Xiong Kee Roast Meat : cheap and not bad

We were supposed to go for the other stall in another coffee shop on the same block but was attracted by the long queue at this stall so we decided to try it. My dining companion joined the queue and waited for about 15 minutes to order. He ordered Char Siew & Roast Meat Rice for $4.00 and the Roast Duck & Roast Meat Rice for $4.50. He said, "It is less than $10 for all these. So cheap." I first came across Xiong Kee Roast Meat when they opened in a coffee shop at Sin Ming. It did not last for too long, closed down a little while later. A couple that sharing our table also said, "This is so cheap. The portion is a lot." They ordered a plate of Char Siew Rice and a plate of Roast Meat Rice at $3.00 each.

The Roast Meat just happened to be out of the roaster so it still retained its crispiness and it did not compromise its tenderness. My dining companion said, "It is crispy but a little bland and not salty enough." He also said, "The Roast Duck is just so so." I did not like the Char Siew, it was too lean and too tough and I actually left it unfinished. 

The texture of the rice was a little mushy. The radish soup was good though.

Tian Cheng Charcoal Roasted at the other coffee shop in the same block is supposed to be as good. It is highly recommended by a FB friend.

XIONG KEE ROAST MEAT
Block 81 Whampoa Drive SINGAPORE 320081

Matasoh Fishball & Meatball Mincemeat Noodle : handmade fishballs

Daddy Soh or Papa Soh, is the 2nd generation taking charge of this hawker stall. They used to be at Bedok North but closed in April 2019 before moving to the current location in August 2019. He has more than 40 years of experience in producing fishballs and fishcakes before deciding to bring the legacy of the fishballs noodle back. 

It was started by Grandma Soh. She was respectfully known as Mata Soh, literally means "Police Auntie" in Hokkien, partly based on her surname, which is Soh. She started selling the fishball noodles to bring up her 7 children single-handedly right after the end of the Japanese Occupation in the 1950s. The social disorder was a common scene at that time and there were disturbances such as taking the protection money from the street hawkers and shop owners by the gang members. Grandma Soh decided to liaise with the police officers for the much-needed protection to ensure the well-being of herself and the other hawkers. She has also won over the trust of many police officers by urging her fellow hawkers to follow the simple hygienic conditions as well as those simple rules. When her children were old enough, Daddy Soh and the others started to manage the stall at Geylang Lorong 25 as well as in making fishballs and fishcake 

This was one of the few stalls with a queue during lunch on a Sunday. I joined in and waited for a short while to order the Soh Special ($4.50/$5.50), listed as the number 1 item on their signboard. The menu also includes Huatiao Sesame Mee Sua Soup ($4/$5), Dry Noodle ($4/$5), Soup Noodle ($3/$4) and Fishball/Meatball Soup ($4/$5). I pointed to the plastic container placed together with the red-cut chilli and soy sauce, asked, "Those are fried lard?" The younger man replied, "Yeah. It is up to you to put all you want."

When I received my noodles, I added a ton of that crispy lard. The Soh Special is their newest addition, it is served with an onsen egg together with fishballs, meatballs, fishcake sliced meat, and minced meat. I broke the egg to mix it with the noodles and the chilli. The noodles were cooked well to the right texture and those bits of crispy lard actually enhanced the flavor. The odd-shaped fishballs were amongst the nicest that I have eaten, the texture was so soft and springy. The meatballs were equally good as fish meat was added for the desired bounciness. 

MATASOH FISHBALL & 
MEATBALL MINCEMEAT NOODLE

Block 90 Whampoa Drive #01-54 Whampoa Makan Place SINGAPORE 320090

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Nan Xiang Chicken Rice : personal touch makes memorable

This is another popular chicken rice stall apart from Loy Kee Chicken Rice in this food centre. There was just another customer in front of me and she ordered half a chicken to be taken away. Nancy Lim, the lady boss was giving her specific instructions on keeping the chicken for dinner. I ordered the chicken drumstick with a braised egg and rice for $4.50 if I remember correctly. The lady boss behind the chopping board was extremely friendly, she greeted me with a smile followed by thank you when I was picking up the tray. While queuing, I noticed that 陈澍城, the veteran actor was there, eating their chicken rice. He walked towards the stall when he finished eating and bidding goodbye to the lady boss.

The chicken was nicely deboned and served in a pool of sauce together with the braised egg on a plate, serving along with a good portion of rice was given. The chicken was moist and flavorful but the rice was slightly too dry to my liking. The chilli and ginger sauce complemented the chicken well.

I do not think this is amongst the best chicken rice that I had eaten but sometimes, it is not so much about food but the personal touch, which often left a deep impression. 

NAN XIANG CHICKEN RICE

Block 90 Whampoa Drive #01-21 Whampoa Food Centre SINGAPORE 320090

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Chuan Kee Fried Kway Teow : that nostalgic feel

This is one of those stalls with a queue during lunch in this food centre. I was curious and decided to join in the queue. The stall is manned by an elderly Uncle all by himself and it serves only Fried Kway Teow at $3. It is not difficult to tell that most of these customers are their regulars. They ordered in Hokkien and giving specific instructions on how they will like Fried Kway Teow to be done. 

The elderly Uncle stir-fried the mixture of kway teow and yellow noodles in batches before frying them plate by plate. When it was my turn, I tried ordering it in Hokkien too and he replied, "Chilli?". I nodded. I waited for a while before receiving it. I was told that this Uncle learned from his father before taking over the stall. The operation hours are usually short and it closes before 3 pm. Sometimes, he only operates at night. 

If you look at the pair of decades-old chopsticks, it brings out a sense of nostalgic feel.  I wonder how many plates of fried kway teow have these chopsticks served? I used to find them at Grandpa's house when I was little.

Those noodles were nicely fried to infuse a slight smokiness with ingredients like Chinese sausage, fishcake, cockles, bean sprouts and green. It tasted a bit like Penang Fried Kway Teow, it is more savory and less sweet. It might not be the best Fried Kway Teow but it definitely has got a certain standard. 

CHUAN KEE FRIED KWAY TEOW
Block 90 Whampoa Drive #01-41 Whampoa Food Centre SINGAPORE 320091

Famous Amoy Street Lor Mee : comfort food

It is stated on their signboard that this is the "Best Lu Mian In Town". I am curious and have been wanting to try. Lor Mee is the only item on their menu, it is available at $3 and $4. There were a few other customers in the queue when I was there on a weekday for an early lunch. They used to be at Amoy Street Food Centre from 1982 to 1997 before resurfacing at its current location about 12 years ago. The owner is using a recipe that has been handed down from his father. 

While queuing, the boss asked, "$3 or $4?" I decided to have a larger portion. It consists of a good portion of flat yellow noodles with ingredients like prawn roll, fried batang, battered fish and lor bak. The chilli, garlic, and vinegar are available for self-service. My first mouthful did not exactly wow me but I liked it enough to keep eating. The braising sauce was nicely complemented by the amount of chilli and garlic added, it was quite thick and not too starchy. It is nice though not quite the best Lor Mee in town but is definitely amongst the best.  

My dining companion asked, "I thought you just had Lor Mee yesterday and why are you eating it so soon?" I can actually eat it every day as I am quite a fan of Lor Mee and have been going around eating this dish from different stalls. It is simply my kind of comfort food. I will come back soon for another bowl of their Lor Mee and this time, I will go for extra ingredients. 

FAMOUS AMOY STREET LOR MEE

Block 91 Whampoa Drive #01-19 Whampoa Food Centre SINGAPORE 320091

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 2.00 pm (Daily)

Whampoa Keng Fish Head Steamboat : A Lovely Dinner

This is a really popular Fish Head Steamboat located along the Balestier Road. They started as a hawker stall in early 90s and eventually to open up 2 restaurants, this one and the other at Rangoon Road. I have heard that the main branch at Balestier Road is actually managed by the first wife of Mr Keng and his second wife is taking charge of the other outlet at Rangoon Road. 

We were there slightly after 6 pm on a Saturday, though no queue yet but the tables for 2 in the restaurant have already taken up. We were offered a table along the pathway or continue to wait for the table in the restaurant to be freed up. We decided to take up one of the few tables along the pathway then. We were quickly presented with the menu then the condiments and peanuts. We went with the set for 2 which consists of a Fish Head Steamboat, Famous Food Street Tofu, 3-cups chicken in a claypot and dessert for $68+. We were asked to choose between the Red Snapper and Batang Fish and we opted for the Red Snapper. 

A really long time ago, there used to have 3 different stalls serving Fish Head Steamboat at the Whampoa Food Centre before it was renovated. They used to be just selling Kway Chap before joining the other 2 stalls in serving Fish Head Steamboat and became one of the 2 popular stalls right there. They moved out to the current location when the food centre was undergoing renovation and renamed it as Whampoa Keng, after the name of the boss.

The water chestnut drink for $2.50 did not taste just like the usual water chestnut drink that is available at most coffee shops or food centres. It has a well-balanced sweetness with bits of water chestnut and beaten egg in it, very refreshing.

There are supposedly a total of 30 ingredients that go into the soup including a prepackaged bag of mixed herbs. The main flavor is determined by the dried solefish and balanced with the different herbs added to give a harmonious flavors. The other ingredients in the steamboat were generous amount of fried yam and peh chye (cabbage). The fish head tasted noticeably fresh and the steamboat is still heated using the charcoal. 

This Famous Food Street Tofu made by mashing up the silken tofu then added in egg and steamed it. I do not think too highly of the texture of the tofu but i liked the sauce a lot. I could taste the dried shrimps and garlic taste in it, it was quite a unique combination that i have never taste it before. 

3-cups chicken in a claypot is actually a Taiwanese dish that cooked the chicken in soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil then added with heaps of whole garlic cloves, slices of ginger and fresh Thai basil. Most such dishes have an overwhelming Thai basil taste which i did not quite enjoy but this one, they managed to get it just right, pretty well-balanced.

There was still quite a queue after we were done with the dinner. I never did know this is a really popular place for Fish Head Steamboat. I will definitely come back for their Zi Char dishes though their Fish Head Steamboat is good too.

WHAMPOA KENG FISH HEAD STEAMBOAT

. 556 Balestier Road SINGAPORE 329872

 118 Rangoon Road SINGAPORE 218396

Opening Hours: 11.00 am to 3.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 11.00 pm (Monday to Friday)

11.00 am to 11.00 pm (Saturday to Sunday & Public Holiday)