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)

Ashes Burnnit : a new muslim-owned burger joint

Lee Syafiq, 26, the owner, started this burger joint on 16 September 2019, taken over the stall where Burgs by Project Warung used to be. He is the co-founder of Burgs by Project Warung, a local burger brand that he started 3 years ago with 2 partners. He used to work for Terra Tokyo Italian, one Michelin-starred restaurant and he met one of his partners there. Syafiq was there to take my order. I asked, "What do you recommend?" He replied, "Do you eat beef? if yes, you might want to try the Truffle Mushroom Burger. If not, the Best of Both World Burger to try everything."  I decided to order Fried Chicken Burger and the Best of Both World Burger. He asked, "Single or double patties?" I said, "Single for the Fried Chicken Burger and double for the Best of Both World Burger". 

While waiting to pay, I asked him, "Is this stall related to the previous one?" I continued to say, "I saw the announcement of the Facebook page of Burgs." He replied, "I am one of the co-founders of Burg. " He also said, "We ever tried to launch a different menu when running Burgs but it caused confusion to our customers. That is the reason we set up this stall to differentiate from them." He said, "We are different team but under the same owner." Nonetheless, a post was issued by Burgs by Project Warung on their Facebook page, claimed that they have ceased operation at Golden Mile Food Centre and they are not affiliated with the current stall. What exactly is going on? Theoretically, it was right to say that it is a different team but the same owner as he co-founded Burgs. 

A buzzer was given after paying up and it buzzed in just a while. Both burgers are served with fries. The Best of Both World Burger is $9.00 for the single patty and $11.50 for double patties. It consists of 2 handcrafted beef patties, smoked turkey bacon, parmesan mozzarella cheese that is added to the mac n cheese as described on their menu board. 

I felt the beef patties were a bit too dry and not as flavorful. It is a unique creation but it did not taste too special and not quite memorable. I did not like charcoal buns, the texture was not fluffy enough and a little too dry.

My dining companion said, "The texture of fries is crispy but it did not seem to have much taste. The mac n cheese also did not have much cheese taste." 

The Fried Chicken Burger is $5.90 for the single patty and $7.90 for the double patties. The burger consists of a piece of fried chicken as patty served with sriracha mayonnaise and lettuce. 

My dining companion said, 'It is the sauce that makes it special, other than it is just a normal Fried Chicken Burger that did not quite stand out."

There are other interesting burgers on the menu, like Ashes Smash Cheese Burger, Truffle Mushroom Burger, and Grilled Chicken Burger as well as the Froissant, icecream-filled croissant to try.

ASHES BURNNIT

505 Beach Road #B1-24 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Chef Choo Signature : affordable Western hawker food

Chef Choo Siew Leong, 32, the owner, used to be working in Regent Hotel and Grand Hyatt before starting this stall. He is experienced in Western and Italian cuisine. His dishes are supposed to be of the same standard and quality that are comparable to those by 5-star hotels and restaurants but at affordable prices.

I happened to go during lunch and there was already a crowd gathered in front of this newly opened Western hawker stall. There are a total of 11 items on their menu. There are 4 different types of pasta dishes, the Sizzling Seafood Spaghetti ($6.90 for 1 pax and $12.90 for 2 pax), Spaghetti Carbonara ($5.50), Spaghetti Bolognese ($5.50) and Spaghetti Agli-olio ($4.00) followed by Chicken Chop ($4.90), Norwegian Salmon ($5.90), Pork Chop ($5.90) and Hot Plate Seared Beef ($5.90). I decided to try Chicken Chop with garlic rice and Hot Plate Seared Beef with Onion & Garlic Rice. I was told to come back in between 20 to 30 minutes to collect. I went back 30 minutes later but it was not ready yet. Chef Choo looked up while cooking and said, "好吃的东西是值得等的" (good food is worth waiting). I said, "I will come back later." I happened to be seated at a table near the stall and a few minutes later, the white-haired lady signaled me to come over. Both dishes were ready.

My dining companion had the Chicken Chop with garlic rice, it was served with a sunny-side-up egg. He said, "It actually tasted quite average, the rice was just plain rice served with the garlic sauce. The underneath of the egg was rather charred though it did not affect the taste. The chicken did not have much flavor." The presentation did not look quite appetizing. 

I was not impressed with the Hot Plate Seared Beef with onion and garlic rice too. Those slices of beef were tender with a rather slight smoky flavor. The sauce tasted just like the garlic sauce that was served with Chicken Chop.

I tasted a similar but better dish by chef Sebastian Ho when he was still running Sebastian Fusion, a hawker stall in a coffee shop. He is currently the owner of At The Myo, a cafe nestled in Everton Park. 

CHEF CHOO SIGNATURE

505 Beach Road #B1-45 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 8.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Blanco Court Fried Fish Noodles : the original stall from Blanco Court?

There used to be a stall serving fried fish soup at the Blanco Court that was demolished in 1997. Blanco Court used to be at the junction of Ophir Road and North Bridge Road where the Raffles Hospital is situated. There were some famous stalls there selling Kway Chap, Wanton Mee, Prawn Mee and more there,  a particular stall with the same stall name was one of the popular stalls there with a long queue. This stall used to be at the coffee shop just a few steps away before moving to this shop along Beach Road.

The queue started forming when I was there at about 11.30 pm. I ordered the smallest serving of Mixed Soup at $7 and there is also a larger portion at $10. There are also Steamed Fish Soup ($6/$10), Fried Fish Soup ($6/$10) and Fish Head Soup ($6/$10). There are also side dishes like Prawn Egg ($7), Fried Spinach ($7), Prawn Roll ($10), Fried Chicken Wing ($10), Deep-fried Batang Fish ($10) and Black Bean Fish Head Bitter Gourd ($15). You are expected to order at the counter and paying up as it is self-service then wait for your order there.

It was served with Sayur Manis, commonly known as mani cai and bits of the deep-fried egg together with the fried fish and sliced fish. Those fish tasted relatively fresh but were in small pieces, the portion was not quite substantial and the price is a little on the high side too. I am not certain this is the same stall from Blanco Court as it did not taste quite the same from what I remembered. 

BLANCO COURT FRIED FISH NOODLES

325 Beach Road SINGAPORE 199566

Operating Hours: 9.30 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Yaloh : Herbal Roasted Duck, must try

On 13 November 2018, there was a free delivery provided to Ang Mo Kio. I took the opportunity to order and tried the Herbal Roasted Duck for the first time. I ordered by sending a WhatsApp to the number stated. A response was received later. The order was confirmed and I paid via PayNow to reserve a duck and for it to be delivered to the drop-off point of my house.

On Tuesday, a message was received at 5.30 pm informing me that the duck has been despatched from the kitchen. It was mentioned that the estimated delivery time would be 10 minutes. I replied that I would be waiting at the drop-off point at my place. A message was received to inform that it has reached the other carpark. Jovison actually made the effort to walk over when I mentioned I was at the drop-off point of the other carpark. He handed the duck to me and reminded me to give a review after that. 

The duck was nicely packed in 2 boxes with the 2 portions of herbal sauce and chilli. It actually tasted just like the herbal roasted duck from Dian Xiao Er but at a more affordable price. They have a stall at Golden Mile Food Centre. Though the duck was roasted with various types of herbs, the flavor was rather light and the skin was slightly soggy but it still tasted good when eating it with the herbal sauce.  You could choose to pour over the roasted duck or use it as a dipping sauce. It has a distinctive taste of Dang Gui (当归) or Chinese Angelica Root, though slightly strong but not overpowering. I would prefer to eat it without the chilli as it has not much effect in enhancing the flavor.

This is an alternative for the herbal roasted duck. It is as good if not better, a must try. 

YALOH

505 Beach Road #01-109 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)

Zhen Hao Lor Mee : must-try

I was surprised to find this popular stall still opened at about 1 pm on a Saturday when I was there to take away Fried Hokkien Mee from Hoe Hokkien Mee (#01-93). There were just another 2 customers in front of me. I was eager as I have heard of this Lor Mee but never get to try. The menu includes Treasure Lor Mee ($6), Traditional Lor Mee ($4), Cod Fish Fillet Lor Mee ($5) and Chicken Cutlet Horfun ($3). I ordered the Treasure Lor Mee and the light of the signboard went off after I received my bowl of Lor Mee as they operate from 7 pm to 1 pm the next day. This is a popular place for supper.

The amount of black vinegar added was a little overwhelmed and it is slightly too acidic for me. I would request for less of it the next time. It is served with ingredients like the pork ribs, pork belly, ngor hiang, shredded fish, braised egg and fritters, well dunked in the gravy. I requested for an extra amount of chilli to be added and even so, the level of spiciness is still manageable. The gravy is well-flavored and thick, it did not get diluted.

After trying this, I should be able to conclude the best Lor Mee amongst those that I have tried so far.

ZHEN HAO NOODLES

10 North Bridge Road #01-97 North Bridge Food Centre SINGAPORE 190010

Operating Hours: 7.00 pm to 1.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Guan Lee Sen Seafood . Teochew Fish-Head Steamboat : lost & found

This stall used to be at the Lavender Food Square before moving to this coffee shop at King George's Avenue. It was featured in the latest series of "Makan Lost & Found". Ng Kim Yong, the owner, started this stall with a friend in 1985 and it has been around for more than 30 years. He decided to move to this coffee shop after the demolishment of Lavender Food Square as most of their regular customers are staying in this area. 

We were there for an early dinner on a weekday and decided to go with the Fish Head Steamboat ($25) and Claypot Pork Ribs with Yam ($12) with 2 bowls of rice at $0.50 each.

The Fish Head Steamboat is just enough for 2 people, it consists of a few chunky pieces of red snapper, yam and 2 different types of vegetables, Tang O and white cabbage. It was quite unusual for a Cze Cha stall to serve Tang O with Fish Head Steamboat. Those pieces of fish tasted relatively fresh. The soup was tasty, too.

Claypot Pork Ribs with Yam is one of his signature dishes and is popular amongst the customers. The pork ribs were steamed for about 30 minutes to soften it before stir-fried in the wok with other ingredients. Those chunky pieces of yam were nicely mixed with the gravy. The pork ribs were rather tough, quite unexpectedly though. 

My dining companion, said, "Both are quite average tasting. Not that they are not good but it just did not quite stand out." I did not find both items to be memorable as well but the prices are quite reasonable. He jokingly said, "Some makan places are better to remain lost and not to be found".

GUAN LEE SEN SEAFOOD . 

TEOCHEW HISH-HEAD STEAMBOAT

805 King George's Avenue #01-146 Tian Xiang Can Shi Coffeeshop SINGAPORE 200805

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 12.00 am (Daily)

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)

Duck Master : $15 per duck is just so cheap!

They first started on the ground floor of People's Park Complex in June 2017 before expanding to include this outlet at Textile Centre, along Jalan Sultan. Their mascot is a Donald Duck in a kung-fu gear and it is hard to miss. And, their tempered glass electric roasting ovens with rows of ducks spinning as they roast are definitely eye-catching. These roasted ducks are going at an unbeatable price tag of just $15 each and this caused quite a lot of stir on Social Media that led to really long queue and waiting time. Customers have to place their orders first, a token is issued to come back later for collection. They started roasting at about 10 am when they open and a few hundreds of ducks are prepared in several batches of 24 ducks in each rotisserie. It takes about 45 minutes for the ducks to be cooked in the 100-degree Celsius oven and turns up the heat for an additional 15 minutes to achieve the desired crispiness for the skin.

Paul Boh, 30, the owner, who is a former food photographer, picked up the skill from his mother about 8 months ago. He experimented with the roasting temperature and speed of the rotation of oven to ensure the even distribution of the heart prior to the opening of his stall. He also learned how to use those pre-set function to roast those ducks. The ducks might not be as flavorful as compared to those cooked in the charcoal-fired oven but the marination process that involved the using of 11 spices like cinnamon and star anise in their central kitchen has definitely made up for it. 

Fresh ducks are sourced from Malaysia and roasted within 24 hours after they are slaughtered and delivered to their stores. Each cooked duck is weighed between 1.8 to 2 kg and at $15, it is affordable and much cheaper than most of those sold in the hawker centres. Using the electric-powdered rotisseries is more cost-effective as compared to the usual charcoal-fired or gas-powdered metal ovens that are most commonly used, new technology is definitely a good way to cut down on operational costs. The duck is sold in whole as they do not provide chopping service, this is also to keep its moistness and preventing its juiciness from escaping. Another reason is to save on its manpower costs to keep the costs of ducks low. 

I went on a weekday to take away 1 duck at their outlet in Textile Centre and there was no queue. I was told that it is usually quieter here as compared to their main outlet at People's Park Centre as the parking is an issue over here. The duck was still warm when I got home, though it was smaller in size, its meat was unbelievably tender and quite tasty though a little too saltier, the marinade was rather light with a tinge of spices. The paper-thin skin was crispy and surprisingly not greasy, unlike the other roasted ducks that I had tasted, it is good to eat on its own and even without the accompanying chili sauce. Currently, there is also an online ordering system to place orders in advance and collecting at a specific timing of your choice at their outlets. 

DUCK MASTER

200 Jalan Sultan #01-05 Textile Centre SINGAPORE 199081

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 6.30 pm

1 Park Road #01-K99 People Park Complex SINGAPORE 059108

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 9.00 pm 

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)