My Lunch in Ang Mo Kio Today

I haven't been up to Ang Mo Kio in a while, but I was up there today and had a minute during my lunch break to check out Ah Jie Hokkien Mee (721 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8 #01-2811), which has gotten some attention for its young proprietors. The noodles were decently smoky with a potent chili sauce to boot. But the crackling was fried too long and that taste ended up being distracting for me. In that sense, I'd rather go to one of the Shiok outlets instead.



I still had enough time and stomach space after that to check out Heng Ji Traditional Teochew Noodles around the corner (722 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8 #8). This bowl was served by a very friendly proprietor and had decently firm noodles. It was tossed in a sauce that was not as processed as places like the 85 Redhill chain, but it was also a bit sweet. So similar to the other stall above, I was happy to eat it all but would rather go elsewhere.

Bonjour Ma Cuisine in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

I didn't realize this until after I had looked it up, but this is a casual brunch offshoot of Michelin-starred Ma Cuisine (39 Craig Road). And it was delicious, with that quenelle above being better than the one that I had in Lyon. Granted, that was many years ago, but this one was wonderfully savory and textured like eggs or firm tofu, and it was covered in a deep and savory shellfish-based sauce that carried a hefty dose of white pepper. Even a simple green side salad was wonderfully dressed and amusingly reassembled in a glass bowl. The quality of the food here is so much better than lousy Les Canons place and I'm definitely returning.

Sio Pasta at Raffles City Shopping Centre

A pasta shop has opened up next to Wowodian in Singapore, and it's been getting some attention because of its Michelin lineage in Japan. Yet, the prices are quite reasonable and it's casual enough where they do walk-ins only (252 North Bridge Road, #B1-16). The ingredients were pretty good, with a super moist chicken in their karaage as well as some fun and wavy ramen-like noodles in that mentaiko pasta above, putting it a couple of notches above Yomenya Goemon. But the batter on the karaage reminded me of KFC in terms of its thick texture, and I wish the pasta were more buttery.

Trying a Plate of Ishidai from Meidi-ya

Nakajima Suisan still supplies Meidi-ya, right? Well, they had these plates of ishidai today, and they were pretty good with their super firm flesh and slightly rich finish. Apparently these fish consume uni and hard shellfish, so that explains a few things. Meidi-ya also had a nice yuzujime madai today. Those thick cuts were not as firm as the ishidai, but they were also cured with yuzu and interestingly didn't even really need soy sauce. It all went down easily with my cheapie Hakushika nihonshu cup.

Bashu Sichuan Restaurant in Singapore

This place is a bit like Xiang Xiang in the sense that it looks like it's a big chain from China, but it's actually local to Singapore. In this case, it started in Bedok and now has a big outlet at Plaza Singapura (68 Orchard Road #06-07, 8090-7553). I never went in because of how aggressively they marketed themselves with taglines like "Best Noted in Singapore" with little gold plaque-like icons underneath.

Well, the good thing was that the prices weren't too bad, and one got half-decent food in a convenient location and setting, kinda like what Crystal Jade provides. The snob in me though didn't like the fact that the mapo tofu was a bit sweet, the chicken in the laziji was fried too long, and the qingjiaoyu above was not as smooth nor aromatic as I would have liked. So I'd rather go to places like Wowodian instead.

Hong Kong's Mi Dian by Kwan Kee in Singapore

Kwan Kee was a Michelin-listed rice cake shop from Hong Kong that has since shut down, but was revived by an apprentice in Johor Bahru and now has a stand at 313@somerset's Food Republic in Singapore. They are known for both the bowl cake and sponge cakes above (in both white and brown sugar variants), and also have a rather wide range of other rice-based treats. To be sure, these are sweet, unlike the savory ones at Ah Kong Wan Kuih. And admittedly, the taste is mild enough that I wouldn't have known about that Hong Kong Michelin listing had no one told me. I suppose the appeal is the texture, as the rice cakes are smooth and bouncy.

Ha Noi Station Pho at Orchard Plaza in Singapore

I didn't even know this place existed until I walked by tonight on my way to Soshiji. And as luck would have it, I couldn't get into Soshiji, so I fell back on this place, where my food came out in a jiffy (150 Orchard Road #02-61). I can only assume that this place was riding off the coattails of the Miss Saigon folks around the corner.

Yes, the bowl hit the spot, with a clean salty broth and minimalist northern-style garnishes. I still prefer reconsituted noodles instead of these fresh ones, but that's just nitpicking. This place offered a nice array of condiments including pickled garlic, and the gỏi cuốn worked for me too.

Deen Mee Combo House Mutton Soup

That probably looks a bit odd above, but it's basically a huge bowl of sup kambing that was thick, spicy, and greasy...in a good way, especially when going down with that firm long grain rice in the background. I only realized afterwards though that the thing to get at this stall was the "mee kuah" or namesake "mee combo." If I understand it correctly, it's a plate of noodles and rice covered in a reduction of the soup, and hence probably why my soup above was so thick and punchy. This stall at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre (84 Punggol Way #02-K57) is apparently an extension of a stall called Deen Combo Special at Haig Road Market and Food Centre.

The Hongwan Wanzamian from Xiao Noodles

If you look closely on the left side of that bowl above, you'll see something that looks like yellow peas. It seems out of place in a bowl like this, but apparently this is typical of how it's served in Chongqing, featuring wandou yellow peas done to a consistency and taste like split pea soup or even Indian dal. And that smothering texture was a very nice complement to the super salty (and rather dried out) meat sauce to the right of it. One other nice twist at Xiao Noodles is the free kaedama that they do here. It's quite a good value, if only it were healthier.

Courtallam Border Rahmath Kadai in Singapore

The very long name of this place near Mustafa may sound a bit odd (83 Syed Alwi Road, 6970-0596), but apparently it is due to its original location on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. And that fluffy "border parotta" above is what they are known for. It was slightly crispy and came with a super thin yet peppery salna gravy that was refreshing along with that earthy onion relish alongside it.

The other thing to get here is that shredded chicken dish in the background called pichu pota nattu kozhi. It wasn't as dry as it looked and was pleasantly peppery. Apparently the original location is known for using firewood for smokiness as well as self-raised country chickens. I don't know if all of that carried through over here at the Singapore outlet though.

The Seven Piece Sushi Set from Teppei

It's been so long since I've been to Teppei's original outlet that I've forgotten what he served here. Well, this sushi plate was on his list of specials today and I'm glad that I had it, as it featured good quality products and it was more interesting than the sets from those two Kuro Maguro shops nearby. Granted, the rice was a bit heavy on the vinegar, and some of these pieces were dressed up a little too much (the rolls at the top were covered in roe and also had crunchy tempura bits inside). Nonetheless, it came out quickly, and I was happy when I left.

Finally Trying Basil King in Singapore

This chain of hawker stalls in Singapore was apparently inspired by a social media dude's venture in Bangkok. There was an outlet near me today, so I went in to give a try.

The thing that gets everyone's attention is the eggs, especially since you have the option to get up to four of them in one go. They used chicken eggs here instead of duck eggs, but they were still the most distinctive thing on the plate. Yep, it made a visual impact, and it was also fun to eat because it was fried with so much oil that it was crispy yet gooey while also being tightly packaged.

The pad krapow itself wasn't that special; I wish it were more salty and less sweet, but it was still edible enough to eat quickly. Next time I need step up to level 4 on the spicy scale, as 3 was just too tame.