Finally Trying Out Fatty Bom Bom

It's hard to forget a name like Fatty Bom Bom. I saw an outlet a few years ago and was curious but never had a chance to try one until today. They serve kopitiam Western food like aglio olio and that black pepper chicken chop above, and really seem to like using cajun seasoning on everything. I was just happy to find that the portions were tame, contrary to what the name suggested. But it wasn't anything super exciting either, especially since that chicken was nearly room temperature. But hey, it was cheap.

Revisiting Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice

I've kinda forgotten about these guys. But their (shockingly affordable) lunch set made for a convenient refueling today, so I grabbed a plate. I was a bit surprised to find that the rice had a rather heavy Maggi sauce-like taste to it. Did they change their recipe or is my memory messed up? It wasn't necessarily a bad thing (I still ate it all), but was just surprised at how pronounced it was.

Ah Gong Teochew Noodle in Singapore

This is a small Teochew noodle chain that seems to have a lot of similarities to 85 Redhill in the sense that they started as a stall and then commercialized outwards. But these guys are more conservative and don't have as big of a footprint. I've gotta admit that I didn't like the food as much either, as it was a little sweet, a little mild, and a little boring. Granted, I only realized afterwards I should've spiked the bowl with the bottle of vinegar that they had available. And apparently they are known for a smoky soup version that I should try to get next time.

Macau Fong Cheng Cuisine in Chinatown

There was a discussion the other day around meicai, and this place came up (335 Smith Street #02-211). It spans a couple of stalls, doing a range of cze char items. But I was after the meicai kourou above. The nice thing was that the meat was pleasantly fatty and moist, but the meicai was sweet and watery rather than salty and oily.

The thing that love about meicai is how punchy and savory it can be, so I won't be getting this from them again. But I do appreciate the tip, especially since there were other things at their stall that look promising. Plus, it was run by a very sweet elderly couple who were so endearing that I just couldn't say no to their effort to upsell me a bowl of their soup.

The Two Chiew Kee Noodle Houses in Singapore

This wasn't intended to be a shootout. I merely wanted some noodles for breakfast, and I knew that there were a couple of soya sauce chicken shops along this street that were open in the morning. But when went to check them out, I realized that they had the same name...almost, at least. The one at 30 Cross Street was called Chiew Kee, while the one at 8 Cross Street was Original Chiew Kee.



It seems that the former is a spinoff by a family member. The spinoff's plate is in the top photo, and what struck me was that the chicken was a bit sweet. It was moist with firm noodles, but sweet. The original shop's was not as sweet, but also a bit tougher and with less interesting noodles. Admittedly I wasn't that excited about either one. If I go back, then I need to dress down given that the splatter risk is quite high at both shops.

PÖONSTI at Old Hen Kitchen in Singapore

It was only when I arrived here did I realize that this local Rösti shop is yet another brand from the folks behind Old Hen Coffee (127 Owen Road). See, I tried their Chooby Pizza brand during the pandemic, but at that time, one had to bring the food home. Only after sitting inside for a few minutes did I realize that these guys are into the same things that I like: pour-over coffee and draft beer, along with Rösti in the morning and Neapolitan pizza at night.

Yeah, the food was fine, even if the kitchen was a bit on the conservative side. By that, I mean that the Rösti above is not a sinfully greasy as Marché, but was still done with care and was better than some of those other places that have popped up recently that bake their Rösti instead of pan-frying them. And being conservative was also a good thing in terms of their moderate portions. The number of wine bottles that they have sitting around makes me suspect that this place would be pretty fun at night.

Trying Yuhua Village's Hup Hong Chicken Rice

Those Hawkers' Street food court chains are kinda nice in how they aggregate a number of better quality (and some Michelin-listed) stalls together. These chicken rice guys are way out in the west, which I hardly get out to, so this was my chance to see what the fuss was about. One unconventional thing at least was that they did these dual yuanyang plates given you both white and roasted chicken together.

It was fine, but honestly I never would have thought that it was Michelin-listed had no one told me. The white chicken was tender but not as moist as I would have hoped, while the roast chicken was surprisingly salty but still edible. The rice was decently tasty and oily but a little soft. The biggest turnoff for me was the sweet achar, even if it came in handy to cut through the fat. I doubt I'll get this again unless I'm at the original stall.

The Chicken Steak from Yappari at Wisma Atria

Teppei's old Kai Kai Sushi spot has been taken over by Yappari, and this charcoal grilled chicken steak is exclusive to that location. It may not look like much above, but it was pretty good, as it was super moist and tender, and came with a pepper sauce that was hardly salty, in a good way. One still gets all of the Yappari accompaniments like endless rice, soup, and salad, not to mention their array of condiemnts. It was certainly better than that Steak 99 place.

Zhengshishang Hunan Cuisine at 313@somerset

Another one of those individually-portioned steamed dish spreads has opened up at the Food Republic at 313@someret at the stall in between Piao Xiang and Baguo. That pork above was a little dry, but I was still quite happy with it because of that deliciously fermented meicai that just lit everything up and helped shovel down rice. I grabbed quite a few other items, including a tofu and pork dish, a chili pepper and egg dish, and some steamed fish, all of which went down easily. But I just love meicai and think its complex savory notes are severely underappreciated on a global stage.

Yakizakana Ramen at Mashi no Mashi Singapore

Mashi no Mashi's new location at Nankin Row (3 Pickering Street #01-42) had a sign that caught my eye: grilled fish ramen. But when I got closer, it looked a little dubious, being on a separate menu from a brand called Yakizakana Ramen. Presumably the local operator created that as its own brand using the same facility, and indeed, the staff said that this other menu featured "local ramen," whatever that meant.

I was surprised by how much I liked it. Sure, the broth tasted like a peppery mix that one would get from an instant noodle packet, but that was part of the appeal. More importantly, the noodles were kept firm, and the fish was delicately laced with a bit of citrus and grilled aroma. And it was less than ten bucks too. I don't know if I'd try the fried version, but the grilled fish on its own is something that I'd be happy to eat again.

Uoharu Singapore at IOI Central Boulevard Towers

I finally made it over to Uoharu today, in part because I only recently realized that they did reasonably priced lunch sets (2 Central Boulevard #01-16). The daily special featuring oden and sashimi above was better than I thought it would be, as it used decent ingredients...and perhaps most importantly, featured rice that wasn't overcooked. I had previously assumed that this place would be rather commercialized given that it's a small chain across a few countries. But now that I've tasted the food, I'd be willing to go back for a proper izakaya session in the evening.

Golden Coin Beef Phở from Super Ngon

See how those cuts of beef above alternate in lines between meat and connective tissue? I'm only realizing now that this is a cut from the leg referred to as "golden coin" here, and Super Ngon serves that cut in their phở for a couple bucks more. Yep, they made it impressively tender, and I was happy to eat it along with that salty minimalist broth and thin but sour chili sauce. Next time I should remember to opt for a side of quay given the northern style used here.