Menya Kokoro's Yuzu Pork Hiyashi in Tanjong Pagar

I'm a fan of the mazesoba at Menya Kokoro. But the reason why I like it is the exact same reason why I haven't gone back: green onions. Yep, it tastes delicious, but no one wants to be near me within a twenty foot radius afterwards.

So I was delighted to find that their new 100AM outlet (100 Tras Street #02-10, 6443-1727) has a few new menu items like this yuzu hiyashi, which wasn't garnished with chopped green onions like the mazesoba. The noodles were impressively firm, and the taste was balanced nicely.

There was one problem though: it turned out that there were still green onions in there, but they were julienned rather than chopped. They weren't as potent, but it was still obvious that I had eaten onions for lunch (yes, I know that I can remove them, but then it just doesn't taste as good!). So no, I am not going back.

Izakaya Niningashi in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

The Himonoya and Shindo folks have opened a new izakaya in Tanjong Pagar (2 Craig Road, 6970-0224). And like its two brethren, they take a lot of pride in carrying himono dried fish from a brand called Bansuke. Keep in mind that it's not completely dry like a jerky; it's the outside that's dry, and the flesh inside is still rather tender.

But it's really the outside that makes it so delightful, as all of the savory flavor is concentrated there, together with some crunchy bones and an occasional bit of tasty fat in my akauo above. Now, it takes a bit of effort to navigate it with a pair of chopsticks (not all of the bones are edible after all). But I was delighted with this and will be happy to come back.

Scotts Hwa Heng Beef Noodles at ION Orchard Food Opera

Most of the stalls at the ION Orchard food court were closing by the time I arrived tonight. But I really, really wanted some thin soup, and these local beef noodle guys were still open. It's a good thing too, since this was delicious. Not only did the broth hit the spot with its celery leaves and white pepper, but also the meatballs went well with the sour and stanky sauce, while the rice noodles were surprisingly chewy. I wasn't planning to finish the entire bowl (I was only after the soup after all), but I ended up liking it so much that I cleared the whole thing.

The Hongliuzhi Chuanr from Xibu Mahua, Singapore

The other day, I noticed that Xibu Mahua actually has *two* chuanr options: the normal one, and an upgraded one where the meat is skewered onto some kind of tree branches. I was naturally curious about the latter, so today I came over to try it out.

Presumably the skewers were supposed to impart some kind special aroma, but I couldn't taste anything. Maybe the quality of lamb was an upgrade too, but I found it rather dry. I'm really not sure why one would pay a whopping S$6 (US$4.40) per skewer.

My First Chapli Kebab from Bismillah Biryani

Actually, it's possible that I've had a taste of a chapli kebab before, but I just don't remember it by name. Well, Bismillah offered it in both lamb and chicken form, so I grabbed one of the latter today to go with my biryani. Despite its hamburger patty-like look, it was more textured with all of its spices. Yes, it was a tad dry, but was still tender and tasty enough to inhale quickly.

In terms of biryani though, I forgot that one should not order the vegetable version here. In comparison to the chicken one that I had yesterday, the veggie one was lacking at least a third of the flavor, presumably due to the absence of the carcass. Actually, the chicken itself was pretty dry too, so if I order the chicken briyani again, then I'll just eat the yummy rice and discard the bird.

First Class Taste Salt Baked Kampong Chicken

Do you remember that place Chakey's with their delicious salt baked chicken? It turns out that they shut down about a year or two ago. Fortunately, there is another shop that makes salt baked chicken called First Class Taste, and they were selling them at a small food expo today. We picked up one to eat for dinner tonight.

It might look a bit off-putting in the photo, but I was happy with it. This kampong chicken was rather small, and the white meat was a bit tough, but there was still some tasty fat in there. It was pleasantly salty; I don't remember Chakey's being this salty, although it's been so long that I could be wrong.

It was also laced with traditional Chinese herbs (ginseng, I think). Normally I'd shy away from that, but this was delicate, and the taste has grown on me too. I happily consumed it down to the bone, and even mopped up the juice with some carbs afterwards.

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.

Epilogue: oh, I guess I have tried them before.

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 Nishiyama 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.