Xiang Ji Porridge 香记粥品 (Telok Blangah Crescent Market & Food Centre)

Century Egg and Pork Porridge $3.50 with Egg $0.50

Age seems to have caught up with me. I used to have porridge only when I was not feeling well. And when I am well, I would definitely not have porridge for lunch as it was not filling. But now, ironically, I enjoy a bowl of porridge for lunch every now and then. Yes, even if the weather is scorching hot, I somehow cannot say no to this porridge.

I am surprise that no one has shared about Xiang Ji Porridge 香记粥品 as it is a hidden gem! The stall is located at Telok Blangah Crescent Hawker Centre, which is quite out of the way as it is not near any MRT stations. It is located 5 minutes away from Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and SAFRA Mount Faber.

The stall is open from Tuesday to Saturday and business starts at 7am till sold out, which is usually slightly after 1pm. During lunch time, the queue can stretch to more than 10 persons long. This is how popular they are! In terms of variety, they offer a wide range, from century eggs, pork liver, pork minced meat, pork lean meat, shredded chicken to fish.

The porridge has a grainy texture as it is well cooked till the grains are broken into slightly smaller pieces. Each bowl of porridge comes with generous toppings of fried fritters, spring onion, shallots and preserved vegetable. There is no need to add additional seasoning as the porridge is flavourful, not to the extent of salty, and the preserved vegetable will provide additional flavour.

Century Egg and Pork Porridge $3.50 with Egg $0.50

My favourite and usual dish is the Century Egg and Pork Porridge which cost $3.50. I will usually add an egg for $0.50 to make the texture creamier and provide more flavour. The amount of ingredient given is quite generous (you can see the amount of century egg given in the photos above).

Pork and Liver Porridge $3.50 with Egg $0.50

Another combination which I frequently order is the Pork and Liver Porridge $3.50 with Egg $0.50.

Since I chanced upon this stall, I have been eating their porridge frequently. This simple yet unpretentious bowl of porridge certainly punches its weigh. Whether you are feeling under or above the weather, this is one good solid bowl of porridge worth trying!

Xiang Ji Porridge 香记粥品 (Telok Blangah Crescent Market & Food Centre)

#01-98 Telok Blangah Crescent Hawker Centre

Blk 11 Telok Blangah Crescent

Singapore 090011

Opening Hours: Tue to Sat 7am till sold out (normally slightly after 1 pm)

                          Closed on Sun and Mon

View FoodieFC's Singapore Food Map in a larger map

Hai Xian Zhu Zhou 海鲜煮粥 (Yishun) 2nd Post

Tom Yam Pork Koka Noodles with Egg $3.50

Hai Xian Zhu Zhou 海鲜煮粥 is popular stall located at a coffeeshop called Choh Dee Place in Yishun; along Yishun Street 21. The expected waiting time is at least 30 to 45 minutes on a weekend morning.

Hai Xian Zhu Zhou's popularity is due to its Koka Instant Noodles dishes which is available with pork / chicken / seafood and/or tom yam flavour. They also offer other variety of dishes such as crispy noodles, mee sua, ee mian and porridge, but these are not as popular.

Menu

The prices of the dishes (menu) are listed in Chinese on the left of the stall.

Seafood Koka Noodles $5.50

This is the Seafood Koka Noodles which cost $5.50. It was pretty pricely for instant noodles that sold at a coffee shop. If you add an egg, it would cost an additional $0.50. It was served with a variety of seafood such as cuttlefish, sliced fish and prawns, and vegetables.

The addition of the prawns added a bright vibrant colour to this dish. There were a total of 3 prawns. They were big and fresh, and enhanced the taste and sweetness to the soup. As for the fish, it was just average while the cuttlefish added texture to the dish. The Koka Noodles was cooked just right; not too soft and not too hard, and the noodles was springy. Overall, this was a very decent dish. It is worth indulging in this every now and then despite the price.

Pork Koka Noodles with Egg $3.50

This is the Pork Koka Noodles with Egg $3.50. It consisted of vegetables, sliced lean pork meat, minced meat and an egg. The soup was not as tasty or sweet compared to the seafood version. Nevertheless, it was quite a decent dish considering that the main ingredient is instant noodles.

Tom Yam Pork Koka Noodles with Egg 

This is the Tom Yam Pork Koka Noodles with Egg, another popular item judging from the number of people eating this dish at the coffee shop.It also consisted of vegetables, sliced lean pork meat, minced meat and an egg. The Koka Noodles was cooked just right. As for the Tom Yam soup, if it was slightly less spicy, it would have been perfect. This would be quite a good comforting dish for a rainy day.

If you are a fan of Instant Noodles, you should give this a try. Instant Noodles has never tasted so delicious! While its possible to cook a similar dish at home, you would need some effort (e.g buying fresh ingredients from the wet market, boiling the broth with chicken/pork bones for hours). 

Hai Xian Zhu Zhou 海鲜煮粥 (Yishun)
#01-472 Choh Dee Place
Blk 233 Yishun Street 21
Singapore 760233

View FoodieFC's Singapore Food Map in a larger map

Zhen Zhen Porridge 真真粥品 (Maxwell Food Centre)

Century Egg and Shredded Chicken Porridge with Egg 皮蛋鸡肉粥加蛋 $3.30

You may have heard of this well known porridge stall at Maxwell Food Centre (hawker centre) called Zhen Zhen Porridge 真真粥品. Although there are several stalls in the food centre selling porridge, this is the most popular stall with long queues during peak hours.

Zhen Zhen Porridge serves Cantonese style porridge where the rice grain is cooked till it is of a semi-solid consistency.

Menu

They are also famed for their fresh raw fish (Song-fish) salad. But they have temporarily stopped selling this after the National Environment Agency (NEA) asked more than 70 raw fish porridge stalls to temporarily stop selling raw fish dishes made from Song fish, also known as Asian Bighead Carp, and Toman fish, also known as Snakehead. This arose because of the link between the consumption of raw fish and Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection.

Century Egg and Shredded Chicken Porridge with Egg 皮蛋鸡肉粥加蛋 $3.30

Century Egg and Shredded Chicken Porridge with Egg 皮蛋鸡肉粥加蛋 $3.30

This is the Century Egg and Shredded Chicken Porridge with Egg 皮蛋鸡肉粥加蛋 $3.30. All the rice grains were cooked till they were all dissolved. The porridge was thick and silky. The porridge was delicious and tasty. For $3.30, this is so value for money they were so generous with the ingredients.

ps: the pictures does not do the porridge any justice as it tasted way better than it looks. 

Zhen Zhen Porridge 真真粥品 (Maxwell Food Centre)

#01-54 Maxwell Food Centre

1 Kadayanallur Street  

Singapore 069184

Opening Hours: Wed to Mon 5.30am - 2.30pm

                          Closed on Tue

View FoodieFC's Singapore Food Map in a larger map

Hai Xian Zhu Zhou 海鲜煮粥 (Yishun)

Seafood Koka Noodles with Egg $5

Hai Xian Zhu Zhou 海鲜煮粥 is a stall located at a coffeeshop called Choh Dee Place in Yishun; along Yishun Street 21. 

What makes Hai Xian Zhu Zhou stands out is its Koka Instant Noodles which is available with pork / chicken / seafood and/or tom yam flavour. The stall also sells crispy noodles, mee sua, ee mian and porridge.

Menu

The menu pasted at the side of the wall next to the stall stating the prices of the dishes. The Tom Yam Koka Noodles price was missing. 

Left to right: Seafood Koka Noodles with Egg $5, Tom Yam Pork Koka Noodles with Egg $3.5

We visited on a Saturday afternoon for lunch. We had to wait for a good 20 minutes before our order was served. Do note, you would need to let them know your table number when ordering. We ordered the Seafood Koka Noodles with Egg $5 and Tom Yam Pork Koka Noodles with Egg $3.5. 

Seafood Koka Noodles with Egg $5

The Seafood Koka Noodles with Egg $5 was presented nicely. The addition of the prawns added a bright vibrant colour to this dish. From the above photo, you might not have known that this was cooked with instant noodles if I had not told you! 

There was a variety of seafood such as cuttlefish, sliced fish and prawns. Although the prawns were fresh, the sliced fish had a strong fishy taste. The soup had a strong hint of prawn flavour such that it masked the sweetness of the other seafood. The Koka Noodles was cooked just right; not too soft and not too hard, and the noodles was springy. 

Tom Yam Pork Koka Noodles with Egg $3.5

This was the Tom Yam Pork Koka Noodles with Egg $3.5.

Tom Yam Pork Koka Noodles with Egg $3.5

It consisted of vegetables, sliced lean pork meat, minced meat and an egg. The Koka Noodles was cooked just right. As for the Tom Yam soup, if it was slightly less spicy, it would have been perfect. This was quite a good dish for a cold day.

Personally, we both preferred the Tom Yam Pork Koka Noodles. Instant Noodles had never tasted so delicious! Perfect excuse to eat instant noodles (in moderation - hopefully).

Chicken Porridge with Egg $3.50, Pork Porridge with Egg $3.50

During another visit on a Saturday, we decided to try their porridge for lunch.  We ordered the Chicken Porridge with Egg $3.50 and Pork Porridge with Egg $3.50

Chicken Porridge with Egg $3.50

Chicken Porridge with Egg $3.50

The Chicken Porridge with Egg $3.50 was served with chunks of chicken meat, egg, chopped coriander, fried shallots, You Tiao (deep fried dough fritters), and a dash of soya sauce and pepper. The porridge was disappointing. It was watery, tasteless and not heated up enough such that the raw egg which was added could not even get cooked properly.

Pork Porridge with Egg $3.50

Pork Porridge with Egg $3.50

The Pork Porridge with Egg $3.50 was served with slices of lean meat, minced meat and liver. It was also watery and tasteless. Enough said..

The porridge at Hai Xian Zhu Zhou was such a let down. You would be better off ordering their Koka Instant noodles. 

Hai Xian Zhu Zhou 海鲜煮粥 (Yishun)

#01-472 Choh Dee Place
Blk 233 Yishun Street 21
Singapore 760233

View FoodieFC's Singapore Food Map in a larger map

Ah Chiang's Porridge 阿昌粥 (Toa Payoh)

Mix Pork Porridge with Egg $4

Ah Chiang's Porridge 阿昌粥 first started operation at at Tiong Poh Road in the 70s selling Cantonese style porridge. Today, it has two outlets; one at Toa Payoh while the other - the original stall is still at Tiong Poh Road.

We visited the outlet at Toa Payoh which is 5 minutes away from Toa Payoh MRT station. 

Menu

Mix Pork Porridge with Egg $4

I ordered a bowl of Mix Pork Porridge with Egg $4. 

Mix Pork Porridge with Egg $4

It came with minced pork meat, liver and small and big intestines. The servings of pork was very little. Take for example, there was just 1 slice of small and big intestines. I normally add an egg into my bowl of porridge to give it a creamier texture. The porridge was cooked till it was thick and smooth. Taste wise, I was not impressed. It was lacking in taste and flavour. 

Century Egg Chicken Porridge $4.50

The partner ordered a bowl of Century Egg Chicken Porridge $4.50. The serving of shredded chicken was limited compared to the century egg.

To sum this up, I was quite disappointed with what I had as I had expected more 

Ah Chiang's Porridge 阿昌粥 (Toa Payoh)
Blk 190 #01-526 
Toa Payoh Lorong 6
Singapore 310190
Tel: 6356 6009
Opening Hours Daily from 7am to 930pm

View FoodieFC's Singapore Food Map in a larger map

Chai Chee Pork Porridge 菜市猪肉粥 (85 Fengshan Food Centre)

At 85 Fengshan Food Centre at Blk 85 Bedok North, there are so many stalls that you would likely to to ponder over what to order. This was what happened to us when we travelled to Bedok for Supper. We have heard that the Porridge was quite good, but were wondering if we should waste our calories on porridge for supper. Anyway who eats porridge for supper?! Well, I have to eat my words.. in the end, we ordered 1 bowl of porridge to share. 

Chai Chee Pork Porridge 菜市猪肉粥 is apparently quite a famous and popular porridge stall in the food centre. When we were there, there was a short queue, after ordering, we had to wait for around 10 minutes before our order was served to our table. They serve a variety of porridge, ranging from pork, century egg, fish to chicken porridge. 

Pork Porridge (猪肉粥) with Egg $3.50

This Pork Porridge (猪肉粥) cost $3. We added an egg for $0.50. The raw egg was placed at the bottom of the bowl before pipping hot porridge was poured over it. The porridge was served with minced pork and lean pork meat, and topped with you tiao and spring onions. 

Pork Porridge (猪肉粥) with Egg $3.50

Pork Porridge (猪肉粥) with Egg $3.50

The porridge was surprisingly good. The texture of the porridge was thick and smooth. It was not grainy or watery. Moreover, kudos to the stall owners it was not salty! The decision to add an egg was the icing on the cake as it made the porridge creamier. Wonderful, comforting bowl of porridge. It was simple yet delicious! Though I wish that they were more generous with the pork meat.

Chai Chee Pork Porridge 菜市猪肉粥 (85 Fengshan Food Centre)

Blk 85 Bedok North Street 4 #01-23 

85 Fengshan Food Centre 

Singapore 460085

Opening Hours: Daily 5pm to 2am

View FoodieFC's Singapore Food Map in a larger map

Swee Choon Dim Sum Restaurant (Jalan Besar)

Swee Choon Dim Sum Restaurant in operation for more than 50 years is a well-known dim sum restaurant which is extremely popular among Singaporeans and tourist. It has been featured on many newspapers, magazines as well as food shows. Unlike most other dim sum restaurants, Swee Choon's operating hours are from 6pm to 6am catering ensuring that Singaporeans have an extra option for supper and are well-fed throughout the night. Lucky for us, now we can all have dim sum even at midnight or in the wee hours of the morning! 

Swee Choon located at Jalan Besar opposite Berseh Food Centre is so popular that it occupy 5 units of shophouses along this stretch of road. It is in the between both Farrer Park and Lavendar MRT stations, a good 10 to 15 minutes walk away from either stations.

Occupying 5 units, Swee Choon offers both alfresco dining and air-conditioned (indoor) dining. In addition, it has a unit which cater only to walk-in customers who order takeaways. 

As we already knew that there would be a long queue if we arrived late, we made it a point to arrive at 630pm on a Friday for dinner. Luckily for us, we got the last available table at the indoor (air-conditioned) dining area. 

Menu

Menu

Menu

The menu with the prices. As you can see, Swee Choon offers a wide variety of Hong Kong and Shanghai dim sum, and local zi char dishes. 

Chrysantheum Tea $1.30 per pax

For drinks, we ordered their Chrysantheum Tea which cost $1.30 per pax. It was served in a metal pot and is refillable. They mixed the tea bags themselves. The Chrysantheum Tea was quite good as it was light, refreshing, fragrant and help to wash down the grease. 

Century Egg Porridge $2.50

The Century Egg Porridge $2.50 was served in a small bowl. It was decent, but not the best. There were chunks of century egg and chicken meat in it. 

Mee Suah Kueh $2

Swee Choon's signature Mee Suah Kueh $2; deep-fried vermicelli cake (mee sua) which can only be found at Swee Choon. Show this kueh to anyone and they would associate it with Swee Choon. Almost every table ordered this. I thought that this was unique and not bad. But  I will not rate it as a die die must try as the standard seemed to be inconsistent and it was a little too greasy. One of the kueh could have been fried a little longer. The texture was unique. Crisp, rough texture on the outside while the interior was moist. 

Fried Golden Doufu (Tofu) $3.50

This Fried Golden Doufu (Tofu) $3.50 was surprisingly good. Despite the simplicity, it was well executed. The tofu was fried till it was crispy on the outside. The addition of the pork floss at the top was the icing on the cake.

Carrot Cake $2

The Carrot Cake $2 was not bad too. There were a good mix of radish, dried shrimps and chinese sauages in it. It was also a little too greasy. 

Pan Fried Pork Dumpling $4

The Pan Fried Pork Dumpling $4 was pan fried till it was so crispy. In addition, they were so generous fillings. Dipping it into the vinegar along with slices of ginger made this just so delectable. 

Beancurd Prawn Roll $2.80

The Beancurd Prawn Roll $2.80 with minced meat and prawns in it was ordinary.

Steamed Pork Ribs $2.50

The Steamed Pork Ribs $2.50 was a let down. The part of the pork served was not pork rib and it was either too fatty or was all bones.

Overall, Swee Choon Dim Sum Restaurant is worth a try. There were hits and misses in the dishes we ordered. Service wise, despite the restaurant being full, the staff were efficient. It was easy getting the attention of the staff. Do note that this restaurant only accepts cash or nets. They do not accept credit card. Also, they do not take any reservation. 

As we left Swee Choon Dim Sum Restaurant at close to 8pm, we saw a queue! It was very thoughtful of the restaurant owner to provide chairs outside. If you are planning to visit this restaurant during dinner time, do remember to come early. 

Swee Choon Dim Sum Restaurant (Jalan Besar)
183/ 185/ 187/ 189/ 191 Jalan Besar
Singapore 208882
Tel: 62257788
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 6 pm - 6 am 
                          Close on Tuesday
Website

View FoodieFC's Singapore Food Map in a larger map