Chuan Yang Ji Mutton Soup Steamboat in Singapore

I'm not sure how I never knew about these guys, but it's a local chain of lamb hotpot places started by some folks from Sichuan. I just happened to walk by their Chinatown outlet tonight (211 South Bridge Road, 6909-6887) when I noticed all of their emphasis on lamb. Specifically, they use New Zealand lamb, and fortunately, they had a reasonably-priced one-person set.

Yes, I liked it, especially since the white broth was delicate without being excessive (i.e., you knew it was lamb, but it was polished enough that it wasn't too stanky nor crude). Their house spice mixture went nicely with it all, and they even offered chuanr if you wanted it too. I haven't eaten at Xiaoweiyang enough to do a proper comparison, but this was good enough for me.

Finally Trying Sun King Ryoriya in Singapore

This small chain has been around for ages, but somehow the thought of a Japanese restaurant serving Taiwanese cuisine never got me too excited. But then I noticed the other day how luroufan was at the top of the menu, so I stopped in to give it a shot.

The meat was rather lean, presumably because it was meant to be like the southern version of the dish. For me, that defeats the point, which is more about that wonderful fat. Nonetheless, the gyoza were solid, and service was super fast.

Kobe's Enishi at International Plaza, Singapore

The Shimada Seimen folks have finally opened a dedicated ramen venue, this time naming it after their original Michelin-garnered shop Enishi (10 Anson Road #02-85A). Their dan dan noodles are here, but they were also focused on a dashi-based bowl, which was reminiscent of contemporary places like Tsuta, Hototogisu, or Oshige. Yes, I liked the crisp broth, but the flat noodles were an even nicer surprise, not to mention the small jars of pepper oil at your disposal. The egg and ham were a bit sweet, but I was happy nonetheless.

Guangzhou's Yin Ji at Far East Square, Singapore

It turns out that the shop next door to Chao Ting is actually a changfen and congee chain from Guangzhou (133 Amoy Street #01-01, 6443-3875). I thus came here for lunch today, starting with that beef changfen above. Unlike what you'd typically get in Hong Kong or Malaysia, this one featured ingredients like egg and green veggies inside. It didn't really make that much difference in the taste, but I still ate it quickly.



I was still hungry though, so I also went for a bowl of porridge, especially since the size was pretty small. The rice grains were nicely pulverized, and the variety of ingredients in there made it easy to eat. But just as with the changfen above, it wasn't anything so unique that I'll be running back for it either. I'd much rather go to Mui Kee instead.

KL's Restoran Super Kitchen Chili Pan Mee in Singapore

This Malaysian chilli pan mee chain from Batu Road in Kuala Lumpur has opened up an outlet at Far East Square (22 China Street #01-01, 6787-7889). Yes, it was good with all of the varied textures in that bowl, not to mention the tub of potent chili flakes on each table. Sure, I'd be happy to come back once in a while, especially since Kin Kin and Face To Face have since left the country.

Trying Out Lixin: The Fishball Folks

The sign for this stall at the basement of 313@Somerset (313 Orchard Road #B1-43) suggests that they've been around since 1968. I've never heard of them before though, and it seems that they've already got several food court stalls across the island, so I'm not sure how I missed them. Anyway, it was a fishball noodle stall with the usual options. Yes, it worked for me, and I liked the noodles and fishballs better than that 85 Redhill chain.

Papa Ayam at 313@Somerset in Singapore

Pak Gembus isn't in Singapore yet, but this local stall in the basement of 313@Somerset serves ayam gepuk too. These guys go up to level 15 normally, but there is a level 27 "WTF" option inclusive of one of those free meal and photo-on-the-wall challenges. We stuck to level 8, and it was just enough to get a mild sweat going without being too distracting.

They also had an option here for sambal matah, which is based on shallots and lemongrass rather than the usual red mixture of chili padi and raw garlic. Fortunately, they offer a "half half" above, giving you a bit of each. I like Pak Gembus better given that the chicken isn't breaded up like it is here. But I'll be happy to eat here again.

Sapporo Nishyama Ramen at Great World City, Singapore

Meidi-Ya finally opened its new outlet at Great World City, and it came with a Dosanko Plaza food court that includes not just BENTOSS, but also a ramen stall called Nishiyama (1 Kim Seng Promenade #B2-120, 6771-1111). To be clear, Nishiyama is actually a noodle supplier (in fact, they supply Miharu, of all places). But somehow at this stall, they decided to branch out and provide everything else in the bowl too.

The good thing was that the food itself wasn't bad (and this is coming from someone that never really liked Sapporo-style ramen). But I waited a whopping 25 minutes for this bowl, and that was midweek after 8 PM with plenty of seating available too. Plus, it wasn't cheap, and the gyoza next door wasn't even made to order either. No, that is not something that I'll go for again.

China's Mazilu Lanzhou Beef Noodle in Singapore

Yay, Mazilu has finally opened at Orchard Gateway (277 Orchard Road #B2-04). The menu is pretty basic: just beef noodles (with one dry option) and a few sides, but you had plenty of noodle widths to choose from. The noodles weren't as chewy as Shejianjian (Tongue Tip), and the broth wasn't as fragrant either. But the beef was a little better, even if not as fatty as Xibu Mahua's. My first choice is still for Shejianjian given their broth, but I'm sure that we'll be here a lot too given its convenient location.

The Alijiang Cane Pepper Chicken from Xibu Mahua

It seems that Xibu Mahua has updated its menu a bit. And that's a good thing, since I wasn't in the mood for an entire bowl of noodles tonight. I just wanted a little snack, and this cold shredded chicken was deceptively spicy and numbing, kinda like the ox tongue noodle at Chuan Hung Noodle. It was very fun to eat, and best of all, buried underneath that little pile of chicken were one or two strips of wide-cut hand-pulled noodles. It was just the smidgen of carbs (and tasty, chewy carbs at that) that I wanted to finish it off. Thumbs up.

Niu Zou La Mian Muslim Food in Singapore

I love that so many beef noodle shops from China have been popping up, particularly Shejianjian (Tongue Tip), Xibu Mahua, and the new one that is opening at Orchard Gateway soon. In the meantime, a beef noodle stall has opened at the open air Food Point kopitiam (325 Ubi Avenue 1, 9396-5426).

He pulls his noodles to order, but doesn't give you types to choose from. Neither the broth nor the chili were as fragrant as Shejianjian (interestingly, he uses the same porcelain bowls as them), and the beef was a bit tough too. At least it was only S$5 (US$3.70). I still ate it all.

Waiting Out Manam Comfort Filipino in the Philippines

For some reason, this local chain is immensely popular. Not only did my local teammates mention that they have the best sisig in town, but also that people usually wait an hour to get in. Indeed, I went to two locations tonight, both of which had huge lines. So I waited it out at a nearby bar and eventually got seated, upon which I ordered their house crispy sisig along with some lumpiang and "university rice." Sure, the sisig was good and crispy as promised, but was nothing that I'd wait an hour in line for.

The lumpiang were interesting in that it was actually lumpiang Bicol Express, to be specific. The lumpiang themselves weren't spicy, but the vinegar on the side was (I'm starting to realize that Bicol Express isn't really a dish but just code for "spicy," right?). But the rice was disappointing: I saw a mention of it on some "best fried rice" list, but it was kinda mushy and didn't have much of a greasy nor smoky flavor. Well, it was all very affordable.