Lan Xiang Handmade Noodles 兰香面粉粿•板面 (Bukit Merah Central Food Centre)

You Mian $3.50

If you have followed FoodieFC posts on Facebook or Instagram, you would have noticed that I eat Handmade Noodles (followed by Bak Chor Mee) frequently. Whenever you go, whether it is hawker centre or a food court, you will always find at least one stall selling Handmade noodles. In most case, it is cheap, tasty and healthy (unless the soup is laden with MSG and you finish it) dish.

I am glad I found another handmade noodles stall in Bukit Merah area that suits my taste. It is Lan Xiang Handmade Noodles 兰香面粉粿•板面 which is located at Bukit Merah Central Food Centre. The lunch time queue at this stall would be the best proof to this. There would always be a queue of at least 5 to 10 persons long.

You would not need to worry about long waiting time as the two person team is well-oiled. The lady would go down the line, taking orders, taking out the noodles and collecting the payment. The man would cook the noodles juggling several stove at one time. You should be able to savour the noodles within 10 minutes after ordering.

You Mian $3.50

What makes this stall stands out among the rest is their noodles. It is not a secret and obvious that some handmade noodles stalls order their noodles from factories.

Lan Xiang Handmade Noodles makes the handmade noodles themselves.Their noodles are of a thicker size compared to those that I have ate elsewhere.

Prawn You Mian $5

I have tried both You Mian $3.50 and Prawn You Mian $5. The you mian was springy, soft and flavourful. As for the soup, it was clear, robust, sweet and more importantly, it was not salty! Moreover, the minced meat was well flavoured and marinated! A very satisfying bowl of handmade noodles.

Tom Yam You Mian $4.50

Although they also sell Tom Yam handmade noodles, most people order the normal version of handmade noodles.

Lan Xiang Handmade Noodles 兰香面粉粿•板面 (Bukit Merah Central Food Centre)

#02-06 Bukit Merah Central Market & Food Centre

163 Bukit Merah Central

Singapore 150163

Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 11am - 8pm, Sat to Sun 11am - 3pm

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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

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Northern Thai Restaurant 泰北 (Peace Centre)

Traditional Clear Tom Yam Soup $4

I still remember my first visit to Northern Thai Restaurant 泰北 in 2011. Back then, this eatery was located in a coffeeshop along Tyrwhitt Road at Jalan Besar area and everyone at this coffeeshop was patronising this stall. I wanted to visit the eatery a couple of years back, but got to know that it shifted out from Tyrwhitt Road to Upper Paya Lebar Road. Hence, I was surprised to find see this stall at Peace Centre when I walked past it recently.

Northern Thai Restaurant is now located at level 1 of Peace Centre. It is located together with Isle Cafe. As its name suggest, the eatery serves Northern Thai cuisine.

The menu is pasted on the facade. Generally, they now focus on offering a fewer variety of dishes due to the difficulty in getting manpower. They no longer sell dishes such as Stewed Pork Leg, Spring Rolls and Fried Kang Kong.

Phad Thai $3.80 and Northern Thai Special Tom Yam Soup $4

I visited the stall on several occasions to try their food. During the first occasion, I ordered their Phad Thai $3.80 and Northern Thai Special Tom Yam Soup $4.

Phad Thai $3.80

The Phad Thai which is the Thai version of fried kway teow cost $3.80. It was fried with egg, beansprouts and prawns, and served with grounded peanut, chilli powder and lime. They were generous with the ingredients and this is a relatively cheap plate of Phad Thai as a similar portion elsewhere (e.g. other thai eateries - note not restaurant) would have easily cost $5.50.

While this plate of Phad Thai was quite well fried and decent in terms of taste, if I may compare, it lacks the taste (wok hei) and fragrant of the Phad Thai at Ah Loy Thai. However, for $3.80, I should not be complaining too much as its so value for money.

Northern Thai Special Tom Yam Soup $4

I remember that this is one of their signature dishes - Northern Thai Special Tom Yam Soup $4. This was quite a unique bowl of tom yam soup. It was cloudy and orangey in appearance and was served with fish slices. The fried fish soaked up all the essence of the soup!

Phad Hoon Sen $3.80

On another occasion I had the Phad Hoon Sen $3.80 and Traditional Clear Tom Yam Soup $4. Both were quite well executed.

The Phad Hoon Sen $3.80 is a Thai stirred fried glass noodles dish. This is a dish that is not easy to execute and fire control is essential to ensure that the glass noodles are cooked to the right texture and not overcooked. This was delicious as taste wise, it was just nice and cooked just right too. The plus point was that it was not oily at all.

Traditional Clear Tom Yam Soup $4

The Traditional Clear Tom Yam Soup $4 was not bad. Just that I found it a tad too sour. Could have been a little more spicy. 

Generally, the food here was not bad. Price wise, it was so value for money. During lunch time, it can be quite crowded and hard to get seats. If you intend to come on a Saturday, do give them a call as some of their popular items could be sold out as early as 1pm.

Northern Thai Restaurant 泰北 (Peace Centre)
#01-46 Peace Centre
1 Sophia Road
Singapore 228149
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm (or sold out)
                          Closed on Sun and PH
Tel: +65 9851 6386
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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

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Cafe Sneakery (Sunshine Plaza)

*Edited on 24 Sep 2014: Closed*

Creamy Tom Yum Soup with Thai Mama Noodles $4.90

Cafe Sneakery (Sunshine Plaza) is a small humble eatery located at a quiet corner of the exterior of Sunshine Plaza along Prinsep Street. Inclusive of its exterior and interior seating, this eatery can sit around 20 people. 

I have eaten at least five times at Cafe Sneakery and was impressed with their food. Through these visits, I tried all 3 of their  Noodles; Smoked Duck with Organic Noodles, Noodles Soup and Creamy Tom Yum Soup with Thai Mama Noodles.

Besides selling Noodles, they have Sandwiches, Toasts, Wraps, Ice Cream and Beverages available.

Smoked Duck with Organic Noodles $5.50

Their signature Smoked Duck with Organic Noodles with sesame oil and special sauce is my favourite dish!

Smoked Duck with Organic Noodles $5.50

The noodles was very well executed. Cooked to perfect timing, the texture was so soft while the taste was so savoury. The smoked duck was a pleasant surprise. It was well smoked and was tender and springy. This dish is a die die must try!

Noodles Soup $4.90

The Noodles Soup $4.90 cooked with chicken, prawns, mushrooms and vegetables was another gem.

Noodles Soup $4.90

This bowl of Noodles Soup was so forgiving, comforting with a warmly feel.

The broth was flavourful and the essence from boiling the vegetables (probably radish) and meat was extracted out into the broth. With the addition of the ingredients, this dish was just so health. There was definitely no MSG added in it, as I drank all the soup and did not felt thirsty at all. A homely dish, perfect dish on a rainy, cold day or if you are not feeling well.

Creamy Tom Yum Soup with Thai Mama Noodles $4.90

The Creamy Tom Yum Soup with Thai Mama Noodles $4.90 did not exactly wow me as I felt that the balance of the sourness and spiciness could be improved. In addition, the mushroom used did not really suit the tom yum soup.

This small cafe called Cafe Sneakery is highly recommended. If it can overcome its small seating capacity, this hidden gem could be the next big thing and add itself into the list of established players nearby such as Victor's Kitchen, Oven Marvel and Aroy Dee Thai Cafe. This cafe is a family run business, I hope that they continue to operate despite the challenges (labour, rental, etc). I will definitely be back for more of their Smoked Duck with Organic Noodles and Noodles Soup. Give this a try, you will not regret it.

ps: do note that you might have to wait for half and hour during their peak hour (i.e. lunch time) as the place would be full. They do not take short cuts and rush through their cooking as the quality of food is important to them.

Anyway from what I heard, their shop is up for lease and if someone takes up the lease this shop would likely cease operation. If you want to try this, you have got to be fast. 

Café Sneakery (Sunshine Plaza)

91 Bencoolen Street 

#01-59 Sunshine Plaza 

Singapore 189652

Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 11am to 5pm

                         Closed on Sat and Sun
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The Best Of The Boat Noodles near Victory Monument (Thailand, Bangkok)

We made a special trip down to Victory Monument not because we wanted to take a look at this military monument. Instead, it was because we wanted to try the famous Bangkok Boat Noodles (Kuay Tiau Rua).
Its called Boat Noodles because the noodles were originally served from vendors on boats floating in Bangkok’s network of canals. Over the years, the boat vendors shifted and located eateries on land instead of on boats. Most of the vendors continued the practice of serving the noodles in small portions as this was done in the past to prevent the noodles from spilling out of the bowls in choppy waters. 

Canal

There were several boat noodles eateries located along the same stretch, next to this small, dirty canal near the Victory Monument. The different eateries could be easily differentiated by the colour of the shirt the staff were wearing. There were so many different colours; orange, pink, blue and purple.

I would highly recommend that you use the map at the end of this post to locate the eateries. There are few information online on how to locate the eateries. In addition, we spent a good 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get here. We asked many people including the policemen and were given the wrong directions despite us having the address and map.

We visited the eatery called "The Best Of The Boat Noodle". The staff there wore orange shirts. The reason why we visited this eatery was because we noticed that there were more people eating there compared to other eateries. 

This eatery essentially had two 'kitchens' at the front of the eatery for cooking. I noticed that they were so busy that they were practically cooking non-stop. 

There were indoor dining and alfresco (outdoor dining). Most customers chose to have their meals indoors as it was air-conditioned. The indoor area was packed, full of people as it was lunch time. There were more locals in this eatery compared to tourists. 

Menu

The menu was in both Thai and English languages. There were three types of boat noodles in the menu. We ordered all three types. We were lucky as there was one staff who could understand basic English. The rest of the staff did not understand English. 

This boat noodle eatery had a unique concept. Customers who ordered 20 bowls of noodles were entitled to a free bottle of Pepsi. As there was five of us and we knew that the portion was going to be small, we ordered 20 bowls straight away.  

Streaky Pork With Crispy Crackling 10 Baht (S$0.42)

In addition, we ordered a bowl of Streaky Pork With Crispy Crackling 10 Baht (S$0.42). This was fried pork skin (pork rind). 

Fried Dumplings 10 Baht (S$0.42)

We also ordered a bowl of Fried Dumplings 10 Baht (S$0.42). Both the Fried Dumplings and Pork Rind were mediocre.

Our 20 bowls of boat noodles were served within seconds of each other. Before we could start eating, the table was full. The workers continued and stacked the bowls on top of each other; two tiers.

They even stacked it up to the third tier. -_-" But well, it was our own fault for ordering so many bowls immediately. Lesson learnt: to order a few bowls at a time. This would ensure that the food would still be warm.

Noodles Thicken Soup with Beef 10 Baht (S$0.42)

Noodles Thicken Soup with Beef 10 Baht (S$0.42).

Noodles Thicken Soup with Pork 10 Baht (S$0.42)

Noodles Thicken Soup with Pork 10 Baht (S$0.42)

Both the Noodles Thicken Soup with Beef and Noodles Thicken Soup with Pork were named in such a way because they were thicken with pig's blood (which is a norm. Don't worry, the blood were fully cooked due to the temperate of the broth. Also, the taste of the blood was not distinctive.). Priced at 10 Baht, they were served in bite-sized portion with thin rice noodles, kang kong, meat and meat ball.

Both of these were essentially the same except for the fact that one was served with beef while the other was served with pork meat. Both the meat were still tender; not over cooked. The sweet and spicy dark brownish broth was rich and intense in flavour.

Noodles Sour Soup with Pork 10 Baht (S$0.42)

The Noodles Sour Soup with Pork 10 Baht (S$0.42) was executed differently. It was still served with thin rice noodles and pork (meat). However, other than that, the rest of the ingredients were different. It was served with beansprouts, fish cake, char siew, peanuts in a sweet, sour and spicy broth that was similar to tom yum soup.

Initially, when we ate our first bowl of boat noodles, the first thought was that it was so-so. But by the time we got to our 2nd or 3rd bowls, we began to like it more and more. It was a case of the more you dig into the bowls of boat noodles, the more you would love it! The three different types of boat noodles were delicious! So flavourful and so addictive that they were bounded to tantalise your taste buds.

These were so good that we ate a total of 38 bowls! Which was equivalent to around 7.5 bowls per person [cost per person: 76 Baht (S$3.15)]. How many bowls can you eat?

I do not know if this eatery; The Best Of The Boat Noodles is the best place for boat noodles as this was the first time I ate boat noodles. Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that this is a must try! The boat noodles served here were so cheap and delicious! 

This marks the end of my bangkok series! Here's some information on taking the cab / taxi in Bangkok.

There are many different colours of taxis in Bangkok, ranging from pink, blue, yellow, green and orange. The colours represent the different taxi companies. The taxi industry in Bangkok is regulated by Land Transport Department, Transport Ministry and it is an offense not to turn on the meter. Despite this, enforcement is difficult. Hence, most taxi drivers are unwilling to on their meters and would quote you a flat rate. As there is an abundant supply of taxis, you can just move on and try the next one. 

Pink Taxi

Tip:  The pink taxis are generally more likely to on the meters. The other taxis would always quote a flat rate which could be 2 to 3 times more than the normal taxi fare. The orange taxis always charge a flat rate. Even if they on the meter, they would ask for a certain amount of tip at the end of the journey. The yellow taxi was the worst. We were charged a flat rate and had to endure the whole journey listening to the driver who tried to hard sell his services which included driving us to the floating market or railway market (despite us telling him we have been there.). It was dangerous as he was pulling out maps and photos while driving, showing us where he could bring us to. After that, we learnt our lesson and stuck to taking the pink taxi whenever possible.

The Best Of The Boat Noodles near Victory Monument (Thailand, Bangkok)

Sutyot Kuetiau Lua Payak Phaya Thai

Bangkok 10400, Thailand

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