Monday 4 May 2020

Old Long House Popiah 老長屋薄餅 (Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre)

$1.60 Popiah
The origin of Popiah was believed to be from the Fujian Province in China. It is also known as the Spring Roll as it was made and eaten during Spring period when the farmers harvest their vegetables. 

In Singapore, the older generation would understand the significance of Popiah as it was a household dish in the past. Popiah would be eaten during significant occasions and provided a good bonding opportunity. 
Old Long House Popiah 老長屋薄餅 is located at Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre. This stall is located at a corner of the hawker centre and its not hard to find it as it is located along the same row as Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles and Lai Heng Cooked Food Stall. 
The Popiah is sold for $1.60 each.
Each piece is freshly made upon order.
$1.60 Popiah
This $1.60 Popiah from Old Long House Popiah stall at Kim Keat Food Centre is surprisingly delicious. The popiah was tightly packed and full of ingredients. Despite its plain and boring appearance, each bite was accompanied with little burst of flavours and texture. There was a crunch with every mouthful too!
$1.60 Popiah
Another look at ingredients in the popiah.

This is one of the best popiah I have eaten. Give it a try!


Old Long House Popiah 老長屋薄餅  (Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre)
22 Lor 7 Toa Payoh
#01-03 Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre
Singapore 310019
Opening Hours: Wed to Sun 6am to 2pm
                           Closed on Mon, Tue
Give it a
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Friday 24 April 2020

Chao Zhou Fishball Noodle 潮洲魚丸粿條面 (Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre)


Fishball Noodle (Mee Pok Dry) $3.50
If you are a fan of old school style fishball noodle, you got to visit Chao Zhou Fishball Noodle 潮洲魚丸粿條面 at Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre. Do take note of their opening day and hours if you intend to visit as they can be closed between 3 to 4 days in a week.
It is hard to miss this stall as it has the longest queue in the entire hawker centre.
The fishballs are handmade early in the morning.
The fishball noodle are sold at $3.50 per bowl. Each extra piece of fishball would cost $3.50! 
Fishball Noodle (Mee Pok Dry) $3.50
This is the $3.50 dry version Fishball Mee Pok with chilli. The sauce consist of a mixture of ketchup and chilli sauce with pork lard. The mee pok was perfectly cooked and was soft yet springy. What drew the crowd was the handmade fishballs. The fishballs were huge in size and bouncy. It does not taste like those you get at most other fishball stalls where you would taste more flour and salt.

Chao Zhou Fishball Noodle 潮洲魚丸粿條面 (Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre)
22 Lor 7 Toa Payoh
#01-20 Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre 
Singapore 310019 
Opening Hours: Wed to Thu, Sat/Sun 8 am to 1.30pm 
Closed on Mon, Tue, Fri


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Friday 3 April 2020

Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle 来興香菇肉脞面 (Toa Payoh)


Kway Teow Noodles (Dry) $5
Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle 来興香菇肉脞面 is a very popular bak chor mee stall in Toa Payoh. They used to be located at Blk 51 but have shifted to Blk 73 in late 2018. Their relocation is good news for most foodies as it is now walking distance from Toa Payoh MRT station and Interchange.
Do not be deceive when you visit the stall and notice that there is no queue. They have adopted a queue system where you would be given a number after ordering and making payment. There is a sign next to the stall showing the number when the food is ready for collection.

I visited during lunch time on weekdays and slightly more than half an hour during each visit. Each time, the mee pok was already sold out!
Bee Tai Mak (Soup) $5
I saw many people ordering the soup version and decided to give it a try. Boy, I had no regrets. The $5 Bee Tai Mak (Soup) tasted way better than the dry chilli version.
Bee Tai Mak (Soup) $5
The bowl of Bee Tai Mak came with slices of braised chinese mushroom, lean meat, minced meat, bean sprouts, seaweed, liver, pork lard and even mock abalone. This whole combination provided different combination of taste and texture to the dish. The pork lard and beansprouts gave it a crisp and crunchy dimension while the mushroom provided the soup with so much flavour. 

This is one of the best soup bak chor mee I have tried. 
Kway Teow Noodles (Dry) $5
The $5 Kway Teow Noodles (Dry) came with similar ingredients as the soup version. The bowl of soup that accompanied it tasted drastically different from the soup version of minced meat noodle. 
Kway Teow Noodles (Dry) $5
The taste of the dry minced meat noodle was average. The sauce and chilli did not combine well with the ingredients. The chilli was just very spicy and lack the fragrance. As a result, the taste of the chilli overwhelmed the other taste of the ingredients and the sauce.

Go for the soup version! That is the food to try out!

Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle 来興香菇肉脞面 (Toa Payoh)
Block 73 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 #01-611 
Singapore 310073 
Opening Hours: 8 am to 4 pm 
Closed on Wednesdays



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Sunday 19 January 2020

ENG's Wantan Noodle (Vivo City)

I have heard so much about ENG’s wanton noodle before but not given it a try as it is located away from where I stay.

Ironically, in a twist of events, the recent dispute between the founder's son and business partner over how the original stall was run resulted in them splitting. Which led to Eng’s Wanton Noodle expanding aggressively across the island.

This happened when the business partner decided to exit the business and transferring the lease to the chief executive of Lao Huo Tang (老火汤), who decided to bring Eng’s wanton noodles to the heartlands to make it more convenient for customers to grab a bite instead of going all the way to Tanjong Katong Road.

If you are still confused, ENG's Wantan Noodle is managed by Lao Huo Tang while ENG'S Char Siew Wantan Mee is by the founder's children. By now, you may have noticed ENG's Wantan Noodle appearing in many heartlands. Besides Vivo City, they are also at many other locations such as Westgate, Bukit Panjang, Eastpoint Mall, AMK Hub and 287 Tanjong Katong Road, Northpoint City, Causeway Point and Tiong Bahru Plaza.

Their menu at Vivo City is limited as the unit space is small. They sell only Wanton Mee, Wanton, Ngoh Hiang, Oyster Sauce Vegetable and Drinks. The pork lard is free flow. The outlet at Northpoint sells Toast and Soft Boiled Eggs too.

This is the large version of the dry Wanton Mee which cost $5.50. The wanton noodles was cooked perfectly. The texture, springiness and taste of the noodles was spot on. It was good enough such that you can keep slurping only the noodles and not feel jelak (sick of eating).

The Fried Wantan $3 did not stand out. The filling and taste was typical of the fried wantan you can get elsewhere.

The $6 Fried Ngoh Hiang was average too. As a Teochew, I may have been too particular about this dish and am too used to having chestnuts in my Ngoh Hiang (which provides a crunchy bite).

Taste wise, I was expecting to be wow. Although I was not wow, I must say that the taste of the wanton mee, specifically, the noodles was above average. Surprisingly, considering how fast the business has expanded. I can foresee myself coming back just for the Wanton Mee again and again.

ENG's Wantan Noodle
#B2-26A VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk
Singapore 098585



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Tuesday 30 July 2019

Hor Fun Premium (Alexandra Village Food Centre)


$4.50 Mixed Hor Fun
Hor Fun Premium specialises in Hor Fun. Its offering also includes Mui Fan and Pork Ribs Rice. I am a fan of Hor Fun and after the owner of Four Seas Fried Mee & Rice•Fried HorFun (Albert Centre Market & Food Centre) retired, I have never found one of similar quality. While Hor Fun Premium did not match the exact standard and quality of Four Seas, it is the next best.


What makes this stall stand out is that the Hor Fun was fried under high heat, infusing the wok hei aroma in it. I would have thought that this is a given. But in reality, it is not. I have eaten Hor Fun so many times where this aroma is not present.
 
Menu
The $4.50 Mixed Hor Fun comes with prawns, slices of fish and meat with vegetables. It would have been perfect if it had comes with squid and more egg. The hawker has probably used an egg for a few plates of Hor Fun, which unfortunately is a common practice. Taste wise, it was decent. The ingredients were fresh and well fried.


This is the $4.50 Beef Hor Fun. What stood out was that the beef was amazingly tender.

The good news is that because the stall only sells these few food items, the turnaround is very fast. Hence, most of the time, there is no queue.

Hor Fun Premium (Alexandra Village Food Centre)
#01-78 Alexandra Village Food Centre
120 Bukit Merah Lane 1
Singapore 150120
Opening Hours: Daily 1030am to 230pm, 5pm to 830pm


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Wednesday 15 May 2019

Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee 天天来炒福建虾面 (Toa Payoh)


If you are a fan of Hokkien Prawn Mee, you would have probably heard of this stall before. Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee is a very popular Hokkien Prawn Mee located at Toa Payoh Lorong 1. Unlike its stall name, even if you visit the stall daily, it does not open every day.


Personally, I have always wanted to visit this stall for many years. But due to its location, I did not visit the stall. It is 10 minute walk from Braddell MRT station and 15 minute walk from Toa Payoh MRT station. Yes, it is walkable from Toa Payoh MRT station, provided you know all the short cuts! I only found out about this recently.

I heard that there are long queues during lunch time and that it would be at least a 30 minutes wait. Hence, I visited in the morning for breakfast. As I went at 8am on a weekday, there was no queue. The Hokkien Prawn Mee comes in $4, $5, $8 and $10 version. There is also a $18 version suitable for 3 to 4 pax.  


Unlike the version at Golden Mile Food Centre, Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee’s version is creamy and gooey. Overall, it was delicious as each strand of noodle was coated with sweet, tasty and fragrant sauce (broth). The serving given for $4 was generous too.

Interestingly, the noodles seems to have been cut as they were shorter than usual. This made it a lot easier to eat using the spoon, instead of chopsticks, which to me is a better way of enjoying the Hokkien Prawn Noodles. This is because, each spoonful would be accompanied with more sauce/broth.


Ps: I am never good with language especially when it comes to dishes such as Hokkien Prawn Mee. But I must state that this is a very decent plate Hokkien Prawn Mee.


Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee 天天来炒福建 (Toa Payoh)
Blk 127, #02-27
Lorong 1 Toa Payoh
Singapore 310127
Opening Hours: Tue to Sun 8am – 2.30pm
                           Closed on Mon


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Thursday 18 April 2019

Seletar Sheng Mian & Mian Fen Guo (Toa Payoh Lorong 8)

Sheng Mian $5
Seletar Sheng Mian & Mian Fen Guo, a hawker stall, has been highly raved about by many foodies. Many have raved about its sheng mian, chilli and soup.

Interestingly, Seletar Sheng Mian & Mian Fen Guo is located at Kebun Baru Food Centre and Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Food Centre. I was told that it has a third outlet at Aljunied. However, I am unable to verify this over the internet.

I had tried visiting the stall before at Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Food Centre, but had no luck then as the stall was closed although it was a Friday. This time, I was glad that I got to try it at long last. I visited on a Friday during lunch time. Despite the queue at the stall, the turnover was fast as there were 2 persons in the stall cooking the noodles, 1 person preparing the ingredients and 1 person taking orders and collecting the payment.
Sheng Mian $5

I ordered the $5 dry version Sheng Mian with chilli. It came with 4 pieces of prawns and slices of pork meat. Personally, I felt that the chilli, which played a critical role in any dry noodle dish, was disappointing. It was spicy but not fragrance. As a whole, the noodles with the chilli was average. Taste wise, it was not out of the world. But the soup was delicious. It was so tasty, robust and sweet that I finished every single drop and did not feel thirsty at all (no MSG).
Sheng Mian $5

Maybe I should try its soup version instead in the next opportunity. Do note that the hawker stall will be undergoing renovation for 3 months from 22 April 2019.

Seletar Sheng Mian & Mian Fen Guo (Toa Payoh Lorong 8)
#01-05 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Food Centre
Blk 210 Toa Payoh Lorong 8
Singapore 310210
Opening Hours: Fri to Tue 6am to 2pm
                           Closed on Wed and Thu



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Thursday 4 April 2019

Na Na Curry 南南咖哩 (Bukit Merah View Food Centre)

Curry Chicken $3.50
I have never heard of Na Na Curry 南南咖哩  till made its way into the list in the Singapore Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2016. Fast forward to 2 years later, it has continued to make its way into the list in 2017 and 2018.

Na Na Curry has been around since 1989 and opened its first outlet is at Marina South. This is the reason why the stall at Bukit Merah View has the words “Marina South” on its signage. The owner learned the curry recipe from his grandmother as it was a dish which was well loved by family and friends. 
Menu

Na Na Curry is unique in several ways. Firstly, it is one of its kind that specialises in just selling Chinese curry. Normally, such curry stalls are those curry rice stall that sells other food items. But Na Na Curry’s version is purely curry with white rice or bread. Secondly, it sells a unique range of curry items. Curry Fish Head, Curry Fish Meat, Curry Chicken, Curry Vegetables and Curry Mutton are common. But Curry Pork Ribs is totally new to me! Thirdly, it has a manufacturing arm to pre-packs curry paste for its outlets.

I have been to the stall several times to try a different curry each time. Before I continue, I must warn that the curry is not for the fainted hearted. It is very very spicy, but yet addictive. You are bounded to have a fiery ass after the meal (if you know what I mean. Haha).
Curry Pork Ribs $4 (top up $0.50 for rice)
I had reservations trying the Curry Pork Ribs $4 (top up $0.50 for rice) as I was wondering whether the meat would be tough and if I would need to use my hands or even stain my shirt if I was to use the utensils to pull out the meat. But wow, I was impressed. The pork ribs were so folk tender. The pork meat came off the rib bones so easily. Taste wise, the meat was not tough. The curry was fragrance and spicy.
Curry Fish Meat $5.50 (top up $0.50 for rice)


Curry Fish Meat $5.50 (top up $0.50 for rice)
The Curry Fish Meat $5.50 (top up $0.50 for rice) came with lady fingers and tomato. The curry taste just slightly less spicy probably because of the addition of the tomato and fish meat. What was impressive was the fish meat. It was cooked just right with its flavour intact. The sweetness and freshness of the fish left a lasting impression

Curry Chicken $3.5 (top up $0.50 for rice)

The Curry Chicken $3.5 (top up $0.50 for rice) came with 2 pieces of potatoes. The potatoes were cooked perfectly. They were firm yet soft when a spoon was used to cut it into small pieces. As for the chicken meat, they came off the bones so easily. The curry again was spicy yet fragrance.

The curry was so good that I could pair it with just plain rice even if no meat was given. It was so good that on one occasion, I had 2 plates of rice with it.
Curry Mutton $4 (top up $0.50 for rice)

The Curry Mutton $4 (top up $0.50 for rice) also came with potatoes. Interestingly, there was no gamey (or mutton) taste in the curry. Also, the mutton meat was so tender that I could cut the meat into smaller pieces using just the spoon!

Over the visits, I realised that the stall owner was able to cook the items (e.g. fish meat, chicken meat, potato, lady lady fingers) so perfectly because once the items were cooked, the items would be taken out. This prevents overcooking. Sounds like a no brainer right? But not everyone bothers to do these little things that matters.

If you are visiting for the first time, I would suggest that you try the Curry Pork Ribs which is not commonly available elsewhere.

Na Na Curry 南南咖哩 (Bukit Merah View Food Centre)
#01-47 Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre
115 Bukit Merah View
Singapore 151115
Tel: 9106 4316
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 11am – 7pm
                          Closed on Sun


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Monday 18 February 2019

Ah Tan Wings - Crispy Chicken Har Cheong Gai (Yishun Park Hawker Centre)

Atas Wing Meal $5.20
Ah Tan Wings located at Yishun Park Hawker Centre probably needs no further introduction since its food and even the background of how the owner created the dish is in many articles online.
To keep things short, the owner of the stall is 27 years old and he had experienced hundreds of variation and methods, ranging from seasoning, heat control to frying techniques. He participated in events to get feedback and learn about cooking techniques as cooking as a business entity is different from cooking as an individual since different equipment are used and you need to fry more at any one time. Kudos to him for his endurance and perseverance.

Today, he is selling as many as 900 chicken wings every day! Naturally, after knowing all these, I was so hyped up to try the chicken wings.

I visited on a weekday lunch time. Surprisingly, the hawker centre was not crowded. I wonder how the stall owners survive on weekdays. Even a popular stall like Ah Tan Wings, had just 1 person in the queue.

Ah Tan Wings basically sells prawn paste chicken wings, prawn paste cutlet, rice and egg. Since there was no queue, I received my order within 5 minutes after ordering.
Atas Wing Meal $5.20

Atas Wing Meal $5.20 consists of 2 shrimp paste wings, aromatic rice and egg. Yes, you read this correctly, aromatic rice! It is essentially plain rice.

The prawn paste chicken wings are very crisp and well marinated. Even the meat nearer to the bones has prawn paste flavour. Definitely, one of the tastiest prawn paste chicken wings I have tried. As for the downside, I felt that it was greasy, i.e. on the oily end. As for the rest of the ingredients, they were just average.
Atas Cutlet Meal $6.50
Atas Cutlet Meal $6.50 consists of a big chunk of prawn paste cutlet, aromatic rice and egg. Again, the cutlet was very well marinated and crisp on the exterior. However, it was very greasy. I am not sure what when wrong, whether it was the heat technique or the marination mix. All I know was that I was extremely disappointed by the dish. Needless to say, we did not manage to finish it.

Overall, I do not understand the hype. I like the wings for its taste. But for $1.70 and considering that it is on the oily end, I will give it a skip. As the saying goes, one man's meat is another man's poison.

Ah Tan Wings - Crispy Chicken Har Cheong Gai (Yishun Park Hawker Centre) 
#01-40 Yishun Park Hawker Centre 
51 Yishun Avenue 11 
Singapore 768867 
Opening Hours: Tue to Fri, 11am – 2pm & 5pm – 9pm 
                           Sat to Sun, 11.30am – 2pm & 5pm – 8.30pm 
                           Closed on Sun

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