Wei Wei Noodle Stall : Bak Chor Mee

I was in the coffee shop for the second time in a month and i took notice that many customers ordered from this stall. I decided to try it when the other stall that is serving Mee Siam is closed, i ordered Bak Chor Mee for $3.50. I was asked to take a seat. The coffee shop is quite small so you do not even need to give your table number when ordering, you can just sit anywhere and they will find you somehow.

My bowl of Bak Chor Mee came pretty soon, served by a friendly Auntie, i was telling her that i decided to move to this table as it is farther away from the smoking zone. She was saying, "Ya, ya, that area is for smoking."

The portion is good for $3.50, it consists of a substantial amount of mee kia with ingredients like pork liver, lean meat, minced meat, braised mushroom and bean sprouts, topped with chopped spring onion to serve. 

Even though i requested to have extra chilli added but its level of spiciness is still quite mild that i could hardly taste it but it did not really disappoint as the overall flavor was quite tasty. The mee kia was cooked just right as well.

Though simple but i really enjoyed it, it was a pleasant surprise. As i did not expect too much when i came across their menu that includes Wanton Mee, Laksa and others. They even has a fried carrot cake stall just next to it. How do you expect Jack of all trades to be good? Though this is the case but their Bak Chor Mee is really nicer than expected and i will likely to order it again when i happen to be here.

WEI WEI NOODLE STALL

Block 807 Yishun Ring Road #01-4203 Cafe 807 SINGAPORE 760807

Tims Restaurant & Cafe : Celebrating 10th Year Anniversary

It got me to wonder a little on what does it takes for an eatery to survive and actually lasted for 10 years in Singapore? Not many of these eateries around and some only lasted for just a couple of months before closing down. Their reasons for not been able to make it are quite identical, it is mainly due to the manpower issues as well as of the high rental. So, what exactly does it takes for a eatery to go through that and is still around after a good 10 years? Tims Restaurant & Cafe is amongst those that have been around for at least a decade or longer. It is located in a shop house nestled underneath a HDB block next to the food centre at Toa Payoh Lorong 4. Their menu includes Western & Nepalese Cuisine like Himalayan/Nepalese dishes, Hot Dogs, Burgers, Pizza, Seafood, Steaks and Vegetarian dishes. Tom Shrestha, the owner, is from Nepal, he started this since 2006 and is currently celebrating the10th year anniversary of its existence. 

They do serve set lunches from 11.30 am to 3.00 pm. There are Grilled Chicken Set ($12.80), Chicken Cutlet Set ($12.80), Grilled Fish Set ($12.80), Fish & Chips Set ($12.80), Vegetarian Spaghetti Set ($12.50), Fried Chicken with Onion Rings Set ($13.50), Fried Fish with Calamari Rings Set ($14.80), Cheesy Chicken with Sausage Set ($15.80), Spaghetti Bolognaise Set ($12.80), Grilled Sirloin Steak Set ($15.50), Grilled Ribeye Steak Set ($18.00), Sirloin Steak & Chicken, Fish or Sausage Set ($19.00). There are a total of 12 different sets and you could choose your choice of sauce from Black Pepper, Field Mushroom, BBQ, Mango Salsa, Rosemary Onion and Teriyaki. The set includes a Soup of the Day with Garlic Bread, Dessert, Coffee/Tea or Milo. Option is available to change the hot drink to canned drink at an extra $1.00 or change the Dessert to a single scoop of ice cream for 0.80 cents. Most importantly, there is no service charge nor GST added on to those prices.

I was there at about 1.30 pm and almost all of the tables in there were occupied. I was asked to seat at a long table for 6 and menu was quickly presented upon seated down. I decided to go with Grilled Chicken Set and requested to change the hot drink to a canned drink. The drink came first, followed by the garlic bread then the soup right after. 

The garlic bread did go well with the Cream of Mushroom though the soup tasted slightly diluted.

The Grilled Chicken consists of a piece of a nicely charred and flavorful, boneless chicken accompanied by roasted potato and blanched carrot, radish as well as long bean. It is of a pretty good value for a rather comforting taste. 

The Dessert of the Day was a piece of buttercake, simple and nice.

Their tagline is "A place where you can find quality, services & affordable pricing". And, they have definitely live up to it and has do it right in order to survive so long in the competitive food scene in Singapore. Though the food did not impress too much but their attentive service has definitely left an impression. 

TIMS RESTAURANT & CAFE

Block 95 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 #01-52 SINGAPORE 310095

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 10.30 pm (Daily)

Hup Kee : Malaysian-style Handmade Fishball Noodle

I happened to chance upon this new stall in a coffee shop near to a food centre in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4. I approached the stall and started to chat with the cook in Mandarin, i said, "Your stall seem to be quite famous." He said, "I cannot say that we are famous but we do have other outlets in Malaysia and this is the first in Singapore." He continued to say, "We are famous for our handmade fishballs."

Their menu is quite simple, there is the dry and the soup version at $3.50 and $4.50. I ordered one of which, at $4.50. I asked the cook, "Do you bring the noodles from Malaysia or source locally?" He said, "We are currently getting it locally but would consider to bring in from Malaysia later." He then said, "The texture is actually different."

The soup noodle at $4.50 consists of 4 pieces of handmade fishballs, a few slices of fishcake, a fried wanton and a fried stuffed beancurd. They topped it with chopped spring onions and fried shallot to serve. Though simple, it is actually quite tasty and the flavor is bring forth by the fried shallot. 

The mee pok is cooked just right with a slight springiness still intact, just how i would liked it.

The deep-fried wanton tasted quite normal but the stuffed beancurd is quite unique, it was still slightly crispy when i ate it. They even have a special chilli to go with it but the spiciness is quite intense. 

I requested to have extra fried pork lards for my dry noodle which contributed to a bowl of deliciousness. I would actually prefer the dry to the soup one as it is a tastier choice. It tasted quite different from other fishball noodle locally. Just like those available in Malaysia, they actually made an effort to mix the noodles with the sauce before having served it to you. 

The texture of fishball is soft and rather springy, it tasted fresh. 

The stall is closed from 13 September to 17 September as the cook and his assistant will be going back to Malaysia to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with their families. The cook said, "We have been in operation for 3 months and this is our first time to be on off." 

HUP KEE FISHBALL

Block 158 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-590 SINGAPORE 560158

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 8.00 pm

Heng Huat Soup House : Cheap & Good Double-Boiled Soups

This is one of the newest stalls in this food centre, they serve different types of double-boiled soups with rice and often, there is always a short queue. This is a family run business and they are friendly people, the food items are quite affordable. 

Their menu includes Old Cucumber with Soft Bone Soup ($3.50), ABC Soup ($3.50), Watercress with Soft Bone Soup ($3.50), Peanut Lotus Root with Soft Bone Soup ($3.50), White Radish Soft Bone Soup ($3.50), Sze Chuan Vegetable with Soft Bone Soup ($3.50), Papaya with Soft Bone Soup ($3.80), Pear with Soft Bone Soup ($3.80), Apple with Soft Bone Soup ($3.80), Herbal Steamed Black Chicken Soup ($4.00), Herbal Imperial Chicken ($5.00) and Chinese Steamed Egg($1.50). Other than the different type of stewed soups, you could also choose between the Taiwan Braised Meat Rice ($1.50), Pumpkin Rice ($1.00) and Cabbage Rice ($1.00). 

My usual order is their Taiwan Braised Meat Rice with a braised egg added. Though it did not quite taste the real thing that i had eaten in Taiwan but it is actually unique in its own way. It is healthier as less oily though not as fragrant as not much dried shallot flavor in it. The braised egg is just normal but it is a nice addition that i usually like to have it with.

Their Peanut Lotus Root with Soft Bone Soup is my usual order. It consists of 2 pieces of soft bone with a few slices of lotus root and a handful of peanuts in it. The flavor is light and not too oily, it tasted quite healthy, too.

The Sze Chuan Vegetable with Soft Bone Soup consists of a few pieces of Sze Chuan vegetable, a small chunk of carrot and sweet corn with 2 pieces of soft bone added. It is more flavorful with a well-balanced saltish taste. It is usually one of those soups that are always sold out first.

The soft bones for both soups have a desired softness and the meat came off from the bone effortlessly.

I have been back a few times since their opening in early July 2016.

HENG HUAT SOUP HOUSE

Block 628 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-65 AMK 628 Food Centre SINGAPORE 560628

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)

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)