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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632 Yishun Wanton Noodles

*Closed*

Wanton Mee $2.50

632 Yishun Wanton Noodles is another stall in Yishun that is quite popular. It is located in a coffeeshop at a quiet neighbourhood in Yishun. The only tell tale sign of its popularity is the queue at this stall.

As the name of the stall suggest, it sells Wanton Noodles, which most people orders. The second most popular dish is the Chicken Feet Noodles. One unique item available is the Spinach Noodles.  

The stall opens daily from 6am and the stall would typically close slightly after 10am when they have sold out their food. In fact it is quite ridiculous, I have visited on two weekends and on both occasions, their dumplings noodles and pork ribs noodles were sold out at 8.30am!

On weekdays, they close at around 1pm (will be earlier if they have sold out their food).

Wanton Mee $2.50

Their most popular dish; Wanton Noodles was really value for money. At $2,50, it was served with a generous serving of mee, char siew, vegetables and 3 wantons. There were pieces of chestnut in the wanton which provided helped provided a crunchy dimension. 

Taste wise, it was pretty decent. You really can't find fault with this dish when it cost only $2.50. In fact, my personal opinion is that it taste pretty good and was quite filling considering the price tag. 

Chicken Feet Noodles $3.00

As for the Chicken Feet Noodles $3.00, it was served with 2 pieces of braised chicken claws, 2 pieces of mushroom and a very generous serving of mee.

Chicken Feet Noodles $3.00

Taste wise, while the chicken claws taste pretty decent, it was a waste that the mushrooms were dry and not fragrant. Else, this would have been a very good dish.

A tip, instead of ordering this mee kia noodles, you can consider ordering kway teow/horfun! Somehow, it taste way better =).

632 Yishun Wanton Noodles

632 Yishun Street 61

Singapore 760632

Opening Hours: Daily 6am to 1pm (or till sold out)

                          Closed on 1 weekday every fortnight 

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Yixing Xuan Teahouse 怡心軒 (Tanjong Pagar)

Yixing Xuan Teahouse 怡心軒  located along Tanjong Pagar Road, a few units from 2D1N Soju Bang is a teahouse that specialises in conducting tea appreciation and tea tasting classes. In addition, they serve food and dim sum too.

Located just outside a bus stop

2 units

As we happened to be in the area on a Friday evening at around 715pm, I suggested this place. However, when we stared through the glass of the 2 units of the tea house, we were shocked to see that there was no one! It was empty, not a single customer. Should we enter? How come there was no one on a Friday and also considering that the past few eateries we walked past was filled to the brim especially 2D1N Soju Bang which had a long stretching queue.

After standing outside for what must have been a good 5 minutes, we decided to enter. 

As mentioned earlier, we were the only one. There's another unit next door which was empty too. The teahouse had an Oriental theme decoration with Chinese music being played softly in the background. It provided a good ambience for a chat and unwind away from the fast paced life. 

Activities

The activities board full of tea appreciation and tasting that was conducted for students, exchange students, foreigners and organisations.

Tea pots and tea leaves

Tea pots

A wide range of tea pots and tea leaves available. 

White Tea $4

White Tea $4

White Tea (tea leaves) $4

The White Tea was classified under special Chinese tea together with the likes of Pu-er, Jasmine and Oolong tea. To be frank I have never heard of White Tea before. Nor have I seen such tea leaves (so much for a foodie).

The White Tea (refillable) had a fragrant subtle flavour and was slightly sweet. It seemed to be accompanied by a grassy after-taste. Best for you to try this yourself. The best part is that this is refillable; sit down relax and enjoy the tea.. Also, of all the teas, this has the least caffeine. 

Regular Chinese Tea $1

Regular Chinese Tea was well, average (note: this is not refillable).

Carrot Cake $3

The Carrot Cake was soft, smooth and flavourful. It was steamed and was not oil or salty. Topped with shallots and dice spring onions, it was so savoury. At $3, this is well worth the price. We were told that they made the dim sum themselves (not factory made). 

Chicken Feet $3

The Chicken Feet was decent and was well marinated. 

Fried Rice $5

The Fried Rice was surprisingly good with generous amount of ingredients. Suitable for sharing with two person. It was well fried and not overly oily.

Special Pancake $6

Yixing Xuan's Special Pancake was indeed special. It is a dessert and will be served at the end of the meal. The appearance of this dish reminded me of Bak Kua (BBQ Pork Slices). Outside, the pastry mixed with green tea was incredibly crispy. Inside (in between the layer of pastry), it was filled with warm melted red bean paste. The sweetness of the red bean paste was just right. A must try.

If you want to learn more about tea and the authentic Chinese tea experience, this is the place. Moreover, Yixing Xuan Teahouse is not only a place for tea lovers, but also THE place for food lovers! I am quite impressed with the quality of food and dim sum and the fact that it is so value for money. If I pass by this area again, I am definitely coming back for more! Last but not least, all prices are in NETT! No plus plus (gst, service charge).

ps: if you are wondering, we were the only customers throughout our meal. Quite a number of people did peep through the glass and none entered.

Yixing Xuan Teahouse 怡心軒 (Tanjong Pagar)

30 Tanjong Pagar Road

Tel: 6224 6961

Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 10am - 9pm

                         Sun 10am - 7pm

Website
Facebook

Location

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Teck Sing Restaurant 德星茶餐室 (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

Teck Sing Restaurant 德星茶餐室 is a well known Chinese restaurant offering sumptuous dishes at affordable prices. It has several signature dishes, it's most famous signature dish is the Teck Sing Paper Wrapped Chicken. 

Teck Sing Restaurant 德星茶餐室 is located at Taman Sentosa, 5 minutes away from Plaza Sentosa; a shopping mall. The restaurant is around 15 minutes walk from Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre. (refer to map at bottom of the post). Yet again, the easiest way is to board the cab and inform the driver that you would like to go to 'Taman Sentosa'. It is just 10 minutes drive from Causeway / City Square and the cab fee  will cost around RM7. (Request for the metre to be activated before boarding cab.)

Teck Sing competitor is just next door (at the left of the restaurant) called Bamboo Restaurant which also specialises in serving paper wrapped chicken. Years ago, Bamboo Restaurant's version was more popular. However over the years, the standard has dropped. Today, Teck Sing is clearly the better player. 

Clean, simple air conditioned environment. The restaurant is very spacious occupying 2 ground floor units of the shop house. As we visited on a weekday late morning, the restaurant was still relatively empty. However, by lunch time, the place was more than 70% full. Not an easy feat considering that it was a Monday.

Menu (a)

Menu (b)

Teck Sing Paper Wrapped Chicken 德星药材纸包鸡 RM18

Teck Sing Paper Wrapped Chicken 德星药材纸包鸡 aka Yao Cai Ji was served pipping hot. It was wrapped in  thick superior paper and baked for several hours with various Chinese herbs. Once the paper was torn apart, the fragrance and aroma will start rising up and tease your senses. 

Teck Sing Paper Wrapped Chicken 德星药材纸包鸡 RM18

Teck Sing Paper Wrapped Chicken 德星药材纸包鸡 used kampung chicken. The chicken was incredibly fresh, soft, tender and juicy. Fork tender; the flesh fell part from the bones easily. What a delicious and delectable dish. The best Yao Cai Ji I have ever had. A must order!

Kang Kong with Sambal Chilli RM8

The Kang Kong with Sambal Chilli was amazingly delicious. It was well cook and the Kang Kong was still crunchy. The Kang Kong with Sambal Chilli strangely was more sweet than spicy with fragrance of garlic. Despite that, this dish was so savoury and delicious that we polish it off within minutes. What a surprising yummlicious dish.

Drunken Prawn in Claypot RM20

The size of the prawn compared to the bowl!

Another signature dish at Teck Sing is the Drunken Prawn in Claypot. The drunken prawns were cooked in herbal broth along with slices of spring onion and ginger. The broth was delish; herbal and sweet in flavour. As for the prawns, there were huge and extremely fresh. It was easy to deshell them. Moreover, the meat was firm, succulent and sweet. Excellent!

Soup of the Day: Peanuts with Chicken Feet Soup RM5

The Soup of the Day was Peanuts with Chicken Feet Soup. Even though the Drunken Prawns in Claypot has broth, we decided to order this soup too as few places serve this soup now. This soup is one of the most traditional Chinese soup with great nutritional value. At RM5, this is a steal. The Peanuts with Chicken Feet Soup tasted great! The soup was robust and rich in flavour. The chicken feet were simmered till tender, yet not too soft and not too hard. Eight chicken feet were given and yes, I polished them all. I am a great fan of chicken and duck feet! Even if you do not eat the chicken feet, you can still order this soup. The soup itself is delicious and is rich in collagen too. (Collagen is a protein with many benefits such as anti-ageing, repair skin, repair tissues and strengthen bones) 

Before calling for the bill, ordered the signature Teck Sing Paper Wrapped Chicken 德星药材纸包鸡 again. This time for take-away. To bring it back to Singapore. I carried the chicken all the way from 2pm to 9pm till I reached home. 

Teck Sing Paper Wrapped Chicken 德星药材纸包鸡 RM18

Once you have reached home, tear out the paper slowly and put the chicken along with the sauce and herbs into a container/bowl. Store it in the fridge if you are eating it the next day. Before eating, all you have to do is to steam it hot. Shiok!

Overall, the food at Teck Sing Restaurant 德星茶餐室 was amazingly delicious. I like all the dishes that were ordered nd they were so affordable. Service wise, the food was served promptly. Even when I went back 1 week later to just order the chicken for takeaway, it was nicely packed and given to me within 5 minutes. Furthermore, there is free wifi at this restaurant. If I am living nearby, I think I will be going there weekly!

Teck Sing Restaurant 德星茶餐室 (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

1 Jalan Sutera Satu, Taman Sentosa

80150 Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Tel: 07 334 7025

Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm

Website

Location

Location

A - Location of Teck Sing Restaurant

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

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Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant 竹園海鮮飯店 (Hong Kong)

This is our last lunch in Hong Kong. We did not have dim sum during this trip and were searching for a dim sum restaurant near our hotel. In the end, we found this restaurant called 'Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant' located 10 minutes walk away from Tsim Sha Tsui MTR.

Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant is a local seafood restaurant that has been around a long time. It is known for its fresh seafood at reasonable price and generous portions. As you enter the restaurant, you will notice many fish tanks filled with a variety of seafood such as lobsters, crabs, fishes, crayfish, calms, frogs and prawns.

Entrance of Chuk Yuen Seafood (Tsim Sha Tsui)

The entrance to Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant is easy to miss as it has just a small entrance. The restaurant is located at the basement and has a huge sitting capacity!

Dim Sum Menu (a)

Dim Sum Menu (b)

They have an English menu for customers which is not a common practise as most restaurants only have Chinese menu. All you would need to do is tick and indicate the number of plates of dim sum you wish to order. 

Hairy Crab Menu

As it is the hairy crab season, we were actively looking for hairy crab when we were in Hong Kong. Hence, when we saw that this restaurant serves hairy crab, we decided to order 3, half for each of us. We did not order 6 as we had already ordered too much food. (eating hairy crab in Singapore can burn a hole in your pocket. The best place to eat hairy crab is in China, where it is cheap and good!) 

Chicken Feet in Chinese Herbal Soup HK$30 (S$5)

I like eating chicken feet / claws. But I must admit this is the first time I had such a dish/dim sum; Chicken Feet in Chinese Herbal Soup. Surprisingly, this dish is a cold dish. I am a fan of herbal stuff and also chicken feet. Hence, of course, I would strongly recommend this dish! 

Look at the amount of herbals being used in the Chicken Feet in Chinese Herbal Soup. There was just a little amount of soup in the bowl (as shown in above picture). Nevertheless, I drank up almost all the soup. The soup was very strong in herbal taste. If you are not a fan of herbs, this is a dish to avoid. 

Steamed Rice Flour Roll with Barbecued Pork HK$19 (S$3.16)

The rice flour roll was thin and smooth, was an average dish. 

Steamed Rice Flour Roll Up Crispy Stick HK$19 (S$3.16)

The Steamed Rice Flour Roll Up Crispy Stick was delicious. Outside was soft and smooth. Inside was crispy and rough. 

Baked Barbecued Pork Pastry HK$22 (S$3.66)

Crispy pastry on the outside, inside filled with fragrant barbecued pork. 

Steamed Creamy Yolky Bun HK$16 (S$2.67)

The Steamed Creamy Yolky Bun was average. the custard inside was more solid than liquid (should be molten) and not aromatic. I prefer the Golden Egg Yolk Lava Bun at Victor's Kitchen in Singapore.

Pan Fried Turnip Cake with XO Sauce HK$19 (S$3.16)

The Pan Fried Turnip Cake with XO Sauce was on the oily end. Despite that, this dish was delicious! Slices of chilli was added to give it a slightly spicy taste. By the time this dish arrived, we were already quite full. 

Steamed Mini Meat Bun HK$19 (S$3.16)

The Steamed Mini Meat Bun or Xiao Long Bao (commonly called in China and Singapore) was disappointing. Not much soup in the bun. The skin was too thick. 

Steamed 'Siu Mai' Topped with Crab's Seed HK$22 (S$3.67)

The Steamed 'Siu Mai' Topped with Crab's Seed was also disappointing. In addition, the meat had a weird after-taste. 

Deluxe Shanghai's Crab HK$198 (S$33)

The Deluxe Shanghai's Crab is what we commonly call Hairy Crab (steamed). If you noticed, the picture above only shows half a crab. Well, the reason was because we ordered 3 hairy crabs, but there were 6 of us. When the waiter arrived with the crab he noticed this and immediately asked if we were sharing. We replied yes and the waiter took the dish back. When he came back, we noticed that there was 6 plates. In each plate, there was half a crab each. Each plate had the same number of legs (4), same number of pincer (1) and half the body! What a service! Everything has been cut up nicely. 

The roe of the hairy crab was good! Delicious and sinful! I am a fan of hairy crab! Although, I have tasted better ones from Shanghai, this was my first and only hairy crab in 2011. Hence, I was satisfied!

Moreover, each of us were given a set of 'tools' to assist us with eating the hairy crab.

Hot Face Towels

When we went into the toilet, we saw this (above photo) next to the sink. When we opened it, we saw that there were hot face towels in it! I am won over by the service in this restaurant, when the staff cut and spilt the hairy crab equally. With this hot towels, it blew me over! I am amazed over the little things the restaurant pay attention to give customers a good overall experience.

To conclude, Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant provides very good service and good food! The must order if you visit are Chicken Feet in Chinese Herbal Soup, Steamed Rice Flour Roll Up Crispy Stick, Pan Fried Turnip Cake with XO Sauce and  Deluxe Shanghai's Crab (if hairy crab is in the season). 

Food for thought: it has been a long time since I entered a restaurant in Singapore that provides good food and good service (to the extend of this restaurant). When was the last time hot towel was given to you in a restaurant? Hmmm, I can't recall.  

Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant 竹園海鮮飯店 (Hong Kong)

Basement, HK Pacific Centre

28 Hankow Road

Tsim Sha Tsui (Near Tsim Sha Tsui MTR, Exit C1)

Tel: (852) 2722 0633

Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 11am - 12mn

                          Sun 10am - 12mn

Website (for the rest of the outlets)

Location

Location

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