Macau's Tai Lei Loi Kei in Singapore

I tried one of these Macanese pork chop buns way back in 2008, but it wasn't from this shop, which has apparently gotten even more famous after Bourdain went there. They've opened up a couple of outlets in Singapore now, including this one at Vivocity (1 HarbourFront Walk #B2-26A).

The pork was tender and the bread was surprisingly easy to eat. But it also left me with the same impression that I had last time: it was undressed and thus a bit dry. Sure, there was a bit of natural fat in the pork, but not enough. I'm surprised that there wasn't at least some butter or mayo in there to help things along.

As such, this isn't something I'll be likely to get cravings for. The Portuguese egg tart, however, was better with its buttery crust and caramelized top, even if still not as sinful as I remember Lord Stow's or Margaret's being.

Ah Hoe Mee Pok in Clementi, Singapore

This bak chor mee shop in Clementi has been getting a lot of attention lately, mainly because it's run by a Japanese family (710 Clementi West Street 2, 8742-1341). As such, it influences the food, as seen in that miso version above featuring deliciously fatty cuts of Japanese chashu. It's too bad then that the miso pushed it a bit to the sweet side, even if it also gave it more depth.

They offered local versions too, which included some crackling and meatballs with just the right touch of stank in them, kinda like Tai Hwa's. Thankfully, they didn't put any of that lame lettuce garnish in there, and pork liver is not included by default either. But it was missing the critical ingredient of black Chinese vinegar.

And without that vinegar, it just didn't do it for me. It ultimately tasted too soft and even watered down, and I'm not going to make an effort to come back as a result. But if I'm in the neighborhood again, I'd be very curious to give their Japanese bowls another shot, perhaps getting the soup version of the big chashu bowl next time.

Legendary Hong Kong at Jurong Point 2's "Mongkok"

I must've been living under a rock for the past two years, as we only discovered this faux "Mongkok" floor at Jurong Point 2 today. Yep, it's made to look like the streets of Kowloon, although there didn't really seem to be that many stores that suggested that they were from Hong Kong. The only exception was the restaurant in the center: Legendary Hong Kong (63 Jurong West Central 3 #03-80, 6794-1335).



If anything, it was decorated exactly like a shop in Hong Kong would be, with its metal chairs, hard booths, self-ordering menu sheets, and glass-covered tables. They also had little tubs of that critical Cantonese chili seed oil that I always look for when I get beef chow fun. The food fortunately stood up to the test too, with a nice smoky aroma coming from that plate above. It was a bit too heavy on the soy sauce and I wish that the noodles were thicker, but it was still better than anywhere around here.



Yes, this place is worth coming back to again, if anything just to explore the rest of that super long menu. And it was only on my way out that I noticed that they import ducks from Ireland, a la the Bayswater duck place Four Seasons, not to mention the recent knockoffs London Fat Duck and (that nasty) Royal London Duck. I think I know what I'm going to get next time I'm out here.

Piao Ji Fish Porridge at Amoy Street Food Centre

There are two fish noodle soup stalls on the second floor of Amoy Street Food Centre that always have huge lines. I knew that I'd been to at least one them, Han Kee, many years ago, but I wasn't sure about the other. So I decided to give Piao Ji a try today (7 Maxwell Road #02-100), especially since I got here at a relatively early 11 AM, hoping that the lines wouldn't be too long yet.

Except that there was a line, and it turned out to be a whopping 30 minute wait. Still, I can see why people are willing to wait: the pomfret version is amazingly fresh, firm, and delicate, if expensive at S$12 (US$8.60) for the smallest bowl. There are couple other nice things too, including bits of crackling in there, as well as that sour Teochew ginger and chili sauce mixture.

But the broth was a bore, unlike my favorite stall Hock Heng at Zion Road. Ultimately, it wasn't worth the 30 minute wait, even if the fish really was of very high quality. Come to think of it, there have to be other fish soup stalls around here using pomfret, aren't there?

Saigon Alley at Novena Terrace, Singapore

I saw these guys on UberEATS a while back but had no idea who they were. Then I started reading a bit more about them online and got interested. Fortunately, I was in the neighborhood tonight, so I came by to give it a try (273 Thomson Road #01-06, 6256-0261).

It was a heck of a lot better than I thought it would be. The bánh mì in particular had a delightfully crisp and airy bread and was loaded with lots of yummy pâté. I could almost say that it was better than my favorite Bami Express, but it was a tad heavy on the meat and lacked those awesome local Vietnamese freshly sliced chilies.

Still, the kitchen here is pretty good. The gỏi cuốn were tightly wrapped and fresh, and the phở was nowhere as bland as some of these online reviews suggested, particularly since I liked the noodles. Either way, it's great that they are on UberEATS. Now I can just have a quick bánh mì delivered when needed.

Shirayaki Unagi from Teppei's Man Man

I came back to Man Man today to give the shirayaki a try. It sounded interesting since it was an un-sauced version, seasoned only with salt. And I loved it! Sure, the sauce-based version is good on its own right, but I prefer this one, especially since the taste of the fat was much more pronounced this way. It's just too bad that the wait was so darned long today though.

Royal London Duck in Singapore

If I understood it correctly, these guys split off from the London Fat Duck people on Scotts Road, which of course in turn was a bit of a knockoff of the Baywater duck place, Four Seasons. And this Royal London Duck place has already propagated into multiple outlets across the island now.

Either way, this was a letdown, primarily because there was little or no fat in the cuts of duck above. The char siew was a bit on the tough side too. Now, I never tried the other menu items like the noodles nor the black pepper sauce buns, but I don't think I'll be coming back.

Dungeness Crab Louie Salad from Yankee Pier at SFO

Even though I grew up in the Bay Area, I never knew that Crab Louie was actually from San Francisco until I saw an episode of Andrew Zimmern the other day. So I guess that stuck in my head, and I thus decided to get dinner at Yankee Pier while I was transiting here at SFO.

The picture might be a bit deceptive, but there is a huge chunk of sweet tender Dungeness crab meat there. It was a bit weird that they didn't cut the leaves into smaller pieces, and they also tucked the Thousand Island dressing underneath it all. But of course I still ate this thing, together with their surprisingly thin clam chowder.

Salt & Time in Austin, Texas

I can't remember how I found out about this place, but it was cool (1912 East 7th Street, 512-524-1383). It's actually a butcher shop that has a restaurant built into the side. I grabbed this salumi board along with a bowl of menudo, and they were both delicious. They weren't afraid of using a lot of spices and fat.

Angry Eggroll in Austin, Texas

After a number of drinks tonight, I needed food. I thus stumbled around for a while before coming across this cluster of food trucks, most of which were closed at such a late hour. But this guy was open (650 Red River Street). And the thin flaky greasy skin of an egg roll sounded like just what the doctor ordered, assuming that it was something like King Eggroll. I thus ordered one of each of the two items on his menu, one featuring pork and one vegetarian.

Only after I ordered did I realize that these were US$7 each. What the f*ck kind of eggroll costs $7? (cue: John Travolta ordering a milkshake in Pulp Fiction) It was only after he finished frying them did I realize why they were so expensive. These weren't egg rolls. These huge things were like chimichangas! And no, the crudely cut vegetables inside weren't anything to be desired; it reminded me of Panda Express.

Still, I have to admit that I still ate both of these things pretty quickly, despite the fact that the accompanying sauce was rather sweet. I guess some kind of a salty greasy fried thing would still be welcome after a number of drinks. So what was the best thing that I liked about this place? (aside from the fact that he was pretty nice) It was the fact that he gave a mini York Peppermint Patty with each "egg roll."

Emmer & Rye in Austin, Texas

It's places like this that just make me happy (51 Rainey Street #110, 512-366-5530). What's not to like about small plates and fresh ingredients, craft beer and cocktails, plus friendly and easy going service? We told them to just feed us, and there wasn't a single dish to disagree with, including not just the tartare above, but the fresh cheese, pa amb tomàquet, short rib carnitas, or cacio e pepe. My favorite of the bunch was a crispy Carolina rice salad topped with lots of fresh basil (I loooooove basil!). Yes, I liked this place better than Parkside, Barley Swine, and Searsucker, and would be delighted to come back here again.

Banger's Sausage House & Beer Garden in Austin, Texas

Of all of the times I've been to Austin, I never even knew that Rainey Street existed. But there are tons of nice restaurants there, including this one offering 30 homemade sausages and over 100 craft beers on tap (79 Rainey Street, 512-386-1656). Yes, I liked it. That andouille sausage above was delightfully spicy (the menu said something about ghost pepper being involved), and it all got washed down by a couple of really nice beers. Thumbs up!

Trying Out Some Round Rock Donuts

No, I didn't eat that big donut in front, but I liked these so much that I *did* go back for a second donut after having inhaled the first one. It was awesome with just the right amount of grease and frosting without being too dense. I think I liked it even more than Krispy Kreme. Anyway, this was just something that the hotel caterers laid out as a snack this morning.

Ordering Chilaquiles from Room Service in Texas

I hate room service. But I looooove chilaquiles. And being pressed for time before meetings start this morning, I went ahead and ordered this after seeing it on the room service menu. Yes, it did the job with its spicy and sour salsa not to mention a touch a pulled pork that they hid underneath that egg. OK, off to meetings!

Stopping by Austin's Turf 'N Surf Po Boy

I still needed just a bit more food tonight, so I checked Google Maps to see what was still open and this shop came up (407 Lavaca Street, 512-276-2763). The chalkboard said that they had fresh cod, so I got some tacos, in which they put some very generously large pieces of fish. There wasn't any spicy salsa nearby to give it the kick that it really needed, but it was still fresh with lots of cole slaw too. It was only when I looked it up just now that I realized that I'd been to their food truck a number of years ago.

Hut's Hamburgers in Austin, Texas

On one of my first trips to Austin many years ago, I noticed this place in passing (807 West 6th Street, 512-472-0693). Tonight, I finally had a chance to give it a try, getting that burger above, which featured local Texan longhorn grass-fed beef along with some huge black pepper onion rings. Sure, I liked it, especially when tasting the patty on its own.

It's just too bad then that nearly every burger on the menu was loaded with so many condiments that I can't imagine how one would taste the beef. I got the most minimalist one, which was just pickles and onions, and even then the pickles totally dominated the taste. Next time I should try to get a double patty and see if they can limit it to just onions and mayo.

The Tonkotsu Shio Ramen from Machida Shoten

Here was the shio version of Machida Shoten's tonkotsu ramen. Yes, I liked it better than the shoyu version, especially with the cube of butter in there. Interestingly, it still needed a dash of black pepper and sesame for it to really take off (despite what the seaweed and garlic oil already did for the bowl), but I gobbled it up quickly either way. It came out of the kitchen pretty quickly too.

Guangdong Seafood Cuisine by God of Chef

I'm not making it up; that is literally what's stated on this stall's signboard (2 Jalan Bukit Merah next to ABC Brickworks). Sadly, the white bee hoon was very boring, being nothing like the ones from the kelong near Ubin nor the one up at Punggol Settlement. Ming Guan at Old Airport Road Food Centre was better than this too. He was a really nice guy though. And fortunately, the kang kong behind it was very good, having exactly the right amount of stank in it to make it delicious. Indeed, I had to add some of the juice from that to make the bee hoon better.

Trying Out Some Eel Liver at Teppei's Man Man

Yesterday at Man Man's grand opening, I overheard one table getting a bowl that featured liver. Really, liver? Like, unagi liver? Cool, I don't think I've ever really tried that before. I thus came here today to give their kimodon a try.

To my surprise, the texture was kinda crunchy, and yet also kinda creamy. The taste wasn't anywhere as pronounced as a land-dwelling creature's liver, and instead tasted more like a mildly rich fish liver (which, does make sense after all). Yeah, I liked it.

Teppei's Man Man Unagi Restaurant in Singapore

So Teppei formally opened his new unagi shop today (1 Keong Saik Road #01-01, 6222-0678). And I was impressed. Why? The ingredients. Not only was the unagi fresh (four tanks of live eels greet you right at the main entrance), but most importantly, it was only very lightly sauced. Plus, the hitsumabushi even came with fresh wasabi root and a grater.

My faith in Teppei has been restored. I nearly gave up after seeing how that overseasoned and tough bara chirashi propagated across the island, but this place reminded me that he can still focus on keeping it simple and with care. I'll happily come back here any day, although somehow I suspect that the crowds are going to work against me on this one.

Saigon Jalan on Whampoa Drive, Singapore

This little hawker stall was surprisingly good (86 Whampoa Drive #01-919, 9239-8287). Her gỏi cuốn were tightly wrapped on the spot with lots of fresh green herbs, while the phở was filled with some surprisingly tender and fatty cuts of beef, beating any kind of lame wagyu phở any day of the week. Now, the broth and noodles weren't the best that I've had, but in the end it didn't matter given how tender everything was. I'll happily come back.

Kin Cow Thai Beef Noodles at Chinatown Point, Singapore

I finally made it over to Kin Cow (133 New Bridge Road #02-34, 6435-5013), an offshoot of a beef noodle chain from Thailand where it runs under a different name. Yeah, I liked it. The broth had depth and was slightly peppery, even if also seemingly spiked with MSG. It thus reminded me more of boat noodles than Thaksin Beef Noodle. I'll be happy to eat here again, perhaps opting for the pricier ribeye in a dry version instead.

Tokyo Yakiniku Heijoen at Japan Food Town, Singapore

The last remaining vendor at Japan food town has finally opened. The problem though, is that their dinner prices are very high: triple-digit figures that I can't afford. So I fell back on one of my old tricks, which is try to come at lunch time. I went for cheapest thing on the menu, the simply named "Yakiniku Lunch Set" above for a mere S$17.90 (US$13).

Of course at that kind of a price, you really don't get too much meat, as you can see in that photo above. But that didn't matter, as it was still delicious, especially with all that fat into weaved into it. The tare sauce was a bit on the sweet side, but in a good way since it really complemented the fat. Yes, I was extremely happy with this, and I'll easily come back here again.

So what is my final verdict after having tried every shop at Japan Food Town now? This is the best Japanese food enclave in Singapore given the quality of ingredients used at nearly every shop here. I won't go back to the sushi and tendon shops, but I'll happily eat at any of the other ones.

Another Taste of Denmark's Steff Houlberg at Incheon Airport

Is it a bit weird that I got excited about going to Incheon Airport in Korea just so that I could eat at a Danish hot dog place? And then I end up ordering a "French" (??) bulgogi hot dog with a side of Korean churros! Well, I just wanted to try one of their other flavors this time.

Unfortunately, it was nasty. There wasn't bulgogi on top; I think it was just a sweet sauce. And this thing was strangely filled with lettuce! To make matters worse, the churros were spongy. Next time I should pay attention to the list of specials, as they had a spicy dog that looked a lot more interesting.

Bob's Kitchen Premium Lunch Cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Bob's Kitchen doesn't exactly sound like a Korean place. However, our local team wanted to get some "cheapie cheapie" lunch today at this cramped basement place (I can't read the address but the phone number is 02-5642-999) charging about 7,000 KRW (US$6.25) per person. It was a buffet with a number of troughs laid out; I stuck to largely banchan given that buffets aren't exactly my thing.

But one item that got me excited was the so-called "self corner" (that's what it said on the sign) where you could fry your own eggs and/or make your own kimchijeon by scooping the batter out of the bowl and ladling it into the pan. I made mine too thick and also messed up the flipping process, but it was still pretty fun. I might even want to try to make the stuff at home one day.

An Outlet of Nongol House in Seoul, Korea

I didn't even realize that this was a huge chain until I looked it up just now. I just randomly walked into this place because I wasn't in the mood to hunt around for something more interesting. It looked like just some old school barbecue place. And yes, that's pretty much what it was, although the cuts of meat that I got were pretty tough. Fortunately it still went down pretty easily with everything else on the table. It actually kinda reminded me of Boston steak tips.

Naju Gomtang House in Seoul, Korea

After my local teammates heard about how much I love gomtang, they figured what better choice for lunch than to stop by a nearby outlet of Naju, a large chain specializing in it.

It wasn't as good as Hadongkwan though, particularly in that the broth just didn't have the same depth. There was no giant bowl of leeks on the table for you to garnish it with, and interestingly, there were glass noodles and some Chinese herbs inside (and you had to add your own rice).

Well, the one thing that I like better about this place is that they serve it in clay pots, thus keeping it warmer than those metal bowls at Hadongkwan, where the broth cools too quickly. But I'd still much rather go to Hadongkwan.

Yetgoltosung in Seocho-gu, Seoul

Given all of the beef, pork, and seafood that one usually gets with Korean food, I'd never thought that duck was featured very much. And yet at this very cool outdoor place (+82 2-578-0808, just across the street from Cheong-Gyesan Jang in Sujeong-gu) that's precisely what they served.

To be sure, the duck actually gets roasted twice. First it's on a rotisserie before being sliced, and then after that you grill it tableside. Naturally, the best parts were the cuts with lots of juicy tasty skin and fat. The meat itself could get a little dry, but a dunk in the dark spicy sauce and maybe a wrap in some pickled radish helped that.

Perhaps more interesting is some kind of beef blood cake soup that they had here. Contrary to how it sounded, it hardly tasted like blood, but instead had a very impressively deep-tasting broth that made the greens inside the bowl taste wonderful. Thumbs up. Hopefully next time we can try the eel place across the street.

My First Hanjeongsik in Korea

When we arrived at our lunch venue today (I can't read Korean but Google Translate tells me that it's Gyeong-Wongung in Hwaseong, +82 31-267-0996), there was a big sign that said that it served Korean barbecue. But upon sitting down, I realized that it was only served for dinner. At lunch time, these guys are known instead for hanjeongsik, or a traditional Korean set of random dishes.

And it was a huge spread at only KRW 15,000 (US$13.50), so much that frankly it's a shame to think of all of the leftover food that we wasted. The scary thing is that one could've asked for free refills of most of the stuff too. Well, it all tasted fine, and was certainly much nicer than being served cafeteria-style. But I won't get cravings for this.

"Ultimate Beef Soup" from Hadongkwan in Seoul, Korea

This is actually my second meal here today. During lunch, I got the same bowl that I got last time, which was just the basic KRW 13,000 (US$11.70) bowl. But I was told that there were several more expensive grades available, like the "special," "special plus," and "ultimate" bowl, topping out at KRW 25,000 (US$22.50). With the extra money came different cuts of meat. It really is kinda like a Korean version of phở.

Anyway, I needed dinner after work tonight, and this place happened to be right there. So I figured what better time than now to try that ultimate bowl above. Now, that black stuff in the photo above might look rather off-putting, and to be honest the smell coming from it wasn't super appealing either. But it was delicious. I think it was some kind of stomach lining or something, and it was tender without any stank. It was particularly good with just a bit of salt and pepper.

I love this place! The food is delicious and it comes out of the kitchen in literally less than 60 seconds, and one could top up a mere KRW 1,000 (US$0.90) for another bowl of rice with free soup. BTW, I was told that the main difference between this gomtang and related bowls like seolleongtang is that the latter is brewed with bones but this is pure meat. And in the 1960's, soup was a cost-effective way of allowing more people to taste beef, even if they couldn't afford it. This shop only opens at 9:30 AM though, so there goes my breakfast idea.

Blue Label Burgers by Luke's in Singapore

I'm not sure why, but Luke's offers its Blue Label Burger for only S$20 (US$15) on UberEATS, compared to S$32 (US$23) at the restaurant. And that S$20 price even includes a side of that peanuty kale salad.

More importantly, this thing was delicious. I liked how the cheese and sauce was crusted onto the bun, and was accompanied by some lovely fresh garnish. I easily wolfed this thing down in about five minutes.

To be sure, I wish the pickle wasn't sweet. The meat was also a bit overdone and overpowered by everything else. That doesn't matter though. I'm still ordering this again. It was cheap, fast, and good.