Rayben King of Seafood Soup at Sin Ming

The owners, Ray and Benson started this stall in the midst of December 2020 serving seafood soup, There are only 3 choices on their menu, the smallest portion at $8.00 followed by $18.00, and then at $38. Ben was there taking the order. He recommended that we should try the $18.80 as it is good to be shared amongst 2 pax. 

I asked, "Why do you choose such a location? How is the business so far?" He said, "We wanted somewhere to start and the rental here is reasonable. And, we have been doing good so far. We even have customers coming from as far as Jurong." Ray mentioned competing against a popular stall and wanting to serve the best. I asked out of curiosity, "Who is this competitor? Do not tell me it is one of those that serve Pao Fan as I do not like." He replied, "I think Pao Fan is gimmicky. The texture of rice after soaked in the broth usually was too soggy." He later mentioned that this stall is the popular Yan Ji Fish Soup at Marsiling Mall Food Centre. 

We were given a buzzer after done with the payment. The medium portion consists of half a rock lobster, half a flower crab, 2 tiger prawns, Batang fish, squid, la la, and pacific clams. It came with choices of rice as well as thick bee hoon and we opted for rice. 

My dining companion tasted the soup and said, "The soup is quite tasty, naturally flavored." He said, "I could taste there is milk added." Benson happened to walk past and he asked, "How was it?" I said, "You added milk into it?" He replied, "I added just a bit of milk for a smoother texture."

My dining companion also said, "It is not the usual coffee shop pricing and is not quite worth the value. I would actually prefer a simple bowl of seafood soup without those premium ingredients added like the one by Yan Ji though they use Dory fish. I enjoyed their chunky handmade meatballs."

I did not try to ask for more soup though it was suggested in a review posted on their Facebook as someone tried but was declined. It is also not a practice to refill soup at Yan Ji Seafood Soup. The soup is supposed to serve concentrated and if they allowed refilling of soup then they would have to dilute the soup to make it more which does not quite make sense. 

I would just go for their basic bowl of seafood soup if I do come back.

RAYBEN KING OF SEAFOOD SOUP

39 Sin Ming Drive SINGAPORE 575713

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

新建兴肉脞面 at Sin Ming

I came here to take away once to eat it at home. The overall taste was not too fascinating but rather pleasant. I decided to have it again after having the not too filling mee hoon kueh at the coffee shop next to it. It was lunchtime and most of the tables in that coffee shop have been taken up and most of the tables ordered the noodles from this stall. There were other customers waiting to order in front of the stall. I went with the bowl with add-in ingredients at $5.50 and added chicken feet for an additional $2.00. I was given a buzzer for collection later and I waited for about 10 minutes to do so.

This bowl consists of a good portion of mee pok with ingredients like braised trotter, braised mushroom, braised small intestine, braised chicken feet, minced meat, sliced meat, fishball and slices of fishcake. 

My dining companion took a mouthful and said, "It smells better than it tastes." He added, "Though not disappointing but not much of a surprise." I had agreed somewhat. The chicken feet and pork trotter would be nicer if it is slightly softer, those braised intestine were a little too chewy and not as flavorful. There was also not much sauce underneath the pile of noodles so it tasted a bit dry after tossing it. Though not the best amongst what I had eaten, it is good enough to satisfy a pang of hunger. 

It is getting harder to find a really good Bak Chor Mee these days. Somehow, I still prefer the traditional type with the liver as part of its ingredients. 

新建兴肉脞面

Block 22 Sin Ming Road SINGAPORE 570022

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

Yue Lai Xiang Delights at Sin Ming

Joy Yeo, 40, the owner, used to be working as a marketing specialist in printing house before started a hawker stall to serve Hakka style handmade noodle dishes. She first started in a food centre at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 then moved to Jurong West Hawker Centre for a short while before moving to Sin Ming AutoCity then to Block 22 Sin Ming Road recently. Jessie Lee, 62, her mother is helping out at the stall, too.

Their handmade noodles are different, other than the original noodles, there is also the flavored noddles in 4 different colors for different flavors, starting from blue pea, beetroot, spinach, and pumpkin for the ban mian, you mian and mee hoon kueh. Those doughs are made fresh daily. Everything is made from scratch there based on her recipes, from the noodles to the soup base after experimented with various ingredients. I ordered the blue pea mee hoon kueh and beetroot mee hoon kueh, $4.50 for soup and $5.50 for dry with the standard broth. There is also the Premium bowl, it is $7 for original noodles and $8 for flavored noodles.

I tried the blue pea mee hoon kueh first, it did not seem to have much flavor though the texture is slightly softer and smoother. It was served with crispy ikan bilis, sliced pork, minced pork, poached egg, and sayur mani greens, topped with the dried shallots. My dining companion agreed that those pieces of mee hoon kueh did not have a distinctive flavor. The house-made chilli sauce that made of chilli padi, lime juice, vinegar, and minced garlic is a good dipping sauce.

The broth is made up of dried sole fish, pork bones, sweet corn, ikan bilis and garlic without artificial flavoring and MSG. Those pieces of mee hoon kueh were hand-torn upon receiving orders. 

Then, I tried the beetroot mee hoon kueh, mixed it well with the sauce underneath. I could not taste any distinctive taste as well but it was cooked to al-dente for a slightly firmer texture as compared to the blue pea mee hoon kueh. The sambal chilli enhanced it with a richer and spicier flavor though not overly so. I prefer the dry version, the colored mee hoon kueh lends a lovely pinkish hue to the soup. 

It tasted simple with a homecooked feel. I would not mind eating again if I happen to be in the vicinity. 

YUE LAI XIANG DELIGHTS
Block 22 Sin Ming Road #01-224 Food Trail SINGAPORE 570022
Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 4.30 pm (Daily)

Every Thing Good Roasted Rice Noodle House ( 128 Want To Eat )

There are 2 coffee shops on this block and this stall is located at the first coffee shop nearer to Thomson Road, it has only been around for slightly more than a month. They are still using the old signboard left behind by the previous owner. Their stall name is supposed to be "128 Want To Eat" and not "Every Thing Good Roasted Rice Noodle House". A few of my friends on Facebook came by and tried it, they actually think pretty highly of the roasted chicken and soya sauce chicken. An FB friend even commented that their soya sauce chicken is as good as the Michelin-starred one. It got me to be really curious and so I decided to try it out. 

I was their only customer when I visited during lunch on a weekday. The owner is originated from Ipoh and he is running a one-man-show at this stall. I decided to go with roasted chicken drumstick and braised soya sauce egg with rice for $4.00, which is affordable. It was served along with some plain looking achar which I left it untouched. It did not serve with a bowl of soup. The owner was extremely polite and he even asked whether do I need a receipt when making payment. I was asked to help myself with the chilli sauce at the side table in front of the stall. 

The rice was served plain without sauce. I was not given an option to choose so I guess it is their default way of serving it. It was quite a challenge to eat it this way as the rice was rather dry which I ended up not finishing it. The charcoal roasted chicken is not as impressive as my FB friends claimed to be, though tender but not as flavorful as expected, it was just average. I did not particularly like it. The chilli was much spicer than most chicken rice stalls and with little ginger taste. 

I applaud the entrepreneurial efforts behind it but the taste is really not quite there yet. I would be curious to try their soya sauce chicken as I wonder whether it is really as good as that Michelin-starred version as my FB friend claimed to be. But, it might not be possible though as the owner has expressed his intention in giving up this stall by the end of April.

EVERY THING GOOD ROASTED RICE NOODLE HOUSE

(128 WANT TO EAT)

Block 23 Sin Ming Road SINGAPORE 570023

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 7.30 pm

NOTE: The stall has closed down. 

Sin Ming Roti Prata : Their Coin Prata is a Must-try!

This stall has been around for decades, they used to be at Cluny Road before moving to Sin Ming and it is in the hand of the 3rd generation now. Aziz and Faisal, the father and son team, are still doing it the traditional way by mixing sugar, eggs, salt and the flour without adding ghee or milk. It is then kneaded by hand, let it rested for a hour before moulded into those dough balls. The flipping of prata is another important act to determine the texture of prata and it takes years of practise to really master it.

Their prata is nicely crisp on the outside but still have its chewiness and fluffiness right beneath, not greasy too. They cook their Prata upon order but they will usually pre-cook them during weekends .

Their signature Coin Prata that is shaped like small, thick pancakes has a slightly crispier texture. They are always made fresh to ensure its crispiness, its texture is rather light and airy and it is priced at $3.50 for 6 pieces. 

Their curry is rather thick and slightly spicier but its level of spiciness is still manageable even for those that do not usually eat spicy stuff. Their Fish Curry is a more popular choice but i like the Chicken Curry a bit more. I always order a portion of it to eat with my Prata. I usually drenched them in curry gravy and let it soaked a little while before eating it.

They do serve Murtabak, Curry Fish Head, Mee Goreng and Nasi Briyani if you want something more substantial.

SIN MING ROTI PRATA

24 Sin Ming Road #01-51 Jin Fa Kopitiam SINGAPORE 570024

Operating Hours: 6.00 am to 7.00 pm (Daily)

Block 24 Hainanese Chicken Rice at Sin Ming

This is chicken rice stall is at one of the HDB blocks along Sin Ming Road and they have been there for about 2 years. The stall is manned by a couple in their 30s. The Lady Boss was quite chatty and we chatted a bit, she said, 'My husband has tried 2 times before to run a Chicken Rice stall but it has failed, this is his third time now.' Then, i asked her, 'If it is so, why did he still keep trying?' She continued to say, 'He is very passionate about cooking and selling Chicken Rice and that is why he never want to give up.' I did not get to say hi to the boss as he seems to be a bit shy.

We should always give such hawkers our support. To begin, it is never easy to run a hawker stall given the laborious part of it as well as long working hours and the profits might be really narrow so it might not be quite worth the while. Anyway, it is heartening to come across the younger generation hawkers that are passionate in serving good value hawker fare.

When ordering, i decided to have a plate of poached chicken rice and another plate of roasted chicken rice. The lady boss suggested i should order the $3.50 portion instead of the $2.50 to have more chicken and rice.

The poached chicken was nicely done to give it the natural chicken flavor and still have its tenderness retained. In fact, i actually prefer the poached chicken to their roasted chicken. When i was telling this to the lady boss, she said, 'Some of the office workers nearby do prefer our poached chicken too.'

The roasted chicken did not taste as fragrant as expected to be though still tasted juicy.  The texture of rice was rather grainy and not too greasy with a nice hint of chicken stock. 

I did not like the chilli though, they modified it slightly and it tasted quite different from other chicken rice chilli. I do not quite associate the taste but there was quite a distinct spicy taste but not too much garlic, a slightly sweet too.

Overall, it fared pretty good though there is still room for improvement. 

BLOCK 24 HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE

Block 24 Sin Ming Road SINGAPORE 570024

一条龙菜头粿 : Steamed Yam Cake & Fried Carrot Cake

It is the stall name that first caught my attention, it is in chinese, the direct transaction of 一条龙菜头粿 is '1 dragon fried carrot cake'. When you take a closer look at the menu board, they do offer steamed carrot cake and yam cake for $2 each. The lady taking my order has a distinct chinese accent like those from the mainland China, it turned out that she was also the one frying my plate of carrot cake. I was a bit skeptical though. 

I also ordered the Steamed Yam Cake, it was a piece by itself in the shape of a circle topped with bits of sesame seeds, dried shallots and chopped spring onion. The Yam Cake was in a pool of sweet sauce with chilli by the side.

The texture was rather soft with chunks of yam pieces embedded in it, the taste was slight bland if eaten without the sauce. Even so, the sweet sauce did not have much effect in enhancing the overall taste. The level of spiciness of the chilli was rather mild with no distinctive fragrance.

The Fried Carrot Cake came next. The steamed carrot cake coarsely chopped into big chunky pieces then fried it with dark sweet sauce and generous amount of beaten egg then topped with chopped spring onions to serve.

I could taste bits of shredded carrot and dried shrimps in the carrot cake which you do not usually get it in most of the Fried Carrot Cake out there. It tasted a bit too sweet, likely to be the result of too much dark sweet sauce added which somewhat overwhelmed and i could hardly taste the eggy taste nor the spiciness of the chilli in it. 

一条龙菜头粿

Block 23 Sin Ming Road SINGAPORE 570023

JJ Sarawak Noodles

This is a new stall in this coffee shop. They expanded from their main outlet at Block 504 Jurong West Street after been there for about 6 years serving their signature Kolo Mee and Sarawak Laksa. 

It was a raining afternoon when i got there for lunch. I was first greeted with a smile when approaching the stall to make my orders. I decided to go with their signature Kolo Mee at $3.50 though a larger portion is available at $4 with their Sarawak Laksa at $4. I was then asked to take a seat while they will serve it to the table. The waiting time was a brief one, both orders were served at the same time. 

The presentation of the Kolo Mee was not too appetising and he portion of Kolo Mee seemed a abit too little with ingredients like slices of char siew and fried dumplings with bits of chopped spring onions. I will expect it to have a bit of fried pork lards to enhance its flavor but it has none. Though chilli is added but its level of spiciness is so mild that i could almost taste any as it was dominated by an intense tomato taste, likely to be the result of too much tomato sauce added. 

Apparently, the Sarawak Laksa fared a bit better as compared to the Kolo Mee. It tasted really different from our local laksa, in fact, it tasted a bit like the Curry Mee that i had in Penang. It has a rather mild spiciness with a comforting curry flavor served with bee hoon and ingredients like shredded chicken, dried beancurd strips and prawns. The prawns did not taste too fresh though.

To conclude, i have never travel to Sarawak and i would not know how authentic are their noodles and perhaps so, i do not know how to appreciate as i was told they have regular supporters from their hometown. 

JJ SARAWAK NOODLES 晶晶砂朥越面

Block 22 Sin Ming Road #01-244 Wan Hao Delicacies Eating House SINGAPORE 570022

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 5.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Chicken Clinic : A Date with the Dr Chicken

I have purchased 2 vouchers through Groupon to be used at this newly opened shop that specialised in Japanese and Korean style Fried Chicken. I was there close to 1 pm for lunch with a friend and we were the only customers there at that time. We were greeted warmly by the waiting staff and the menu with an order chit was presented right after we seated. We were expected to indicate our orders on the order chit and handed it back to the waiting staff. We decided to go with Chicken Nanban ($18.50), Seasoned Spicy Chicken ($19.50), Black Sesame Fried Chicken ($20.50) and Red Ade ($4.50), their special drink. We were then informed that there is 3 levels of spiciness and it is already quite spicy even at level 1. After some thoughts, we went with the level 1 of spiciness and it was proven to be the right choice later.

Red Ade ($4.50) came first. It is amongst the 3 types of special drink and this is the most expensive and the rest is priced at $3.50. Apparently, it did not taste too special. It is supposed to be a raspberry drink served with a slice of lemon and lime in it. Somehow, it did not quite justify the price of $4.50, i would rather order 2 soft drinks at $2.50 each if i do visit again.

Chicken Nanban ($18.50) came first. It is supposed to be Fried Chicken dipped in Spicy Soy Sauce as described in the menu. It consists of pieces of fried chicken served with bits of preserved green chilli, shredded cabbage drizzled with lemon sauce and a portion of fries together with preserved pickles. And, this turned out to be our favourite choice amongst the others that we ordered.

Black Sesame Fried Chicken ($20.50) was served next. The freshly fried chicken pieces were evenly coated in their special black sesame paste. Though it might not seem to be so but it was much spicier than expected with a lingering aftertaste. My lunch partner pointed out that it did not have even a bit of sesame taste which i agreed.

Seasoned Spicy Chicken ($19.50) came last. It might looked fiery red but it did not taste as spicy as expected in fact its spiciness is milder than that of the Black Sesame Chicken. It has got a rather slight sweetness with a bit of garlicky taste but it was just pleasant tasting with not much of surprises. 

Though the dishes did not particularly standout but the attentive and friendly service left an impression. When i requested to take away the remaining Seasoned Spicy Chicken and they happily obliged. The packed it neatly in a paper box and handed it over to me with a smile. 

It was nonetheless a perfect place to chill out with friends for some Fried Chicken if you happen to be nearby.

CHICKEN CLINIC

11 Sin Ming Road #01-13 Thomson V Two SINGAPORE 575629

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 10.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)