Chap Chye Peng Stall (Golden Mile Tower)

I had my lunch and was exploring Golden Mile Complex for the first time. Little did I know that the basement was linked to Golden Mile Tower! At Golden Mile Tower, I saw a unique scene. There was a queue in front of a stall called "Dessert House". There was around 10 person queuing in front of the stall and the queue was not moving at 1220pm on a weekday. Being a kaypoh (busybody), I stood around and observed. This queue was not moving because the stall had not even opened for business yet.

 At around 1230pm, the stall opened for business.

The queue had already stretched to more than 20 persons long. I had to go up to level one to get a good picture of the queue. If I had not eaten and was not full, I highly suspect that I would be in the queue. Nevertheless, I made 3 other trips just to check out this stall for myself; why there were so many people queuing and waiting patiently.

On certain days, the queue moves very slowly. While on other days, the queue was fairly quick. Once, I queued for 18 minutes when there was just 5 persons in the queue. On another day, I queued for nearly half an hour when there was 19 persons in the queue.

Ps: Once, there was 32 people queuing up!

Now to the food! This stall sells Chap Chye Peng / Chai Peng (variety of dishes with rice). Amazingly right? Chap Chye Peng can be found everywhere! Yet this stall commands such a following! The variety of dishes are not a lot compared to others which I have seen. But a unique selling point (USP) here is the free flow soup! And its not any just MSG soup! There are ingredients in the soup! Customers can also help themselves to the curry sauce.

$4.30

After I tried the food for the first time, I knew instantly why this stall managed to command such a following. The food here are simply delicious! Comfort home-cooked food that simply warms the heart. The food here just taste so good. The steam egg was so decently executed; soft, wobbly and tasty. The fried chicken wing was well-marinated, tasty and well fried. If it was more meaty, it would be perfect. The curry sauce was addictive and goes well with plain rice. The fried vegetables which I hesitated in ordering was surprisingly good. Unlike other Chap Chye Peng stalls, this one was so fragrant, with hints of shrimp / hae bee along with sweetness of the vegetables.

Sweet corn, Carrot and Onion Soup

The icing on the cake was the soup which was free! Inside the pot of soup, there was sweet corn, carrot, onion and pork. These were the ingredients used to cook the soup. The soup was not salty and had a distinct (naturally) sweetness from the corn, carrot and onion. Very comforting bowl of Chinese soup. What a bonus!

$5

During my third visit, this was what I ordered. I ordered different items compared to my 2nd visit on purpose for comparison sake.

The curry sauce was the same; delicious. But the chicken given was just so-so. Probable because of the chicken part given. The vegetables was really just so-so (i.e. average). The fish cake was decent and I believe you can get this fish cake at most places.

Lotus Root Soup

 Just when I thought the food was just average, the free soup just wowed me!

Lotus Root Soup

This Lotus Root Soup was cooked with cuttlefish and pork. This soup was just fantastic! The lotus root flavour kept me longing for more. In addition, the plus was the pork meat came with soft bones (collagen).

$4.30

 This was what I had for my third visit. I arrived quite late at around 130pm.

The chicken wings was as good as what I had during the first time. They will always fry a new batch of chicken wings when the current one finishes. This is a huge plus point as no one likes soggy and cold chicken wings! The fried bittergourd with egg was excellent and well fried! No raw bittergourd taste. As for the braised egg, you can easily get that elsewhere.

This time, the free soup was radish and carrot soup. It was cooked with pork bones and red dates. I am really impressed with their soup. During each visit, their soup has never disappoint me! This is coming from someone who is particular about saltiness!

The value for money, delicious home-cooked style food and free flow soup are probably the factors which draw such a crowd to this stall during lunch time at a ulu (out of the way) place. These are also the reasons why the some of the office crowd who know of this place bother to walk from The Concourse to this stall!

Now you know where to go if you are looking for 3 dishes with 1 soup (三菜一汤) without breaking the bak! Glad to find this hidden gem. If you intend to visit, do note the opening hours appended below.

Chap Chye Peng Stall <Hidden Gem> (Golden Mile Tower)

Dessert House

#B1-62 Golden Mile Tower

6001 Beach Road

Singapore 199589

Opening Hours: Sun to Fri 1230pm to 5pm

                          Closed on Sat

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Cơm Tấm - Bún bò Huế (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

Canh Khổ Qua Nhồi Thịt Chay (Bitter Gourd stuffed with Minced Meat Soup)

My Vietnamese friend had told us that we had to visit a Cơm Tấm at Nguyễn Văn Cừ, P4, Q5 for its Cơm Tấm Sườn Bì Chả (Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop) and Canh Khổ Qua Nhồi Thịt Chay (Bitter Gourd stuffed with Minced Meat Soup). Having written down the name of the shop in Vietnamese and the dishes to order, my partner and I managed to slot this in at a last minute and took a cab down. 

The cab driver was not familar and we was very helpful in trying to help us find the location. We stumbled upon a stall named Cơm Tấm - Bún Bò Huế along the road and thought that this had to be the shop as there were no other such shops nearby. 

In addition, this shop was like my friend described. No frills, no air conditioners, basic furnishing, only the locals knew of the place and that the staff would not understand English. 

This stall was similar to our Economy Rice (Cai Fan) stalls in Singapore. Where the dishes are cooked in advance and customers order what they want.

Since we had eaten lunch only half an hour ago, we showed the staff what our friend had written for us and indicated using sign language that we were sharing it. 

Cơm Tấm Sườn Bì  Chả (Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop), Canh Khổ Qua Nhồi Thịt Chay (Bitter Gourd stuffed with Minced Meat Soup), Trứng (Fried Egg)

We ordered the Cơm Tấm Sườn Bì  Chả (Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop), Canh Khổ Qua Nhồi Thịt Chay (Bitter Gourd stuffed with Minced Meat Soup) and Trứng (Fried Egg). 

Canh Khổ Qua Nhồi Thịt Chay (Bitter Gourd stuffed with Minced Meat Soup)

We were both most impressed with the Canh Khổ Qua Nhồi Thịt Chay (Bitter Gourd stuffed with Minced Meat Soup). The bitter gourd sliced into half was cooked till it was so soft. The minced meat was nicely seasoned and the soup was surprisingly tasty and light. I have not tried this before and would love to have this again! 

Trứng (Fried Egg)

Trứng (Fried Egg) topped with spring onions. Ordinary and on the oily end. 

Cơm Tấm Sườn Bì  Chả (Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop)

This was the Cơm Tấm Sườn Bì Chả (Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop). 

Cơm Tấm Sườn Bì  Chả (Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop)

The Sườn Bì Chả (Grilled Pork Chop) was average. The pork was well marinated and tasty, however it was a tad too hard for my liking.

It was only when we got back to our hotel and sent the photo of the shop to my friend, then did we realised that we went to the wrong shop! The right one should be the Com tam Nguyen Van Cu at 165 Nguyễn Văn Cừ. Well at least we managed to try the Canh Khổ Qua Nhồi Thịt Chay (Bitter Gourd stuffed with Minced Meat Soup). =D

Cơm Tấm - Bún Bò Huế (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

213 Nguyễn Văn Cừ

Phường 02, Quận 05
Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

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China Street Hainanese Curry Rice (Maxwell Food Centre) 2nd Post

I am always in a dilemma whenever I am in Tanjong Pagar. There are so choices when it comes to food. This time, I decided to visit the newly renovated Maxwell Food Centre. Even then, there are so many types of food to to eat such as Ah Tai Chicken Rice, Tian Tian Chicken Rice, Zhen Zhen Porridge, Xing Xing Tapioca Kueh, Hum Jin Pang, or Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff. 

During a weekday lunch, I decided to have Hainanese Curry Rice. Although there are several stalls selling curry rice, I  prefer the one from China Street Hainanese Curry Rice. I have posted on this stall before and you can read about it here. 

Taken from previous post

I joined the queue which was more than 10 person long. The good thing is that the turnover here is fast as the food are all cooked already. There are the usual choices you get to see in a curry rice stall such as bitter gourd, curry chicken, fried pork chop, cabbage, squid and eggs. I already knew what to order before hand. As you many have noticed, I ordered exactly the same items as what I ordered in the previous post which was 1.5 years back. I really should change and try their other items! 

Bittergourd, curry chicken wings and fried pork chop (which is a must for any curry rice), along with curry drizzled all over the items and rice. This time, the bittergourd was cooked was still hard, a little more time on the wok would have been ideal. The chicken wing was nicely cooked. The meat in it was soft, firm and tender. The pork chop fared the best. Well marinated meat with thin, crisp fragrant batter, it was fried perfectly. It was delicious! Worth the queue and braving the heat in the food centre. Although the food centre has been renovated, it was still quite warm. 

If you like Hainainese curry rice, I would also recommend the curry rice at Bugis called Eleven Finger (Eu Kee) Scissors Curry Rice. 

China Street Hainanese Curry Rice (Maxwell Food Centre)

Maxwell Road #01-68 

Maxwell Food Centre

Opening Hours: Sat - Thurs 1130am - 730pm

                         Closed on Fri & PH

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Hiang Kee Seafood Restaurant (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

Singaporeans always love going across the causeway check point into Johor Bahru (JB) for food and shopping due to the favourable exchange rate. I am no exception. It has been ages since I last stepped into JB for food (due to safety issues and heavy traffic along the causeway). This time round, I made my trip on a weekday (Monday) to check out the food!

Hiang Kee Seafood Restaurant located in Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre is a popular seafood haunt which many Singaporeans patronise. It is fairly easy to come to this place from the Causeway / City Square as it is nearby. The easiest way is to just take a cab down (you just need to say Taman Sri Tebrau). It is a 10 minutes journey and will cost around RM7 (Request for the metre to be activated before boarding cab.)

We arrived at 1110am. Although the restaurant opens at 11am, we were the first customer! It was practically empty except for a few staff. We were told the chef was late (probably Monday Blues haha =P). We walked around for 10 minutes before heading back. Luckily by the time we went back, the Chef came in.

Menu (a)

Menu (b)

Hiang Kee Seafood Restaurant's menu.

Sugar Cane (small) 

I will give the Sugar Cane a skip the next time I am there. It was diluted and tasted weird.

As we were the only one, we were served within 10 minutes upon ordering. 

Hot Plate Beancurd RM10

The Hot Plate Beancurd was served pipping hot with mixture of ingredients such as mushrooms, carrots, minced meat, egg and tofu on top (Be careful not to touch the hot metal plate). The different flavours of the ingredients were well mixed and cook as the different flavours were infused together. Moreover, had fully absorbed the sauce which was so tasty. This dish paired off very well with plain rice. In fact, the combination of the sauce with plain rice was heavenly.

Fried Dou Miao RM10

The Fried Dou Miao was fried with garlic. Such a well fried dish that fully brought out the flavour of the garlic. Simple yet so delicious.  

Bitter Gourd Salted Egg RM10

Bitter Gourd Salted Egg was yummy. Each slice of bitter gourd was well coated with the salted egg. Moreover, it was not oily. 

Sambal Stingray RM16

The Sambal Stingray was disappointing. The stingray was fresh and cooked perfectly such that it was soft, tender and juicy inside. But I felt that the sambal chilli was the main reason for the let down. There are better ones in Singapore. (Maybe I am too use to the type of sambal chilli in Singapore. Hiang Kee's version was too dry, not as fragrant and spicy)

Butter Crayfish RM56

The star of the day meal: 10 (half) pieces of Butter Crayfish. 

Butter Crayfish

The control of the wok and fire was shown here. The Butter Crayfish was well executed! Big, meaty and succulent flesh that was so fresh that it was easily pulled out from it's shell. Despite it being fried, the meat was still juicy inside and the timing was grasped perfectly. In addition, the buttery fritters (crumbs) fried with curry leaves were so fragrant and addictive. Reminds me of the Butter Crab from Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood. The good news is that it was not oily (thanks to the chef's control of the wok and fire).

The Butter Crayfish is a must order. Other recommended dishes will be the Hot Plate Beancurd, Bitter Gourd Salted Egg and Fried Dou Miao (surprised? Well, it was really very well fried in my opinion). Moreover, where else in Singapore can you get such fresh seafood at this price. Overall, a very good experience, if I have more time to spare, I will certainly want to come back again.

The down side is that you are advised to savour your food fast, before the houseflies zoom into on your food. 

After your meal, there are several options you can take.
1) Walk out to the main road to take a cab to City Square or anywhere else.
2) Walk to Taman Sentosa and savour the famous Paper Wrapped Chicken from Teck Sing. And also Plaza Sentosa Shopping Centre for shopping.
3) Walk to KSL Shopping Centre for shopping or catch a movie.

PS: From Singapore to JB, the cheapest and fastest way to get to the checkpoint is to go to Kranji MRT Station and take bus no. 160 or 170. The bus goes directly to the Causeway Checkpoint, a ten minutes bus ride.

Hiang Kee Seafood Restaurant (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

Jalan Keris, Taman Sri Tebrau (Hawker Centre)

80500 Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Tel: 012 798 9303

Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 3am
Location

Location

A - Location of Hiang Kee Seafood Restaurant (Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre)
B - Location of KSL Shopping Centre
C - Location of Plaza Sentosa Shopping Centre
D - Location of Teck Sing Restaurant

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Sembawang White Beehoon (Sembawang 白米粉) 2nd Post

Sembawang White Beehoon 白米粉 will need no introduction among foodies in the north. This eatery is very popular and there will be long queues formed during meal times especially during the weekends. The Sembawang White Beehoon 白米粉 is located at You Huak Restaurant along Jalan Tampang, opposite Sembawang Shopping Centre. Its signature dish is as its name suggest is White Beehoon.

We were quite lucky as we arrived at around 715pm on a Thursday night for our dinner. Why lucky? Well, there was no queue and several empty tables. After we sat down for about 15 minutes, the crowd arrived and a queue started forming outside. 

Menu

For close up of the menu, you can refer to my first post. 

Sambal Chilli

The Sambal Chilli was great! Very spicy, fragrant with belacan flavour. Very addictive and goes well with the White Bee Hoon.

Seafood White Beehoon

Their signature Seafood White Beehoon. Looks plain and boring. But give it a try, you will never know what you are missing! Generous serving of pawns, squid, vegetables, egg and beehoon. The beehoon was simmered till soft and has absorbed the essence of the thick, white gravy (broth). The gravy was lightly flavoured yet tasty. A simple dish, made of simple ingredients but when cooked properly, it is so amazingly delicious! A very heart warming dish which is a must order here. Delicious on its own. But if you want a spicy kick to this dish, add the sambal chilli! Furthermore, looks healthy too! (ignore the squid and prawns, think of the other aspect - not oily!)

Meat and Seafood Roll (Ngoh Hiang)

The Meat and Seafood Roll (Ngoh Hiang) also known as Prawn Roll which was recommended by many online.. was well just average. Taste normal and I am sure you can find this standard of Ngor Hiang at many other eateries. 

Bittergourd Omelette (Wet) 

Another dish which I always order is the Bittergourd Omelette (wet version). The bittergourds were sliced thinly and simmered till soft. The eggs were cooked quickly such that they were still soft. A very simple nice dish that suits me particularly well as I like bittergourd. 

Sambal La La

The Sambal La La sauce was slightly spicy. It was quite well fried, each piece of lala was well coated with the sambal sauce. Nothing special, average dish. 

Baby Kai Lan

Baby Kai Lan fried in oyster sauce with slices of carrot and mushroom. An average dish; tasty and crunchy vegetables.

Lime Juice

Drinks are charged separately as they are different entities.

The dish that is a must order at Sembawang White Beehoon is of course the Seafood White Beehoon. The other dish worth ordering is the Bittergourd Omelette and Stir Fry Fish Head. I can't help but emphasis that the Seafood White Beehoon is similar to a home-cook dish; simple and heart warming. In terms of prices, its not expensive too. Worth coming down for a try as it is hard to find such quality food at such prices now. Now, I find it harder to patronise the eatery. Main reason is because of the ridiculously long queues. 

Sembawang Shuttle Bus Schedule

There is free shuttle bus service to Sembawang Shopping Centre extending into the Sembawang, Yishun and Woodlands residential areas.  The bus frequency is quite fast and operating hours are stated in the flyer above.

Sembawang White Beehoon (Sembawang 白米粉) 2nd Post
You Huak Restaurant
22 Jalan Tampang (opposite Sembawang Shopping Centre)
Tel: 9843 4699
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 11pm (Closed on Wednesday)
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Location

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