Hong Ji Mian Shi Jia 鸿记面食家 (Telok Blangah Drive Food Centre)

Dumpling Noodle $3.50 with Char Siew $1

Other than Seng Huat Prawn Noodles 成發,Hong Ji Mian Shi Jia 鸿记面食家  is another stall that is very popular at this food centre.

This stall specialises in serving old school style wanton noodle, dumpling noodle and even chicken claw noodle. Do note that although the queue may seems short, the waiting time tend to be long.

While waiting, you can read the 3 articles that are displayed at the stall. One of the article stated that the owner of the stall, who is the man behind the stall cooking your food, has more than 40 years of experience in preparing, cooking and selling these noodles! He had done this his entire life and back then the cost of each bowl of noodles was 20 cents! Such devotion and perseverance.

I have been to the stall several times to try their different food items after having first try their Wanton Noodle. I must say that their food is really good. Homely, comforting and tasty. They also have a plastic bag of fried pork lard placed at the front of the stall for customers. However, on certain days the fried lard are crispy while on other days, they were not crispy (an indication that they were not fresh).

Wanton Noodle $3.50

This Wanton Noodle $3.50 was damn solid. The noodles were springy and the sauce was flavourful and just right, not too salty. The char siew had a high lean meat to fat ratio and few charred bits. But yet the char siew was surprisingly soft and tender. There were 3 pieces of wanton given. The wanton meat were well marinated and the wanton skin was smooth! Before I knew it, I had polished off all the wanton.

Chicken Claw Mushroom Noodle $3.50

This was the Chicken Claw Mushroom Noodle. It cost just $3.50 and comes with a pair of chicken claw and a whole braised mushroom. In all other hawker stalls, the mushroom would be sliced. I am not sure why this stall served the braised mushroom as a whole, but I preferred it this way because it gave a better bite, and retained more flavour and juice in it. I am won over already! The chicken claw was delicious and appeared to be more ‘meaty’ compared to other stalls.

Dumpling Noodle $3.50 with Char Siew $1

This was the Dumpling Noodle which cost $3.50. I topped up $1 for Char Siew. Look at the generous amount of char siew given! As for the dumplings, they were meaty and was filled with prawns, minced meat and chestnuts which provided a crunchy dimension to each mouthful!

Wanton Noodle $3.50 and Chicken Claw with Mushroom $1.50

On another occasion I actually had Wanton Noodle $3.50 with additional pair of Chicken Claw with Mushroom for $1.50. You should have known by now that I love their chicken claw and mushroom!

Needless to say, I think this stall’s food is really so good! It is a die die must try. The downside is that the lady at the counter is not always in the best mood. But who cares, good food makes the world goes round.

Hong Ji Mian Shi Jia 鸿记面食家 (Telok Blangah Drive Food Centre)

#01-05 Telok Blangah Drive Food Centre

79 Telok Blangah Drive
Singapore 100079
Opening Hours: Daily 7am to 8pm
                          Closed on Fridays

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A Noodle Story 超好面 (Amoy Street Food Centre)

A Noodle Story 超好面 located in Amoy Street Food Centre has differentiated itself by being the first and only Singapore-style ramen. This is the brain child of two Shatec trained friends who decided to create ultimate noodles dish through a combination of modern European techniques and Asian flavours providing gourmet quality noodles at hawker prices. 

A Noodle Story has announced on Jan this year that due to increase in operating cost (rental and cost of raw ingredients), their prices have increased by 50 cents. Hence, please note to increase the prices by 50 cents for all the prices stated in this blog post. 

Singapore Style Ramen $6

The Singapore Style Ramen $6 consisted of Noodles, Hot Spring Egg, Cha Su, Potato Wrapped Prawn, and HK Style Wanton topped with scallions. The soup was served separately in a small bowl. The noodles were very springy and were similar to mee kia. 

Singapore Style Ramen $6

Potato Wrapped Prawn

Cha Su

Hot Spring Egg

The noodles were cluttered together in a lump making it hard to eat. The chilli added at the side lacked spiciness and fragrance and was too dry. The ingredients such as the Potato Wrapped Prawn, Cha Su and Hot Spring Egg were quite good whereas the HK Style Wanton was ordinary with nothing much to shout about.

As a whole, the presentation and concept of this Singapore Style Ramen was unique. It looked real good. But taste wise, it was not mind blowing. Nevertheless, I still must say that I admire the spirit of these two young men for their innovation in creating such a dish. Moreover, the effort taken to arrange the ingredients in the bowl although this was not a restaurant.  

A Noodle Story 超好面 (Amoy Street Food Centre)

7 Maxwell Road 

MND Building Annex B 

#01-39 Amoy Street Food Centre

Tel: 9027 6289

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 11am - 230pm, 330pm - 730pm

                         Closed on Weekends and PHs

Website

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Egg Noodle Barbecued Pork at Platinum Fashion Mall Food Centre (Thailand, Bangkok)

Stall P22 - Egg Noodle Barbecued Pork located at Platinum Fashion Mall Food Centre probably has one of the most expensive item on its menu. Read on to find out what is this item! If you are keen to read find out more about Platinum Fashion Mall Food Centre, please click here to read my first post on this food centre.

The Egg Noodle Barbecued Pork stall basically sells a variety of ingredients with the egg noodle being the main food. Now you must be wondering how expensive egg noodle can be right?

Well, the most expensive item is the Egg Noodle with Shrimp Wonton, Barbecued Pork and Crab Claws. It comes in three sizes; 160 Baht (S$6.67), 200 Baht (S$8.33) and 300 Baht (S$12.50). Surprisingly, there was no queue at the stall, maybe it was because it was 4pm in the afternoon.

Egg Noodle with Shrimp Wonton, Barbecued Pork and Crab Claws 160 Baht (S$6.67)

We ordered the smallest size Egg Noodle with Shrimp Wonton, Barbecued Pork and Crab Claws which cost 160 Baht (S$6.67) and was served with a small bowl of soup.

Egg Noodle with Shrimp Wonton, Barbecued Pork and Crab Claws 160 Baht (S$6.67)

The Egg Noodle with Shrimp Wonton, Barbecued Pork and Crab Claws was served with generous portions of ingredients as the name of the dish suggested, there were barbecued pork (char siew), shrimp wonton (wanton), a crab claw, crab meat vegetables and egg noodle.

The crab meat was fresh while the char siew was a tad too hard. The shrimp wantons and pork lard were hidden underneath the ingredients. The egg noodles was flavourful but too dry and hard. Overall, it was quite an ordinary bowl of noodles. The crab claw made up for it.

Egg Noodle Barbecued Pork at Platinum Fashion Mall Food Centre (Thailand, Bangkok)

Stall P22, Zone 2 Level 6  Platinum Fashion Mall Food Centre
222 (Pratunum) Petchaburi Road
Ratchathevee, Bangkok, Thailand
Opening Hours: Daily 9am to 8pm

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Liang Court Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails: Marutama Ramen and Saizeriya

Liang Court is currently having an event called Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails which will be held till 7 August 2013. Diners can purchase the Food Trail Coupon for $30 at the Customer Service Counter and get to enjoy 3 different set meals from 3 different restaurants in Liang Court and also a free beer. 

Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails Coupon & Food Trail Guide

The first restaurant  has been pre-selected, diners can choose their second and third stops from  any of the remaining 11 participating F&B shops. I received a copy of the Food Trail Guide and two complimentary Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails Coupons. As shown above, the coupon shows that my first restaurant (pre-selected) is Tamoya. 

Marutama Ramen

Looking through all the set meals in the Guide, I decide to try Marutama Ramen first (there is no need to utilise the coupon in sequence). 

Marutama Ramen

The Liang Court's Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon allowed me to try the Zenbu-nose (U.P. $18). It was essentially the signature Marutama Ramen with all toppings! The toppings are the Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly), Sliced Roasted Pork, Aosa (Seaweed), Negi (Spring Onions) and Half-Boiled Seasoned Egg. 

Those who frequent Marutama Ramen would know that the signature Marutama Ramen (without toppings) would have cost $12 and an addition $6 is required if all toppings were added. 

Zenbu-nose

 The Zenbu-nose; with all toppings added!

Roasted Pork (Char Siew)

Three big pieces of Sliced Roasted Pork (Char Siew) were given. The roasted pork had quite a good balance of lean meat and fat ratio. So much so that it was tender.

Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly)

The Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly) as it should be had a higher proportion of fats to lean meat compared to the Char Siew.

Half-boiled Seasoned Egg

The Half-boiled Seasoned Egg would have been perfect if its yolk was runny as they had got the marination right. It was a pity that it was slightly overcooked and the yolk was not runny.

Zenbu-nose

This bowl of Zenbu-nose ramen came with lots of ingredients like how it should be. If you were to take the cost of the Food Trail Coupon (i.e. $30) and divide by 3 restaurants, it means that essentially, you are paying for $10 per restaurant (do not forget, there's a free beer too).

Chew on this: Having this bowl of Zenbu-nose ramen would have covered more than 50% of your purchase of the coupon. 

The Italian Restaurant Saizeriya is one of the 12 participating restaurants.

Diners with Liang Court's Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon can get to try the US Sirlion Steak (U.P. $11.90) with Salad and Free-flow Drink Bar (U.P. $3.90).

US Sirloin Steak

The amount of food served with this coupon was astonishing. So generous! There was even a plate of rice!

Salad

 The salad which was served almost immediately after I had ordered the food.

US Sirloin Steak

The US Sirloin Steak was average. It was the most expensive on Saizeriya's menu. I felt that the steak was a tad too dry and hard. The portion of the serving was big considering the price.

So far I have tried the set meals at two participating outlets. I am impressed by the portions. I would have expected that the servings would likely be 'downsized'. But well, I was wrong. I am glad that the serving was the same as what a normal customer (without coupon) would have been served. Kudos to Liang Court and participating restaurants! The little things that matters.

I must say, this Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon is value for money. If you had not bought it and are interested in buying this coupon, its not too late. You can still utilise the vouchers on 31st July and 7 August 2013! I am definitely going back to try the other restaurants on 7 Aug!

Thank you Kase  from AsiaMalls Management for the two coupons. 

Liang Court Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails: Marutama Ramen and Saizeriya
Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road
Singapore 179030
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Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun 品味港式猪肠粉 (Pek Kio Food Centre)

I made two trips down to Pek Kio Market and Food Centre on a Saturday and Saturday for breakfast as I have been wanting to try the popular Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodle 華記大蝦麵.

Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodle 華記大蝦麵

But however, the stall was closed on both days! Never mind, there are other food worth eating in this food centre too! 

Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun 品味港式猪肠粉

As I was walking around searching for another stall to patronise, I spotted this unique stall called Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun 品味港式猪肠粉. This stall is located directly opposite Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodle.

What caught my attention was neither the queue nor was it the menu which offered Scallop ($4) and Abalone ($16.80) Chee Chong Fun. It was instead the fact that each piece of Chee Chong Fun was freshly made upon order, the traditional way (using a cloth)! Not factory made! 

The reason why there was a queue was because at anyone time, only two Chee Chong Fun (Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls) could be made. Standing there, observing the way the Chee Chong Fun was made, I must say that it was an enriching experience seeing the whole process of it and watching their nimble hands at work. The owner, the man in white shirt was friendly and approachable.

Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun $2.50

I ordered the Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun which cost $2.50. 

Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun $2.50

The owner does not stinge on the ingredients. For $2.50, I got a plate of Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun which was double the portion of what is served elsewhere with another layer of Chee Cheong Fun stacked on top. In addition, there were lots of Char Siew fillings.

The Chee Cheong Fun was served in a delectable well-balanced sauce that comprised of light soy sauce and sesame oil. Personally, I preferred this type of sauce compared to version with dark soy sauce. Fragrant sesame seeds were sprinkled on top to enhance the taste. This Chee Cheong Fun; steamed rice roll was soft, thin and smooth, it was also able to hold the fillings without breaking.  

Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun is certainly worth a try as it is of similar standard (or even better) to those served at restaurants and cheaper too! I can imagine myself having this for breakfast every weekend if I am staying at the block of flats next to it!

Life is interesting isn't? If Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodle was not closed, I would not have discovered this Chee Cheong Fun Stall! Literally - "When one door closes, another opens."

ps: I noticed that more people ordered the Prawn Chee Chong Fun which cost $4.

Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun 品味港式猪肠粉 (Pek Kio Food Centre)
Pek Kio Market & Food Centre
41A Cambridge Road #01-25
Singapore 211041
Tel: 9855 4864 / 81802014
Opening Hours:  Mon to Fri 630am - 130pm
                          Sat to Sun 630am - 230pm
                          Closed on alternate Wed

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Tampopo Restaurant (Liang Court)

Tampopo Restaurant is one of my favourite restaurant when it comes satisfying my ramen craving. It has been around for sometime, starting off with an outlet in Liang Court. Today, it is a restaurant chain serving Japanese Cuisine and has expanded to Takashimaya and also opened the Tampopo Deli at the basement of Liang Court. Tampopo is popular for its black pig ramen and first started in Liang Court.

We arrived at the restaurant at 1130am on a weekday. We were their first customer that day. Before long, the 2nd and third group of customers arrived. We were able to place our orders fairly quickly as we knew what to order before hand. We were served the green tea and the ramen without much delay.

Original Kyushu Ramen $13.50

Original Kyushu Ramen $13.50

The partner ordered the Original Kyushu Ramen. Besides the Kyushu ramen which was thin and hard, the bowl of ramen was served with tamago, black fungus, fish roe, soy sauce pork slice (char siew) and spring onions The Char Siew with a decent fat to lean meat ratio provided a melt in the mouth sensation.

The pork broth which required two days to made was made from pork bone! The pork broth was light, milky and tasty. I felt that it was a tad too salty. Nevertheless, it was still one of the better Japanese ramen around and at $13.50, it was value for money!

Deluxe Tampopo Black Pig Shabu Ramen $16.30

Deluxe Tampopo Black Pig Shabu Ramen $16.30

I ordered the Deluxe Tampopo Black Pig Shabu Ramen which was served with tampopo, corns, bamboo shoots, slices of black pig and lettuce. It was topped with lots of chilli flakes and some spring onions. The flavour of the chilli flakes did not overwhelm the taste of the pork bone broth. The broth was tasty yet forgiving. Compared to the broth from the Original Kyushu Ramen, I thought that this was more flavourful. The ramen was well cooked, retained its springiness and was not hard. It was a joy slurping the ramen along with the broth.

As the name black pig shabu suggests, the black pig was sliced thinly (paper thin) with little or no marination so that one can taste the original taste of the meat. Each piece had the right balance of fats and meat and was so soft and tender that they provided a melt in the mouth sensation. If only they gave more slices of the black pig shabu. Oishii!!!  Black Pig aka Berkshire Pig is the oldest breed of pig known originating from  Reading-Berkshire in England. It is the highest prized pork in Japan and regarded as the best quality of pork in the world. 

The Tamago (Japanese half boiled egg) was excellent. A firm and nice consistent dark brown colour on the outside. On the inside, it was soft and the egg yolk was runny - just the way a Tamago should be like. If you are keen to make your very own Tamago, you can click here for the recipe.

Overall, I felt that Tampopo's ramen was as good as Santouka's! Besides the dishes mentioned in this post, the Tonkatsu Ramen, Scoop Cake and Matcha Chiffon Cake are worth a try too. Service wise, the staff were prompt in refilling the green tea and the food got served pretty fast. To be fair, I should add that as we arrived at 1130am on a weekday, there was virtually no crowd in the restaurant. 

Tampopo Restaurant (Liang Court) 

177 River Valley Road

#01-23/24 Liang Court

Tel: 6338 3186

Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 1130am - 1030pm (last order 10pm)

                        Sunday and Public Holidays 11am - 1030pm (last order 10pm)

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Location

Tampopo Restaurant (Takashimaya) 

B2-33 Takashimaya Shopping Centre

Tel: 6235 2318

Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (Orchard Cuppage Terrace)

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is a Japanese ramen chain, started by Hitoshi Hatanaka in 1988, in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. It all began because Hitoshi Hatanaka was not satisfied with the taste of a ramen he had at a ramen shop. Hence, he used his own recipe and started off small with only 9 seats and one item on the menu. Today, almost 25 years later, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka operates 54 ramen restaurants worldwide in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Canada as well as United States of America. 

So what made them so successful? Read on to find out.

Visited the outlet at Orchard Cuppage Terrace, next to OG Orchard Point and Centrepoint. Although it was a weekend afternoon, the restaurant was only half full, with plenty of seats available. There were more seats available outdoors compared to indoors (where it is air-conditioned). 

Chawanmushi $3.50

The Chawanmushi; steamed egg pudding with salmon roe was impressive. It was very smooth and wobbly. In terms of taste, it was amazingly aromatic and tasty! One of the better Chawanmushi I have had. Reminds me of the one from Shin Yuu Japanese Restaurant.

Shin-Aji Shoyu Ramen $3.50

I ordered the Shin-Aji Shoyu Ramen. The ramen (noodle) was quite good. Thin, curly and chewy with a smooth texture. More the ramen was springy (QQ) springy and not soggy. The broth was clear, rich and robust. Light brown in colour because soy sauce was used (hence the word 'Shoyu'). It was so aromatic with sweetness and saltiness well-balanced.

Three big pieces of Char Siew were given. They sliced at the ideal thickness for me to get a good bite on it; not too thinly sliced. The Char Siew was incredibly tender with the right ratio of meat and fats that provided it with a melt in the mouth sensation. The bamboo shoots were crunchy providing a good texture to this bowl of ramen.

The Flavored Egg / Ajitsuke (Hanjuku) Tamago / Japanese Runny Egg was perfectly cooked. Firm on the outside and yet inside, it was so soft with almost all its yolk (molten) oozing out. One of the best I around here in Singapore. If you are wondering how you can make this on your own, click here for the recipe.

All in all, the Shin-Aji Shoyu Ramen was well executed  All the ingredients used in it were superb! It was a joy savouring and slurping this bowl of ramen.

Awase-Aji (Mixed Soup Ramen) $14

Awase-Aji (Mixed Soup Ramen) $14

The partner ordered the Awase-Aji; a mixed soup ramen, served with a bowl of Japanese rice topped with crunchy fried bits had a combination of salt, soy sauce and soybean in its broth. After finishing the ramen, the Japanese rice can be added into the soup. 

After this meal, I know why there has been so many rave reviews of Ramen Santouka. It's ramen is truly outstanding. Looks like this is the Best Ramen in Singapore thus far. It overtakes Nantsuttei (Parco Marina Bay) as my favourite Japanese Ramen restaurant. Forget about Ippudo and the Ramen stalls at Bugis+ Ramen Champion in the meantime. Ramen Santouka is the place for a decent bowl of Japanese ramen!

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (Orchard Cuppage Terrace)

21 Cuppage Road

Cuppage Terrace

Tel: 6235 1059

Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 12pm - 3pm, 530pm - 12am

                         Sat 12pm - 12am

                         Sun 12pm - 930pm

Website

Location

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (The Central)

6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-76 The Central

Tel: 6224 0668

Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 1030pm

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