My all-time favourite chicken rice.

When everyone is talking about Tian Tian Chicken Rice, there is a really good chicken rice tucked away in a coffee shop along Waterloo Street. I started eating their chicken rice more than a decade ago and they are still my favourite chicken rice through the years. I have eaten from different stalls including those famous ones but this is still the best to me.

How is a good hainanese chicken rice to be judged?

The chicken is expected to be succulent and juicy. The rice is expected to be aromatic with fragrance, it has to be grainy and not overly greasy. The chilli is expected to have a certain level of spiciness with a well-balanced garlic and lime taste.

This is one of the stalls that met the above mentioned factors with a consistent standard.

My usual preference is the roasted chicken. Half of the roasted chicken is $13. I have only tasted the roasted chicken so i could not say much about their white chicken. Their roasted chicken is probably the best that i have eaten so far.

The chicken used is a plump and meaty one. The well seasoned chicken is always fried well to give its skin a slight crisp and awesome flavor. The texture of meat is desirably succulent, juicy and flavorsome.

Their rice is one of the best if it is not the best. The texture is grainy with nice chicken broth flavor and not overly oily. It still tasted really good even if is left for hours. Their chilli is the better one that i ever tasted too.  It has got a good level of spiciness that derived from the chilli padi and further enhanced by the right amount of garlic and lime added.

To me, the chilli is definitely the most important factor to determine the worthiness of a particular hainanese chicken rice.

This stall is manned by the elderly auntie and her sons. The auntie is mostly the one chopping up the chickens. The chicken is drizzled with their special soya sauce before served. The soya sauce enhanced the taste of chicken further with just the right level of saltiness. The taste is not overpowering even when the chicken is left to have it later.

Their service is always prompt and systematic even during the peak period.

The chicken rice has been reported and recommended by the Media, too.

There is always a queue even during the off-peak hours.

It has always been a joy to enjoy their chicken rice, again and again. 

LEONG YEOW FAMOUS WATERLOO ST CHICKEN RICE

261 Waterloo Street 

#01-29 Waterloo Centre

SINGAPORE 180261.

That average taste.

There are 3 other wanton noodle stalls in this food centre but this is the only one with a short queue when i ordered.

There are the $3.50 and the $3.00 for selection. I wanted the larger portion. A substantial portion of noodle was given with quite a few slices of char siew together with 2 soup wantons and 2 fried wantons.

The thinly sliced char siew tasted a bit dry. The soup wantons and fried wantons tasted pretty average though. The noodle has got a likable springiness and tasted just fine when tossed well with the sauce. That bowl of soup that served along with the noodle has got a light peppery taste. 

It was a pleasant breakfast nonetheless.

TIEN SIANG WANTON NOODLE

120 Bukit Merah Lane 1

#01-27 Alexandra Village Food Centre

SINGAPORE 150120.

那味道，记忆深刻。

CHINATOWN TAI CHONG KOK CONFECTIONERY (HUA KEE)

Block 122 Bukit Merah Lane 1

#01-62

SINGAPORE 150122.

简单的味道 。幸福的喜悦

LOVE CONFECTIONERY

Block 122 Bukit Merah Lane 1

#01-60

SINGAPORE 150122.

Mango Cheesecake.

Done a Mango Cheesecake on a boring stay-at-home afternoon hiding away from the haze.

Good or average? You decide.

This is supposedly the famous bak chor mee stall that moved from their stall in Eunos to their shop at Upper Changi Road and finally to this stall in this location. I ever eaten once in their shop then but it did not leave an impression then. 

My favourite bak chor mee stall has recently closed as the owner is in ill health and so i decided to give this stall another go. This stall is manned by the owner and his wife now.

I was their only customer at 11.00 am. I decided to go with the dry version of bak chor mee at $5. I asked for mee kia with extra chilli added.

The portion given was quite substantial with fresh tasting ingredients like slices of lean meat and liver with minced meat and a piece of fish dumpling then topped with braised mushroom to serve. Their specially made chilli has got minimum level of spiciness and a tad oily too especially with an extra amount of it added. 

The mee kia has got a noticeably springiness and tasted good when tossed well with the chilli. The handful of beansprouts added was a good enhancement to its texture.

They are supposed to be famous for their soup noodle but that particular bowl of soup served along with the noodle tasted quite flat. It has got a distinctive taste of dried sole fish but lacking in level of sweetness and saltiness thus it tasted bland. It got me to wonder whether the same soup stock is used for their signature fish maw soup noodle that priced at $9 and a larger bowl at $12? I am still willing to give it a try when i come back next time.

I am still not impressed with this particular bak chor mee and i could not help but missing the already closed down regular stall a lot more. And, that was still the best bak chor mee that i ever tasted. This is concluded after eaten most of the famous ones out there. The taste is definitely subjective and whether this is a good or just average bak chor mee is for you to try it then decide. 

SENG KEE BAK MUSHROOM MINCED MEAT NOODLE

49A Serangoon Garden Way

Serangoon Garden Market

SINGAPORE 555945.

Sunday Champagne Brunch at Mezza9, Grand Hyatt Hotel

It was a heartening experience starting from the moment when i made a reservation on the hotel's website.

When i was done with the reservation. A confirmation sent through email. The price per pax is $138++ with free flowing of Perrier-Jouet Champagne, wines, beer, Bloody Marys, Mojitos and freshly squeezed juices. The Sunday Brunch is on from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm. 

Moments later, another confirmation sent to my mobile phone. It just got me so looking forward to this Sunday Champagne Brunch. The reservation is made at 12 pm on that day. We were there at about 11.45 pm. We were quickly ushered to our table. 

Our glassed were topped up with water then later the wine glasses with Champagne. The varieties of foods were good. We started with appetizers liked Salmon, Boston Lobsters and Crabs. The pan seared duck liver tasted surprisingly good. It served with a portion of salad to complement the richness of this dish. 

Next, i decided to go with the Egg Benedict, Mini-Burger together with Mushroom Risotto. The Egg Benedict stood out. The egg was done just right with a runny egg yolk that soaked up the piece of toast it rested on. The toast might have left it for a bit too long so it was too soggy to my liking.

We followed up with Tempura Prawns and Mushroom, Grilled Unagi and a few sticks of Yakitori. There are quite a few selections like the Bacon Wrapped Cherry Tomatoes, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Bacon and Chicken Meatballs. All tasted really good.

All the Tempura and Yakitori were done on the spot at the station. The Dim Sum from the Chinese Station tasted quite normal. I'd skip it for other better foods. 

The smoked Salmon tasted rather fresh and i enjoyed it. 

The roasted beef was just average. It has got an extreme chewiness which does not appeal to me. 

And, though the Champagne is refillable but i'd prefer the freshly squeezed orange juice much more. 

I enjoyed the Parma Ham on Rock Melon as well as the fat and juicy freshly tasting Oysters. The Oysters were freshly removed from their shells to serve. The freshness was further enhanced by just a bit of lemon juice. Last to go before the dessert would be the Sashimi and Sushi.

The Sashimi tasted really fresh. A small portion was on display. The chef replenished it repeatedly to ensure its freshness. I did not like the lobster salad though as the overwhelming wasabi in it was a turn off. 

There were a good range of deserts too. The Cream Puff tasted just normal. The Passion Fruit Tart was a good choice. It has got a refreshing sourness with just the right sweetness to complement it. The Raspberry Panna Cotta tasted just as good. It was a tad too sweet though. 

To complete, some fruits like Rock Melon, Pineapple and Strawberries are good choice to help digestion. I gotta skip the ice cream as i was just too full to have it. I wish coffee and tea are served too. 

A SMS was received much later. It indicated in the SMS, 'Thank you for your visit. We hope you had enjoyed your time with us and we look forward to welcoming you back again. Warm Regards, Val.'

This was the best Champagne Brunch experience no doubt.

MEZZA9

10 Scotts Road Grand Hyatt Hotel SINGAPORE 228211.

An Enjoyable Dinner.

I have fallen in love with this new found tze cha place just a stone's throw away from home. They have been featured in a food programme on TV once and reported by a food writer on the newspaper not too long ago.

I went for a late dinner at about 9 pm. There was still quite a few tables occupied at that hour. I went to the counter to take a copy of their menu then proceed to find a table. The friendly Auntie came over in a bit to take the order. I decided to go with the Sweet & Sour Pork at $9 and the Blackcurrant Pork Ribs at $10. The plain rice is served at 0.50 cents per plate.

The Sweet & Sour Pork came first. The pieces of pork were presented in bite-sized then stir-fried with Sweet & Sour sauce together with ingredients like the green pepper, red pepper, onion and pineapple. The Sweet & Sour taste was just lovely. It has got a pretty well-balanced taste of sweetness and sourness. The pork tasted rather crispy on the outside but still retained its tenderness within. This was definitely one of the better Sweet& Sour Pork that i ever tasted. I enjoyed it so much. 

The blackcurrant pork ribs is another dish worth recommending. This is the first time i came across this dish and it got me to wonder how is the taste would be like and so i ordered it out of curiosity. The taste is not disappointing though the blackcurrant taste is not too distinctive. The well-seasoned pork ribs were fried to near perfection to give it the noticeably crispiness without compromising much on its texture. The pork ribs were not too meaty though. 

I will certainly come back to try their other signature dishes soon.

KAM JIA ZHUANG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Block 202 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3

#01-1690 SINGAPORE 560202.

Best Fried Chicken?

A little bird told me the long queue has been long gone so it is time to check out this most talked about fastfood joint in town. I was there during the long hour but the queue was rather short. I courted. There were not more than 20 people in the queue. I waited for only 10 minutes to order. There were many service counters at that time so the service was pretty quick.

I decided to go with the Chickenjoy value meal at $6.60. It consists of a portion of rice, drink and 2 pieces of fried chicken. A particular blogger claimed that he has had the best fried chicken right at this place. So, i came with a certain expectations. The presentation scored a high mark though. The texture of these fried chicken was rather crispy and not too oily. This is a plus point. First mouthful. I felt disappointed. I was honestly expecting it to be much better but it tasted rather mediocre. Its taste was acceptable but definitely not exceptionally outstanding. It tasted a little towards Popeyes' Fried Chicken. Best fried chicken or not? I guess it is quite subjective. You should try it to decide for yourself. 

I could not quite figure out the purpose of the small container of gravy given. I do not know whether the gravy is for the chicken or for the rice? I tried it with the fried chicken. It did not go quite well with the fried chicken so i guess it must be for the rice. I tried it with the rice this time. The taste did not go too well too but definitely better as compared to the fried chicken. The gravy tasted a bit like those for mashed potato. 

The texture of the rice was a little too soggy to my liking. It was wrapped in the paper and presented like a burger. That might be the reason why the texture was compromised?

So, would i  be back? May or may not. 

JOLLIBEE

304 Orchard Road

Level 6 Lucky Plaza

SINGAPORE 238863.

Dinner at Lavender Food Square

It was a rainy evening. I was right at this food centre for a quick dinner before proceed to a meeting. I wanted something hot so this claypot prawn noodle is definitely a good choice. Serving it in the Claypot is a good way to retain its heat and to keep the noodle soup hot. 

There was a short queue of a few people when i was there. I decided to go with the $5 portion of big prawn noodle listed as the number 1 item on their menu. A substantial portion of the yellow noodle served with 4 pieces of medium sized halved prawns in rather tasty prawn broth.

The prawn was of a reasonable size and tasted rather fresh with natural sweetness detected. 

The noodle was cooked to the right texture to give it the desired chewiness. A handful of bean sprouts were added to give it the delightful texture. 

Some big prawns displayed in the water tanks. 

The Uncle passionately cooked every bowl of noodle before served. 

A queue was still there even after i done eating. This may not be the best tasting prawn noodle that i ever tasted but it is definitely amongst one of the above average stalls. 

ALBERT STREET PRAWN NOODLE

Block 380 Jalan Besar Lavender Food Square #01-42 SINGAPORE 209000.

This stall replaced the original beef noodle stall right at this location in the food centre. I heard the owner of that particular stall has already retired. No queue spotted when i was there for dinner. I still decided to go ahead to try it. I ordered the $5 portion with just pieces of sliced beef and nothing else. 

The substantial portion of thick bee hoon served in the thick gooey sauce then topped with salted vegetable and sesame seeds to serve. 

The first mouthful did not manage to amaze me. The taste did not even come close to the previous stall. It tasted rather average as compared to some of the betters one that i ever eaten. There were quite a few slices of nicely cooked beef in it. The thickness of these sliced beef was just right to give it the desirable chewiness. 

The salted vegetable with little saltish taste. It did not help to enhance the overall taste any further. 

This is definitely not my top choice when i am craving for beef noodle. 

CHINATOWN BEEF NOODLE

Block 380 Jalan Besar Lavender Food Square #01-28 SINGAPORE 209000.

A Noodle Story

A noodle story started in February 2013.

This noodle story is about 2 passionate young men met as classmate in SHATEC and came together to share their dream in wanting to serve warm and delicious foods to happy customers at an affordable price. Both of them have worked for some top restaurants before they started this stall at Amoy Street Food Centre as their first step to realise their dream. They are hoping to make up the disappointment that many of us encountered by a not so perfect bowl of noodle. Here, they are looking into serving simplest dish using the modern techniques to make it possible. Every bowl of noodle is passionately served whole heartedly to give the best to make every cent worth. 

It was served to my table by one of the friendly chefs though self-service is expected. I paid up and thanks him for such initiative and attentiveness. 

I was impressed by the presentation. 

First that caught my eye is the crispy potato wrapped prawn rested on a wooden ladle. 

Next, was the onsen egg with a pretty looking orangy egg yolk. Then, the 2 pieces of chashu with just the right balance of fat and lean meat. Also, the 2 pieces of pump wantons there. It is the $5 portion of the egg noodle served with a lot of ingredients. It is supposed to be the Singapore style ramen though the noodle did not quite resemble the typical Japanese style ramen but more like the mee kia that most of us familiar. The noodle served dry.

After tossed it well in the lemon grass and ginger infused oil, it was a bowl of delicious noodle awaits. It was garnished by kelp and prawn dust that made of blended dehydrated prawns to give it an extensive flavor. It was served with chilli aside. I felt the taste of chilli did not enhance the flavor any further. The type of chilli used is like sambal chilli but with minimum spiciness. To complete it, it was topped with sliced scallions, strands of red pepper and kombu seaweed. If you want more of the crispy potato wrapped prawn, the chashu, the wantons or the onsen egg, you can order them as side dishes for $3 per serving.

My first mouthful was quite an experience. It was delightfully tasty. The Hong Kong style wantons has got a good mixture of prawn and minced meat. The potato wrapped prawn was freshly fried to give it the crispiness. The prawn together with paste was wrapped by strips of potato. The chashu and onsen egg give the noodle a hint of Japanese touch. The pieces of chashu were of the right thickness and derived at nice tenderness, the ultimate result of sous vide. The onsen egg has got a running egg yolk that was pretty enjoyable. 

And, not forgetting the bowl of soup that came along with the noodle. It has got a rather slight taste of dried shrimps.

The noodle is the only item on their menu for $5, $6 or $7.

Other than the 4 type of ingredients, i can taste the amount of passion in this bowl of noodle. I truly enjoyed it, very much.

A NOODLE STORY

7 Maxwell Road #01-39 Amoy Street Food Centre SINGAPORE 069111.