Rendang Jackfruit Arancini from Kucina Kiosko

Cool, Kucina Kiosko is doing a rendang jackfruit version of its arancini for Ramadan. And instead of his usual tomato-based sauce, it's a brown curry-like sauce that was impressively potent, bright, and balanced. I should get this again before the promotion ends next month.

Belimbing in Singapore

This upscale extension of the Coconut Club was excellent (269A Beach Road). Run by a former Naked Finn alumnus, it serves modern interpretations of local food, and everything that we had tonight was delicious due to both the quality of the ingredients as well as the technique. My favorite was a local soon hock fish that was done with wonderfully crispy scales and a cashew nut curry underneath. That's a stuffed savoy cabbage above, in case you're wondering, and their smoked ox tongue was also tender and buttery smooth. Big thumbs up to this place; along with the Naked Finn, it has to be one of the more unique places in town that embraces local products and flavor profiles, all while executing with finesse. And yes, the service is good too.

Zok Noodle House from Malaysia

This chain from Malaysia has been down here for a few years, but their marketing copy never sold me with their pitch about being authentically Malaysian while also serving the "authentic cuisine" of Hong Kong and Macau. Anyway, they obviously serve Cantonese food, and they offered a 10% discount today, so I went straight for their signature wonton min, as I just happened to watch a video on bamboo noodles the other day.

Despite the placement of the noodles alongside the wontons in that gigantic bowl, it wasn't too bad. Those gigantic wontons included a generous pair of shrimp that were plump, firm, and savory, while the noodles were firm with just a mild alkaline taste in it. The broth was savory, and it came out pretty quickly too. I might actually go back for this, especially since Mak's Noodle isn't down here anymore.

SIDES by Sidemen in Singapore

This Nashville hot chicken chain from the UK is run by a group of YouTubers whose content isn't focused on food, yet it commanded some pretty long lines when it first opened in Singapore. They have a few outlets now, so I had a chance to try it today when one of them had plenty of seating available.

What surprised me was that the chicken wings were not coated in a sauce, but with a dry rub powder surrounding a crispy Shake 'N Bake-like layer. My "hot" level 3 of 4 was fine in terms of heat, but it was also sweet and MSG-ish, not unlike what you'd get in a bag of ultra-processed chips.

Still, the pickle slices were nice, and the chicken was piping hot and moist inside. In that sense, I kinda liked it better than the other chains, and I wouldn't mind trying their burger if I somehow ended up here again. But that sweet MSG powder would also keep me from being a regular.

IM JAI's Tom Kha Pla Lunch Set

That might not seem like much on the surface. In fact, this was one of the last things on the lunch menu at IM JAI by Pun Im that I've tried, as it just didn't look very interesting on the menu. But I really liked the thoughtful little touches employed. In particular, they didn't leave any of those inedible fragments of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves that usually pervade tom kha pla, leaving only easy-to-eat ingredients in a delicate yet punchy broth. They complemented it with a salty fish sauce and chili dip as well as a gritty and fun chili paste rice. This may in fact now be one of the first things on the lunch menu that I'll order again.

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 was 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 looked discouraging 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 separately had a wild bamboo herb salad that was served warm and was deliciously refreshing with a sprinkle of 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 the deal only includes meat selections. 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 on top of that, so it wasn't quite as affordable as it sounded. 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 instant noodles and a cold bamboo shoot appetizer plus some coriander for garnish. It was nice that the broth didn't have to be a full-sized pot at least; one could just order 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 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 serving 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 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.