I Tried Three Hawker Stalls in Bedok This Afternoon

I somehow ended up in Bedok this afternoon; that hawker centre at the bus interchange is huge! Maybe two or three of the stalls there caught my eye, one of which was this Michelin-listed Teochew mutton soup stall called New World Mutton Soup (208 New Upper Changi Road #01-23). The soup had a bit of a saccharine taste to it, but not necessarily in a bad way, as there were lots of flavors swirling around in there, including some refreshing julienned ginger. The broth wasn't too gamey, and the various cuts of meat were tender too.



I then realized that I was just a few bus stops away from Fengshan Market, so I headed down that way to finally try Xing Ji Rou Cou Mian (85 Bedok North Street 4 #01-07). It was much more delicate than I was expecting (in a good way), especially that broth, which didn't have anywhere near the amount of garlic as that one at Lucky Plaza. The minced meat was impressively fluffy, and the noodles and meatballs were tasty too. Plus, it was only S$3 (US$2.20), which was quite a steal.



And that's when I realized that right next door to them was a rival selling the same thing. Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee (85 Bedok North Street 4 #01-08) has a dry version available as well, but I went for the soup one just to make it a proper head-to-head comparison. The broth here was slightly more garlicky, but still not as much as the one at Lucky Plaza. The meatballs here were grittier though, while the crackling was crispier. Still, it was close enough to the other bowl that I hardly would've detected a difference had I not been paying attention.

Reiwa Soba on Kelantan Road in Singapore

This is actually my third time here (28 Kelantan Road #01-121). But they were closed the first time and sold out the second time, so at least I finally got to eat the food today. And that's after waiting 40 minutes despite getting here at their opening hour.

What's the big deal? It used to be a Thai stall at a random open air coffeeshop until a Japanese couple decided to partner up to make soba on-site along with a spicy tsuyu to go with it. There were also daily options for a local dip like bak kut teh or Thai green curry.

Yes, it was good enough to finish, but I won't wait that long for it again. The tsuyu wasn't as punchy as I had expected, and the mango salad didn't stand out either. The best thing was the fresh soba itself, but I'd only get it again if I didn't have to wait.

Podi & Poriyal in Little India, Singapore

This place was impressively good (486 Serangoon Road, 9711-2400). It’s a South Indian vegetarian restaurant, but upscale and hip enough to do craft cocktails at a brick-lined bar in the back featuring spice-infused booze. And the food is done on small plates with some notable twists.

Take, for instance, those miniature idli above, which were coated in a rich ghee and podi featuring excitingly crunchy bits of lentil. They also had some hole-less vadai whose texture was fun thanks to not just a crispy exterior but also chopped spinach inside. I had a couple of other items, including their uttapam and dosai, both of which went down the hatch easily with their range of aromatic chutneys.

This place wasn't cheap after a number of their cocktails though. But you get engaging service and a fun atmosphere, which means that I'm happy to come back, especially since their menu changes on a daily basis too.

Syohachi Wagyu Hamburg at One Raffles Place, Singapore

A cheap A5 wagyu place from Hong Kong has been getting some attention lately, and I finally made my way there today (1 Raffles Place #01-01, 6223-0775). It's been getting so much hype that it was a bit of a buzzkill to see what finally came out: a sad-looking patty sitting by itself in a gigantic box. That salad and rice didn't look very encouraging either.

Fortunately, the beef was nice and fatty, and they grilled the outside to a slight crisp, which kept it fun. The cheese and beef toastie sandwiches were better than I thought they would be too. Next time I'll just order multiple a la carte items rather than messing with the sets.

Awadh Royal Indian Dining & Lounge (In Person This Time)

I ordered delivery from Awadh during the circuit breaker period, but only today did I make it to its Centrepoint restaurant in person. And it was noticeably better. It wasn't just the briyani above with those crispy bits on top, but the kebabs too, particularly the murgh pasanda, whose smoky yet tender chicken was coated in a deliciously rich, savory, and velvety sauce that you just wanted to mop up afterwards. We ordered seconds of those because they were that good. I was extremely happy with this meal.

Cô Chung Authentic Taste of Vietnam at Plaza Singapura

GrabFood has delivered to us from these guys before, but this is my first time sitting down at the restaurant itself, and it's very quaint (68 Orchard Road #B2-20, 8876-8137). The menu was impressively extensive too, including those bánh bèo above, and fortunately they were assembled for me this time! I don't think I'll bother with their bún chả again (not as smoky nor moist as I would've hoped), but the good thing was that there was lots of other stuff on the menu that I want to try, like a thick seafood soup, lime milk, and egg coffee. And they seem to have their own pâté, which makes me curious about their bánh mì too.

China's Qin Ji Rougamo is in SIngapore

Presumably this place has nothing to do with the similarly named Xun Qin Ji in Tiong Bahru. But it does seem to be a chain from China, with one outlet at Alexandra Retail Centre (460 Alexandra Road #01-33, 6970-9597) and another one opening at One Raffles Place soon.

As the name suggests, the specialize in roujiamo. And what surprised me was how light and flaky the bread was, making it much better than the usual dense stuff. But what I didn't like was the filling, which came in a brown gravy. Sure, that kept it moist, but it almost seemed more like an Australian pie than roujiamo, which I would rather have spiked with lots of red chili oil instead. Nonetheless, the crispy bread kept it fun enough to ingest quickly.

And yes, I got a bowl of liangpi to go with it. They included some crunchy soybeans in there for some added texture, and it was rather garlic-heavy too. I'd be interested in coming back to try their other soups and roujiamo fillings.

Chicken Wings from Stall 30 at Newton Food Centre

I'm not even sure if this stall has a proper name, as the signboard just lists out what they sell: "BBQ Chicken Wings - Satay - Otah." But I got them just as a point of comparison with my usual R&B Express on the other side. These definitely couldn't compare to R&B (not tasty and roasted enough, basically), but I still ate it all as a post-drinking snack. I wonder how this compares to those TKR guys just two stalls down.`

Bean Curd Tarts from L.E Cafe Confectionery & Pastry, Singapore

Here's something that you probably don't see very often: bean curd tarts. Yep, basically they are like egg tarts from Hong Kong, but instead of egg inside, it's douhua tofu. It doesn't sound very appetizing, and if you don't like the taste of soybeans, then this won't appeal to you. But I like tofu, and the buttery crust on these things motivated me to reach for seconds and even one more after that. This was from an old school shop called L.E. Cafe (31 Mackenzie Road #01-01, 6337-2417).

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall from Ah Er Soup in Singapore

This probably requires a bit of explaining. First off, the name of this soup is a direct translation of fo tiao qiang, as the meat-based soup was supposed to be delicious enough to pull vegetarian monks from their temples to eat.

What made it tasty was the ingredients, including chicken, fish maw, shiitake mushrooms, scallops, ham, abalone, and bamboo shoots. This one didn't feature shark's fin like it's traditionally supposed to, but it was affordable, savory, and healthy.

This was from a Bib Gourmand chain of Cantonese soup stalls called Ah Er. Or at least, one of their franchised outlets held the designation briefly one year. Apparently each outlet handles their soups a bit differently, and this wasn't the one that Michelin blessed. But I liked it.

HK's Hoover Egg Tarts via Joy Luck Teahouse in Singapore

So somebody has opened up kiosks in Singapore that serve snacks from three big brands in Hong Kong. One of these brands was Tak King Fishball Company, serving curry fishballs that I didn't bother with. Another brand was Kam Kee, featuring milk tea and bolo pineapple buns, both of which were pretty good, but were not my main interest.

I was focused on the egg tarts from Hoover Cake Shop, which is allegedly a favorite of Chow Yun-Fat's. They featured two different kinds of crusts: the ones in front were a shortbread cookie-like version, while the ones in back were a flaky pastry shell. I thought I would like the latter better, but it was the former that was much more exciting. Yet it still wasn't as good as Tai Cheong.

Thai Gold Food at Sunshine Plaza in Singapore

Somehow I never knew this, but there are a bunch of Thai restaurants along the street level at Sunshine Plaza. We picked one the one that looked the oldest in the hopes that it was the most authentic (91 Bencoolen Street #01-14, 6883-1575). Too bad that the food wasn't very edgy though. Sure, it was edible enough that we cleared it all, but the som tam and tom yum weren't spicy, while that goong ob woon sen wasn't nice and greasy like the Boat Quay dude's place. But at least the prawns were fresh and the food came out at blazingly fast speed.

Quán Ăn Vặt Vietnamese Street Food on Bugis Street

This was a Vietnamese stall that I randomly came across while walking through the Bugis Street shopping area (3 New Bugis Street). None of it was anything to go nuts over; the bread above had gone soft, while the gỏi cuốn weren't very tightly wrapped. But I liked the pepper sitting in the former and the mix of stuff in the dipping sauce that came with the latter. Plus, it was cheap.

UNO Beef House in Toa Payoh, Singapore

This is one of those old school (presumably Hainanese?) Western food stalls that serves steak on those black cow-shaped hot plates (51 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh #01-60). The meat was tender and I ate it all, but I don't really have much desire to come back here either, mainly because the black pepper sauce was a bit sweet. I'd rather go to Mariner's Corner instead.

Prawn Noodle Bar on Duxton Hill in Singapore

Putting high-end hawker fare together with cocktails in a shophouse seems to be a new thing, eh? There's a bar called Revamp on Tanjong Pagar Road serving noodles from China Whampoa Home Made Noodles, and now there is this simply-named Prawn Noodle Bar not far from it (9 Duxton Hill, 8028-0802).

It's not cheap. That bowl above was S$21 (US$15), which got you some upscale ingredients, including some fatty and tender chashu as well as some big prawns with firm tail meat (and they even thoughtfully shelled the tail section for you!). The headfat wasn't anything exciting though, and the noodles were rather sweet. At least the broth was nice and savory.

Yes, I ate it all, but if I'm going to pay these kinds of prices again (the bill really racked up if you ordered more things like ngoh hiang and a cocktail), then I'd rather go to the Naked Finn. Or more likely, I'll just go to a hawker center and drink up at home. This was just too expensive for me.

The Xiaochao Niurou from The Xiang Pavilion

I'm not sure when this happened, but the Guo Se Tian Xiang at 100 AM has renamed itself as The Xiang Pavilion. Anyway, it's still the same Hunan menu, and I was curious about their xiaochao. It was pretty good, with a notable taste of cumin as well as some pickled veggies. It made for easy rice shoveling along with some wok-fried cabbage.

Yangmeitang Hepo Traditional Hakka Lui Cha

That probably doesn't look very appealing in the photo above, but that was one of the best renditions of lei cha fan that I've had. They didn't hold back on the flavors, especially with that velvety rich broth and extra pieces of yong tau foo. And that's all with the added bonus of being very healthy.

This stall was in Toa Payoh (127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh #02-39), and it turns out that this is actually a small chain from Boon Lay that I only now realize that I'd eaten at before. I'm not quite sure how it stands up to SunnyChoice (I'll need to go back there to do a proper shootout), but I was very happy with this.

The Pork Bento from Grammi Wholesome Italian

I've been ordering more of these bento boxes from Grammi. The braised ibérico pork collar was on the dry side but still delicious, especially with those awesome fresh peas. The beef cheek stew with porcini mushrooms was even better, especially given how tender and moist the meat was.

The Beef and Mutton Satay from R&B Express

Here are the beef and mutton sticks from R&B Express. both of which were a bit tough and dry. I still gobbled it up quickly (the taste of the lamb was surprisingly muted), but I'm definitely sticking to the chicken and pork next time.

Ayam Balado from Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang

Here's the ayam balado at Taliwang, which I ordered because it was the spiciest item on the menu. To my surprise, it wasn't as spicy nor as sweet as I had imagined it to be, making it kinda pleasant to eat. I'm still hoping that I'll find something on their menu that is even less sweet, but they said that that would be the cabe ijo, which was still a bit sweet to me. Or maybe I should just ask for the sambal on the side next time (what does the sambal kecap taste like?), especially since I like how the chicken skin is grilled here.

China's Siye Niula ("Top 4 Noodle Master") Has Opened in Singapore

I've been waiting nearly a year for this chain from China to open. See, they've had signage up at 100 AM since November. I figured that they'd open a few months later, but then the pandemic hit, after which there was naturally no activity going on inside at all. I just as much figured that they gave up and withdrew altogether. But then last month there were signs of life again, and just yesterday they finally opened their doors. Yay! They're on the grounds of the former Sushi Burrito (100 Tras Street #01-06, 6970-7096).

It was pretty much what one would expect of a Lanzhou beef noodle shop: a wide selection of hand-pulled noodle shapes, plus a few varieties of toppings and sides, and that's it. I went for their signature bowl above: the noodles, beef, broth, and chili oil were all good enough for me to clear the entire bowl, even if it wasn't as aromatic, fatty, nor punchy as Shejianjian, Xibu Mahua, and Yi Zun. I won't go out of my way for it as a result, but I will eat it again, asking for extra chili, scallions, and coriander next time.

My No Bun Lettuce Wrap Double Hamburger from Shake Shack

So Shake Shack *does* have a protein-style option after all. I thus went for a double burger with onions and cherry peppers but without cheese nor sauce, hoping to get a very beef-forward taste. Instead, all I tasted was lettuce, which I wasn't very satisfied with. Yeah, I know that it's my own fault, and yes, next time I think I will opt for their potato buns. But at least I got lots of fiber.

King of Fried Rice in Singapore

Would you wait nearly an hour for a S$6.50 (US$4.80) plate of fried rice? That's what I did today at this small chain of stalls that recently popped up at both Golden Mile Tower and Kopitiam Square by a former Jumbo Seafood chef. And I'm happy to say that it was worth it.

Those grains of rice were wonderfully firm and pearly, tossed in just the right amount of smoky oil with a few crispy bits, all while complemented with just the right kind of chili oil (basically, the dried chili oil that goes into Lanzhou qingzhen beef noodles).

Yes, it's better than Wok Hey and was just as good, if not better, than Din Tai Fung. I'd like to do a head-to-head shootout with Gyoza no Ohsho one day, but I already know that Gyoza no Ohsho will be at a disadvantage given that they don't have that awesome chili oil. Big thumbs up.

Premaas Cuisine in Little India, Singapore

Premaas is a Keralan restaurant that has been suggested on several occasions, and I finally made it there tonight (6 Dalhousie Lane, 6392-3644). I focused on their fish, like those sardines above, which were not only light, crispy, and tasty, but also very affordable at just S$4 (US$3) for that plate. I wasn't as big of a fan of the other stuff that I got, like a mushy biryani as well as a whole fried pomfret. But I'm also clueless on what to order here, and only realized afterwards that I probably should've tried the tapioca.

bar Milano on Keong Saik Road in Singapore

I've never had a pizza fritta before, so I have nothing to compare this to. But I liked it. The crust was deep fried to the point where it wasn't even what resembled pizza anymore, but was more like crackers instead. Actually, it reminded me of Navajo fry bread in terms of taste but much firmer, in a good way.

And this was was topped with prosciutto, mozzarella, and a fried egg, going nicely with the peppery tomato-ey Bloody Mary that they made me. Yes, I enjoyed it, and it was better than I was expecting.

This place is run by the Employees Only and Pasta Bar folks (55 Keong Saik Road, 6513-0524). And yes, the first word is indeed lower-case. I'd like to come back one day for dinner, but it's much more crowded and expensive at that time.