Yuki Duyên Chay by Ăn Là Ghiền in Singapore

The Ăn Là Ghiền folks have opened up a vegetarian place a few doors down from their location near the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown (12 Sago Street). It was surprisingly good.

They were running a promotion for that broken rice plate above at just S$3.90 (US$3.05); to reach such a price, you'd think that it was just a bunch of lukewarm stuff that had been sitting around all day, but this was done with enough care that the eggs and tofu were piping hot, while the little salad thing on the right was seasoned just right, inclusive of some fragrant white pepper.

To be sure, that price was a promotional one, as most other dishes were multiple times that price, inclusive of my drink. But I liked the kitchen's output enough that I'll happily go back to pay regular prices.

The Cordyceps Steamed Chicken from Hup Lok

I grabbed this steamed chicken from Hup Lok today, which took a painfully long time to come out. But it was good, with super tender chicken bathing in a wonderfully light and savory broth along with cordyceps mushrooms (yep, I'm still thinking of Joel and Ellie). The chicken was bone-in, which made it a little harder to eat, and the broth was slightly sweet from the Chinese dates. But it was also heavily accentuated with ginger, which is a plus in my books. Shoveling down their firmly cooked rice with the remaining bits in the pan was the best part.

Hong Kong's Ging Sun Ho King of Bun in Singapore

That looks like a mouthful of a name above, but it's basically Ging Sun Ho, which does shengjianbao, and thus is a self-proclaimed "King of Buns." It's from Mongkok but has a small basement outlet at Tampines Mall (4 Tampines Central 5 #B1-K17).

The quality is pretty good, with each item cooked to order so that everything is piping hot and crispy, with decent skins and fillings to boot. They had not just the shengjianbao above, but also gyoza and even a big soup dumpling that comes complete with a straw.

That is also the biggest challenge with this place: it's so scaldingly hot that one can't rush it. One has to eat it very slowly and carefully nibble on the side of each dumpling so that all of the soup inside doesn't burn your lips nor squirt all over your clothes. I'll try to keep that in mind next time I'm here.

Hanoi Pho 89 at Sultan Plaza in Singapore

I exited from my usual Gate 1 after the F1 race again, and Hua Jie Dumplings at City Gate had a good number of customers this time. I thus charged forward to a little Vietnamese shop that was open until 2:30 AM in the corner in the next building over (100 Jalan Sultan #01-08). It was a tiny place, but they did that very clean and crisp North Vietnamese bowl above, which was not only soothing but also very affordable. The menu was quite extensive, including things like snails, that would be worth exploring one day. One lady walking by tonight mentioned that they do good bánh mì too.

The Aburi Nodoguro from Sushiro

The nodoguro is back on the list of specials at Sushiro today, and it was deliciously fatty. They actually had quite a few other buttery cuts available today, including little silver mehikari as well as a bright red cut of kamatoro tuna jaw. It was a pretty good list of specials this time.

estiatorio Milos at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

I've been wanting to eat here for a very long time, as this Montreal-based restaurant flies in seafood from Greece and lays it all out on a glorious-looking ice display (10 Bayfront Avenue #B1-48). MBS was conveniently near me during F1 tonight, so I tried my luck and was able to get a walk-in at the bar.

That's their namesake special above, featuring thin and crisp slices of deep fried eggplant and zucchini with saganaki cheese, plus tzatziki underneath it all as a dip. I also had a small lithrini fish that was done with olive oil and capers. Being at Marina Bay Sands meant that it wasn't cheap, but I needed to pamper myself.

Palapa Indonesian Fast Food in Singapore

I like walking to City Gate for food during F1 if I'm near Gate 1, especially since it can be much faster than waiting in those long lines, and in air conditioned comfort at that.

This time, I went to this Indonesian place (371 Beach Road #02-28). I grabbed that plate above because it was supposed to be a coriander chicken along with lime rice, which I envisioned to be covered in green leaves (or at least a green sauce) along with a citrusy and mildly acidic rice. It was only after I got it that I realized that coriander was actually in reference to the seeds rather than the plant, so it was brown and earthy in that crunchy batter.

And the rice was not in reference to the fruit, but the strong taste of the leaves. It was fragrant, and that mild but clean red sambal helped, although next time I'll get the Indomie option instead.

Kim Hock Guan Traditional Bakkua in Singapore

Time for more small batch bak kwa shops, with this one being the oldest one in Singapore (180 Bencoolen Street #01-25). To my surprise, the meat was rather tough and dry, requiring a bit of effort to chew. But I think that was by design, as they used lean meat. I don't think I'll get it again, but I am kinda curious if the spicy version is a little more exciting.

La Table d'Emma in Singapore

This is a rather large Alsatian restaurant at the Mercure ICON Singapore City Centre from a former Jaan chef (8 Club Street #01-04). And it was pretty good, with that chicken leg above done in a nice mustard sauce and paired with spaetzle. A small beef boullion starter had nice touches like bone marrow financiers on the side too. I'd be happy to go back, but the prices aren't cheap here, especially when ordering a la carte.

Luck Bros Kopi in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Interestingly, this Malaysian chain was previously called Luckin Kopi, but they changed their name to Luck Bros before the big Chinese chain spread its wings. Anyway, they do this flight of local coffee styles that was pretty cool. I liked the Ipoh one the best for its complexity, while the Melaka one was nice with its gula melaka, even if it tasted more of palm sugar than coffee. The Penang one was surprisingly strong, while the KL one was surprisingly watery. The Johor one was the most approachable. They have a big food menu here too, but I didn't have the stomach space to try it. Next time.

Juăn Chinese Beef Roti in Kuala Lumpur

When in Malaysia, I had to grab a local beef roti to see how it compared to Ameen in Singapore. This one (Lot S.6, 101 Jalan Bukit Bintang) competes with a big street-facing outlet of Mon Chinese Beef Roti down the street. The dough was the best part, as it was not just crispy and greasy, but also noticeably salty, which gave it a nice edge. The filling wasn't as spicy as Ameen though, which means that I still prefer Ameen.

Al - Sultan Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

One really cool thing about KL is the fact that there are a lot of respectable Middle Eastern restaurants, especially to cater to travelers from the Gulf. But it was only recently that I realized that Yemeni cuisine in particular is dominant here, and this small chain had an outlet near me today.

I think I had a chicken mandi above, but mine was pitched as a "sidr," complete with flaming theatrics and pot thumping. Either way, the rice and chicken were deliciously spiced, even if the chicken was a bit dry. They provided my favorite sahowqa salsa-like sauce, which made it go down easily.