Kush : Salted Egg Chicken Burger

I was there on National Day slightly after lunch, the place was not as buzzing as expected and most of the stalls that are serving hawker fare were closed on that day. The choices were pretty limited as some have already sold out. I happened to spotted someone carried a tray with an interesting burger walked past and i walked around, trying to find out where did the person ordered it from. Then, i realised it is the Salted Egg Chicken Burger from KUSH. 

The usual price is $16.00 but it was on offer price of $14.00 for the month of August. I decided to go with, ordered then paid and given a pager to collect it later. 

I waited for about 10 minutes before the pager buzzed. The burger was already waiting at the counter, i left the pager and collected it. 

It consists of a burger with a portion of shoestring fries. It was not really a big burger with quite a small piece of fried chicken as a patty garnished with lettuce and sliced tomato then served it with salted egg sauce. 

The first impression was the overflowing salted egg sauce but when you turned the burger around then you realised, it was only from one side of the burger. So, it did not have that much salted egg sauce as it seemed to be. 

The fried chicken patty was nicely done but rather small in size, it was just slightly bigger than the half of the burger. The salted egg sauce was unexpectedly tasty, it has an intense salted egg taste though a little too creamy. It did not seem to be made from the real salted egg but likely from those powder as the texture was a little too smooth. Well, i might be wrong. 

Overall, it was not bad but it did not quite justify the amount charged. I would not be quite likely to pay another $16 for it.

KUSH

73A Ayer Rajah Cresecent #01-36 Timbre+ SINGAPORE 139957

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 3.00 pm / 6.00 pm to 11.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Yummy Noodle House : Prawn Paste Chicken Noodle

A friend has mentioned about this stall quite recently and suggested that I should try it if I am there for lunch. I was there just last week and walked past it, I stopped to check their operating hours with the lady boss. I was told that their regular off day is usually on Friday. I made an effort to come back on a Wednesday for a late lunch. The lady boss was there.

I asked here, 'What is nice to eat? Do you have a recommendation?' She said, 'Everything is nice. Our Laksa is pretty good and you should also try our handmade meatballs.' I decided to go with Prawn Paste Chicken Noodle ($3.50) and added 3 pieces of meatballs for $1.00 with Wanton Soup ($3.00). She said, 'You have to wait for 5 minutes as we need to deep-fried the Prawn Paste Chicken.' I chatted with her while waiting for it to be ready. 

I said, 'It is good to see young people like yourself wanting to work as hawkers.' She chuckled then said, 'I am actually not that young.' And, that got me to say, 'You look the most is 25 years old.' She laughed and said, 'You should add another 20 years to that.' I was really surprised. I told her that i could not quite believe as she does not look her age. Then i asked her, 'This is a husband-wife team or brother-sister team?' She said, 'Husband-wife team.' Then i asked her, 'Why do you want to be a hawker?' It is a tough trade.' I also asked, 'Do you do this because of its flexible hours in order to have a more balanced family life? Do you have kid?' She replied, 'We used to run cza char stall prior to this. We have a kid.' And, she said, 'We have to be here as early as 8 am to start the preparation and work till evening.' 

I asked her, 'How is the business so far?'. She said, 'A bit quieter now after the private university moved away but it is still manageable.' She then said, 'It is actually better to be in the neighborhood area rather than here that has many private houses. These households have maids and cars so they do not usually lunch here.'

She then placed my orders on the tray and said, 'Enjoy!'. I thanked her before walking away with the tray. 

It consists of a good portion of noodles with 2 pieces of chicken mid-wings with 3 pieces of meatballs and some green, I requested to have extra chilli added but its spiciness did not quite bring forth its flavor. The Prawn Paste Chicken though freshly deep-fried and still have its crispiness intact but not much taste. I would expect better since they used to run a cze char stall. Those handmade meatballs did not leave much impression as well. 

I would think its overall flavor was not bad but there is still much room for improvement.

The Wanton Soup consists of 10 pieces of good-sized wantons, the filling is mainly well-seasoned minced meat and is firmly wrapped in the wrappers. I tasted a bit too much flour in it. They added in quite a bit of green to make this an alternative choice. 

This is an interesting stall manned by a hardworking couple. Do try it if you happen to be there for lunch.

YUMMY NOODLE HOUSE

590 Upper Thomson Road #01-08 Sembawang Hills Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Closed on Fridays)

133 Seafood Kitchen : Hidden Gem in Ang Mo Kio

This was, in fact, my third visit though i have been staying around corner for quite a while. The first time when i visited was after reading a recommendation that i came across on the net. I ordered Salted Egg Sotong ($10.00) and Sweet & Sour Pork ($8.00) then and i liked it. I went to speak with the lady at their counter to confirm their operating hours and i told her that their salted egg dish is good. Stan, the boss, was just seated at the table next to it and he asked, 'Which salted egg dish is good?'. I told him that i enjoyed the Salted Egg Sotong that i ordered. He said, 'Then, come back more often and bring your family here next time.' He even told me that they actually offer delivery service for order above $20 for free.

I came back the second time to take away their Sated Egg Chicken with Rice for $5. It was still good even after i had it much later when gotten home. And, i came back this time to again order their Salted Egg Sotong. I wanted to try their Mongolian Pork Rib but i was told that they are not doing it but was recommended to try their 奶黄排骨, i did not get the English name, if i have guess it correctly, it should be known as Creamy Pork Rib which they do not have it indicated on their menu. The dish is priced at $12. I also ordered the Seafood Soup ($5) with 2 plates of rice at 0.50 cents each.

The friendly auntie that took our order came back with a saucer of red cut chilli and another saucer of belachan chilli together with bowls and cutlery. 

She then came back a while later with 2 glasses of Chrysanthemum with Wolfberries Jelly. She said in Chinese, '请你们吃.', as it is complimentary. 

Salted Egg Sotong came first. Though we ordered the smallest portion but it was quite substantial and definitely more than enough for 2 pax to share. I had it the second time as still loving it, it was nicely deep-fried before coated with salted egg sauce, it still have its crispiness intact even after left it for a while, which is really good. This has to be one of the better salted egg dishes that i have eaten so far. 

This Salted Egg Sotong is definitely a must-try if you are here, this is my all time favourite dish that i am going come back often for it.

The Creamy Pork Ribs came next. It has a distinctive curry flavor and it is creamy with bits of chilli and curry leaves added to enhance its flavor.

I was told by that friendly lady that this is one of their signature dishes. It is good though not quite memorable as their salted egg dishes are more outstanding.

The Seafood Soup came last. It is quite a big portion for $5. It consists of sliced fish, prawn, sotong, cabbage, yam and others. It has a rather slight herbal-ish taste particularly right at the bottom of the soup. 

This is old-school cze char stall is one of the hidden gems in Ang Mo Kio that not many known about, they are in competition with another 2 cza char stalls which are just within walking distance from their location. I hope their friendly service and tasty dishes will help to fight for their survivability.

133 SEAFOOD KITCHEN

Block 133 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 #01-1635 Lian Wah Kopitiam SINGAPORE 560133

Operating Hours: 2.00 pm to 11.00 pm (Daily)

UPDATE: I went back on 15 October 2016 (Saturday) and ordered the Salted Egg Sotong again, there seemed to be a slight drop in the standard, it did not have much salted egg taste though it still crispy.

Yahava KoffeeWorks : Cappuccino on a Rainy Day

I was just happened to be near there on a rainy day and decided to take shelter in there. This coffee joint is just opposite the Sembawang Hill Food Centre, right at the corner, along the shop houses.

I was served by a friendly lady at the counter. As this was my first visit, i actually asked for a recommendation. She said, 'Since it is pouring outside, you might want to go for a hot drink?'. Then she went ahead to ask, 'Do you like it to have more milk or more coffee?'.  When i replied that i would something that is of a well-balanced of milk and coffee and she recommended that i should try Cappuccino. When i was asked what size do i want and i could not quite decided, she went ahead to say, 'Why not take the medium-sized for a start?'. I paid $5.50 and was given a pager.

I took a seat along the window and watching the rain before the pager buzzed. When i turned around, walking toward the counter, the same friendly lady pointed a cup of coffee that was left on the counter. First sip, it was nicely warm and quite comforting as well as not too acidic with just enough of coffee taste and a good amount of milk added for a well-balanced sweetness. 

I will definitely be back and will bring a book this time. 

Yahava KofffeeWorks

4 Jalan Gelenggang SINGAPORE 578188

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 6.00 pm (Daily)

Damian D'Silva @ Timbre+ : Nasi Lemak with Fiery Chilli

I have met Chef Daiman D'Silva once and that was quite a while ago, he has left quite an impression since then. He has since closed Immigrants Gastrobar in Joo Chiat prior to opening at Timbre+. It is a simple brick-and-mortar set up serving comfort local cuisines and western dishes like fish & chips, burgers and pastas. Their all time best seller has to be the Nasi Lemak. It consists of a good portion of fragrant coconut infused rice, a big piece of ikan kuning, fried chicken wing, omelette, ikan bilis and sambal for $8.00. I decided to go with it. The friendly malay lady at the counter spotted me looking at it on their menu and so when i approached the counter, she asked, 'Nasi Lemak for you?'. I nodded. I asked, 'How did you know?'. She said, 'I saw you looking at it and it is also a popular dish that many came here for.'

I was also asked whether i want to have a drink to go with it. There is an extensive options from hot and cold beverages to different choices of beer. I ordered a cold Latte to go along and i was given the option to collect it first or later, together with the Nasi Lemak. I was given with a pager after done with the payment. I waited for more than 15 minutes before it puzzled though it was already after 2 pm and i seemed to be the only customer at that time. 

The texture of fried chicken wing was a bit too dry and its taste was just so so. The ikan kuning was nicely fried though, its size was quite big so it has enough meat in it. 

The omelette and ikan belis were just quite normal. 

The star of this dish has to be the extremely spicy chilli. I would think this is one of the better chilli that i have came across when eating Nasi Lemak. There was 2 piles of it but i could only finished just 1 as i could not quite handle its level of spiciness but it goes go really well with the fragrant coconut rice. 

When collecting the Iced Latte, i was asked by that friendly counter staff whether i would prefer to have more coffee or more milk and whether i like it to be more bitter or more sweet. 

The menu also includes a old-school dish that is known as Kai Fun or Street Rice, which you do not get it anywhere else. It consists rice that is served with chicken broth, char siew, lup cheong with shredded chicken that was popular amongst the coolies during the olden days. 

NOTE: It has already closed.

DAMIAN D'SILVA
73A Ayer Rajah Crescent Timbre+ SINGAPORE 139957
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 11.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

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

Sembawang Teochew Minced Meat Noodle

This stall was started in March 2015 and they used to be known as Tai Hwa Pork Noodle at that time. The elderly Uncle used to be an assistant working for Mr Tang Chay Seng, the owner of Tai Hwa Pork Noodle at Crawford Lane that has been newly awarded the 1-Michelin Star. When chatted with the Auntie then, I was told that Mr Tang was here on their opening day as this stall is opened with his blessing. But the name has been changed to Sembawang Teochew Minced Meat Noodle much later. 

When I was there for a late lunch recently, Uncle and Auntie were just sitting at the table in front of their stall as there was no customer at that time. I ordered the smallest portion of mee kia at $4.00, there is also the $5.00 and $6.00 portion available. While Uncle was doing the cooking, I asked the Auntie, 'I remember your stall used to know as Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. Why did you change the stall name ah?'. I guess Auntie did not quite expect that I asked this question. I then asked, 'Did you ask to change the name?'. She said, 'Don't want to be the same la.' She paused a bit then said, 'If not, will get sue.' I decided to stop asking further as Auntie seemed a bit reluctant to elaborate it. 

I got my bowl of noodle in just a bit. The portion for $4.00 is enough if you are not too hungry. It consists of a substantial portion of mee kia with ingredients like minced meat, sliced lean meat, pork liver, meatball, dumpling and dried sole fish. The mee kia was cooked just right to the desired springiness. 

The taste, in fact, is quite similar to the Tai Hwa Pork Noodles at Crawford Lane but the amount of vinegar added is not as excessive. The bowl of soup that served along was quite flavorful too. They might not be as good but there is no queue here so it is not a bad choice after all.

SEMBAWANG TEOCHEW MINCED MEAT NOODLE

590 Upper Thomson Road #01-29 Sembawang Hills Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419

Xi Le Ting 喜乐亭 : Old School Desserts

My first visit was decade ago when they were still at the old food centre in Commonwealth Crescent. I was just staying in the vicinity then so i usually walked there after dinner to have desserts. It was only 0.50 cents per bowl at that time for old school desserts like red bean soup, green bean soup, cheng teng and white oats. I stopped coming here for quite a long while after i moved away. I am so glad that this stall is still around after all these years.

The elderly auntie has been cooking all these desserts for more than 40 years. She has somewhat reminded me of my late Grandma as this auntie is always in her old-fashioned sleeveless top and pants that you do not often see elderly ladies wear these days.

I was there after a late lunch and i wanted to order a bowl of green bean soup and a bowl of white oats. I was told that green bean soup has already sold out so i asked her, 'What do you still have left?' She just said, 'White oats la'. And, i asked her, 'Do you also have cheng teng?' She nodded her head. The prices have increased to 0.90 cents per bowl and it is still served in those traditional porcelain bowls. It is self-service and you could place your bowls on those old-school plastic red round trays for easy carrying.

The bowls are actually quite small for just a right portion and it is good, this means i could have 2 to 3 bowls of different desserts each time.

The cheng teng is amongst the popular choices and it is only served hot, it consists of white fungus, big sago, dried longan, barley and dried persimmon. The soup has just the right level of sweetness with a nice taste of longan. 

The white oats is also popular amongst the regular customers. The oats were nicely cooked to have it broken down into fine pieces and its has a smooth texture with a well-balanced sweetness. My late Grandpa would have enjoy this if he is still around.

I do hope to see this stall to be around for another couple of years as such comfort taste is getting difficult to find these days.

Xi Le Ting 喜乐亭

118 Commonwealth Crescent #02-70 Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Closed on alternate Mon & Tues)

Seng Kee Chicken Rice 新奇鸡饭 : Roasted Duck Rice

I was there for a late lunch and most of the stalls have already sold out or closed including the popular Henry's Chicken Rice that i am looking forward to try. When i was looking an alternative, this stall caught my attention as i spotted a white-haired elderly Uncle manning the stall. There was another customer right in front of me and when the Uncle saw me, he said, 'Only left duck rice'. I decided to have that and added an egg to go along. I was given a piece of roasted duck drumstick out of the remaining half a duck that was hanging there. It was nicely chopped and served with a good portion of rice together with the braised egg by the side, it also served along with a small bowl of boiled peanut soup for $4.50.

I guess they must have run out of the plain rice as it was served with the chicken broth flavored rice instead, it did go well though. Their roasted duck might not be amongst the best that i have tasted but it was nicely done. The skin was thin though no longer crispy but the meat was rather flavorful and tender, not as greasy as well. It is good enough to eat it by itself and to omit the accompanied chilli totally.

The boiled peanut soup was lightly flavored, there were a few peanuts and a part of chicken feet in it.

Overall, it was a simple yet satisfying lunch. I would be interested to try their Chicken Rice or even the Curry Chicken Noodle if i happen to be in this food centre again.

SENG KEE CHICKEN RICE 新奇鸡饭

119 Commonwealth Crescent #02-78 Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre SINGAPORE 140119

Chow Chow Chicken in Ang Mo Kio

I got to know about this stall from their sponsored post that has been on Facebook. I decided to try it out since it is in my neighborhood so i went on a Sunday. Most of the shops at that particular HDB block were closed and the coffee shop is located right at the end. It was unexpectedly quiet in that coffee shop as some stalls were closed on that day. This new stall stood out amongst the other stalls there. I was served by a friendly chap. I wanted to order their Salted Egg Burger. He asked, 'So, you want to have it take away?'. I was a bit puzzled. He said further, 'We can only served to have it take away.' And, i asked, "You mean you are not allowed to serve it here?'. He then said, 'That's right. It is part of the agreement stated in the lease.' I continued to ask, 'Then, why did you choose this location since there is such a condition stated?' He said, 'Our main focus is to do it online.' 

They have since tied up with Deliveroo and Food Panda to do delivery but it did not seem to deliver to every part of Ang Mo Kio, at least not to where i stay. When i typed in the postal code, it stated that they do not deliver to that area. Apparently, there is another western food stall in the same coffee shop and that should be the reason why they are not allowed to serve their burger there even the other stall is not offering Salted Chicken Burger on their menu. And, i also asked, 'This place seems to be quite quiet on a Sunday.' He replied, 'We did not know it until we started'. 

I decided to order the Double 100% Salted Egg Fried Chicken set that consists of 3 pieces of chicken, rice and vegetables for $6.50. It clearly stated on their menu sheet that it is made using 100% salted egg without egg powder and egg flavouring. I paid and went to wait at the table. It took longer than expected for it to be served, likely due to it is prepared upon order thus the waiting time is slightly longer. It was delivered by the same friendly chap, he even made an effort to ask whether i need another set of culinary when he took notice that i was with a friend. 

When i was in the midst of taking some pictures, i was approached by Lynn, the owner of Chow Chow Chicken. She asked, 'Are you a Food Blogger?' I nodded and said, 'I do keep a food blog out of interest.' She mentioned that she has the background of food and nutrition and that is extremely helpful when come to preparing the menu as well as the recipes. She said that they are using Sunflower oil as a healthier alternative to fry their chicken.

Lynn has suggested that their signature Salted Egg Sotong is a must try. This one is different from those that are served at the cze char stalls. They actually stuffed the Sotong with salted egg yolk then coated with flour and deep-fried it. 

Salted Egg Chicken is not a difficult dish to prepare so it takes a really outstanding one to leave an impression. This one actually tasted not too bad but i have eaten better ones elsewhere so it just did not manage to impress too much. The set includes a portion of white rice, sliced cucumber and a piece of lettuce. I would suggest to skip the Salted Egg Chicken for now and try the other interesting dishes on their menu like Korean Sweet Spicy Chicken Winglets, Rendang Chicken, Si Chuan Ma La Chicken and Strawberry Jam Peanut Butter Chicken. 

This is an interesting stall set up by passionate people and is worth supporting. It is just a stone's throw away from Ang Mo Kio MRT and it is within walking distance from there. You could also take a bus from the Bus Interchange, alight at the 2nd bus stop.

CHOW CHOW CHICKEN

Block 421 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 SINGAPORE 560421

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 8.00 pm (Daily)