LOVE IT

I took a gamble on Yong Zhen Lor Mee Prawn Mee 永珍卤面虾面 (#01-40), not because there isn't anything famous/worthy at ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre (just Google), but because I came here for a late lunch & several lunch stalls had closed, & dinner stalls hadn't opened.

My eyes lit up as I tasted the soup of the Prawn Mee ($3 nett). It was umami, slightly herbal, & very tasty. I slurped it again just to confirm - yep, it's good.

The noodles they use for the prawn mee is the lor mee noodles - the thick & flat yellow ones. I don't actually like lor mee; I've never tried this combination before.... But I really like it! The silky smooth kuay teow mixed in upon auntie's recommendation adds a nice texture variant, too.

Can't complain about the ingredients in this dish. This bowl is priced affordably, & the prawns (only 2 pieces, wish there were more!), fishcake & pork slides were of decent quality. I finished everything in the bowl... Except the prawn tails. Mmmm yes I will be back for more.

Yesterday was International Coffee Day - I found this out only when the day was almost over! But perhaps it's this special day that gave me the good luck I needed to uncover a great coffee stall in a hawker centre.

My dad regularly orders coffee from Hylam Street Old Coffee 海南街老咖啡, after a friend introduced it to him & he got hooked. He then did the same to me, & now I'm hooked too.

We're always here during off-peak hour (past 2pm on a weekday), so the queue is minimal if even there at all. During crowded times, the queues can get pretty snaking long, I've heard!

This is clearly for good reason. The amazing fragrance of roasted beans, superb taste, & affordability. When I walked forward to place my order, I could smell the beans immediately. That made me change my order of tea to a coffee before I blurted it out to the uncle.

In terms of taste, I really can't ask for more. It has the socksy kopitiam taste that you want in a cup of hawker centre coffee. It'll definitely give you that kick awake that you need in the morning/mid-day.

& the price? $2 total for this kopi & kopi C kosong. Who needs volume when you've got quality; want more, just buy 2 cups lor. Still cheaper than Starbucks.

Happy belated International Coffee Day!

上海拉面小笼包 Shanghai La Mian Xiao Long Bao at Alexandra Village Food Centre (#01-56) sells lovely Dumplings 水饺 ($5.00 for 10) & Xiao Long Baos 小笼包 ($5.00 for 7). Was very satisfied with these steamed freshly on the spot. Had to wait 5 mins for these to be ready, but it was worth it.

I lunched here during an off-peak hour, so there was only 1 person in front of me in the queue. Normally, during peak hour there is a long line at this stall!

The XLBs had very umami soup inside, & the skin is of the thickness & softness that it should be. It doesn't break easily either, so there's little to no soup wastage due to accidents.

The dumplings were filled with lots of meat, which delights me. Very value for money. The same can be said about the skin here too.

I also like how you help yourself to the ginger & vinegar at the stall, because I generally eat a mountain of ginger & less vinegar than the average person. So I can #optimize, here.

I immediately bought some frozen ones to bring home & steam when I need a quick fix for a meal. They come in bags of 10 each - $6.50 per bag of XLB, $4.50 per bag of dumplings. Pretty competitive pricing for such excellent quality!

This stall also accepts GrabPay, so you can earn Grab points here 👍🏻

The Ravioli ($32++) took me by surprise; hand-crafted pillows of wonder, stuffed with slow-braised beef chuck. They did good in the beef department - it was tender, flavourful & each ravioli had a sizeable portion stuffed into it.

The seasonal black truffle shavings on top were generous & decadent. & I found that the flavours of this impressive dish nicely tied together with the creamy aged parmigiano fondue.

Definitely a winner in my books & I would 100% order this again!

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only
🖥 Accepts reservations - I used Chope
🍽 Burpple Beyond partner

The Risotto ($36++) won my heart too, but I doubt I could finish this on my own. Remember, folks, sharing is caring.

Firstly, this is a pretty rich dish. Just look at all that Acquerello rice in the cured egg yolk sauce. Even with the squeeze of Amalfi lemon that cuts through the richness nicely, it still is heavy on the palate.

Secondly, & this is just my own personal thing, I can't eat raw fish. I did sneak some small bites of the blue fin tuna, which was pretty heavenly in terms of contrasting taste & texture to the risotto. Nicely executed.

Definitely one for sharing, & I hope that whoever I next come here with will want to share this with me 😁

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only
🖥 Accepts reservations - I used Chope
🍽 Burpple Beyond partner

Came here for dinner upon a friend's recommendation, despite having an already starchy carb-loaded day. Didn't regret it. She said I should try the Chilli Ban Mian ($5.00 nett); I did.

I loved it! The sauce was umami good, & that runny egg adds a lovely creaminess to the sauce. The chilli is not overpowering, but it does have a kick that is good enough for me. It also really opened up my appetite, so much that I had to get dessert after that because #mouthitchy.

& yes, you can infer from this that the portion isn't big. Neither are the ban mian noodles too thick/starchy. It was perfectly balanced. I would definitely order this again!

💷 Cash only
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only

This comforting bowl of Bak Chor Mee is solid. It is very well-balanced and the umami will rock your tastebuds.

I went with Mee Pok as usual. The noodles are springy, chewy and on point when mixed with the chili sauce and the tangy vinegar. This simple yet complex bowl is definitely heavy in flavour.

There are minced meat, meat balls, braised mushrooms and I particularly liked the liver. The liver which has a nice texture is well-cooked but the gamey taste is not for everyone. The bowl of soup at the side also helps to cleanse the palate. Overall, the taste is awesome and it is one of my all-time favourite Bak Chor Mee stall.

For someone who is very into noodles with soup, I'm also strangely liking this Mazesoba concept very much. Here I am trying the original one ($12.80++) at Kajiken - this one has bamboo shoots & a slice of pork included in it.

The flavour is very different from the other Original one that I first tried at Menya Kokoro, which apparently (according to this menu) is Taiwan Mazesoba Nagoya Style. This has more of a porky ramen flavour. I can't decide which type I like, both are delicious in their own way.

One bonus here is that additional noodles (i.e. "upsize") is free! So of course I said yes to that. The downside is that it's cash terms only, so make sure you have enough dough on ya.

Will return here; I'm pretty sure this isn't the last of my Mazesoba adventures!

💷 Accepts cash only
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available
📶 No free WiFi

My favourite dish was the Fish & Chips ($13.50), served with fries & a delicious homemade tartar sauce. Even at the end of our meal when it wasn't warm anymore, the classic beer batter was still crispy, & some of us even scooped up the tiny batter bits to nibble on.

I even went for seconds. Yes, me. FRIED FISH. Seconds!! That's how you know it's good.

My favourite was the Dory, which surprised me because it's the cheaper option of the 3 you can choose from - the other 2 are the Barramundi ($13.50) & Snapper ($16.50).

Thank you habitat by honestbee for the hospitality, & Burpple for the invite! 💕

📱 Download the Honestbee app beforehand - you'll need it to enter!
📶 Free WiFi available... If you forget my advice above & need to download it when you get there 😂

The Poofy Pancakes ($14) impressed me immensely & after my first bite; I can understand why so many people rave about this. I guess it's right up my alley because it's not too sweet! The maple syrup is served on the side, so you can kind of control the sweetness.

& while I am the kind of person that scrapes whipped cream off cakes & such, this vanilla Chantilly cream was too good to resist. Ever-so-lightly whipped, a little bit of it with the fluffy airy pancake was simply divine. The fresh berries also provide a nice tartness to this dessert, making it pretty well balanced.

Thank you habitat by honestbee for the hospitality, & Burpple for the invite! 💕

📱 Download the Honestbee app beforehand - you'll need it to enter!
📶 Free WiFi available... If you forget my advice above & need to download it when you get there 😂

Finally trying this after having it on my wishlist for so long! I ordered the Original Maze-soba ($10.80 regular / $12.80 large) because I wanted to try the real deal, & I also read reviews that nothing beats the original.

I was not disappointed! Firstly, this is very carb heavy - which I loved because I was absolutely starving. Secondly, this dish is big on umami flavours which would be a little too rich to handle on its own - but it also comes with a bowl of soup & you're served complimentary iced water, both of which cut through the richness very nicely before you tuck in again & again. I also ordered a side of bamboo shoots ($2.00) which was crunchy & refreshing, & made this dish more balanced.

I liked how all the staff here were so warm, friendly & helpful to not only me but everyone around me. I was welcomed warmly to my seat, & asked if it was my first time here. Since it was, the waitress explained to me how to order.

When my food was served, I was asked again - & the instructions on how to eat this meal was explained to me again. The last step of this meal: In asking for a spoonful of rice to mix in to the remnants of your sauce/ingredients (btw you can ask for >1 portion.... Lol), the waiter mused out loud to me that he's impressed I could finish the Large portion. Because most ladies can't even finish the regular one 😂. & he was very smiley while he rang up my bill, asking me for feedback & chatting with me a little.

Impressed with the overall experience here & keen to be back!

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only
🚫 No Free WiFi
💦 Water is not chargeable

Burpple Beyond brought me here! 🙌🏻 I am nothing short of impressed & also thankful that out of the 3 dishes I ate with my partner (yes, I have a monstrous appetite & he willingly obliges to share), 1 of them was free 😎

My eyes lit up as I tucked in to the Aglio Olio ($20+). The Tiger Prawns were very average-sized, & with only 3 of them on my plate, I initially wondered if this was the right dish to order. However, the flavour from the homemade broth in this pasta completely SOLD me. Super umami, & with the generous Tobiko mixed in, I was happy from start to finish stuffing my face.

💷 Cash/NETS only
🌬️ Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available (2 tables)
📱 Accepts reservations - I msged them on Facebook
🍽 Burpple Beyond partner
🙋🏻‍♀️ Service charge applicable
🚫 No GST
💦 Water is not chargeable