The Party Poori Pop-Up by Chef Anil

Druggists rotated their food pop-ups this week to this guy's catering service. He does those pani puri with pomegranate and a potato puree delivered via piping bags, as well as a pau bhaji that was surprisingly spicy. Yeah, I liked it. Too bad there wasn't much else on the menu or else I would've ordered more.

Trying Ye Olde Cow Food Truck in Singapore

I've been eager to check out Ye Olde Cow for some time now, as it is a food truck doing dry aged smash burgers. But their operating hours and location out in One-North meant that I had to go out of my way for it. Fortunately, they've started to do some appearances in the city, including a two-day stint at Druggists, a little bar that I'm quite fond of (119 Tyrwhitt Road, 6802-0228).

I was disappointed in the burger though. After all of that talk about the quality of their dry aged beef, it ended up being covered up by too much cheese. Really, all I could taste in that thing was the cheese. I still ate it all, but I ever get it again, I need to ask them to hold the cheese and the sauce, while doubling up on the onions given how skimpy they were. Phat Burger Bro. is still my preferred shop.

L'Entrecôte La Baguette at Funan Mall

Cool, the L'Entrecote folks are doing a pop-up at Funan serving steak frites in sandwich form (107 North Bridge Road #02-04) It looked like quite a mess when you unwrapped it, but they spiked it with arugula as well as their sauce, and it was easier to eat than it looked (those yellow things on top are fries, by the way, not cheese). They also had a petit version of their usual steak frites; I might have to come back for that, if anything just because of how much cheaper it was than their usual serving.

LeNu’s Nagano Pork Belly With Tomato Broth Noodle

There is a spicy option available for that bowl above, but that one isn't it. It's just the non-spicy version of LeNu's tomato broth. It was light yet savory, especially with that pureed tomato on top of that scalding hot broth. Actually, that puree was cold from the fridge, which really made me wonder how refreshing this bowl could be if they offered a cold version.

The Beef Bomb Set from Yakiniku-GO

The Yakiniku-GO folks are running a promotion right now featuring a MasterChef Asia finalist, and this "beef bomb" is one of the outputs. Admittedly, I didn't read the menu very closely, and thus wasn't exactly sure what was inside those round balls of beef. It turned out to be multiple cloves of garlic. Fortunately, they were pickled rather than completely raw, so that helped take some of the bite out of it. I won't order it again, but I did kinda like the wagyu fat seasoned rice and yuzu kosho ponzu that came with it.

Famous Whampoa Seafood White Bee Hoon

I'm not sure if these guys at Whampoa Makan Place are really that famous, or if it's just self-proclaimed (90 Whampoa Drive #01-24). The lack of chatter about them online plus the super clean-looking signboard with the Merlion logo on it makes me suspect that it's the latter, meant to hook people who don't know better. Indeed, that la la bee hoon above wasn't particularly savory nor aromatic, but it was fresh and edible enough that I cleared it quickly.

Shake Shack’s Avocado Bacon Burger

Here is the special that Shake Shack is currently running with, featuring Niman Ranch bacon. Fortunately, the bacon was thin enough that it didn't dominate the taste, although my choice of double patties probably helped with that too. I'll stick to the usual ShackBurger next time, but I will admit that those crinkle cut fries are finally growing on me.

Blu Kouzina on Singapore’s Dempsey Hill

I've heard about these guys for many years, but admittedly never realized that they served Greek food until today (10 Dempsey Road #01-20, 6875-0872). Either way, I liked it. The venue is quaint, and they feature produce brought in from Greece. Interestingly, it looks like they have even opened an outlet in Florida, of all places. I suspect that I'll be back here one day given how many other things there were on the menu to explore.

The English House by Marco Pierre White

I've always been curious about this place, but there was no way that I was going to pay those sky high prices that they charge (28 Mohamed Sultan Road, 6545-4055). Fortunately, they are doing an "Inflation Menu 9.99" where a daily special goes for just ten bucks. Cool! Today's selection was that "Singapore British Pork Chop Rice" above. It was fine, but honestly wasn't anything that special aside from the thick cuts of Koffman's potatoes under the pork. But hey, the plating and service were nice, as was the colonial shophouse decor.

Yeah, the menu isn't just English food. There are Asian selections, including dim sum. So I grabbed a couple of them while I was here, in part just because I felt bad if I came to such an upscale place to only spend ten bucks. So I added a wild cod dumpling in a sea urchin sauce (a single one of which cost more than that inflation special above), as well as the black pepper beef ball, which was my favorite thing today. That was not only because of the in-your-face pepper, but also that super tender and bouncy Stoddart's beef from Scotland.

YARANA at Singapore Indoor Stadium

I've been told about this place - and have passed by this place - many times, and yet was only able to try it tonight (2 Stadium Walk #01-04, 9277-7519). It's North Indian fusion, with the menu featuring things like a taco platter that honestly sounded more Mexican than Indian. But I got these Punjabi scrambled eggs, which were spiced up with chili peppers and onions, and came with lachcha paratha. It wasn't particularly spicy or rich, but I was still happy to eat it. This may very well be the best food in the entire Sports Hub area, aside from maybe that Marutama outlet at Leisure Park.

The Hiyashi Chawanmushi from Sushiro Singapore

I've never been a big fan of chawanmushi. Usually these are just cheap things that get thrown in with lunch sets, and they never appealed to me. Sushiro had a cold option on their menu though, which I was curious about. It was kinda like hiyayakko from a texture perspective, but with a savory seafood taste that came through more cleanly than in the hot version. I might actually order this again.

Bánh Mì Sài Gòn Delicatessen in Ang Mo Kio

Whoa, this little corner stand was pretty darned good (505 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 #01-2668). That bánh mì dặc biệt above was filled with a bazillion cuts of meat and then garnished with scallion oil to give it some earthiness and sweetness. Admittedly, I still prefer the spicier lighter bite of my usual Viet9, but I'd be happy to eat here if there is no line.

Yes, this definitely is one of the best bánh mì shops on the island. I want to try the more adventurous cuts of meat next, as well as perhaps some of their non-sandwich items, especially since I liked how their gỏi cuốn were tightly wrapped. Fortunately, it looks like they have opened a sister outlet on Orchard Road that is open 24 hours.

Seafood Shack from The Naked Finn

The Naked Finn folks have converted the original BurgerLabo location back to a small seafood place. I'm not exactly sure how it differed from the full Naked Finn restaurant down the street, but this was basically the way that I remembered The Naked Finn being back when it was still here in this little spot, featuring simply prepared shellfish along with their signature chilled bee hoon. That blanched clam above was firm, savory, and naturally sweet, not to mention delicious with that shallot oil, even if none of this was cheap. But I'm glad to see this venue returning to its roots.

Finally Trying D’Penyetz in Singapore

I've always been curious about this chain of ayam penyet shops but only had a chance to try them now. The meat was a bit dry, but the skin was crispy and light, and the level four (of six) sambal provided a good residual burn, even if it wasn't spicy going in. Aparently this place was started by a former Ayam Penyet Ria dude.

Mongolia Taste (Menggu Weidao) on Killiney Road

This beat-up shop (109 Killiney Road, 8440-0004) is a bit out of place on Killiney Road, especially since you can only order food using a Meituan mini program on WeChat. But that's a good thing if it means being closer to what one can get in China. I grabbed those chuanr above, along with some veggies and carbs. The mutton wasn't very tender, while the chicken was a bit sweet. I might go back to try the noodles though...or maybe one of those big racks of lamb ribs if I am here in a group.

The Taipei Bowl from Bamboo Bowls

I haven't been to Bamboo Bowls in a while, but it looks like they have replaced the first bowl on the menu yet again. As the name suggests, this one is meant to be Taiwanese, and certainly made use of star anise and garlic. The braised pork belly was fatty and tender, but I didn't like that the veggies were pickled. It's still too bad that they got rid of the Singapore bowl.

Yum Pla Duk Foo from Nana Original Thai Food

So the Nakhon folks have a small chain of 24 hour shops called Nana (not to be confused with the local curry place). The menu features an impressively long list of Thai salads, like the yum pla duk foo above. It may look like a giant pile of batter, but it's actually minced catfish that has been fried to a light texture. And buried underneath all of that is the usual Thai mango salad that we're all familiar with. Yes, I liked it, but it was definitely a platter meant for sharing, which means that I'll opt for something else on the menu next time.

China’s Yangxiaoxian Mango Ice in Singapore

I naturally thought that this mango shaved ice shop at Orchard Gateway was from Taiwan, but it looks like it's from the mainland instead (277 Orchard Road #B1-12). And I liked it better than most of the ones that I've had in Taiwan, mainly because the shaved ice was rich and milky, and they didn't make this syrupy sweet either. Note though that it was pretty expensive, with that two-person portion above going for a whopping S$22 (US$16) for non-members. Sure, registering an account lowered that price a bit, but it still wasn't cheap.

unMEAT Fish-Free Tuna Style Flakes

No, I'm not intentionally chasing meat substitute products this week. I just happened to come across these "tuna style flakes" at the market today and was curious. They're from Century Pacific Foods in the Philippines.

Well, it didn't taste like tuna. It was kinda like a mix of tofu and mushrooms in a slightly thick and sour liquid. No, that doesn't sound very appetizing, and that's because it wasn't appetizing. I won't get it again.

The Impossible Larb Salad from Vibez Bistro Bar

Yep, that's larb made from Impossible meat. It was a bit dry, but the Vibez folks still seasoned it nicely enough that I was happy to gobble it down with rice. They also do an Impossible version of pad krapow, but I think I'll stick to the regular meat version of it, not only because I hope it will be more moist, but also since it's a few bucks cheaper. Besides, I've already had meat-free versions of pad krapow a few times.

The Fire Spicy Flavor from Waker Chicken

I finally got to try that fire spicy flavor at Waker tonight. It obviously didn't look spicy from the outside, and actually wasn't that spicy on the inside either (basically, it wasn't that different from the big fast food chains). At least it wasn't slathered in sauce, and the meat was moist. But I don't think I need to get anything more from Waker at this point.

White Kway Teow from Riverside Good Food

I'm not entirely clear on the difference between white kway teow and Penang kway teow, but I assume that this is just char kway teow without the dark soy sauce. It still had those Chinese sausages in there, and I liked that this one from Riverside Good Food was peppery and featured some extra greens. But I'll probably stick to their Hokkien mee.

I Am Geprek Bensu from Indonesia

A big ayam geprek chain from Indonesia has opened an outlet at Lucky Plaza's Asian Food Mall in Singapore (304 Orchard Road #B1-38 stall 5). It was cheap, fast, and went down the hatch quickly with that sambal, which was spicy without being sweet. I'll probably pass on the lime leaf rice next time though and just stick to white rice or even Indomie.

Xi Duo at 313’s Food Republic

I'm not sure if these guys have anything to do with the previous stall or even the Baguo folks next door, but a chuanr shop now occupies Shandong Helemian's old spot at 313@Somerset. It wasn't very good, unfortunately. The lamb was tough, the string beans were doused in a sweet soy sauce, and the potatoes were still a little raw. But hey, at least we're starting to see more chuanr popping up food courts.

TrulyTeochew at Bukit Merah Central

It might be hard to make out from the photo above, but that's basically a bowl of Teochew mue or paofan above. Yet this was also quite different from your everyday paofan, not only in that it lacked fried toppings like crispy rice, but also in that its broth made extensive use of dried shellfish and mushrooms. That made it much deeper and earthier, while the herbs on top gave it a delightfully fresh accent. Apparently this was a former home-based business; it was so wonderful that I would eat it regularly if I were nearby (161 Bukit Merah Central #01-3749).