Andok's and JT's Manukan Grille from the Philippines

The basement of Lucky Plaza has a pair of chain restaurants from the Philippines that specialize in chicken. Andok's had something called litson manok, which was wrapped in foil and came out extremely moist. That brown sauce was unexpectedly mild though; I think it was based on liver, similar to what one gets with lechon. There was a spicy option that perhaps would've been more interesting.



My preference then was for JT's Manukan Grille instead, where the meat was not as moist, as it was a grilled style called chicken inasal. But it featured a pleasant lemongrass aroma. The red oil on the side looked deceptively like chili oil, but instead was a non-spicy but delightfully smoky annatto seed oil. And the soup was nice and sour. I liked JT's better.

Sushiro Singapore's "Japanese Hamo Fish 3 Ways"

This was one of the specials at Sushiro right now, featuring a saltwater eel from Ehime that was disappointingly coarse and bland. Or at least, the sashimi version in the middle was; the other two versions to the left and the right of it were overpowered by the brown sauce and batter. I assume that this isn't how it was supposed to taste and instead was just because I got it from Sushiro at the bargain price of just S$9.90 (US$7.70)

Trying Out PaperBakes in Singapore

The thing that you're not seeing in that otherwise boring-looking cafeteria tray above is the fact that the proteins at this small chain are done en papillote, including my seabass selection (they of course took it out of the paper before placing it in the tray). Yes, the fish was moist and delicate, which helped me to eat it easily along with everything else in that tray. But they were also boring enough that I'll go for the other sides next time, perhaps trying the chicken too. And I really wish they weren't so wasteful with the disposable packaging; seriously, why are a cardboard wrapping band and plastic lid even needed when they know I'm dining in?

Mojaban from Jeju Sanghoe in Singapore

I went back to Jeju Sanghoe and finally tried that seaweed soup this time. It wasn't really a soup though, as it was so thick that it was more like a sauce. And it was a bit underseasoned at that, although maybe that was intentional given the big tubs of salt and pepper on each table. The slices of pork were tender and it all mixed up nicely together with rice. Plus that gigantic tray of banchan meant that I left this place stuffed to the brim, all without carrying much guilt either.

Wang's Broth (Xiaowang Zhugua) in Taipei, Taiwan

The name of this chain sounds a little weird, but this is a Michelin Bib Gourmand known for that luroufan above. It was really good with those ultra tender and fatty bits of pork on top of firmly-cooked rice. It was mildly seasoned, but was indulgently rich and savory. That clear fish soup on the side was refreshing with those shreds of ginger, although that egg was surprisingly leathery.

This is actually a shop in Huaxi Street Night Market, but fortunately they have an outlet at Taoyuan Airport Terminal 2. It's not in the upstairs food court area where Moon Moon and Simple Kaffa are, but instead down at the gate level, sitting in a big food court near gate C4. There are quite a number of other respectable-looking shops there that I'm definitely gonna hit up next time.

Qiaozhiwei Shougong Shuijiao in Taipei, Taiwan

Those dark-looking dumplings in the middle might look a bit hideous, but they were actually the best of the bunch, as they were filled with a savory yet textured scallop filling, and was wrapped by a firm and moderately thick skin. The normal dumplings and chive dumplings in front of it were fine too, even if the dipping sauces and hot and sour soup were a bore. I don't know why Google Maps calls this small chain Takumi Dumplings, but the green scallop ones are worth going back for.

Linjia Beef Noodle Restaurant in Xinyi, Taipei

A local teammate brought me to this beef noodle shop after a meeting, saying that it was very local because of it being a bit difficult to reach (9 Wuxing Street Lane 281, 09-2216-3609). And it was really good, with not only ultra tender cuts of meat above plus thick noodles that were fun to eat, but also that broth was fragrantly accentuated with star anise. That dark chili oil paste was deceptively spicy, and the plate of sides like kelp, egg, tofu, and tripe were easy to eat too. Thumbs up.

JIN-ZHU Taiwanese Delicious Food in Taiwan

This chain of local restaurants was pretty good. It was a lot like Shishixiang from the other night with its big set meals, but the food was seasoned in a more delicate manner. I particularly liked the sanbeiji above, especially with all of the basil and ginger in there, not to mention the firm bloodcakes. There was a stir-fried oyster dish that was pleasantly briny, and a pot of daikon pork soup was refreshing too. Surprisingly, one of the prawns wasn't very fresh, but it came with big chewy noodles at least. And yes, I wolfed down multiple bowls of rice with all of this. This place is good, even if Shishixiang would be my preferred choice.

Keelong Noodle House in Taipei, Taiwan

This is a random noodle shop that I went to out of convenience (7-3 Qingdao East Road, 02-2393-8278). Those goose meat noodles above were at the top of the menu, so I grabbed one of those as well as a plate of those fried fish cakes that I saw a lot of other tables getting. The noodles were chewy without being overcooked and the broth was comfortingly hearty and accentuated with fresh shreds of ginger. I didn't like that the goose was lean and had bone fragments attached, while those fish cakes didn't get me excited either. But if I find myself here again, then I should try the fried rice that I saw a few tables getting.

Tokyo's Due Italian in Taipei, Taiwan

We needed a quick bite before our next meeting today, and this stall at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi hall A4 was conveniently nearby (19 Songgao Road B2, 2720-3369). I ate at their pop-up in Singapore many years ago and am not sure if the recipe changed to feature a fragrant mushroom-y broth, but this one was deliciously salty and crisp with firmly-cooked skinny noodles. The gooey cheese and Parma ham draped on the sides were fun and unconventional garnishes, although they were not important in the grand scheme of things. It was the broth and noodles that really made this bowl work. I'd like to come back to try their coriander and lemon bowl one day, as well as their chilled cherry tomato one.

Shishixiang ("Shann Rice Bar") in Taiwan

That might not look like much in the photo, but this chain across the island was impressively good. Most of what we had in their set meal was excellent, including not just those prawns above accentuated with refreshing sprigs of ginger and herbs, but also some delicious vegetables in a savory doufuru, some spicy thin slices of pork, or even just the sauteed cabbage. The key was how most things were savory and even a bit funky without overdoing it, which incidentally also helped fuel multiple bowls of rice intake. I'd be happy to go back, although I'll pass on the mapo tofu next time. That's wasn't because there was anything off-putting about the duck blood cakes that they included (they were very mild), but just that I prefer the dish to be edgier.

The Spicy Salami from Bad Habits Provision

We had a not-so-satisfying dinner nearby and felt the need to redeem ourselves by getting a slice of pizza here at Bad Habits. They said that their spicy salami above was something that they were known for, especially since they drizzled honey on top. It was fine; the honey added a nice touch, and the dry but crunchy crust was fun in its own right. But the beer was rather pricey, and we were still a bit miffed from that buzzkill earlier.

The Chimi Carne from Boronas by Fernando

This is maybe my second or third time eating the steak sandwich from Boronas, as it's pretty good. That's not just because of the impressively tender meat, but more importantly, the crisp yet chewy texture of the bread. It's also dressed up nicely with gooey mozzarella cheese, rucola leaves, and a punchy chimichurri sauce. I liked this better than the pork sandwich as well as that pretty mushroom bread thing.

A Few Items from Tapas,24 in Singapore

Here were a few snacks from Tapas,24 at Robertson Quay, with that tortilla being the nicest of them all being velvety smooth when eaten piping hot. The octopus behind it came in disappointingly small slices, but was edible enough. The gambas were the least exciting of them all, not because they tasted bad with all of that garlic and olive oil, but simply because the prawns weren't those wonderful morsels from Spain. The service was a bit spotty tonight, and the sweltering heat made the texture of things like cheescake a bit soft too.

Lead General Hot Pot (Shuaijiangjun) in Singapore

This new hot pot place at Tiong Bahru Plaza (302 Tiong Bahru Road #02-11) pitches itself as being from China, but I couldn't find much about it online.

Anyway, it featured a contemporary decor not unlike Haidilao, albeit without all of the frills and "happy birthday" signage everywere. The food was comparable on the surface, with most of it doing the job for us. Yet there were oddities like the tiny cuts of beef, small veggie basket, and limited condiment spread that kept this place behind its large competitor. They seemed to be understaffed tonight too.

Well, they had some attractively-priced combo deals that may be worth going back for, but my preference is for Malubianbian, especially now that Da Long Yi is gone.

Shaxian Snacks in Toa Payoh, Singapore

From what I can figure out, this Shaxian Snacks stall next to Niuhonghong (190 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh #01-532) is different from the one out in Bedok. And yet the Shaxian Xiaochi name is under some kind of local government control...at least, under the Shaxian Delicacies name. I'm not entirely sure if this shop is under that official umbrella either given that its red Pacman logo looks a little different.

Anyway, the wantons on the left were slippery smooth, and the bone stock it sat in was pleasantly rich. The noodles to the right weren't overcooked and were fragrantly earthy too. They weren't anything to go out of one's way for, but were still good enough to eat quickly with that nice dark chili oil. Next time I'll try the steamed and fried dumplings.

Two Michelin Stalls at Redhill Food Centre

I didn't realize it until after I sat down, but there are multiple Michelin-listed stalls here at this hawker center. One of them is a Bib Gourmand called Fu Ming Cooked Food (85 Redhill Lane #01-49), which does a local carrot cake that is deliciously scorched with caramelized shallots. They are cash only, but worth going back for, as they are definitely one of the better ones around.



Another one is called Redhill Pork Porridge (85 Redhill Lane #01-90), which was pretty good with its sludgy texture and hearty taste, all while being accented with julienned ginger. They provided some pretty generously meaty cuts of liver too. It's one of those places that's open early in the morning and closes when they sell out. I didn't get to try the other two Michelin-listed stalls here though.

Lee & Bai Chinese Buns & Noodles Shop from China

Not to be confused with Li Bai at the Sheraton, this is a steamed bun chain from Sichuan called Liyubai, located in the open air ground floor of the newly-built Guoco Midtown II building (20 Tan Quee Lan Street #01-01, 6514-0580). Four of their menu items were displayed prominently on the wall, so we got all of them, including those meat sauce noodles above as well as their braised pork baozi. Both of them were fine, with the former being spicy and the latter featuring a light dough. But Wowodian's sourdough buns were more unique. The thing that I liked more here was their tofu skin and warm soybean milk.

Netflix's Cooking Maniac at Seorae Jib in Singapore

Yep, I was drawn to Seorae (or rather, Seorae Jib after its rebranding) because of their collaboration with that Cooking Maniac guy from Culinary Class Wars. That sotpot above was one of his specials, with a few slices of beef and mushrooms on top of some nicely scorched rice. But the bright red fish sauce-dressed salad that it came with was not as good as it looked, as it was a little syrupy. This guy is known for pasta instead, right? I'd be interested in checking out his shop in Korea.

Horiginal Beef Poached Rice & Wok at CT Hub 2

This name of this place may be peculiar (14 Lavender Street #01-68), but I was drawn here because it was from the Hosay Mee Pok dude, focusing on paofan. Apparently there was more of a backstory though, as Horiginal previously specialized in local beef noodles. Only after I got served did I realize that this was basically beef noodles with rice substituted for the carbs plus some egg floss on top. Instead of the thin bright broth that I love so much, this was a dark and salty one that would've been better with their original noodles. Well, they provided a decent assortment of beef cuts at least, all with a good chili oil to dip into.

OK Chicken Rice & Humfull Laksa in Singapore

I wasn't intentionally going for back-to-back bowls of curry noodles today. But I've always been rather tickled by the name of this shop, and one of their outlets happened to be on my way home tonight. Yes, the laksa did the job with its rich and spicy curry as well as those impressively plump and savory cockles, thus living up to its name. And it turns out that the stall is halal.

What's interesting is that this chain also does chicken rice in the same stall. And since I still had some stomach space remaining, and I figured I'd give that a try too. But it didn't fare as well. I mean, the chicken was tender and the chili sauce was decently spicy. But the rice lacked fragrance and frankly the thing that I liked the most was the soup full of earthy shallots.

KangJi Curry Mee at Far East Shopping Centre

This is a bit of an odd location, but it's a little counter-based izakaya that does Penang-style curry noodles at lunchtime (545 Orchard Road #05-16). And it was pretty good with a nicely selected range of toppings in a rich yet thin curry. The skinny egg noodles that I chose were nowhere near as bouncy as Yong Chun yesterday, but the bowl was definitely a notch up from what you would get it in an everyday food court. It's too bad that they weren't running their air conditioner though, as I broke a sweat when wolfing down that piping hot bowl.

Korea's Ssada Gimbap in Singapore

This chain of gimbap shops from Korea has a few outlets in Singapore now. We tried it a year or two ago, but the sweet pickle-centric fillings never did it for me. So when we were at another one of their outlets out of convenience today, I was interested to see if that "fire" version above might fare better. The good thing was that the buldak sauce was spicy enough to leave a residual burn in my belly. But I also didn't like it enough to want to get it again, nor did I care for the other items that we ordered either.

Yong Chun Wan Ton Noodle in Singapore

This is another one of those places that's open super early in the morning and closes several hours later after they run out of food (115 Bukit Merah View #01-56). This plate didn't look like much when they first served it, but one bite of the noodles later and I realized what got the Michelin people excited enough to give it a Bib Gourmand designation: those fantastically springy noodles. They were awesome (and I liked the savory wanton filling too), but they gave such a small portion of noodles in my low-end S$4 (US$3) plate above that I need to remember to get the large size next time.

Teck Hin Delicacies at Ghim Moh Road Market & Food Centre

This chee cheong fun stall (20 Ghim Moh Road #01-30) is pretty good because he greases up those nicely-formed changfen rolls with an earthy shallot oil. He doesn't even bother with fresh scallions nor protein selections. It's just a generous amount of sesame seeds and a not-too-sweet brown sauce. It holds up well in takeout boxes and even gets a bit better when absorbing that oil over time.

Tan Jin Ji by Tanyaxue in Singapore

A hotpot place has opened up at Forum The Shopping Mall, and it looks like it's run by a big Chinese chain called Tanyaxue (583 Orchard Road #B1-39). Yet it bears the name Tan Jin Ji for some reason.

From what I can see online though, they do their soup in the same way: presented in dry form with a tall paper card spanning the pot before broth is poured in. Those pots aren't cheap, and only after it was served did I realize why: it's generously filled with ingredients like tofu and even chicken feet, making it a bit like Coucou whose stocks are filled with so much food that we ended up ordering a bit too many other items. They used some fancy serving platters here for some of their premium items, and the broth was decently spicy too despite ordering only the mild version.

It's not really somewhere to go back for though, especially given how uncomfortably insistent the service was. Our go-to spot will probably still be Malu Bianbian.

China's Yuanji Yunjiao in Singapore

So this big dumpling chain from China has opened up a couple of outlets in Singapore under the name Yuen Kee Dumplings. They've got staff standing behind the window wrapping dumplings and placing them nicely behind a glass case. There are a handful of fillings available, with the shrimp and crab roe wontons above apparently what they are the most famous for.

It's too bad then that I barely paid attention to the filling, as I was too distracted by all of that chili oil and peanut sauce that they put on top of it. See, it was the option for "viral mixed sauce with chili oil," which is translated a bit awkwardly but refers to being wanghong internet-viral rather than COVID. It was fine but a bit sweet, so next time I'll go with a simpler one to do a better comparison to Du Du Dumpling.

Boronas at Asia Square in Singapore

There is a Colombian restaurant in Tanjong Pagar called Latido that is supposed to be pretty good, but it looks too upscale for me. So when I heard that they had opened a small bakery stall in a food court, I wanted to check it out (8 Marina View #02-16). They had some some nice-looking mushroom bread sitting in the glass case, although I went for that breakfast arepa above instead. And it was pretty good with not just that spicy yet rich orange sauce, but also the gritty corn flatbread underneath that yellow egg. He has some beef and pork sandwiches on the manu that look promising enough to go back for.

Joyful Seafood in Singapore

I didn't realize this until now, but this everyday cze cha has many locations around the island. The food is hit or miss, with things like their egg foo young being rather greasy, while their paofan as well as that homemade tofu in front weren't particularly exciting. But those string beans in the background were a nice surprise, as they tossed them with some salty dried shrimp (the plate next to it is from Shiok Hokkien Mee, in case you're wondering. Anyway, it's just one of those affordable neighborhood places to hit up for standard cze cha fare.