Madam Leong 板面 : Hakka-style Ban Mian

Vivian Leong, 43, started her stall in October 2015 in a coffee shop at Holland Close, serving Hakka-style ban mian. Ban Mian is a common noodle dish consisting of handmade noodles, served dry or in soup. She is a single mother with a teenage daughter. And, she decided to turn her passion for cooking into reality and making a living out of it, this has given her hope. Life has never been a bed of roses for her and at a certain point, she even contemplated the thought of ending her own life when she was left feeling depressed and abandoned after an unwanted divorce in 2012. She was jobless and penniless then but the pleading of her daughter brought her to her senses. She started working as a Kitchen Assistant before eventually opened her own stall after she met a kind owner of a coffee shop that offered her a stall with no deposit. She has recently moved her stall to Amoy Street Food Centre about 2 weeks ago.

I was greeted by the smiley Vivian. She actually looks much younger than her age. She asked, "What do you want to eat?" Her bubbliness was quite infectious. I pointed to the picture of the  Dry Chilli Ban Mian with a "Must Try" printed on it and said, "This. Can I add braised pork to it?" She said, "Can but not worth it." I asked, "Why?" She replied, "You have to pay an extra $2." I decided to order it. When she just started, there were only the soup and the dry ban mian but there are Mee Hoon Kueh (dry/soup) ($4/$5), Dry Chilli Ban Mian ($4.5/$5.50), Ban Mian ($4/$5), Braised Pork with Black Fungus ($5/$6) and Tom Yum Chicken Ban Mian ($5/$6) on the menu now.

While she was cooking, I asked, "Why did you move from Holland Close to here? The coffee shop is quite quiet, right? I used to stay around there." I also asked, "The business is much better here?" She smiled and said, "Much better. The queue is really long during lunch." I asked, "Why did you decide to start a stall in that coffee shop?" She said, "I used to stay at that block." I asked, "Where did you move to?" She answered, "I moved to Clementi." I said, "Why you did not move the stall there? That food centre is always crowded." She replied, "The rental is not cheap." I was surprised and asked, "I thought the rental would be equally expensive in this food centre. The rental should be more than $3,000?" she nodded. I said, "It is not easy to be a hawker, right?" She smiled and replied, "I am used to it and that is why I am always happy every day." I told her, "You have added me on Facebook lately." She asked, "Oh, What is your name? I have added a few friends recently." When she served the ban mian, she said, "Hope you enjoy it. Thank you, Cecilia"

Vivian is originated from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and moved to Singapore after she got married. Her ban mian is towards the Malaysia style and is different from the others here. She did not even serve it with an egg when she just started and will only add it in upon request as it is not common for ban mian to serve with egg in Malaysia. She is using a traditional recipe that passed down her mother. She is hoping to share it by cooking for her customers. The noodles are made fresh daily with no MSG or preservatives added.

She is still cooking with love and passion. When you do it with your heart, it just tasted different. Each bowl of lovingly cooked ban mian consists of a few pieces of braised meat, mushrooms, minced meat with a poached egg then garnished with dried shallots and ikan bilis, tossed with the dark soya sauce and the homemade sambal belachan. It has a home-cooked taste and the ingredients tasted fresh, the noodles were cooked well to the right firmness and springiness. It was served along with the special homemade sambal belachan.

Go support and try her ban mian if you happen to be in this food centre. 

MADAM LEONG 板面

7 Maxwell Road #02-109 Amoy Street Food Centre SINGAPORE 069111

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Pandan Leaf Nasi Lemak : cheap & good

I started eating at this stall more than a decade ago. They used to be at the 2nd row before moving to the current location. The auntie used to recognize me but I have not been there for too long so she did not manage to do so this time. This is one of the oldest stalls in this food centre.

I was there at about 11 pm and there were just another 2 customers in front of me. The queue is usually much longer if come during lunch. One of the customers in front took away many packets of Nasi Lemak, nicely packed in a big plastic bag. When it was my turn to order, I told the auntie that I want it with a fried chicken drumstick. She asked, "$3 or $4?" I went with the $4. She asked, "Do you want the fish? Do you want it with chilli or non-chilli?" I wanted it with chilli. There is the selection of $3 and $4. You could indicate your choice if there are specific items that you want if not, auntie will just give you whatever items that are available.

The auntie handed me the plate of Nasi Lemak. It consists of a piece of otak, fried egg, fried fish fillet, selar kunning fish, ikan belis and a fried chicken drumstick with coconut infused rice. The sambal chilli is served by the side, it tasted a little spicy. Though it is more expensive now, it is still of pretty good value. They usually sold out before 1 pm. It is difficult to get such a plate of Nasi Lemak at this price in the town area. 

PANDAN LEAF NASI LEMAK

6 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #02-25 Tanjong Pagar Food Centre SINGAPORE 081006
Operating Hours: 6.30 am to 1.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Chef Yamashita : my birthday cake

I ordered a Mont Blanc from Chef Yamashita, again. The shop is nestled amongst the others at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, helmed by Chef Yamashita Masataka. He was trained in Tsuji Culinary Institute, a well-known culinary institute in Osaka, Japan. He worked at different patisseries in Japan and started his own in Nara before moving to Singapore. He took charge of Glace Patisserie and Flor Patisserie before starting Chef Yamashita. 

There are a few sizes and this is 17 cm x 12 cm for $45, for 4 to 8 pax. I ordered it online and indicated the message to be displayed on the cake. It tasted fresh and good, it has never disappointed. A simple but well-made cake can bring so much joy and happiness. 

I am another year older, wiser, and definitely more grateful.  

CHEF YAMASHITA

Block 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #02-44 SINGAPORE 082001

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 6.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Lucky Wanton Noodle : the familiar taste

I started eating at this food centre a decade ago as I used to work in the vicinity. This is one of those stalls that I have been eating since then as it has been in this food centre for a long time. Another stall that is still around is the nasi lemak stall manned by an elderly couple. The nasi lemak set comes with either chicken wing or chicken drumstick and I always go with the latter option. I always got the freshly fried chicken drumstick as I am one of the regulars. They usually sold out before 1 pm or earlier. Some of the other stalls have already closed including a stall manned by an elderly lady serving Shredded Chicken Noodle but it is long gone. There was a carrot cake manned by an elderly man with his son and it is gone too. There was also a dessert stall right at the corner of the row facing the MRT station is gone too, the stall used to serve one of the nicest chng teng.

This stall is still manned by Mr Ng, the same owner. He started helping his father when he was 9 years old before eventually taking over the business for more than 40 years and counting. The queue was much shorter when I was there after 2 pm. There were just another 2 customers in front. My usual order is always the Wanton Mee at $3. I added $1 for extra wanton and $1.50 for braised chicken feet as I was quite hungry. The lady that is taking the orders can be quite impatient if you are not able to give a specific order. I was asked by the owner in Hokkien whether I want it with preserved green chili which I replied "want" in Hokkien. It was placed on the tray together with the bowl of wanton soup. 

He used to make the Char Siew but has since stopped doing so. Those pieces of char siew were thinly sliced, not too dry but just average tasting. Those braised chicken feet were nice, it was amongst the best that I have eaten. It was braised till the desired softness and quite flavorful too. The nicely cooked noodles were served with dark sauce and chilli, like the Kuala Lumper style wanton mee. 

The well-seasoned minced meat of the wanton has got a distinct dried sole fish flavor, firmly wrapped together and served in the lightly flavored soup.

This is not the best Wanton Mee but that familiar taste is comforting. 

LUCKY WANTON NOODLE

6 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #02-32 Tanjong Pagar Food Centre SINGAPORE 081006

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 7.00 pm (Daily)

Peter Fried Kway Teow Mee : not as good as expected

Peter Fried Kway Teow Mee started by Peter Lim, the founder, in a coffee shop at Jago Close. The coffee shop is along East Coast Road and near to Holy Family Church, before moving to Tanjong Pagar Food Centre. Benny, his son, started to help out before eventually took over the stall. He is manning it single-handedly now. The stall was quite popular when they were in Katong but not so now though there is still a queue during lunch. I tried it once a long time ago but I did not have much impression now. 

We were there on a Sunday. While ordering Lor Mee from Soon Heng Food Delights, I could hear the clanging sound of the wok from afar. My dining companion suggested, "Let's go check out the Fried Kway Teow." We decided to go with the larger portion of Traditional Teow Chew Fried Kway Teow at $4. There is a smaller portion at just $3. There is also Penang Style Fried Kway Teow at $4/$5 and Seafood Fried Kway Teow at $4/$5.

The Traditional Teow Chew Fried Kway Teow uses a black sweet sauce with ingredients like fishcake, bean sprouts, and vegetable. As my dining companion does not eat cockles, it was requested to be left out. It was served with a piece of lime. This is likely the first time that I ever encountered this. 

My dining companion said, "The sweetness from the black sweet sauce is quite light." He continued, "Maybe it should not be served with a lime. It must be the cause of the mild sweet taste." He said, "It might go better if it is served with the Penang Style Fried Kway Teow."

The fried kway teow was quite moist but not quite flavorful. My dining companion said, "I do not think I will order this again." 

PETER FRIED KWAY TEOW MEE

6 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-05 Tanjong Pagar Food Centre SINGAPORE 081006

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm

Chong Wen Ge Cafe at Telok Ayer Street

This cafe is located in Chong Wen Ge building owned by Singapore Hokkien Huey Kuan right next to Thian Hock Keng Temple that was once a Chinese school founded by Tan Kim Seng in 1949. There is also a Peranakan Tiles Gallery next to the cafe and a Music Box Museum upstairs owned by a Japanese. The cafe is named after the school to pay tribute to its past opened in May 2016. The menu focuses on Peranakan dishes like Nonya Laksa, Mee Siam and different types of Nonya Kueh.

The cafe was still quite crowded at 2 pm. I ordered at the counter and decided to have the Nonya Laksa ($11.80) and Iced Coffee ($2.50). I was given a buzzer after paying. I also wanted some of those Nonya kueh on display and I said, "I want to order some of those." The bespectacled auntie at the counter, said, "It is self-service." I stood in front of the display counter, wondering whether should I lift or slide the glass door to access to those kueh? The helpful foreign lady behind the counter was telling me to lift it. She handed me a small plate. Next moment, I was looking for a tong which I could not find. I tried asking the same lady. She pointed to a box on top of the counter. The tong was inside that box. I picked 3 different types of Nonya Kueh and proceeded to the cashier for payment. It was $4.50 in total and $1.50 per piece. There was a glass of Iced Coffee at the counter and I asked the same bespectacled auntie, "That's my Iced Coffee?". She nodded. 

I collected the Iced Coffee and that plate of kueh, holding onto the buzzer and walked out of the cafe towards the seating area outside. The buzzer sounded in about 5 minutes. I picked it up and walked towards the cafe, left the buzzer at the end of the counter and collected my bowl of Laksa.

The Iced Coffee was a better choice on such a crazily hot day but the taste was not quite memorable. The only outstanding one amongst that plate of kueh was Seri Muka Durian, the Kuih Lapis and Kuih Pulut Init were just average. 

The nicely presented Laksa came with 3 pieces of relatively fresh large-sized prawns that were neatly butterflied and de-veined. It was served along with a hard-boiled egg and slices of fishcake together with a handful of bean sprouts and chopped laksa leaves. The subtle spiciness was balanced with thick coconut milk for a richer flavor. The addition of bean sprouts has given the dish a desired texture. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

This is an interesting cafe but there is room for improvement for the service.

CHONG WEN GE CAFE

168 Telok Ayar Street SINGAPORE 068619

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 5.30 pm (Daily)

Ramen Taisho : the Hawker-style Japanese ramen

Tan Hock Soon and Kalene, his wife, started this ramen stall on 15 February 2016 in the food court at Clementi Mall before moving to Maxwell Food Centre on 15 July 2017. Hock Soon spent about 3 years traveling between Singapore and Japan, attending classes and undergoing different types of training to know about cooking and making the ramen. He even imported a noodle maker from Japan and making his own noodles when his stall was in Clementi. I am not sure whether is he still doing right now as his current stall space is smaller. He also attended the Street Food 360 course conducted by Makansutra.

There are the choices of Standard Ramen ($6.80), Ajitama Ramen ($7.80), Chashu Ramen ($8.80), Sambal Ikan Bilis Ramen ($7.80), Black Garlic Ramen ($7.80) and Mazemen Dry Ramen ($7.80). The Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen ($7.80) is their newest addition and the Deluxe version that came with 3 pieces of chasu is reasonably priced at $9.80, which is cheaper than those from the Japanese restaurants. The ingredients like chashu and tamago eggs are made in-house.

I decided to go with the Black Garlic Ramen, it came with a good portion of noodles with a piece of chashu, bamboo shoots and a tamago egg, garnished with chopped scallions and topped with black garlic oil to serve. 

The chashu was a bit too tough and slightly too thin as well but they got the tamago egg right, the white was quite firm with a soft runny egg yolk. The broth is made from pork bones and chicken and boiled over a relatively long period of time for a rich and deep full-bodied flavor. The noodles were cooked just right to a smooth and elastic texture.

This has to be the better Hawker-style Japanese ramen as compared to the others that I had eaten so far. This is nearly as good as those that offer by the proper restaurant if they are able to keep up the standard. 

RAMEN TAISHO

1 Kadayanallur Street #01-32 Maxwell Food Centre SINGAPORE
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.30 pm (Closed on Saturdays and Sundays)

Gyu Nami : Wagyu Roast Beef Donburi @ Amoy Street Food Centre

I was at Amoy Street Food Centre for a late lunch when I chanced upon this stall. There was a flower basket displayed right beside their stall, which is a good indication that this is a new stall that likely to be just opened for business. It was only later when I came across their Facebook page then I realized that they have just opened today. There is even a promotion going on, if you like their Facebook Page and follow them on Instagram, you will get free truffle shavings with each order which I did not know and so, I am not entitled. It will be nice if they make an effort to highlight it to their customers. The lady that took my order did not seem particularly friendly though. I was telling her that I did not expect to find such a stall in the food centre and she just smiled away. 

This stall is headed by a few young and passionate foodies that want to make good gourmet food available to the masses at affordable prices and they take pride in their ingredients as well as the cooking methods to serve the best to their customers, as mentioned on their Facebook page. 

Wagyu Roast Beef Donburi ($10) is their signature dish, it is slowly roasted to a perfect texture which still has its moisture retained for the desired tenderness. It is served along with an egg and their signature homemade yogurt sauce on rice. This is not a common dish to be found in a food centre and they are likely to be the first hawker stall serving such a dish.

I first tasted such a dish during my recent trip to Japan, though not really a fan but it is something different to have when visiting a food centre for lunch. I would think that $10 for such a dish is of decent value though it is more expensive as compared to the usual hawker fare. When I brought along to order my coffee from another stall, a fellow hawker was asking how much did I pay for it and when I told her it costs $10. She looked a bit shock and was telling the Uncle of the coffee stall that this beef rice bowl is $10. She did ask which stall that I ordered it from, I told her that it is a new stall near Taste Affair and the famous Han Kee Fish Soup. 

The real thing did not look as tall as the one in the picture on their Facebook and also with lesser beef slices though I totally understand that pictures are always just for illustration purposes. In this case, what you see is not exactly of what you will get. Overall, it was not bad. Those beef slices were quite tender with a runny egg yolk and when mixed it well, it provides a nice textural contrast. This would not be something that I will look forward to eating it again soon when I am here for lunch again.

GYU NAMI

7 Maxwell Road #02-126 Amoy Street Food Centre SINGAPORE 069111

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 3.00 pm (Mon to Sat) (Closed on Sundays)

Soon Heng Food Delights : Lor Mee, my kind of comfort food

This might not be the best Lor Mee but it is my personal favourite as I literally grew up eating this. This stall is one of the longest surviving stalls at Tanjong Pagar Food Centre. It was there when I started working as a recruiter in one of those office buildings nearby and it is still there after all these years. There was no queue at 11 am on a weekday. The stall is manned by an elderly couple. The auntie was a bit grumpy on that day as she was nagging at the uncle, heartwarmingly. It reminded me of my late Grandma as she always nagged at my late Grandpa over little things. 

I always go for their Fried Shark Fish Lor Mee and I usually go for the $4 portion and added $1 for an extra serving of fried shark fish nuggets. There is also the $5 portion available. 

Other than those fried shark fish nuggets, it is also served with ingredients like braised meat, braised egg, fried dumpling and slices of fried ngor hiang. The braising sauce was slightly thin, not as gooey and not quite flavorful but it was enhanced by mixing in the chilli and garlic paste.  I am a big fan of those big chunks of fried shark fish nuggets even though it was not freshly fried but it was particularly tasty when soaked it with the braising sauce. Nonetheless, that simple taste has always been my comfort food. 

SOON HENG FOOD DELIGHTS

6 Tanjong Pagar Road #02-19 Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre SINGAPORE 081006

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Saturdays)

Kueh Ho Jiak : Handmade Sweet Potatoes Ang Ku Kueh

This stall has recently opened at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre on 7 May 2017. They used to be at Ci Yuan Food Centre for a while before moving here. This is an unassuming stall serving the good old-fashioned handmade Peranakan kueh. They are freshly made with quality ingredients laboriously without using artificial colouring and preservatives with recipes created by Chef Sandy Hannah Tan, the founder. And, Sandy is working along with Elizabeth Elisha Chan, her daughter. 

Elizabeth was manning the stall all by herself when I was there. She said, "Our Kuehs are made of sweet potatoes and they are very healthy." She then said, heartwarmingly, "你可以放心吃!", which means "you can eat without worry!". They handcrafted every piece painstakingly, with a great amount of patience, demonstrating the love for handmade and this is what differentiate theirs from the others. 

They serve not just Ang Ku Kueh and also Pumpkin Yam Cake ($1.60), Sweet Potatoes Rice Kueh ($1.60), Rice Kueh with Salted Egg ($2.20), Soon Kueh ($0.80), Ubi Kayu ($2.20) and Glutinous Rice ($3.00).

I decided to go with one of each flavour of their Ang Ku Kueh and there was a total of 7 flavours on that day, starting from Hae Bee Hiam ($1.60), Mung Bean ($1.20), Yam ($1.60), Red Bean ($1.20), Peanuts ($1.20), Coconut ($1.20) and Durian was at a discounted price of $1.00. Elizabeth packed them neatly in a plastic box and held it for me to take a picture. Those Ang Ku Kueh came in different shapes and sizes, there was a hello kitty, a bear, 2 flowers, a heart with the 爱 (love) in the centre and a round shaped one with a 囍 (double happiness) on it. The skin is made of purple sweet potatoes, it is very thin and firm with a delightful chewiness and not greasy as well. And, why did they choose to use sweet potatoes? The main reason has to be it is different from those regular sweet potatoes in flavour and texture, it is denser and has a richer taste with a well-balanced sweetness. Overall, it strikes a good balance between the intensity, flavour and texture. Those were one of the nicest Ang Ku Kuehs that I have ever eaten.

When I was about to walk away, Elizabeth asked me to wait for a bit. She was serving other customers at that time. She placed a piece of Pumpkin Yam Cake and a Sweet Potato Rice Kueh on a disposable boat shaped bowl then drizzled some dark sweet sauce on it with chilli by the side and handed it to me. She said, "请你吃!" which I happily obliged. It tasted different from the usual Yam Cake and Rice Kueh, it is the healthier version and with a good amount of ingredients embedded in it. Though slightly expensive, the level of thoughtfulness behind each of it is worth the value. 

This was in one of their posts on the Facebook page, "There is no love, more sincere than the love of food. Food is a passion, food is love. Cook with Love & Passion." 

KUEH HO JIAK

6 Tanjong Pagar Road #02-20 Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre SINGAPORE 081006

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Mariners' Corner Restaurant & Steak House : Oxtail Stew is a must-try

Time has come to a standstill at this decades-old steak house. It opened in 1984 and is serving traditional Anglo-Hainanese cuisine. This is one of the remaining, the others are the Ship Restaurant and Shashlik Restaurant, in an ambience that reminiscent of the popular steakhouses from late 1970. There are posters of James Dean and Elvis Presley on their wall to bring you back to the yesteryear and a perfect trip down memory lane.

If you are there, look out for their daily set lunches which are available on the weekdays and weekends. The prices are different, though, it is slightly more expensive on the weekends. The set lunches for the weekends include their signature Hainanese Oxtail Stew ($18.50) and Sirloin Steak with Black Pepper Sauce ($18.50) which I ordered. Each set includes Soup of the Day, Garlic Bread, Today's Dessert with Coffee or Tea and also free-flow from the Salad Bar.

The choices though limited but it tasted fresh at the old-fashioned salad bar that resembled the one at Ponderosa. 

The Soup of the Day was Cream of Chicken Soup served along with a piece of garlic bread. The croutons were from the Salad Bar. 

Their signature Hainanese Oxtail Stew was served in a claypot, which helped to keep its warm till the last bit. It came with quite a few chunks of tail meat in the braising sauce that was slowly cooked to the desired consistency. This rich, oozy oxtail stew is a classic comfy food, it is filling and also delicious. It is as good as the one that is served by Shashlik Restaurant and is better than Werner's Oven.

It was served with mashed potato and poached vegetables. The mashed potato did not have much of the buttery taste, it was a bit plain if eaten on its own and it did not go too well with the stew. I would rather that they serve it with garlic bread. 

Sirloin Steak with Black Pepper Sauce was served on an old-school hotplate that you do not get to see it often these days. The nicely grilled Sirloin Steak was placed on a pile of shredded onion, served with potato wedges and poached long beans with carrots. There is an option to add a piece of baked potato for $1.50.

Coffee or Tea is included in the set and it was served along with a piece of butter cake. The butter cake has an old-school taste, like those that homemade by our mothers or even grandmothers, it was slightly dry but with a nice eggy taste. 

This is a place for a good lunch or dinner, it is hearty, warm and no-frill.

MARINERS' CORNER RESTAURANT & STEAK HOUSE

120 Cantonment Road #01-02 SINGAPORE 089760

Operating Hours: 8.15 am to 10.15 am /11.30 am to 3.00 pm / 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Daily)