Every Sunday is movie night but this activity was suspended recently as Valerie and Ryan are busy with the expansion of their school and wedding preparations. I was a little, sob sob… Okay, okay, I was in fact, very upset!

One night, after Valerie got home from work, she found some time for me, so mom and daughter chatted till about 5am! I told her I missed this family curriculum and last Sunday, it was dutifully re-instated. Who said acting pity won’t get you anywhere? It’s emotional blackmailing but I got what I wanted – time with my babies. It’s shameful but yay yay yay!!! ;-)

As I was working on a project I had to stay home to finish some work so the children went for dinner by themselves. I met them about 40 minutes before show time (Guardians of the Galaxy) and ate at Brisket King Beef Noodles @ Food Republic Shaw House.

“Food Republic believes that by providing excellence in Food Quality, a Holistic Dining Culture and Excellent Service, it will achieve its aims of overturning old perceptions of food court dining that is generally perceived as lacking in character, repetitive in choice and unappetising.

Food Republic aims to provide food from highly rated and well sought-after food stalls. While each stall has its unique character, it blends perfectly into the overall character of the particular Food Republic it is operating in. The entire package of scent, sound, sight and social identity will complete the dining experience.” – Food Republic

Brisket King Beef Noodles @ Food Republic Shaw House

Beef ribs and tendons are some of my fav food.

Beef Noodles Dry with everything – S$9
Came with a small bowl of delicious beefy broth.

I love the chunky cuts offered here, especially the tripes, instead of the thin slivers from other places.

The uncle recommended Kway Teow (flat rice noodles) so I had to go with that, I mean who else knows better, me or the vendor?

Noodles are easy one dish meal when time is of concern. I told my children that I would eat Toa Payoh Lor 7 Fish Ball Noodles @ Shaw Lido Makan Bagus but decided to walk around the huge food court to see what else they offered.

In the mid section of the air conditioned food court, I saw this stall with magnificent display of beef brisket, ribs and tendons as well as a few large clay pots steaming away on the back bench. I went to take a look at the beef noodle stall.

“要什沒?” (How can I serve you?)

I ordered a bowl of beef noodle with everything. I couldn’t decide between yellow wheat or flat rice noodles immediately.

“面” (yellow noodles).

Uncle replied, “Take the kway teow”.

Kway Teow it is!

The dry version’s sauce was light, not very starchy which I preferred the latter – I mentioned about my preference for stronger tasting food recently (flu? coated tongue?), but I definitely loved the way this Hainanese uncle (not verified, just my intuition) cut his meats. The tendons, brisket and tripe were uniformly sliced. You can tell he takes great pride in preparing the meal. I was getting some chilli padi and light soy when I heard him say “Not so much! Don’t pour all!” I shuddered a little thinking that he was scolding me but his tone was just like that. As I looked up timidly, he was actually instructing one of his workers not to dilute his broth with top ups. Phew!

The near cloudy stock was fantastically fragrant and rich, so much so that I risk Valerie’s health by insisting she try the soup broth sharing the same utensils but it was really that good! Valerie also fed Ryan some of the soup from the same spoon, lol…

At S$9, I wouldn’t say it is cheap but to me, there’s value in this meal!

So, it’s the soup version and not dry, the next time we eat here. It’ll be great if they sold rice with beef ribs soup. Gotta check it out :)

Brisket King Beef Noodles @ Food Republic
Shaw House (Basement).
Singapore 238868

Opening hours: 10am – 10pm.

Happy bonding :)

Click here to see my previous visit to Food Republic @ Lido Shaw House

“Why your one got so much fried shallots? The aunty must like you more!”

Two guys at the next table looked up from their meals at whiny me complaining about condiments. They were nice enough not to roll their eyes. They smiled at me, even seemed genuinely amused by my childish rant. When I whipped out my DSLR, one of them asked if I was photographing for a food or lifestyle magazine. I wish… No, on hindsight I do not wish. Not because I do not want to but because I know I’ll be asked to hit the road in no time, lol… To date, food photography, especially street food, is one the biggest challenge I faced.

Mee Soto Ayam – S$3.
My Mee Soto Ayam came without begedil, I guess they ran out as Washiyama’s also had none.

Mee Soto Ayam is a spicy Malay influenced noodle soup dish commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. When ordering Mee Soto Ayam, you can choose mee (yellow noodles), bihun/beehoon (vermicelli) or tanghoon (mungbean noodles).

In Indonesia, this dish is known as Soto Mie and comes with different variations. Mie Soto can be made of chicken, beef and/or offals such as “kaki sapi”, which literally translates to “leg of cow” but what they meant was beef cartilage and tendons. Beef tripes are also often used in this dish. The most popular Soto Mie in Indonesia comes from Bogor, West Java.

The yellowish stock (colour from tumeric) is made from beef or chicken together with some Asian spices. The dish is usually served with condiments such as jeruk nipis (lime juice), sambal (chilli), bawang goreng (fried shallots), vinegar, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), and emping (vegetable crackers). In Singapore, we replaced emping with a piece of potato patty called begedil. There’s also a variation called Soto Ayam where instead of noodles Longtong (compressed rice cakes), shredded chicken and soup are served with the same condiments.

Washiyama’s Mee Soto with a generous amount of crispy fried shallots.
I consoled myself that the stall was closing for the day and they were just dumping all their remaining garnish into his bowl ;-)

I had a side order of Fried Fish S$3.
Washiyama had a side order of Fried Chicken and Potatoes for S$3, too!
Now I really feel picked on.
Just kidding :D
The vendors are really nice people.

Malay Food Stall #2.

We had no intention for this meal but I was enticed by the photo on their signboard while I was in the queue to order my drinks. I asked the Malay aunty if they still have Mee Soto and she nodded. I heard begedil being mentioned, perhaps she was telling me that they ran out of it but I wasn’t paying attention.

When I brought the food back to our table, Washiyama got seduced too! He went to the stall. This time, the uncle served. Washiyama asked if they still serve mee soto (they seemed to be closing). The Malay uncle looked around his stall and said, “I think we have”. Cheeky!

So how’s the food? Amazing if you dare mix in more of their chilli sambal into the rich chicken broth. As for the fried chicken and fish, they were a tad dry. The potatoes had Indian cooking accent due to the kari leaves and certain spices.

Malay Food Stall
Address: Block 7, (inside Hainan 7 Kopitiam)
Tanjong Pagar Plaza.
Singapore 081007.

Happy eating :)

P.S. This is the same kopitiam where Ju Feng Garden Kitchen is.

See food from Ju Feng Garden Kitchen from links below:

Ju Feng Garden Kitchen 聚丰园小厨 @ 7 Tanjong Pagar Plaza

Ju Feng Garden Kitchen 聚丰园小厨 – Crab Promotion

Ju Feng Garden Kitchen – Dinner With Macro Kakis.

I am having tremendous fun in Project X (the job I’ve recently taken on) and acquiring lots of new photography and post processing technique along the way. I am back in “school” again but this time, the learning institution is more modern; not confined to a classroom, accessible any time and you can even choose the lecturers. My school is Youtube, lol… And if I still have any problems after the tuts, there’s my sympathetic friends, Y and Z, to count on for further explanation.

The monsoon season is about starting over here and I am unable to fully recover from my illness – keep getting caught in the rain. I simply do not have hands for an umbrella and it is not the culture for adults to wear raincoat here. I get home tired but happy everyday. I calculated that I should be able to finish my work by mid September so I’ve booked a nature park trip in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, for macro photography. I miss my macro sessions. I’m pretty sure the bugs miss me, too!

Anyway, I was on location and after a frustrating first shoot, we took a break and went to Everton Park for lunch.

Fish Briyani – S$5
The younger Indian man who served me was very polite.
The meal itself was pretty standard, fluffy basmati, fried fish with thick gravy and I requested for a side of fish curry.

We were meandering through the tables and I noticed a lot of office workers eating Briyani so I decided to try it. As we walked farther, we saw that there are more offerings. Z decided to have steak and finished everything on his plate except for the garlic bread. He didn’t even touch it. The bread looked good but I was too shy to ask if I could have it. Shy? Nah, I was too tired to eat by then.

Beef Steak – S$7 or was it S$7.80?
I forgot the price of his meal but it was definitely below S$8.
Lack of sleep equals bad memory and so I’ve been told.

After our lunch, we walked to our next 3 project locations. We spent nearly 7 hours climbing, standing and walking, with most of the time under the harsh weather – high humidity, hot sun and intermittent drizzles. My feet blistered. I’m totally worn out. That night, I slept like a baby. Didn’t even turn on my laptop. My children were surprised not to see me at my table. I’m usually editing till the wee hours. My body aches (am still sore) but it feels damn good to be useful and recognised! :D

Everton Food Place
Address: 7 Everton Park,
Singapore 080007.

Phone: (+65) 62201615

Opening hours: 8am – 12am

Happy working :)

See other eateries in Everton:
Polish Dumplings @ The Provision Shop At Everton Park

“Mom, do you want us to dabao wanton mee for you?”

“From where?”

“Tanglin Halt”

If I were to live on wanton noodles for the rest of my life, it has got to be from Guangdong Mian Shi.

I have eaten countless times and never tire.
Wanton Mee from Tanglin Halt Road. Block 48A. Market and Food Centre.

Guangdong Mian Shi is a small hawker stall located inside the Tanglin Halt Market & Food Centre (also affectionately known as Tanglin Halt Chap Lau or 10 storey HDB flats). Madame Chan Yoke Chan, in her 50s, has been helping out at her father’s stall since the tender age of 7, and nothing about the recipe has changed since she took over.

When the food centre was still operating under zinc roof before its facelift, I have been eating Mdm Chan’s wanton mee for supper almost daily until I left Singapore. This is the only wanton mee stall that I swear by even without the charsiu and wontons. Her recipe is old school but the flavour has withstood the test of time.

Old world charm food employed lard and without exception, Mdm Chan’s noodles are tossed in lard with crispy pork fat croutons, soy sauce, sesame oil and an old-style chilli paste. Her noodles are so full flavoured, they inevitably hit you with delectable mouthfeel that’s quite unforgettable. I could the taste the tartness of the chilli sauce made from pounded dried chilli paste. Mdm Chan confided that a little amount of haebee (dried shrimps) are used to make the sauce.

I am not a fan of sui kow (bigger crescent shaped dumplings similar to wantons) so we usually have a bowl of wantons instead. The savoury soup is packed with flavour that is undeniably of baby anchovies.

Earlier, I said I could eat the noodles without charsiu and wantons, and that’s because the latter two weren’t spectacular. Good as in ordinary but nothing outstanding. The noodles had none of the eggy fragrance and sometimes clump together but after a good mixing, the lard coated strands become more manageable. So what’s so great that I could live on it? It is the ineffable leading sauce that made this stall’s wanton mee a champion in my humble opinion.

I already had noodles for lunch but when Vanessa said she was getting wanton mee from Guangdong Mian Shi, I could not refuse.
So I had oodles of noodles that day!

Wanton Soup.
Ryan thought there were herbs in the soup which tickled us pink.
Valerie defended that Ryan thought all tasty soups contained herbs.
Ryan grew up primarily on Korean food but that’s going to change. In fact, he’s being exposed to all sort of cuisines since he and Val got together and he loved them all – Indian, Japanese, Thai and Western.

Wanton Mee – S$3.
This was a S$3.50 pack.

This bowl of wanton mee had been tossed so you can see the delicious sauce.
Isn’t it tempting?

Guandong Mian Shi (Wanton Mee 吞面食)
Tanglin Halt Market & Food Centre
Address: 48A Tanglin Halt Road.
Stall #01-04.
Singapore 148813.

Opening hours: Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
5.30pm to 3am (Tuesdays to Saturdays).

Happy eating :)

P.S. I heard from a friend that they are operating round the clock, but I have not been there during day so I cannot verify it.

See other posts on Wanton Mee below:
Koka Wanton Noodles 可口云吞面食
The Big Bird Chicken Rice Wanton Mee
Tanjong Rhu Wanton Mee 金记丹戎禺云吞面
Da Jie Famous Wanton Mee 大姐云吞面

Malaysia
Wanton Mee @ Restoran Chin Chin 晶晶面家茶室云吞面

Tony mentioned a no signboard fish ball noodles stall which comes highly recommended by Johor Kaki readers from Batu Pahat. He’d missed this stall during all his previous visits to Batu Pahat and was hoping that it would be opened today. As luck was on our side, the stall was opened for business that morning. I hope the taste hold up. – Semi Han

This minor road with stalls flanked on both sides is Batu Pahat’s Glutton Street.
Our interest was diagonally opposite what you see or rather where I was at taking this photo.
We were waiting for our grub!

We’re in luck this morning as Tony had on all his previous visits been unable to taste this highly recommended fish balls noodles (by Tony’s blog readers from Batu Pahat).
This stall has no sign board and so we shall call it “No Signboard Fishball Noodle Stall” at Glutton Street.

Mr. Lee and his family.
Mr. Lee has 40 years experience making and selling fish balls and also, the noodles (homemade).

As we were snapping pictures of the busy couple, Tony did the interview with Mr. Lee. The latter was patient enough to oblige us some answers as he twisted and turned around in the moderate working space, refilling more noodles as the pile dwindled and simultaneously churning out bowls of piping hot delicacy of hand-beaten fish paste that Mrs. Lee said was made from fish similar to “鳗鱼” (eel).

Handmade fish balls from 100% pure fish meat.

There was a “gamey” but not the bad kind of fishy taste to the off-white fish balls.
The outer “skin” snapped quickly revealing bouncy texture with each mastication.

The fish cake slices displayed the same characteristics albeit being deep-fried to produce an even more chewy skin.

At MYR4 for their big portion of tasty noodles and succulent fresh ingredients, I do consider this value-for-money!

Ricky noticed that I drizzled a tablespoon of the broth onto the noodles before taking pictures and later when we had the noodles, he was amazed that the QQ-ness (springy texture) of the noodles was unharmed and managed to remained al-dente. The chilli sauce from this bowl was just right for me. Those who had earlier said Ah See’s wanton noodles had balanced seasoning were beginning to concur with me that Ah See’s Wanton Noodles seemed “wanton” (pun intended) in comparison. No deliberation here, all agree that this was the best dish we’ve had so far. Loved it!!!

Kedai Makanan Swee Kee

By now I felt parched from the hazy weather (thanks to the annual forest-burning from Indonesia) and this refreshing pure sugarcane juice was a lifesaver.

Fish Head Curry that also came highly recommended by some of Tony’s readers from Batu Pahat.

In my humble opinion, the fish head curry was sweeter and milder in spices than I would like but it is a great dish when children and older folks (weaker stomach) are included in family meals.

Tony asked if there’s locally grown vegetables (not those from Cameron Highlands).
I’m not sure if the order taker understood him but we got this leafy greens known as 帝皇苗 “Di Huang Miao” .

Yam Rice had a few chunks of yam (according to Benny, I didn’t see or tasted it) but I’ve had better ones so it was ordinary to me.
Rice was not as fluffy as I would liked.

Double-boiled Frog Soup.

No doubt the Ikan Merah (fish), from Kedai Makan Swee Kee 水记炖品, was fresh and its flesh tender yet firm enough to give good bite. The curry did not exude “grainy” mouthfeel clueing me that it was probably made from powder rather than homemade paste. The sour came from assam and there’s curry leaves after-taste. I would consider this Fish Head Curry dish ordinary even by Singapore standard (Malaysian food has always had high regards from us).

I’m not sure if the order taker understood Tony when he asked for locally produced veggies but we got this leafy greens known as 帝皇苗 “Di Huang Miao” roughly translating to emperor’s sprouts. Pea shoots, in general, are not easy to cook as they can become slimy when quick-wok-stir-fry technique isn’t executed properly. The greens we had were stir-fried to a perfect crunch and nicely seasoned.

The Angelica sinensis (danggui – 当归) herbal fragrance permeated the air the minute the server took off the lid. Ricky took the first sip and sulked, “Tell me how am I going to go back to Sg food after this?” He was all praised for this herbal concoction. I agree totally with him on the broth and the appropriately balanced strength of herbs used in this dish although the flesh of the frog seemed tough and lacking in sweetness which I surmised its essence had been infused into the wonderful medium-bodied brew.

With one more round of sugarcane juice, Benny drove us to another part in Batu Pahat for a legendary snack we’d very much anticipated but had no idea it was quite out of this (ok, so as not to exaggerate too much) our world! See you in my next post :)

Our itinerary for 4th October 2014’s leisurely food trail:

Restaurant name: Tong Chuan Kopitiam 东泉
Address: 763, Jalan Batu Pahat, Ayer Hitam, Johor. Malaysia.
Map: http://g.co/maps/rnfm3
GPS: 1.917571,103.179409
Hours: 8.30am to 6pm

Restaurant name: Chop See Kee 張亞泗雲吞面
Address: 2, Jalan Jenang, Batu Pahat, Johor. Malaysia.
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/o4T2d
GPS: 1.853994,102.927668
Hours: 8.30am to 9.30pm

Restaurant name: No Signboard Fishball Noodle Stall at Batu Pahat’s “Glutton Street”.
Address: At the junction of Jalan Peng Kai and Jalan Soga, Batu Pahat, Johor. Malaysia.
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/pThRx
GPS: 1.854745,102.927206
Hours: 10am to 4pm (closed on Tues)

Restaurant name: Kedai Makan Swee Kee 水记炖品
Address: 70, Jalan Abu Bakar, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia.
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/eO8Z
GPS: 1.852606,102.928445
Hours: 12nn to 8pm

Restaurant name: Ah Soon Fish Head Beehoon and Pork Organ Soup 阿顺猪杂汤
(inside Kedai Makanan Minuman Ah Soon)
Address: No.5, Jalan Temenggong, Batu Pahat, Johor. Malaysia.
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/fkTUA
GPS: 1.855185,102.929033
Hours: 11am to 2.30pm | 5pm to 10pm (Closed on Thurs)

Restaurant name: Da Bei Shui 大杯水 Kopitiam (delicious Mee Jian Kueh located there)
Address: Junction of Jalan Penjaja 3 and Jalan Penjaja, Batu Pahat, Johor. Malaysia.
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/MW79J
GPS: 1.858455,102.928998
Hours: Mee Jian Kueh stall operates from 12.30pm until sold out (usually at 4.30pm)
Tel: (+60) 012 732 0369  and (+60) 16-791 0503

Restaurant name: Yong’s Steam Bot Garden 海口泳池火锅
Address: No. 2 M/S, Jalan Minyak Beku, Batu Pahat, Johor. Malaysia.
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WQeQg (approximate)
GPS: 1.836086,102.926128
Tel: (+60) 07-432 3320
Hours: 6pm to midnight

Happy eating and bonding :)

P.S. Special thanks Benny for making this short video. And also a very big thank you to Tony of Johor Kaki Blog for allowing me to hijack the addresses and GPS coordinates ;-)

Benny has been bugging me about eating fatty food of all types. I think he has a secret mission to either get his or my artery choked! I gave up and gave in to his latest request – Pork Knuckles (PK).

It was Ricky’s day off from work so he joined us in this makan spree. Before I arrived, both of them already had a plate of “Orh Jian”, oyster omelet – another oily dish. Oh Benny!

We had other dishes also from Western Food 85 which I will blog next. Meanwhile, enjoy what I did with Mr. Henry Tay’s PK :D

Ricky was starved by the time I arrived.

Western Food 85’s Pork Knuckle Plate – S$16.
The Pork Knuckles was so good, I bought 3 more!
One for Cynthia and Dominic – Yup! We’re visiting for our free kopi again :) and two to bring home for my children.

Ricky showed me a function on my camera that can do multiple exposures and superimposed into one image in camera itself.
Cool!

While we were still in Bedok, I scurried off to buy some ingredients to cook dinner for my children later in the evening – Assam Pedas Stewed Pork Knuckle.
If you have time, make the paste from scratch (google for recipe online), also use more oil if using home-made paste as pre-packaged has oil in them already.

Lemongrass, Tomatoes, Chilli Padi (Pineapples, Cabbage & Brinjal or Ladies Fingers, your desired vegetables).

Heat one teaspoon oil, add lemongrass and stirfry till fragrant.
Add assam pedas paste, pineapples and tomatoes.
Add the veggies of your choice and stir for a couple minutes. Add 1 litre water and bring to simmering boil.
Add knuckle and simmer till tender and sauce thickens.

If necessary, add more hot water for simmering the knuckle till tender.
Keep lid on and slow cook till the desired tenderness is achieved.
Add salt and sugar to taste.
By the way, I’d sliced off the crispy skin before stewing the meat so as to retain crunch.

The other knuckle which I grill-toasted in oven with the fries.

Crispy shiok!

Serve the assam pedas pork knuckle with steamed rice.

Happy cooking, eating and bonding :D

Rochor Centre 梧槽坊

Rochor Centre (梧槽坊) is a building in Singapore built by the Housing and Development Board. It was built and completed in 1977.

Rochor Centre is bound by Rochor and Ophir Roads and Queen Street in the south of Singapore, just outside of the Central Business District. There are total of 4 blocks (Blocks 1 through 4). The first three floors consist of shophouses and offices. The fourth floor is a void deck, and residents stay from the fifth floor onwards. The top floor is level 17. Rochor Centre has over 180 shops that sell a wide variety of goods.

Rochor Centre is listed as a landmark to be protected by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. However, on 16 Nov 2011, the Land Transport Authority and Singapore Land Authority announced that Rochor Centre will be demolished to make way for the construction of the North-South Expressway by 2016. Residents and retailers will be offered relocation benefits to compensate for the change. The new replacement blocks will be Kallang Trivista, located near Kallang MRT station. The blocks will be bounded by Upper Boon Keng Road and Lorong 1 Geylang.

Info credit: Wikipedia

I imagine it must have been a coveted address when the buildings were first erected. The playground must have been new installation over the years. It seemed out of place in the “ancient” compound – too modern, I’d say.

Many have already documented this soon-to-be demolished premise with proper photographs so I’m freed to edit mine according to my feelings when I visited – old, sad and surreal.

HDB flats with common corridors are thing of the past.

The playground must have been a new installation over the years.

These “flag bearers” will become a thing of the past, too.

Most new flats do not have rubbish chutes in the apartment.
One would have to bring their trash down to a common dumpster.
One resident said this practice is better as no pests could immediately creep out into their home.

Inside my frame is Robin Choo, one of my photography kakis the day we visited.

On the left of picture was where my friends had their meal of wanton mee and economic rice.

That morning was hot and humid but it quickly greyed, threatening to rain. The dark clouds gathered and dampened my spirit as I roamed about the void deck of this old estate. The mood got sober and somewhat melancholy as our photography outing came to an end.

This was my first visit to Rochor Centre but I am sure I will visit again (especially to eat the famous wanton noodle from One Ton Me) before the vendors move out, with some as early as next year.

Date of visit: 16th November 2014.

Standard serving of wanton noodle from One Ton Me.
My friend, Jack, said “the noodle was good because of the chilli”.
It does have that springy QQ-ness I look for in noodles. I must return!

“Economy Rice, commonly referred to as chap fan or mixed rice, is thought of as a predominantly Chinese food.
It is what most Chinese Singaporeans and Malaysians think of when they refer to ‘home-cooked food’ as it is similar to what would be eaten at home, with rice forming the basis of their meal and accompanied by various cooked dishes.” – Wikipedia

P.S. I had a cup of tea with my friends (while they had their lunch) before leaving to meet my cousins for brunch at The Providore at Mandarin Gallery.

Food featured in this post are from:
Kwang Hui Kopitiam at Rochor Centre
One Ton Me
Economic Rice (sorry, don’t know the name of stall)

We were chatting about food on Facebook last Saturday when I “demanded” Stanley to bring me to eat the famous kway chap he had talked about many times. After learning about the nice kway chap stall in Tampines from Stan last year, I had gone there with Benny and Ricky but the stall was closed that day. A neighbouring stallholder informed me that Xing Yun Kway Chap only operates 3 days a week – from Fridays to Sundays. Good old Stanley acceded to my request and brought me the very next day!

Pronto at 7.30am, Stanley WhatsApped me, “Are you still awake?” He knew I was an owl. In fact, I have not slept since 6.30pm Friday. I was almost zombie-ing out and had hope Stan had forgotten our date.

Stanley and I.
Wefie taken on the way to Tampines Round Market.

I think we waited for about half an hour to reached 3rd in line.

While Stanley was queueing up for food, I was live updating on Facebook about our potential meal. I started teasing Vince that if he would like to do some macro that Sunday. Andy saw the word “macro” and quickly chimed that he was free and would like to go for it. I had sabotaged myself and remained deprived of sleep until Sunday night! We would all meet at 11am for macro photography at Pasir Ris Park.

Back on the food track…

This is the Kway in kway chap.

So what’s 果汁? It is definitely not fruit juice although kway chap and fruit juice sounds the same in Mandarin!

Kway (果) is the name of the broad rice noodle and Chap (汁) means mixture or assortments which in this case is the array of pork innards/offal, meat and some other secondary ingredients like hard-boiled eggs, taupok and salted vegetables.

How does one define a good Kway Chap? I don’t know but for me, a good Kway Chap meal consists of 4 parts.

1) It must have slippery smooth thin white kway (as in kway teow?). How thin? There must be translucency (not fully opaque) in those rice noodle! The texture should be delicately al dente so that they do not break easily in the broth (this is especially important when we buy extra kway so as not to queue up again for our seconds) nor should they “melt” in the mouth.

2) The broth that the Kway swims in is a diluted form of the richer gravy for the braised meats. I do not like it to be too herbal in taste so the spices used should not be heavy-handed. It should be subtle in aromatics, more savoury than sweet and thus complimentary to the silken kway. It should be “drinkable” to me.

3) The braised meats should be tender without losing hearty texture when masticated. The intestines should be thoroughly rid of any foul smell. I shudder at the thought of eating sh*t in the large intestines. Jokes aside, the meats must be well seasoned so that the succulent morsels exudes pleasant piquancy instead of bad pungency. The accompanying sides like taupok should not have greasy rancid oil after-taste which is a common trait. Salted vegetables (which we did not order that day) should be slow cooked till tender and be endowed with some garlicky fragrance. Hard-boiled eggs should be stewed long enough for the spices to penetrate into them. The viscosity of the gravy should be balanced, not too watery or gooey from starch added to it.

4) The dipping chilli sauce should possess sour tang and not too sweet nor salty although I do not mind it being very spicy (as in heat). I welcome sour from either white vinegar or lime.

I reckon this must be the Chap in kway chap then, haha…
A good Kway Chap Meal has 4 components to me.

Xing Yun Kway Chap 幸运果汁.
The queue seemed perpetual even as we leave.

Xing Yun’s Kway Chap had all the qualities that I looked for and so when Stanley asked me to give a rating from 1 to 10, I said 11. That’s because the boss came to say hello to me. I had a photo taken with him but I looked horrible so no posting here. Lol… Stanley wisely commented after I answered him. “I’m glad you liked it. We share the same taste in Kway Chap. We can explore other dishes in future.” His wisdom? There’s no right or wrong, taste is very subjective and to each his own. If you like it, then it is the best and it is all that matters!

After a hearty brunch, Stanley dropped me home to gather my macro gears while he dabao-ed food for his family. He picked me again for our macro session with Vince and Andy later that morning. See some macro photos on my next post or skip it if you are entomophobic or arachnophobic.

Xing Yun Kway Chap 幸运果汁
Address: Tampines Round Market.
#01-14, 137A Tampines Street 11.
Singapore 522137.

Opening hours: (closed on Mondays – Thursdays)
Fri – Sun: 9.30am – 2pm

Happy eating and bonding :)

The most recent photography craze I got into was birding. It is a very challenging genre in photography. As Evp David, a macro kaki, puts it: “Birding is another skill set in photography Semi Han, endurance and patience are Key…”

Both which I lack! But for me, it was the company that counted in outings like these.

The first taste of birding was in Pasir Ris Park on 15th March 2015. The owl postings in FB had caught the attention of experienced bird watchers in Singapore and I had to join in the fun. Then the sunbirds came along so I went again. The third and latest, last Saturday, was some Pin-tailed Whydah doing the mating dance!

I do not own lenses long enough for proper birding shoots but that did not matter. I made some new friends along the way and they kindly shared some tips which was applicable not just for birding but in photography in general. You know how one topic leads to another… So yes, I learnt a lot and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I have shot birds in Jurong Bird Park and Sungei Buloh before but these latest trips were for the purpose of shooting particular birds (the Spotted Wood Owls, Sunbirds and Pin-tailed Whydah. The Laced Woodpeckers were bonus!) in natural environment.

Let’s begin my birding journey shall we? :D

The Laced Woodpeckers were a bonus because we had come for the owl. My owl shots were too tiny with them so high in the trees. I went back to Pasir Ris Park again the next day with Leonard to shoot the owl and so they will be in my next post.

“Hey. what’s that?” I pointed!

Name: Laced Woodpecker (Picus vittatus)
Classification: Animalia > Chordata > Aves > Piciformes > Picidae > Picus > vittatus

Habitat: Secondary forest, Low-density urban, Parkland.
“The laced woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and perhaps Bangladesh.” – Wikipedia

“Sexually dimorphic, the Laced Woodpecker has a light olive-green neck and throat, darker olive-green on the upper wing feathers, with barred wing primaries and outer tail feathers, grey ears and cheeks and a black submoustachial stripe. The male Laced Woodpecker has a red crown and nape while the female has a black crown and nape. Like most other woodpeckers, the Laced Woodpecker generally feeds by clinging onto tree trunks and branches to drill for insects but Laced Woodpeckers have also been known to feed by foraging on the ground as well.” – NUSAVIFAUNA

The male Laced Woodpecker has a red crown

This is a female Laced Woodpecker; the gender defined by the more dull feather colours in comparison to its male counterpart.

The female has a black crown and nape.

I had trouble focusing so I literally shot 1000s of photos.

Laced Woodpecker (Picus vittatus).

This baby woodpecker was waiting to be fed.

Birding at Pasir Ris Park.
I was seated here taking photos and when I got up, the same injured knee from my incident in Yogyakarta reacted again.
The boys came to help me get up and we went for late lunch.

We wanted to go Hong Kong Family Restaurant in Elias Mall for cze char but they had moved without any notice! The other places for cze char was further along 623 Elias Road inside a food court and a kopitiam. We opted for the air-conditioned food court. There are many other stalls so we had an array of foods.

Dishes from an *Economy Rice Stall.

Bok Choy from the Economy Rice Stall.

Spicy Shrimp or Haebee Hiam.
This dish is made from pounded dried shrimps with chilli paste and spices.
It is then cooked over medium low fire for quite a bit of time. A lot of hard work goes into making this dish and thus commands a hefty price compared to the other dishes.

Cabbage – this is the usual style of cooking in an economy rice stall across the island.
We called this dish Ko Lei Chye or even Chap Chye, at times if there were woodear fungus and lily buds.

Omelet.

**Popiah as starters to our main meal.

Popiah is fresh Spring Roll or Egg Roll.

Sambal Sotong.

Salted Egg Yolk Chicken.

Fish Head Curry.

Washiyama, Alaric and Jimmy .

My friends and I started at 9am and ended our excursion at 5pm thereabout. I only managed to upload all my raw files after many hours and completed my editing at 4+am the following day! I was just too excited to sleep without seeing the end result of my photos. They were disappointing of course, so when Leonard said he would be going to shoot the owls in the morning, I said I would tag along.

Seafood Kitchen Pte Ltd
Address: Blk 623, Elias Road.
#01-01, Elias Mall.
Singapore 510623.

*Economy Rice – see definition here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_rice

**Popiah – see definition here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popiah

***Cze Char (Zi Char) is dialectal transliteration from the Chinese word 煮炒. See my post on it here: Cze Char 煮炒

See posts of my bird photography outing here:
Birds Of Paradise @ Jurong Bird Park 裕廊飞禽公园

Wow Wow West!

Sunday is undoubtedly family time for most Singaporeans. It is a day when most of the ordinary folks do their weekly wet-marketing, some with the whole jin gang of 3 generations along (see definition of a Wet Market and Whole Jin Gang in Singlish Dictionary, link provided below). In Singapore, most wet markets or “pasar” as we called them have food centres annexed to them. While the ladies and/or domestic helpers do the shopping, the men and children would be at the cooked food centre side of the complex. Going to the wet market can be a fun or frustrating event, a double edge sword when every member of the family is involved.

Heavy duty wet-marketing days are over for me since my children started employment. Their unconventional working hours meant they have to eat out more often than not. These days, I only shop for food at wet market on an ad hoc basis. I do, however, visit the food centres adjoining these pasar, frequently.

Last Sunday morning, Andrew and I went to Pasar 16 @ Bedok for Hill Street Fried Kway Teow. The stall had just sold out during our last trip there, and this time, they have not started business. We walked around the food centre and Andrew gave me a brief commentary of some stalls he patronises. He mentioned that there were a few good Malay stalls. I was intrigued because there weren’t any good Malay stalls where I lived and I was eager to eat some mee siam mee soto mee rebus!

We had mee rebus from Warong Jawa. The boiled noodles with potato gravy was a tad too sweet for my liking. Andrew said, “Don’t finish it. We’ll eat something else, later.”

Warong Jawa Stall #01-17.
Operates from morning till afternoon.

Mee Rebus from Warong Jawa.

Song Luck Noodle Stall #01-42.

Prawn Noodle Soup and Prawn Mee Pok (dry) from Song Luck.

The next two dishes of Prawn Noodles (pics shown above above) and Fried Carrot Cake (pics below) were undistinguished. The hot tea I had was also mediocre. The food wasn’t run-of-the-mill but they sure weren’t spectacular. The broth of the prawn noodle soup had plenty of crustacean flavour and needless to say, msg. The fried carrot cake was too mushy for my taste. We had quite a lot of leftovers. In between meals, Andrew would disappear and then finally returning with bags of food each time.

Original Changi Ten Mile Fried Carrot Cake.
Sorry didn’t capture the stall number but it is in the middle row of food centre.

Half and Half (Ebony and Ivory? Hahaha… :)
Fried Carrot Cake.

Sam and Vanessa polished off both the black and white fried carrot cake – compliments from Andrew. Tummy filled, they did not bother with the other package which sat on the table, left untouched even by Ryan and Valerie when they woke up. None of us knew what was wrapped in that brown paper. The children did ask, “What’s that?” But none of them opened it. I’m guessing it was the not so exciting mee rebus. “I don’t know, could be mee rebus.” That didn’t titillate their tastebuds. I kept the unexposed in the fridge.

The next day, as I opened the unknown package, I was pleasantly surprised to see smell the content. Yes, even though it has been chilled overnight, the coconutty fragrance of the aromatic nasi permeated the air. I got excited this time and hoped that it would taste as good as it smelled and looked. The vibrant red from the sambal tumis was a sight to behold. The fried ikan kuning (fish), chicken wing and ikan bilis (anchovies) still possessed a crispy golden brown complexion that was unwilted by the cold. I shifted the contents into a bowl carefully, so as not to excoriate its physiognomy. I needed to take a photo of it for this post ;-)

Nasi lemak can be eaten piping hot or even at room temperature. I decided mine would be lukewarm, as long as the sambal was feverish; so I kept vigil in front of the microwave.

The most unexpected tasty discovery!
Nasi Lemak from Warong Jawa “unearthed” the next day.

When Andrew said that he liked Warong Jawa’s Nasi Lemak, I had no idea it was THAT good! The warmed through rice was soft yet did not clump together. The savoury chicken wing, ikan kuning and ikan bilis did not go limp albeit I heated them in the microwave (normally they would become soggy). There was a paper thin omelet and a slice of cucumber, both negligible. But the sambal, heavens! Simultaneously sweet and savoury with multiple spices teasing the tongue, ending on high notes.  For me, a good nasi lemak is made up of 3 components, the rice (fluffy, tender, rich in coconut milk), ikan bilis (crunch and colour) and the sambal (not too sweet but must be sweet enough, confusing? The sweetness should be from loads of onions/shallots and not entirely from sugar). While Warong Jawa’s mee rebus did not create any waves for me, their nasi lemak was an outstanding umami combination of the 3 components I listed above. Step aside **Changi Village!

Seriously, the nasi lemak was so darn good, I told Andrew I wanted to blog it. He was kind enough to drive to the food centre to find out the address and take pictures of those I did not cover. Thank you for everything! :D

Pasar 16 @ Bedok

Bedok South Market and Food Centre (Various Stalls)
Address: Block 16, Bedok South Road.
Singapore 460016.

Happy eating and bonding :)

The term *whole jin gang is ***Singlish and thus I must enlighten readers here ;-)
“whole jin gang, the /jin, dʒɪn/ n. or pron. [origin uncertain, poss. < engine gang a gang of people working on an engine; or chain-gang a gang or number of convicts chained together while at work, etc., to prevent escape]. The whole group, everyone.” Simply put, it means the “whole group, everyone” and in this post’s context, all the family members.

**Changi Village has been touted (and very much overrated to me) to have the best nasi lemak stalls.

***Singlish is a unique language widely used in Singapore, of course! You can get a taste of Singlish by browsing the Singlish dictionary here: http://www.singlishdictionary.com

See posts of other Nasi Lemak here:
Changi Village Hawker Centre
Royal Rumble
Indonesian Delights by Rita Lim @ Tampines St. 42 (no longer operating)

In Malaysia:
Happy Land Cafeteria (JB)
Jalan Jalan Cari Makan (KL)

See my versatile Sambal Tumis Recipe here
Nasi Lemak (Tumeric version and video clip)

Was it because I had it again immediately the next night without a cooling-off period that I did not find it delicious? No! I am used to repeat menu. So are the kids. If we like something, we can eat them daily and then some (for years).

I posted on my FB wall that “I’m still thinking of their Hokkien Mee with pork lard” yesterday and Valerie commented in the thread later that evening, “I’m **dabao-ing now”.

“Yay!!! Ask for the crispy pork lard and sambal”.

Dinner came but the noodles looked very different from what I had the previous night at Lao You Ji 老友记. The journey home did not dry out the gravy so I’m guessing the noodles were cooked al dente and weren’t soft enough to allow the gravy to continue to penetrate into them with residual heat. And here lies the difference with Singapore style Hokkien Mee versus KL style Hokkien Mee (福建面). Ours is soft and wet while KL’s dry and springy. To compare them is like comparing grapes and blackcurrant; they are similar but not the same. Know what I mean? It’s all personal preferences. As for me, I do enjoy both the wet and dry versions.

My only grouse with Lao You Ji’s Hokkien Mee was that eating the stewed noodles in-house tasted rapturous, how come it did not deliver when we dabao home? Maybe the cook thought he was doing us a favour 1) by not thoroughly cooking the noodles, taking the chance that the gravy would bore into them or 2) so we don’t have to wait too long for our meal. OR they were busy running a full house and needed the wok!!! After all, infusing takes longer time. I found the noodles lacklustre and was embarrassed that Val and Ryan did not get to enjoy it as much as I did last night. I apologised but Ryan was sweet enough to say it was not too bad since there were pork cracklings which made the sauce yummy (he didn’t complain but those crispy cracklings had turned soft).

Lao You Ji Hokkien Mee 老友记福建面.
We asked for sambal and they gave us 3 sets each of sambal, limes as well as chilli padi in light soy.

Seasonings are in the gravy and because the noodles could not absorb the gravy, they didn’t taste as good.

3 x S$6 each

Singapore-style Hokkien Mee is supposed to be softer, not al dente, either very moist or with some gravy but not soupy like that you see in photo above. The secondary ingredients consist of prawns, squid and sliced pork with some greens like chye sim (mustard greens) or nappa cabbage. Some eateries and home-style cooking will garnish this dish with crispy fried shallots and crispy pork lard. Sliced chillies with light soy is the favoured side dip.

Malaysia’s Johor Bahru-style is very similar to Singapore’s style in terms of flat noodles and gravy.

JB’s Hokkien Mee is most similar to Singapore-style.
Hokkien Mee is a “Must Eat” when visiting Malaysia, especially the KL-style!
This dish was eaten at Good Luck Restoran 泗湾幸运海鲜酒楼.

Kuala Lumpur or KL- style Hokkien Mee have similar ingredients of prawns and sliced pork but they use cabbage instead. The yellow noodles are much fatter, providing a QQ (chewy) texture, than those employed by JB and Singapore. Their drier version of this dish is usually charcoal-fried with lard, which most Singaporean and some Johorian hawkers have abandoned due to environmental (more likely cost and labour) and health reasons.

KL Hokkien Mee from Restoran Ahwa 新青山亚华福建面.
There’s sliced pork , prawns and cabbage.

A variant of KL Hokkien Mee using Rice Vermicelli (Beehoon).
This had been topped with lots of crispy pork lard as we requested.

Lao You Ji Fish Head Steamboat Seafood Restaurant 老友记鱼头火锅海鲜
Address: 245 Outram Road.
Singapore 169046.
Operating hours: Daily
5pm – 5am
Tel:(+65) 62215280

Lee Do Restaurant 丽都饭店
Address: 61 Ubi Avenue 2.
#01-13 Automobile Megamart,
Singapore 408898.
Tel:6742 2181
Opening hours: Daily
Lunch: 11.30am – 3pm
Dinner: 5.30pm – 11pm
Lee Do (Fuzhou cuisine) is famous for their cold crabs and prawn roll (my favourite!) but we also often have Hokkien mee whenever we eat there. I must find time to go to Lee Do. I have not been there since they moved to Ubi.

Where I had my Hokkien Mee in Malaysia:
Good Luck Restoran 泗湾幸运海鲜酒楼
No. 86, Jalan Telok Ramunia
Sungai Rengit
81620 Pengerang
Johor, Malaysia.
Tel: 0207 826 3555.
David Law H/P: 013 775 3555

Restoran Ahwa 新青山亚华福建面
Address: 66, Jalan 14/48 (Jalan 222),
46100 Petaling Jaya.
Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel:(+60) 12382 9895
Whenever we are in KL, we would drive up to PJ just to eat this dish. Also when I was residing in Subang, I had this almost every night for about a year!

Happy eating and bonding :)

Click here to see post on Good Luck Restoran 泗湾幸运海鲜酒楼.

Click here to see what is Fried Hokkien Mee (Sotong Mee), a dish that is quite uniquely Singapore.

*Braised Hokkien Mee is not the same as Fried Hokkien Mee a.k.a Sotong Mee, commonly found in Singapore’s street food scene. It is one of the 四大天王 (4 heavenly meaning must-eat if you visit Singapore) noodle dish in Singapore. The other 3 heavenly noodle dishes are Bak Chor Mee, Fish Ball Noodles and Char Kway Teow (those fried with cockles). Noticed anything? The dishes seemed Hokkien and Teochew (dialects) based.

**Dabao is hanyu pinyin for Chinese words “打包” meaning “package” usually, if not mainly, for food items only and adding “-ing” to dabao indicated Valerie was in the act of buying the noodles to go. That’s Singlish!

During Lao You Ji‘s dinner, Adrian arranged for our next gathering to be at his house. It would be a poolside party! We should each bring a bottle of wine and food would be provided by Ade. Very quickly, that day arrived…

I had wanted to bring Moscato but I saw Ade’s alcohol provision, there were some pink moscato already so I took this SB from my chiller.

Yap brought this bottle because coincidentally, PAYS is the acronym which we used in our group chat.
You may have already guessed, it stands for “Paulina, Adrian, Yap and Sam”.

I don’t know why but this photo reminded me of the song The Good Life by Sacha Distel.
I loved Dionne Warwick’s singing…
“Oh, the good life, full of fun seems to be the ideal…
Mm, the good life lets you hide all the sadness you feel.
You won’t really fall in love for you can’t take the chance…
So please be honest with yourself, don’t try to fake romance.
It’s the good life to be free and explore the unknown…
Like the heartaches when you learn you must face them alone.
Please remember I still want you, and in case you wonder why…
Well, just wake up, kiss the good life goodbye!”

Store-bought nacho chips and Adrian’s secret recipe mayo dip.
Wait a minute, he said there’s no mayo in this!
I had asked Adrian to contribute the recipe for this delicious dip which he refused :(

Cheers!
I love pink moscato!

Adrian.

Paulina.

Yap.

Adrian’s dad was on his way out to play bridge but we convinced him to have some sandwiches before the game.

One for the record.

Let the party begin!

Adrian made these ham and cheese sandwiches using a dinosaur cookie cutter.
Aren’t they cute?
I jokingly told uncle Oh that these were made specially for him, the dinosaur in our group.
Thank goodness he didn’t catch on what I meant!

Uncle Oh said he’ll skip the wine and sushi as he would be driving and that the recent rumours of eating raw fish making people sick had him worried.

No one seemed to be very interested in these supermarket mass produced sushi so I had most of them.
They weren’t the standards I’m accustomed to (yes, I’m a sushi snob) but even though I hate to waste food, I could not eat the sweet beanskin sushi.

All of my friends knew never to eat before my camera but Adrian just had to have a few to “mess” up my shoot.
Good old Paulina came to the rescue by rearranging the strawberries.
She knew I wanted “height”.
Such an attentive sweetie!

Adrian provided whipped cream and fine sugar for these berries.
“Sugar? How come not icing sugar?”
“Aiyah, you damn ma fun (troublesome)!”
I’m always the unappreciative guest but luckily I have adoring friends that didn’t kick me out.

Ross worked on the night shift and had just woken up from his slumber. He returned Adrian’s missed call and was now making his way to Ade’s house.

Adrain, “I’m going up to bring the beers down for Ross.”

“Ross doesn’t like beers. He would love some whisky, instead.” I went on to relate how I discovered that Ross didn’t like the former.

“I have some whisky.”

My lips curled with satisfaction.

I knew Adrian “collects” spirits and if I played my cards right he might bring out the better, if not best, ones.

“Got a friend to bring back half a dozen from Japan.”

Dang! I was hoping for Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 50. Was that asking for too much?

The pinks and whites were consumed and so we moved on to deep reds and rich ambers.

Nikka Whisky From The Barrel.
Nose: Medium-body with good balance.
There are notes of cut flowers and fresh fruits, spice and a little oak.
Palate: Full-bodied and punchy. There is plenty of winter spice and toffee, a little caramel and vanilla and a good mouthful of fruit.
Finish: Long, warming and fruity with a little oaken spice.

So I didn’t get my Speyside single malt scotch but Nikka Whisky From The Barrel is a real star in its own category. It won top prize at the World Whisky Awards not once but twice, in 2007 and 2010!

There’s a certain procedure for me to enjoy single malts. I would have a small sip of whisky and chew it with my molars before swallowing. If it’s not too robust, I will have it on rocks with tepid water on the side. My personal preference in drinking this Nikka, is to swirl it with ice and a few drops of water, to dull the alcohol which helped discriminate between gentle flavours from brioche to cherries. I found that on its own, it has very dry finish from pine to cocoa smokiness. Since we were still far from going home, I’m not going to let the high alcohol content of 50cl / 51.4% get to me before I had the chance to savour the famous Zion Road Char Kway Teow (CKT), the stall which is located within walking distance.

We have been talking about it (CKT) since we arrived in the early evening but it wasn’t until May came from work that we finally got the chance to hit on this meal. We had been “squabbling” who should go and buy. There’s always a long queue at the stall and none of us would move our butts citing we were already high. Ross was the kind soul. He had not had his drink yet and offered to go buy the cockles fried rice noodles for us. We even had special orders; Paulina wanted white kway teow (no dark sauce) and I wanted more cockles. It took a very long time before Ross came back with 6 packets of the upsized noodles.

“Wah, the wait is so long ah!”

The hero who volunteered to buy our dinner and had no dinner for himself.

May came from work and was just in time for dinner.

Paulina’s “White” Char Kway Teow.

The standard CKT but with extra cockles.
This was a S$4 packet but I did not feel there was extra cockles in them.

I’ve always felt that eating char kway teow on the spot where it is being prepared is tastier. Don’t get me wrong. This CKT was not bad tasting. I had eaten it at the hawker centre with May before. It’s just that the journey back took some time and the noodles had dried out. Still, there’s the lardy, slight wok hei fragrance and it wasn’t too oily. My only grouse besides the weakened temperature was the lack of cockles even though we paid more for it.

From the picture below, you could have guessed we didn’t bring tea-lights and we had to eat and pop wine corks with torchlight apps from our mobile phones. But I didn’t have to see it, I knew I only tasted 2 and to give benefit of doubt, 3 cockles!

Oyster Bay Sparkling Cuvée.
“Champagne” after Char Kway Teow???

Sparkling wines and champagnes should be drunk in the beginning but I think we must have finished everything and the girls went out to get more. I’m not going to let any sparkling wine make me throw up. I stuck with less gassy drinks and had the red that Yap brought.

By now, Adrian’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Oh were back from bridge and mahjong games, respectively. Mrs. Oh came to join us. The sweet lady (no pun intended) also brought us Corbeille Goncharoff baked goods!

“How’s the taste?”

“I liked the crumbly pastry but both the white and milk chocolate fillings were a tad too sweet for me.” I quipped. Forever, the demanding one… Sorry! But madame agreed with me :)

Corbeille Goncharoff Baked Goods (yup that’s the name).
Offered here only White and Milk Chocolates.

Ross had disappeared. He had had his fill of indulgence and went to sleep in the car. The rest of us continued to make merry until we heard a loud shout from a disgruntled neighbour. It was already past 1.30am. We’ve been at this since 4pm. It was time to go home. After all, it was midweek. People have to work the next day, you know? Lol…

I thank Adrian for hosting the party, bade his awesome parents and my dear buddies goodbye. May, the non drinker in our group gave me a lift home.

The next day Adrian texted, “I know Sam will be busy because of her grandchild due in August but if can find a date… I’ll do the *Abalone Maggi Mee.” Oh, the good life!

No. 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow 炒粿条面
Address: 70 Zion Road,
Singapore 247792.

Happy eating, drinking and bonding :)

*Abalone, whether canned or dried, is an expensive food item that required some care (esp. the dried) in preparation. Maggi Mee is the brand name of instant noodles most Singaporean grew up eating. These days, Maggi Mee is said to mean instant noodles although we might use other brands.

Click here for Adrian’s housewarming party post WHERE LOVE RESIDES… HARMONY AND HAPPINESS WILL FOLLOW

Click here to see LAO YOU JI FISH HEAD STEAMBOAT SEAFOOD RESTAURANT 老友记鱼头火锅海鲜.

Char Kway Teow Stalls I’ve blogged:
COCKLES AND NOODLES – OUTRAM PARK FRIED KWAY TEOW MEE

SINGAPORE CHAR KWAY TEOW 新加坡炒粿條

Paulina was picking out all the yellow noodles before eating. I’m sure she would love Penang Char Kway Teow, which is white and has no yellow noodles.
Click here for PENANG CHAR KWAY TEOW 檳城炒粿條 recipe.

Exactly one week ago, Mark invited me to join Alvin and himself for lunch. I had been asking around and have heard that Fei Lao’s horfun has one of the most intense wok hei in Singapore and that was where we were headed!

Mark gave me the address but I had no idea then that it was the same kopitiam I had gone to with Benny and Ricky. The taxi brought me to the back of the estate and when I arrived, I realised the cze char stall is located within the same coffee shop as Western Food 85 where I had the deep-fried version of German pork knuckles. The knuckles were so good, I brought Sam and Vanessa there a few days later and on a different occasion bought 3 pieces, one for Cynthia and Dominic to consume at Ho Tit Coffee Factory and the other two to be stewed with assam pedas gravy at home.

I saw Mark at the table but Alvin was no where in sight. I suppose Al was at the stall placing orders for our horfun but he returned with a bowl of curry chicken wings and a neat plate of mess.

Hainanese Curry Png and Curry Chicken Wings – $6.50.
Alvin had no idea of the breakdown but we’re guessing the curry chicken to be $3.50 and the plate of rice containing breaded pork cutlets, sunny side egg buried under the meat and cabbage to be S$3.

“I saw Hainanese Curry Png and thought we give it a try.”

“Sam said the pork knuckle is good, wanna try or not?”

“I ordered horfun, fish head and pork liver. Now with these two extra items, still can stomach the pork knuckles meh?”

“Can la.”

And they both look at me!

“Erm… We eat first?” I offered.

I don’t know why. I shouldn’t refused. It was very unlike me. But maybe it was a premonition for since that lunch till now, I have been down with flu through the weekend, followed by hacking cough and am still sick.

Mark and Alvin will be eating the pork knuckles soon but I can’t join them. Better not pass them my germs. The venue reminded me of our last meal which I have yet to post so I dragged my lifeless shell and started to work on this post. It is 3.15am!

Western Food 85 German Pork Knuckle Set – S$16.50.
Alvin and Mark will be enjoying this dish of deep-fried German Pork Knuckles at Western Food 85 later!

I digressed. Back on track…

Hainanese Curry Png is a very unique cuisine on its own.
I guess you can say it is one of the earliest fusion dishes found in Singapore.
The main components are rice, breaded pork cutlets (probably from the cook boys days where Hainanese men worked for the British homes and army canteens during the 50s), plain stir-fried cabbage and the gravy.
The gravy is made of two sauces: 1) curry that has been slurried with tapioca starch and 2) the braising liquid from Tau Yew Lor Bak (dark soy braised pork).

We started with the Hainanese Curry Png (png = rice in Hokkien dialect). The curry chicken wings were ordinary, maybe even slightly below standard according to my personal preference as I found it to be watered down. And if one were to argue, it could jolly well be the correct Hainanese-style consistency but this Hainanese lady here, that’s moi, prefers “lemak” (Malay for rich texture in food) when it comes to curries.

The sambal looked very different from the standard Hainanese Curry Png also. To me, it looked more Indonesian/Malay style but I am not complaining. I am not documenting heritage food so there’s no need for authenticity in my food. I am looking for tastes, fusion or otherwise that suited me and this ferocious looking red mound suited me fine! Looking back, that sambal could have irritated my sore throat but I loved it and will definitely go back for more!

Allow me to side track here a bit. We were taking photos and the kopi uncle (we call all the servers/owners of coffee shops kopi uncle or kopi aunty as a sign of respect since we do not know their names) asked if we were going to post on Facebook. He was amused 3 diners shooting with dslr (most uses handphones). Later, he told Alvin the history of the Hainanese Curry Rice stall. We had thought the owner to be away from his stall leaving his foreign-probably-domestic-helper ladies to man the stall. Turns out one of them, the Indonesian lady, is the wife of the late stallholder. He had passed on but she managed to learn from him and kept his standard of cooking! Except for the sambal (which is great btw) you will never guessed they’re not Hainanese-cooked. Is there such a thing that one can taste ethnicity in food? I think so. Because for some, if not all food, you just won’t get it right if you are not immersed in its culture.

The most delicious mess one can eat!
It has been a long time since I have eaten any Hainanese Curry Png with its address worth sharing.

There are no words to describe the above heap of gooey looking meal. That’s because I forgot how it tasted. I only remember how I felt after eating it… *Shiok!

I used to wait every night till the clock strikes 1.30am and drive to Upper Serangoon to eat Hougang Curry Png. The shop opens only at 2am exactly, not a minute earlier (could be some fengshui thingy). That was my nightly supper routine for many years until the old man died. The new owners did not cook well. They even used lousy grade rice as I chewed on sandy grits. I have tried many curry png after that – some were good and others, bleh! Not sure if it was sudden nostalgia or something else. I can’t put my finger on it but this one happened to excite me.

Seafood Horfun – S$15.

Stewed Fish Head – S$10

Quick-fried Pork Liver – S$8.

Total cost S$33.

The infamous Horfun known for its robust breath of wok!
Horfun, in Cantonese, is broad noodles made of rice.
The charred parts of the cooked noodles were obtained through pan-frying, either with some dark soy to “dye” or very high heat to scorch.
Needless to say, it is the latter method which produces “wok hei” that foodies go for!

I am really behind time when it comes to food cost in Singapore. I need to reconcile with current market prices. I’m still calculating in terms before I left Singapore and keep getting alarmed each time I asked for bill breakdowns.  No doubt there was a few sea cucumber (not a normal inclusion in horfun) but they weren’t top grade. My raised brows and opened jaws betrayed me when the lady said the horfun was $15. I felt that price to be a bit extravagant for a cze char noodle dish served in kopitiam but I must admit it was very delicious!

Will I eat this horfun again? Yes! But next time, I will ask for takeaway even when dining at the coffeeshop because it would be wrapped in **Opeh Leaf which will impregnate an awesome fragrance into the rice noodles.

By the way, did you noticed that the Horfun does not have egg ribbons in it? That’s because it is Singapore style! Wak Dan Horfun (滑蛋河粉 -the ones with egg) is said to be Malaysian style. We have it because most of our cze char cooks hail from Malaysia! I do not think Hong Kong Horfun has soft egg in it, too!

The Fish Head dish was not good. I had the last piece as the guys were filled and that piece was not cooked through. Yikes!

The Pork Liver was so so to Alvin. It was good to me as I could taste the “sweetness” of Huatiao (wine) and “powdery” texture of the organ but I would prefer them to be sliced slightly thicker for more hearty mouthfeel.

Western Food 85

Hainanese Curry Png (the one with red banner).

Fei Lao (Mandarin) means Fatty!
In the past, maybe still applicable, the saying goes, “Do not trust a skinny chef!” and most cze char stall cooks are known as “fei lou” (fatty in Cantonese).
As the name suggested, it used to be at Changi Lor 108.

You must wonder why I didn’t review the German Pork Knuckles. I have had it in 2 consecutive days and dabao-ed one for my friends and bought 2 home to cook. What do you think, nice or not? But best to eat there for the shiokadoonz crunch!

If you’re in the neighbourhood, just head up for Shiok Food at Blk 86 Bedok North Street 4!

Changi Lorong 108 Fei Lao Seafood 樟宜108巷肥老煮炒
Address: Blk 86 Bedok North Street 4,
Singapore 460086.

Tel:6346 4116

Operating hours: (Closed on Tuesdays)
Lunch: 11am – 2pm
Dinner: 5pm – 9pm

Western Food 85
Address: Blk 86 Bedok North Street 4.
Singapore 460085.

Tel: +65 90070531

Operating hours: (Closed on 1st & 3rd Wed of Month)
Daily: 12pm – 11pm

Hainanese Curry Rice
Operating hours: 10am – 3pm but I do not know their day of rest.

All the stalls mentioned in this post are located inside the same kopitiam.

Happy eating and bonding :)

Click here for Pork Knuckles Stewed In Assam Pedas Recipe using the pork knuckles I bought from Western Food 85.

“Bedok is a neighbourhood in the eastern part of Singapore. Bedok New Town is the fifth Housing and Development Board (HDB) new town.” – Wikipedia

*Shiok – is it Malay? It is likened to the state of perfect peace that comes when a craving is eliminated.

**Opeh Leaf or ‘upih’ in Malay language is actually the leaf-sheath of the Pinang tree (betel nut palm, the areca catechu). The pale whitish-yellow fibrous sheet was used traditionally as food wrapper before the introduction of plastic and styrofoam carriers in modern Singapore. Its come-back is making umami waves in our street food scene as foodies believed that wok-fried food packed in it is further enhanced with a slightly sour (good sour) and woody aroma.

Example of Opeh Leaf as food wrapper:

When we arrived at ABC, almost all the hawker stalls within sight were bustling except for one. That stall had a very long queue earlier and we wanted to wait out for it to be shorter but by the time Ross went over to place our orders, they just about half-closed their shutters. The lady boss apologised profusely saying that they had already taken their last order for the day and was waiting for the cooks to finish up dishing the last few plates. It was only nearly 8pm! Wow!!! I told May and Ross we must come back for it.

Jayden in the middle taking the final orders.

Well, we went back the following ***Monday. Ross and I tried to time our orders so that we could beat the dinner crowd while waiting for May to finish work. She made it in almost good time but I think the half eaten food (Fish & Chips and Chicken Chop with extra Chicken Cheese Sausage) was somewhat cold when May arrived. She didn’t mind at all.

May, “I thought you wanted to buy something?”

Ross, “Wait la… The queue so long.”

After a while, Ross got into the queue again at Wow Wow West to order a Beef Steak.

During dinner, our conversation naturally led to the topic of the relentless crowd queuing for western food at this stall. I wasn’t paying much attention until Ross mention the Yellow Ribbon Project!

After dinner, we saw the petite hawker going towards the carpark. That’s when I told Ross to “ambush” him. We did not properly introduced ourselves but instead told the stallholder that we came specifically for his food this night as we did not get to eat it the last time. I didn’t think he was surprised since he knew how good his business was but he remained humble. We chatted more and found out that Eric Ng has been training his son-in-law Jayden Cheong (who was in the banking line) to cook for about 2 years now. He intended for Jayden to fully take over the operations in the very near future.

Eric, “The youngsters have their ideas and ways of doing business.”

There has been serious enquiries and offers so franchising is going to be available pretty soon. Eric can then be able to spend his time doing more social work and fishing, both of which he is passionate about.

On the topic of social work, Eric recounted, “Once a phone call came while I was manning the stall. A depressed sergeant became suicidal and was at a block just around the vicinity. No one knew which floor exactly the sergeant was contemplating his jump, so I had to rush up the block floor by floor on foot. *By the time I was on the tenth floor, my legs gave way but I wouldn’t give up. A life was at stake!”

I then asked Eric what’s the connection to Yellow Ribbon. Although Wow Wow West is not a social enterprise, Eric hires ex-offenders let’s cut the bullshit and make it clear, shall we? Eric employs people with criminal records, people who has turned over a new leaf and **tattooed skins struggling to get back on track. Fraudsters and victims alike, he helps people in financial woes – gamblers who have gotten into trouble with loan sharks and drug addicts trying to walk the straight and narrow. “Anyone” he emphasised, “who is willing to work, I’ll hire them.”

Although Eric did not say anything else, I researched on him and found out more about his charitable heart:

* “By the time I was on the tenth floor, my legs gave way but I wouldn’t give up. A life was at stake!” We spoke in Hokkien and I thought it was funny at first when Eric said his “legs had gone soft” until I researched and saw the YouTube (Pt. 1 and 2) Postcard From The Heart (Walking With You) which I have posted below. You see, Eric himself was a suicide victim. By God’s grace, he was revived after 4 days.

Walking With You Pt. 1

Walking With You Part 2

According to Eric, “Wow Wow West” was named by a boy from Raffles Institution (an elite school) when he was operating there.

Chicken Chop S$6 not inclusive of the Chicken Cheese Sausage shown here.
I loved the sausage!

Listed on the menu which hang above the display shelf showcasing the cheese sausages, the Chicken Sausage meal is S$4. I don’t know if they come in a pair but I paid a total of S$14 for the Chicken Chop with Chicken Cheese Sausage and the Fish & Chips.

Dory Fish & Chips S$6.
This was also the dish I enjoyed best.

Beef Steak S$8.
When Ross asked me to try some of the beef, I asked, “Got gamey taste?”
These days, I am getting more and more sensitive to red meats.
Turn out pretty good on my end of the steak which was tender.
The other end which Ross ate was a little tough according to him.

Eric has appeared on TV and has unselfishly shared his recipes for Fish & Chips and Chicken Chop!

Eric with his wife Kathy and myself at their stall, Wow Wow West Western Food.

Jayden’s name card read:

Tuesday to Saturday: 11am – 8.30pm
Sunday: Serves The Lord

There is always U turn in Christ!

How’s the food? With Singaporeans’ fussy tastebuds and the long queue serving as testimony, what do you think? Also, there’s franchise talks going on but you can judge for yourself by watching the video above (if you’re overseas) where Eric shared the recipes of food he prepares for his customers. Cook it at home and be wowed!

Wow Wow West Western Food
Address: ABC Brickworks Food Centre.
6 Jalan Bukit Merah. Unit #01-133.

Operating hours: (closed on Sundays and Mondays)
Tuesday – Saturday
Brunch: 10.30am – 2pm
Dinner: 5pm – 8pm

Saturday’s dinner queue is super long so go early or be prepared to wait or be disappointed!

Update: ***An ABC resident was puzzled when I said I visited the stall on a Monday (21st September 2015). Thank you for bringing it up as I had forgotten to mention that it was a special week with the stall’s schedule re-arranged to accommodate Eric’s fishing trip. On hindsight, I was lucky or it would be the second time I miss their food. So please take note of their operating hours listed above or you may check their Facebook page (link below).

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowwowwestgenuine

Wow Wow West Western Food may be Serving The Lord On Sundays! But Eric is serving the Lord everyday by doing what he does. Amen!

Happy eating, serving and bonding :)

Other food stalls in ABC Brickworks Food Centre:
MA BO LOR MEE 蔴坡卤面 @ ABC BRICKWORKS FOOD CENTRE
ABC 煮炒 GU ZAO REN 古早人煮炒台湾粥 @ ABC MARKET

See other yellow ribbon/social enterprise here:
SOON HUAT BAK KUT TEH 顺发肉骨茶 @ 302 BEDOK ROAD (SIMPANG BEDOK)
ONE MORE CHANCE @ EIGHTEEN CHEFS

**Tattoos that are associated with triads and secret societies.

It was back in July on Desmond’s off day that we arranged to go shoot SG50 Golden Jubilee Fireworks Rehearsal. By the time we reached our destination, Jubilee Bridge was a sea of people! All the photographer’s sweet spots were already taken by fanatics who’d camp-out as early as before noon so Desmond and I had to make do with standing behind the horde.

Before the fireworks rehearsal began, there was the SG50 National Day Parade (NDP) Aerial Display which I was not shooting since I did not bring any tele-zoom lens, so I made use of this period of time sussing out who I know were in the crowd. I spotted Ben, Calvin and Seow in the middle of the bridge and went over. I told Calvin I was nervous about shooting fireworks as I did not get a single use-able shot last year and he kindly WhatsApp-ed me a list so that I have a record and can review when I get back to my position. That’s how possessed I am of my mental faculties these days!

Fireworks photography:

Quick recap!

1. Tripod.
2. Wide angle lens or fisheye (normal cases).
3. Shuttle release cable.
4. ISO 100-200 (max).
5. Focus at f14 – f16… once focused change to Manual mode to lock focus.
6. Switch to Bulb mode.
7. Wait for FW… Hold 3-5 sec for each burst.

You know what? He forgot to list CAMERA! Yes, lame but I can be an eejit when under stress and needed The Complete Idiot’s Guide To “How To Shoot Fireworks” 101. Hahahaha… Thanks Calvin for the precious tips! It is now safe and forever in print here in my hemisphere blogosphere. :)

Singapore’s SG50 Golden Jubilee Fireworks Rehearsal in late July.

It was not a “lucky” night for us as firstly, we did not get a good spot and secondly, the wind was blowing towards us.

The wind was not cooperative and blew into our direction. Metallic particles in the smoke emitted by fireworks got into my eyes and lens but I think the experience and shots were worth it.

Ben, Seow, Desmond and I gathered together after the fireworks. We were in dire need of water and food. We also have to beat the mad crowd which was starting to disperse.

Roads around the Marina Bay area starting from High Street, Coleman Street, St Andrew’s Road, Connaught Drive, Fullerton Road, Parliament Place, Stamford Road, Beach Road, Esplanade Drive, Marina Boulevard, Bayfront Avenue, Raffles Avenue, Nicoll Highway, Stadium Drive, Stadium Boulevard, Stadium Crescent, Mountbatten Road, all the way to Old Airport Road were closed! The road along Esplanade Bridge was filled with chartered transportation for the NDP participants. The only way out was to walk.

“What’s there to eat at this hour?”

“Somewhere nearby la. We have to walk and we’ve got heavy equipments on us.”

“Gluttons Bay? It’s the nearest.”

“Surely, it will be full house!”

“Lau Pa Sat?”

“Nothing nice to eat there leh.”

I cried out, “Maxwell Food Centre!” It was actually the furthest out of the 3 suggested places, towards Tanjong Pagar Road. And the crazy part was, I wasn’t even sure if any of the food stalls still operates at those hours, but the guys swallowed the bait!

After about 25 minutes’ walk, we were finally inside the food haven (by day) where most stalls were already closed. I had to quickly find a stall that’s still operating or the boys might rebuke me. Alas! I saw a queue at the far end and we proceeded like bees to honey. Singaporeans love to queue. It usually means two things – 1) that the stall is popular or 2) it is the only stall that’s open. At this time of the day, the reason for this small mob is anyone’s guess.

We scattered to buy our own food and by the time I went to place my order, lucky me, it was the last bowl! And only #4 was available. The photos below are from my second visit. I had #1 on the menu. I even had an extra bowl of sotong and pork ball soup this time.

Teochew Hand Made Sotong Balls Pork Balls Mixed Soup.
麥士威83号

There is nothing out of the ordinary when I looked at this bowl of noodle but then when I tasted it…
Wham!
Behind is an extra order of pork and sotong balls.

Take my word for it!
The sotong balls, pork balls with bits of tee po fish.
These are amaze balls!

The portion was rather small. My bowl of QQ mee kia dry came with one dumpling, one fishball, one pork ball, one sotong ball, a couple slices of stewed mushrooms and fish cakes and a small mound of minced pork. You have to ask for more chilli or the dish can dry up rather quickly without enough oil from the sambal, unless you prefer a “cleaner” taste. There will be no overwhelming oomph at first but take a bite into the meat ball and sotong ball and you will experience something divine I promise!

Take my word for it unless our tastes differ. These are amaze balls! I suspect they are hand chopped not blended. Everything is in those balls! And at 80 cents a pop (if you want extra, I can easily devour another 3 pork and sotong balls each), it is definitely not cheap but to me, there is value-for-money because the ingredients were fresh, flavoursome and solid! No frills, no fillers detected! Umami at its highest!

Teochew Hand Made Sotong Balls Pork Balls Mixed Soup
麥士威83号 。潮洲手工苏东丸 。猪肉丸 。什锦汤 。
Address: Maxwell Food Centre.
Stall number 83
1 Kadayanallur Street,
Singapore 069184.

P.S. This was the second time I ate this dish although I visited them 4 times (twice they were closed).

There are 106 stalls in Maxwell Food Centre. It is situated at the corner of Maxwell Road and South Bridge Road and this noodle stall is located nearer the South Bridge Road side, opposite Hoe Kee Porridge and Dim Sum.

Happy shooting, eating and bonding :)

See post on SG50 Golden Jubilee Fireworks here:
CELEBRATING THE GOLDEN JUBILEE WITH A BIG BANG!

Here’s a directory of all the stalls in Maxwell Food Centre with most of them operating in the day time till early evening as this is in the CBD area (near financial hub):
#01-01 – Maxwell Ban Noodle Fish Head Bee Hoon Fried Oyster 麦士威手工板面。鱼头米粉。蚝煎
#01-03 – Mix Vegetable Rice Porridge 肥仔杂菜饭。糜
#01-04 – Nan Sun High Calcium Soya Bean Milk 南山好立克高钙豆奶
#01-05 – Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake 洪家福州蚝饼
#01-06 – Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff 东陵酥皮咖哩角
#01-07 – Ah-Tai Chicken Rice 阿仔海南鸡饭
#01-08 – Fuzhou Fishball Wanton Mee 福记福州鱼丸云吞面
#01-09 – 熟食
#01-10 – Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice 天天海南鸡饭
#01-11 – Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice 天天海南鸡饭
#01-12 – Day & Night Herbal Shop 日夜滋补上汤
#01-13 – 天记粥品
#01-14 – Quan Yuan Fresh Fruit Juice 泉源林记生菓汁
#01-15 – Vegetarian 顺成
#01-17 – Tong Fong Fatt Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice 东风发
#01-18 – Pra Khun Thai Kitchen
#01-19 – Oriental Stall Duck Noodle Duck Rice 东方鸭肉面鸭肉饭
#01-20 – China Street Hainanese Curry Rice 中国街海南咖哩饭
#01-21 – Eng Hiang Beverages 永香茶室
#01-22 – Ha Ha MeiShi 麦士威哈哈美食
#01-23 – Hock Kee Food Stuff 福记食品 Provision Shop
#01-24 – 赌间口油条
#01-25 – Madam Jan’s Nasi Lemak
#01-26 – Pancake 翁翁椰浆米煎饼
#01-27 – Ho Peng Coffee Stall 和平茶室
#01-28 – Hum Jiu Pang 中国街咸煎饼
#01-29 – Foo Zi Curry Rice 福利咖哩饭
#01-30 – Welcome Food Stuff 侬来小食
#01-31 – China Street Heng Heng 中国街兴兴蕃薯旦。木薯糕
#01-33 – Beach Road Prawn Mee 老地方
#01-34 – Maxwell 麦士威
#01-35 – Marina South Delicious Food 濱海南美食
#01-36 – Joy Feast Beef Noodle 乐餐牛肉面
#01-37 – Wonderful Nasi Lemak 旺得福
#01-38 – Kim Leng Coffee Stall 金龙咖啡
#01-39 – Afternoon Tea
#01-40 – Maxwell Hainanese Chicken Rice 麦士威海南鸡饭
#01-42 – Roasted Duck Roasted Pork Char Siew Wanton Mee 肥仔烧腊云吞面
#01-43 – Kway Chap 友记鸭饭鸭面
#01-44 – Heng Heng Hainanese Chicken Rice 兴兴海南鸡饭
#01-45 – Ho Kee Porridge 和记粥
#01-46 – Ho Kee Pau 和记包
#01-47 – Soon Li Coffee Shop 顺美咖啡室
#01-48 – Hong Kong i Bean 香港冻豆花
#01-49 – 炎记
#01-50 – 福海（芳林）咖喱鸡米粉面
#01-51 – Swee Ting 瑞珍福建
#01-52 – Hong Xiang Hainanese Chicken Rice 宏香鸡饭
#01-53 – Fried Kway Teow Prawn Mee Friend Oysters Carrot Cake 炒粿条。炒虾面。蚝煎。菜头粿
#01-54 – Zhen Zhen Porridge 真真粥品
#01-55 – Rixin Snacks Delights 日新糕粿美食
#01-56 – Rojak Popiah Cockles 啰惹。薄饼。鲜蛤
#01-57 – China Street Peanuts Soup 中国街花生汤
#01-58 – Soon Heng (Drinks) 顺兴饮品
#01-59 – Peanut Ice Kachang 花生红豆冰
#01-60 – Somerset Delicacies 美味佳肴
#01-61 – Lim Kee (Orchard) Banana Fritters 林记油炸芎蕉
#01-62 – Zhong Xing Fu Zhou Fishball & Lor Mee 中国街中兴自制福州鱼圆面卤面
#01-63 – Aspirasi Food Galore
#01-64 – China Street Fritters 中国街五香贯肠
#01-65 – Fresh Fruit Juice 65新鲜果汁
#01-66 – 一家潮洲鱼粥鱼汤
#01-68 – Hainan Curry Rice 中国街咖哩饭
#01-69 – 69号茶室
#01-70 – Lei Cha 擂茶
#01-71 – 福顺锦记烧腊面家
#01-72 – Heng Heng Porridge & Rice 中国街兴兴糜。饭
#01-73 – Auntie Carrot Cake 安第菜头粿
#01-74 – Fishball Noodle 中国街瑞娥鱼圆面
#01-75 – Hu Ru Beverages 日新香记
#01-76 – Fried Sweet Potato Dumpling 日新香记
#01-77 – Fishhead Bee Hoon Sliced Bee Hoon 金华鱼头米粉。鱼片米粉
#01-78 – Drinks & Dessert Corner
#01-79 – Ho Kee Porridge & Dim Sum 和记包
#01-80 – Ho Kee Porridge & Dim Sum 和记包
#01-81 – Sunto Gyoza 三多饺子
#01-82 – Meal Nasi Lemak Set Bee Hoon Set 椰浆饭套餐。 米粉套餐
#01-83 – Teochew Handmade Sotong Ball. Pork Ball. Mixed Soup 潮洲手工苏东丸。猪肉丸。什锦汤
#01-84 – 848 Sugar Cane Fruit Juice
#01-85 – Sisaket Thai Food
#01-86 – Bean 豆
#01-87 – Rickshaw Noodle 中国街熟食拉车面
#01-88 – Beng Seng (Maxwell) 明成饮品
#01-89 – 南京街肉骨茶
#01-90 – 金成号饮品冰室
#01-91 – Lao Ban Soya Beancurd 老伴豆花
#01-93 – Bento King 便当王
#01-95 – Lian Cheng Coffee Stall 联成咖啡
#01-96 – vacant
#01-97 – 中国街合记五香贯肠
#01-98 – Teochew Rice & Porridge 新加坡河畔潮洲饭。粥
#01-99 – 唐人拉面
#01-100 – The Grean Lea Authentic Nasi Lemak & Chili Sambal
#01-102 – S.M.H. Hot & Cold Drinks
#01-103 – Hajimeer Kwaja Muslim
#01-104 – K3 Coffee
#01-105 – Ice Kiss
#01-106 – Bubble Tea

Vanessa is off to Japan this morning for a fashion shoot and before she left, we had to fill her with some good old cze char for a couple of days!

She googled and saw a post on zi char at 446 F&B 海鮮小廚. The blogger had convinced her we should give this stall a try. By the time we reached Pasir Ris Drive 6, the stall helpers were already doing closing but the lady was kind enough not to turn us away.

We ordered two dishes but found our choices dry so after the Marmite Pork Ribs and Omelet came, we placed another order for Hotplate Tofu.

Marmite Pork Rib King – S$12.
The coating sauce of the marmite pork ribs had an amount of sweetness which was dangerously leaning towards cloying on my palate.
We both liked the crispy external texture and although the deep-fried meat was not tough, they were on the dry side and that caused some discomfort to Vanessa after chewing a couple pieces.

Chye Poh Omelet (with preserved radish) – S$8.
Had decent wok hei and the saltiness was just right but a tad oily which is expected of this dish any where you go.

Hotplate Tofu – S$10.
The hotplate tofu had some gravy so that provided moisture to our otherwise dry meal. That said, I prefer the egg to be less set – a personal preference. Now that I know how they prepare this dish, I will indicate that I want runnier egg on my future trips.

3 dishes and 2 rice – S$31

To sum it up,  the Cze Char @ 446 F&B 海鮮小廚 is generally above average in comparison to other cze char stalls I have tried in Pasir Ris town. While the food was enjoyable, it did not possess any phenomenal wow factor we had been expecting. We’ve been too hyped up by the review “Best in the *East”, so that could have dampened our excitement and also my opinion of the overall meal.

Back track… Before, we placed our order, I saw a huge plate of fried rice (presumably for the staff) topped with crispy silver baits. I wonder if that was on their menu. I would like to go back again to try this fried rice and their other cze char dishes. Hopefully, our next meal there will be more tantalising!

446 F&B 海鮮小廚
Address: Block 446, #01-128.
Pasir Ris Drive 6.
Singapore 510446.

* If “East” means Pasir Ris and Changi Village only, then I agree this could be the best (keeping in mind I haven’t try a lot of dishes yet but a seasoned gourmand can guesstimate whether the cooks can make it or not). But! And a big but, I do not agree if the reviewer’s “East” included Bedok, Changi (not the village area), East Coast, Katong, Siglap, etc… etc…

Happy eating and bonding :)

Braising is often used extensively in the cuisines of Asia, particularly Chinese cuisine, where dark and light soy sauce  are the primary seasoning in the rich brown braising liquid. 5-spice and sometimes Chinese herbs may be used. Braised foods are usually meat/poultry based. Dried seafood and dried shitake mushrooms are also common main ingredients for braising. We usually eat braised foods with fluffy steamed rice because the delicious thick gravy goes very well with it. For my lunch yesterday, the delectable sauce was incorporated into the water for cooking rice to enhance flavour and aroma of the long-grained rice – hence the rice (in background of the photo below) is brown in colour.

The above photo is an ala carte set of braised meats – pork belly and duck with duck gizzards and liver.

I was undecided if I should have braised rice rice or kway chap but when the hawker told me that the big intestines were sold out, I dismissed kway chap and had the duck rice.

“While there are many variants, a common 5-spice mix are:
Star anise (bajiao, 八角)
Cloves (dingxiang, 丁香)
Chinese Cinnamon (rougui, 肉桂)
Sichuan pepper (huajiao, 花椒)
Fennel seeds (xiaohuixiang, 小茴香)

Other recipes may contain anise seed or ginger root, nutmeg, turmeric, Amomum villosum pods (砂仁), Amomum cardamomum pods (白豆蔻), licorice, Mandarin orange peel or galangal. In South China Cinnamomum loureiroi and Mandarin orange peel is commonly used as a substitute for Cinnamomum cassia and cloves, respectively, producing a different flavour for southern five-spice powders.

Five-spice may be used with fatty meats such as pork, duck or goose. It is used as a spice rub for chicken, duck, pork and seafood, in red cooking recipes, or added to the breading for fried foods. Five-spice is used in recipes for Cantonese roasted duck, as well as beef stew. The five-spice powder mixture has followed the Chinese diaspora and has been incorporated into other national cuisines throughout Asia.

Although this mixture is used in restaurant cooking, many Chinese households do not use it in day-to-day cooking.” – Wikipedia

An Kee Braised Duck Rice & Kway Chap.
Lunch for 2 persons – braised pork belly, braised duck and sides of duck gizzards and duck liver.

I was pleasantly surprised that we were given broth to go with our lunch. Hawkers seldom go through the extra mile these days. The soup was a little “bitter”, not entirely, but herbal kind of “kum kum” (tart) taste. The braising sauce was not overpowering which is good as I’ve said I’m sensitive to strong smell and taste and this fowl can be foul if not treated properly during the cleaning and cooking process. My friend Rick cn attest to that “no bad smell” because after we’ve eaten, he went to order a piece of nose! You know, bishop’s nose like the term for chicken’s backside! What do we call it for ducks? He said there’s absolutely no shitty aftertaste, but I abstained, lol…

The duck meat had good bite and bounce, same goes for the gizzard and liver. In the platter, I liked the braised pork belly best! The skin was rid thoroughly of any porky hair and the fat content ratio to meat was pretty “healthy”. I’ll go for a plate of braised pork belly and big intestines with plain rice or porridge on my future visits. And oh yes, I mixed the two chilli dips together and result was yumz!

An Kee Braised Duck Rice
Hong Lim Food Centre
531A Upper Cross Street, #02-18,
Singapore 051531.

Happy eating and bonding :)

We were on our way to Malacca, Malaysia to shoot the Malacca Straits Mosque but before that, we needed some foreign exchange and lunch. Steven said let’s go to Woodlands Centre a stone’s throw away from the immigration checkpoint, “There’s a great fish & seafood soup stall in the hawker centre that you may like”. Immediately, my mind recalled a post by Tony Johor Kaki. This dish was also replicated at home by Andrew who was kind enough to gave me some when he cooked them almost two years ago! I was getting excited now that I was about to taste the real McCoy!

When we reached there, Steven ordered one for me. Although he claimed this soup was famous (thus equating to great in my thought) he was not going to eat it. I wonder why? Something’s fishy going on here.

Yan Ji Wei Wei Seafood Soup 炎记威威食品.
Seafood Soup $6 (several thick slices of dory fish, 2 prawns, 3 meat balls).
Rice is an additional 50 cents.

Steven’s lunch of Charsiu Siew Yoke Fan (叉烧,烧肉饭).
The stall is on the same floor somewhere in the middle of the food centre).

Steven came back with his food and two cups of sugarcane drinks. He ate his Charsiu Siew Yoke Fan without event but professed that it was good when I asked him two days later.

After several minutes, my miserly-looking seafood soup came. There was a bit of mixed up during the order. We had seen other diners having seafood like prawns, crayfish and scallops (on half shell) filled to the brim of their bowls. Steven must have thought the menu is the same and that the different pricing are for S, M, L portions.

I took a sip of the broth first. Boom! The murky broth got my attention. It was rich with full-bodied umami sweet and savoury notes. I remembered Tony said that one of the key ingredients in Yan Ji’s seafood broth is the sun-dried Hokkaido scallops. I thought I detected gritty bits of tee poh fish in it, too! Tee poh fish is sun-dried flat fish that is usually added to minced pork or stock; it imparts a savoury sweetness to the dishes. Looking at those meat balls made me optimistic about my lunch! They looked nothing like the dreaded factory-made meat balls which I loathed. There were other chopped ingredients (i.e. mushrooms) and indeed, these balls were very yummy. The slices of dory fish were smooth and tasty. Although prawns are not my choice seafood, these were fresh and succulent!

Yan Ji Wei Wei Seafood Soup Stall 炎记威威食品.

It’s been a long time since I ate anything good enough to rave about in a post. Lunch at Yan Ji Wei Wei Seafood Soup 炎记威威食品 was so impressive that I told Steven, “This is one meal I would come back for” even if I have to travel 20km for it! Next round, I shall have the crayfish scallop version and yes, with lots more meat balls, too!

Yan Ji Wei Wei Seafood Soup 炎记威威食品
Address: Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre
Blk 4A, Stall #02-11
Hours: 11:00am to 4:00pm (Closed on Mondays)

Branch: BroadWay Coffeeshop
Blk 19, Marsiling Lane.
Singapore 730021.

Happy eating and bonding

Bak Chor Mee (肉脞面) or BCM for short, is a staple street food in Singapore. You can be sure that if one stall (selling any food) is successful, there will be many copy cats using the same or similar name punctuated with “original” or stories of some relations linked either through blood or previous employment. That’s not much of a problem except confusion arises when they are within a stone’s throw to each other. There are so many Ah Lim’s Bak Chor Mee in Singapore that when I was searching for the intended stall’s exact address, I came across a few funny distinctions to the noodle stalls/street names i.e. “Jin Tua Kong”.

According to Sg Forums (http://bit.ly/2uHjYqs) Jalan Tua Kong = “Jalan” is Malay word for road, trail or path and “Tua Kong” in Hokkien dialect, depending on the intonation can mean either eldest grandfather (the older brother of your grandfather) or solid/big. Therefore, “Jin Tua Kong” in Hokkien means “Really Solid!” but the most hilarious translation has to go to Google when one reviewer Mr. Ong commented “(Original) Must try 肉搓面” to “(Translated by Google) Must try rubbing the surface of meat”.

Ah Lim Bak Chor Mee (肉脞面) translation.

But Google is not at fault because Mr. Ong wrote “搓” instead of “脞”. And “面” can be face/surface or noodle. I’ll remember to rub the mince between my fingers next time I visit! Lol…

Definitions of 搓 (cuō) (http://bit.ly/2ufIg8z)
to twist
to rub or roll between the hands
rubbed
VERB: to rub or roll between the hands or fingers

Definitions of 脞 (cuǒ) (http://bit.ly/2uffViN)
NOUN: chopped meat
minced meat
trifles

See Mr. Ong Ken Gee’s original posting here (pls expand his comment): http://bit.ly/2ufEcoS

This article will give you more in depth of the Mee Pok War: http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/simpang-bedok-the-new-mee-pok-hot-spot

Ah Lim Bak Chor Mee starts at S$4.

Dumplings available at Ah Lim’s.

Mee Kia or Mee Pok, both wheat noodles, as usual are the popular choices when it comes to Bak Chor Mee…

…but Vany and I prefer Kway Teow (broad rice noodle) with lots of chilli and vinegar.

Ah Lim’s is one of our favourite Bak Chor Mee places to eat.

This is one of my favourite BCM which is located in Soy Eu Tua Coffeeshop. If I am not wrong, it is also the cheaper, if not cheapest among the competitors, which starts at S$4 a bowl. Both the mee pok and fish balls have good QQ (bouncy) texture that is al dente and crisp to the bite. The sambal also has the right amount of savouriness and the ingredients are generous. Still, I prefer kway teow because they soaked up the gravy providing extra oomph to my meal!

There were recommendations that the chicken rice stall also serves good roast so we tried. Not bad but I won’t go out of the way to eat this nor the Cendol that is also sold in the same kopitiam.

Ah Lim Bak Chor Mee
inside Soy Eu Tua Coffeeshop
1 Jalan Tua Kong, along 15 Upper East Coast Rd,
Singapore 455207.

Opening Hours: 7am – 5pm (Close on Mondays)

Happy eating and bonding!

If you’ve had Chinese Spicy Beef La Mian like the one I had recently, you probably thought this dish originated in Shanghai or Beijing…

The Lanzhou La Mian (拉面 pulled noodles) you see today was invented in 1915 by a Hui Muslim named Ma Baozi (马保子). And the thing that makes the beef stock delicious, is that it’s not made from beef at all. The best soups only use the meat of a yak!

Lanzhou beef noodles as we know the dish is said to have originated with Ma Baozi (马保子,1870-1955), a member of the Hui nationality, in Lanzhou at the end of the Qing Dynasty. He first sold his noodles of the street, and achieved such fame fame for their tastiness that in Lanzhou they became known as “Ma Baozi Beef Noodles.” In 1919 he opened his first “bricks and mortar” shop. Today, there are around 1,000 beef noodle shops in Lanzhou. The traditional characteristics of Ma Baozi Beef Noodles are said to be “one clear, two white, three red, four green, five yellow” (一清、二白、三红、四绿、五黄), a reference to clear soup, white daikon radish, red chili oil, green cilantro and yellow noodles. (The use of an alkali imparts a yellowish tint to the noodles, which use no egg.) ~ Gary Stevens a.k.a. Gary Soup (http://www.noodles.guru/2010/08/in-earlier-post-i-documented-my-love.html)

This spicy beef la mian from Tanglin Mall food court was a little tame. Despite its mild tasting broth, the flavoursome tender beef was quite refreshing and satisfying to me.

For a true taste of traditional la mian, trace the hand-pulled noodles back to the streets of Lanzhou.

A good bowl of Lanzhou la mian conjures its Silk Road roots. La mian translates from Chinese as “pulled noodle,” which refers to the athletic technique used to make the ribbons of pasta. It is also the name of an aromatic beef soup made with these smooth and slightly elastic noodles. A blend of spices and herbs—cumin, star anise, turmeric, and fresh cilantro—gives the broth a vibrant flavor and subtle whiffs of distant trading posts in India and the Mediterranean.

La mian (pronounced “la mee-en”) originated among the Hui people of China’s northwestern Gansu province during the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 C.E.). In that era, the provincial capital, Lanzhou, became an important commercial hub on the trade routes that brought Buddhism and Islam, along with an array of new spices and culinary customs, to central and eastern Asia. Over the centuries, la mian developed as a traditional food of Hui Muslims, who remain the prime purveyors of the dish.

“The Lanzhou la mian you see today was invented in 1915 by a Hui Muslim named Ma Baozi,” says Ma Xian, who runs Ma Baozi Niu Rou La Mian, a famous noodle shop in Lanzhou. Eventually, the dish became synonymous with the city.

La mian migrated eastward during the 20th century, and these days, pulled noodles are a staple of China’s working class in nearly every major city, eaten as an inexpensive snack at any time of day. In Shanghai and Beijing, hundreds of la mian shops stay open from daybreak to well past midnight.

The noodles are made by hand, in a familiar sequence of maneuvers and sounds that can be witnessed in alleyways all over China. The chef, dusted in wheat flour from belt buckle to skullcap, often puts on a show in his shop’s front window.

He slams a ball of dough onto a steel table, rolls it into a flour-coated cord, stretches the cord, twirls it like a jump rope, and smacks it on the table’s surface. With a magician’s adroitness, the noodle maker pinches the ends of the cord together to form a loop, then spins the loop vertically, causing the dough to coil around itself into a long braid. He smashes the braid on the table, sprinkles it with more flour, and stretches it out to its original length.Then he twirls, loops, and spins it again. As he works the dough, its proteins bind, adding strength and elasticity. And each time he repeats the steps, he builds a more complex structure of fibers along the length of the braid. He does this again and again, and with every repetition the strands double in number—8, 16, 32, 64—and become thinner and thinner. A dozen quickly executed repetitions can produce thousands of delicate, threadlike noodles.

From shop to shop, chefs incorporate different ingredients into their recipes. “To make the noodles elastic, you need to use an ashen powder made from peng cao, a grass that grows on Gansu’s high plains,” explains noodle maker Wang Chen Xiang, as he slaps and stretches dough in an old shop in Shanghai. “And the thing that makes the beef stock delicious,” he says with a smile, “is that it’s not made from beef at all. The best soups only use the meat of a yak – every good la mian seller knows that.”

How to Make Lanzhou La Mian
(SERVES 4)
Recipe loosely adapted from Ma Baozi Niu Rou La Mian

INGREDIENTS
1 pound dried Chinese wheat noodles
2 1⁄2 pounds beef, cut into large chunks (brisket or rump cuts work well)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
1 medium daikon radish, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
2 thumb-size knobs of ginger, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife
2 white onions, quartered
4 star anise, whole (optional)
1 no. 4-inch strip of cassia bark (optional)
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
3⁄4 tsp ground cumin
3⁄4 tsp ground turmeric
4 tbsp soy sauce
Salt to taste
Chinese black vinegar
Red chili flakes or Chinese red chili sauce (la jiao jiang)
1 bunch of cilantro, washed and chopped
1 bunch of spring onions or chives, washed and chopped

MAKE IT
1. Place the beef in a large pot of boiling water and cook for two minutes or until foam appears.
2. Drain the water and rinse foam from the pot.
3. Put 12 cups of water in the pot and add all the ingredients except cumin, turmeric, soy sauce, salt, and toppings.
4. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam from the surface, lower the heat, and simmer for two to three hours or until the beef is very tender.
5. Strain the stock and return only the liquid to the pot, setting the beef aside.
6. Add the cumin, turmeric, and soy sauce, and salt to taste. For a strong curry flavour, add more cumin and turmeric.
7. Cook the noodles in boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside.
8. Put the cooked noodles into four large bowls. Slice the beef and place the meat on the noodles. Add a dash of Chinese black vinegar, and a sprinkling of red chili flakes or a splash of chili sauce.
9. Spoon the stock into the bowls and top with generous amounts of cilantro and spring onions or chives.

Text & Recipe Credit: https://www.afar.com/magazine/soup-of-the-silk-road

Happy cooking, eating and bonding!