FoodZee - Good Food in Singapore and beyond

Old Duck Soup in Casuarina Road

2007-12-23T23:12:00.000+08:00

The old duck soup in this newly opened restaurant in Casuarina Road is really shiok, especially on a cold rainy day. The steamed tofu with minced meat is a simple, tasty and healthy dish. The towgay with sliced pork wrapped in pancake skin is an equally tasty and healthy dish. The not so healthy dish is the Dongpo 3-layer meat. Price is quite reasonable here as there is no service charge and GST.

Birthday Dinner in Huat Kee

2007-12-20T22:47:00.000+08:00

Mum's Birthday was held in Huat Kee Teochew Restaurant in Amoy Street on 18 Nov 2007. We had 5 combination platter, soon hock fish done two-way (fish head in yam soup and steamed fish-tail), duck stuffed with chestnuts, cabbage chicken, oysters omelet, veg with mushrooms, longevity noodles, yam paste with pumpkin and ginkgo nuts.

Fried Dumpling in Keong Siak Street

2007-10-17T22:38:00.000+08:00

One of the few restaurants that serve excellent fried dumpling (woh tie). Also good are the Mao spicy pork and Mapo tofu. Beijing China is along Keong Siak Street

Claypot Rice and Soup in Geylang

2007-09-13T22:31:00.000+08:00

Tong Chiang Claypot Rice now has a branch in Lor 3 Geylang (behind Shatin Restaurant). What I like about Tong Chiang is their double boiled soup. The old cucumber and chicken feet with peanuts soups are worth trying. The yong tau foo with minced meat is also quite good. The claypot rice is not too bad, except that it is not 100% cooked by charcoal.

Vegetarian Food in Ang Mo Kio

2007-08-12T21:27:00.000+08:00

Vegetarian food is making its way into HDB estates. In Ang Mo Kio, you can find pretend food should as Bak Kut Teh, frog legs and steamed fish. Just ignore the creative name given to the food if you are a non-meat eater. Mai Zhi Su is located in Blk 128 Ang Mo Kio Street 12 #01-1855.

Hokkien/Teochew Food in Telok Ayer Street

2007-07-23T20:34:00.000+08:00

Bee Heong Restaurant along Telok Ayer Street serves excellent Hokkien/Teochew food at very reasonable prices. A meal for ten cost not more then $200. Order the braised cabbage and emperor chicken one day in advance. You won't regret it. Instead of the usual Hokkien Mee try the pork trotters beehoon. It is delicious. The claypot tofu is quite good. For dessert, the Orh Nee is a must. Other good dishes are the duck salad, kongbak pau and har chor. Bee Heong has a new branch along Boon Tat street, just a few metres from the Telok Ayer restaurant.

Vegetarian Restaurant in Chinatown

2007-07-13T23:39:00.000+08:00

An upmarket vegetarian restaurant can now be found in China town. It is located beside the new multi-million $ temple. The price is quite reasonable and the food is just above average. The spinach soup is really tasty. No MSG. The curry mutton is not spicy. The bean curd skin wrapped with 'don't know what' is quite good. The fried bitter gourd in black bean sauce is so so. Total cost $33.00. The restaurant is on the 2nd level, no lift, must walk up the stairs. When I went back the 2nd time, I tried the Eight Treasures Hor Fun, it is really good. Must try. Eight Treasures Vegetarian restaurant is at the junction of Sago Lane and New Bridge Bridge.

FishHead Steamboat and Cza Char in Rangoon Road

2007-06-25T21:46:00.000+08:00

A new aircon restaurant has sprouted up in Rangoon Road. The main attraction here is the fish head charcoal steamboat. It is simply delicious. You can select promfret or red grouper. I think grouper is better for steamboat. A large serving cost $40. This restaurant also serves good cza char dishes. My recommendations are the pork ribs ($12), street tofu ($8), kangkong with white bean paste ($6), salted egg yolk prawns ($18) and deep fried chicken with pork floss ($12). Food Street (Keng) Fish Head Steamboat Eating House is at 118 Rangoon Road.

Indian Ice Cream in Little India

2007-06-09T14:29:00.000+08:00

This is actually a shop selling items imported from India. However, the owner decides to add some "spices" to his shop by adding a counter selling home-made Indian ice cream and vegetarian snacks such as curry puffs and samosas. The ice-cream is frozen in a cone-shaped metal container. It is then taken out, cut into small pieces and served in a vase-shaped glass with your choice of fruit. Surprising, the ice-cream was not as sweet as I expected. A nice ambience to spend the time after a meal. This shop is located along Upper Dickson road.

Sweet and Sour Fish in Smith Street

2007-06-02T15:37:00.000+08:00

Located in the heart of Chinatown is a restaurant operated by two retired university lecturers, Dr Hee and his wife Dr Chang. They like meeting people. The cooks are from China. Their signature dish is the deep fried sweet and sour fish. Dr Hee said they used the boneless Patin fish from Malaysia. The dish is so good we even saw a lady eating only this dish all by herself. According to Dr Hee, she is a regular customer. The Tibetan lamb was recommended by Dr Hee. Pieces of lamb meat, held by a toothpick, were roasted and then fried with dried chilli. It was quite good. Bei Fang Feng Wei is at 18 Smith Street. The restaurant is quite small and can be crowded during weekends. Call Dr Hee/Dr Chang for reservation at 63242933

Vine Pavilion Teahouse in Casuarina Road

2007-05-23T21:51:00.000+08:00

The old duck soup, crispy yellow fish skin and braised dongpo meat is a must try at Vine Pavilion Teahouse. This one-year old reataurant is located in Casuarina Road, off Upper Thomson Road. If you have a big group, try the claypot bitter gourd with pork ribs and crab coated with salted egg york.

Traditional Beijing Food in Keong Siak Street

2007-05-14T22:02:00.000+08:00

Try the Mao's Spicy Pork, Mapo Tofu, Hot and Sour Soup, Fried Dumpling and Fried Udon. All cooked in traditional Beijing style. This tiny restaurant is located in Keong Siak Street.

Malaysian style Cza Cha in Hougang

2007-04-29T21:12:00.000+08:00

I went to this restaurant twice within a week to try the Malaysian style cza char. I liked the minced claypot tofu. This is the first time I have ever tasted tofu done this way. Pour some vinegar over it and you will want to give shark fins soup a miss. The claypot ginger duck and garlic chicken are rarely found in cza char stall nowadays and it is really something you must try. Another must try is the homemade honey lemon juice or shake. Restaurant 121 located in Blk 9 Hougang Ave 8, near the wet market and food center.

Mother's Porridge in Kuala Lumpur

2007-04-25T22:26:00.000+08:00

Somewhere near KL is an excellent restaurant selling claypot porridge. Restoran Mother Porridge serves porridge that is so smooth and tasty, it is best eaten plain. We ordered a salted egg porridge and found it a bit too salty. So we ordered a plain porridge to help dilute the saltiness. Instead, we found the plain porridge to be so tasty we ate it on its own. The claypot sliced fish with ginger was equally good. The ginger taste was overpowering. We found Restoran Mother Porridge by chance. After we exit Sungei Besi toll for KL city, we took the highway to Kuantan/Ipoh. After about 3km along this highway we turned left into a few rolls of shophouses, about 0.5 km before the TESCO supermarket. The restaurant is in the first roll.

Kuala Lipis, 15 April 2007

2007-04-18T15:10:00.000+08:00

Kuala Lipis is a small town in the state of Pahang. There are two main Chinese restaurants in this town, Restoran Low Kwan and Restoran Sin Hoi Kee. Restoran Low Kwan was closed when we were there. The folks there told us that they have left for KL on a holiday and will be back on 16 April 07. Restoran Sin Hoi Kee was quite busy when we went there for dinner. But the service was fast and friendly, typical of any small towns in Malaysia. Ms Choy was there to recommend us their signature dishes. She suggested the Sultan fish caught in the Jelai river, which flows thru the town. But we decided on the "fei chou" fish which was bred in the same river. The fish was very fresh and tasted excellent when steamed with a light sauce. The wild boar meat fried with spring onions and ginger was equally good. The homemade tofu was good but not as smooth a s the commercial version. Restoran Sin Hoi Kee is at 5K Bangunan Paradise, Jalan Peleliling, Kuala Lipis. Tel 09-3125072. Open everyday from 11am to 3pm and from 6pm to midnight

Nanxiang Steamed Bun in Bugis Junction

2007-03-31T14:30:00.000+08:00

Wanna try something different from chinese restaurant? Go to Bugis Junction, Level 2. At Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant you drink your soup with a straw out of a steamed bun. Cool. Each King.S Soup bun cost $6.80. Shanghai Vegetable Rice ($7.50) is rice steamed with lots of veges. Very healthy. The buns with glutinous rice ($4.20) is also quite interesting and you have to eat it steaming hot, otherwise it won't taste good. While there, try the mini puff pastry ($4.20). It is light and juicy.

China Style Cza Char in Casuarina Road

2007-03-19T15:14:00.000+08:00

Another restaurant owned by Chinese nationals started business in  Casuarina Road  a few months ago.  Instead of serving the usual fried dumplings and minced paste noodles, this restaurant serves some decent cza char type of food. The claypot duck was excellent ($22). The gravy double up as soup. The deep fried beancurd skin ($17) is also good. The braised pork ($15) is so good we ordered another plate. It is best eaten with steamed mantou. The claypot pork ribs with bittergourd ($17) is a bit spicy but good. The salted egg crabs ($22) is average. Vines Pavillion Tea Restaurant house is at 126 Casuarina Road. Price is quite reasonable, about $15 per person.

Local Food in Redline Cafe

2007-03-05T22:22:00.000+08:00

I was surprised to find a trendy cafe in Upper Thomson Road serving local food. The owner told us his Teochew braised duck is a family recipe passed down from his grandma, who is a Teochew. The duck is indeed different from those you find in hawker centres. I like the mee goreng which is moist and not too oily. The curry chicken is also good. Redline cafe only offers 5 items on their menu. The other two items are Hor Fun and Fried Rice. The owner said that these items are their family favorite dishes and they do it differently from others. Redline Cafe is at Imperial Court, opposite Longhouse Food Court

New Dishes at Chen Li Yuan Restaurant

2007-03-01T22:08:00.000+08:00

Chen Li Yuan, my favourite chinese restaurant, has introduced two new dishes to its menu. Mutton stew and egg roll with meat paste. The mutton stew is a hot favourite with the Chinese nationals living in Spore. The mutton is stewed for two hours in a special sauce till tender. When there is an order for this dish, it is heated up on a large steel plate with tofu added in. The taste is so delicious. But the smell of mutton may be too strong for some. The egg roll with meat paste is quite unique. The egg roll is coated with sesame seeds. For more other dishes from Chen Li Yuan, refer to my posting dated 24 Aug 2006

Cha Cuisine in Purvis Street

2007-02-21T23:08:00.000+08:00

Cha Cuisine is a very interesting restaurant. The food here is cooked with various types of tea, including rice. Hence, most of the dishes are light and healthy. Tea powder, tea leaves or tea stock are used to provide the flavor instead of MSG or salt. The steamed minced pork and tofu were cooked with tea stock and sprinkled with tea powder. The diced chicken with dried chilli is worth trying. Don't forget to try the wide selection of tea drinks. It is served in a nice porcelain cup together with a tea leaf filter. Cha Cuisine is at 36, Purvis Street

Nasi Lemak in Jalan Besar

2007-02-13T00:56:00.000+08:00

Posted on the wall of this shop are articles written by newspaper and magazines singing praises of High-5 Nasi Lemak. They deserve it. The pandan flavoured coconut rice (nasi lemak) was really good. Good quality rice cooked with just the right amount of coconut milk. The otak, paper wrapped chicken, fried chicken wings and curry vegetable all went well with the rice. Not forgetting the sambal chilli. High-5 Nasi Lemak is along Jalan Besar, just after Syed Alwi Road, opposite Jalan Berseh Food Centre.

Spaghatti and Fried Rice at Charcoal

2007-02-02T16:05:00.000+08:00

Charcoal used to be known as Petal. This restaurant is operated by SHATEC. The waiters are all young trainees serving us under the watch eyes of their supervisors. So are the cooks. It takes awhile for the food to be served. So, if you are in a hurry to catch a concert a the nearby VCH, give this place a miss. Charcoal is at the corner of Hill St, opposite Paliament House. The menu here is quite limited, consisting of local and western dishes. We ordered the fried rice, spaghetti carbonara and bumy lumpy chicken. The spaghetti was quite good but the fried rice was a tad too dry. David, from Melbourne, seems to enjoy the bumpy lumpy chicken with curry sauce, herbs and seasoning. So it must be good.

Ramu's Fish Head Curry in Yio Chu Kang Road

2007-01-21T14:30:00.000+08:00

We waited 30mins for our fish head curry. Each order for Ramu's signature fish head curry is freshly cooked. Yes, the wait was worth it. The fish head was nice and fresh, not overcooked. The curry was not too spicy, sufficient to give you the "kick". We were served an equal portion of white and briyani rice on a banana leaf. The waitress told us that fish head curry is best eaten with white rice. But the briyani rice is so good, we had to have it. Brendan, from down under, found it fascinating to eat from a banana leaf with fork and spoon. The fish cutlet and mutton masala went well with the briyani rice. The lassi drinks went well with the curry. It help to wash away the hot and spicy lingering taste. Ramu's Kitchen is at 198 Yio Chu Kang Road.

Tim Sum at Zi Yean Restaurant in Lengkok Bahru

2007-01-17T13:37:00.000+08:00

Zi Yean Restaurant is known for its cza char dishes when it was at Stirling Road. After it shifted to Lengkok Bahru, it has added a new non-aircon section serving tim sum and noodles. The noodles here are all handmade and very good, tender and smooth. You can select different sauces or soups to go with your noodles. My favorite is the minced meat sauce and cabbage soup. The pan-fried "pao" is a must try. The siao long pao and char siew pao are equally good. Zi Yean is at Blk 56, Lengkok Bahru

Cze Char Restaurant in AMK Ave 10

2007-01-16T22:10:00.000+08:00

Kian Seng Seafood Restaurant (near YCK Sports Stadium) recently opened a new outlet at Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, opposite Townsville School. In the evening, it has the entire food court to itself. The place is big and airy. So getting a table is not be a problem. You can eat in comfort. The food is above average. I like the spinach with salted egg and century egg. The fried fish head and homemade tofu are quite good.The kong bak and claypot duck with sea cucumber are a must try.

Chestnut Duck in Bukit Pasoh

2007-01-08T23:42:00.000+08:00

This restaurant started off as a traditional Cantonese restaurant when it was at Cantonment Road. Today it is better known for serving Shanghai Hairy Crab all year round. Nevertheless, the restaurant still retains some of the good old traditonal Cantonese dishes such as the chestnut duck and crispy noodles. The duck is stuff with checknuts, ginko nuts, minced meat and some herbs and cook till the meat is tender. It is then topped with sauce. At $40, the chestnut duck is a very delightful dish. Capital Restaurant is now located at 44 Bukit Pasoh Road, near Chinatown. Other interesting dishes at this restaurant are the chicken in tin-foil, deep fried wanton and fried crispy noodles.

Popiah in Bukit Merah

2007-01-01T21:29:00.000+08:00

It was quite fun making your own popiah (spring roll) in a restaurant. Good Chance restaurant started this concept a few years ago. Since then, a few Good Chance restaurants have cropped up. The most recent one is in Bukit Merah. The ingredients for making the popiah are all very fresh. The popiah skins are soft and firm. Apart from popiah, the restaurant also serves some decent cha char dishes. The fried Hokkien mee is quite good. The stewed pork knuckles with mantou is not too bad. The sambal kangkong is above average. Good Chance Restaurant is located at Blk 149, Jalan Bukit Merah Bahru, just after the Sikh temple and opp the entrance to SGH.

KL Hokkien Mee in Petaling Jaya

2006-12-24T18:26:00.000+08:00

You can taste the lard the moment you put the noodles into your mouth. It was so unhealthy. But it is so popular in Petaling Jaya(PJ). The coffeeshop at Restoran AHWA was packed when we arrived for dinner at 8pm. We had to wait for about 30mins for our plate of Hokkien mee. In the meanwhile, we ordered some stewed duck from another stall. The duck was very tasty, especially the light coloured sauce poured onto the boneless duck meat. The Fried Hokkien BeeHoon from AHWA was less oily. Restoran AHWA is at Jalan 14/48, behind the Shell station at Jalan 222. Opens 6pm to 2am.

Fresh Noodles in Taman Johor Jaya

2006-12-21T21:29:00.000+08:00

Enlarged photos of green and yellow noodles adorn the walls of Restoran Ah Hwa. All the noodles here are freshly made. A big bowl of noodles cost RM4 and comes with mini meatballs, fishballs and ikan bilis. You can have it dry or with soup. The broth is quite tasty. Try the dumpling soup. A bowl of four fat juicy dumplings stuffed with prawns, pork and black fungus cost RM4. Restoran Ah Hwa is at 51, Jalan Dedap 7, Taman Johor Jaya. Open from 8am to 8pm

Dry Mee Sua in Circular Road

2006-12-08T22:12:00.000+08:00

This one is for you, Peter. Located in the CBD is a cheap and good noodles stall. This stall, in BK Eating House, specialises in ta (dry) mee sua, instead of the usual mee pok. The mee sua is firm but still retains a nice bite. A bowl of dry mee sua costs $3.

Mum's Birthday dinner at Kam Boat Chinese Cuisine

2006-12-04T22:03:00.000+08:00

Birthday dinner for mum was held at Kam Boat Chinese Cuisine, Shaw Centre. It was a 11-course dinner. My favorite dishes are peking duck, yam pot, salad prawns and guo noodles. We specially requested for the thick flour skin instead of the egg skin to go with the peking duck. Not sure if they use yam to make the yam pot but it sure taste good. The gou noodles is not on the restaurant menu. We pre-arranged for it and the noodles were specially imported from HK. The birthday cake was brought by Wendy. Picture on the right is Mum blowing out the candles with here great grand children.

Hunan Food in Novena Square

2006-11-30T23:35:00.000+08:00

The Tung Lok Group recently opened a restaurant in Novena Square serving Hunan food. As part of its opening special, selected signature dishes are offered for lunch at $9 each. We tried the chicken with chilli ($9), pork ribs in glutinous rice ($9), rice steamed with preserved meat in a bamboo bowl ($6), steam DongPo Bun ($3.50) and pan fried dumpling ($3.50). We liked all the dishes, especially the spicy chicken and rice steamed with prserved meat. For dessert we had the deep fried pumkin. For drinks we ordered the very refreshing the ginseng with chrysanthemum tea at $3 per person (free flow). House of Hunan is in the 3rd level of Novena Square.

Pu Tien Food in Kitchener Road

2006-11-28T23:10:00.000+08:00

Pu Tien, a coastal city in Fujian Province, is well known for their hing hwa food. Of late, many restaurants bearing the Pu Tien title have been cropping up all over Singapore. Along Kitchener road, there are now two such restaurants, Pu Tien Restaurant and Pu Tien Seafood Restaurant. The latter started about 3 months ago. The fried bee hoon ($4) and bean curd skin with kailan ($8) are standard hing wah fare. At Pu Tien Seafood Restaurant, they are very generous with their ingredients for the fried bee hoon, so much so that the amount of bee hoon (very fine type) was insufficient for two persons. The deep fried garlic chicken ($8 for small) is a must try. The chicken skin is very crispy and the garlic enhances the taste of the tender chicken meat. Another dish worth trying is the thick fish maw soup. For $16, you get a generous amount of fish maw in the tasty thick soup. There is no GST and service charge.

Steamed Chicken with Red Dates in Jalan Besar

2006-11-22T22:20:00.000+08:00

This is the first time I had chicken steamed with red dates. A simple but very refreshing dish. I chanced upon this dish in Jalan Berseh Food Centre. Soon Kit is manned by an elderly couple. They specialise in claypot and steam dishes. Most customers order the claypot fish head or steamed bean paste fish head. The claypot pork ribs with bittergourd is worth trying. The gravy is very tasty. Prices here are very cheap, between $5 to $8 for cha char dishes and about $12 for a fish head. Be prepared to wait about 30 mins during dinner time.

Shanghainese Food in Bukit Timah, near Sixth Ave

2006-11-20T23:08:00.000+08:00

Expensive but good quality. This is what you can expect at Yangqing's Shanghai Kitchen. A basket of four Xiao Long baos cost S$8. But inside each juicy bao is crab eggs and minced meat. The bao is slightly larger than the usual ones and the skin is thicker. A plate of beef fried rice costs $18. It is a hugh plate that could easily feed 4 persons. A plate of Shanghai rice cake costs $28. It is fried with crab roe. The table setting is quite classy. However, the tables are placed very close to each other. I think it is because the restaurant is quite small. Yangqing's Shanghai Kitchen is at 791 Bukit Timah Road, just before Sixth Ave.

XO Crab Bee Hoon in Changi Village

2006-11-18T14:54:00.000+08:00

A friend recommended meeting up at Airfield Restaurant (not be be mistaken with Airfield Cafe) in Changi Village for XO Crab Bee Hoon. We debated on whether it is worth the drive all the way to Changi. Well, it was, if you include having drinks at the Terminal. The crab is very sweet and fresh. The soup is very tasty with a light touch of cognac and evaporated milk. Shen Ji Seafood Garden has a few branches in other parts of Singapore. The Terminal is a nice and quite place to have some drinks and chit chat. It is located just above the Changi Jetty, overlooking the Changi River.

Hainanese Curry Rice in Tiong Bahru

2006-11-13T23:31:00.000+08:00

If the find the newly renovated Tiong Bahru Food Centre too crowded and the food too predictable, walk down to 27 Yong Siak Street, which is about 100m away. Here you will find an old coffee selling cza char, hainanese style. The menu is a large colourful signboard with photos of 13 dishes. The must order dishes are curry chicken, braised pork and chicken cutlet. The curry chicken and braised pork are usually sold out by 1.30pm on Sat and Sun. On Sat and Sun, the shop closes at 3pm. On weekday it closes at 8pm. It is open daily at 8am. The food here is quite different from the usual cza char restaurant. The chicken cutlet is eaten with thick curry gravy, which is not spicy at all. The curry chicken is the dry type and is cooked with potatoes. Very tasty and again not spicy. The braised pork is simmered in a thick black sauce. Very delicious but a bit salty. The minced meat with tofu, fried cauliflower and egg omelet are all very tasty. After your meal, don't forget to try the mini-swissroll and chocolate ecliar. They are all homemade. If you are lucky, there may still be some extra tapioca and pumpkin cakes available for sale. The tapioca and pumpkin cakes are made upon order by customers.

Teochew Porridge Buffet in Jalan Kayu

2006-11-11T14:09:00.000+08:00

For $4.80 you can enjoy a Teochew style porridge buffet in Jalan Kayu, near the famous roti prata shop. But, you first have to order at least one item from the ala carte menu. Still, it is worth it. The buffet is simple. No meat dishes. Just the good old traditional teochew food like salted egg, salted veg, steamed egg, tou kee, etc. I ordered two dishes from the menu, sambal kangkong ($5) and minced meat with salted fish ($8). The sambal kangkong is very good. Fried with lots of dried prawns. The buffet comes with dessert, hot bobur cha cha and tow suan. Can be very crowded on weekends.

Viennese Food in Neil Road

2006-11-07T23:41:00.000+08:00

The first time I ate wiener schnitzel was in Vienna, Austria. There, the meat was sliced very thin and the crumbs were very fine. Here, at Wiener Kaffeehaus, the schnitzel is thicker and the crumbs coarser. But the taste is just as good. It is served with buttered parsley potato and a small mixed salad. It is very filling to eat one by yourself, so share it with your dining companion(s). A plate of Wiener Schnitzel costs S$16.50. The Fiaker Gulasch (S$16.50) is quite an unusual dish. It is actually gulasch soup (beef stew) topped with bread dumpling, sausage and egg. The beef stew is lightly spiced with praprika and chilli. It goes very well with a basket of bread ($4.00). Wiener Kaffeehaus is in 148 Neil Road.

Chicken Rice in Redhill

2006-11-05T21:34:00.000+08:00

Tucked away in a quiet area of Redhill is a restaurant selling above average chicken rice. GoldenHill Chicken Rice is the only food shop in a roll of shophouses at the end of Jalan Rumah Tinggi. The shop only sells 'white' boneless chicken. The chicken meat is very tender. The attraction of this reataurant is the chilli sauce. The sauce is made by the owner and is very fragrant. You can buy a bottle of the chilli sauce home. The chicken rice is fluffy and not too oily. The minced pork porridge is also quite good. Parking is readily available in front of the shop. Fong Seng GoldenHill Chicken Rice is located at Blk 37, Jalan Rumah Tinggi, off Hoy Fatt Road

Congratulation

2006-11-01T22:48:00.000+08:00

My heartiest congratulation to Albert P and Janet on the official takeover of the Seven-Eleven store in Little India Arcade (junction of Serangoon and Hasting Road, opposite Tekka Market) on 1st November 2006. The store was blessed by a priest on 1st Nov 06 at 1048hrs.

Por Kee Eating House in Tiong Bahru

2006-10-31T16:45:00.000+08:00

Por Kee restaurant in Tiong Bahru has been around since 1996. It is very crowded even on weekday night. Avoid going there on weekends. The main attraction is the good and moderately priced food. Por Kee’s signature dish is the yam basket and champagne pork ribs. At $18, the yam basket is value for money. The mashed yam is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The centre of the yam ring is filled with chicken cubes, prawns, pepper veg and cashew nuts. Order the cold dish if you have a large group. At $60 for a large order, you get 5 kinds of food, champagne pork ribs, spring rolls, fried eggs with crab meat, deep fried fish roll and jelly fish. The name “cold dish” is a misnomer as the food are hot except for the jelly fish. The fried noodles with scambled eggs and prawns look like Whampoa noodles, but is actually fried mee sau. At $18 a plate, it is not cheap. Por Kee is in Seng Poh Lane (car park)

Wonton Mee in Jalan Kayu

2006-10-28T12:12:00.000+08:00

Jalan Kayu is famous for its roti prata. But new eateries are starting to crop one. He Ji Noodle is one of them. This shop sells wonton noodles. The noodles here are special. The art of making He Ji noodles has been past down from two generations. The noodles are good. It is a mid-point between mee kia and mee pok. The char siew, too, is very tasty. However, the chilli sauce they are tossed in is only so so. Try the fried wontons, they are quite good. He ji is open from 11am till about 11pm.

Bak Kut Teh in Sultan Gate, off Beach Road

2006-10-23T16:03:00.000+08:00

There are two Klang style Bak Kut Teh restaurants along Sultan Gate, off Beach Road. Leong Kee and Soon Yee. I have eaten at Leong Kee. They have a branch in Lor 13 Geylang. Soon Yee is about the same standard but offers more varieties such as dry BKT, tau kee, chicken feet, tao pok etc. The dry BKT is quite interesting. It is served in a claypot with the pork ribs soaked in dark sauce and dried chilli. The soup BKT is full of ingredients, mainly pig's organs. If you prefer just the pork ribs, order the original BKT.

Nasi Briyani behind Golden Mile FC

2006-10-18T15:42:00.000+08:00

You would probably not notice this stall even if you step into the coffee shop. There are no food on display, no signboard to tell you what they are selling. But nearing lunch time a queue will start to form. Most customers don't eat in. They usually "tapau" 3 to 5 packets of nasi briyani. By about 2pm, the big steel pot of briyani is sold out. They don't sell anything else except chicken and mutton briyani. The briyani rice here is very fluffy and flavourful. Instead of using too much saffron, they use a variety of spices and condiments to cook the rice. The chicken briyani is the best. The chicken is tender and the dry curry is very tasty. They will give you a plate of dhall curry to go with the rice, but you don't really need it, although the dhall curry is also very tasty. Mohammad Muslim Food is located in a coffee shop in Blk 17 Beach Road, just behind the Golden Mile Food Centre.

CKT, KongBak and Mee Rebus in Havelock Road

2006-10-16T22:05:00.000+08:00

This is an interesting coffeeshop. Three of the four stalls here are highly rated by food guides. My favorite is the Char Kway Teow stall. The CKT ($2/$3) is slightly on the wet side. Very tasty. Next is the Mee Rebus, rated 5 chopsticks by Makansutra. The Mee Rebus ($2.00) comes with thick gravy and is quite delicious. The Cza Char stall is not rated but I like the KongBak pau ($2.50 for two buns). The KongBak is very well marinated and the bun is served steaming hot. The duck rice and porridge stall is very popular with the lunch time crowd. I only tried the porridge ($3) and found it to be average. Wei Xuan Eating House is at Blk 22 Havelock Road. Available for lunch only except for the Cza Char stall (L/D)

HK Tim Sum in Sunshine Plaza

2006-10-14T12:29:00.000+08:00

The ambiance here is not great. You sit along a corridor, the tables are small and the chairs uncomfortable. But the food is great. The quality of tim sum here is very high, better than some top grade restaurants. The har kow (Victor's King Prawn Dumpling, $3.50) is stuffed with good quality prawns. The siew mai (Tasty Queen Size Siew Mai, $2.50) is so firmed and tasty. The lotus leaf rice (Chicken and Sausage in Glutinous Rice, $4.00) is one of the best I have ever eaten. The rice rolls (cheong fun) are all freshly made. The carrot cake (Scallop, Sausage Carrot Cake, $3.00) is steamed not pan fried. The pao (Oyster Sauce char siew bun, $2.50) is filled with chunky pieces of juicy char siew. Avoid going at lunch time and not more than two persons as tables are limited. Victor's Kitchen is in Sunshine Plaza, Middle Road.

Nasi Padang in Keong Siak Street

2006-10-11T15:54:00.000+08:00

I overheard a couple telling the owner of this nasi padang shop that they have been eating here for the past seven days trying out various dishes. They singled out the beef rendang and red curry chicken as their favorite. I must agree with them. The red curry chicken is cooked in a rich coconut gravy and is the shop best seller. If you like it less spicy, go for the green curry chicken. The beef rendang is cooked in dry curry till tender. The otak is fresh and full of fish meat. The grilled sotong when eaten with the special sambal sauce is sedap. Also try the lontong gravy, sambal kangkong and brinjal. Skip the mutton soup and potato cutlet. Yanti Authentic Nasi Padang is at 45 Keong Siak Street. Open for lunch and dinner.

Swiss croque in Frankel Avenue

2006-10-09T00:30:00.000+08:00

This Swiss Bakery at 97 Frankel Avenue is a nice and cozy place for a relaxing brunch. The toasted ham and cheese Swiss croque monsieur was simple but good. The savoury crepe with scrambled egg was average, but the sausage that comes with it was quite good. Each meal, including a cup of tea, costs $10.90.

Cheese Brownies in Sin Ming

2006-10-04T13:56:00.000+08:00

Situated in a quite corner of Sin Ming Estate is a tiny bakery that serves excellent cheese brownies. The brownie is soft even though it is just taken out from the chiller. The cheese flavour is not too overpowering. The durian cake and peach pie are also very nicely done. The Baker's Story is in Sin Ming Centre, along Jalan Isnin

Minced Pork Noodles in Eunos

2006-10-02T21:17:00.000+08:00

The stallholder of the popular bak chor mee in Eunos (near the Eunos MRT) now runs an entire shop in Changi Road. Apart from bak chor mee, this shop now sells fish maw soup at $10 a bowl, curry chicken, homemade beancurd, curry puff and a few other vegetable dishes. The dry bak chor mee is good but the chilli sauce is not as good as the one in Lengkong Tiga. The fish maw soup is very tasty with lots of minced pork in the soup and good quality fish maw. Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Pork Noodles is at 316 Changi Road.

Thai Style Curry Fish Head and Herbal Chicken in Bukit Timah

2006-09-29T15:07:00.000+08:00

Before BH flies home, we had dinner with SY at a restaurant in Bukit Timah. The Thai-style curry fish head at Forture Seafood Restaurant is excellent. The fish is fresh and you don't get the strong curry power taste. The herbal chicken is also excellent. The meat is so tender. The braised pork is prefectly done. The watercrest soup is very refreshing. You can either dine in the aircon restaurant or al fresco.

Kuching Kolo Mee in Killiney Road

2006-09-28T22:33:00.000+08:00

Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee is quite popular in Spore with many branches popping up all over the Island. It is quite similar to wanton mee except that it has extra ingredients like prawns and minced meat. It also cost more, at S$4 for a small bowl. This branch, where I had my lunch, is located in Killiney Road.

Bitter Gourd Soup in Johor

2006-09-12T13:40:00.000+08:00

The menu is on a wall. But just look around and you will know what to order. Every table has a bowl of piping hot bitter gourd soup. The soup is filled with sliced bittergourd, sliced pork and liver. My favorite is the belly pork with yam. The sauce used on this dish is so tasty. The deep-fried pork slices are very well marinated and so crispy. Restoran Kah Kah Loke is located at one end of Jalan Bakawali 39, Taman Johor Jaya.

Chengdu, China - Day 7

2006-09-08T20:27:00.000+08:00

Today is our last day of stay in Chengdu. Early this morning, I took a cab to Wenshu Monastery, founded 13 centuries ago. This is an active temple. I could hear monks chanting alone in their tiny cubicles. There is an outdoor teahouse in a garden court and a vegetarian restaurant. There are many stalls selling incense and prayer beads on the street leading to the main entrance of the temple.
On the way to the airport, our driver took us to a very good restaurant just 10 mins away from the airport. The claypot tanghoon was really excellent. So was the mapo tofu and long beans. The tomato soup was served in a large pot. The mui choy kong bak was outstanding. The onion pancake was quite nice. Best of all, the total bill was only RMB238 or S$48 for 5 persons.

Chengdu, China - Day 6

2006-09-07T10:07:00.000+08:00

This morning we visited the Chengdu Gaint Panda Research Base and Breeding Centre. The Base is a huge and beautifully landscaped park. Bamboo is growing everywhere around the base, but none of it is fed to the pandas. The pandas' bamboo all comes from the mountains. Special misting sheds built all around the grounds keep bamboo fresh in Chengdu's heat. At the breeding centre, we saw 4 baby pandas kept in incubators. Apparently they are two pairs of male twin born on 6 and 7 Aug 06.

Jiuzhaiguo, Sichuan - Day 5

2006-09-06T13:03:00.000+08:00

After our half-day tour of the Jiuzhaiguo, we decided to have lunch at a restaurant just behind our hotel. We sat outside the restaurant facing a fresh water river. The atmosphere was wonderful. Outside this restaurant were 3 earthen pots steaming with mouth-watering home-cooked food. In one pot was boiled potatoes with long beans and pork. Another pot was filled with boiled pumpkin. The third pot contains pork ribs soup with white carrot.

Jiuzhaiguo, Sichuan - Day 5

2006-09-06T08:14:00.000+08:00

In the early morning, we spotted this pushcart stall selling pancake (quite similar to our roti prata) outside our hotel. We brought the last two pancakes for breakfast. Thereafter, we went back to Jiuzhaiguo Park for our second visit and did some shopping (mainly Tibetan stuff) in a hugh mall inside the park.

Jiuzhaiguo, Sichuan - Day 4

2006-09-05T22:49:00.000+08:00

In the evening, we watched a Tibetan cultural show (RMB180). Lots of dancing and singing. After the show, we took a stroll along a roll of shophouses just outside our hotel. The hotel staff recommended us this hand-made beef noodles shop. It was really delicious. We requested for it to be less spicy. Each bowl cost 7 yuan. The shop owner also recommended us the egg fried with tomatoes. Yummy

Jiuzhaiguo, Sichuan - Day 4

2006-09-05T21:30:00.000+08:00

Our hotel, Jiu Yuen, is about 5 mins drive to the main entrance of Jiuzhaiguo. A two-day entry pass, including bus rides, cost RMB310. The scenery here is breathtaking. Colourful lakes, beautiful waterfalls and serene mountains.

Huanglong, Sichuan - Day 3

2006-09-04T13:17:00.000+08:00

This morning we took a domestic flight from Chengdu to Jiu Zhai Huanglong airport. A return airticket cost RMB2200. At airport we rented a taxi (RMB180) to take us to Huanglong, about 53km away. Huanglong is about 4000m AMSL. The main attraction is the Five-coloured Pool, located at the highest point in the park. It was quite a challenge to walk the 3.5km distance from the top of the cable car station to the Pool due to lack of oxygen. My advise to those who have high blood pressure and/or heart problem to skip Huanglong and just focus on Jiuzhaigou.
On the way to Huanglong, we have lunch in a small town. Surprisingly, the food at this restaurant was quite good. We enjoyed the hot melon soup and fatty pork. The chicken was tasty but bony. We again have radish. The cuttlefish with pepper was refreshing. After our trip to Huanglong, we headed for Jiuzhaigou and stopped at the same restaurant for dinner. We have yak meat. I found the taste quite overpowering. The mushroom was very nice.

Chengdu, China - Day 2

2006-09-03T18:12:00.000+08:00

After our day trip to Leshan, we spend the evening watching a Sichuan opera. Hightlight of the show was the face changing act. We brought the show tickets from Sam's Cozy Guesthouse at RMB90 each. It would have cost us RMB180 each at the ticket office.

Our dinner was at a food court next to the theatre. We opted for the set dinner at RMB35 each. Each of us were served 20 kinds of Sichuan snacks.

Leshan, Sichuan - Day 2

2006-09-03T11:53:00.000+08:00

On Day 2, we hired a 6-seater van for RMB500 for a day trip to Leshan. Leshan is about 166km southwest of Chengdu. Most people come here to visit the Big Buddha - the tallest stone statue in the world. Construction of the 71m-tall statue began in AD713 and was completed 90 years later.

We had lunch at a restaurant near the entrance to Leshan Big Buddha. We were ushered to a private room and served tea from a long teapot, at RMB20 each. We ordered Xiba tofu, a specialty in Leshan, chicken, radish, fresh veg and fish. The village chicken was all bones, hardly any meat. The Xiba tofu was quite delicious. Radish and veg were average. The "killer" dish was the fish, a carp. It cost us about RMB500 for the fish. For travellers to Leshan, be sure to total up the bill yourself. When we were given the bill, the waiter quoted RMB750. When we added up the bill ourselves, it was only RMB630. This turned out to be our most expensive meal in our 8-day stay in China.

Chengdu, China - Day 1

2006-09-02T20:13:00.000+08:00

We stayed at the Garden City Hotel which is owned by a Singapore Company. The location is good, room is clean and everything works. The room rate is also very reasonable, about RMB350 per night.

Our dinner on the first day in Chengdu was at the Chengdu Gingko Restaurant (Yin Xin). We had a wonderful meal in a beautiful and elegant setting with outstanding service. The charming waitress helped us select our dishes. All her suggestions were superb. Looking back, this was the best meal we had in Chengdu. We had 7 dishes plus dessert and the total bill was less than RMB500 (about S$100). Chengdu Gingko Restaurant (Sichuan food) is at No. 7, Fuqin Donglu, overlooking the Fu River.

Teochew Food in Robertson Quay

2006-09-01T15:57:00.000+08:00

Liang Kee is one of the better teochew restaurant in Spore. One dish you must try here is the diced chicken with chestnuts. It is fried with mushroom and dried chilli. Very tasty. The sambal crayfish is also a must try. The fish maw in thick soup is also very good. The black hokkien mee is too sweet for my liking. But don't miss the orh nee or yam paste. Liang Kee is at Robertson Quay. The main restaurant is in Havelock Road. Prices are quite reasonable. Including one sambal kangkong, four rice and tea, the total bill was S$98.

Thai Food in Golden Mile Complex

2006-08-29T20:51:00.000+08:00

Golden Mile Complex resembles a Thai shopping centre. Here you will find all kinds of Thai products, ranging from groceries, newspapers and magazines, music CDs/VCDs and Thai food. Diandin Leluk is a well established Thai restaurant in Singapore and the food here is consistently good. I like their dry red curry chicken, minced pork with basil leaves and glutinous rice with durian.

Northern China Food in Tanjong Pagar

2006-08-24T23:12:00.000+08:00

Cheng Li Yuan Restaurant at 72 Tanjong Pajar Road is my favorite restaurant. The food is good, price is reasonable, service is excellent and NO service and GST charges. The nine-month old restaurant has just added many new items to its newly printed menu. I tried five of them and enjoyed them all. The best is the crispy duck. It is served with freshly make pancakes, spring onions and cucumber. The sweet potatoes coated with salted egg yolk is another favorite. Lightly deep fried brinjal topped with meat sauce is delicious. White cabbage and salted vegetables with steaky pork is served in a heated wok. It is something different. For dessert, the egg white with red bean is very well done. Apart from these five dishes we also have fried dumpling, onion pancake and beancurd slices with vegetables. The total bill, including rice and tea for 8 persons, is $106 dollars. I'll be back, soon.

Cze Char in Serangoon Avenue 3

2006-08-21T15:10:00.000+08:00

Delight Seafood Restaurant is located in Serangoon Avenue 3, Blk 326. It serves very decent cze char dishes. Two dishes I would highly recommend are the salad prawns and Mongolian pork ribs. The salad prawns are lightly fried in batter and served in a honeydew filled with cut fruits. The Mongolian pork ribs is very tender and the sauce is very tasty. The chilli crab and minced meat omelet are passable. Open for dinner only.

Curry Chicken Noodles in Tanjong Pagar

2006-08-20T14:03:00.000+08:00

Be warned. The curry broth prepared by Ah Heng Curry Chicken is very addictive. I don't know what they put into the broth but you are bound to finish it. At $3/$4 per bowl, you get a generous serving of chicken meat, taupok, fishcake and potatoes. Although the signboard says Upper Cross Street, this stall is located in a coffeeshop at Blk 7 Tanjong Pagar Road. It is next to the Tanjong Pagar Market/Food Centre. Available for lunch only.

Crispy Tofu in Beach Road

2006-08-15T23:47:00.000+08:00

The crispy tofu is a signature dish of Coral Village. The homemade tofu was deep fried with batter and eaten with salad cream. It was very nice. A plate costs S$10. A surprisingly good dish here is the mee goreng. The noodles are moist but not soggy. A plate cost $4. The pork ribs were average and a small plate costs $8. Coral Village is at 269 Beach Road.

Chicken Rice in Bishan

2006-08-11T14:45:00.000+08:00

A hugh banner outside Blk 279 Bishan St 24 proclaims the chicken rice sold at this coffeeshop is prepared by an Ex-Mandarin Hotel Chef. I can't remember the taste of Chatter Box's chicken rice but the presentation here is similar (See photo below). I like the rice which is grainy and not oily. The chicken meat is tender. The chilli sauce is so so but the ginger sauce is very good. At $3.50 per set (compared to $12.00 at Chatter Box) it is worth a visit. Available for lunch only.

Happy 41st National Day Singapore

2006-08-09T00:13:00.000+08:00

Geylang Lor 9 Beef Kway Teow

2006-08-07T00:07:00.000+08:00

Geylang Lor 9 Fried Beed Kway Teow needs no introduction. This is arguably Spore's most famous fried beef kway teow restaurant. After so many years the standard is still the same, very good. The cook is still the same petite lady. But the coffeeshop has been renovated and new chairs and tables added. Service standard also better now. My plate of kway teow was served in less than 3 mins upon ordering. A plate sufficient for two costs S$10.

Ayam Penyet in Beach Road

2006-08-02T00:06:00.000+08:00

Smashed chicken is the English translation of Ayam Penyet. This is a popular Indonesian dish brought to Singapore by Prima Ria. The chicken is first "smashed" to make it tender and then deep fried with a special batter. Each plate costs $5.00 and comes with a piece of chicken, tahu, cucumber and sambal belacan. The gado gado here is good. They should not have added chocolate into the avocado drink as it kills the taste.

Chwee Kueh in Ghim Moh

2006-07-29T13:23:00.000+08:00

This (see photo) was what caught my attention when I was at Ghim Moh Food Centre. According to the stall owner, they have been making chwee kueh or rice cake since 1959. The texture is smooth and not too soft. The chai poh is not over fried. The chilli is nice and hot. Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh is in Blk 20 Ghim Moh Food Centre #01-31. Operating hours 6.15am to 7pm daily

Imperial WoK in East Coast

2006-07-27T01:23:00.000+08:00

If you want to try something different from the usual steamboat go to The Imperial Wok at 43 East Coast Road. Instead of the usual chicken stock, Imperial Wok offers a unique home-made thick black broth. The broth has a sweet and spicy taste. You can request for a non-spicy broth. Chicken was the first dish added in the hot pot followed by Japanese mushrooms, fish paste, tofu, cuttlefish, pak choy and udon. We like the fish paste. I was told it is made from a secret recipe by Ah Xiang. Throughout the entire meal the staff will pour a special light broth into the hot pot. A big pot (4-5 persons) costs $32 and a small pot (2-3 persons) costs $22. The number of side dishes is limited but you must try the top shell with mango and curry chicken. The curry chicken is very lemak and again I was told that it is prepared by Ah Chen from a family secret recipe. For dessert, try their durian ice cream. The staff at Imperial Wok are very friendly and we enjoyed our meal.

Steamed Bread in Holland Village

2006-07-23T15:40:00.000+08:00

It is rare to find steamed bread in coffeeshops. Hence I was delighted to find this nice and clean stall in Holland Village Food Centre selling steamed bread. Steamed bread when eaten with cold butter is very shiok. Despite its good location prices are reasonable at Shan Quan Cafe. A cup of coffee/tea with milk costs $0.60. A piece of toasted/steamed bread costs $0.50.

Fish n Chips n spaghetti in Toa Payoh

2006-07-20T22:49:00.000+08:00

Imagine paying $4.50 for restaurant quality food? Well, in Toa Payoh you can get restaurant standard spaghetti and fish and chip at only $4.50. When we were there for lunch at 11am, we noticed that they have just finished preparing a big pot of shiitake mushroom sauce. The sauce looks so tempting we decided to order a plate. It was really excellent. Fish and chips is their signature dish. The fish and chips were deep fried in a tray of fresh oil. But you don't the oily or deep fried taste. I was told the baked chicken here is very good. But it was not ready. Cafe Wok Inn Fish and Chip is located in a newly set-up coffeeshop in Blk 177 Toa Payoh Central. While there try a cup of tea or coffee serves in traditional tea cup.

Claypot Rice in Jurong West

2006-07-16T22:57:00.000+08:00

This claypot rice is by far the best I have eaten in the Western part of Singapore. The rice is cooked to perfection. The rice is grainy and soft and the chicken, juicy and tender. The generous servings of lap cheong and the addition of a raw egg (you need to request for it) make the meal even more appealing. Not much oil is used so you can opt to add more oil and black sauce to suit you taste. A big pot of rice sufficient for three cost $12. Remember to order the home-style Yin Choy soup to go with the rice. It is very delicious and cost $2 a bowl. Xiang Zhiang Claypot Rice is located in Blk 498 Jurong West Street 41 #01-462.

Fried Hokkien Mee in Serangoon Road

2006-07-12T16:15:00.000+08:00

If you are a Singaporean, I would be surprised if you have not eaten at this well known fried hokkien mee stall. This stall is listed in all the food guides and has been around for many years. The original cook is no longer active but the current cook is just as good. To really enjoy the hokkien mee, you must "ta pau" it in opal leaf. After an hour, the noodles and opal leaf have absorbed the prawn stock and the taste is out of this world. Minimum order with opal leaf wrapping is $5. Plastic box (forget it) is $4. Original Serangoon Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee is located in Serangoon Road just before Beatty Road junction. Available for dinner only till about 10.30pm

Roast Meat in Keong Siak Street

2006-07-10T22:59:00.000+08:00

This is one of Singapore's best roast meat stalls. It is so popular that all the tables are occupied by customers even before the stall is ready to serve. You have to be really patient. We were there at 11.30am on a weekday and waited one hour for our food. The roast pork (siew yoke), char siew and roast duck are all very well done. Fresh from the oven, it is still warm and juicy. You can eat your roast meat with rice or dry noodles and a bowl of delicious dumpling soup. Foong Kee is located in Keong Siak Street. Open for lunch only. A meal for three cost S$28 without drinks.

Fried Beehoon in Holland V

2006-07-08T13:00:00.000+08:00

If the fried beehoon at Hai Ji (read posting below) was only so so, head for Holland Village. Here you will find a stall selling good fried beehoon. As I tucked into my plate of fried beehoon/mee, I found three small pieces of lard. No wonder the beehoon taste good. Holland V Fried Beehoon is located in the newly renovated Holland Village Food Centre. Available for breakfast.

Peanut porridge in Amoy FC

2006-07-06T16:23:00.000+08:00

My fav breakfast is a nice hot bowl of peanut porridge and a plate of fried beehoon. Simple food with no frills. The peanut porridge by Hai Ji is done the traditional cantonese style. Small quantity of rice boiled in lots of water, add some ikan bilis, dried oysters and peanuts and you have a very tasty and healthy pot of porridge. The fried beehoon is so so but goes well with the porridge. Hai Ji is on the ground floor of Amoy Food Centre. The porridge is available till 10.30am Mon to Sat.

Heavenly Apom and Thosai in Ghim Moh

2006-06-29T10:54:00.000+08:00

Princess Apom and Royal Thosai, you will only find them in Heavens. You must try them to experience the heavenly taste. The normal Apom and Masala Thosai are also very addictive. You will keep coming back for more. Afterall it is a very healthy food. Heavens Indian Curry is run by three cheerful sisters. They are open everyday in the morning till 2pm. You can find them in Blk 20 Ghim Moh Road Food Centre

Duck Soup and Claypot Rice in Geylang

2006-06-23T20:06:00.000+08:00

The menu is a 4cm-thick photo album. Everything looks good. Its signature dishes are numerous. Three dishes stood out, the salted vegetable duck soup, claypot rice and house special tofu. The salted vegetable duck soup is not salty. The soup is very tasty and the duck meat very tender. The claypot rice is prepared outside the restaurant using charcoal stove. The house special tofu is topped with pieces of lard. So shiok but not so healthy. The fermented beancurd fried pork and salad prawns are good. The Black KL Hokkien Mee is a bit sweet. The steamed promfret is not very fresh. The deco is simple. The place is aircon. The price is reasonable, I think. It was a treat from Mei Kuen's sister. Old Mother Hen restaurant is located along Sims Ave, just after Lor 17 Geylang.

Yong Tau Foo in Johor Baru

2006-06-21T10:30:00.000+08:00

Just a few shops from Gin Shan restaurant (read next posting) is a shop selling yong tau foo. The yong tau foo soup is very tasty. No MSG, just fish bones, soya beans and ikan bilis. The fried stuff is served separately. The fish ball and fish cake are very good. Lots of fish meat instead of flour. You can have your noodles dry or with curry laksa. Available for breakfast and lunch.

Pork Ribs Curry in Johor Baru

2006-06-18T12:11:00.000+08:00

This is one of the better pork ribs curry I have eaten. The curry gravy, cooked with turmeric, lemongrass, cinnamon and potatoes, is thick and not too spicy. The pork ribs is very tender. The restaurant also serves a few signature dishes such as fried fish fillet cooked in dark sauce, homemade beancurd, curry fish head and ngoh hiang. I opted for the set lunch, which consists of either pork ribs or fish head curry, homemade beancurd, towgay with salted fish, fried fish fillet with dark sauce and oyster or minced meat egg omelet. For 5 persons, the set lunch cost RM68. Restaurant Gin Shan is at 7, Jalan Perang, Taman Pelangi.

Breading Pudding in Purvis Road

2006-06-17T13:20:00.000+08:00

Bread pudding with hot custard milk. I missed this dessert. I had it during the RAF days (in the 70s). It is rarely found in Singapore, until I saw it on TV. The pudding at Miss Clarity Cafe is quite similar to what I was longing for, except that they use evaporated milk instead of custard milk. Still, it brought back memories. It cost $2.50 a piece. Miss Clarity Cafe is located in Purvis Road.

Teochew food in Bendemeer

2006-06-15T00:56:00.000+08:00

I would rate Guan Hin as one of the top 10 Teochew restaurants in Singapore. Guan Hin has authentic Teochew food like braised goose, prawn and liver rolls, orh nee (yam paste with ginko nuts) and eight-variety vegetables. One rare Teochew dish served at this restaurant is the chai poh kwey teow. You have to ask for it as it is not listed on the menu. All the dishes were cooked in traditional Teochew style. Service here is friendly and there is no service charge. Guan Hin restaurant is located in the corner of Blk 34 Bendemeer Road.

Nasi Padang in Hoy Fatt Road

2006-06-09T12:27:00.000+08:00

There was a queue when we arrived at 11.30am for lunch. However, service was fast. The best dish at this stall is FREE. It is the sambal belachan. It has a unique taste. Very shiok. The sambal sotong was mouth-watering, one of best I have tasted. The stall's specialty dish is the fried chicken. I also like the beef rendang. Very tender. Go early as most dishes are sold out by 1pm and also to avoid the noon time crowd. This Nasi Padang stall is located in Blk 28 Hoy Fatt Road.

Dim Sum in Johor Baru

2006-06-03T13:15:00.000+08:00

New Hong Kong Restaurant is one of JB's best eating places. It offers lovely dim sum and cze char dishes. For the dim sum, I like the spring roll, siew mai and loh mai kai (glutinous rice). For cze char, I enjoy the crispy tofu and steamed egg. The restaurant is airconditioned and clean. It is located at 69A Jalan Ibrahim Sultan. Next to the restaurant is a popular Mee Rebus shop.

Flying Noodles in Johor

2006-06-01T17:14:00.000+08:00

Only in Johor Baru can you have your wanton mee and watch a "flying noodles" display at the same time. The cook tosses his noodles three metres in the air, missing the zinc roof by a few inches, before catching it with his bowl. He did it without looking up. The noodles are best eaten dry, with lots of chilli. Each bowl cost RM$3. Restaurant Khong Kee is located at Jln Bakawali 37, Taman Johor Jaya. Operating hours are from 5pm to 11pm

Birthday Dinner at Dragon City

2006-05-27T20:40:00.000+08:00

Curry Puff in Pemimpin

2006-05-27T14:16:00.000+08:00

Located off Jalan Pemimpin, at the junction of Clover Way and Clover Ave, is a Malay stall selling Nasi Padang, Lontong and Curry Puffs. I have not tried the Nasi Padang, but the Lontong is quite good. It is usually sold out by mid-morning. After lunch, from about 2pm onwards, they will start to make curry puffs. About 50 curry puffs are made each day. By 3pm it is sold out.

HK Cafe Food in Marina Square

2006-05-26T22:32:00.000+08:00

Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe is a new addition to our food scene. They have a large menu, serving all kinds of western and chinese food. I did not quite enjoy the western food on my first visit. On my second visit, I found the chinese food to be quite good. In particular, I enjoy the Chye Poh egg with Pork Floss noodles. It was a refreshing change from the usual fish ball or minced meat noodles. The soup was light and the "koka" noodles well cooked. The Pork Ribs fried Beehoon was another enjoyable dish. It was not oily and the Beehoon well fried. Xin Wang HK Cafe is located at 01-04 Marina Square, along Raffles Link.

Tar Mee in Upper Serangoon

2006-05-24T11:05:00.000+08:00

In Hillside Drive, off Upper Serangoon Road, is stall that sells good tar mee (dry noodles). At $2 per bowl, they are quite generous with the ingredients. The chilli sauce is excellent. On weekends, prepare to wait 30 mins for your food. Parking here is a problem. There is only one tiny carpark behind the coffeeshop and the lots are reserved for patrons of a vegetarian restaurant next door.

Tea and Bread in Marina Square

2006-05-23T23:40:00.000+08:00

If you need a break while shopping in the newly renovated Marina Square, head for Pick & Bite (01-07). This tiny cafe along Raffles Link is quite innovative with their snacks. Apart from the traditional kaya toast bun and dim sum, the cafe also sells Side-up bread. The Side-up bread is actually two pieces of toasted bread, with a piece of ham sandwiched in between, and topped with egg mayonnaise, tuna or sardines. Goes best with a cup of piping hot, aromatic coffee or tea.

Pig's Trotter Bee Hoon in Clementi

2006-05-17T14:15:00.000+08:00

This afternoon, while driving along the AYE, I made a detour into Clementi West Street 2. At Blk 713, I spotted this signboard (right pic) inside a coffeeshop. A friend had recommended this stall to me. It has won an award for the best Pig's Trotter Bee Hoon. I decided to "tar pau" a packet home. It was fried on order. One hour later, the Bee Hoon had absorbed the gravy. Boy, it was good. The Bee Hoon was full of flavour and not as oily as I expected it to be. There were a few pieces of meaty pig's trotter and mushroom. A medium size packet cost $5. Make the trip to Clementi, you won't regret it.

Sambal Crayfish in Amoy FC

2006-05-15T19:27:00.000+08:00

If you are prepared to wait one hour, you will be rewarded with a plate of mouth-watering sambal crayfish. Lu Tian Seafood is the only stall that operates at night on the 2nd level of Amoy Food Centre (02-119). There is only one elderly cook. And he cooks one order at a time. The sambal crayfish was worth the wait. The craymeat meat was fried with a very tasty sauce. In fact, the sauces used in cooking other dishes, such as sambal kangkong and ginger chicken were all very tasty. The onion omelet was very well done. Best of all was the price. $20 for 4 dishes. Lu Tian Seafood operating hours are Mon to Sat 12pm to 9.30pm. Close on Sunday and Public Holidays.

Fried Bee Hoon in Whampoa

2006-05-13T13:02:00.000+08:00

I have been eating fried beehoon for breakfast at this stall for close to 10 years when it was operating from Hillview. The Hillview FC had been demolished and I lost track of all my fav stalls. I was therefore happy to spot this signboard in Block 91 Whampoa Drive Food Centre. And the stallholders are the same two brothers from Hillview. Business at Whampoa is brisk, with a perpetual short queue. The beehoon here is first fried and then left to steam on a rattan basket. Simple but tasty. Now, I need to find my Hillview laksa, yong tofu, carrot cake and mee goreng. Anyone can help?