Mul Naengmyeon from Hansang Korean Family Restaurant

My ongoing naengmyeon quest led me to Hansang today. And yay, there is beef in this one! The broth had pronounced notes of ginger and sesame, which isn't a bad thing, but I am still thinking of the more savory version at Magal. Either way, it's interesting that I never really thought much of this dish previously; it always just seemed like a cold and tangy clump of sticky noodles. But now I've really come to appreciate all of the various elements that come together in these bowls, and I want to try more.

The “40 Second” Gosso Dama from Omotenashi Dining Gosso

I walked by Gosso when a line at the top of the menu stopped me in my tracks: "Must eat in 40 seconds." What? It was regarding this chicken liver skewer, which they said was wrapped up in a crispy skin with a fluffy inside. So I guess one had to eat it quickly to appreciate that texture rather than wasting time fumbling around with your phone like I did. I raced to snap a couple of photos while the little timer on the plate ticked down like a bomb squad scene in a movie. That unfortunately made me rush to shove it in my mouth afterwards, meaning that I hardly noticed the crispy texture as it went down. But there was a warm, rich, and creamy liver inside either way.

The Wang Galbitang from Magal BBQ

Yep, I came back to Magal today, but the intention was actually to get their chadol set menu, as it was reasonably priced at just S$20 (US$15). I should've known better though that it carried a two-person minimum, so I had to fall back then on something else, which was this galbitang. The meat was more tender than I thought it would be, and the soup was pretty savory too. So yes, I cleared it all, but I still need to come back here one day to get that lunch set.

Next Meats Yakiniku at Aburi-EN in Singapore

Aburi-EN is a commercialized chain that I never had any interest in, as most of the things on the menu looked terribly oversauced. But then I saw this promotion for meatless yakiniku this month, and I definitely wanted to try it given my obsession with different brands of plant-based meat. This one is from a supplier called Next Meats.

Ugh, it was worse than I had expected. I mean, my expectations weren't high to begin with, but there was no mistaking this for meat at all; the texture was like tofu (aburaage to be specific) or old school pre-Impossible vegetarian "mock meat". Worse, my fears about Aburi-EN materialized, as it was all drenched in an excessively sweet and salty sauce. Well, at least there were lots of veggies.

The Pyongyang Naengmyeon from Magal BBQ

Netflix has been running a short series on naengmyeon and it has been stuck in my head. So I went over to Magal for lunch today and grabbed a bowl, which was reasonably priced and also refreshingly savory; there was quite a variety of tastes and textures in there. That said, I was a bit bummed that there wasn't any sliced beef in this, especially after seeing such a garnish in that Netflix show. I am going to keep searching.

Thai Dry Rice Porridge from Moo Station in Singapore

Just to the left of the nameless Teochew fishball noodle stall at the Wiseng Food Place kopitiam lies this team serving a dish called khao tom haeng (462 Crawford Lane #01-29). I don't think I've ever had khao tom haeng before, but it is from Phuket, and from what I could tell it was like a paofan that had been strained. It sounded weird, but the rice was pretty savory, presumably after having sat in the broth for a while. And I kinda liked the crumbly texture of the rice too, so much that it'd make for a nice meal after a night of boozing. But I didn't really care that much for the other things that came with it, so I don't know if I'd eat this when sober either.

Bánh Canh Cua from Mộc Quán in Singapore

It's been a while since I've been to Mộc Quán, and I figured that I'd try things that I'd never heard of before. That landed me with this bánh canh cua soup above. The soup was a lot stronger than I thought it would be, both in terms of its crab taste as well as it spiciness, which came from not just chili peppers but also ground black pepper. It wasn't as rich as the crab bisque from Mrs Pho House, but it was still savory enough to drink to the last drop along with a few thick rice noodles, prawns, and quail eggs. And it turns out that my da-ua drink was just a transliteration of yogurt, of which this was refreshingly lime flavored.

Yeast Side at KAP Residences, Singapore

The Orh Gao folks opened up a bakery earlier this year, and the cool thing is that they switch to pizzas in the afternoon, complete with an array of taps just like at Orh Gao (9 King Albert Park #01-09). And yes, the crust is pretty good, being both chewy as well as with a delicately crisp exterior. That "prawn star" above was particularly impressive with its deliciously savory (and mildly spicy) prawn oil, not to mention fresh prawns and pomegranate seeds. It reminded me a bit of Chooby Pizza, but with a slightly better crust and choice of beers, not to mention alfresco dining. Thumbs up; I'll be coming back to try more.

LA's Eggslut at Scotts Square in Singapore

I finally made it over to eggslut today (6 Scotts Road #01-12). And yes, it's good. They used quality ingredients and did it all with care, as seen in those hash browns with their delicately crispy exteriors. I am curious to see how the rest of the menu fares, but the line is still pretty darned long, which means that it's going to be a while before I go back.

Burts Guinness Potato Chips from the UK

This isn't something that I'd normally buy, but they were on sale so I figured that I'd give them a shot. They didn't quite taste like Guinness; it was more like a chocolate powder on it. But I liked the thick-cut potato-ey chips themselves. Maybe I'll try some of their other flavors.

Japan's Tempura Makino at Suntec City Mall, Singapore

The folks at the EN Group just opened an outlet of a Japanese tempura chain (3 Temasek Boulevard #02-305). They fry to order with big fryers at the counter, reminiscent of a proper tempura bar. And yet, the prices weren't too high, with lunch sets like the one above going for just S$25 (US$18.50). Of course, it wasn't high-end like Tenshin, but it was a step up from Tenya and even what Teppei used to do many years ago. The only weird thing here was that they didn't provide an array of salt flavors to dip in, but I can live with that given the pricing.

Cicheti’s Wild Child Pizzette at Boat Quay, Singapore

The Cicheti folks have opened up a pizza place at Boat Quay (50 Circular Road, 6970-6592). It features a fun and short menu featuring just over a handful of pizzas plus some starters; the drinks menu is noticably longer. I'm no expert in pizza frita, but I was happy with that crispy fried margherita above.

The crust was thick, but with a chewy texture and crispy crust, kinda like a Chinese youtiao meets McDonald's classic pie. It was a little tougher than Lucali's crust, but I eagerly ate it all. The toppings were pleasantly cold too, which let the tomatoes, basil, and cheese come through.

They also provided some "crack oil," which was basically chili oil jazzed up with some Asian spices like anise seed, if I tasted it correctly. Sure, it was tasty, but it wasn't quite as "life changing" as the menu made it out to be. Still, I'd have no qualms about coming back here, especially with all of their booze too.

Ordinary Burger in Singapore

To be honest, I kept second-guessing myself on whether to order this, especially since the photo on the menu didn't look very appetizing. But I've been wanting to try this small chain for a while now, primarily because of its pitch of being "ordinary." Hopefully that meant that their burgers were no-frills, just like I like them.

Yes, it was simple, but I suspect that they were inspired by McDonald's given the very similar taste and texture of both the bun and fries. Fortunately, they went easy on the sauce, making it easier to taste the beef along with all of the salt and pepper that they put on it. Too bad they didn't make longer cuts for their fries though.

Fotia on Duxton Hill in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

It was only when I was on the way to BTM yesterday did I realize that this Greek place from Club Street had moved to the former grounds of Alba 1836 (28 Duxton Hill, 9455-1004). And the thought of some light nibbles and booze sounded great this afternoon, so I hopped on over. The artichoke salad above wasn't anything that special (somehow I was thinking of something like this instead), but I looooooved their sesame-encrusted koulouri bread, as it arrived hot out of the oven and went perfectly with some savory taramasalata. Yum, I could eat that all day.

BTM Mussels & Bar in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

I didn't even know that the folks behind L'Entrecôte opened this "Back To Mussels" shop down the street more than a year ago (5 Duxton Hill, 6690-7562). But I was happy to have come here, as even those entry-level local mussels above were fresh and tender enough for me to gobble down with some fries and booze. Actually, the paltry beer selection was a letdown, but at least they serve French seafood platters and even charcuterie and cheese boards, which means that I'll likely find my way back here someday.

Shu Yan Sichuan Fusion Cuisine off Mohamed Sultan

This place has been around for a while, but their "Sichuan Fusion Cuisine" pitch never really hooked me (207 River Valley Road #01-51, 6732-1898). Still, they have some pretty aggressively priced lunch sets (especially for this neighborhood), and the food actually turned out OK, including not just the generously portioned and decently delicate suancaiyu above, but also some other items that I had today. I might just be back here for some of those cheap dumpling "snacks" that I saw on the menu too.

The Hamachi Yellowtail Yusheng from Milkfish

I went back to Milkfish to try some of their other stuff tonight. That yellowtail above wasn't quite what I was expecting given that it was served warm, presumably the result of a hot scallion oil poured on top of it. Now, I have to admit that I liked that oil enough that I was literally drinking the remainder of it with a spoon at the end. But it still wasn't what I had hoped for, and I wasn't a huge fan of my side dishes either given that they tend to oversauce things here. It's too bad since I really wanted to like this place.

Hong Kong’s Sushi Raku Has Opened in Singapore

What is up with all of the sushi chains coming in from HK lately? The Itacho folks just opened up this one (252 North Bridge Road #B1-63). I think they were trying to go more upscale, but it wasn't up there with Ganko nor Sen-Ryo either. Just to be sure, I ordered that S$40 (US$30) set to see how it compared to yesterday.

Perhaps to no surprise, one got more quantity but less quality, the difference of which was particularly noticeable in the rice and uni. Of course, it was still better than Sushiro, but if I'm going to pay the same price, I'd rather go to Ganko. They certainly made everything look very pretty here though.

Osaka's Ganko Sushi Has Opened in Singapore

A large chain from Japan has opened up an outlet at the former Park Mall (9 Penang Road #01-01, 8828-2280). I was drawn here because it was allegedly "value for money," but it turned out to be way more upscale with its posh decor and nice porcelainware. The prices weren't that low: that platter above was S$40 (US$30) and was basically the cheapest meal that I could get.

That said, the food was impressively good, including not just the rice but also the seafood (that uni was much more rich and briny than that tasteless stuff that one gets at Sushiro). This was proper sushi that we were talking about here, and the quality was up there with more high-end places. I suppose that "value for money" was true in that one gets high quality products at a much lower price, but it definitely wasn't something that I can afford to eat every day.

Actually, this was eerily similar to Sen-Ryo at ION Orchard: a chain from Japan via Hong Kong that was allegedly low-priced but turned out to be much more upscale. I'd much rather come here given the quality of the food, but it's not taking the place of my old lunchtime haunt Numazu Uogashizushi, where I could pay half of these prices, even if the quality of the product there wasn't in the same league.

TamJai SamGor has Adjusted Its Spicy Scale

Less than one month ago, I was questioning why TamJai SamGor had such an odd spicy scale with "mild" starting at 7 out of 10. Well, it looks like they've since adjusted the labels, as "mild" now starts at level 2, in English anyway (level 7 is still labeled xiaola in Chinese, but it's "extra hot" in English).

Level 10 is now named "Hell Fire," by the way, with a Spinal Tap option of going to 11 by paying 30 cents more for "Double Hell Fire." No, I didn't try those, but it looks like their marketing team has finally caught onto how spicy their bowls are: they're even doing a "You Dare, You Try Spicy Challenge" campaign now.

In case you're wondering, that was a level 5 "spicy" mala bowl above. There wasn't really much of a mala taste, but there was an afterburn that catches up later. They also have a mala beer available as part of that spicy promotion, but you can only get it after eating three bowls rather than being able to buy a can outright.

The Beef Nihari from Kebabchi Charcoal BBQ

Once again I found myself at the Esplanade, so I hopped back over to Kababchi to try his beef nihari, especially since it's only available on weekends. And yes, I liked it, not only since the beef was tender, but also since he gave me an extra bit of ginger, chili, and coriander to throw on top. Now, the gravy wasn't as edgy as the karahi, but I was still happy, especially since that crispy lacha paratha went nicely with it too.

Bella Pasta at Riverside View in Singapore

So the Bella Pizza folks have a sister shop a few doors down doing pasta (30 Robertson Quay #01-09, 6836-5692). They had affordable lunch sets too, and it turned out to be better than the pizza, like this veal ravioli, which I gobbled up in seconds despite it being underseasoned and some of the dumplings being ruptured. I don't know if I'd pay normal prices here, but I'm happy to grab this lunch again.

Sourbombe Bakery at the Former Park Mall in Singapore

I'm usually not much for pastries. But I was at the new building that sits on the site of the old Park Mall and figured that I'd pick up some of these sourdough bombolini, especially since these guys are only open from 10 AM to 3 PM (9 Penang Road #02-03). And they are pretty good, with the chewy dough being the best part, but also the various fillings. They weren't too sweet, despite all of the sugar on the outside. Yes, I'd get those again.

Mrs Pho House at Ngee Ann City in Singapore

The Mrs Pho folks opened up a new outlet next to Takashimaya (391 Orchard Road #B2-36A). To be specific, this was a Mrs Pho House, meaning that it not only had a fuller menu, but it also featured charcoal hot pot. I was very happy with my choice: an awesome crab bisque broth above that even had little bits of tomalley inside. It was pleasantly rich and savory and was accented with just the right amount of pepper. Plus, the the meat and veggies were of good quality, including an interesting Tonkin jasmine plant. The only drawback was that the broth was pretty expensive, but fortunately it's 50% off for the next month. There were a lot of other things on the menu that I wanted to try too, including their own take on chả cá Lã Vọng.

Sin Chao Gardens Teochew Restaurant in Singapore

On the former grounds of Five & Dime Eatery lies this Teochew place (297 River Valley Road, 6369-0328). I thus went straight for some kway teow chai po, along with that salted fish minced meat patty above. The food at Chui Huay Lim is more polished, but this still fueled me up for the day. I wonder how their cold crab, porridge, and oyster omelette fare. Oooh...I wonder if they have yufan too?

Entre-nous Creperie on Seah Street in Singapore

Time for another crêperie, with this one being a cozy little one across from the Raffles Hotel (27 Seah Street #01-01, 6333-4671). They had a pretty good deal featuring a galette complète plus their namesake homemade salted butter caramel crêpe as well as a small serving of cidre Breton and a side salad for just S$33.90 (US$25.20). I liked the taste of French Fold just a little more, but the service here was better, which means that I'm happy to come back, especially given the assortment of Brittany cider and beer available.

Chuanr from Little Sheep Hot Pot in Singapore

I never bothered going to Little Sheep (i.e., Xiaofeiyang, not to be confused with Little Lamb, a.k.a. Xiaoweiyang) when it opened here a few years ago since I had already been to one in the US. Then a few weeks ago I realized that they served chuanr after seeing them grilling away in the kitchen. Plus, they do single serving pots here, making it a lot cheaper than I thought it would be.

So I stopped by on my way home from work today to pick up a couple of sticks, the mutton of which was more tender and tasty than I thought it would be. I didn't like the beef though, and the quality of the broth and sliced lamb couldn't compete with Happy Lamb (Kuaile Xiaoyang). So if I come back here, then maybe it will just be for that cheap beer and chuanr special that I saw.

The Hainanese Curry Rice Stall at Beo Crescent in Singapore

That plate above definitely tasted much better than it looked. But it also didn't taste as good as it sounded. See, this nameless stall next to Beo Crescent Market (40 Beo Crescent #01-10) has gotten a lot of online attention for its food. And it was pretty good with its mildly spicy - but not rich - gravy. Yet it also didn't blow my mind like many said it would, especially since those small slices of fried pork reminded me of sweet pork floss. Fortunately, the length of the line was deceptive: it looked long, but I got through in less than ten minutes and cleared my food in just five minutes after that, making this a fast and cheap lunch.

The Ninnikunome Gyudon at Sukiya Singapore

Sukiya is doing these garlic sprout bowls right now. Sure, it was garlicky, but I didn't like the sauce that the sprouts were covered in. It wasn't the clean and salty taste that I was expected; it was more like a processed chili sauce from a jar. I won't get it again, but at least the prices here are so low that I don't feel bad about getting it.

The New Adom Pita from Miznon Singapore

I love Miznon. And this new item on the menu made me all the more happier. It's just charred onions, tomatoes, and chili with tahini, but oh, is it so deliciously smoky and savory inside that pillowy pita bread. It probably didn't take me any longer than two minutes to eat the entire thing, and it came with the added bonus of being incredibly healthy too. I've ordered quite a few things from them for delivery and fortunately they survive the journey quite well.

Vibez Bistro Bar at UE Square in Singapore

On the surface, this place didn't seem to know what it wanted to be (207 River Valley Road #01-57, 6983-3655). It had a name and interior decor as if it were an upscale boutique hotel. But the menu was an odd mix of Thai food and keto bowls, the latter of which were not only rather expensive, but also strangely came with a rice option. Well, the lunch specials were cheap at just S$9.90 (US$7.40), so I grabbed that green curry above, which turned out to be impressively spicy and rich. I may just end up coming back here.

The Aka Tantanmen from Bari-Uma

Bari-Uma is doing dry tantanmen now, in both a red and black (sesame) version. The red one was nothing to do backflips over, but was still more potent than I thought it would be. At least there is a little more to choose from at Bari-Uma now; I'm getting pretty tired of their regular menu.

Goku Japanese Restaurant on Mohamed Sultan Road

These guys have been around for quite a while, specializing in motsunabe (33 Mohamed Sultan Road #01-02, 6735-4232). But somehow I never made my way over until today, after realizing that the prices were much lower than I had thought. I'm not sure if that's because they expanded their menu recently, but this lunch set suited me just fine, even if the gindara wasn't as rich as it could've been. I suspect that I'll be stopping by here after work one day for some easy drinks and izakaya fare.

Ah Pui Tiong Bahru Satay on Smith Street in Chinatown

This guy started out doing an illegal food cart before being featured at a cafe that had a multi-month waitlist. Then he moved over to his own shop (28 Smith Street), but apparently it sells out early. So I was concerned about whether the satay would still be available when I arrived tonight. Fortunately, it wasn't an issue.

So what's the big deal about his satay? It's definitely unique: he hand slices the meat into wide, flat cuts, and then he shoves a sliver of fat toward the end for added measure. The sauce isn't the peanut-centric type that one usually gets, but instead comes topped with grated pineapple. And you definitely smell the smoky aroma when you step inside.

The best part about the sticks was the fat, especially since the pork itself was a bit on the dry side. The sauce wasn't as sweet as I feared it would be, but it also didn't really add that much to it either. I don't mind eating it again, but the small and tender chicken pieces at R&B suit me just fine.

The Shanghai Meatball Co at Cloud Sultan in Singapore

This place took a little while to figure out (18 Mohamed Sultan Road #01-01). It's called Cloud, but it's not a tech company nor cloud kitchen. It was a mash-up of a cafe, ice cream shop, and a few other food stalls, but was much smaller and more upscale than a food court. I thought it was a coworking space.

Either way, one of the stalls was selling shizitou "lion's head" meatballs, and it was huge; about the size of a softball (I ordered a small, BTW). I don't eat them frequently enough to know if it was good or bad, but it was edible enough, even if I didn't finish that gigantic wad of meat.