

This stall has been around for quite a long while and they used to sell Lor Mee and Prawn Mee but only just Lor Mee now. There are 3 sizes for selection, the smallest ($3), the medium ($4) and the largest ($5) portion but do take note that the smallest portion is served without the shredded fish meat. You could also choose the $6 portion with extra ingredients added. Their Lor Mee is slightly different from those out there as they do not serve it with those fried fish nuggets but with shredded fish meat just like the other famous stall at Amoy Street Food Centre.

WESTERN BARBEQUE (#01-53)
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)

This is a popular western food stall in this food centre and they have been around for quite a while. Their Chicken Chop at $6 is one of their most popular items on their menu. It was quite a massive portion for that amount of money. They served a piece of nicely chargrilled deboned chicken drumstick with a sweet bun in a plastic bag together with fries, baked beans and slices of tomato and cucumber. Their secret ingredient is the sweet and tangy garlic sauce that they created with more than 10 ingredients using a secret recipe that is only known to the owner. This taste has remain unchanged for the past 20 years.

WAAN WAAN AUTHENTIC THAI ICE CREAM (#01-51)
Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 9.30 pm

They serve Thai coconut ice cream in this food centre, which is not too commonly yet. You could choose the jumbo size at $5.50 which consists of 3 scoops of ice cream or the classic size at $4.90 that consists of 2 scoops of ice cream. Both sizes come with 5 different toppings which include red ruby, sweet corn, chendol, atap seeds and grounded peanuts. Their other popular item is Mango Sticky Rice at $5.90 which consists of single scoop of ice cream with coconut flesh, sticky rice and fresh mango cubes. 

Roast Paradise : Reasonably good char siew

The owners, Randall Gan and Kai Koh, both in their 20s, decided to give up their jobs at the integrated resorts and took a significant pay cuts to pursue their dream. This led them Famous Seremban Favourites, the shop of Kai's Uncle, one of the top roast shops at Petaling Jaya in Kuala Lumpur (KL) where they were trained to roast KL style roasted meat for about 4 months prior to starting this stall for a few months now.

They start their day as early as 5.00 am in order to have their first batch to be out by 11.00 am. Their char siew is a classic KL style, which has been intensely marinated and well caramelised to give it a distinct sweetness with a sticky texture and charred edges using the part in between the pig's shoulder and belly, near the armpit, which is supposedly more tender. It was then served in chunky pieces, the outer layer was nicely caramelised for a slightly crisper texture with a distinct smoky flavor and not comprising its tenderness. The texture was slightly fatter but it was perfectly roasted so you could not quite taste the fat-ishness of the meat but an excellent mouthfeel instead.

I was there close to 1 pm and they left with just a bit of char siew to go. I decided to have an upsized Hakka Noodle with char siew for $4.50. Hakka Noodle is not as common here as compared to KL, in fact, this is the first time that i came across it. 

I was given the choice to choose between the leaner or the fatter part for the char siew and i decided to have a half fat and half lean. It is served with pork oil, though similar but not the lard oil with a dash of sesame and onion oils with a handful of savoury minced meat. 

The mee pok was cooked to a rather soft texture, not quite al dente but much softer though not mushy. 

You could refer to their price list to decide what to order. Even though their operating time is till 4.00 pm but they usually sold out by lunch. 

As 2015 is coming to an end, i am in the midst to list the best food that i ate this year and this is definitely amongst those memorable food that i had.

UPDATE: i revisited the stall and they left the last batch of char siew which happened to be from the part at the both ends of the meat, it was a bit too charred and slightly too hard and i did not enjoy as much as compared to the first visit. They was only left roasted meat at 12 pm on a Sunday.

ROAST PARADISE

51 Old Airport Road #01-122 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Taste of Ipoh : Ipoh Curry Mee

This is a new stall in Old Airport Road Food Centre, there were still some flower baskets on display when i visited on last Sunday. The owner is a middle-aged man and he was quite friendly when i asked for a recommendation. In fact, there are only 2 items on the menu: the Ipoh Laksa ($4.00) and Ipoh Curry Mee ($3.50). He said, 'It really depends on what you like, if you like it a little sourish then you should try the Laksa if not, the Curry Mee is the better choice.' I went with the Ipoh Curry Mee. As i was the only customer then, i got my order in just a short while. 

I wanted to add another 0.50 cents for the fish cake but the owner said, there is no need as there are already included in the Curry Mee. Then i realised in the whole bowl of Curry Mee, there was only 2 different types of fish cake and a small handful of bean sprouts. 

It tasted a bit like the Maggie curry mee with an intense flavor of those curry powder. I could not quite tell how authentic is the taste of this Ipoh Curry Mee as i have never visit Ipoh but it tasted quite comforting though not exactly what i would have enjoy.

TASTE OF IPOH

51 Old Airport Road #01-147 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Western Barbeque : How good is it?

Western Barbeque is a rather famous western food stall in Old Airport Road Food Centre, it was mentioned in one of the comments when i wrote about the 5 Noteworthy Western Food Stalls. I decided to check it out when i happened to be there.

It was slightly after lunch but there was quite a crowd there. I was asked for the table number when i placed the order for Chicken Chop. When i could not give it, i was then given a number tag and asked to come back to collect after 10 minutes. I seated at a table not too far from the stall and waited, when it was about time, the stall assistant signalled me to come forward to collect it.

It was quite a big portion for just $6. They even served in with sweet bun wrapped in a plastic bag together with fries, baked beans together with slices of cucumber and tomato. The stall owner uses a deboned chicken drumstick for a juicier and more tender texture. The secret weapon is supposed to be the sweet and rather tangy garlic sauce created with more than 10 ingredients using a secret recipe that is only known to the owner. The taste has remain unchanged for the past 20 years. 

It was quite tasty but it would be nicer if the skin of the chicken was slightly crispier but i guess they have too many orders to do it that way.  Overall, it still tasted better than most of the chicken chops though they are not the best that i have eaten. 

The sweet bun is served evenly buttered, it was nice to have it though it did not have much taste if eat it by itself. I actually cut a small piece of chicken and stuffed it in, it was much nicer that way.

WESTERN BARBEQUE

51 Old Airport Road #01-53 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)