Changi Lorong 108 Fei Lao Seafood at Bedok North

I have heard so much of this Horfun and so, made an effort to travel all the way to the east for lunch. The coffee shop was quite quiet when I was there. I heard they were really famous at one time when Fei Lao was still around at Changi Lorong 108. They were famous for their charcoal fried horfun at that time. They stopped using charcoal after moving to the current location as restricted by the National Environmental Agency (NEA). Fei Lao has since passed away bringing along his 40 years of wok skills. The stall is taken over by his nephew.

It was good though wok hei was not as distinctive as I expected it to be. This might be the only horfun that is serving with pork liver. It used to be a common ingredient for horfun but most have stopped doing so. Overall, it was tasty and memorable, this is definitely one of the special ones but though I still prefer the eggy horfun by Hoy Yong Seafood Restaurant at Clementi a little more. Nonetheless, the search for a good horfun is still on.

I also ordered the Fried Rice to share which I actually enjoyed but my dining companion did not think much of it. I think they have done it well, nicely seasoned with a slight smokiness, this is a much better Fried Rice as compared to most. 

I wanted to order Prawn Paste Chicken but I was told that they only serve the normal fried chicken mid-wings. My dining companion said, "I won't actually pay for normal chicken wings at cze cha stall." It does make sense.

I am likely to drop by again if I happen to be in the vicinity.

CHANGI LORONG 108 FEI LAO SEAFOOD

Block 86 Bedok North Street 4 #01-165 SINGAPORE 460086

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 2.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Seng Kee 119 Steamed Fish Head at Chinatown

The steamed fish head is a common dish that is easily available at Chinatown Complex Food Centre as there are a few stalls serving it. And, this is amongst the most popular choices. When we were there for lunch, almost all the customers seated near the stall ordered their steamed fish head. We ordered it too since it is a must-try dish together with Pork Ribs King and 2 bowls of rice.

This Cantonese style steamed fish head is priced at $15 for a portion, consisting half a Song Fish head in their special sauce then topped with crispy lard. The fish though had a little mud taste but was tasted quite fresh. The special sauce was good to go with the rice, it tasted slightly spicy coupled with a slight tanginess and overall, quite savory. The fermented beans and crispy lard added flavor. The fish head was meaty but it came with a lot of fine bones so got to be careful when eating it.

The Pork Ribs King was a disappointment. My dining companion took a bite and said, "The meat is hard and not too flavorful."

SENG KEE 119 STEAMED FISH HEAD

335 Smith Street #02-190/191 Chinatown Complex Food Centre SINGAPORE 050335
Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm / 4.30 pm to 9.40 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Geylang Claypot Rice : a disappointing encounter

This popular claypot rice used to be at Geylang Lorong 33 and was there for more than 30 years before moving to Beach Road, opposite The Concourse. Their claypot rice is cooked upon order over the charcoal fire for about 25 minutes. There are 3 sizes, the smaller portion at $15 for 1 to 2 pax, the medium portion at $26 for 4 pax and the larger portion at $36 for 6 pax. Their menu includes dishes like Double-boiled Soups, Salted Egg Pork Ribs, Prawn Paste Chicken, Cereal Prawn, etc. 

We went for lunch on a Public Holiday. We were approached by the service staff and he asked, "Do you have a reservation?" I replied as no. He then asked, "If you want to eat claypot rice then you will have to wait for about 40 minutes. Can you wait?" We decided to wait. He brought us to the table and said, "I will order the small portion of claypot rice first while you decide what to order next." He came back to hand me a name card and said, "You can call to place an advance order and to reserve a table next time so that you do not have to wait too long." I ordered a canned drink and also the Salted Egg Pork Ribs ($12) to share. The canned drink is priced at $2.80. The same service staff came to pick up the order chit. He asked, "Do you want your Salted Egg Pork Ribs to serve together with the claypot rice?" I nodded. 

We waited for about 30 minutes before receiving it. The claypot rice came first and waited for a few minutes before the Salted Egg Pork Ribs was served. 

The service staff came by, he lifted the cover of the claypot rice. He asked, "Do you want to take a picture before I mix it?" I quickly took a picture using my phone. He then started to drizzle the dark sauce lightly and mixing it using a metal ladle repeatedly for a few minutes before presenting it to us. The claypot rice is served with ingredients like chicken chunks, Chinese sausages and there was supposed to have salted fish but we did not taste it nor see it. There was a layer of crispy rice bits right at the bottom of the claypot.

My dining companion said, "This is one of the worst that I have tasted. It did not have much taste. The chicken though not tender enough but still quite acceptable." He also said, "The only thing that is good is the service." Cooking it over the charcoal fire is supposed to give it a smokey flavor but it was missing here. 

The Salted Egg Pork Rib was another disappointment. Though tasted crispy, the texture was tough, the meat did not stick to the bone and it did not have much salted egg taste. 

The possible reason for such a drop in the standard probably has to do with the departure of their head chef. Chong Hoi Ching, also known as Ah Ching, left Geylang Claypot Rice. He was there for more than 10 years. He then started a hawker stall in Toa Payoh and moved to Bedok South before moving to East Village in Simpang Bedok. He franchised the Eng's Char Siew Wanton Mee and included the claypot rice in the menu. He recently opened another outlet in one of those shophouses along Thomson Road, directly opposite the Novena Church.

GEYLANG CLAYPOT RICE
361, 363, 365 Beach Road SINGAPORE 199576
Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 2.30 pm / 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Claypot & Cooked Food Kitchen : Cheap & Good Cantonese style cze char

This humble stall that does not even have a name is a hidden gem amongst the other popular food stalls at Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Uncle Hong (洪哥), the owner cum chef, has about 40 years of culinary experiences. He was trained under Chef Tham Mui Kam, one of the legendary Four Heavenly Kings that specialized in Cantonese Cuisine before starting his stall at Silat and moving to Chinatown Complex Food Centre much later. He is still manning the stall with his wife. The menu is quite extensive and there are also a few dishes that are off the menu like Glutinous Rice Chicken (Lo Mai Kai). Most of the dishes are served in the claypot.

There were already some of the regular customers seated at the tables near to the stall waiting for their orders when I was there. I stood in front of the stall for a few minutes, the elderly auntie was busy getting those freshly out of the wok dishes to be served. I waited for a while before telling her that I want to order. I wanted to order Deep Fried Salt and Pepper Squid but was told it is not available. I tried ordering Salted Fish Minced Chicken ($7) and Prawn Paste Chicken ($8) with 2 bowls of rice ($0.50 each). I wanted to try their signature Claypot Pork Liver but did not order as my dining companion does not eat it. I left my table number with her.

While waiting, I went to order the glutinous rice from the stall right at the corner. The friendly uncle there asked me to take the late plate of yam cake as well. I brought it back to our table and told my dining companion to eat these while waiting. We waited for about 45 minutes before it was served to our table.

Salted Fish Minced Chicken ($7) was a pleasant surprise. Though this is a simple dish but was perfectly executed. You could actually taste bits of salted fish amongst the chicken, tofu, onions, green pepper, and chilli. It went really well with rice. The homely taste is quite memorable. Prawn Paste Chicken ($8) is my favorite dish to order at different cze char places. It was quite a big portion for $8 and chicken parts were used instead of the usual chicken wings. My dining companion tasted and said, "This is very good. I would think it is one of the better ones. Those chicken pieces were flavorful and deep-fried for the desired crispiness."

I was told that the uncle can be temperamental and might close the stall earlier depending on his mood. He is one of those pioneer hawkers left but not for much longer before he retires. He reminded me of the late Uncle Hai Zai (虾叔) of Mitzi (美食之家) and Master Tang that have already passed on. This should that kind of hawker stall that truly deserved to be awarded a Michelin-star. Again, for a self reason, I am hoping that Michelin will never find this stall.

I was surprised to see the stall has already opened at 10.30 am when I went back to try the Claypot Pig Liver and I ordered a bowl of rice to go with it. I pointed to the corner of the long table in front of the stall when I was asked for the table number. I went to get the iced coffee from the stall behind and went to wait at that table. I waited for less than 5 minutes before it was served.

Those slices of liver were of the right thickness and size, nicely stir-fried with ginger, spring onion, and garlic. The texture of liver was tender, not overly powdery and not gamey. It was served sizzling hot in the claypot, aromatic with a slight smokiness and the tenderness remained throughout the meal. The tasty gravy went well with the rice. It is cheap and good for just $8, the same dish is for $15 over at Keng Eng Kee Seafood, it is their signature dish too.

CLAYPOT & COOKED FOOD KITCHEN

335 Smith Street #02-83 Chinatown Complex Food Centre SINGAPORE 050335

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 6.30 pm (Closed on Saturdays & Sundays)

Wok In Burger : taste the Kungfu burgers

Paul Liew, 37, and Wayne Liew, 34, have recently started Wok In Burger, a stall at their father's coffee shop after getting approval from Mr Liew Choy, 65 who is still overseeing the operation of Keng Eng Kee Seafood. It is also known as KEK Seafood, a family restaurant in Alexandra Village. They are known to serve old classic items like Chilli Crabs, Salted Egg Stong, Coffee Pork Ribs, Moonlight Horfun and more. Wayne is the third-generation head chef of Keng Eng Kee Seafood. The stall name alludes to tossing and stir-fried in a wok just like what it is usually done in a traditional zichar stall before serving in between the burger buns and presented in wok-shaped platters. Such an effort of incorporating Asian elements into Western dishes to showcase zichar dishes and transforming it into burgers is definitely commendable. Wayne started by making these zichar-inspired burgers for staff meal before eventually featured them as Wok Hei Burgers as part of the side menu at their now-defunct outlet at Pandan Garden, it was closed last August after the lease was up.

The menu consists of the 7 types of Kungfu Burgers with pasta dishes, rice sets, sides, and drinks. This is not fast food as everything is made from scratch, the recipes and the cooking methods are the same as that of the Zichar stall. The order has to be placed at the counter and a buzzer will be given for collection. All burger orders come with fries, coleslaw, and a water chestnut drink with the option to top up $1 for Lime Fizz cordial or $2 for a Root Beer Float. There is also an option to add a sunny-side up egg for $1. There were 4 of us and we ordered 2 sets of Chilli Soft Shell Crab Burger, a set of Salted Egg Sotong "Blur"ger and a set of Marmite Pork Burger.

Their signature Chilli Soft Shell Crab ($15) is a must order. The soft shell crab was battered in thin batter then deep-fried before sandwiched in the sesame buns accompanied by a brunch of thinly julienned purple cabbage, cucumber, and lettuce. 

It was served along with a saucer of chilli crab sauce together with hand-cut fries and coleslaw. The sesame buns are buttered and toasted for crispier texture but still fluffy within. The sauce is supposed to be poured on the fried soft shell crab and eat it together. The sauce had a good balance of sweetness, spiciness and sourish.

Salted Egg Sotong "Blur"ger ($9.80) is an interesting choice. The squid rings were fried over a high fire for the desired crunchiness and softness, it was tossed in the wok with the salted egg sauce then sandwiched between the sesame buns with thinly julienned purple cabbage, cucumber, and lettuce. 

The salted egg sauce is made from scratch consisting of a blend of sweet and savory flavors that further accented by the curry leaves. It is served with hand-cut fries and coleslaw. There is also the choices of chicken and pork for this burger. This has to be the best salted egg burger that I have eaten so far. The hand-cut fries were lightly salted, slightly crisp and still soft within. The coleslaw provides a refreshing twist. 

My friend that was having the Marmite Pork Burger said, "I did not expect the meat to be so soft." She also said, "The fries are also very nice." I was telling her that, "They have the skills after running the Zichar stall for quite a while to actually infuse the familiar flavors to these burgers."

This is likely to be the only place for such hearty burgers with the familiar local flavors and it is definitely worth a try. 

WOK IN BURGER

Block 124 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-136 SINGAPORE 150121

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm / 5.30 pm to 10 pm (Daily)

Hoy Yong Seafood Restaurant : one of the best Cze Cha places

This stall is manned by Chef Hoy Yong in his 60s and he is the disciple of one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Singapore, these were the titles given to 4 young talented chefs back in the 1970s by a local Chinese Culinary Institution. This stall has made it to the Top 50 World Street Food Masters list by Makansutra in June 2017. It is located in a coffee shop called Hup Koon Restaurant in Clementi Avenue 2, directly opposite the food centre. There are 3 must-try dishes on the menu, Fried Duck Roll, Pig Stomach Soup and Braised Pork Ribs. Some of the other dishes are uniquely created and you would not be able to find it elsewhere. 

Fried Hor Fun, is a common street food easily available at every cze cha stall. Even so, it is getting really difficult to find a plate of good hor fun these days. Their Egg Fried Hor Fun is strongly recommended and supposedly one of the best in Singapore. The Hor Fun here consists of nicely charred soft flat rice noodles soaked in thick gravy and served with ingredients like vegetable, prawns, sotong, slices of lean meat with a lot of beaten egg. I could actually smell the wok fragrance when my friend stirred it a little before scooping a portion of it. This is definitely one of the better Egg Fried Hor Fun that I have eaten unlike most of the others that have thin and not as flavorful gravy with almost tasteless flat rice noodles.

The deep-fried Duck Roll ($10) is quite an interesting eat. I wanted to order a larger portion but the friendly Auntie that was taking my order, asked, "For how many people?" I replied, "Just 4." She said, "Just 1 portion will do, it is more than enough." The duck was first deboned, leaving the skin on then pound it thinner before steaming it. It was then used it to roll up with minced pork, prawn, coriander, carrot and mushroom, dip it in the tempura batter before deep-frying it. My friends that tasted it for the first time, actually wowed by its flavor and texture, the exterior was crispy and still moist within. 

Braised Pork Ribs served in a pool of braised sauce accompanied by a few stalks of choy sum. I did not find it particularly impressive but my friends enjoyed it. The meat was tender and quite flavorful, the sauce was quite tasty, too.

Golden Bean Skin Roll tasted like the fried prawn roll from most of the dim sum stalls, it was served along with a saucer of mayonnaise. This was another enjoyable dish. 

French Bean with Dried Shrimp is another dish that we liked. We wanted to order the Bittergourd with Salted Egg but I was told it is not available on that day. The deep-fried french beans were served with a generous amount of dried shrimp with red-cut chilli. My friend tasted it and he said, "This is a good choice as it tasted really nice."

Mongolian Tofu came with a few pieces of beancurd beneath the pile of ingredients consisting bell pepper, basil leaves, diced chicken, onion, mushroom, and roasted peanuts. This is also one of the recommended dishes that we tried. It is indicated as a spicy dish on their menu but the level of spiciness was actually quite mild. We agreed that the sauce actually tasted like the curry sauce. My friend said, "The beancurd is really soft."

Pig Stomach Soup is a homely dish that my late Grandpa used to cook quite often and this particular dish reminded me of him. The auntie actually left it out and we waited but it did not serve. I went back to her and added it. The soup did not taste as peppery as expected. Other than a few big pieces of pig stomach, it also consists of chicken feet, canned whole mushroom, and fish maw with wolfberries. 

The waiting time could be really long if you come during their peak period. The prices here are very affordable as I paid only $86 for the all the dishes ordered. This is definitely one of the better cze cha places in Singapore.

HOY YONG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Block 352 Clementi Avenue 2 #01-153 SINGAPORE 1200352

Operating Hours: 5.30 pm to 10.30 pm (Daily)

Guan Lee Sen Seafood . Teochew Fish-Head Steamboat : lost & found

This stall used to be at the Lavender Food Square before moving to this coffee shop at King George's Avenue. It was featured in the latest series of "Makan Lost & Found". Ng Kim Yong, the owner, started this stall with a friend in 1985 and it has been around for more than 30 years. He decided to move to this coffee shop after the demolishment of Lavender Food Square as most of their regular customers are staying in this area. 

We were there for an early dinner on a weekday and decided to go with the Fish Head Steamboat ($25) and Claypot Pork Ribs with Yam ($12) with 2 bowls of rice at $0.50 each.

The Fish Head Steamboat is just enough for 2 people, it consists of a few chunky pieces of red snapper, yam and 2 different types of vegetables, Tang O and white cabbage. It was quite unusual for a Cze Cha stall to serve Tang O with Fish Head Steamboat. Those pieces of fish tasted relatively fresh. The soup was tasty, too.

Claypot Pork Ribs with Yam is one of his signature dishes and is popular amongst the customers. The pork ribs were steamed for about 30 minutes to soften it before stir-fried in the wok with other ingredients. Those chunky pieces of yam were nicely mixed with the gravy. The pork ribs were rather tough, quite unexpectedly though. 

My dining companion, said, "Both are quite average tasting. Not that they are not good but it just did not quite stand out." I did not find both items to be memorable as well but the prices are quite reasonable. He jokingly said, "Some makan places are better to remain lost and not to be found".

GUAN LEE SEN SEAFOOD . 

TEOCHEW HISH-HEAD STEAMBOAT

805 King George's Avenue #01-146 Tian Xiang Can Shi Coffeeshop SINGAPORE 200805

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 12.00 am (Daily)

Penang Seafood Restaurant : Assam Laksa, a must-try

We came across this restaurant while going to Kwong Cheong Thye to get the ingredients for making mooncake. When we were browsing the menu, a friendly lady approached us. She said, "Table for 2? We are famous for the Assam Laksa and Penang Fried Kway Teow. We used to be at the opposite before moving here." She continued to say, "We are celebrating our 10th anniversary by offering a 20% discount for the food items from 11 am to 4 pm on Monday to Friday till the end of the month."

I decided to go with Assam Laksa, there are 2 sizes, the small portion is at $4.80 and the big portion is $5.80. The same lady was taking our orders, she asked, "Small or big portion?". She pointed at the table next to us and said, "That is the big portion. I can finish it by myself." I opted for the bigger portion. My dining companion ordered the Penang Fried Kway Teow ($5.00) and he requested to have it without chili. We also ordered Prawn Paste Chicken ($12) to share. We also ordered a canned drink ($2.00) and Lime Juice ($2.50). I wanted to order coffee but was told they are using the 3-in-1 instant coffee. 

The canned drink and Lime Juice came right after.

The Assam Laksa came first. There were some reviews stated that this is probably the best Assam Laksa in Singapore. I eagerly took a mouthful. It was flavorful, spicy and tangy. It would be even better if they are using the right type of noodles, those that are thicker and chewier and not using the thick bee hoon. 

The Penang Fried Kway Teow was not as good as expected. The chilli was omitted as requested, it did not taste as savory as expected. They might have replaced it with the usual dark sauce as it actually tasted like the local style fried kway teow. It was stir-fried with ingredients like cockles, lup cheong, and prawn with a handful of bean sprouts.

Those pieces of Prawn Paste Chicken were nicely fried to the desired crispiness but the prawn paste taste was not as intense. 

I am likely to come back for their Assam Laksa if happen to be in the vicinity.

PENANG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

32 Aljunied Road SINGAPORE 389817

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 11.55 pm (Daily)