Opened by a trio of sisters from Indonesia, @threebygaramika is an unassuming cafe deep in the heartlands of Toa Payoh, serving traditional albeit subtly refined classic Indonesian dishes such as oxtail and gado gado.
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I tried their Ayam Bakar set, and thought it was good if abit small for the price. Obviously the star is the smoky grilled chicken, which was marinated in a sweet and savoury kecap manis-based marinade that was cooked till deliciously charred in places. The meat itself was still moist and tender. It came with rice, emping crackers, a few pieces of fried tofu, half a hard boiled egg, a tiny dab of green sambal and a rather tasty and delicate chicken broth. I don’t think enough chilli was given though.
Indelibly smoky and umami, the hokkien mee at Heng Heng Delights boasts the right amount of sauciness without being too wet. It comes with 2 big, firm prawns, slippery sotong and most importantly, lots of nuggets of crispy lard. It comes with a sour and spicy sambal that compliments the noodles quite well. This hidden gem of a stall also sells carrot cake and char kway teow, but unfortunately the coffeeshop it’s in is closed for renovation till 1st Sep.
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New Century Food House
Tampines St 81
I don't believe I've seen this anywhere else, this nondescript mom 'n' pop stall deep in the heartlands just might have something special here. The broad, soft sheets of flat noodles have been deep-fried till they've been transmogrified into impossibly crisp strips of crunchy goodness. Eat them quickly before they soak up and soften in the umami sauce. There's also regular horfun that's been expertly wok-fried and imbued with a nice hint of smokiness, as well as a couple of fresh, plump prawns in there that really accentuate the quality of the dish.
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Happy Wok
93 Toa Payoh Lor 4
A damn fine burger boasting a meaty grilled pureblood Wagyu patty, bacon, smoked tomato sauce, grilled onion, lettuce, cheddar and honey mustard mayo. Served with a side of salad and crisp fries.
The jalapenos and salsa make this dish, adding a zesty fieriness that lifts the flavours of the plainer elements on the plate.
The charred prawns are plump and sweet and pair extremely well with the house-made bright and spicy green sriracha. I know it sounds lazy, but it'd be even better if they came de-shelled.
Crispy calamari ranks right up there when it comes to bar food. These babies are coated in a paper thin, crunchy batter and pop in your mouth with bags of flavour. An absolute must order whenever I'm at @littleislandbrew.
Seriously some of the best ribs in town - sticky, moreish and fall-off-the-bone, the teriyaki stout glazed ribs are sweet and smoky without being cloying. The portions are very generous and one plate can easily be shared between 2 with other dishes.
Although packed with plenty of ingredients such as minced pork and roast pork slices, the tomyum soup could have been punchier. As it was, this tasted like it could have been made at home for cheaper.
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430 Upper Changi Rd, #01-05 East Village, Singapore 487048
With not much smokiness and the noodles fairly glistening with oil, this is edible but doesn't quite pass muster. There's at least 2 other Thai restaurants in East Village, so they have their competition cut out for them.
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430 Upper Changi Rd, #01-05 East Village, Singapore 487048
Essentially a direct port of King Of Fried Rice's existing flavours such as tom yam and X.O., but with noodles, this is good if you're hankering after the familiar flavours of King Of Fried Rice with a different carb.
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The noodles are just south of al dente, and coated in a nondescript if spicy X.O. sauce, but thankfully streaked through with a good amount of fluffy egg and onion. It's piled high with a succulent, very tasty chicken cutlet and fried egg, which if I'm to be honest, I enjoyed more than the noodles.
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Curly King
445 Tampines St 42
They do a mean Huevos Rancheros at @superlocorqmenu. It's packed with bright, punchy flavours and will satisfy without making you sluggish post-meal. They say you eat with your eyes first, and the purple pickled onion, green guacamole, red salsa roja, and the white and yellow of the sunny side up free-range eggs were a riot of colours that certainly piqued our appetite.
