Che' Rose Nasi Padang : Chicken Rendang

I have walked past this stall many times but never really thought of trying. The "probably the best Rendang in Singapore" on their signboard has managed to catch my attention though. This stall used to be at Toa Payoh Lorong 2 before moving to this coffee and it has been here for a few years. Che' Rose, the founder, has been selling Nasi Padang since 1968, using the recipes that handed down from her grandparents. Her son and his wife are planning to take over the stall. 

We were there for lunch on a Sunday and most of their dishes have already finished. I asked, "Chicken Rendang is the popular dish here?" The lady smiled and nodded. She wanted to give me a chicken drumstick but I asked for a bigger piece so she suggested that I should take the breast part. There were not many choices left so I went with a Sambal Egg and Ikan Belis with peanuts. She added a bit of achar, too. I paid $6.00 for it.

The Chicken Rendang is the dry version, the rendang sauce is only added to the fried chicken when is about to be served. My dining companion said, "It is not bad but I do not think this is the best Rendang in Singapore." It was slightly tough as it is usually so from the breast part. The sauce somewhat reminded me of curry sauce that has a mild spiciness. I have not tasted another Chicken Rendang to actually compare but this particular one was not quite memorable. The Sambal Egg and the Ikan Belis with peanuts were just normal. I might just come early someday to try the other dishes that were not available on that day. 

CHE' ROSE NASI PADANG

Block 128 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 #01-811 SINGAPORE 310128

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Fridays)

Chop Chop Western Grill & Pasta : Takoyaki Chicken Cutlet

They used to be in a coffee shop at Kallang Bahru before moving to the current location. I was greeted with a smile when ordering at the counter. I decided to go with Chicken Cutlet ($6.50). The friendly chap at the counter asked, "What sauce do you want it with?" He said, "Why not try the Takoyaki sauce that we have newly created?" I asked, "Is it really nice?" He said, "I can guarantee. You have to add $1 for that sauce though. I will refund that $1 if it is not nice." I was asked to choose the side dishes and I opted for the mashed potato. 

I was given a buzzer after payment. It buzzed a while later, I went to the counter for collection. The same chap asked, "Have you collected your soup yet?" He pointed to the pot placed at the corner of the counter. I bought the food to the table and came back for the soup later. I took a bowl, lifted the cover of the pot and used the ladle for scooping the soup.

The deep-fried chicken cutlet was drizzled with mayonnaise and takoyaki sauce then topped with bonito flakes. My dining companion said, "It actually tasted just like Takoyaki and those who love this Japanese street snack might like it. " He also said, "I did not expect they serve the mashed potato with black pepper sauce, it tasted just strange."

I did not really like the chicken cutlet with takoyaki sauce but it is not bad enough to actually ask for the $1 refund. I did not manage to finish that bowl of free soup, it tasted like a carrot based vegetable soup.

My dining companion said, "It actually tasted better than the other Western food at Upper Thomson." There are many Western food stalls around but so far, none is actually as good as the TCB Grill over at Jurong East. Their grilled chicken chop is one of the best around.

CHOP CHOP WESTERN GRILL

Block 126 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 SINGAPORE 310126

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 9.30 pm (Daily)

Que : Vietnamese food

The word "Que", meaning "hometown" in Vietnamese, is the stall name of this humble Vietnamese stall in a coffee shop nestled in the heartland of Toa Payoh Lorong 1, near to the food centre. It is manned single-handedly by a lady. She was originally from Vietnam but moved to Singapore about 15 years ago. I would not be able to tell that she is not a local as she did not speak with a foreign accent. She started this stall in January 2018 using the recipes from her mother to preserve the authenticity of these Vietnamese dishes. It is indicated on their signboard that "No MSG No Preservative" added to their food. 

I decided to go with Banh Mi ($6.50), there are the choices of beef and pork, I decided to go with the beef. I also ordered the Fried Spring Roll ($4.50) to share with my dining companion. Their most popular dishes are actually Bun Cha and Pho which I did not order. I might just try it next time. 

The lady boss served it to my table even though a buzzer was given to me when I ordered earlier. She asked, "Are you a blogger?" I was slightly taken aback as I was rather sure that she did not see me taking pictures of her stall. As I was not too chatty at that time so I replied, "No. We just happened to walk past the stall". I was actually looking for a Western food stall. She said, "Oh, really?" She handed me the chopsticks and walked away. I would have said yes if I knew I was captured by the CCTV that is installed above the signboard as I only realized it when going through the pictures much later.

Banh Mi is actually a Vietnamese baguette, it consists of thinly-shredded beef with pickled cucumber and shredded carrot sandwiched between the lightly toasted baguette then topped with cilantro. My dining companion said, "The baguette tasted fresh and soft though the overall flavor did not quite stand out."

My dining companion took a bite of the fried spring roll and said, "This is quite nice and there is actually minced meat in it." It was quite flavorful, nicely fried to the desired crispiness and not overly greasy, served along with a vinegar dipping sauce. 

We were quite impressed by the standard of the food here and quite enjoyed it, especially the Fried Spring Roll. 

QUE

Block 125 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 #01-523 Johnson Eatery SINGAPORE 310125

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 4.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Good Year Local Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball at Toa Payoh

Mr Hoo, 72, took over the stall from his father-in-law about 60 years ago. This is one of the 2 stalls that are still serving chicken rice balls. It is located at Toa Payoh Lorong 1, right next to Braddell MRT. The other stall is Hainan Chicken Rice Ball located in a coffee shop along Dickson Road in Jalan Besar. There used to be around 10 stalls serving chicken rice balls along Jalan Besar. Mr Hoo and his wife are both Hainanese and their stall has been around for about 80 years. They were at Jalan Besar before moving to the current location for more than 30 years now and they are still using traditional cooking methods. The stall is named "Good Year" to symbolize "more good years." Traditional rice balls still serve to preserve the Hainanese culture and its authentic taste.

I was there at about 11.30 am on a weekday and there was no other customer at the stall. The lady boss was there to take my order. I asked, "Can I have the mix of white and roasted chicken with the rice balls?" She said, "Can. Do you want bean sprouts?" I nodded my head and asked, "Should be able to finish, right?" She just smiled. If I remember correctly, I paid $6.50 for everything. The condiments are available at the counter for self-service. I only took a saucer of chilli. It was ready in a bit and placed on the tray. 

I was served breast meat for both, it was tender and quite moist. The white chicken is a slightly better choice as it was more flavorful. 

The stir-fried bean sprouts was a good choice. There was a big plate of it on the shelf. The lady boss just scooped it from there and served on the plate before placing it on the tray.

The chicken rice balls are often eaten during special occasions like Lunar New Year, Qing Ming and birthdays. It is known as "Fan Zhen" (饭珍) in Hainanese, which represents family reunion. It is cook over a controlled fire with ingredients like chicken stock, ginger, pandan leaves. The rice ball is mold using hot rice into a round ball at about 120 grams, about the size of a tennis ball and using the combination of young rice and old rice for the texture and bounciness. They are still doing it by hand as the machine is not able to press the balls tight enough using a recipe that has been handed down from the first generation.

The traditional method of enjoying the rice ball is to eat it with hands as it is supposed to taste better. The rice balls were densely molded, the rice grains were partially mashed and it had a rather mild taste of the chicken broth, it did not crumble even when biting upon. It was moist and not greasy. They also serve the rice on the plates.

The chilli, as well as ginger paste, are still handmade. The texture of chilli is slightly runny to go better with the rice balls, the level of spiciness is rather mild with a hint of ginger.

The flavorful soup is served with groundnuts and chicken feet. 

It is delighted to see this elderly couple still have so much love for serving this authentic Hainanese dish and wanting to preserve the culture. 

GOOD YEAR LOCAL HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE BALL

Block 111 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 #01-366 Chang Cheng Mei Wah Coffee Shop SINGAPORE 310111

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 7.30 pm (Closed on Fridays)

Niche Savoureuse : nice cake, unresponsive on social media

This cafe has been around since their opening in 2014, nestled in the residential area of Toa Payoh Lorong 1. It is mentioned on their Facebook (FB) page that they have always taken pride in all their authentic handmade bakes. They emphasized strongly in the quality, taste, and affordability in their food as mentioned there.

I visited for the first time quite a while ago, I ordered their signature Ondeh Ondeh Cake and Iced Matcha. I was asked to take a seat and they will serve it to me. The Ondeh Ondeh Cake came first followed by the Iced Matcha at about 5 minutes later. The Ondeh Ondeh Cake reminded me of Pandan Chiffon cake and it tasted quite similar, there was gula melaka mixed with whipped cream spread in between the layers and topped with shredded coconut. It was quite nice.

I wanted to order a birthday cake and sent a private message to their Facebook page, asking about the price of a 5 inches Strawberry Field with handcrafted roses. The message was read but they did not reply, there is still no reply even after a few days. I guess they are just not interested in making such a small cake. This has ended on a bad note as such unresponsiveness is quite unwanted. I ended up ordering a Mont Blanc from Chef Yamashita for my birthday cake again.

A reply was received on 18 October likely from Melvin Tang, the owner. Apparently, their reason for not wanting to reply to my enquiry is that I have been making enquiries on a few occasions on prices but did not order from them so far. The owner seems to be quite short-sighted. He deemed that I am not worth his time in responding as I have not ordered from them so far. Let's see how far would such short-sightedness and arrogance go?

Another reply was received on 19 October.

Anyway, I did not compare them with Chef Yamashita. Their cakes are nice but not as nice as those from Chef Yamashita yet.

NICHE SAVOUREUSE

Block 128 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 #01-833 SINGAPORE 310128
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Mon to Thu) / 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Fri) /
10.30 am to 10.00 pm (Sat) / 10.30 am to 9.00 pm (Sun) (Closed on Tuesdays)

Shi Zhen Fish Soup : comforting choice

This is a humble stall that has been around since 1968 and is manned by an elderly couple. I decided to have Fried & Sliced Fish Soup at $5, the smallest portion is at $4 and the largest portion is at $8. There are also options like Seafood Soup, Sliced Fish Bitter Gourd Soup, Fish Head Soup, Sliced Fish Bee Hoon, Fish Porridge and Teochew Dumpling. I was given the choice of having it with or without milk which I opted to have it with milk. The rice is served at 0.50 cents per bowl.

It is self-service so I waited there for it to be ready. It was a bowl of goodness consists of fried and sliced fish with bitter gourd, Chinese cabbage, tomato, and dried seaweed. The fish tasted relatively fresh. The soup has a slight milky taste and without a hint of MSG. This is a healthier choice for lunch and it is comforting at the same time, particularly so on a rainy day. 

Their menu also includes Fish Head Steamboat, Homemade Prawn Roll, Fried Oyster Egg, Tom Yum Seafood Soup, Double Fish Soup, Scallop Crayfish Bee Hoon / Porridge, Steamed Grouper with Bee Hoon, Crab Bee Hoon.

SHI ZHEN FISH SOUP

Block 127 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 #02-08 Toa Payoh West Food Centre SINGAPORE 310127

Donya Japanese Cuisine : affordable Japanese fare in the heartland

This is a newly opened Japanese food stall in a coffee shop directly opposite the food centre at Toa Payoh Lorong 1. They aim to bring premium Japanese donburi and sushi to the heartlands at affordable prices from $5.80 to $9.80, using quality ingredients to bring forth dishes that are of standards as good as the restaurants at coffee shop prices. Japanese fare is not necessarily to be expensive these days as there are more and more such hawker stalls even though their standard might not be as high as those Japanese restaurants, it is usually pretty close.

I decided to go with their Chicken Katsu Don ($5.80) and Mentai Maki ($5.80). I was told that my number is 59 after making payment. I asked, "How would I know when it is ready?" The friendly lady at the counter, said, "We will ring the bell and shout the number." I managed to find a table that is not too far from their counter so I could hear it when the number is called. I had waited for about 10 minutes before I heard my number being called. I went to the counter, collected both items and walked away. Just a couple of seconds later, the chap came over with the miso soup. He said, "You still have a bowl of miso soup." I suppose that miso soup came along with the Chicken Katsu Don. The service was friendly and they even made an effort to say "Thank You," which is commendable.

The Chicken Katsu Don is of a pretty good value, it consists of a thick piece of perfectly fried breaded chicken simmered in a soy-dashi based broth with shredded onion with beaten egg then sprinkled with dried shredded seaweed and scallions before serving. The breading on the fried chicken has absorbed the delightful flavor of the broth and went well with rice. This is the nicest hawker-style Chicken Katsu Don that I have eaten, it is even better than the other one by Konomi Zen, another Japanese hawker stall at the food centre near where I stay. Again, there is a difference in price though, that one by Konomi Zen is priced at $3.50 but it came with a thinner slice of Chicken Katsu.

They are likely to be the first hawker stall that serves premium sushi rolls like Mentai Maki. The California Maki was topped with mentaiko sauce then lightly torched before finishing off with tobiko (flying fish roe), serving in 4 pieces for just $5.80, which is affordable and probably one of the cheapest ones around.

There are other items on their menu that I am interested in trying like the Unagi Tama Don ($8.80), Salmon Mentai Don ($8.80), Chicken Teriyaki Don ($6.80), Donya Maki ($5.80) and also the Gyoza ($3.80).

DONYA JAPANESE CUISINE

Block 126 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 SINGAPORE 310126

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 2.30 pm / 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm (Daily)

118 Secret Recipe Assam Laksa : Not my preferred choice

It was from one of the posts on Facebook that I got to know about this Assam Laksa in a coffee shop at Toa Payoh Lorong 1. My current favorite is Penang Signature Assam Laksa at Bukit Timah Food Centre and they have been for more than a year. That stall was featured in my article on Makansutra when I wrote about best eats around Beauty World MRT after tasting it for the first time and I still go back regularly whenever I crave for Assam Laksa. When visiting this stall at Toa Payoh for the first time, there was no one at the stall at 2.15 pm with a "Lunch Hour" signage placed at the counter. I made a comment on their Facebook and was told that it is best to come before 2 pm. I was there the second time and it happened to be after 2 pm as well but this time, there was someone at the stall and that I was the only customer at that time.

There is only Assam Laksa on their menu, the smaller portion is at $4 and the larger portion is at $5. I went with the $5 portion. As it is self-service, I stood right there and waiting it to be ready. It was done in a few minutes, serving in those paper bowls with disposable chopsticks and spoon. I helped myself with the red cut chilies and prawn paste, both were placed at the counter.

They choose to use the normal thick bee hoon rather than those thick curly rice noodles that are commonly used in the Assam Laksa served in Penang and so there is a discount on their authenticity, it was served with fish chunks, thin slices of pineapple with mint leaves and lettuce. Though it is prepared using their secret recipe as indicated on their signboard, the laksa gravy was admittedly a little too light and watery with a more sourish taste and not as spicy as expected to be. There is also noticeably less fish for $5, which is more expensive as compared to my favorite stall that I mentioned earlier, which is at $3.50 each bowl.

I left it unfinished as I really did not like it. 

118 SECRET RECIPE ASSAM LAKSA

Block 125 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 SINGAPORE 310125

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Deanna's Kitchen : the first Halal Prawn Mee at Toa Payoh

This Muslim-owned stall opened on 9 June 2017 in the Toa Payoh West Food Centre at Toa Payoh Lorong 1, serving Halal Prawn Mee. Denise Chew, the owner, is a Chinese that converted to Muslim. I mentioned about this stall to a friend and he said, "Are you sure this is going to be nice since there is no fried pork lards added to it?" I invited this friend to come along with me when visiting this stall on a weekday. There was no other customer when we were there during lunch. Denise is still working full-time so the stall is manned by Asri, her husband, and even so, she will come in the morning as early as 4 am to do the preparation including cooking the soup before she goes to work and back to the stall in the evening after work.

I ordered the Big Prawn Noodles at $6.50, the number 2 item on their menu board, the other choices are Regular Prawn Noodles ($3.50), Prawn Noodles with Clams ($6.50), Very Big Prawn Noodles ($12.00) and Prawn Noodles with Crayfish ($12.50) that was sold out. I was asked, "What type of noodles? Do you want kang kong and bean sprouts?" I decided to go with the yellow noodles with kang kong and bean sprouts added. The Big Prawn Noodles came with 4 pieces of medium-sized prawns that tasted very fresh with slices of fishcake, kang kong and bean sprouts. 

My friend tasted it and he said, "It is very nice." And, I asked, "What is so nice about it?" He said, "The broth has an intense flavour with a nice sweetness. I wonder did they added MSG to enhance its flavour?" He said, "We should also try the dry version." The broth is the best part of this dish, it tasted rich and flavorful even without using the pork bone to boil it, which is usually part of the main ingredients. 

I went back to the stall and was told that there is no dry version at this moment as they do not have enough manpower to cater it. Asri said, "I even get my auntie to help out." I said, "The broth is flavorful with a nice sweetness." He pointed to a big pot right behind and he said that almost half of the pot consists of the ingredients like prawn heads, shells and chicken. He said, "We boil it for 6 hours to bring out the flavour." I told him that the noodles were cooked just right to the desired texture and it was enjoyable. He mentioned that consistency is important but when there is a crowd, it is slightly difficult to maintain it and even so, they are striving to keep up the standard. 

And, they fry their own dried shallots to ensure quality food is being served despite it is time-consuming and a laborious process. They also do not reuse the oil to fry another batch but using the same oil to fry the prawn heads and shells so it will have the fragrance of the shallots. 

This is likely to be the first ever Halal prawn mee and is definitely worth the try.

DEANNA'S KITCHEN

Block 127 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 Toa Payoh West Food Centre #02-25 SINGAPORE 310127

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 8.00 pm (Wednesdays to Fridays) / 9.00 am to 8.00 pm (Saturdays) / 

9.00 am to 2.00 pm (Sundays) (Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays)

Popular Eats in Toa Payoh

Check out some of the popular eats in Toa Payoh as listed in my article on MAKANSUTRA.