Ah Five Hainanese Chicken Rice/Fried Rice/Porridge by 2nd-gen hawkers

Natalie and Lex, are the owners of this chicken rice stall in the coffee shop at Ang Mo Kio. Their father, Lee Tai Keng, founded the popular Five Star Chicken Rice about 6 decades ago before entering into a partnership and later on, selling its share and is no longer associated with the brand.

Natalie is behind the chopping board and Lex is taking care of the cooking process. The chickens used here are the free-range chicken usually known as Kampung Chicken, which is firmer and leaner. 

The menu consists of Half Chicken ($15) and Whole Chicken ($30) served with fragrance rice ($1) or porridge ($1). The regular portion of Chicken Rice is $5. Shredded Chicken Porridge ($3) is also available. There are also 1-Person-Set ($5) and 2-Person-Set ($10) for selection. Special Chicken Fried Rice ($7) is a unique dish that is not found elsewhere. The fried chicken rice consists of diced prawns with minced pork then topped with slices of the poached chicken. 

The chicken was perfectly chopped by the 29 years old Natalie. She held a Master of Intellectual Property and used to be in that line before learning the trade and opening this hawker stall with her brother. The accompanying condiments include the chilli, ginger paste, and dark soy sauce. The chilli went well with the poached chilli as it got a good balance of spiciness and tanginess. The chicken reminded me of those served by Kampong Chicken Rice at Upper Thomson Road as it is almost as good. This poached chicken is definitely amongst the better ones that I have tasted, it is done perfectly done to detain its tenderness and juiciness. Their father should be proud of them for mastering his techniques in bringing forth the perfectly done chicken and rice. 

AH FIVE HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE 

/ FRIED RICE / PORRIDGE

Block 158 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 SINGAPORE 560158

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 2.30 pm (Monday to Friday) / 7.30 am to 3.30 pm (Saturday to Sunday)

Quan Xing Mei Shi : old school Laksa

This stall has been in this food centre for decades, it used to run by an elderly couple but it left only the elderly Uncle with his son. There is only Laska on their menu for $3.00 per bowl. Most of their customers are the residents staying nearby and have been patronizing the stall for the longest time.

It usually sold out quite early and that is why I was quite surprised to see the light of the signboard was still on at 11 am and quickly, I joined in the queue. There are choices of thick bee hoon, thin bee hoon, and yellow noodles. I opted for the yellow noodles, it was topped with chopped laksa leaves and sambal chilli to serve. The portion of yellow noodles was quite substantial, serving with ingredients like slices of fishcake and pieces of tau pok with a handful of cockles and beansprouts. 

It tasted old school, no-frills and purely comforting. This simple Laksa is good enough, it does not need premium ingredients to make it tastier. 

QUAN XING MEI SHI

162 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-26  Mayflower Food Centre SINGAPORE 560162

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 1.00 pm

Seletar Western Food : old-school Western food

The coffee shop is located at the Seletar Hill, amongst the row of shophouses along Jalan Selaseh. This Western food stall is a popular choice amongst the residents of this quiet estate. The usual waiting time during peak hours can be up to an hour. It is the corner stall at this quiet coffee shop and it has been around for about 20 years but the current owner is only at it for about 4 years after taking over from the original owner when they decided to retire. 

Most of the other stalls were already closed when we were there at about 5 pm on a weekday. When I was there to order, the uncle was serving an elderly customer that likely to be a regular. He went to where he seated to take his order. I waited for him to get back. I ordered Chicken Chop ($6) for myself and the Chicken Cutlet ($6.50) for my dining companion. I then pointed to the table right at the corner. We waited for about 15 minutes for it to be served. 

The Chicken Cutlet consists of a piece of deep-fried breaded chicken served with a bun, baked bean, fries, lettuce, and cucumber. My dining companion started with the bun. He said, "This one tasted better than its looks. Though they deep-fried but it was still soft and not greasy." He said after trying the chicken, "The seasoning is quite light thus it tasted a little bland." He continued to say, "Overall, it was okay."

The Chicken Chop was slightly charred though it did not taste crispy, it was served with the brown sauce and the same sides. I finished it even though it is not amongst the best that I had tasted. 

This is an interesting find in an old school coffee shop.

SELETAR WESTERN FOOD

2 Jalan Selaseh SINGAPORE 808433

Operating Hours: 4.00 pm to 9.30 pm (Daily)

Xiang Wei Qing Economical Rice : homely meal

I was told by a friend that this economical rice stall is a new venture of Douglas Ng, the owner of Fishball Story. This is the new stall that replaced the previous stall after the renovation of that coffee shop. There are 3 coffee shops near the AMK 628 Food Centre, each coffee shop has an economical rice stall but none is as popular as the Nonya Curry Mixed Veg Rice (#01-58) stall in the food centre and I have been a regular customer there. 

I went with my dining companion for lunch on a weekday, the selection of their dishes was not too extensive. I wanted to try their Lemon Chicken but was told it is not available but only the choices of Curry Chicken and Fried Chicken. I decided to go with the Fried Chicken and I was asked to choose the part. The server suggested to take the thigh portion and he offered to cut it into smaller pieces. I wanted to try the Steamed Meat with Salted Fish together with Sweet & Sour Pork and Sambal Potato Leave with 2 plates of rice for $12.20. They were using some of the plates left by the previous stall. Everything was neatly arranged on a tray for self-service. I took notice of the Combi Oven right behind, this is not a common sight at such a hawker stall in the coffee shop. 

This was not the first time that I have tried their Fried Chicken. It was quite good this time, freshly fried and the skin still retained its crispiness though the meat was not as flavorful. Sometimes, it was slightly greasy when it was left for too long and did not taste as good. 

The Steamed Meat with Salted Fish was slightly disappointed. This is likely to be one of those dishes prepared using the combi oven at the stall. The meat was not as soft as I would like it, steamed with a small piece of salted fish and shredded ginger. 

The Sweet & Sour Pork tasted decent though not much of a surprise. Those pieces of pork were deep-fried before adding in the pineapple and cucumber followed by the sweet and sour sauce. It was not as saucy but with a balanced flavor. 

The Sambal Sweet Leaves tasted homely, it would definitely be nicer if it is spicier as its spiciness was a little too mild. 

Though not impressively good, it is good enough for a homely meal.

XIANG WEI QING ECONOMICAL RICE

Block 630 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 SINGAPORE 560630

名厨车老板 : Beef Brisket Noodle, must-try

This Hong Kong eatery is located at Casuarina, along Sembawang Road. The boss is originated from Hong Kong and he is always ready to greet his customers, chatting with them in his strong Cantonese accent Chinese. It is like the usual Cha Chaan Teng in Hong Kong as they serve mostly the Cantonese fare. A lady came over to take our orders upon seated. Their Beef Brisket Noodle ($5) is a must-try which I ordered together with their Wanton Noodle ($4.50), Carrot Cake ($4) and Chee Cheong Fun ($4). 

The Beef Brisket Noodle consists of a good portion of nicely cooked thin noodles with a few chunks of braised beef brisket with just a piece of tendon. The beef was quite lean but rather soft and flavorful. This is still one of the best Beef Brisket Noodle that I have tasted in Singapore. The soup that came along has got a distinct dried shrimp flavor like those that I tasted in Hong Kong. 

I have recently tasted a really good Beef Brisket Noodle from Lao Jie Fang Braised Beef Noodles at Mei Chin Food Centre. I also got to try the same dish from One Mouth Noodle at Yishun Park Hawker Centre which I did not quite like it. 

The Wanton Noodle was good though not amongst the best that I had tried. It was served with a few slices of char siew and 3 pieces of wanton. The char siew was slightly tough but the wanton was good, the tasty filling was in a thin layer of wrapper. My dining companion said, "I would come back for just the wanton."

My dining companion did not like the carrot cake though. He said, "I could taste a bit of OX sauce in it but the texture was too mushy,  it will be nicer if it is firmer."

The Chee Cheong Fun was unexpectedly good. It was steamed then pan-fried before serving it in a pool of sauce, garnished with sesame seeds and chopped spring onion. There are 3 types of fillings for selection, the char siew, the prawn and also the filling. We ordered the char siew and we enjoyed it. 

名厨车老板

134 Casuarina Road SINGAPORE 579522

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 12.00 am

Meixi's Kitchen : Hakka Yong Tau Fu

This is a new stall opened in the recently renovated coffee shop just beside the food centre, serving handmade Hakka Yong Tau Fu. 

The standard order is 6 items with noodle or rice at $4.20 and at $5.00 if go with the laksa gravy. They will deep-fry the items again and serve it on a separate bowl if you order the soup and laksa version. The handmade items tasted relatively fresh and my all time favorite has to be the stuffed brinjal, meatball, ngor hiang and stuffed tofu. 

The condiments are available at the counter for self-service. There is also a pot of soya beans for you to add into your soup. 

This brand has been around since 1986 and they have a few outlets islandwide.

MEIXI'S KITCHEN

Block 630 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-972 SINGAPORE 560630
Operating Hours: 7.45 am to 9.00 pm (Daily)

Jing Ji Fishball Noodle : a 3 decades old noodle stall

This was one of those stalls that I featured when writing for Makansutra. This stall has been around for more than 30 years, it started as a pushcart in the vicinity before moving into the food centre. It has been handed down by Mr Toh that started it to his 2 daughters.

The older Madam Toh is 59 years old, she is the one taking the orders and serving it when it is ready. The younger Madam Toh is 56 years old and she is doing the cooking. Their Uncle used to run a noodle stall just a couple of stalls away, he was also taught by Mr Toh using a similar recipe but that stall has already closed down.

There was a queue of about 8 people when I was there at about 11.15 pm. When it was about my turn, I was told that they have already run out of fishball. I decided to go with mee pok at $3 and added $1 for additional ingredients. I requested to have an extra amount of chilli to go with the mee pok. When waiting for my order, I overheard Madam Toh talking to the customer behind me, "You did not come for a while." There was another customer right behind me asking whether would there be anymore mee pok left when it is her turn to order. She is likely to be one of the regular customers as Madam Toh seemed to remember how she likes her order to be done. I was told that most of their customers are the regulars staying in the vicinity and they usually come as a family. 

The mee pok was cooked just right, firm and still springy. It did not taste too spicy with that extra amount of chilli added, a hint of the vinegar and lightly flavored by lard. It was served along with a bowl of soup consisting of slices of pork liver and fishcake as well as meatballs. The meatballs have an ideal consistency and texture. Those slices of pork liver were lovely, it was tender and soft in the right thickness and size. I got the last few bowls of the noodles before they sold out at 11.30 pm.

Their secret to their survivability is none other than using the freshest ingredients. The elder Mr Toh used to go marketing personally to source for it, he was doing that even when he was in his 80s. Such old-school taste can be so memorable. I was told that their children have no plan in taking over their stall at this moment. Enjoy it while it lasts. 

JING JI FISHBALL NOODLE

590 Upper Thomson Road #01-04 Sembawang Hills Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays)

Jin Song : Wanton Mee

This stall has been in this food centre for quite a while, serving Wanton Char Siew Mee, Dumpling Mee, Mushroom Mee, Mushroom & Chicken Feet Mee and Ipoh Hor Fun. They are directly competing with Ang Mo Kio 453 Wanton Mee at the same row, just a stall away. There are usually queues at both stalls but the queue at this stall is always moving faster thus it is usually shorter.

I was there on a Sunday, the queue at Ang Mo Kio 453 Wanton Mee was really long at about 1 pm. I decided to go with same options at this stall as an alternative. I have eaten once at this stall quite a long while ago and the taste was not too memorable at that time. The Wanton Mee is priced at $3, the same price as their competitor next door and their Wanton Soup is $3.50, different by 0.50 cents. I added 2 pieces of chicken feet for $1.00, the same price.

My dining companion said, "I prefer this wanton a bit more. It is much bigger in size." He then said, "I think the sauce tasted a bit like those for chilli crab but even so I still prefer the other Wanton Mee a bit more." The wanton is slightly bigger and the well-seasoned filling has a softer texture with a notable dried sole fish taste.

I actually prefer the other Wanton Mee too. Their chilli is spicer and more aromatic. Their noodles are springier and firmer. Their braised chicken feet is more flavorful as well. 

JIN SONG

Block 162 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-30 Mayflower Food Centre SINGAPORE 560162

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 3.00 pm

Sembawang Hills Food Centre : What to eat?

Sembawang Hills Food Centre is located along Upper Thomson Road and within close proximity to Ang Mo Kio. The nearest MRT station is Yio Chu Kang though there is no direct bus from there. The easiest way to get to this food centre is to go to Ang Mo Kio MRT station and take bus 269 and change to bus 855 or 163 along Yio Chu Kang Road. 

This food centre is an ideal choice if you are looking for a quiet place to have lunch. It is not crowded during lunch as it is not near to any office buildings and factories. You hardly see a queue in this food centre during weekdays but it is usually busier on the weekends. This food centre is just a stone's throw from where I stay and here are some of the stalls that I have been patronizing regularly. 

SENG HUAT DUCK RICE (#01-07)
Operating Hours: 8.30 am to 12.30 pm (Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays)

This is one of the popular stalls that usually sold out quite early. The options available are Braised Duck Rice at $3.50, Braised Duck Rice set at $4.50 or the Duck Porridge at $2.80. The Char Siew Roasted Pork Rice on their signboard is not available. I usually go for the Braised Duck Rice set with a braised egg for 0.60 cents and duck liver for 0.70 cents. You could choose to go with porridge if you do not want to have it with rice. 

The braising sauce was lighter and not as salty with a notable cinnamon and star anise flavor. The duck meat was flavorful with the desired tenderness. The chilli was good, its mild spiciness has brought forth the flavor. They usually sold out by 12.30 pm or earlier, this is a cheap and good choice if you happen to be in this food centre for an early lunch. 

FRIED CARROT CAKE (#01-14)
Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 11.30 am (Tue to Fri) / 7.00 am to 6.00 pm (Sat & Sun)

This is another stall that usually closed quite early during weekdays but not so on the weekends. It has been around for 35 years selling just fried carrot cake. The current stall owner took over the stall from his father that started it from a pushcart. Unlike most of the other stalls, they are still handmade the carrot cake though no longer using the wood fire but gas to steam them. There are 3 sizes available at $3.00, $3.50 and $4.00. It was served on a disposable plate with a plastic fork. 

The carrot cake was smashed into smaller pieces then fried with egg. The texture of the carrot cake was delightfully soft and not greasy, with a well-balanced level of sweetness and saltiness and a light eggy flavor. 

JIA JIA XING PIG'S ORGAN SOUP (#01-10)
Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 7.00 pm (Daily)

The stall is run by a friendly auntie single-handedly, this is usually one of the stalls that often has a short queue particularly during the weekends. There are only 4 items on their menu, Pig's Organ Soup ($4.50), Pig's Stomach Soup ($4.50), Pig's Trotter ($5.50/$7.00) and Vegetable. Rice is available at 0.50 cents per serving, there are the usual white rice and the soy sauce rice. 

The pig's trotter was braised to a perfect softness, the braising sauce was slightly sweet with a right balance of saltiness and not too thick in texture. It tasted homey and comforting.

The Pig's Organ Soup is a popular choice amongst its regular customers. It consists of meatballs, sliced meat, tofu, pig's stomach and liver with salted vegetable and coriander. The soup was not as peppery but rather light and flavorful. This is one of the better Pig's Organ Soup that I have tasted. 

MING JI CLAM PRAWN MEE (#01-05)
Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 1.00 pm

This stall is manned by an elderly couple and Prawn Mee is the only item on their menu. There is an option for dry or soup at $3 or $4 and also to choose whether to have it with canned razor clams for $4 or $5. You could choose the types of noodles to go with it. It is usually served with ingredients like sliced meat and prawns. I usually requested to have an extra amount of chilli added but its level of spiciness is still quite mild. The soup that is served along has a nice prawny sweet taste. 

Please go early as they usually sold out before 12.30 pm and their off-day is indefinite.

SEMBAWANG TEOCHEW MINCED PORK NOODLE (#01-29)
Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 2.00 pm (Daily)

The elderly stall owner used to work at the Michelin-starred Tai Hwa Pork Noodle at Crawford Lane. He started this stall together with his wife in 2015. There are 3 different sizes, the $4.00, $5.00 and $6.00. The smallest portion is usually enough if you are not too hungry. It is served with the ingredient like minced meat, sliced lean meat, pork liver, meatball, dumpling together with the dried sole fish. The noodles were cooked just right to the desired springiness with a hint of the vinegar taste, not as overwhelmed as compared to the one served by the Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. There is a certain similarity in taste and this is a good alternative.

MAKAN FOOD STALL (#01-17)
Operating Hours: 6.30 am to 7.00 pm (Daily)

This is the only Muslim-owned stall in this food centre, serving Nasi Padang, Mee Rebus, Mee Siam and Lotong. Their Mee Siam has been voted as one of the top 10 in Singapore. They do not just serve Mee Siam but also Mee Rebus, Nasi Lemak, and Nasi Padang.

I have tried the Mee Rebus and Mee Siam, both are reasonably priced at $2.50 and I actually prefer Mee Siam a bit more. The Mee Siam has a well-balanced sourish and sweetness, a little different than the usual Malay style Mee Siam. The Mee Rebus is another popular choice, it is a little too starchy to my liking though. You could also add Fried Chicken Wing or Begedil at an extra cost. 

SIN SIN NGOR HIANG PRAWN CRACKER (#01-21)
Operating Hours: 1.30 pm to 8.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

This stall is manned by an elderly couple. Most of the items are handmade and one of the interesting items is the prawn fritter, it is slightly thicker in size as there is a piece of hard-boiled egg in it. There are also the regular items like Ngor Hiang, Prawn Roll, Prawn Cracker that are quite tasty and go well with the accompanying dipping sauce. 

Their fried bee hoon is a must-order, it is mildly seasoned with light soya sauce and with bean sprouts that added a textural contrast. 

SAN BA WANG GUO ZHI SHU SHI (#01-06)
Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 12.00 pm (Closed on Fridays)

This is another stall that is sold out rather early. Kway Chap is the only item on their menu, nothing else. There are 2 sizes for selection, the $3.50 and the $4.00. It is served with the standard ingredients like the braised skin, braised meat, small intestine, big intestine, fish cake, tau pok and braised egg together with a bowl of flat rice sheets that is known as "kway". The flavor though light but quite comforting and most of the items were nicely braised. 

The bowl of flat rice sheets was nice, it was quite thin, smooth and cooked to the right texture in served in the braising sauce then topped with the dried shallots. 

GRILL & PASTA (#01-34)
Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 2.00 pm / 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

This stall has been in this food centre for the longest time and is likely to be the first stall serving pasta dishes in the hawker centre. There are a total of 15 pasta dishes on their menu and amongst those, one of the most popular choices is Grilled Chicken ($6.50). It consists of a piece of boneless chicken leg served with penne pasta and vegetable. You could also order other pasta dishes like the comforting Marinara ($7.20) and added a piece of grilled chicken at an extra cost. There were dried chill flakes and dried parsley at the counter for self-service. Parmesan Cheese is available at 0.80 cents per serving. 

KHOON'S KATONG LAKSA & SEAFOOD SOUP (#01-26)
Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 7.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Though not as popular as the 328 Katong Laksa, this is a better and cheaper alternative. There are 3 sizes for the laksa, the smallest portion at $4 followed by $5 and the largest portion is $6.00. The coconut milk infused gravy is not too rich not too spicy but rather tasty. It is served a portion of thick bee hoon together with slices of fishcake, prawns and a handful of cockles then garnished with chopped laksa leaves and sambal chilli. This stall does not just serves the Katong Laksa but also Fish Soup and Seafood Soup. 

PING KEE POPIAH (#01-32)
Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Fridays)

This is another stall that has been in this food centre for a long time, manned by a friendly couple and serving only Popiah. It used to be cheaper but it is $1.50 for each piece and $2.00 with added ingredients as of now. The ingredients used were really fresh. The braised turnip was lightly flavored and served along with a handful of crunchy beansprouts, thin slices of chinese sausage, eggs, grounded peanuts and some crunchy bits, firmly wrapped together. 

DOE (#01-22)
Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 3.00 pm (Thursday to Sunday)

This stall is the best-kept secret of this food centre, it is solely manned by a friendly lady single-handedly. It served one of the nicest fruit cakes that I have ever eaten. It is much better than most of the other choices out there. Their other signature item is Cempedak Cake, this is likely to be the only place for such a cake and it is only available on the seasonal basis. Some of the other choices are Coffee Walnut Cake, Butter Cake, Chocolate Cake, Marble Cake, Banana Walnut Cake, Green Tea Chiffon, Black Sesame Chiffon, Cream Cheese Chiffon and more.