Food Junction (Junction 8)

Not too bad, the minced meat was very tender and well seasoned w pepper

Ordered the Mala Ban Mian ($6.30).

I like how the noodles are packed separately from the soup. Noodles were al dente and not overcooked. Mala soup had a lot of oil and wasn't numbing. Soup was just a little spicy and did not deliver on the mala expectation.

The minced meat in the noodles were well marinated and had a good slightly bouncy texture. There were also dried shitake mushroom, bok choy, egg and ikan bilis.

I like how the aunty at the stall was super friendly. I would try their dry ban mian the next time round.

Located within Food Junction, the Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine stall served up some of the familiar dishes such as the Heng Hwa Fried Bee Hoon (S$6.80).

At this price point, the portion appeared to be quite big. Plus, the wait time was relatively fast, so I was able to have my meal shortly after ordering. Even though most of the ingredients were nicely plated on top of the vermicelli, it was a pity that they tasted bland, because they were like merely blanched before serving, so they did not carry much flavour which should have come through if everything was fried together.

Hahaha I don't know why I ordered this. I just wanted something comforting. I've always hated this Hong Kong concept yet I trusted a food court stall. As expected it was forgettable.

𝔾𝕣𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝔽𝕚𝕤𝕙 ℍ𝕠𝕥𝕡𝕠𝕥 [𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒/𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕪 𝔽𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕥] 🌶🐟🥵
📝: Limbo/Basa Fish, mala mix, mungbean sprouts, potato slices, cabbage, beancurd skin
~$18.80~
by: @whatthefishsg

Decided to try @whatthefishsg after my partner said it was nubbad for the price ($18.80) since we didn’t know what to eat at J8 for dinner 😅😅 Thankfully the foodcourt wasn’t that packed albeit it being dinner time so we found an empty table relatively fast but for the dish to arrive, not relatively so (~30min). We were okay with it because the staff already preempt us that the wait would take about 20min.

We got the Whole Fish combo which came with 2 pearl rice and 4 side dishes and I added luncheon meat cuz why not (which costed $0.70 extra). After an excruciatingly long 30min, what greeted my nose was the fragrance of Szechuan pepper!! The (oily) broth was decently spicy (mala 大辣) but it was the gradual kind of spice; not the straight up stab-your-soul kinda spice so 👍👍. Also, it was mouthwateringly good— unlike those usual “mala” flavour you get at your run-off-the-mill mala stalls as the broth had a full bodied aroma of different spices such as black cardamom, cumin, star anise etc 🤤 However, the side dishes were kinda pathetic 😤😤 They were less than a handful each and only had 4 quarter slices of luncheon meat lol BUT the fish was tender yet had a substantial bite to it!! It’s okay though, cuz we were quite satiated after the meal.

All in all, if you are in the area, I think you can give @whatthefishsg a try! It’s very aromatic and it’s a less expensive option to Chong Qing Grilled Fish / Tanyu but of course, you get what you pay for.

ⓇⒶⓉⒾⓃⒼ: 𝟾.𝟹/𝟷𝟶

Follow my Instagram for more reviews!! :) @iexercisetoeatt

From the dim sum stall. Good for its price. Crumbly pastry and decent filling.