Min Ji Laksa 民记叻沙 (Bendemeer Market and Food Centre)

 

Min Ji Laksa 民记叻沙 is a stall located in Bendemeer Market and Food Centre selling only 2 items, Laksa and Mee Rebus. 

Both dishes are highly raved about in the internet sphere. 

Since I seldom come to this area, I went straight for the most expensive, $5 laksa. I arrived at around 11.45 and there was already a queue at the stall. 

The Laksa was packed with ingredients; hard boiled egg, shredded chicken meat, cockles, slices of fish cake and tau pok with a handful of beansprouts. My default choice of noodles for laksa is always thick beehoon. 

Look at the big fat juicy cockles.

The laksa gravy was light yet so flavourful with a strong coconut fragrance. Once you start slurping the noodles with the laksa gravy, you cannot stop. That is how good it was.

If I live around the area, I will probably be eating this every couple of weeks! Wish that they would move to Yishun!

Min Ji Laksa 民记叻沙 (Bendemeer Market and Food Centre)
#01-31 Bendemeer Market and Food Centre
29 Bendemeer Road
Singapore 330029
Opening Hours: Thu to Mon, 7.30am to 3pm
                          Closed on Tue and Wed

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Hock Prawn Mee 福鰕面 (Jalan Besar)

Pork Rib Prawn Noodle $5

Hock Prawn Mee 福鰕面 is a prawn noodle stall located at a quiet coffeeshop in Jalan Besar area, oppsite Sim Lim Tower, near Sim Lim Square. It is located just opposite Wanderlust Hotel.

This prawn mee is located in the same coffeeshop as the Hainan Chicken Rice Ball.

I was surprised that Hock Prawn Mee is open 24 hours.

It was manned by an elderly lady and a gentleman in his 40s-50s during the day time when I went on several occasions. The elderly lady was in charge of cooking the food (including the soup stock) while the gentleman was in charge of taking down orders, serving and collection of payment.

Intestine Prawn Noodle $5

Seeing that they offer pig small intestines, I ordered the Intestine Prawn Noodle which cost $5. I was surprised that the price of the prawn noodles at this coffeeshop start from $4 onwards. Was expecting more of $3 or $3.50.

Intestine Prawn Noodle $5

The small intestine was delicious. It was very well cleaned with its innards still intact inside. regretted ordering the dry version as the chilli sauce was disappointing. It lacked fragrance and was not spicy. The soup provided was yummy though! It was very tasty.

Pork Rib Prawn Noodle $5

On the subsequent visit, I ordered the soup version of the Pork Rib Prawn Noodle $5. This was delicious as the soup base was very well done and full of umami flavour. In addition, the pork rib was tender. 

Personally, I prefer their soup version. Their dry version was disappointing due to the chilli. Pricewise, it is on the higher end compared to its peers in coffeeshops and hawker centres. 

Hock Prawn Mee 福鰕面 (Jalan Besar)
Shing Boon Hwa Food Centre
43 Jalan Besar
Singapore 208804
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 24 hours 

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Sungei Road Laksa 结霜桥叻沙 (Jalan Besar)

Laksa $2

Sungei Road Laksa 结霜桥叻沙 (Jalan Besar) is a famous Laksa stall located at a coffee shop in Jalan Besar. It is around 10 minutes walk away from Lavendar MRT station and is located opposite Jalan Besar Food Centre.

Unlike most laksa stalls, Sungei Road Laksa occupies a large unit of the coffee shop. It was manned by 4 persons. 1 person took the orders and collect the money, 1 person cooks the Laksa while the remaining 2 persons prepare the ingredients.

Look at how systematic they are. Everything is arranged neatly.

Interestingly, the Laksa gravy is cooked using charcoal stove. Each bowl of Laksa cost $2. The version with more ngredients cost $3. Most people would order a few bowls of the $2 version. There would typically be a long queue at this stall. When I visited recently, there was 3 persons in front.

Laksa $2

The Laksa $2 is served with thick rice noodles, beansprouts, slices fish cakes and cockles. The cost of Laksa may seems cheap, but well, to me it was not value for money. The bowl is small and the ingredients are far from generous. 

Worst of all, the laksa gravy was thin and lacking in flavour, especially the shrimp flavour. Frankly, I do not know why this is so popular. 928 Yishun Laksa tastes way nicer and at $2.80 comes with more than double the amount of ingredients.

Sungei Road Laksa 结霜桥叻沙 (Jalan Besar)
#01-100 Jin Shui Kopitiam
Block 27 Jalan Berseh 
Singapore 200027
Opening Hours: Daily 9am to 5.30pm
                         Closed on 1st and 3rd Wed of the month

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BaaMee Bangkok (Jalan Besar)

Thai Tom Yum Baa Mee (Wanton Mee) $5

BaaMee Bangkok located in Jalan Besar along Syed Alwi Road opened in late 2014. It seems to be the only stall (besides the drink stall) in operation at that coffeeshop. Hence, there would be plenty seats available.

BaaMee Bangkok's menu is limited with just 6 dishes on the menu. The more prominent dishes are theThai Tom Yum Baa Mee (Wanton Mee) $5 and Kaa Moo (Stewed Pig Trotters) $6.

 It seems that the food at the stall is dished by a Thai chef.

Thai Tom Yum Baa Mee (Wanton Mee) $5

 I ordered the Thai Tom Yum Baa Mee (Wanton Mee) $5.

Thai Tom Yum Baa Mee (Wanton Mee) $5

 It was beautifully plated on a flowery bowl and served with a bowl of wantons and wanton soup.

Thai Tom Yum Baa Mee (Wanton Mee) $5

As the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. This Thai Tom Yum Baa Mee (Wanton Mee) was incredibly fiery (spicy). The addition of the chilli & pepper powder, garlic infused oil, pork lard, peanuts and garlic sauce lead to a complexity of taste. I was wondering why I did not find it very spicy. The spiciness set in half an hour after my meal, when I felt my stomach burning.

Although the slices of Char Siew was a little on the dry end, they were still tasty. As for the egg noodles which looked dry, they were surprisingly springy and tasty when well mixed.  

Thai Tom Yum Baa Mee (Wanton Mee) $5

The wantons provided was bigger and plumper compared to other stalls. 

This bowl of Thai Tom Yum Baa Mee (Wanton Mee) was beyond my expectation in terms of taste. It was just so delicious and addictive. I had wanted to rate this as a must try. But on my second visit, I felt that the standard had dropped (or was inconsistent). Found out much later that they had opened another branch in Toa Payoh Central. I hope that the standard and taste is not compromised by this expansion as this could eventually hurt their business even at their main outlet.

BaaMee Bangkok (Jalan Besar)

45 Syed Alwi Road

Singapore 207636

Tel: +65 9636 0048

Opening Hours: Tue to Sun 11am to 9pm

                           Closed on Mon

BaaMee Bangkok (Toa Payoh)

Blk 177, Toa Payoh Central 

Opening Hours: Tue to Sun 8am - 330pm 

                           Closed on Monday

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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

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Fu He Turtle Soup (Berseh Food Centre)

Fu He Turtle Soup located at the second level of Berseh Food Centre specialises in crocodile, frog and turtle soup. The stall takes up two units and seems to be one of the busiest stall in the food centre.

Turtle soup is made using the meat of a turtle and brewed in a mixture of Chinese herbs. It is considered a delicacy in many countries. Turtle meat is known to be low in calories while high in calcium, vitamin B, phosphorus and zinc.

There are many ways of cooking turtle meat such as fried, steamed, braised or in soup. Traditionally, turtle meat is cooked in soup so that the essence can be easily absorbed by our bodies.

Stewed Turtle Soup $8 and Yam Rice $0.60

Stewed Turtle Soup $8

I am not an expert in turtle soup, as this is only the second time I am eating turtle soup.

Stewed Turtle Soup $8

Stewed Turtle Soup $8

The turtle soup is nice, herbal and very tasty. It taste just like a normal herbal chicken soup. The main difference is the turtle meat.

The gelatinous skin was smooth and soft . The internal organ were rough, soft but fishy. As for the meat, some parts were tough, whereas other parts were soft. 

I would still prefer a normal bowl of herbal chicken soup any time compared to turtle. If you are interested in trying exotic, the turtle or crocodile soup would be an interesting try.

Food for thought: In total, turtle flesh has seven different tastes, depending on which part you cook and consume. 

Fu He Turtle Soup (Berseh Food Centre)
166 Jalan Besar
#02-40 Berseh Food Centre
Tel: 6294 9203
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 9pm 
                         Closed Tue
Location

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Hainan Chicken Rice Ball (Jalan Besar)

Singaporeans love chicken rice, there will always be a chicken rice stall in a food court and at coffee shops. This chicken rice stall located at Jalan Besar, oppsite Sim Lim Tower, near Sim Lim Square. The stall is different/special from the many chicken rice stalls in Singapore. What is the difference? The stall name is Hainan Chicken Rice Ball, well the name clearly states why it is different/special - rice ball.

Chicken Rice Set $4.00

I ordered the Chicken Rice Set which consists of 2 rice balls, steam chicken, pork belly and a bowl of soup.

Chicken Rice Balls

Just before serving, the Chicken Rice Balls were shaped into balls. Each grain of rice was soft, hence it was easily shaped. Moreover, the rice balls were fragrant as the flavours of chicken, garlic and ginger were infused into it. 

'White' Chicken & Pork Belly

The 'White' Chicken was different from other stalls. It was skinless and boneless. Moreover, black sauce was drizzled over it. Despite the chicken being dry, it was amazing soft and tender.

As for the Pork Belly, it was soft, tender and fatty. Black sauce was drizzled over it too enhancing its already flavourful taste. I am not a fan of pork belly, hence did not enjoy it. But I am sure for people who enjoy pork bell, they will like this!

Soup

The set came with Soup. Normally, chicken rice soup are full of MSG. Well, this was a black colour soup that had distinct herbal taste. But, honestly speaking, I have no idea the type of herbs were used or if herbal ingredients were used. 

Overall, a very unique stall that is certainty very different from the other chicken rice stalls in Singapore with it's own character. 

Hainan Chicken Rice Ball
Boon Hwa Food Center
43 Jalan Besar

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