Coffee Tribe : a cosy cafe in Ang Mo Kio

This cafe is located at 51 @ Ang Mo Kio, previously known as the Big Mac Centre, next to AMK Hub and near the popular Takagi Ramen. It is at the corner, could easily be missed out though the yellow signboard is quite prominent. Their menu is extensive, their signature Braised Chicken and Braised Pork Belly with Yam are amongst the most popular choices.

I came by twice to take away their Braised Pork Belly with Yam before asking my dining companion to have lunch there. I ordered Mee Siam ($3.90) and Braised Pork Belly ($5.50) for him, together with an Iced Coffee ($1.80). There seems to be a lunch promotion going on but the counter staff did not mention nor made a recommendation for the past few times when I was there.

Their Iced Coffee is affordably priced at $1.80, much more affordable as compared to the coffee by Toast Box which is at $2.70. My dining companion said, "It is actually quite cheap to pay $1.80 for such a big cup of Iced Coffee, the coffee shop is already charging $1.50 for a small cup."

Their Braised Pork with Yam is a personal favorite. Each bowl is consists of 3 to 4 pieces of braised meat served along with a handful of sweet corn, sliced cucumber, and a braised egg. It tasted like homecooked, though not the best, it is good enough. Those slices of pork belly were nicely braised to the desired softness and quite flavorful.

I tried the Mee Siam for the first time. I was told that the key ingredients to this seemingly simple dish are patience and love as those steps to cooking a good nonya Mee Siam are quite laborious. The gravy was quite thick and flavorful, topped with dried beancurd puffs, dried shallots, bean sprouts, chopped chive with a lime. It is usually less sweet and not as spicy with a slightly sourish taste, different from the Malay and even Indian style Mee Siam. I actually enjoyed the Mee Siam here.

I went back after this to take away their signature Braised Chicken and it was served with a boiled egg and not a braised egg together with 4 pieces of braised mid-wings. I did not like it as much and would actually prefer their Braised Pork Belly much more.

COFFEE TRIBE

51 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 #01-01A SINGAPORE 569922

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Hup Lee : Mee Siam, memories of growing up

This stall is located in the second coffee shop at Block 347 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, near to my late Grandpa's place. It has been there for the longest time. It is manned by a few aunties and sometimes, they tend to speak with me in Hokkien, a dialect that I grew up with. I did not get to speak it often these days after the passing of my grandparents. It brought forth a certain familiarity and heartwarming feeling.

They serve Mee Siam, Mee Rebus, Lontong as well as Nasi Lemak. I usually go for their Mee Siam at $3. It is towards the Nonya style Mee Siam, different from the Malay and Indian style. It is less sweet and not as spicy with a hint of sourishness. 

The pre-fried bee hoon is served with a handful of blanched bean sprouts, a boiled egg then topped with dried shrimps together with sambal chilli, calamansi lime, and chopped chive. To start, squeeze the lime then mixed it well. 

This might not be the best Mee Siam but this is comfort food that I grew up with. 

HUP LEE

Block 347 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 560347

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 1.00 pm

96 Kwai Luck Cooked Food : serving Mee Siam for 38 years

This stall has been around for the longest time in this food centre since 1979 and I literally grew up eating their Mee Siam, the only item on their menu for just $2.50. It used to be for only $2.00 but even so, it is still cheap as compared to the other hawker fare and is good for breakfast or a light lunch. 

The Uncle has aged so much since my last visit, his hair has turned white and seemed to look much frail as compared to before. He is still manning the stall with his wife, a really friendly Auntie that is easy to talk with. I was there for a late lunch. I thought that they have already sold out as the stall looked rather empty. I asked the Uncle, "Any left?". He replied, "Yeah, but finishing soon." He continued to say, "We usually finished earlier during the weekends but a bit late today."

They serve the Chinese-style Mee Siam, a rather simple version with a strong emphasis on the gravy, which is sweeter and lighter with a tinge of sourness. It is served with a whole egg and stripes of tau pok with sambal chilli and a calamari lime. An additional egg and an extra portion of bee hoon are available for 0.50 cents each.  It is still the same comforting taste all these years though it seemed to be a little better before.

I could not help but wonder how much longer would they still be around? It has always been just the two of them manning the stall so I doubt their children would be interested to take over. It is likely to be just like the many of the other hawker stalls that are now, a part of the history and gone is also their decades' old recipe. 

96 KWAI LUCK COOKED FOOD

Block 453A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 #01-20 Chong Boon Food Centre SINGAPORE 560453

Operating Hours: 4.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

House of Li Xiang : Mee Siam and Mee Rebus

This stall and the stall on its left, as well as the other stall on its right, share the same stall name as they are the same owner. The main stall is serving Mee Siam and Mee Rebus, the stall on its left is serving soya bean drinks and grass jelly drinks together with different flavours bean curds, the other stall on its right is mainly for doing preparation.

I took a picture of the stall front when approaching. The Auntie asked, "Why are you taking picture of our stall?" I replied, "I wanting to tell my friends about your stall." She said, "You scared me and I thought what happened." I asked, "I was told that you obtained the recipe from Montfort, that famous stall before the owners retired ah?" The Uncle replied, "We know each other for more than 30 years in this food centre. We used to sell You Tiao and we were quite famous then. We decided to take over the recipe when they wanted to retire and we have been using the same recipe for Mee Siam and Mee Rebus for about 3 years now."

How many of you remember Montfort, the famous stall in Mayflower Food Stall that was serving Mee Siam and Mee Rebus? The queue was always long there and they always sold out before noon. Their Mee Siam is even voted to be amongst the top 10 in Singapore. Then, they closed it down. It is good that they decided to pass down the recipe to a fellow hawker to continue it. Apparently, not too many of their customers know about this as told by the Uncle.

I was there slightly after 1 pm and they only left with Mee Siam, Mee Rebus has already been sold out much earlier. The smaller portion costs $2.50 and the larger portion costs $3.00 which they serve in a bowl rather than on the plate. I wanted the larger portion as I was quite hungry then. 

The portion at $3.00 was quite substantial. The consistency is just right, it is not too thick nor too watery with a right balance of sweetness and sourness. You could clearly taste the dried shrimps that were added into the gravy, it was garnished with bits of dried taupok and chopped chives with sambal chilli by the side. When mixing it well, the slight spiciness of sambal chilli has actually brought forth its flavour. 

I would come back again for their Mee Rebus.

HOUSE OF LI XIANG

Block 162 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-17 Mayflower Food Centre SINGAPORE 560162

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 2.00 pm 

Makan Food Stall : Mee Siam

The Mee Siam from this stall 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. There was just another person in front of me when I was there for an early lunch on a weekday. That person ordered a few packets of Nasi Padang to take away and the other customer behind me ordered Mee Rebus.

I decided to just try Mee Siam for $2.50. To start, I squeezed that piece of calamansi lime then mixed in the sambal chilli. The first mouthful did not excite me though it tasted actually not bad. It even got me to wonder why did they get voted for one of the best Mee Siam in Singapore? It did not quite taste like the usual Malay style Mee Siam, which is usually sweeter and less sourish in taste. Its taste is slightly towards the Chinese style Mee Siam, it somewhat reminded me of the Nonya style Mee Siam which I liked.

I would be interested to try their Mee Rebus or even Nasi Padang when i am in this food centre again.

MAKAN FOOD STALL

590 Upper Thomson Road #01-17 Sembawang Hills Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419
Operating Hours: 6.30 am to 7.00 pm

Goody 'N' Jolly : The Lost and Found

They started at the food court in Parkway Parade decades ago before moved to Katong Shopping Centre and then moving to the current location at Haig Road Food Centre. It is a part of growing up memories of many and some have even perceived their ever big portion Mee Rebus and Mee Siam as one of the best eaten. I used to patronise them quite often when i was attending a church just a stone's throw from Parkway Parade. It was good to see the Uncle and Auntie again and they have a younger man as their assistant now when i visited on a Sunday. The Uncle is operating a drink stall just next to it and left the Auntie with her assistant to man this stall.

I wanted to order Mee Rebus but was told that Mee Rebus is not available on that day and i left to choose between Laksa and Mee Siam. The Laksa is in 2 sizes, the smaller portion is $3.00 and the larger portion is $3.50. The Mee Siam and Mee Rebus are at $3.00 per portion. Though many of their customers ordered their Laksa but i still went with their Mee Siam nonetheless. They have reduced their prices from $4.00 to lower after moving to this food centre.

Their Mee Siam is still served in a generous portion with bee hoon, fried tau kwa cubes, beansprouts and a whole egg then garnished with chopped chives and calamansis to serve. Their gravy is not as sweet as the Malay style Mee Siam but rather savory, which is nearer to the Nonya style. It is still as tasty as i remembered it to be.

I will definitely be back for their Mee Rebus and their Laksa, which seems to be quite a popular choice amongst their customers. 

GOODY 'N' JOLLY

Block 13 & 14 Haig Road #01-71 Haig Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 430013/14
Operating Hours: 9.30 am to 5.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

My Cosy Corner : A Cosy Lunch Affair

My Cosy Corner, a hole-in-the-wall eatery is serving old-fashioned Peranakan dishes like Mee Siam, Mee Rebus, Laksa and Popiah. They do serve some Japanese sets too.

Their traditional Mee Siam at $5 and $6.50 with 2 pieces of prawns is quite decent but definitely pricey. I was surprised that they bothered to deep fried those little tau pok cubes to a delightful crunchiness then added to the Mee Siam and goes well with the tasty gravy. Somehow, those tau pok cubes retained its crispiness even after been soaked in the gravy for a while. It has a well-balanced sourish and spicy taste.

They have been featured in a TV programme once for serving one of the best Popiah. Even though their Popiah ($2.50) is not the best to me but it is definitely above average for its quality and freshness. Also, not forgetting the crispy rice bits that added for an extra crunch. I was told that they made those using an old family recipe by using parboiled rice and then deep-fried till it started to pop. It tasted exactly like those super crunchy rice krispies, together with the well-stewed turnips, shredded carrot and cucumber strips as filling which gave it a refreshing twist. And, also that chunky piece of half-boiled egg in it but there is no prawns or lup cheong though. It was nicely wrapped in a piece of thin, resilient popiah skin that they acquired from Hup Kiat Traditional Popiah Skin and served it with their extra spicy chilli. It is quite an enjoyment. 

When i was presented with the bill, i was a bit taken aback when i found out that their coffee is priced at $3.50. It actually did not taste too special to me and they served it with milk in a small container and brown sugar.

Do go early as there are limited sitting capacity and you are likely have to wait if you go during lunch or weekends. 

MY COSY CORNER

587 Bukit Timah Road #02-02 Coronation Shopping Plaza SINGAPORE 269707

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 7.30 pm (Mon to Sat) / 10.00 am to 4.00 pm (Sun)

Rumah Sayang : A Pleasant Surprise

It was a dinner on the eve of Mother's Day, there were queues at most eateries at that time, this was one of those that without a queue but almost all the tables were taken up in the cafe. This cafe is serving Nasi Padang, Lontong, Mee Siam, Laksa and some snacks. There was a promotion for a Curry Fish head with Tahu Goreng and 2 plates of rice for $19.90 which i ordered together with a plate of Mee Siam at $4.50 and a canned drink at $2.00. Though the prices are not particularly cheap but rather reasonable given its location. 

Order is expected to be done at the Cashier's counter with payment collected there. I was asked to collect the Mee Siam and the canned drink, the rest will be served to the table later as they assigned a number tag for that purpose.

It was served in a short while to the table. The Curry Fish Head tasted much better than expected. It did not taste particularly spicy with just the right balance of sourish taste. It consists of half a fish head with vegetables like brinja, long beans and cabbage added. The fish head tasted rather fresh and nicely infused with curry flavor though it was steamed first then added in later. 

The Tahu Goreng was quite decent, the sauce was a bit sweet but still acceptable. It would be nicer if more shredded cucumber and carrot, onion, bean sprouts with grounded peanuts were added. 

The Mee Siam was quite a good choice. It has got a good balance of sweetness and sourness taste and in a good portion together with a hard boiled egg with bean sprouts and bits of crunchy peanuts in it.

The service was alright though not particularly attentive.

RUMAH SAYANG

50 Jurong Gateway #B1-41 JEM SINGAPORE 608549

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 10.00 pm