When I was scouring Whampoa Market looking for something to eat. This dish caught my eye. (There's something about those golden crumbs and the slightly yellowish basmati rice that make it look so scrumptious.) There was a number of people having it so it really piqued my curiosity.
When I arrived at the Malay stall, the owner was busily packing about a hundred styrofoam packets as someone made a huge bulk order. Hmmm. Must be popular.
I ordered the ginger fried chicken rice. The garlic and ginger tones were subtle. The fried skin was crispy while the chicken meat was still tender and juicy. The best part would be dipping it in the spicy soy sauce and chilli. You ought to try it!
I tried the famed wanton mee ($3) from Tai Seng Noodle House. I was pleasantly surprised with the mountain of noodles, char siew and dumplings (fried and steamed) offered! Though I didn't really enjoy the char siew as it was dry and flour-like, I loved the meaty and peppery dumplings. The semi-translucent yellow noodles were stringy and had a nice bite. Shiok for the price!
Wonderful wholesome bowl of fried fish lor mee!
I grew up in primary school eating 50-cent lor mee every other day which resulted in me having perpetual cravings for those egg noodles.
For only $4, you get a nice bowl of lor mee with huge chunks of fried fish and wu xiang. The ingredients look, taste and feel fresh. The gravy is smooth yet viscous and has a rich taste thanks to spices like star anise. It was a very satisfying breakfast!
A unique mee pok stall that delivers!
What makes this mee pok so different than others is that it serves homemade Japanese tamago with that runny yolk centre and fish maw. Also, usually people treat the accompanying boiled chicken soup as an afterthought. But not here! It's so rich and tasty that I just had to slurp it all up.
The stall also offers other variants like sea prawns, sotong and abalone.
I loved this hearty and homely Hungarian beef goulash pot pie. The pie was prepared with much care and the goulash was stewed for over five hours. It was reminiscent of a festive meal with family and friends because who else would put in so much effort into a dish? The goulash was robust in flavour as it was stewed with bell peppers, tomatoes, paprika, cayenne, beef stock, garlic and onion. It is also served in a bread bowl which makes this a very wholesome meal in itself.
Had this gorgeous French toast with Okinawa ice-cream, clotted cream and mango pineapple jam ($15++). The fresh toast was a 3-cm thick brioche that was panfried with an egg mix to get this gorgeous golden brown crust. The Okinawa (or black sugar) ice-cream however, was divine! Totally made the dish for me. I would love to try other brunch dishes at Salt tapas & bar which are available on weekends and PH only.
Out of the different Korean stews from the recently opened Masizzim, the spicy Australian beef rib stew ($18/32++) was my favourite.
The marinated beef were cooked in Masizzim's signature spicy stew sauce for over six hours which make them so tender! There are four levels of spiciness (I recommend level 2 while the more bold ones should go for 3). Also, there is a soy version which is sweet that you may prefer.
They do need to improve on their service though as we were handed the wrong bill and it took a while to get their attention. Probably was a really busy night for them.
Best prawn mee I've ever had but comes with a price.
The soup is what makes it that much more special. It has all that flavour of prawn mee broth but without overusing pepper. It owes it sweetness to the use of only the freshest prawns and hae bee hiam chilli.
Prices are $3, 5, 10, 20 or anything in between depending on how big the prawns are that day. (Pictured is the $10 portion.) Be prepared to queue and wait for your noodles. Also note that the stall is closed on Mondays.
The grilled Australian lamb rack was so tender and juicy that I went primitive - I just used my hands and bit off the meat directly from the bone. The lamb was well-seasoned and there was also a savoury and sweet mint sauce which made a good accompaniment. It was presented together with grilled polenta and fresh seasonal vegetables.
Another good find at Holland Drive Food Centre.
The prawn chee cheong fun's skin was probably one of the best I've had. Their rice flour skin was thicker so it held well and added more bite and body to the dish. If only they used bigger and crunchier prawns, it would be my absolute favourite.
The sauce may be a bit too sweet for people's liking but I think it's perfect for me. Together with the chai po and sambal, they add so much flavour to the chee cheong fun.
It was a joy to watch them prepare the chee cheong fun right before my eyes so that I knew it's at its absolute freshest. Next time I'll try their salmon and tobiko chee cheong fun!
People go to Ka Soh for its infamous sliced fish noodle soup but I realised that its signature deep fried pork ribs are really one of the best I've tried.
They come either lean or 1/2 lean. I definitely recommend 1/2 lean because you get that juicy fat that adds so much flavour to the pork. It also comes with a sweet dark sauce that enhances its savoury taste. If you add this to an egg fried rice, it would make the ultimate comfort food.
I'm missing the Hakata tonpei yaki ($22.80++), which is found in Torikin's toubannyaki menu. It is cooked on the ceramic plate that helps to effectively radiate heat evenly to the food for consistent temperatures throughout, making the food taste that much better. Thanks to science, I have this perfect ensemble of lean pork slices and cabbage encased in an omelet topped with the familiar okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise we all love.
