Japan’s Higo Marunoya at Isetan’s Hanabi Matsuri Food Fair

Isetan is running one of its food fairs up at Waterway Point this weekend, and this karaage stall from Japan was proudly displaying signage about it being a multiple award winner. Naturally, I was intrigued and decided to put up with the long wait for them to individually package each order.

The batter was salty. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case there was a lot of other stuff in there, kinda like a Shake N' Bake mixture. It was a bit sweet, and it wasn't cheap either. Well, the staff was nice enough, but it's too bad that Rang Mang Shokudo isn't around anymore.

China’s Wen Zhang Lao Mian in Singapore

I didn't realize this until recently, but this chain from China had an outlet near Bugis last year. And now they have moved all the way up to Waterway Point (83 Punggol Central #B2-04). They specialize in noodles in your choice of broth, so I grabbed that fish bowl above with its golden yet mildly spicy soup.

That sour broth was certainly better than what one might find at a typical food stall, but it didn't blow me away either. Similarly, they had a bacon fried rice that sounded like it might have some promise. It was fine, but it would've been more descriptive if they called it a dried shrimp and scallion fried rice instead, since that was what you tasted more than the bacon. Those scallions made it a bit sweet too.

No, I wouldn't wait in line for this place. But I do want to go back to try their suancaiyu. And maybe more noodles - not necessarily for the food itself, but because of an amusing gimmick where each bowl is printed with a message at the bottom, some of which tell you that your bowl will be free of charge.

Vietnam Kitchen at Great World in Singapore

This little shop (1 Kim Seng Promenade #01-116) is in a very odd spot, squeezed in between Châteraisé and the remains of Goobne Chicken. The menu is very small, leading with bún chả, which wasn't that exciting to me, even if the piping hot patty was pleasant. What I was more excited about was the phở, whose noodles were wonderfully firm, unlike most other shops around here, including that popular one at the upstairs food court. Plus, they took care in selecting deliciously fatty cuts of meat, while the broth was crisp and salty. There was no basket of herbs provided, but the firmness of the noodles alone have pulled me back here on more than one occasion.

Trying Nikuvege at Japan Rail Cafe

Nikuvege is a plant-based meat product from Japan, and the Japan Rail Cafe at Guoco Tower was selling it in hanbaagu form. Yeah, it was rather spongy and wasn't going to fool anyone about being real meat, but I didn't mind it that much. What I did mind was the fact that this came out cold...unintentionally, at least. It was served on a burner, but it didn't do much, especially when the ponzu sauce that was poured over it clearly came straight from the fridge. I won't get this again.

Three Random Stalls: Hokkien Mee, Hainanese Curry, and Fish Soup

OK this is just a collection of totally random things that I ate today, starting with this plate from Yang Zhou Sotong Prawn Hokkien Mee at the Lian Seng Eating House (40 Beo Crescent #01-16). Apparently there was a very similarly named stall at the same location previously, but I wouldn't know the difference. I liked that it was savory with fresh ingredients and a decently potent chili sauce, even if it wasn't as deep as Prawnography nor Yi Sheng. How convenient it was to have a decent otah merchant right next to it though.



This next stall called Kim's Curry Hainan (168 Toa Payoh Central #01-402) caught my eye with its signage claiming to have "the first mala curry in Singapore." It turned out that it was basically just your usual Hainanese curry sauce but with an extra scoop of mala flavoring on top, and unfortunately it wasn't that spicy. That was disappointing, especially since that "crispy" pork was dense and tough enough that I didn't bother to finish it either. Well, the curry was rich at least, and I was happy to eat the cabbage.



Finally, there was stall at Great World's Food Junction that is supposed to be an outlet of a famous fish head steamboat stall on Rangoon Road called Queen of Wok. I gave their fish soup a try, and the good thing is that the broth was indeed full of body. But it was a tad sweet, presumably as a function of brewed herbs and other ingredients (possibly even rock sugar?). I won't be rushing back to this stall as a result, but it did the job tonight.

Jeju Sanghoe in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

As the name suggests, this place (74 Tras Street) specializes in food from Jeju, which I know very little about. So I went for those gogi guksu noodles at the top of the menu, along with some thinly sliced pork belly called dombae. Yep, they were good, with the pork belly in particular being my preference, as they were fun without being as heavy as bossam. The banchan spread was impressive, and the broth was tonkotsu-like. But it was thinner than I had hoped, so next time I'll aim for that seaweed rice soop instead.

Shejianjian is Finally Selling Chuanr

These have been listed on Shejianjian's menu for a while now, but they were always marked as unavailable. Even today, I couldn't find it on the online ordering system. But if you go to the counter to order, they'll place an order for you. Yay!

They weren't what I had expected though, and that's not just because of how big those white pieces of chicken were. The big letdown was that they were fried rather than grilled. Worse, the seasoning was sweet. The meat was tender, but it'll have to be Ah Gu Kaka Wa for chuanr instead.

Keisuke Plus at Funan in Singapore

I didn’t even realize this until I walked by today, but Keisuke opened up a place in the back of Funan late last year (107 North Bridge Road #01-15, 6320-3456). Its modern decor and nihonshu fridge seemed more fitting for an upscale place on Orchard Road, but I assume that he had IPPUDO in his crosshairs...and maybe Hototogisu, given that the menu featured this oyster broth bowl.

It's too bad then that it wasn’t as polished, as this was much more in-your-face with a big meaty oyster compared to Hototogisu's more subtle oyster paste. I am kinda curious to see how his wagyu bowl fares, as I suspect that it will be better than Mashi No Mashi. But it's a whopping S$29 (US$21), so I'll have to save up for that. The fact that one can load up on his signature bean sprouts and eggs won't be any consolation.

Dickson Nasi Lemak at Icon Village in Tanjong Pagar

The place got some attention a couple years ago for the long lines at its takeout-only place out in Joo Chiat, which I could never get around to going to. But they finally opened a shop in the city with dine-in seats available, so I stoppped by today to see what all of the fuss was about (12 Gopeng Street #01-89).

Apparently the recipe here is modeled off of a famous shop in Kuala Lumpur called Village Park Restaurant. I have no idea what that is supposed to be like, but the main thing that struck me about the food here was how crispy everything was. Normally that would be a good thing, but this was too crispy for me, especially with the super thick batter on the chicken. And this might sound silly, but I was also annoyed by how much plastic packaging they used. This wasn't just because of the eco waste, but it was also a hassle to scoop out sambal from a separately lidded container as well as dig out grains of rice from the grooves of the box, especially when the beauty of the original dish is how it can all be conveniently wrapped in a lovely banana leaf.

Well, the quality of the ingredients was certainly better than most places, especially as things were made to order here. But for upscale nasi lemak, I'd rather go to Coconut Club, even if it's been a while since I've been there too.

The Beef Aglio Olio from an Actual Pepper Lunch Restaurant

There are so many Pepper Lunch Express stalls at food courts these days that it's easy to forget that they actually started as restaurants with their own seating and sauce bottles on each table. They still exist, featuring menu items that you don't get at the food courts, like these noodles, which I actually kinda liked considering they made them nice and salty. Their beef sukiyaki didn't work for me though; were they trying to do yakisuki with the hot platter?

The Collagen Fish Soup from Yu Zhong Bu Tong

I've tried the other three broths from these guys, but not the plain white one, so I grabbed it today. It's the only one that doesn't really let you configure the ingredients, and is also more like a local fish soup. It was impressively rich and savory, and was different enough from other shops that it's worth coming back for if I'm not in the mood for one of their spicy ones.

Wheeler’s Estate at Seletar Aerospace Park

This is one of those places that you go to more for the alfresco venue and live band than for the food itself (2 Park Lane, 9735-7332). Nonetheless, their signature tomahawk steak above did the job of serving a large group of people, and thankfully the restaurant wasn't hung up about only serving it on Tuesdays like the menu suggested. The service was impressively fast despite the huge crowds tonight too. Now, my preference for a proper tomahawk is still Bar-Roque, but I don't mind coming back here as long as I remember to stay away from their lousy pizza.

Taipei's Niu Dian Beef Noodles in Singapore

This Bib Gourmand from Taipei has opened several outlets down here, but I never went until today given that I had already tried them in Taiwan. I should have gone sooner though, as it's pretty good, even with their cheapest bowl of noodles above. Not only is the beef much more tender than it looks, but the broth is deep and spicy, and they even give you ramen-like options on the noodles like firmness and portion size. They also have a tub of that solid chili oil stuff at your disposal. More visits are in order.

The Gochu Yurinyuk from Paik's Noodle

I think that sauce is supposed to be poured over those fried slices of pork in the background, but we just used it as a dip. And that dip was more fragrant and spicy than I thought it would be, all without being syrupy. Anyway, this was from Paik's Noodle, whose jjajangmyeon is still unbeaten in my limited exposure to the dish. The other ones that I've tried, including from Noodle Star K recently, just didn't have that earthy onion-focused aroma.

Cheeky Bee Hoon at Lucky Plaza in Singapore

The name of this place sounded a bit weird until I realized that its Chinese name was Qiji, which they presumably avoided given the wide presence of that popiah chain. Anyway, Cheeky Bee Hoon had a stall at GastroBeats this year, and I liked it enough that I went down to their city outlet to eat it again (304 Orchard Road #B1-38). Yep, that bowl above is excellent with its smoky broth and tender meat, all of which was seasoned just right. They have a pork lard pearl rice that's pretty good too. Next time I'll have to give their dry version a try along with their crab dumplings.

Sagye Korean Pot Rice and BBQ in Singapore

On the former grounds of On-Dol and Hokkaido Izakaya lies another shop doing sotbap (95 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088516). I liked this shop better than Sotpot at Suntec given that one could get some nicely scorched rice underneath, and the quality the ingredients was pretty good too, including not just the tender meat but also the firm five grain rice. But I wasn't that excited about the mildly sweet sauce that they used to season this, which means that I won't get cravings for it either. Their operations were run with machine-like efficiency at least.

Milan Shokudo in Singapore

How fascinating it is to see that Saizeriya has spawned imitators, like this chain from the JFH people. They copied it all the way down to the drink bar and menu categories like doria and meat on hot plates. Alas, there were some differences, most notably in that it is halal, so there is no cheap Saizeriya wine available. The pasta here is handmade (which kinda makes sense considering all of the ramen franchises they run), but mine was totally overgarlicked, and the salad selection was limited too. No, I didn't like this place, and am still worried about whether they will mess up Hototogisu.

Epilogue: I just realized that they have a non-halal version of this shop called Romana at Funan, complete with bacon-topped salads and beer. I am not getting my hopes up but am kinda curious.

The Gyusuji Kare from Sumida

This curry is one of the other main things on Sumida's little lunch menu. Yes, this went down the hatch easily with its velvety and tomato-ey curry. Note that the spinach is two bucks extra.

I'll likely stick to this in the future, along with his ume potato salad and fried food, which is probably the best of everything on the menu. Not only was I happy with the fish, but the karaage is crispy and moist.

Back To Wowodian For Steamed Buns

I went back to Wowodian this morning to finally try those steamed buns. They were smaller than I was expecting, but soft and pillowy. I liked their suancai fensi version better than their bainian xianroubao as the former were greasier yet much cheaper.

Those "yin and yang noodles" above were fine too, but the thing that really impressed me was the baby kai lan. I didn't put a photo of it above, but theirs was a much thinner and tender vegetable than the crude and thick stuff that most restaurants use.

And they didn't just dump some lame bottled oyster sauce onto it either; this one had a thin and savory fluid surrounding it, all while being garnished with elegant white scallion slivers. It doean't sound like much, but that was one of the best things that I've eaten in a while.

Finally Trying VietSmith in Singapore

The folks behind Siam Smith in Singapore have created a similar chain for Vietnamese food, sans space. We tried one today, and it was similarly upscale, like phở served in gold-rimmed porcelain, or that Chả cá Lã Vọng above. The broth of the former was a bit tame, while the latter had a slightly sweet batter and was served without oil nor rice noodles. But at least they were generous with the dill, which was enough for me to not mind having to come here again.

Shuang Yue Moon Moon Food in Taipei, Taiwan

The food selection at Taoyuan Airport has been notably lacking in the past. But it looks like they recently overhauled a lot of the food vendors in Terminal 2 airside, including an express outlet of this Michelin Bib Gourmand serving home-style food featuring local ingredients. It was pretty good, with that savory chicken soup alongside some delicate side dishes as well as those noodles, even if they were a little soft and clichéd with truffles. The only thing that I didn't like was the crude cuts of cabbage in the soup, but I guess that's just what helps form the taste of the broth. There are so many other interesting variations of these noodles and soups that I know what I'm gonna be eating again next time I'm here.

Sinchao Rice Shoppe in Taipei, Taiwan

This is a Michelin-listed shop from Kaohsiung that has a rather upscale place at Breeze Xinyi (68 Zhongxiao East Road Section 5 2F, 02-2723-9976). This dragonfruit-soaked fried rice with shrimp, scallops, and bottarga was an eye-catcher, but it was the smoky taste of the pork with bamboo shoots as well as a lovely oyster and tofu dish that hooked me. They presented local food deliciously and was a perfect way to finish off more than a week of work here.

Chan Chi Hot Pots Lab in Taipei, Taiwan

One would never be able to tell by lookng at the grim decor here that this place has a one month waitlist to get in (60 Heping East Road Section 3, 02-2377-7799). Fortunately, I lucked out this afternoon with a walk-in after someone canceled, and was eager to see what the fuss was about, especially since I got turned away when I tried coming here last year.

I've gotta say that I was kinda let down, as the sliced lamb and beef that I ordered weren't the greatest quality, and the fish dumplings that I got were rather boring too. The broth, while fragrant with generous amounts of tofu and firm bloodcakes, didn't blow me away, and the condiment selection was basically just centered around shacha sauce again.

OK, there were two things here that I liked, in particular a local beer that they interestingly mixed with sour plum juice. They also gave out a cute ice cream dessert that was wrapped up like candy, presumably in the spirit of nostalgia. I'm glad I made it in tonight, but it wasn't worth the effort. Next time I'm down here, I should just go across the street to Longtail.

Dandelion Changbuqing Restaurant in Beitou, Taipei

There is a gorgeous new Buddhist temple called Guandu Jingsi Hall out in Beitou where a cute little vegetarian restaurant sits (8 Lide Road, 02-2891-9281). Our hosts took us here for this lunch set featuring local organic produce. Sure, it was light and will likely burn off pretty quickly, but it was fresh and came with zero guilt attached. The spicy dipping sauce and plum spread on those rice balls helped provide an assist when needed too.

Jiuxiang Tiebanshao in Taipei, Taiwan

This was a local teppanyaki place that I went to out of convenience (10 Zhongxiao East Road Section 4 Lane 49 Alley 4, 02-2731-6499). The best part of that set above was the beef, which was impressively tender and topped with huajiao. It was an unexpected way of seasoning it, but it worked. I wasn't as big of a fan of the wasabi-flavored salt that came with the seafood, but at least it was on the side and hence didn't ruin it. And I was consoled by the fact that they provided a free refill of veggies to keep things healthy.

Vicky's BBQ House in Taipei's Zhongshan District

Mongolian BBQ isn't very prevalent in Taipei these days from what I could see. But this one at the Miramar Ferris Wheel was not far from my next meeting, making for a convenient lunch (20 Jingye 3rd Road 5F, 02-2175-3800). And it was pretty good. The spread even featured things like local Taiwanese pork, not to mention a giant tub of leafy green basil! There were no sesame seeds, but I got my sauce combination right after one or two tries. Next time I should also try the hot pot option as apparently it features a homemade suancai fermented for 15 days.

Tenger ("Turn Up") Hotpot in Taipei, Taiwan

I had a craving for shacha sauce tonight, so I randomly looked for a hot pot shop in Google Maps and found this nearby (19 Keelung Road Section 1 Lane 147, 02-2756-6565). It was a lot like that Chudian Guowu shop from the other day with a very limited selection of condiments, but a wide selection of broths. I got some herbal chicken-based one that they said was their specialty. Surprisingly, there was a giant steak-like cut of meat in there, which was tender enough to eat, along with my order of thinly sliced lamb. It was also nice that they had a spread of veggies that they gave unlimited access to.

85TD at Taipei 101 in Taiwan

To be clear, that's not an egg yolk in the center; it's just a very tender yet firm and savory South African abalone from a place on the 85th floor of Taipei 101 (7 Xinyi Road Section 5 85F, 02-8101-0085). The restaurant is run by the team being Michelin-starred Tairror and is headed by a Michelin-starred chef, but the restaurant itself doesn't have a star (yet); as it's only Michelin-listed. Still, it was all very high-end with classy decor and attentive service to boot. Dishes like the sliced pork neck, conpoy soup, and wok-fried garoupa were all very delicately done, featuring high quality ingredients. The bar did a decent job of cocktails too.

My (Piece) Meal from Shida Night Market in Taipei

I wasn't expecting to find much after 9 PM on a rainy Sunday night at Shida, even if it was a night market. But I needed food before going back to the hotel, and this fish soup cart called Longquan Shenhai Xianyutang was open (7 Shida Road Lane 117, 02-2362-3729). And I'm glad that I tried it; the soup didn't look like much, but it was wonderfully fresh, crisp, and savory. I loved that they loaded it up with tons of julienned ginger, and would be happy to eat that again.



There was also a mianxian chain called Dagou that I spotted at 126 Shida Road that offered a bowl without intestines. Yet it still tasted deliciously savory, and was wonderful with a scoop of that potent chili sauce on the counter, not to mention a good lashing of black Chinese vinegar. Next time I should try that luobo gongwantang with daikon and meatballs in it.



And perhaps the most fascinating one of them all was a cart called Shashiji. He was grilling local sausages, but did them in what is called dachang bao xiaochang, or small intestine wrapped in big intestine. Basically, the "bun" was a sticky rice sausage (I'm assuming that there was actually no small intestine involved). It was fun to eat, but next time I need to keep in mind that they are pretty darned filling. Hopefully I can find a stall that doesn't use kyuri cucumbers in there; the heat from the rice totally ruins them.

Xiaohun Mianpu Master Spicy Noodle in Taiwan

I was kinda bummed when this arrived, as that broth wasn't anywhere as red as it was in the photo on the menu. The good thing though was that it tasted better than it looked, with a decently fragrant broth with tender slices of thin meat, as well as noodles that weren't overcooked. I wouldn't go out of my way for it, but I'd eat at this chain again if there is nothing else around.

Xiaoletian Dumpling Store in Taipei, Taiwan

Zhajiangmian is one of those things that I've struggled to appreciate, despite having had an enjoyable bowl many years ago. It's not unlike my experience with Korean jjajangmyeon, which has also been hit or miss. Nonetheless, I grabbed a bowl of zhajiangmian when I passed by this random shop on the way back tonight, hoping that it might change my opinion for the better. It's too bad then that the thick dark sauce was still a bore on top of those soft noodles. But these guys had an awesome chili oil that brightened this up. I had more fun with their spread of side dishes, especially when using that same chili oil on it.

Tianqiaoxia Doujiang Zhījia in Taipei, Taiwan

This is a random doujiang youtiao place that we came across on foot (480 Zhongxiao East Road Section 5, 02-2725-3221). I can't make much of a comparison to places like Fu Hang, but everything we had did the job, particularly the danbing. Interestingly, the jiucai hezi here was deep fried with a thick curry puff-like pastry. It was fine, but I was expecting something thinner.