Noods & Meats : a Muslim-owned Western food stall at Yishun

This is a Muslim-owned Western food stall located in the coffee shop near Yishun Park Hawker Centre, it started by Chef Fidauz Nasir, a former Executive Chef of Arteastiq on 17 December 2017. They are specialized in handmade noodles and in-house smoked meats. 

We were there on a Sunday for lunch. Their menu is pretty extensive but some of the items were sold out, including the Bebek Meat listed as item A9 on their menu for $12.90, it is a duck confit served in their secret sauce with sous vide egg and vegetables that we wanted to order. We decided to go with item A11, listed as Chope Chicken for $10.90, it is a Chicken Leg Confit served with coleslaw, beans stew and sunny side up egg. I was given a choice to choose between the butter rice, fries, mashed potato and potato salad as a side dish but potato salad was not available then. We also went ahead to select item B1, listed as Burnt End for $6.90, it consists of in-house Beef Brisket that was smoked for 12 hours with their secret sauce and Thai asparagus. Every bun dish is served with french fries. 

After done with ordering and payment, I was told that they will call the number on the receipt when it is ready for collection. We were expected to hang around there as the coffee shop was quite crowded on a Sunday and there was quite a high chance that we might miss it if we seated too far. When it was ready, the assistant shouted really loud and shouted it twice. We collected both dishes at the same time. 

Burnt End, is none other than a pile of beef brisket served in a sweet bun and with Thai asparagus. The beef brisket was smoked in-house for a relatively long 12 hours. Every bun dish is served with french fries, it was quite a big pile of shoestring fries. Their secret "shiok" sauce did not taste as impressive as we expected it to be.

The presentation was indeed messy thus, not too appealing. My dining companion thought it actually tasted better than its look. The beef brisket was nicely flavored and it would be nicer if it is more tender. The bun was situated in a pool of sauce and its base turned slightly soggy. It was quite nice, as commented by my dining companion, in fact, it is the better one amongst the 2 dishes. 

Chope Chicken, not a whole chicken leg was used but the boneless one. It was suspected not done in confit method as described on their menu but grilled. What is confit? It is a method of cooking food in its own fat, oil or a water syrup at a low temperature, which is likely not in this case. It was confusing and misleading as well, it should be just called a grilled chicken chop and by calling it Chope Chicken, it did not quite make sense too. When googled for the meaning of "chope", it refers to reserve a place, such as a seat, sometimes by placing a packet of tissue paper on it. 

A sunny side up was placed on top of the chicken, accompanied by the coleslaw, mashed potato with a mixture of baked beans and green peas. After tasting it, my dining companion was saying he prefers the chicken chop served at the western food stall in Yishun Park Hawker Centre just a stone's throw away. He commented that the chicken, though nicely cooked but was a bit too thick, mildly flavored and with soggy skin. The mashed potato did not have much taste and the coleslaw was not as good too, it is also more expensive. The dish was garnished with chopped spring onions and some crispy bits, its presentation was quite messy.  

They are only in operation for about a month and perhaps, give it a bit more time and they will get better. 

NOODS & MEATS

414 Yishun Ring Road Broadway Coffeeshop SINGAPORE 760414

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Hai Kee Soya Sauce Chicken : impressively good

There are many noteworthy Soya Sauce Chicken, some of the popular choices are Fragrant Soya Sauce Chicken and Fatty Ox Hong Kong Kitchen at Chinatown Complex Food Centre, Chiew Kee and Chew Kee at Upper Cross Street and Lee Fun Nam Kee at Toa Payoh Lorong 4.

Hai Kee Soya Sauce Chicken is another established brand for Soya Sauce Chicken. It was first started by Mr Wong Si Han in 1959 at Upper Cross Street before relocating to Katong in 2000 when Mr Wang Kia Jeck took over the business. The business expanded to include 8 outlets islandwide but it started to decline during the bird flu epidemic, it started to shut down one after another and finally ended it. They reopened in 2010 at Eunos Crescent and then another one in Changi in 2013 followed by the one in East Coast Road in 2015.

Joseph Wang, decided to take over the family business when he was 21, right after completing his National Service and is currently working along with James Wang, his brother. Now, they left with the stall at Changi but opened a new one at Bedok North, manned by James and Mr Wang Kia Jeck, their father. Their menu is broadened to include roasted pork and char siew. 

The well-marinated Soya Sauce Chicken was tender and smooth with a light fragrance of the soy sauce, it went well with the accompanying chili sauce and the coarse ginger paste. The texture of the rice was grainy, fragrant and not overly oily. My dining companion prefers the one from Lee Fun Nam Kee to this though. 

This might not be the best Soya Sauce Chicken but it is definitely much better than Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice Noodle that has been awarded Michelin star but failed to live up to the hype. 

HAI KEE SOYA SAUCE CHICKEN

Block 217 Bedok North Street 1 Food Loft Coffeeshop SINGAPORE 460217

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on alternate Tuesdays)

324T Changi Road Kim San Leng Coffeeshop SINGAPORE 419799
Operating Hours: 9.30 am to 6.30 pm (Closed on Fridays)

Song Zhou Fried Carrot Cake : it used to be better

This was my second visit to this new food centre at the Bedok Interchange that replaced the demolished one. It was unexpectedly crowded at about 2.30 pm on a weekday with most tables occupied at that time. My all time favorite stall in this food centre has to be Song Zhou Fried Carrot Cake. I used to like it so much that I would travel from Ang Mo Kio just for it. I tried it once after they moved to this food centre and it was still good then, that was more than a year ago. 

The choices on the menu include the $3.00 portion, the $3.50 with extra egg added, also the $4.00 with prawn and $5.00  with prawn as well as squid. I decided to go with the black version at $3.50. There was just another customer in front of me when ordering. I was asked whether to have it with chili and before deciding, I asked, "How spicy is the chili?". The young man looked up while cooking, he said, "It is quite spicy." I decided to go without it since my dining companion has little tolerance towards spiciness. The young chap handed the plate to me when it was done and he remembered that I mentioned it was to be shared with a friend so 2 forks were given. Such thoughtfulness is much appreciated. 

I was excited when I had the first mouthful but it left me feeling disappointed as it just did not taste as good this time. It used to be fried by an elderly Uncle when they were at the old food centre and perhaps that explained why there is a difference in taste. It did not have enough sweet dark sauce added to give it the sweet-savory flavor that a good black carrot cake should have. There was also not much garlic and preserved radish (chye poh) flavor, though the amount of egg was quite generous. Though they are no longer making the carrot cake, its texture was still noticeably soft. 

It used to be amongst the best but not so now. I would prefer the black carrot cake by Hua Li Fried Carrot Cake at the newly opened Marsiling Mall Food Centre that I just had quite recently. 

SONG ZHOU FRIED CARROT CAKE

207 New Upper Changi Road #01-37 Bedok Interchange Food Centre SINGAPORE 460207

Operating Hours: 6.30 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Aspirasi : Fried Chicken Rice

This is one of the oldest stalls that has been in this food centre for quite a while, a Muslim-owned stall that serves Fried Chicken Rice. There are the normal Chicken Rice ($3.50), Sambal Chicken Rice ($4.00), Sweet & Sour Chicken Rice ($4.00), Lemon Chicken Rice ($4.00), Black & Pepper Chicken Rice ($4.00), Penyet Chicken Rice ($5.00), Fried Rice with Chicken ($5.00) and Tomato Fried Rice with Sambal Chicken ($5.50). There are various choices to choose from, something for everyone on the menu. 

I decided to go with the Penyet Chicken Rice. The fried chicken came nicely smashed-up, accompanied by a pile of raw shredded cabbage topped with sambal chili, a slice of cucumber and a cherry tomato, together with a bowl of soup. The well-seasoned chicken was nicely fried to have the delightful crispiness, it was flavorful to eat it without the chili. The spiciness of the chilli can be quite intimidating so go easy.

ASPIRASI

2 Seah Im Road #01-45 Seah Im Food Centre SINGAPORE 099114

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

137 Lor Mee Prawn Mee : with fried fish nuggets

There was no queue when I was there for Lor Mee. Apparently, they serve only Lor Mee though it is indicated on their signboard that they do serve Prawn Mee as well. I have to decide between the $3 and the $4 portion. When it was my turn to order, I said, "I want it with extra fried fish nuggets." The Uncle looked up while cooking and said, "Then, it is the $4 one."

It consists of a good portion of the flat yellow noodles with ingredients like braised pork belly, ngor hiang, fish cake and half of a braised egg with fried fish nuggets, garnished with chopped coriander, garlic paste, and red cut chili. To start, give it a good mix. The braised sauce was not as sticky as I liked it to be, it was much lighter though still quite flavorful. The fried fish nuggets still retained its crispiness and did not turn soggy even after soaked in the sauce. 

Though this is not amongst the best Lor Mee that I had eaten but it is quite satisfying, a definitely must-try if you happen to be in this food centre for lunch. 

137 LOR MEE PRAWN MEE
137A Tampines Street 11 #01-09 Tampines Round Market Food Centre SINGAPORE 522137
Operating Hours: 6.30 am to 2.00 pm

Kim Heng (HK) Roasted Delights : not as good as before

This stall is nicely tucked away in a cluster of HDB blocks, along Serangoon Avenue 4 and is directly opposite Serangoon Stadium. They have been around for more than 2 decades serving roast duck, roast pork, and char siew. It was quite memorable when I tasted it in 2012 and I have been wanting to come back all this while. I did when I went to collect the Christmas cookies at Plain Jane Cafe there. It was during lunch and a short queue was formed but it moved rather quickly though. I decided to go with the Char Siew and Sio Bak rice at $4.80, which is more expensive than most of the others. I also ordered Salted Vegetable Duck Soup for $2.50.  

During my last visit, the char siew had a good amount of fat with nicely charred edges and was flavorful. It was disappointing this time, it was very lean and slightly dry, not as flavorful, too. The crispy skin on the sio bak was quite good and the well-seasoned meat was tender. 

The Salted Vegetable Duck Soup came with chunks of tomato, salted vegetable and chopped pieces of duck wing. There was a slight sourish taste and quite flavorful but I remember it used to be better. 

KIM HENG (HK) ROASTED DELIGHTS

Block 214 Serangoon Avenue 4 #01-188 SINGAPORE 550214

Operating Hours: 8.30 am to 7.00 pm (Daily)

Yuan Ji Traditional Handmade Noodle at Yishun Park Hawker Centre

This was one of those stalls that were opened on a Monday and I decided to try it due to limited choices. The hawker centre was rather empty during lunch. 

I did not go for their signature beetroot and pumpkin noodles but their Soup Ban Mian at $3.80, the dry version is available at $4.50. I was their only customer at that time so I did not have to wait too long for it to be ready. It was served with a good portion of handmade ban mian with meatballs, sliced mushroom, vegetable and ikan belis. This was a comforting choice though not the best that I ever tasted. 

YUAN JI TRADITIONAL HANDMADE NOODLES

51 Yishun Avenue 11 #01-18 Yishun Park Hawker Centre SINGAPORE 768867

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 9.30 pm (Daily)

China La Mian : Cheap and nice Xiao Long Bao

I took notice of this stall when I was at this coffee shop to have duck rice. I decided to go with just the soup dumplings, more commonly known as Xiao Long Bao at 6 pieces for $4.00 as I was already half-full after having the duck rice and satay earlier. I placed my order in Chinese and was given a pager to come back later for collection. I waited for about for 5 minutes or so before collecting it. The 6 pieces of soup dumplings were served in the steamer basket. 

There are condiments provided at the counter for self-service. Go for the soy sauce and vinegar as well as the shredded ginger, place them in a saucer. There are steps on how to eat a soup dumpling correctly. First, take the soup dumpling and dip it into the sauce then place it on the spoon. Next step is to bite the tip of the soup dumpling off to release the soup, you could just suck it off but it is usually quite hot and finally eating it. It is best to eat the entire dumpling in a single bite. 

The soup dumplings were rather plumpish, its wrapper was thin and with well-seasoned minced pork as filling, the soup was light but flavorful. The flavor was nicely balanced by the shredded ginger and sour vinegar. It was quite good, almost as good as some of those restaurants but at a much affordable price.

I went back a week later on a Wednesday but it was closed then. I am interested to try the Pork Chop La Mian ($4), Shan Dong Fried Dumplings ($5.00 for 12 pieces) and the Red Oil Dumplings ($4.00 for 10 pieces). 

CHINA LA MIAN

Block 56 New Upper Changi Road #01-1314 Kopi Kia SINGAPORE 461056

Alhambra Padang Satay : Duck Satay

This is their new outlet at this coffee shop along New Upper Changi Road, apart from their original outlet at Makansutra Glutton Bay. They serve different types of satay and has taken part in food events like the Singapore Day as well as the World Street Food Congress. They first started a stall along the roadside near the Alhambra Theatre in Beach Road before relocating to the now-defunct Satay Club at Elizabeth Walk. They are still freshly made the satay using a recipe that has been passed down the first generation.

I ordered a set of Duck Satay for $10. I was asked to take a seat by Sam Hussin, the friendly owner, as it will be served to my table.

The Duck Satay is the most expensive on the menu, it consists of 10 sticks and a Katupat for $10.00. It was served in 10 minutes with 2 bowls of satay sauce with chunks of cucumber and onion. 

The texture was just right but we could not quite tell it was made of duck meat as the marination was slightly overwhelmed. My dining companion was saying, "If you did not tell me this is duck meat, I would think it is mutton."

The satay sauce was amongst the best that I have tasted. It was thick with bits of peanuts in it and a slight spiciness. 

ALHAMBRA PADANG SATAY

Block 56 New Upper Changi Road #01-1314 Kopi Kia SINGAPORE 461056 

Operating Hours: 3.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Daily)

B Burger : Forgettable burgers

B Burger is a newly opened burger joint by Benjamin Barker Group, a homegrown menswear label, known for its tailored suits. It is located on the ground floor of Orchard Cineleisure, serving burgers of the combination of classic American with Japanese flavors to set themselves apart from the others.The burgers are made upon order with freshly handmade patties.

I was there on a Saturday for lunch, it was not as crowded as I expected it to be. I decided to go with their single B Burger ($6.90), Bomchika Wow Wow Burger ($10.90) and added $3.50 to include a side and drink. I paid $23.10 in total and I was given a pager for collection later. I waited for about 10 minutes to collect it.

I was asked for the choices for drink and side which I opted for coke and fries, the other choices for sides are Nacho Soup and Wafu Ramen Slaw. 

Bomchika Wow Wow Burger ($10.90), it consists of 2 pieces of nicely fried chicken patties, with a fried egg, cheese, wafu slaw, sriracha honey, truffle mayo and the secret B sauce, served in between charcoal buns, it is quite similar to the Karate Burger ($8.90). Apparently, I could only taste the truffle mayo, not so much of the sriracha honey and the B sauce. The yolk of the fried egg was already broken and flowing, it was a bit messy. 

B Burger ($6.90), it consists of a beef patty, daikon pickles, caramelized onions, cheese, lettuce and B sauce. It tasted just fine and we did not like it as much.

They aim to be the Shake Shack of Singapore but they are still far from achieving it. My dining companion compared their burgers with "Burger Up", another local burger joint and he prefers the latter. 

B BURGER

8 Grange Road #01-01/02 Cathay Cineleisure Orchard SINGAPORE 239695

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Hawkerman at SingPost Centre

Hawkerman, a newly opened 75-seater eatery by Ben Yeo, the actor and TV host, together with Tenderfresh Group, Warong Kim's and Ah Boy Popiah. You will order and pay at the counter, a page is given for you to collect your food when it is ready.

Tenderfresh Group is a popular fried chicken chain. There is a Lucky Set ($7.90) that consists of 2 pieces of fried chicken with fries and coleslaw. Another interesting dish is O-Leek Chicken ($12.90), the fried chicken is served with their special soy-onion sauce together with fried and fresh leeks, it is served with fried yam strips instead of the usual fries, with XO sauce and homemade kimchi coleslaw, which is named Kimslaw. Warong Kim's is originally the Kim's Fried Hokkien Mee. Their popular choice is La La Hokkien Mee ($9.90) with white clams, prawns, and sotong created by master Tan Kue Kim, he is well-known for his wearing long-sleeved shirt and Rolex watch when frying his Hokkien mee. His son is behind the setup and also their signature "Lolex Hokkien Mee" ($44.90), consisting a lobster together with prawns, clams, and sotong. Ah Boy's Popiah is using the recipe that has been handed down by decades ago, the same that started Good Chance Popiah, a brand name that has been around for decades. The Hokkien Popiah ($3.90) and Skinny Popiah ($4.90), serving with crispy chicken skin and salted egg sauce are their popular choices. 

I decided to go with the Bao Ka Liao platter ($32.90) to share with my dining companion, it literally means "including everything" in Hokkien and is highly recommended by some food bloggers. It has 7 types of dishes, consisting half of the Tenderfresh's Signature Fried Spring Chicken, Hokkien Mee from Warong Kim's and the Hokkien Popiah from Ah Boy's Popiah. The platter also includes Citrus Plum Watermelon, homemade carrot cake with the XO sauce, fried muah chee with kimchi coleslaw, double yolks chicken. The set is supposed to feed 2, which we find it to be just enough though not filling and I do not think this platter is worth $32.90. I posted it on my Facebook and some of my friends there suggested it should be priced in between $18 to $25. 

The best of all has to be the Fried Spring Chicken, it was fried well to the desired crispiness and rather flavorful and we enjoyed it. This would likely to be the only dish that we will come back for.

The Hokkien Popiah was just fine, though not particularly outstanding as the flavor was rather mild. My dining companion was not impressed. 

Homemade carrot cake with bits of fried egg and preserved radish. The XO sauce is served in a saucer by itself and it was placed just beside the fried chicken, it could be easily overlooked and missed it out, which happened to us. My dining companion was initially commenting that the carrot cake did not have much taste before realizing it is supposed to eat along with that saucer of sauce. 

The Double Yolks Chicken, the egg salad did not have much effect in enhancing its flavor.

Fried Muah Chee with Kimchi Coleslaw was the only dish that surprised us, it actually tasted better than its look with a slight spiciness and it tasted quite special. 

The Hokkien Mee has no distinctive wok flavor and a bit too wet to my liking, it was quite disappointing when I compared it to the version done by master Tan but my dining companion deemed it to be quite acceptable. Perhaps I am expecting too much. 

Citrus Plum Watermelon was quite refreshing, it would be even so if it is served chilled and not at room temperature. 

There are some interesting desserts on their menu like the Durian 'N Jack Popiah ($5.90), it consists of durian and jackfruit with coconut ice-cream in popiah skin. Singapura Ice Cream ($5.90) is equally interesting, the coconut ice-cream is served with durian and some traditional snacks like gong tang, peanut sweet, ice gem biscuit with gula melaka.

The overall experience was not quite spectacular and I am not likely to come back soon. 

HAWKERMAN

10 Eunos Road 8 SingPost Centre #B1-128/129 SINGAPORE 408600

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.30 pm (Daily)

Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap at New Upper Changi Road

Melvin Chew, the owner, took over the stall and is running it with his mother after the passing of his father which happened quite suddenly. His parents started from a pushcart selling cut fruits before moving to Chinatown Complex Food Centre in 1983 to start serving Teochew style Braised Duck and Kway Chap. He has been helping out at the stall since young. And, he has recently opened another outlet in a coffee shop along New Upper Changi Road.

And, Kway Chap was the first dish that I tried and I did not like it as much then as the rice noodles were too thick to my liking. I went back to try the Braised Duck Rice Bento later, it was not too memorable as well. I was not even impressed by its creativity but deemed it to be gimmicky instead but even so, it is a good move in getting the younger customers.

I decided to go with The Quack Donburi Set at $5.00 this time. It consists of a portion of yam rice with braised duck, preserved vegetable, cucumber slices, half of a braised egg and a piece of daikon topped with hae bee hiam and fried garlic. The bowl of soup that served along with it has a light herbal flavor. 

My dining companion commented that the yam rice has a distinctive ham bee (dried shrimp) taste and he liked it. He said, "I do not remember it was this nice when I tasted the yam rice balls of the bento set. It was quite dry then with not much flavor." We both agreed that the braised duck was not as flavorful as we expected it to be and its texture was slightly tough as well. The ajitsuke tamago-inspired braised egg was done just right to have a soft and runny yolk. The chilli was quite good with just the right level of spiciness and a slight garlicky taste, which is quite nice.

Though their braised duck is not the best, the yam rice is amongst the nicest that I tried. 

JIN JI TEOCHEW BRAISED DUCK & KWAY CHAP

335 Smith Street #02-156 Chinatown Complex Food Centre SINGAPORE 050335

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 6.30 pm (Closed on Friday)

Block 56 New Upper Changi Road #01-1314 Kopi Kia SINGAPORE 460156

Operating Hours: 10.30 am  to 6.30 pm (Closed on Friday)