Wow Wow West Genuine (ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre)

Chicken Chop $7

I have always wanted to try out this western stall called Wow Wow West for the longest time ever. I still remember that I read about this stall in 2011 from Daniel Food Dairy blog and made a mental note to visit the stall when I was in the area. It was notable for its generous portion and delicious food then. Fast forward to 2018, I am glad that I have the opportunity to visit the stall at last!

A brief background about the stall. It started with Mr Eric Ng who started a western stall in the canteen of Raffles Institution. He moved out of the school environment to the hawker centre as the earnings were low during school holidays. Today, his son-in-law, Mr Jayden Cheong, helps to run the stall. In fact, he is the main chef at the stall and it is essentially a family business as Mr Eric Ng and his wife are also at the stall.

I visited the stall on several occasions and each time I am there, there is a perpetual crowd of people in front of the stall, either queuing up to order the food or waiting to collect their orders. I must say that I am most impressed with their system and processes, from ordering to collection of food. Despite the crowd, I have always waited for less than 20 minutes for my food. This is not an easy feat considering the crowd and number of orders. Unlike most western stalls, Wow Wow West does not churn out dishes one at a time. Instead, they churn out nearly 5 dishes at a time and different type of dishes too! At any one time, they are frying chicken chop and fish and chips, and cooking beef steak, pork chop and chicken chop, all at the same time! In addition, sometimes, they are frying fries too! I have always tried to observe how they do this, but never figured it out.

Chicken Cutlet $7

Look at the size of the piece of chicken given for the Chicken Cutlet $7. It was huge, nearly as big as my face. For someone who could eat a lot, I was very full after I finished the whole dish. The chicken cutlet was well-marinated and fried perfectly, which is not easily achieved considering the size. The exterior was so crisp and not over fried while the interior was tender and juicy.

Chicken Chop $7

The Chicken Chop $7 was huge too. It was marinated with herbs and pepper and was served with brown sauce. I particularly liked the bits of crisp skin at the sides as they provided a different texture with each mouthful. Surprisingly, the chicken chop was not as juicy as the chicken cutlet.

Pork Chop $7

The Pork Chop $7 was average. Maybe I had too high an expectation considering the quality of the other 2 dishes. I felt that the pork chop was dry and tough. Although the portion was big, I got too tired of chewing the meat.

All their dishes were served with fries, coleslaw and baked beans. Though these lost limelight compared to the mains, I must highlight that the portion of fries and coleslaw given was huge!

If you are looking for a big serving of western cuisine, look no further! This is the place to be at. And make sure that you are hungry. Very hungry! Try their Chicken Cutlet and Chicken Chop! If you are in a rush, you should refrain from eating this western food. Not because of the less than 20 minutes waiting time, but because you will likely need some time to polish off the whole dish considering the portion.

Wow Wow West Genuine (ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre)

#01-133 ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre

6 Jalan Bukit Merah

Singapore 150006

Tel: +65 9380 8571

Opening Hours: Tue to Sat 10.30am - 2pm, 4.30pm - 8pm

                           Closed on Sun & Mon

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Mary's Kafe - Hidden Gem!

*Edited on 5 Apr 18 as Mary's Kafe has shifted to Bendemeer

Roast Beef and Corned Beef Cutlet

Mary's Kafe is a hidden gem that is well-known among the Eurasian community in Singapore. Why is it well-known among the Eurasian community?

Well, it is because Mary's Kafe is owned by Mary Gomes, who is the best-selling author of "The Eurasian Cookbook". Also, she is the one doing the cooking in Mary's Kafe. Needless to say, it is popular for its Nonya and Eurasian food.

This no-frills cafe is hidden at a quiet corner of Queen Street at Kum Yan Methodist Church Building. I have been contemplating on whether I should type out this post after I got to know of this place in 2012. But well, I think I have procrastinated enough.. sharing is caring.

As shown in above photos, there are limited seats.The place is relatively empty as this was taken at 12 pm. Once you are ready to order, you will need to proceed to the counter to order and make payment. Only cash payment is accepted, they do not accept nets or credit card payments.

Also, do remember to collect the food, else Mary Gomes will keep ringing a bell. =P

Another photo of the place. This was taken at 12.30pm on a weekday. By this timing, the place would normally be full.

Set Lunch Menu

Set lunch is available daily, and they come with a drink and dessert at $8.50. The menu changes daily and there are limited quantities for each set. So the tip is to arrive early as the more popular set lunches may be sold out as early as 12.30 pm! The food shown below are those that I have eaten during my visits to the cafe.

Roast Beef and Corned Beef Cutlet

Since I have never tried Corned Beef Cutlet before, I added $0.60 to give it a try. It was essentially breaded grounded (grind-ed) beef meat which was then deep fried. It did not leave much of an impression.

The Roasted Beef set was served with rice and vegetable (cabbage). The cabbage was quite ordinary. Personally, I would have preferred it to be cooked a little longer so that it was softer. The cabbage was nearly always served as a side in most of my orders.

Roast Beef 

I was quite surprised that the Roasted Beef was served in a bowl, soaked in a dark brown sauce. It reminded me of Chinese braised soya sauce. But it tasted nothing like it.

Among all the dishes I tried, the Roast Beef was the best. The braising sauce was unique. It was light and flavourful with hints of sweet and savory taste which were balanced perfectly. The sliceds of roast beef was so flavourful as they had adsorbed the essence of the sauce. Also, the sauce went really well with the rice. Yummy!

Beef Curry with Tea

The Beef Curry set was again served with cabbage.

Beef Curry 

The Beef Curry was not it spicy at all. In fact, it was quite fragrance. Unlike most curry sold at outdoor eateries, this one had no powder residue. The beef chunks were tender and moist too. I liked the potato as it was cooked just right.

Chicken Meat Ball Stew with Corned Beef Cutlet

The Chicken Meat Ball Stew was not served with cabbage since the stew itself had cabbage.

Chicken Meat Ball Stew with Sugee Cake and Tea

Chicken Meat Ball Stew

The Chicken Meat Ball Stew was a stew with carrot, cabbage and chunks of chicken meat. Although the sweetness of the carrot and cabbage was evident in the stew, I felt that it could have been more robust.

Chicken Chop

The Chicken Chop set was served with cabbage (again). This was ordinary. The chicken chop size was small and the marination was forgettable. I should have ordered their other set lunch.

Signature Sugee Cake

The dessert changes daily too. This was Mary Gomes' signature Sugee Cake which was highly raved about. It sure lived up to its reputation. It had a grainy texture and was full of buttery goodness. I wish that the size was bigger as the one given can be eaten in one mouthful!

Green Bean Soup

The Green Bean Soup looked ordinary. But it was so awesome! In fact, I think that it tasted way better than the Sugee Cake. It was robust and full of flavour. Also, there was an addictive malty after taste that made me longed for more!

Appam with Caramelised Banana

On another occasion, the dessert was Appam with Caramelised Banana. I have never tried such a dessert before. It was so special! The unappealing tasteless / bland appam paired off well with the sweet and savoury caramelised banana!

I have been to Mary's Kafe several times but I still have not tried the signature devil's curry before! Although there are hits and misses, you should give Mary's Kafe a try. They sell real good Eurasian style food and who knows how much longer she will continue operating this no-frills, homely eatery. 

Mary's Kafe (Bras Basah)

20 Bendemeer Road
Singapore 339914

Tel: +65 9852 0348

Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 8am - 5pm

                         Closed on Sat and Sun

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IT Roo Cafe (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

 Grilled Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce RM 16

IT Roo Cafe is widely known as the place to go to for chicken chop in Johor Bahru. Its concept is more of an eatery or coffee shop rather than a cafe. It is located 10 minutes away from the causeway and is in fact 1 minute walk away from its competitor;  Hua Mui Coffee Shop 华美茶餐室. 

The interior of IT Roo Cafe was simple and traditional with a mix of indoor and alfresco seating. There were many old photographs and articles put up against the wall showcasing its history. 

I visited at 12 noon sharp, which was the start of the eatery's operating hours and was surprised to see that there was already three customers sitting down and waiting to collect their takeaway order. I thought that I would be the first customer. 

Menu

This is IT Roo Cafe's menu. They sell a variety of food, other than western food, they also sell local cuisines such as fried rice and noodles which is again similar to Hua Mui Coffee Shop.

Grilled Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce RM 16 and Mushroom Soup RM 4.50

I ordered the Grilled Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce RM 16 and Mushroom Soup RM 4.50.

Mushroom Soup RM 4.50

The Mushroom Soup RM 4.50 was just average.  

Grilled Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce RM 16

As for the Grilled Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce RM 16, it was delicious! I appreciated the generous amount of mushroom sauce with slices of mushrooms and potato wedges. The sauce had a delicate mushroom flavour. They used a whole chicken thigh for their chicken chop and grilled it perfectly, resulted in a succulent chicken chop which retained the flavour and juices.

IT Roo Cafe serves two types of chicken chop; grilled or deep fried. The next time I visit, I will try their deep fried chicken chop as they are popular for both versions. During my visit, I saw many customers ordering the IT Roo Fried Rice which cost RM 7.50. It seems to be another item worth ordering. 

IT Roo Cafe (Malaysia, Johor Bahru) 
17 Jalan Dhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru
80000 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Opening Hours: Daily from 12pm to 9.30pm

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Shi Xin Western Food 时新西餐 (Tekka Food Centre)

Chicken Chop with Egg $6.20

Shi Xin Western Food 时新西餐 is a western food hawker stall located at Tekka Food Centre.

Menu

As its name suggests, the stall owner serves Western cuisine such as black pepper beef steak, fish and chips, chicken cutlet, chicken chop and pork chop. 15 varieties in total. The stall is manned by just 1 person, a lady. Not an easy feat considering that preparations are required and she has to juggle between receiving goods, taking orders, cooking and collecting payment. Moreover, this is the only western stall in the hawker centre and business can be quite good during meal times. Amazing how 1 person can handle all these. She must be very capable.

Pork Chop $5.50

This is the Pork Chop $5.50. It is served with fries, bake beans, sliced cucumbers and tomato, and a bun.

Pork Chop $5.50

Personally, the sides were decent. The down side was that the main star, which was the pork chop, was too tough.

Chicken Chop with Egg $6.20

On another occasion, I ordered the Chicken Chop $5.50. I added an egg for an additional $0.70. This fared better in terms of taste. The egg was nicely executed with its yolk still runny. The chicken chop was juicy and well marinated! 

I find the price of the western cuisine at this stall very reasonable. Also, all the items come along with a bun. 

Shi Xin Western Food 时新西餐 (Tekka Food Centre)
665 Buffalo Road
#01-307 Tekka Centre
Singapore 210665
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm

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Paradise Dynasty (Causeway Point)

Paradise Dynasty has opened a new outlet in Causeway Point after it under went an extensive renovation. The group now has so many outlets that I have lost count how many outlets it has. 

The World's First 8 Flavoured Xiao Long Bao

This restaurant chain serves the The World's First 8 Flavoured Xiao Long Bao. As we have tried it before, we gave this a skip. 

Neatly arrange on every table. Customers can fill in the dishes they want and also indicate the quantity before passing it to one of the staff.

Drunken Chicken $7.80

The Drunken Chicken $7.80 was served chilled with Chinese Wine (Hua Tiao Jiu). The meat was succulent and flavourful. However, it was a little too uncooked for my liking.  

La Mian with Sliced Pork $9.80

The partner ordered a bowl of La Mian with Sliced Pork $9.80 which was served in their signature pork bone soup. The La Mian was delicious and each strand was uniformly thin. It would have been perfect if the La Mian was cooked a little longer so that it could be softer. Overall, a very decent bowl of La Mian. 

La Mian served with Deep Fried Chicken Chop $9.80

I ordered the La Mian with Deep Fried Chicken Chop $9.80. The Chicken Chop was served on a separate plate so that it would not be soaked in the pork bone soup. 

La Mian served with Deep Fried Chicken Chop $9.80

This bowl of La Mian was similar to the one my partner had. The only difference was that instead of pork slices, this came with fried chicken chop.

Deep Fried Chicken Chop

The Deep Fried Chicken Chop was very well marinated. The exterior had a thin layer of batter which was so tasty and crisp. As for the interior, it was tender and juicy. 

Surprisingly with Paradise Group's expansion, they have managed to ensure consistency.  

Paradise Dynasty (Causeway Point)

1 Woodlands Square

#05-16/17/18 Causeway Point

Singapore 738099 

Tel: 6894 6322

Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 11am - 10pm 

                         Sat, Sun and Public Holiday 1030am - 10pm

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Buddy Hoagies at Nee Soon South Community Club (Yishun)

Buddy Hoagies is a restaurant cafe specialising in western cuisine. I did not call it a restaurant became it has a friendly and relaxed ambience which is child friendly too. Moreover, the photo frames of English oldies singers and environment gave a unique warm comfort country feel. I visited Buddy Hoagies on a weekday evening for dinner at Yishun. They have two other outlets at Bukit Timah and Downtown East.

During my visit, I noticed that there were quite a number of children in the cafe. After walking around, I knew the reasons. Buddy Hoagies was a children friendly cafe! They had plastic utensils (spoon, forks, plates) for kids (not those disposable ones) and a corner filled toys for children to play. Some children even brought the toys to their tables where they could play while waiting for the food to be served. Not bad, I did not notice any children playing with ipad or any mobile devices! 

There was an option to upgrade the main course to a Buddy's Set Meal for $4.50 which would include soup & garlic toast, coffee/tea/ ice tea and ice cream.

We ordered a Fish and Chips and upgraded it to a Set Meal ($13.40), followed by a Western BBQ Chicken ($8.90) and Cheese Fries ($3.50). 

Tea

Cream of Mushroom & Garlic Toast

The Cream of Mushroom was average. It was too thick for my liking while the Garlic Toast was a tad too hard. 

Cheese Fries $3.50

The Cheese Fries $3.50 tasted quite good when it was still warm. When it cooled down, the cheese became hard and the fries at the bottom were soggy. 

Fish and Chips

The Fish and Chips $8.90 served with fries fared better. Though they could be more generous with their servings, both items were not overly oily. In addition, the fish was slight moist in the interior (not hard and dry). In fact, I like this fries better compared to the cheese fries. 

Western BBQ Chicken $8.90

The Western BBQ Chicken $8.90 was essentially grilled chicken in barbecue sauce with vegetables and baked potato. Initially, I thought that the portion was very little. But come to think of it, for the ambience and price, I really should not fault it too much as the operating cost of the F&B industry have gone up.

The chicken was nicely grilled and the interior was juicy and tender. There was a slight hint of smoky flavour. If the smoky flavour could be intensified, this would have been wonderful. There was a big chunk of butter in the baked potato. Needless to say, I took out most of the butter before they had the opportunity to melt. This main course was not bad and quite value for money. 

Ice Cream

The vanilla ice cream was well, simple and ordinary.

There were hits and misses at Buddy Hoagies. But generally, their main course seemed to fared better. They did quite well in creating a warm cozy ambience with a children friendly environment.

Buddy Hoagies at Nee Soon South Community Club (Yishun)
Nee Soon South Community Club
30 Yishun Street 81
Singapore 768455
Tel: 6752 8722
Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm daily
Website

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