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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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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Xiang Ji Porridge 香记粥品 (Telok Blangah Crescent Market & Food Centre)

Century Egg and Pork Porridge $3.50 with Egg $0.50

Age seems to have caught up with me. I used to have porridge only when I was not feeling well. And when I am well, I would definitely not have porridge for lunch as it was not filling. But now, ironically, I enjoy a bowl of porridge for lunch every now and then. Yes, even if the weather is scorching hot, I somehow cannot say no to this porridge.

I am surprise that no one has shared about Xiang Ji Porridge 香记粥品 as it is a hidden gem! The stall is located at Telok Blangah Crescent Hawker Centre, which is quite out of the way as it is not near any MRT stations. It is located 5 minutes away from Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and SAFRA Mount Faber.

The stall is open from Tuesday to Saturday and business starts at 7am till sold out, which is usually slightly after 1pm. During lunch time, the queue can stretch to more than 10 persons long. This is how popular they are! In terms of variety, they offer a wide range, from century eggs, pork liver, pork minced meat, pork lean meat, shredded chicken to fish.

The porridge has a grainy texture as it is well cooked till the grains are broken into slightly smaller pieces. Each bowl of porridge comes with generous toppings of fried fritters, spring onion, shallots and preserved vegetable. There is no need to add additional seasoning as the porridge is flavourful, not to the extent of salty, and the preserved vegetable will provide additional flavour.

Century Egg and Pork Porridge $3.50 with Egg $0.50

My favourite and usual dish is the Century Egg and Pork Porridge which cost $3.50. I will usually add an egg for $0.50 to make the texture creamier and provide more flavour. The amount of ingredient given is quite generous (you can see the amount of century egg given in the photos above).

Pork and Liver Porridge $3.50 with Egg $0.50

Another combination which I frequently order is the Pork and Liver Porridge $3.50 with Egg $0.50.

Since I chanced upon this stall, I have been eating their porridge frequently. This simple yet unpretentious bowl of porridge certainly punches its weigh. Whether you are feeling under or above the weather, this is one good solid bowl of porridge worth trying!

Xiang Ji Porridge 香记粥品 (Telok Blangah Crescent Market & Food Centre)

#01-98 Telok Blangah Crescent Hawker Centre

Blk 11 Telok Blangah Crescent

Singapore 090011

Opening Hours: Tue to Sat 7am till sold out (normally slightly after 1 pm)

                          Closed on Sun and Mon

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