Goldhill Hakka Restaurant (1997) : decades old Hakka Yong Tau Foo

This is a humble Hakka restaurant located along Changi Road for 22 years. Steven Lee, the owner, started helping his father at about 8 years old on a trishaw in Katong. He eventually moved into the shop and named it Goldhill, which means Jin Shan (金山), this is none other than his Chinese name. He has been making Yong Tau Foo for more than 40 years and Wen Long, his son, has started helping out but not too sure whether is he in the process of taking over the business.

Their signature is Hakka style Yong Tau Foo that consists of a limited selection of just 7 items. These 7 items are Tau Hu, Square Tau Pok, Triangular Tau Pok, Fishball, Tau Gi, Better Gourd and Chilli that are stuffed with fish paste. There is the selection small portion at $6 (10 pieces), the medium portion is available at $8 (15 pieces) and the large portion at $12 (20 pieces). There are also Yam Abacus Seeds ($4, $6 and $8), Steamed Lala Venus Clams ($12/$24), Vegetables with Oyster Sauce ($6/$12) and Steamed Fish at market value. There are only a total of 6 items on their menu.

I was there on a Public Holiday, the restaurant was almost full and there were still customers kept coming in, most of these customers are regulars and they came as a family. Wen Long was at the counter and he signaled to me when I was wondering how should I order so I walked towards the counter. I said, "This is my first visit." He pointed to the menu and said, "This is what we have. We do not serve rice and noodle." I replied, "There are two of us." He said, "You can order the individual set of Yong Tau Foo or a medium set to share." I ordered the medium portion of Yong Tau Foo and a small serving of Yam Abacus Seeds. He recommended to try the Steamed Lala but I did not order. 

The Yam Abacus Seeds is also one of the must order items, it is the Hakka version of Yam Cake. It is still made using the traditional laborious method and more yam than rice flour is added for a firmer yet softer texture. It is served with a concoction of dried shrimp, shredded cuttlefish, and minced salted fish then garnished with chopped spring onion, which is different from the others.

Those pieces of handmade Yong Tau Foo were stuffed with fish paste, the fish paste is freshly made using fish, a little flour and other ingredients based on the recipe passed down by his father. My dining companion said, "Every piece is so fresh but it is a bit plain if you do not eat it with the sweet sauce and chilli." 

It was steamed then served with just a drizzle of sesame oil and garnished with coriander, served together with the sweet sauce and chilli for dipping. The texture of the fish paste was quite firm. The soup that served along was lightly flavored with a slight hint of ikan belis. 

Payment is made at the counter after done eating. Wen Long saw me taking pictures of the menu. He said, "Like our FB page, the menu is there."

GOLDHILL HAKKA RESTAURANT (1997)

299A Changi Road SINGAPORE 419777

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

海鲜之家 : fresh-tasting Fish Soup

This stall does not have an English name, the direct translation from 海鲜之家 is likely to be Seafood House. It was established in 2010 and is known for serving sliced fish soup. It has recently awarded as one of the winners in SG Food Masters by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) for their Fish Soup. The lady boss originates from China and is running the stall with her Singaporean husband.  

There was no queue when I was there on a Sunday for lunch. I decided to go with the Double Fish Soup ($5) consisting the fried fish and sliced fish with tofu and slices of bitter gourd. The bowl of rice is $0.50. They also serve dishes like Bitter Gourd Fish Head ($15), Sambal Prawn ($8) and Sambal Sotong ($8).

The soup was lightly flavored with pepper and fried garlic. Both fried fish and sliced fish were tasted relatively fresh. 

My dining companion did not exactly like it. He said he has tasted better ones. I did not find it to be particularly memorable as well. 

海鲜之家

4A Eunos Crescent #01-38 Eunos Crescent Food Centre SINGAPORE 402004
Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 10.00 pm

Eng Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice . Porridge at Eunos Crescent

This stall has been in this coffee shop for a long while. My first visit was about a few years ago to take away half of the roasted chicken. I did not like it. I decided to try it then because the stall displayed the outdated certificate by Makansutra. Apparently, many of these stalls did not manage to upkeep their standards while still hanging on to their certificates.

I decided to try it again while happened to be in the vicinity recently. There was still a short queue at about 2 pm on Sunday. I went ahead to order Chicken Drumstick for $3.80. It was not disappointing though as it tasted quite passable. The chicken drumstick was separately on a plate accompanied by a few chunks of cucumbers underneath the chicken in a pool of soy-based sauce and few slices of tomato at the side. The chicken was tender and smooth with flavorful skin. The chicken broth infused rice was fragrant and not too greasy. It was satisfying though.

I did not actually like the chilli as the ginger taste was a little overpowering.

My favorite chicken rice has always been the Leong Yeow Famous Waterloo Street Hainanese Chicken Rice in a coffee shop along Waterloo Street. I have been eating there for more than a decade and liked it so much that I have even recommended for it to be listed in the lastest Makansutra Guide Book. 

ENG KEE HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE . PORRIDGE

 Block 7 Eunos Crescent #01-2651 SINGAPORE 

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Epok Epok Central : Nasi Lemak is good

This stall is one of the pioneer stalls in this food centre that started as a pushcart about 30 years ago in Geylang selling epok epok, a Malay-style curry puff. Madam Bayah Ahmad, the founder, is already in her late 70s and has handed the stall to her son, Lokman Kassim, 42. This stall also serves Nasi Lemak. 

There was a short queue to order Nasi Lemak when I was there on a Sunday for lunch, some of these customers took away a few packets. The standard order of Fish and Ikan Belis or Egg and Ikan Belis are only $2 each. When it was my turn to order, I ordered it with the fried chicken wing and it is $3.50 if I remember correctly. The coconut milk infused rice was fluffy and the chilli has got a good balance of spiciness and sweetness. The star has to be the well-seasoned fried chicken wing that happened to be freshly fried. 

The epok epok has 3 different types of filling, potato ($0.50), Sardine ($0.50) and Egg ($0.70) using a recipe that passed down from the first generation. The small, old-fashioned, deep-fried pastries were fried well to have a thin and crispy crust, this is what makes it stood out from the others apart from the tasty fillings. It was still crispy even after leaving it for a while. The dough is made fresh and using a manual pasta machine to roll it into the right thickness before frying it in the oil at a certain temperature. 

There was a mixture of sardine and onions in the Sardine Puff which my dining companion did not quite like. He said, "The potato one is nicer. If I have to choose, I still prefer the potato puff at the Sweet Heart Dessert, it is much better." 

EPOK EPOK CENTRAL

Block 4A Eunos Crescent #01-09 Eunos Crescent Food Centre SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 7.00 pm (Tues to Fri) / 7.00 am to 4.00 pm (Sat & Sun) 

(Closed on Mondays)

Rumah Baba Fred : homey Nonya dishes

This Peranakan cafe is located along Changi Road run by a passionate husband and wife team. It is quite small with limited seating capacity indoor and outdoor. It is cozy and welcoming, just like eating at a friend's house. 

I ordered a bundle of Nonya Kueh Chang on their Facebook and went to collect it on a Saturday. I waited in front of their counter, behind another customer. Baba Fred was serving that customer and his wife greeted me. She asked, "Collecting your chang?" I nodded then said, "I am having lunch too." She placed a piece of banana leaf on a plate then scooped some rice on it. I pointed to the Beef Rendang and the Curry Vegetable followed by a piece of Ngor Hiang. I also ordered a glass of Lemon Grass to go along. She said, "You go take a seat first, I will heat up the Ngor Hiang and bring it to you together with the Lemon Grass drink." I went to take a seat outside the shop. She brought the Ngor Hiang over first. She said, "If you could not finish the Ngor Hiang, I can pack them for you to take away." Baba Fred sent the Lemon Grass drink later. He asked, "You are collecting your chang too? It is under what name?" I mentioned it. His wife came over later with the Lemon Grass drink and also a bag of Nonya Kueh Chang. She counted them to make sure it is 10 pieces. She also presented a receipt that stated the amount to pay for the lunch. 

There were another 2 customers seated at the table beside me. The wife walked past with their orders. She smiled and said, "You managed to finish the Ngor Hiang." I replied, "It tasted different from others." She said, "We freshly made them with quite a few ingredients." I said, "It is very nice." These classic Nonya dishes were so comforting. 

Their Nonya Kueh Chang is only available upon advance order. It has already fully booked for the month of August. It is still prepared in the traditional method, the rice is first steamed then putting it with the filling to be wrapped in those bamboo leaves then steamed again. The intense blue color in the rice is derived from the Blue Pea. Each piece consists of a generous amount of filling, it is soft and moist. It is, in my humble opinion, better than those that I used to order from Kim Choo Kueh Chang.

RUMAN BABA FRED

116 Changi Road #01-01 WIS@Changi SINGAPORE 419718

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm (Saturday & Sunday)

Hock Choon Laksa . Lor Mee at Eunos Crescent Food Centre

There was a short queue when I reached there just before lunch. You do not usually get to see queue at this quiet food centre, there was also a queue at a Yong Tau Foo at another row. There are only 2 items on their menu, Laksa, and Lor Mee respectively at just $3. It seemed Lor Mee is slightly more popular as most of their customers ordered it.

When it was my turn to order, I said, "Can I order it with extra ingredients?" The lady in there nodded. It was served in the oval-shaped bowl rather than the usual round ones, it is priced at $4. When it was ready, the lady handed the bowl to the Uncle, he passed it to me and collected the payment. There were sambal chilli, minced garlic, red-cut chilli and a bottle of vinegar available for self-service. I added everything except the vinegar. 

Tables were slowly taken up when it passed 12 pm but it was still easy to find a table. I mixed it lightly before eating it. I was given more pieces of the nicely fried fish nuggets for that extra $1 together with half a piece of braised egg, handmade meatballs and some pieces of braised pork belly that were drenched in the savory gravy.

HOCK CHOON LAKSA LOR MEE

Block 4A Eunos Crescent #01-25 Eunos Crescent Food Centre SINGAPORE 

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays)