Tong Tai Hainanese Scissors Curry Rice : homely feel

I was there for a late lunch and most of the dishes have already finished and even so, there was still a short queue, a few customers in front of me and another few customers right after. I went with whatever choices that were left. I opted for the fried pork chop, braised pork and also, the braised cabbage for just $4.00. The whole plate of rice was nicely drenched in curry gravy, exactly how I liked it. 

The braised pork was nicely cooked to desired softness. The thinly sliced breaded pork chop still retained a slight crisp and tasted tender. The braised cabbage was soft but not mushy. The curry sauce was a combination of 2 different types of sauces, it was rather thick and flavorful. It might not look like it but it was actually quite appetizing. All the dishes have a homely feel.

TONG TAI HAINANESE SCISSORS CURRY RICE

17 Upper Boon Keng Road #01-31 Upper Boon Keng Food Centre SINGAPORE 380017

Xin Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice : not just taste but service matters, too

This is one of the stalls with a queue during lunch on a weekday. The friendly auntie greeted me with a smile. I decided to go with Chicken Drumstick rice. I asked, "How much?". The auntie replied, "$3.50". And, I said, "It is at least $4.00 or more at other places." She replied, "We could not afford to sell it any higher as we are located in a hawker centre unlike those in the air-conditioned food court."

There was a young chap ordered right after me. She recognized him and asked, "Buying for your mother? She is so lucky to have a son buying lunch for her."

I shared it with my dining companion and we agreed that the roasted chicken tasted just normal. The rice was quite a big portion but the flavor was rather light and slightly dry. It was served with a bowl of lightly flavored soup. The chilli was slightly diluted with a mild level of spiciness. 

Sometimes it is not just the taste of the food that kept bringing the customers back but the service matters too. I was told by a hawker that I should not expect customer service from the hawker stall as I do not pay the service charge. The stall closed it down a few months later after that particular encounter. It was a popular noodle stall serving in a food centre.

XIN JI HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE

17 Upper Boon Keng Road #01-20 Upper Boon Keng Food Centre SINGAPORE 380017

Penang Fried Kway Teow : around for 20 years

This stall only serves Penang Fried Kway Teow for $3.00 per plate. The Aunty saw me taking pictures of her stall. She asked, "You are taking pictures?". I replied, "I want to tell my friends about your stall as there are not many stalls serving Penang Fried Kway Teow these days." 

She said, "We are the second generation hawker, the stall has been handed down from my parents and it has been around for over 20 years in this food centre." And, I said, "Some of the younger hawkers only managed to be around for a few months before quitting it." She continued to say, "It is not easy to run a hawker stall these days. I read about it in the newspaper. It has been very much monopolized." I asked, "How much is your rental?" She replied, "All in all is around $2,000. The cleaning fee itself is already about few hundreds." I asked, "May I know your operating hours?" Aunty replied, "Better do not say, I will close when it is sold out."

It did not actually taste like the Penang Fried Kway Teow but more like a healthier version of usual Fried Kway Teow. The kway teow was broken up in the smaller pieces, it was served with a generous amount of bean sprouts added together with choy sum and other ingredients like lup cheong, prawns and cockles. The level of spiciness of the chilli was mild. 

PENANG FRIED KWAY TEOW

17 Upper Boon Keng Road #01-08 Upper Boon Keng Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 380017

Hougang 6 Milestone : Simon Road Fried Oyster, Lost & Found

This famous fried oyster from Simon Road went missing about 2 weeks ago from the coffee shop at the corner of Simon Road. I started to receive messages asking the whereabouts of this stall. It was first mentioned by Tee Tony, the founder of Food Intelligence Network Singapore, a group on Facebook that someone looks like Ah Pang, the owner, was spotted at Upper Boon Keng Road Food Centre. Ian Low of The Silver Chef went over to confirm that he has indeed moved to that food centre. 

I was there earlier for lunch. Ah Pang was standing outside the stall. I greeted him and said, "Many people have been asking about your stall after it went missing from the coffee shop at Simon Road." He smiled and said, "There is a change of ownership so have to move." He did not elaborate further though. He asked, "Fried Oyster ah?" I replied, "The $10 portion." The Fried Oyster ($5/$8/$10) and Fried Kway Teow ($3) are available from 11.30 pm to 5.00 pm as indicated on their signboard. The Fried Carrot Cake is available from 7.00 am to 11.00 am. He is still frying every plate by himself.

He saw me taking pictures of his stall. He said, "Thank you for telling your friends about my stall."

It is still the same familiar taste, the starch and egg mixture were nicely crisp at certain parts and the smoky flavor is still missing. It is still good but if you have tasted the one fried by his later father, it is still not quite on par yet. 

My dining companion still enjoyed it nonetheless though he felt it did not taste as good as it used to be. 

UPDATE: They have moved to Block 212 Hougang Street 21 SINGAPORE 530212 at the coffee shop next to the bowling alley. 

HOUGANG 6 MILESTONE

17 Upper Boon Keng Road #01-42 Upper Boon Keng Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 380017

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