Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend, Winter.

The last few moments of Winter before it was put to sleep due to old age and illness. 

Thank you for all the beautiful memories, Winter.

Ru Ji Kitchen at Old Airport Road Food Centre

I have tried the Ru Ji Kitchen at Holland Drive, i remember the consistent long queue right in front of that stall and the relatively long waiting time for my bowl of fishball noodle there. I was told that the daughter started another stall with her husband at Old Airport Road Food Centre.

I came here on a weekday looking for the stall. When i found it, i did not see the 2 Gen Y hawkers manning the stall but 2 uncles were there. I read that the daughter recently challenged Douglas of Fishball Story on a TV show. I could not help but wonder a little why is she not at the stall? Does that have anything to do with losing that passion? 

I was expected to choose between the $3, $4 and $5. Each portion serves with a bowl of fishball and fishcake soup separately. Though i requested for an extra amount of chilli to be added but the level of spiciness was still quite mild with a slight sweetness likely from the ketchup and it was a slightly oily. The bits of fried pork lards enhance the flavor. The texture of mee pok was cooked just right to give it the springiness.

The $4 portion came with 4 pieces of fishballs and few slices of fishcake. The texture of fishball has got a delightful chewiness and a noticeable bounciness. The soup tasted quite light with a slight peppery taste. 

It was a slightly above average bowl of fishball noodle but it is not good enough for me to travel all the way just to eat it. 

RU JI KITCHEN 如记小厨

51 Old Airport Road #01-37 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 1 pm (Closed on Monday)

Tai Lei Loi Kei : The famous Pork Chop Bun from Macau is in Singapore

If you travel to Macau before then you have probably heard of or even eaten this famous Pork Chop Bun from Tai Lei Lok Kei. A long queue usually formed right at their shop before they start serving it at 3 pm, if you did not happen to be in the front of the queue then you might required to wait for the next batch which could means a relatively long wait in the crowded cafe. 

I had eaten it once and i remember it tasted good though not much impression. It is definitely a good news when they set foot in our sunny island. They started their shop at NEX in the early part of this year serving the signature Pork Chop Bun. As you have guessed it, this is a franchise shop but the chefs have been well-trained in Macau to bring over the authentic taste.

I was there on a Saturday during lunch though it seemed crowded but i managed to find a table rather quick. I was then expected to order at the counter and paid for it. A number tag was given and the order shall be served to the table. 

I decided to go with their Pork Chop Bun, i was given the choice to pair it with the different side orders. I decided to go with their curry fish balls, though their signature milk tea is recommended to go with the order but i wanted an upsized soft drink. The Pork Chop Bun itself is $6.90 but i added an extra of $4.00 to go with the curry fishballs and the drink. The curry fishballs is priced at $4.90 if order separately.

They served the drink first then followed by the curry fishballs and the pork chop bun much later.

I actually quite enjoyed the Pork Chop Bun. The chop chop was nicely seasoned to give it a slight peppery taste then well-fried to give it a desirable crispiness. The buns did not taste as hard as i expected, it tasted fresh and unexpectedly soft, a pleasant surprise.

The curry fishballs were decent with a mild spiciness, they might have reduced the level of spiciness for the locals.

I would likely come back for their Pork Chop Bun as i totally enjoyed it. The tastier Pork Chop Bun in Singapore so far and tasted rather close to what i had in Macau and even as good as those i have eaten in Hong Kong.

TAI LEI LOK KEI 澳门大利来记猪扒包

23 Serangoon Central #B2-15 NEX Shopping Mall SINGAPORE 556083

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 10.30 pm

Dong JI Fried Kway Teow : The Old School Taste

Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow is one of the 3 stalls in this food centre serving old school tasting fried kway teow though not as famous as the other stall and with a shorter queue but this is a better choice as compared to the other. You could choose in between $3 or $4 for a substantial portion of fried kway teow with ingredients like slices of lup cheong and fishcake, cockles, prawn with bits of egg and bean sprouts served on an old-fashioned ceramic plate. 

It was perfectly fried by the Uncle to give it a slight wok taste with a well-balanced taste of saltiness and sweetness. As he is operating all by himself so do not expect the friendlier service as he could be a little grumpy at times.

It was a plate of delectable fried kway teow but do not compared it to the famous ones like the Hillstreet Fried Kway Teow or even the Outram Fried Kway Teow as this is the drier version. 

DONG JI FRIED KWAY TEOW

51 Old Airport Road #01-138 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 8 am to 2 pm (Daily)

Tai Hwa Pork Noodle at Sembawang Hill Food Centre

The former worker of the famous Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle has opened his stall at Sembawang Hill Food Centre with the blessing of his previous boss, Mr Tang Chay Seng. It is operated by an elderly couple. The auntie mentioned that Mr Tang is an old friend and he was at the stall on their opening day.

The noodle is available at $4, $5 and $6, much cheaper as compared to Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle and a shorter queue. A standard bowl of noodle consists of sliced pork and liver with wantons and meatballs as well as a handful of minced meat.

I ordered mee kia for the Soup and the Dry version.

The soup version was quite disappointing, the soup tasted rather bland though the ingredients were quite fresh.

I requested to have extra chilli added to the dry version and it tasted quite familiar but not quite yet. The taste of vinegar was a bit overpowering to my liking.

However, this could be a good choice if you do not want to travel to town and not wanting to queue.

TAI HWA PORK NOODLE

590 Upper Thomson Road Sembawang Hill Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419

I Will Miss Grandma

My dearest Grandma has passed away peacefully on 16 March 2015 (Monday) at 10.30 pm, Khoo Teck Puat Hospitial.

Murphy's : A bit of English in Ang Mo Kio

Murphy's is an award-winning Cafe established since 1967 in Hitchin, United Kingdom and it has set foot in Singapore serving its signature Fish & Chip and more. Its first outlet opened on 14 February 2015 in the heartland of Ang Mo Kio, just a stone's throw from where i stay. 

I was there in the evening, when i stood outside looking at their menu board and deciding whether i should give it a try as most of the items are quite pricey for a neighborhood cafe, at this moment, a serving staff came out with the menu. I was impressed with his attentiveness and decided to have dinner there. 

I was expected to order and then pay at the counter. I guess the main reason behind it is they do not charge GST and Service Charge. I decided to go with their signature Fish & Chip at $16 and Beef Burger at $15. Iced water is available at the self-service counter at no charge.

The 2 different types of vinegar, the original flavor and the onion flavor are available at every table to go with Fish & Chip, a typical English way in enjoying their traditional dish. 

The Beef Burger came first, it consists of a rather thick patty with a slice of bacon and a slice of cheese together with a fried egg that served along with lettuce and a slice of tomato. It came with a good portion of thick chunky fries too.

The buns were slightly toasted to give it a nice crisp. I was not quite impressed after my first bite. The patty though juicy but not much seasoning. And, it might be better if they  have melted that piece of cheese. Overall, it was quite an average burger that did not worth the $15. I did not particularly enjoyed the fries as well. 

The Fish & Chip came right after. It consists of a piece of nicely deep-fried fish fillet with a substantial portion of chunky fries and a small handful of salad to go along. To start, drizzled the fried fish fillet with a few drops of vinegar then squeezed that slice of lemon wedge. After tasted the 2 different types of vinegar, i actually prefer the onion flavor a little more. Though special but the vinegar did not particularly enhance its taste. 

It was a pleasant experience though the amount paid did not quite justify the taste and portion served. It might be a challenge for such a cafe to survive in a heartland with this kind of price range. 

MURPHY'S

Block 532 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 #01-2495 SINGAPORE 560532

Operating Hours: 9 am to 10 pm

Qing Tian Cold & Hot Desserts 青天冷热甜品

This particular dessert stall was in the news recently. It reported that the Prime Minister went to queue at this stall after had his fried chicken wings in the food centre. I gotten all curious about this stall but never get to taste it so far though i was in this food centre a few times. This stall starts at 4 pm to 11 pm and their off days are on every Monday and Tuesday.

There was already a queue of about 5 people when i came around 4 pm when this time. I joined in and waited for about 5 minutes to make an order of Chendol ($1.50) and Red Rubies ($1.80) desserts. The energetic Uncle kept moving his body, doing little dance steps while taking the orders and entertaining his customers.

The Chendol is cheap and tasted not too bad. It might not be the best tasting Chendol that i ever tried but it was quite a refreshing choice though it would definitely be better if more coconut milk and palm sugar added to enhance its taste.

 This is a better choice as compared to Chendol though slightly more expensive. There were a good amount of red rubies in it.

QING TIAN COLD & HOT DESSERTS 青天冷热甜品

Block 85 Redhill Lane #01-60 Redhill Food Centre SINGAPORE 150085

Operating Hours: 4 pm to 11 pm (Closed on Monday & Tuesday)