Good yet really affordable roast meats!
The food at Pek Kio Food Centre is known to be affordable with most stalls pricing their dishes at $2.50 each.
Xin Heng Kee is one of those stalls. It's one of those stalls that sells roasted duck, pork, chicken; steamed chicken; and char siew rice from the same kitchen at $2.50 each.
I had roasted duck rice with additional roasted chicken meat for $4.80 because why not? Though the food is good but not mind blowing or special, the affordable price is probably the reason for the long queue at lunch hour.
Look at that chick. Doesn't it look plump and juicy? Well that's because it is.
Jew Kit's thick slices of steamed chicken was wonderfully and evenly cooked. The dressing with the chicken stock helps to amplify the chicken's taste for maximum flavour.
The prices for individual sets range from $4.20-6.70 while I had the whole chicken which goes for $28! (Quarter and Half go for $12 and $15 respectively.) The chili and ginger sauces smelled and tasted great. However, the dark soya sauce they provide is way too sweet. I love to douse my rice with soya sauce but the sweetness proved it impossible.
Jew Kit also has an extensive zi char menu which I have yet to try but it looks promising. It opens from 10:30am - 12mn, ideal for supper!
Definitely satisfied our craving for chicken rice. Not only was the chicken good but so was the pork. The char siew had the nice charring and stickiness while the roast has a nice crackling and crunch in the skin.
We also tried one of the favourites, the soya sauce chicken. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the sauce was superb.
However, things can get a lil' sinful here at Lee Fun Nam Kee Chicken Rice. They tend to add lard to their dishes which make it extremely tasty but also that much oilier and fattening. It is also a tad more expensive than other chicken rice restaurants.
The humble Hainanese chicken rice ($4). We find it difficult to decide which establishment has the best chicken rice but at least we know what's good.
Chin Chin's chicken is tender and not too oily. Together with the chili sauce, each bite makes us nod our heads subconsciously.
We saw the chef prepare a large brood of chickens for lunch which means the restaurant should be popular!
I used to frequent Leong Yeow when I was studying at SMU. This stall at Waterloo Centre boasts long queues during lunchtime.
The steamed chicken ($3.80 with rice) is meaty, succulent but nothing to go crazy over. I think it's very similar to Hainanese Delicacy chicken rice at Far East Plaza. What does it for me is the chilli sauce, which makes this good dish to great. Nostalgic!
I used to frequent Leong Yeow when I was studying at SMU. This stall at Waterloo Centre boasts long queues during lunchtime.
The steamed chicken ($3.80 with rice) is meaty, succulent but nothing to go crazy over. I think it's very similar to Hainanese Delicacy chicken rice at Far East Plaza. What does it for me is the chilli sauce, which makes this good dish to great. Nostalgic!
Kaffles, a recently opened hole-in-the-wall pop-up, offers specialty waffles in enticing combinations.
Pictured is the eye-catching Speculoos Cookie Crunch Kaffles ($11.90). The buttermilk waffles were just my type. Warm, fluffy inside and crispy on the outside.
The waffles were frosted with Speculoos cookie crumbs and drizzled on with Speculoos cookie drizzle. It sounds sinful but it was surprisingly not heavy. I managed to gobble it all down within minutes. I will probably try their Nutella Kinder Bueno Kaffles next!
Kaffles is only opened on Saturday evenings, 6pm-1am.
Some cafes/restaurants don't realise how important the quality of ice-cream can make or break a dessert. At The Lokal, I'm happy that their vanilla ice-cream is on point. You can tell if vanilla ice-cream is the legit when you see specks of vanilla bean throughout the scoop. Together with the copious amount of caramel sauce, they make the sticky date pudding ($10++) a euphoric treat for anyone.
I came, I saw, I conquered.
Had a crazily spicy mala steamboat from Shi Li Fang 食立方, a Taiwanese hotpot restaurant. For $14.90++, I ordered the superior marbled pork slice set which comes with intricately sliced marbled pork (duh), a mala soup base, rice, an impressive platter of vegetables and a beverage.
The food is good as you can tell that they use fresher and more premium ingredients compared to your nofrills steamboat at Bugis. However, most of the restaurant is counter top seating, hence it'll be difficult to sit as a group and enjoy a steamboat together. It's more for those who want a quick, simple yet tasty steamboat meal.
My favourite main from Joie by DOZO is the Duo Ravioli Platter - pumpkin and spinach ravioli doused in a basil cream sauce and topped with a flower emulsion.
Each raviolo parcel was stuffed with either a pumpkin or spinach filling and was packed with flavour. The pasta dough was uniformly thin, which made the tasting experience very pleasant. For a creamy pasta dish, this felt light on my stomach, which was great.
Joie by DOZO, a vegetarian fine dining concept offers a lunch 6-course menu at $38.80++ and a dinner 7-course menu for $68.80++. The service was excellent too!
El Jefe Corner serves affordable chic Western food from lamb racks to spare ribs and even pork bellies. Pictured is their wagyu steak burger with bacon, cheese, onion compote and waffle fries. The wagyu beef was tender and juicy but the burger though decent, lacked a signature sauce to make it their own.
Getting a cooling shaven ice dessert while avoiding the haze in the basement of #OrchardCentral.
YiLi PaoPao Ice hails from Taiwan (haha), and has over 60 years of history. I particularly like the smooth and velvety texture of the ice.
You can get two flavours for $4.95 while their specialty flavours go for $5.60 each with individual toppings ranging from $0.45-$0.95.
Andy is crafting my cup combi of peanut & kidney beans and milk & egg topped with Froot Loops and tamago boro!
