Sarangani Bay Milkfish in Corn Oil

These little jars of milkfish from the Philippines looked interesting, so I picked up one to give it a try. It was like a milder version of tinned sardines, and certainly much tamer than tuyo. Either way, it was easy to eat with rice. Apparently the Filipinos only started doing this type of oil preservation after the Spanish arrived.

Now Pizza in Singapore

Given how much that rumeL place surprised me with its chewy dough, I figured I'd try the other fast sourdough pizza chain that has popped up recently, even if it similarly didn't look very encouraging from the outside. The dough definitely wasn't as good as rumeL as this one was more dry and commonplace. But that also made it crispy and airy, and at least there was a bottle of olive oil there for one to moisten it up with. They don't do those super small sizes like rumeL here, but it was fast and cheap. And it was still much better than places like Pizza Hut and Domino's.

IM JAI by Pun Im's Goong Ob Woonsen

Here's the prawn vermicelli from IM JAI by Pun Im. It came out very quickly, and I ate it very quickly, as those prawns were conveniently peeled already and were decently plump and fresh. The glass noodles were surprisingly peppery and almost excessively so, but still fun and edgy enough to eat with a smile on my face, especially with that generous scoop of crackling. The portion was kinda small though.

Folks Collective's Tom Yum Fire Hotpot

In case you're wondering, there are prawns, eggs, fried pork belly, and Mama noodles inside that pot. And it was from Folks Collective, a place whose name is still baffling to me, even though I'm increasingly liking the food. I had a wild bamboo herb salad that was served warm and was deliciously refreshing with that rice powder on top. Next time I should try their jungle bamboo tum, as it comes with protein and noodles too. And maybe try to come for their surprisingly affordable happy hour drinks.

Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen's Coriander Bowl

I haven't been to Tonkotsu Kazan in ages, but recent promotions for this coriander bowl got me curious. It's too bad then that it was basically just a big pile of coriander on top of a bowl that was ruined by a sweet chili sauce. What made it worse were the gigantic cuts of meat that were tough and even sugary sweet. It was all off-putting enough that I didn't bother to finish my bowl. But I ate all of coriander.

China's Shu Da Xia Hotpot in Singapore

I've been wanting to check out this chain from Chengdu for a while now, but its location at Tampines 1 made it difficult for me (10 Tampines Central 1 #03-16).I had a chance to go today though, especially since they offer an afternoon meat buffet set for S$18.80 (US$14.75), and they were fine with you being a solo diner at that. What a bargain!

Now, keep in mind that it only includes a selection of meat. If you want veggies or carbs, then you have to pay for that. And you have to pay for the broth and the condiment bar either way. So it wasn't quite as affordable as it sounded, but if you really wanted to be cheap, you could get your veggies and carbs from the condiment bar, if you don't mind it being limited to the cold bamboo shoot appetizer, plus some coriander for garnish, as well as blocks of instant noodles. It was nice that the broth didn't have to be a full-sized pot either; one could just get a three-compartment pot, filling two of the compartments with (free) plain water. My basic mala broth in the third chamber was sufficient.

Now, the meat was interesting in that one of them called Guifei Beef arrived with a white milky substance on top. It looked like coconut milk, but it was actually a protein mixture of some kind used to tenderize and moisten the freshly cut Chaoshan-style meat. The meat was indeed tender, even if it didn't have much taste, and it was unique enough that I opted for another plate while I could. I definitely got my protein today.

Hougang Traditional Famous Wanton Noodle

Stall number 35 at Old Airport Road Food Centre proudly displayed a badge for their Michelin listing, so I got a plate to find out why. It turns out these little bowls were pretty good thanks to the quality of the ingredients. Even if I prefer skinniner noodles, they were bouncy and were laced with an edgy chili sauce that wasn't sugary sweet. The wonton fillings were earthy, and they sat in a crisp and savory soup, unlike the dishwater that one commonly gets at other stalls.

Magpie in Tiong Bahru, Singapore

On the outside, this looks like exactly my kind of place (57 Eng Hoon Street #01-88). The emphasis is on the beverages and small plates of food to go with it. They play fun music...and they play it unapologetically loud. It's in a nice walkable neighborhood, and there is alfresco seating on a first-come first-serve basis. The vibes are all here.

But when I dug a little deeper, I wasn't so sure. The service was hit-or-miss, and the food tended to lean heavily on acidic flavors. The quality of the ingredients was good, but the kitchen's style reminded me of that old Moosehead place, which I had trouble liking for the same reason. Many of the dishes could have done with one or two less ingredients to let the rest of the items shine.

Still, these guys do it much better than Moosehead did. Despite the acidity, it kinda worked, not unlike how awesome Thai food is despite the heavy acidity. They like to use chili peppers here too, which kept it fun. The only disappointment was that overbattered zucchini flower on the left, but the grilled corn to the right was tasty with its curry leaf butter, and we liked their ceviche and taramasalata too.

Returning to rumeL in Singapore

I've gotta admit that I kinda like this place despite its weird name and forced Italian theme music. That was mainly because the dough has life in it, being nice and chewy.

This time I was about to follow up on my promise to get a large sized pizza, but I figured I might as well get two small ones in order try a couple varieties. The first one on the left was a shakshuka version; I'm not sure if they just used the normal pizza sauce or if there were some extra spices in here, but I still ate it thanks to the crust. The green one was their famous kaya butter version, and it was better than I thought it would be, as it made for a pleaseantly sweet dessert.

And even with that, they have a gelato case that I was happy to dip into after that. I never would have thought I'd say this, but I was quite happy with what I had.

More from Hakka Bond in Singapore

Those might look like limes or avocados above, but they're actually a mugwort-based dumpling with a sweet peanut mix inside. It was a dessert, even though the exterior carried a pronounced taste of leafy greens. It was good, just like pretty much everything else I've eaten at this restaurant.

Indeed, that pork dish behind it featured meat that was a bit dry, but the deliciously savory pickled vegetables underneath it made me forget all about it. There were actually two different types of pickles on that plate: a lighter yet saltier version and then a funkier dark one alongside it. This place really has some gems.

Menya Saku by Oh Some Bowls in Singapore

This place didn't look like much when I first arrived, as it looked a bit tacky and was tucked away in the dark corners of the nearly deserted Sim Lim Square (1 Rochor Canal Road #02-03). But that chicken-based broth was decently savory, even if it could have used more salt. I didn't care much for the noodles, but at least they weren't overcooked, and the chicken was tender sitting in that cute little bowl. This place is run by a former Kokoro and Buta Godo chef.

Keisuke’s Mapo Tofu Don Set

All of that talk about dumplings recently must've planted an idea in my head to go to Ramen Keisuke Gyoza King today. It's been so long since I was last here that he's gone from being cash only to now having a "no cash payment" sign. He also now offers a limited number of servings of this mapo tofu don each day.

It was better than I thought it would be given the hefty amount of huajiao in there; it wasn't the sweet and mild thing that I had figured it to be. I am not sure if he was inspired by Shisen Hanten, but it had a similar punch, even if Chen's is still better. One still gets a few gyoza in that set above by the way.