A Pair of Michelin Stalls at Hong Lim Market & Food Centre

I don't often go to Hong Lim, and it looks like I've been missing out. There are some interesting things there, like this Bib Gourmand stall called Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa (531A Upper Cross Stree #02-66). Sure, he has laksa, but he also has a fruit juice-based mee siam above. It was delicately tangy and refreshingly light, even if I wished that the prawns were a bit fresher.



There was also Michelin-listed stall down the way called Ah Heng at stall 58. They sold a piping hot and rich curry noodle that was topped with cold yet tender chicken breast. It seemed like an odd mash-up at first, but I liked the chili oil that they provided, even if it seemed out of place too. It looks like there are quite a few other Michelin-listed stalls here, but I didn't have enough stomach space to try them.

The Flying Pig at Golden Mile Complex

If you're wondering what those white chunks are, they are chunks of crab meat. And they were pretty generous with those plump pieces for only S$10 (US$7.60) a plate, which is why this place has been getting a lot of attention lately (5001 Beach Road #01-39, 8168-4590). They're probably also getting compared to Jai Fai in Bangkok. I've never tried her stuff, but pictures online suggest that her omelettes are quite different. Either way, I was surprised by how aromatic this was, as the entire plate carried a pleasantly mild crab aroma; it wasn't just a few pieces thrown on there like a topping. I gobbled it all up in seconds.

Paninoteca by d.o.c. in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

In between Gattopardo and Torasho in Tanjong Pagar lies a little panini shop (32 Tras Street #01-01). I've been mentally scarred by bad panini many years ago, so this wouldn't have been my first choice. Yet somehow it looked promising for lunch today, and I'm really glad that I tried it. The bread in particular was awesome with its light yet crispy texture. And everything that they put inside that thing above just went perfectly with a crisp glass of white wine today. I'm coming back, although now I'm also curious to check out the sandwich bar that the Abate folks set up nearby.

Tsuta Singapore’s Premium Crab Soba

So this was the crab ramen from Tsuta that I was mentioning last time. The broth was nicely savory and aromatic, and the sour cream was a nice touch, making it better than Hototogisu's version. But I still wouldn't get this next time I'm here; I'd rather go for one of his other bowls.

Waffletown’s BBQ Chilli Fish with Butter Rice

So Waffletown doesn't just serve chicken and waffles, but also some local items, like that fish above. It was hardly anything to go out of one's way for: it seemed like just pan-fried fish with some sambal smeared on top. But it was decently spicy, and kinda reminded me of the chili coriander fish that Healthy Society at Raffles Place used to offer when they were still around.

Banh Mi Thit by Star Baguette in Geylang

It turns out that Keisuke's new yakiniku place is right down the street from this bánh mì shop that I've been wanting to try for ages (543 Geylang Road, 6909-8340). So I hopped on over afterwards for some closing carbs. The bread was huge, but crispy and airy. And the chili was impressively spicy. The coffee was pre-brewed, but I didn't mind as it was fast and dirt cheap. Yeah, I'll come back here again.

Chicken Yakiniku Tori Yaro by Keisuke Singapore

Yep, that's right. Keisuke has opened a yakiniku place...except that it serves chicken. But wait, there's more: it's a kopitiam stall (2 Lorong 29 Geylang, 9720-3997), just across the street from JB Ah Meng. I was thus verrrrry curious to see what it was like.

Perhaps to no surprise, the marinades and dipping sauces were kinda sweet. The quality was nothing to get excited about, but it was cheap and open air, making it kinda like mookata, albeit with Keisuke's usual bean sprouts on the side. There is ramen too if you want it, but I didn't bother.

The Suancaiyu Mixian from Qin Ji Rougamo

Qin Ji Rougamo has expanded to several outlets now, and I stopped by one today to try the suancaiyu above. It wasn't as savory as I had hoped, but I still finished it all. More notably, I'm still rather disappointed in their roujiamo, which continues to have a crispy flaky bun, but also a goopy meat pie-like filling, even if the cumin version that I had today was a little spicier. I'm starting to lose interest in this place.

Lao Gu Ban Noodles in Singapore

This small chain of Teochew noodle stalls has been getting some attention lately for its handmade noodles. I didn't think the noodles were anything that special though; to be honest, I probably wouldn't have thought that they were handmade had no one told me. What *was* much more unique were those pinkish cubes of prawn paste in the soup, as they were impressively tender and almost tofu-like. Now, those alone won't draw me back here, but I am kinda curious to see what their fish dumplings are like, especially in comparison to Chao Yuan.

More Items from Liuliangban at HDB Hub

Here are some more items from Liuliangban, the first of which was a plate of fried glass noodles that looked great when I saw people at a neighboring table digging in. But it was goopier than I thought it would be and was really quite boring.



And here is their zhajiangmian, a dish I normally don't like very much, but they kept saying how different theirs was, so I figured that I'd try it. The first few bites weren't anything special, but then it grew on me so much that I finished the entire bowl. I kinda liked how it was laced with a bit of tasty oil, while the chili oil and sliced cucumber didn't hurt either.

Man Kou Xiang Stinky Tofu at Newton Food Centre

A stinky tofu stall has opened at Newton Food Centre (500 Clemenceau Avenue North #01-67), and I liked it enough to go back for seconds. I started with the white version above, doing a dry mala sauce. There was a bit of stank that brought me right back to night markets in Taiwan, but the bark was worse than its bite and it was easily edible (the thing that fuels more stank here is not the tofu itself, but the garlic puree that they throw on top). They also have a black version that is slightly more expensive and visually more hideous, but it was delicious, especially since I got a malatang-like soup version that I drank down to the last drop. I'm happy to go back.

Fried Fish Pao Fan from Bowl & Bowl

I didn't have much interest in this shop when I first saw them at HDB Hub last year (480 Toa Payoh Lorong 6 #B1-01), mainly because they seemed to rely on some gimmicky "robots" to cook their fried rice. But today I noticed something different: they were now doing pao fan, and it was pretty good too. The rice grains were pleasantly firm, the broth was savory, and they interspersed it with just the right amount of crispy bits rather than just overdoing it with the fried egg stuff. I don't know if I'd try the other things here, but I wouldn't mind eating this again.