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In Chinese it’s called 水粿, which is “water cake” translated directly. The batter, made from a mixture of rice, wheat and cornflour with of course water, releases water when heated (thus the name), and in the process creates a depression in the middle which gives the signature naked look. Jian Bo’s kuehs have a lovely mild translucence to it, and are so soft that it breaks apart when you lift too big a piece with the bamboo picks.
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The cai po taste best when fried with garlic, shallots, sesame seeds and dried shrimp, and the fragrant hint of the latter is probably what draws the Tiong Bahru hawker crowd. I love my chwee kueh with heaps of cai po, never mind the oil that drains off eventually… I usually try to scrape it aside 😬
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It’s not a common dish at hawker centres these days, so I’m really happy to be able to feast on this for the #BurppleTiongBahruMarket assignment! Look out for #Burpple’s next #BurppleTastemakerSGuides coming soon 😉

Braised pork with rice or 卤肉饭 is one of the main classics of Taiwanese comfort food, something that every regular restaurant in Taipei would have, and never fails to taste delicious no matter how simple it looks. I’m glad that this version with a Southeast Asian touch is equally yummy to what I’ve had in Taiwan.
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You know how good satay must have a right ratio of fat-to-meat? I felt that the braised pork belly kind of fulfilled that same criteria with the tender soy-sauce-soaked meat vs the melt-in-your-mouth fat that’s not too heavy on the palate. The Penang touch of this dish comes from the “achar” added that not only made it more visually enticing, but the pickled vegetables acted asa palate cleanser. Curry sauce was added on by optional request to the mixed white and brown rice for extra spiciness!
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My office will be moving to Bugis in December. It’s an ideal place for lunch options, but it’s sad to finally bid goodbye to Tanjong Pagar where I’ve been working at for 10 years. I’ve been posting pictures of my daily lunches on my ig stories and will do so till the start of December. This 卤肉饭will definitely be one thing I’ll miss. #byetgpagar #Burpple

The latter was what caught my eye some nights ago trying to find dinner at People's Park Complex Food Centre that wasn't 麻辣香锅.
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I didn't know it then, but apparently I was very lucky that there wasn't any queue that rainy night! As with all the other yong tau foo stalls in Chinatown area, the ingredients are fixed, so you only have a choice of the serving sizes. The list of ingredients on the board isn't exactly very explanatory anyway, I mean I get that there's minced prawn, pork and bittergourd pieces, but what are "white", "black" and "gold"? 🤔
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Despite that muddle, it soon became clear that I made the right decision as every ingredient tasted delightfully fresh and succulent. My favourite was one of the pork pieces that had bits of dried/fried sole fish or 'ti poh' mixed in. The piece that has chopped mushrooms with the minced meat was also very flavourful and mildly crunchy. The $4.50 soupy portion with the thin beehoon and 7 pieces was adequate for a satisfying full meal, and a $5.50 portion grants you two more pieces of the handmade yong tau foo. I was just a little bit taken aback by the bittergourd piece that was a lot more bitter than what I'm used to, so if you're not a fan of that, I think you can request for an alternative.
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I should mention also that their handmade meat pastes are available for sale! Something to consider for future steamboat gatherings... #Burpple

That explains why you’re salivating uncontrollably now. The people at Muchachos have certainly capitalised on this and are not shy about showing off their best ingredients… look at that heap of guac! 😍
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The Cal-Mex joint along Keong Saik Road is celebrating its 4th anniversary with a festive bang. Remember this date: 29 September, because that’s when you’ll be heading down with your friends to get their ultimate promotion of All Day 1-for-1 from the ENTIRE MENU. Super Nachos, burritos, quesadillas, anything you want, they’re gonna give you 2x for price of 1! Yes, that includes drinks too oooooh.
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If stuffing burritos down your own throat is your thing, why not try to get some cash out of that unusual talent? The person who devours the most number of burritos in 5 minutes will salsa away with $200 cash. You now have 10 days left to train. Otherwise, just watch competitive-eater Zermatt Neo attempt to stuff a 5lb/2.27kg burrito under 5 minutes into his pockets of abs…
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Thanks @burpple for the invite, and Jun and Cindy representing @muchachos.sg for hosting us with the generous amount of carbs! #Burpple

The Zion Road outlet caters to groups looking to have a night out over classic French cuisine and plenty of wine. Our charismatic hosts Philippe and Merissa made sure we're well fed and boy, did they deliver their promise.
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The first dish up was an eye-opener for me: Oeufs en meurette is a Burgundian recipe that has a poached egg surrounded by red wine sauce cooked with chicken stock, onion, shallots and lardon/bacon cubes. I relished the flavour of the sweet onion in the sauce, and tried my best to soak up the goodness with buttery croutons.
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Foie gras pairs well with fruity reductions that have enough acidity to balance the fat, and here we had it with griottes sour cherries soaked in Armagnac, a type of French brandy, which adds a nice sweetness to the seared goose liver. :
Bisque de Homard or lobster bisque, though not my #1, is definitely full-bodied - a tad too heavy IMO. I did like how they set the cheese, rouille and croutons aside for you to customise to your preference.
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After duck terrine with hazelnuts embedded, lamb saddle (pungent but juicy on a medium cook with smooth mash and ratatouille), risotto de homard (lobster concentrate but a bit too salty) and other outstanding beef dishes (sorry, don't eat cow), we come to the Confit de canard served with sarladaise potatoes. I've come to learn that the French are skilled at cooking duck-anything. The confit was wonderfully marinated with salt and herbs before being roasted to get the crisp edges and tender soft meat. The highlight was the potato slices fried with duck fat and garlic - this beats any McDonald's fries or potato chips out there! As sinful as it sounds, they were actually not that oily.
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Out of the 5 (I told you they were generous) desserts we had, the chocolate espresso mousse was one I kept going for as it somehow tasted fruity for me. I also enjoyed the apple tart for the thin flaky crust.
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A big thanks to @Burpple for the invite and @bistroduvin for feeding us with an epic meal! #Burpple

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It's clear to see why this dish is a megastar once I sliced through the patty... underneath that crisp brown shell are generous shreds of blue swimmer crab meat, very much like opening up the real deal. Even though our host Prashant said that they've toned down the spiciness of the sauce to suit non-local tastes, it is thankfully still hot enough to be more than passable by chilli crab standards. You can choose to have this burger with shoestring fries or mesclun side salad for $25.
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The newer items of the menu include the beer battered dory topped with yummy tomato and onion relish ($15), Sakura ebi aglio olio ($22), and the Big Breakfast ($22) for you all-day brunch lovers - it comes with fried kale chips and pommes noisette/fried potato puffs!
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Another new item is the Ondeh Ondeh hotcake - the bright green gelato scoop looks suspiciously alien, but rest assured it's edible and pandan-coconut flavoured. It could do with more gula melaka sauce so that it's easier to swallow the fluffy but slightly dry pandan hotcake (at the time of the tasting, seems like they have adjusted the recipe from more recent reviews).
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If in doubt, there's always their popular BRB Hotcake, a garden of strawberries, blackberries and raspberry strewn on a thick spongey blueberry ricotta hotcake. This is a filling dessert that has your tastebuds dancing from the tart berries then calmed by the cool creamy vanilla ice cream.
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Thanks Prashant from @artistrycafesg for hosting, and @burpple for the invite! #Burpple

At this stall helmed by a young lad/hawkerpreneur Keith Koh, comfort British stews and breakfast platters are the available fare - no fish and chips either.
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This English Fry Up Platter certainly left me gobsmacked. Ladies and gentlemen, for $12, I was given:
baked beans (meh normal)
two sunny-side-ups (oooh egg x2 I like)
smoked bacon slices (a tad on the salty side but I wouldn't reject just cuz)
two English sausages (cred building up now)
grilled cherry tomatoes (going past normal hawker standards into hipster cafe level)
mushroom and sweet onion relish (whut, who serves delicious onion relish in hawker centres?? This was da bomb)
toasted bun (so so soft inside and delightfully crisp on the surface)
and homemade potato hash, which I'll gladly have more of in place of the baked beans.
This plate would've cost almost twice in cafes, and some will not be able to even achieve the same level of awesome.
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Lad & Dad's meat stews and Yorkshire pudding were crowd pleasers at their previous home at Serangoon Gardens, and have been brought over to Tanjong Pagar (again, thank you foodie god) - guess what I'm having for my next lunch at Maxwell this week. Support our local young hawkers by hash-tagging #BurppleYoungHawkers to share news of their existence! #Burpple

Fret not, sandwiches are still the afternoon staple here, served with chips and salad when you dine in. The space seems to have retained about 80% of the setting from previous tenant The Daily Roundup, but if you've not been here before, just know that it's a much bigger seating area that allows you to have a more relaxed dining experience.
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Based on the Carnitas Torta sandwich that I had, I'd say the portion is a "regular" size compared to the ginormous original which can be enough to satisfy both lunch and dinner. I actually think I prefer this pulled pork version than PBJ's Cubano - it's not as savoury due to its "cleaner" profile, but the milder Mexican flavours of the mashed black beans, guacamole and ricotta cream were still palatable with the occasional jolt from the spicy jalapeño.
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1KS also serves salads and breakfast friendly options such as Acai bowl, Avo toast and Bufala toast. The healthy eating extends to their beverage selection of cold press juices and smoothies - I thoroughly enjoyed my Scary Terry that contains Maqui berry (similar to Acai but has much higher antioxidant properties), mulberry, blueberry, banana and chia seeds blended in almond milk, the latter which I usually dislike but the berry mix offsets the woody taste.
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They're now operating under soft launch mode till 17 August when they'll have a opening party! Tanjong Pagar folks are definitely blessed by the foodie deity 🙏🏻 #Burpple

Head down and find out more about what our local tea vendors offer:
@1872clippertea is the main organiser of this event, and they are launching a National Day series of teas inspired by hawker beverages.
@amuseprojects is quite well-known for their wine-inspired tea blends, my personal favourites are Merlot and Sauvignon.
I came across @infusiondevie at OFC's Farmers Market quite a while back and remember their distinct combinations of organic tea with Chinese herbs like ginseng and lingzhi. They're launching some of their new blends as well as cold brew that's bottled like wine 😜
@hellojuantea specialises in non-caffeinated herbal tea that uses herbs and fruits - you will surely be attracted to their rainbow coloured range! They've even collaborated with Cat & the Fiddle using the Energizing Orange blend for a special cheesecake.
I first got to know @hushteabar from a viral video featuring one of their tea appreciation events that was conducted in silence. The social enterprise is selling five of their best-selling blends at their booth.
@bopgelato created a flavour specially for #sgteafest using camomile and torch ginger blossoms, and is selling their signature white chrysanthemum flavour as well!
Food and drink are inseparable partners- pair your teas at the Teapitiam with tea-infused snacks from @birdbirdsg, @inthebrickyard and @onekueh_at_atime.
Thanks @burpple for the invite to this festival - do head over to their booth and flash your #Burpple app to get a set of cool foodie stickers!

Under #Burpple's invite, I got to try #CanvasGelato's entry for the competition!
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The small outfit in Central Square is offering a beverage and two types of dessert using three of Dilmah's wide range of teas. The iced tea may be somewhat of an acquired taste for some, but I enjoyed the herbal "liang teh" profile that stems from the Herbes de Provence and a hint of lavender added to the Ceylon tea. My friend (hand model lol) said that adding the milk helps to reduce the astringency that Ceylon tea tend to have.
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The Te-affogato replaces the espresso shot with Dilmah's Rose with French Vanilla tea, combined with a scoop of sour cherry gelato. This would be the perfect dessert drink in a Lolita tea party given the strong floral and fruity notes.
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The peppermint tea sorbetto is quite apt as a refreshing palate cleanser, but I'm not thrilled about the unpleasant aftertaste.
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Thanks @Burpple for the invitation, and Bryan from @CanvasGelato for hosting us!

They had a stall in the food court that occupied the whole top floor of the old mall beside Amara Hotel. That mall transformed into today's 100AM, but the old vendors have moved on to other locations - some still in Tanjong Pagar, most unknown. So it was a pleasant surprise to see them set up stall at the Tg Pagar Plaza Lvl 2 coffeeshop where I usually go for yong tau hoo!
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I have to admit that I wasn't a big fan of their curries before as I found them too watery. I'm not sure if they've intentionally tweaked their recipe or that my memory is failing, but the ones now seem thicker, spicier and possibly more generous with meat portions? They have the option of adding ramyeon/instant noodles - damn shiok! I've tried both mutton and chicken curry, and found both equally delicious. I'll try their vegetable curry next time when I'm on a "meatless" mode... #burpple

Out of the three Ugnuts we tried, I liked Berry Pockie the most. The girly donut is filled with strawberry pastry cream, then coated with raspberry white chocolate glaze, and adorned with dried rose petals, white chocolate pearls and crushed pistachio. The fruitiness is a welcome contrast to the other donuts that can get overwhelmingly heavy.