#MAKANBOLEH Epok Epok (Curry Puff) (Seah Im Food Centre)

Sardin Epok Epok $1

One evening late last year, I was scrolling through my instagram feed when I spotted a unique post about epok epok at Seah Im Food Centre that caught my attention. It was a post by Miss Ha. I searched the internet but could not find much information. I knew that I had to give it a try when I had the opportunity to. 

So I made three trips down to the stall called #MAKANBOLEH. On my first visit, I went during lunch time and was told that they only start making and selling the epok epo at 4.30pm. During my second visit, I was told that I had to wait for 1 hour! As I was in a rush, I could not afford to wait. So I made another trip and this time, I was told that the waiting time was 45 minutes. In reality, I waited for an hour.

PS: do you know that curry puff are known as epok epok by our Muslim friends? Although both terms Curry Puff and Epok Epok are used interchangeably in Singapore, their taste tend to differ. For example, curry puff tends to include curry in the fillings whereas the tradtional epok epok uses chilli sauce.

True enough when you visit after 4.30pm, you will be able to witness how the epok epok are made and cooked on the spot. From the pastry to the filling and to the frying of the epok epok. There are two varieties of Epok Epok, the Sardin Epok Epok and Potato Epok Epok. They cost $1 each.

Sardin Epok Epok $1

I have placed a one dollar coin next to the Epok Epok to illustrate the huge size of it. This Epok Epok cost just $1! Moreover, it comes pipping hot, fresh out of the stove of hot oil!

The crust of any epok epok or curry puff is always important as it needs to be thin and yet be able to hold the fillings in well, and is crisp. #MAKANBOLEH's Epok Epok crust hit all the right notes in this aspect. Moreover, it has a butter fragrance which is a plus point.

Sardin Epok Epok $1

This Sardin Epok Epok came with huge chunks of sardine meat and small pieces of onion. On the first bite, the spiciness of the chilli pasteoverwhelmed me, before the sweetness set in. The more I bite into it, the more I love it! Sedap!

Potato Epok Epok $1

The Potato Epok Epok was equally good although it tasted different. Instead of chilli paste, curry paste was used. The curry sauce was not as spicy and was sweeter, coated each chunk of potato. You can literally bite into the potatoes as they were not mashed up. A chunk of hard boiled egg was also added.

Most of the time, I prefer my Epok Epok with potato fillings. But this time, both were really good. If you are a fan of Epok Epok, wait no more! Give this a try!

#MAKANBOLEH Epok Epok (Curry Puff) (Seah Im Food Centre)

#01-36 Seah Im Food Centre 

2 Seah Im Road 

Singapore 099114 

Opening Hours: Daily 6am to 9pm

                           Closed on Mon

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Fat Papas (Northpoint City)

Wimpy Beef Burger $15 + upgrade to Beef Chilli Cheese Fries $2

You may probably be thinking of Fat Boys when you read the post title "Fat Papas". Well, this is quite normal. Fat Papas is in a way related to Fat Boys. In fact, it is the Halal version of Fat Boys. 

If you are wondering why Fat Papas logo is so familiar, well, you are not alone too. The logo looks like Sheikh Haikel right? Well, it is Sheikh Haikel, the popular Singporean rapper and comedian! He is the one who pitched the idea of a Halal version of Fat Boys to the Bernice Tay, the owner of Fat Boys, who agreed in the joint venture after seven years, as certain recipes had to be tweaked. 

Menu

Menu

Fat Papas' offer a variety of burgers, beef ribs, steaks, pastas and milkshakes. You can even build you own burger (BYOB)!

Wimpy Beef Burger $15 + upgrade to Beef Chilli Cheese Fries $2

We ordered Fat Boy's signature dish, Wimpy Beef Burger $15 which consisted of beef patty, turkey bacon, fried egg, melted aged cheddar cheese and bbq sauce on a sesame seed bun. The burger was quite delicious. The beef patty itself was soft, moist and tender, and did not fall apart apart easily. Also, the turkey bacon was not hard and salty. 

We also topped up $2 to upgrade our fries to Beef Chilli Cheese Fries. The only issue I had with this was that the amount of sauce should have covered all the fries as it complemented the fries so well and made them so addictive! 

Country Fried Steak $19.80

One cannot walk away from Fat Papas without trying the Country Fried Steak $19.80. It is Sheikh Haikel's favourite dish at Fat Boys.

The Country Fried Steak consisted of a piece of thin breaded steak coated with cheese bechamel sauce and served on a bed of whipped potato. Though the fried steak was thin, it was huge and so crisp. This dish is best shared among at least two persons. The fried steak though decently executed would have been quite ordinary if not for the cheese bechamel sauce. This is a must try! 

Fat Papas (Northpoint City)

#01-150 Northpoint City South Wing

930 Yishun Avenue 2

Singapore 769098

Opening Hours: Daily 12pm to 11pm

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Springleaf Prata Place (Upper Thomson Road)

Egg Prata $1.90 (per piece)

Springleaf Prata Place specialises in serving Indian cuisine such as pratas, thosai, goreng goreng and murtabak. I have been visiting this eatery since young and love their roti prata. Regulars would know that this eatery used called The Prata Place and is halal certified.

Menu

Over the years, the variety of roti prata has increased. They now offer pratas such as Chicken Floss Prata, Portobello Mozzarella Prata and Plaster Blaster which was created for the Ultimate Hawker Fest.

Menu 

Plain (Kosong) Prata $1.10 (per piece)

They serve one of the best Plain (Kosong) Prata. The Prata was crispy on the outside (including the edges) and fluffy on the inside. Moreover, it was not oily, they certainly managed the heat well. Dipping it into the aromatic curry made the Prata taste even more heavenly.

The Egg Prata was huge and elongated rectangular in shape! It was crispy but not as fluffy as the Plain Prata at the areas where the egg was. Nevertheless, it was delish and one of the better egg pratas around.

2014 Plaster Blaster $5

The 2014 Plaster Blaster was created for the 2014 Ultimate Hawker Fest. This is the most unique fusion Prata I have ever tried! It is essentially plain prata with turkey ham and egg benedict! Yes, you read this right! It's poached egg with hollandaise sauce! Surprisingly, it tasted delicious. The different taste complemented each other perfectly! What a creation! Genius!

Portobello Mozzarella Prata $5

The Portobello Mozzarella Prata was recommended by a reader on FoodieFC Instagram account. It consisted of plain prata with portobello mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. This need to be eaten immediately when it is served so that the cheese inside is still warm. I am a huge fan of mushroom, needless to say I love this! At $5, the price is a little steep. 

Springleaf Prata Place certainly does not disappoint when I need to satisfy my prata cravings. Although the eatery is air-conditioned, you would smell of curry and prata as it is not well ventilated. But its worth it as the food (prata) is too good to resist and its well worth the calories gained.

Springleaf Prata Place (Upper Thomson Road)

1 Thong Soon Ave 

Springleaf Garden 

Tel: 6459 5670 

Opening Hours:Daily 7am to 12am

Website

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Epok Epok Central (Eunos)

Nasi Lemak $3.50

It has been ages since I last visited Epok Epok Central. I used to visit Epok Epok Central in 2009 when I was working at Paya Lebar. Epok Epok Central is located at Eunos Crescent Market & Food Centre which is just next to Eunos MRT station. Back then, I still remember its Potato, Sardine and Egg Epok Epok (i.e. curry puff) was priced at a dollar for 3 pieces. 

During a recent visit, besides selling Epok Epok, Epok Epok Central was also selling Nasi Lemak. There was a long queue for the Nasi Lemak and their Epok Epok was sold out.

Nasi Lemak $3.50

I decided to try the Nasi Lemak. Although the queue was short, the service was very slow... I waited for more than 20 minutes despite the short queue. I ordered ikan (fish), ikan bilis, telur (egg) and chicken wings. This plate of Nasi Lemak cost $3.50! That's quite pricey!

Nasi Lemak $3.50

The best part of the Nasi Lemak was the rice which was so fragrant with coconut milk taste. While the rest of the ingredients were average, the most disappointing ingredient was the chicken wings. The marination was on the salty end with no hint of any other flavour.

They seems to be concentrating on selling Nasi Lemak as the Epok Epok was sold out. Instead of preparing more Epok Epok, the stove with oil was being used to fry chicken wings instead. Judging from the prices, the profit margin for Nasi Lemak and specifically the Chicken Wings was higher than the Epok Epok (which would also require more preparation).

I have heard on forums about the owners being arrogant and closing whenever they felt like it. Well, I am not sure about the arrogant part. But what is true would be the part on them closing whenever they felt like it. I went back to the stall three hours later at 5pm to try my luck on getting the Epok Epok and saw that the stall was closed.  

Epok Epok Central (Eunos)
#01-09 Eunos Crescent Market & Food Centre
Blk 4A Eunos Crescent  
Singapore 402004
Opening Hours: Tue to Sun 9am -10pm 
                          Closed on Monday

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Inspirasi Stall (Bedok Interchange Food Centre)

Soto Ayam $2.50

Inspirasi is a muslim hawker stall located at Bedok Interchange Food Centre. The food centre recently underwent renovation. It is now well-ventilated and airy due to its high ceilings and numerous fans. 

Inspirasi sells Mee Rebus, Soto Ayam, Mee Soto, Chicken Porridge at $2.50 and fried potato patties (Begedil) at $0.50. 

This stall is well known within the area and there would be a perceptual queue during lunch and dinner hours. In fact, there would always be a long queue at this stall just before it opens for business. 

Soto Ayam $2.50

I ordered the Soto Ayam $2.50 because to me, this is probably the best Soto Ayam in Singapore. It consisted of cubed rice with shredded chicken and bean sprouts in a chicken broth.

Soto Ayam $2.50

The two factors that I believe made this stall so popular is because of (i) fresh ingredients and (ii) chicken broth. The chicken meat was surprisingly soft; tender while the bean sprouts were not only fresh but also cooked just nice. 

The chicken stock was clear, light, flavourful and slightly sweet. I always add the sambal chilli (which you can add according to your preference) into the soup to give it a wonderful spicy kick and an added dimension to the taste.  

This Soto Ayam is a must try! 

Inspirasi Stall (Bedok Interchange Food Centre)

 #01-11 Bedok Interchange Food Centre

207 New Upper Changi Road

Singapore 460207

Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 1130am - 930pm

                           Closed on Sun

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Ayam Penyet Ria (Lucky Plaza)

Ayam Penyet Ria is an Indonesian restaurant chain specialising in Ayam Penyet (Smashed Fried Chicken). The restaurant is halal certified. The restaurant is located in Lucky Plaza, Far East Plaza, Jurong Point and Bedok Mall. In Lucky Plaza, it is located at two different levels, at level 1 and at level 4. I visited the outlet located at level 4 (which was bigger) on a weekday.

 There was ample seating place as the restaurant occupied three units. 

There was even an area where customers could wash their hands before or after their meals. 

Ayam Penyet $7.40 and Lime Juice $2.05

I ordered the Ayam Penyet $7.40 and Lime Juice $2.05.

Ayam Penyet $7.40 

The Ayam Penyet $7.40 comprised of a plate of plain rice and a plate filled with half a smashed chicken, kangkong, fried beancurd, beancake, raw cabbage and cucumber, batter crumbs and sambal chilli. 

Ayam Penyet $7.40 

The batter skin of the smashed chicken was quite good. The interior was a little too dry on some parts. The sambal chilli was incredibly spicy yet addictive. It complemented the chicken well. It would be good to order a drink in advance such as Lime Juice to help ease the spiciness. The other ingredients such as kangkong, fried beancurd and beancake were ordinary.

At its current price, I doubt I will be back anytime soon. 

Ayam Penyet Ria (Lucky Plaza) 

304 Orchard Road 

#04-25/26/27  Lucky Plaza 

Singapore 238863

Opening Hours: 12pm to 9pm

Website

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Arnold's Fried Chicken (Yishun 10 Cinema Cineplex)

I was thrilled when I heard that Arnold's Fried Chicken was opening an outlet in Yishun. The last time I last ate Arnold's Fried Chicken was in early 2012 at City Plaza. With this new outlet, it will be so much more convenient. Arnold's Fried Chicken specialises in serving fried chicken, has been around for more than 25 years and is one of the first Singapore fast food joint to be certified Halal.

Arnold's Fried Chicken in Yishun is located at Yishun 10 Cinema Cineplex (just next to North Point), 5 minutes away from Yishun MRT station. We visited on a Friday evening and there was a queue (around 20 persons) outside which stretched to Wendy's. Nevertheless, we decided to queue after all there was just 20 persons in front of us. Guess how long we queue? You would not believe it... Read on to find out the answer. 

Menu

The menu which looked so much more colourful and appetising compared to their old menu! Easy to read too. Good job! 

The answer to how long we queue: we waited for a total of 1hr 20mins from the point we started queuing to the point we received our food. There was virtually 3 queues in total. 

The first queue was to queue to get a chance to reach the counter to order the food (without making payment). Once you manage to order, you will be given a queue number where you would be placed in a second queue; to wait for a table. When your queue number is called, you would make payment and then be give a buzzer which would activate (shake) to inform customers that their orders were ready. This was third queue. 

2 Piece Meal $6.60

Good news for those who prefer the 2 Piece Meal. It cost only $6.60, a 20 cents (3%) increase compared to 2012.

2 Piece Meal $6.60

The 2 Piece Meal consisted of 2 pieces of crispy fried chicken served with mashed potatoes (normally comes with fries, but we switched to mashed potato) and coleslaw. 

Half Spring Chicken Set $7.10 and a Root Beer (Reg) $2.10

I ordered the Half Spring Chicken Set $7.10 and a Root Beer (Reg) $2.10. The price of the Half Spring Chicken Set has increased by $1.20 (20%) compared to 2012. I am not sure why there was such a huge disparity in increase in prices for the two sets. I should have just ordered the 2 Piece Meal. 

Half Spring Chicken Set $7.10 

Half Spring Chicken Set comprised of a 1/2 deep fried spring chicken served with potato fries and mashed potato (normally comes with coleslaw, but I switched to mashed potato).

Half Spring Chicken Set $7.10 

The freshly fried chicken was still pipping hot when it was served. It was crisp on the outside and the seasoning of spices and herbs made the skin so sinfully addictive! The meat inside was succulent and well marinated. As seen in the above photo, it was still moist, not dry!

I hope they would review the queue system soon. I want visit Arnold's Fried Chicken again as the chicken was delicious. But the thought of the queue system along with a possible 1 hour 20 minutes wait are the deterrence. If you really want to visit, my suggest is to go during non-peak hour or to just order as takeaway (please note, there is a takeaway counter with a way shorter queue. I believe the waiting time is way shorter as there's only 1 queue). Another area of improvement would be the service - clearing and cleaning of the tables so that the turnover would be faster. On several occasions, we noted that when customers have eaten finish and left the table, the staff tasked with cleaning the tables were chatting away and only started cleaning the tables when instructed by another senior staff who was manning the counter. 

Arnold's Fried Chicken (Yishun 10 Cinema Cineplex)

51 Yishun Central 1 

#01-04 Yishun 10 Cinema Cineplex 

Singapore 768794 

Tel: 6757 7732

Delivery Hotline: 6276 6537

Opening Hours: Daily 1130am to 10pm (last order: 945pm)

Website

Facebook

Arnold's Fried Chicken (City Plaza)

810 Geylang Road 

#02-99 City Plaza  

Tel: 6746 2372 

Opening Hours: Daily 1130am to 10pm (last order: 945pm)

Arnold's Fried Chicken (Hougang) 

21 Hougang Street 51 

#01-49 Hougang Green Shopping Mall 

Tel: 6386 9015 

Opening Hours: Daily 1130am to 10pm (last order: 945pm)

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Hua Mui Coffee Shop 华美茶餐室 (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

Hua Mui Coffee Shop 华美茶餐室 is a popular two storey Hainanese coffee shop (aka Kopitiam) located near the causeway. To be exact, it is a 15 minutes walk away from City Square! This coffee shop has been operating since 1946, serving both both Chinese and Western cuisine (do note they have been certified halal). I first read about this place through Johor Kaki Blog and had shortlisted this as a place to try one day. That one day came 2 years later!

When we arrived on a weekday morning, the ground level of the restaurant was full. We headed up to the 2nd level. Do be careful, as the steps are quite steep at the upper half.

The 2nd level had more seating capacity compared to the first. It was well ventilated. It was a pleasant surprised when I found out that my mobile phone was able to detect Singapore's M1 service at the 2nd level! =)

Menu Cover

The menu cover.

Menu

Menu

Menu

The extensive menu which offers a variety of western, rice, noodle, meat, sides, soup, sandwiches, bread, prata, beverages and even desserts.

Condiments

The condiments on every table. There's also the green chilli which was not on this table.

Tea RM1.60 , Coffee RM1.60

I drank the Coffee RM1.60. It was really just so-so. It was thick, but not aromatic and was too sweet for me. Most people patronise Hua Mui for its coffee. Maybe its just me (who do not like the coffee).  

Butter and Kaya Toast RM1.60

The charcoal grilled Butter and Kaya Toast RM1.60 was also just averaged.

Mee Hua Mui RM6

I saw most people ordering the Singapore Style Bee Boon. But coming from Singapore, I refused to ordered this dish and decided to try the Mee Hua Mui (did not see anyone ordering this) instead. It was a stupid decision, I should have followed the crowd.

The Mee Hua Mui RM6 was just average with nothing much to shout about. The gravy was a disappointment as it was flavourful enough and it was not well mixed; some parts were just too gooey with lumps.

Hainanese Chicken Chop RM12

Just when I thought that it was a mistake coming here, the Hainanese Chicken Chop saved the day!

Hainanese Chicken Chop RM12

The Hainanese Chicken Chop RM12 (signature dish) served with green peas, tomatoes, potatoes with light brown mushroom sauce was superbly executed. On the exterior the batter was thin while both the batter and skin was fried till it was so crispy! The interior was amazingly succulent. The light brown mushroom sauce was light yet tasty. The only complain I had was that the sauce was cold.

This coffee shop still uses the traditional way of delivering food to the 2nd level.

To keep the authenticity of the outlet, they have retained the traditional pulley system! As you can see in the above photo, the food for customers at the 2nd level are placed on the tray linked to the pulley system. Then one of the staff at the 2nd level would use the pull system to pull up the tray of food.

The Hainanese Chicken Chop is a must try at Hua Mui Coffee Shop! If I come again, I will also want to try the Singapore Style Bee Hoon. If you have tried it before, do let me know!

Hua Mui Coffee Shop 华美茶餐室 (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

No 131, Jalan Trus
80000 Johor Bahru
Tel: 07 224 7364
Opening Hours: daily 730am to 930pm

No 50, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/4
Tmn Sutera Utama, 81300Skudai, Johor

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