I'm divided. I can't decide if my favorite part of the Ayam Penyet ($5) from Aspirasi #01-45 is the bucket full of free flow batter bits or its mound of chicken rice. The crunchy crispies are just fragrant enough and who’s to say no when you can bury your chicken in scoops of it? The golden batter bits elevate your meal with every munch. The chicken rice is a game changer, making an aromatic pairing with your chicken so you get a moreish meal. The deep-fried chicken thigh is tender meat wrapped in crunchy skin. It's marinated till saltish which enhances its savouriness. Slapped onto the side is some spicy sambal balado chilli sauce which imparts a tinge of sourness. A bit of it burns your whole palate without being overly potent. I like myself a Milo Dinosaur from the drinks stall a few units down to finish.
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Full review: https://herecomesgin.wixsite.com/ginwashere/single-post/Aspirasi

This glass of Oreo Milkshake ($4.30) kills the heat at the height of two straws stuck together. Mmm..

Two minutes away from Bukit batok MRT is Xiang Mei Roasted Meat with a persistent queue that grows especially long during lunch. My favourite is their roasted pork rice ($3) with its crackling skin. The lean char siew (char siew rice $4) is barbecued till slightly caramelised and the duck meat (roast duck rice $4) is juicy with slight mild herbal flavour. The meal is good without gravy but not without their chilli sauce which is tinged with sweetness. An absolute draw though is their delish soup with copious amounts of peanuts swimming with chunks of pork ribs that are boiled down till the bones are soft enough to eat.

I'm not big on wanton mee but I belly up to the way Ji Ji Wanton Noodle #02-48 does theirs. A $5 portion comes with three pieces of fried wanton and five more swimming in an appetizingly savoury soup. Their pork fillings have a lingering peppery taste. Toss the noodles well so you get their deliciously sweet binding sauce with every bite. The char siew slices have caramelized flavour, while the kailan adds crunch, and the braised mushrooms lend some earthiness. Slap on some sweet chilli paste to mix but the meal is moreish to me even without. We added a few braised chicken wings ($1.50 each) which are bathed in salty-sweet sauce cause, oops, more meat please! 😆

My favourite nasi lemak is this Chicken Set (chicken wing, ikan bills, egg) from Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak #01-106 at $3.50. It’s a warm mouthful of moist rice that exudes a strong coconut fragrance. When taken with the ikan bills on the side, the peanuts lift the combination of flavours. The egg yolk oozes slightly and the crunchy cucumber slices go well with the sweet and spicy sambal chilli that champions it all. It burns in the back of your throat and is so lovely I sometimes have it on it’s own. Juicy is the chicken wing in its crunchy skin, tasting savoury from its marinade. Add-on begedil ($0.50) or otah ($1.50) for a fuller meal!
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Read more: http://bit.do/Boon-Lay-Power-Nasi-Lemak

I get my chicken rice with 鸡尾 chicken drumstick and at Chicken Head 雞頭 #01-18, the chunks of meat sit in a shallow metal dish. They're super tender and are served with gravy that has a touch of sesame oil that the chicken takes in. The mound of rice is fragrant with enough chicken stock for flavour and the meal is good even without chilli but I must have their freshly chopped ginger which is watery. But before all that, what’s a super appetising start to the meal is a sip of their savoury soup that's highlighted by chopped spring onions. Finish this meal with a drink from Whompoa Soya Bean. I tried their Rose Soya Bean ($1.2/$1.40) which was like bandung with a strong hit of soya bean goodness.

I can’t help but praise Blue Willow's best-selling Grilled Pork Loin ($16+) for being beautiful. A thick round of meat sits elegantly on a bed of chopped vegetables. It has dark sauce underneath and is topped with chunky apple chutney, a peeled cherry tomato, eggplant pesto mashed potato, and finished with a tuile. Dollops of pesto mayo sauce, squares of purple beets, and thin slices of radish surround it.
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I smelled this one before I saw it. The meaty chunk is quite lean with a strong flavour, making it a heavy meal. It's chewy without being overdone and tough. Give a thumbs up to the pesto flavour in the mashed potato and the soft, crunchy mushrooms and zucchini underneath. The house-made sauce is interesting to figure out and thick sweet black sauce — like the one in fried carrot cake — was one of its ingredients.

The lady in front of me told me to go for the $7.50 instead of the $5 — because their drumsticks only come Big. She said, you braved the Q for Heng Kee Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee #01-58 so go for the best, and so I did. Ah Huat (the stall owner) praised me because he said 要吃就吃好的 👌🏼 and he told me about the big and hugely satisfying dinner he had the day before.
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Slurp up the soupy curry which is not fierce and let it coat your tongue with its tinge of sweetness and coconut flavour. It's slightly grainy with grounded spices and savoury from its chicken stock. The potatoes are soft to bite into and tasty from being infused with the lemak gravy. Spongey tau pok slices make mini explosions in your mouth. Their poached chicken chunks are so tender and silky I had no regrets with spending extra. Have your fish cake slices with sambal chilli to elevate the flavours with more robustness.

Thong Sum Hot & Cold Dessert #01-83 sells traditional Chinese desserts in Malaysian style and my personal favourite is their Red Bean Soup ($1.80) 😋 From the soup and its sweetness, to the softness of the beans and the ratio of soup, each bowl has enough lotus seeds to pair with most spoonfuls of beans that are cooked till soft while not till mushy. The soup is thick and smooth —what I’d best describe as liquified red bean bao filling which, incidentally, is my go-to comfort food on a budget. The taste is highlighted by cheng pi (dried tangerine peel), which is similar to the Hong Kong recipes of this dessert.

When my fam and I are in Bukit Merah, Fatty Cheong 肥仔详 #01-120 is how I settle dinner. My plate of char siew and roast pork rice ($5) needs extra of their thick gravy. Your first bite of roast pork is crunchy from its crisp skin before it gives way to tender, fatty meat. Their 不见天 char siew is a cut from the pig's armpit that's roasted till it exudes distinct BBQ smokiness. The slices are tender with a layer of fats that wrap around the chewy and lean portions. The rice, heavily drenched in black goo, is mildly sweetish and pairs deliciously with dollops of their chilli paste that's slightly spicy. This is a duo meat combo that can't go wrong as your default order when in the area.

Spicy White Curry Ramen/Udon Set ($16.80+/$13.80+ a la carte) is topped with an onsen tamago, seaweed, onions, slices of iberico pork belly, and dried chilli flakes. Take in a sip of soup and the spices make a mild burn in the back of your throat. The pork belly has springy bite while the noodles are cooked till slightly soft. Served up in a broth base made of clam soup mixed with white curry, its flavour is watered-down making it quite light on the palate. The aromatic onions adds a punchy flavour though it might be overwhelming for some.
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Full review: https://herecomesgin.wixsite.com/ginwashere/single-post/Tengawa-Hokkaido-White-Curry

This 0-4 degree aged Iberiko Loin Katsu with Rice Set ($19.80+ or $16.80+ a la carte) comes with a small portion of short grain rice tucked under a pork cutlet that's deep-fried to a beautiful golden brown.
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Your spoon dives first for some of the curry which is creamy in colour. It’s served with a wedge of potato and carrot plus onions that are stewed till soft. The thick sauce is like the usual Japanese curry, but smoother and creamier with less spiciness and more pepperiness. It doesn’t strike as being distinctly different but it being refillable is a definite draw. Rice is refillable too.
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The crispy breading of the katsu is crunchy, light, and not greasy. The meat is rather succulent and a tad chewy. I strongly encourage you to help yourself to their yakitori sauce that’s on every table because it enhances your meat with a salty-sweet barbeque flavour.
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Full review: https://herecomesgin.wixsite.com/ginwashere/single-post/Tengawa-Hokkaido-White-Curry