Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles 海南星洲牛肉粉 (Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre)

Beef Noodle (Dry) $5

Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles 海南星洲牛肉粉 has been operating for close to 70 years. The stall used to be located at Cuppage Centre before moving to its current location at Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre.

 Tip: Visit during off-peak hour as the queue is known to be slow moving.  

The beef noodle is served in either dry or wet version for $4 or $5.

Beef Noodle (Dry) $5

This bowl of Beef Noodle (Dry) $5 came with generous slices of beef meat.

Beef Noodle (Dry) $5

I felt that the slices of beef were overcooked as they were on the tough end and not as tenderised (or melt in the mouth) as what I hoped for. Thankfully, the dark, rich, gooey sauce made up for it. The sauce was not salty and had hints of beefy flavour. The sauce complemented the beef slices and thick bee hoon well. 

The bowl of accompanying cloudy brown soup was tasty with hints of beefy flavours too. 

Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles 海南星洲牛肉粉 (Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre)
22 Lor 7 Toa Payoh
#01-06 Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre
Singapore 310019
Opening Hours: Tue to Sun 8.30am to 3.30pm
                           Closed on Mon

Give it a
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Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麵 (Taiwan, Taipei)

Braised Beef with Noodle in Spicy Broth 红烧牛肉麺

Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麵 opened since 1963 is known to be one of the best beef noodles restaurant in Tapei especially for their Spicy Broth 红烧 variety. Yong Kang Beef Noodles is located at Yong Kang Street 永康牛, a dining destination in Taipei with restaurants, cafes  and carts selling all types of food that cater to all budgets. This is also the place where the original Din Tai Feng restaurant is located at.

We arrived at the restaurant for lunch at around 2 pm as we got lost along the way. Despite the late timing, there was still a queue in front of the stall.

Menu

 This is the menu for tourist with translation of the dishes in different languages.

Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce 红烧抄手

When we saw that they had the Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce 红烧抄手, we knew that we just had to order it. As you can see from the photo, the wantons are placed on top of the chilli oil and pepper. It is extremely spicy and addictive! Not for the faint hearted.

Braised Beef with Noodle in Spicy Broth 红烧牛肉麺

This is the signature Braised Beef with Noodle in Spicy Broth 红烧牛肉麺 which is raved to be one of the best. The Australian beef servings are generous and so tender with a melt-in-the-mouth sensation. As for the noodles, they were decent, smooth and chewy. The spicy broth was a winner. It was spicy but so flavourful. No doubt one of the best beef noodles we ate in Taiwan!

Braised Beef with Noodle in Clear Broth 清燉牛肉麺

As for the Braised Beef with Noodle in Clear Broth 清燉牛肉麺, the only difference was that the broth was not spicy. It was still flavourful nevertheless. I prefer the one with spicy broth, this version would be good for those who cannot take spicy food.

This name card shows the location and address of the restaurant. The beef noodles definitely made this trip worthwhile. A must try!

Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麵 (Taiwan, Taipei)

台北市金山南路二段31巷17號 

No. 17, Street 31, Jinshan South Road Section 2, Taipei

Tel: 02 2351 1051 

Opening Hours: Daily: 11am to 9.30 pm
Directions: From Dongmen MRT 東門 (Tamsui-Xinyi Line - Red), Exit 4, walk straight and turn right immediately into the small road. Walk straight till you see Jinhua Primary School. Take a right turn and you will see the restaurant a few units away.  
Website

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Pho Nho (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

Phở Áp Chảo (Saute Beef Noodles Soup with Slices of Round Steak) 55,000 VND (S$3.30)

Pho Nho is an eatery my local friend highly recommended for beef noodles. We were told that it was way better than Pho 2000 (1-3 D Phan Chu Trinh) and Pho Hoa (260C Pasteur Street). I can't really compare as I have not tried them before. In addition, Pho Nho served Northern (Hanoi) style pho where as the Pho 2000 and Pho Hoa served Southern style pho. 

Pho Nho is located along Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, near War Remnant Museum and Ngoc Suong Marina (refer to location map) where we had seafood dinner the night before. 

The interior of the Pho Nho was unique and nicely designed. 

The walls were decorated with murals of the Hanoi street. In addition, the traditional street lights and foot paths completed the picture, making us felt as if we were dining along the streets of Hanoi.

The eatery was spacious with lots of seating capacity.

If required, you can request for English menu.

Fresh herb and vegetable

This plate of Fresh herb and vegetable was served as we had ordered Phở. Customers would be able to add the types and quantity of herbs or vegetables according to their own preferences into the bowl of Phở.

Phở Áp Chảo (Saute Beef Noodles Soup with Slices of Round Steak) 55,000 VND (S$3.30)

The Phở Áp Chảo (Saute Beef Noodles Soup with Slices of Round Steak) cost 55,000 VND (S$3.30). At most eateries, the beef served were not fully cooked (still slightly reddish in colour). Customers who preferred to cook their beef a little longer can just stir the beef into the soup and noodles and let the beef cook a little longer in the pipping hot soup.

The rice noodles looked similar to Kway Teow, though it was smoother and thinner. The bowl of pho was very forgiving. The clear, light brown soup broth was tasty and flavourful yet not overwhelming in beef flavour.

Crispy Chinese Roller 30,000 VND per piece (S$1.80)

The best part was dipping the Crispy Chinese Roller (dough fritters) into the pho. It was just dipping dough fritters into a bowl of Bak Kut Teh Soup back home in Singapore. Letting the dough fritters absorb all the essence of the soup!

 Sữa chua nếp cẩm (Yogurt mixed with Coconut Milk and Sweet Sticky Rice) 25,000 VND (S$1.50)

The Sữa chua nếp cẩm (Yogurt mixed with Coconut Milk and Sweet Sticky Rice) 25,000 VND (S$1.50) was listed as a drink in the menu. It was more like a dessert to me. It was served cold with ice cubes.

 Sữa chua nếp cẩm (Yogurt mixed with Coconut Milk and Sweet Sticky Rice) 25,000 VND (S$1.50)

Give it a good mix till its like the above picture and you are ready to enjoy it! Shiok! 

Phố Nhỏ (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

170 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu

Phường 6, Quận 3 

Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam 70000

Tel: +84 (08) 3930 5739

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Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Nam Nam) which specialises in serving Vietnamese cuisine belongs to the Les Amis Group (which includes the likes of Au Jardin, Bistro Du Vin, Canele and other restaurants). But unlike these upscale restaurants, Nam Nam offers more affordable food in a causal bistro setting targeting the mass market.  

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

Nam Nam first opened at Raffles City Shopping Centre in late 2012. Within a short time span of less than a year, two other outlets have opened at Wheelock Place and Suntec City.

I have frequently past by its outlet at Raffles City and wanted to try it on several occasions. However, there was always a long perceptual queue! This time, we decided to meet visit the eatery early at 1130am to beat the crowd. 

Banh Min counter

The Banh Min (Vietnamese bread, normally toasted baguettes) counter is located right in front of the eatery. 

Nam Nam's seven commandments - the Namnam-tiquette placed at the front of the eatery. 

On every table, there was a row of bottles of condiments. Personally, we did use any of them as the originally taste of the dishes were sufficient. 

Southern Roll with Sweet Shrimps, Egg, Herbs $4.90

We kick started the meal with the Southern Roll with Sweet Shrimps, Egg, Herbs $4.90 was served with hoisin sauce fried with chicken liver dip. The Southern Roll were bland on its own. You would need to dip it into the sauce provided which was the game changer. The combination of the dip enhanced the flavour and would ignite your taste buds. One 'glitch' was that the rice paper used to wrap the roll was too tough. They really need to improve on this aspect as we had a hard time biting into it.

Pho Beef Steak Slices $8.90

The most famous Vietnamese dish is Pho which is essentially a bowl of rice noodles with herbs, spices and thinly sliced meat (normally beef or chicken) in beef stock. How could we not order Pho in a Vietnamese eatery!

 Pho Beef Steak Slices $8.90

The Pho Beef Steak Slices $8.90 was surprisingly good. The two main factor was the beef slices and the beef stock. The beef slices were thinly sliced, slightly uncooked, and hence were so soft and tender. The beef stock was light, rich, aromatic (due to the herbs) and the flavours were so well balanced. Together with the thin and smooth rice noodles, it was a hearty comforting bowl of Pho! Yummylicious!~ 

Extra Toppings: Wagyu Beef $2.50

Ordered an Extra Topping: Wagyu Beef $2.50. It arrived in a small bowl. The stock was similar just that it was more robust - full beefy essence! The Wagyu Beef was also thinly sliced and was pinkish as it was slightly undercooked. This would be a good choice if you are a beef fanatic. 

 Pho Beef Balls $8.90

The Pho Beef Balls $8.90 was average. Two main reasons. The beef balls were not as shiok as the beef slices in terms of flavour. In addition, the stock was not as beefy compared to the bowl of Pho Beef Steak Slices.

We quite like our dining experience at Nam Nam Noodle Bar and would definitely be back for the Pho Beef Steak Slices! With more outlets, hopefully the queue will not be as long.

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Raffles City Shopping Centre)
#B1-46/47 Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road
Singapore 179103
Tel: 6336 0500
Opening Hours: 8am to 10pm
Website

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Wheelock Place)
#B2-02 Wheelock Place
501 Orchard Road  
Singapore 238880
Tel: 6735 1488

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Suntec City)
#B1-131 Suntec City
Temasek Boulevard
Singapore 038983
Tel: 6884 5677

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The Best Of The Boat Noodles near Victory Monument (Thailand, Bangkok)

We made a special trip down to Victory Monument not because we wanted to take a look at this military monument. Instead, it was because we wanted to try the famous Bangkok Boat Noodles (Kuay Tiau Rua).
Its called Boat Noodles because the noodles were originally served from vendors on boats floating in Bangkok’s network of canals. Over the years, the boat vendors shifted and located eateries on land instead of on boats. Most of the vendors continued the practice of serving the noodles in small portions as this was done in the past to prevent the noodles from spilling out of the bowls in choppy waters. 

Canal

There were several boat noodles eateries located along the same stretch, next to this small, dirty canal near the Victory Monument. The different eateries could be easily differentiated by the colour of the shirt the staff were wearing. There were so many different colours; orange, pink, blue and purple.

I would highly recommend that you use the map at the end of this post to locate the eateries. There are few information online on how to locate the eateries. In addition, we spent a good 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get here. We asked many people including the policemen and were given the wrong directions despite us having the address and map.

We visited the eatery called "The Best Of The Boat Noodle". The staff there wore orange shirts. The reason why we visited this eatery was because we noticed that there were more people eating there compared to other eateries. 

This eatery essentially had two 'kitchens' at the front of the eatery for cooking. I noticed that they were so busy that they were practically cooking non-stop. 

There were indoor dining and alfresco (outdoor dining). Most customers chose to have their meals indoors as it was air-conditioned. The indoor area was packed, full of people as it was lunch time. There were more locals in this eatery compared to tourists. 

Menu

The menu was in both Thai and English languages. There were three types of boat noodles in the menu. We ordered all three types. We were lucky as there was one staff who could understand basic English. The rest of the staff did not understand English. 

This boat noodle eatery had a unique concept. Customers who ordered 20 bowls of noodles were entitled to a free bottle of Pepsi. As there was five of us and we knew that the portion was going to be small, we ordered 20 bowls straight away.  

Streaky Pork With Crispy Crackling 10 Baht (S$0.42)

In addition, we ordered a bowl of Streaky Pork With Crispy Crackling 10 Baht (S$0.42). This was fried pork skin (pork rind). 

Fried Dumplings 10 Baht (S$0.42)

We also ordered a bowl of Fried Dumplings 10 Baht (S$0.42). Both the Fried Dumplings and Pork Rind were mediocre.

Our 20 bowls of boat noodles were served within seconds of each other. Before we could start eating, the table was full. The workers continued and stacked the bowls on top of each other; two tiers.

They even stacked it up to the third tier. -_-" But well, it was our own fault for ordering so many bowls immediately. Lesson learnt: to order a few bowls at a time. This would ensure that the food would still be warm.

Noodles Thicken Soup with Beef 10 Baht (S$0.42)

Noodles Thicken Soup with Beef 10 Baht (S$0.42).

Noodles Thicken Soup with Pork 10 Baht (S$0.42)

Noodles Thicken Soup with Pork 10 Baht (S$0.42)

Both the Noodles Thicken Soup with Beef and Noodles Thicken Soup with Pork were named in such a way because they were thicken with pig's blood (which is a norm. Don't worry, the blood were fully cooked due to the temperate of the broth. Also, the taste of the blood was not distinctive.). Priced at 10 Baht, they were served in bite-sized portion with thin rice noodles, kang kong, meat and meat ball.

Both of these were essentially the same except for the fact that one was served with beef while the other was served with pork meat. Both the meat were still tender; not over cooked. The sweet and spicy dark brownish broth was rich and intense in flavour.

Noodles Sour Soup with Pork 10 Baht (S$0.42)

The Noodles Sour Soup with Pork 10 Baht (S$0.42) was executed differently. It was still served with thin rice noodles and pork (meat). However, other than that, the rest of the ingredients were different. It was served with beansprouts, fish cake, char siew, peanuts in a sweet, sour and spicy broth that was similar to tom yum soup.

Initially, when we ate our first bowl of boat noodles, the first thought was that it was so-so. But by the time we got to our 2nd or 3rd bowls, we began to like it more and more. It was a case of the more you dig into the bowls of boat noodles, the more you would love it! The three different types of boat noodles were delicious! So flavourful and so addictive that they were bounded to tantalise your taste buds.

These were so good that we ate a total of 38 bowls! Which was equivalent to around 7.5 bowls per person [cost per person: 76 Baht (S$3.15)]. How many bowls can you eat?

I do not know if this eatery; The Best Of The Boat Noodles is the best place for boat noodles as this was the first time I ate boat noodles. Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that this is a must try! The boat noodles served here were so cheap and delicious! 

This marks the end of my bangkok series! Here's some information on taking the cab / taxi in Bangkok.

There are many different colours of taxis in Bangkok, ranging from pink, blue, yellow, green and orange. The colours represent the different taxi companies. The taxi industry in Bangkok is regulated by Land Transport Department, Transport Ministry and it is an offense not to turn on the meter. Despite this, enforcement is difficult. Hence, most taxi drivers are unwilling to on their meters and would quote you a flat rate. As there is an abundant supply of taxis, you can just move on and try the next one. 

Pink Taxi

Tip:  The pink taxis are generally more likely to on the meters. The other taxis would always quote a flat rate which could be 2 to 3 times more than the normal taxi fare. The orange taxis always charge a flat rate. Even if they on the meter, they would ask for a certain amount of tip at the end of the journey. The yellow taxi was the worst. We were charged a flat rate and had to endure the whole journey listening to the driver who tried to hard sell his services which included driving us to the floating market or railway market (despite us telling him we have been there.). It was dangerous as he was pulling out maps and photos while driving, showing us where he could bring us to. After that, we learnt our lesson and stuck to taking the pink taxi whenever possible.

The Best Of The Boat Noodles near Victory Monument (Thailand, Bangkok)

Sutyot Kuetiau Lua Payak Phaya Thai

Bangkok 10400, Thailand

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Paradise Inn (Changi Airport T1)

Paradise Inn is one of the brands under the Paradise Group. Paradise Group has come a long way. Back then in 2002, it was located in a coffee shop in the industrial estate at Defu Lane. Today, Paradise Group has expanded rapidly over a short span of time to more than 30 restaurants with 8 different concepts. In addition, they have breached into the overseas market with 9 restaurants in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and China. Always good to hear that a Singapore brand has set foot into the overseas market.

Paradise Inn's concept is to replicate the concept of inn (tea house), restaurant and dessert house, and at the same time offer authentic and value for money food. Paradise Inn at Changi Airport Terminal 1 is the largest outlet under the Paradise Group with a capacity of more than 150 seats.

As we visited the restaurant at 945pm on a weekday, the restaurant was relatively empty. Although the restaurant closes at 11pm, the last order is at 10pm.

Braised Peanuts $1.50

The Braised Peanuts, a common common starter at Chinese restaurants was highly addictive. Once you start with one, it would be hard to stop.

Jasmine, Osmanthus, Dried Longan & Chrysanthemum Tea ($3.80 per person)

There were a variety of floral and herb fruit-infused hot teas to choose from as its concept was a tea house too. We chose the Jasmine, Osmanthus, Dried Longan & Chrysanthemum Tea which cost $3.80 per person. Its benefit includes nourishing the heart, improving the immune system and strengthening eyesight. With the tea candle below, the tea was kept warm at all time. The Jasmine, Osmanthus, Dried Longan & Chrysanthemum Tea was light and refreshing. Tea lovers would love this!

La Mian with Beef Brisket Soup (non-spicy) $10.80

The La Mian with Beef Brisket Soup came in either spicy or non-spicy version. The partner ordered the non-spicy version. The beef was tender and the broth was rich and tasty. A plus point to mention would be that the soup was not oily.

La Mian with Shredded Pork and Preserved Vegetables in Signature Pork Bone Soup $7.80

La Mian with Shredded Pork and Preserved Vegetables in Signature Pork Bone Soup $7.80

I ordered the La Mian with Shredded Pork and Preserved Vegetables in Signature Pork Bone Soup which was served with half an onsen egg. The la mian was quite good; smooth and springy. The broth was tasty and had the preserved vegetable (Sze Chuan vegetable) flavour was infused in the broth. Kudos to the chef for the execution as the broth was not overly salty, which is normally the case when preserved vegetable is used. Furthermore, the onsen egg was surprisingly very well executed!

We were so glad to enjoy such delicious Chinese cuisine the moment we arrived in Singapore! Home sweet home.

Paradise Inn (Changi Airport T1)

80 Airport Boulevard

#03-19 (Viewing Gallery)

Singapore 819642

Tel: 6546 2711

Opening Hours : 10:30am - 11.00pm (last order at 10pm)
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