I know they’re famous for their herbal roasted duck but trust me on this, their Marmite Chicken is something I highly recommend getting. It’s crunchy, succulent and coated in a sticky-sweet molasses-like glaze that provides both a savory and umami kick.
Most people come for the tonkatsu but trust me, once you’ve tried their Ebi Fry Ramen, you’ll be instantly converted. The soup base is heady, flavorful and chocked full of umami—almost reminiscent to Hae Mee but accented with Sakura prawns instead of conventional river prawns. The Ebi Fry is truly a work of art. Tender, crispy and just everything the average tempura wishes it could be.
No matter how tempting their tonkatsu is, give that a miss for a changeand opt for this instead. You’ll thank me later.
Founder and Head Chef Tan-San’s expertise and masterful skill shows in the way he presents his signature Tonkatsu made with premium pork loin. The fat-to-meat ratio is what makes it for me. Incredibly moist yet tender and juicy in all the right places. The way the crispy batter hugs onto the meat is impressive as well.
The set comes with refillable diced cabbage and Niigata rice. Everything at Hajime is made in-house from their tonjiru soup, their pickled cabbage to even their cabbage which they painstakingly dice themselves daily. If that isn’t testament to how much care and passion they dedicate to their craft, I don’t know what is.
One of the best ribeyes you can possibly buy at $15 and the best part is you don’t even have to dress fancy to enjoy it. This humble western food stall has been a go-to of mine since I was in primary school and the quality has never once dipped. Everything on their menu is good but I’d recommend gunning for their Black Pepper Ribeye. It comes served with baked beans, a slice of tomato and a potato croquette studded with cheese. Delicious.
Besides being a fun place to get properly buzzed, this popular night spot in Clarke Quay is also home to a repertoire of delicious grub. No, this isn’t your typical spam fries and chicken wings sort of menu (although I’m pretty sure they have them too). In fact, I dare go as far as to say that their food rivals some established bistros.
Their beef sliders are rock solid. ‘Nuff said. The patties are cooked to a perfect medium rare and everything component just works so well together from the tanginess of the pickled gherkins, buttery-sweet brioche buns to the creamy melted cheese.
$5.90 for absolute fried chicken heaven in a plate, the Super Value Meal comes with tender, boneless fried chicken, rice and a fried egg.
Rolling out modern Korean-Mexican food that’s both delicious and exciting, Vatos Urban Tacos is one I’d recommend if you’re hankering after tacos, margaritas and the like.
They cleverly fuse the traditional flavors of Korea and the zesty, punchy qualities of Mexican cuisine, presenting a menu that’s really quite unlike anything I’ve tried in both aspects.
I’m especially fond of their Kimchi Carnitas Fries, a Vatos original that sees crispy fries topped with braised pork carnitas, kimchi and melted cheese, as well as their Galbi Short Rib tacos. Their nachos are pretty bomb as well as you can see here there seems to be more shredded pork than actual nachos.
A unique noodle dish that features a delicious medley of prawns, pork ribs, sliced of hard-boiled egg and egg noodles doused in a flavorful yet tongue-burning chili sauce concoction, this chili mee is one that you should definitely try if you’re around Beach Road and looking for a satisfying meal.
It’s hard to describe the overall taste because there’s just so much going on with every single item executed very well, but all I can say is that you won’t regret it.
With fried chicken, waffles and burgers as old school and delicious as this, who even needs over-exorbitant Shake Shack and A&W?
As far as prawn noodles go here in Singapore, very few come close to how full-bodied and flavorful their soup is but what a shame they now charge for additional soup top-ups.
Brimming with wok hei, underscored by a savory-sweetness courtesy of the sweet dark sauce added to give it its signature flavour and color, this char kway teow ranks high among one of my top favorites here in Singapore.
A long queue is to be expected regardless of whichever time you choose to go, but I promise you it’s well worth it!
This Thai delicacy sees pork spines served in a savory pig bone broth, accented with fresh lime juice, birds eye chili and cilantro (lots of it).
The meat comes off the bone with relative ease and is very tasty when eaten with the sourish broth. I typically have it with rice until recently when I decided to go all #YOLO and ordered a platter of crispy fried mantou. Trust me, it may seem like your ordinary mantou but somehow they manage to fry it so perfectly golden and crispy that it stands up well by itself. Order it the next time you visit, you’ll be glad you did.
Name me a pork dish more frighteningly alluring than this. Go on, I’ll wait.
