Noodles.

one does not usually see top shell and fish dumplings (her kiao) in a bowl of mee pok. but the version here is done well with tender, chewy noodles and springy meat. quite inaccessible for me but i liked this bowl of noodles a lot!

carbonara in a claypot! the small serving ($19++) comfortably feeds two, and you get a heaping amount of noodles drenched in a creamy sauce topped with bits of smoked bacon. the egg yolk adds some richness, and claypot ensures the food remains piping hot! pretty tasty but it can get quite jelak after a few spoonfuls of pasta. but there’s so much else to order at new ubin that your tastebuds will never go hungry!

the Ro-Ppong-Roje ($17.80++) from Nipong Naepong consists of wheat noodles in a tomato-based cream sauce, topped with melted cheese. it looks like spaghetti and tastes like tomato noodles. worth a shot but it can get quite cloying after a few bites!

the fuzhou fishball noodles ($6) here are quite different from that of other stalls. the fishball is springy and chewy without being bouncy like a ping pong ball (ala living with lydia). the hidden bit of minced meat adds some savouriness, and the meepok is extremely slurp-worthy. i love it very much!

thin, hakata style noodles, rich, swee tonkatsu broth and a scoop of fiery tomato-flavoured minced meat, this bowl of ramen fills your tummy and helps you to work up a sweat!!

been hankering for a good hor fun for a while. this 月光河粉 did not disappoint. (月光 or moonlight refers to the addition of a raw egg on top.) thick sheets of rice noodles stir-fried in a sweet, savoury sauce with bits of meat and seafood, topped with a raw egg. break the yolk, squeeze some lime and mix it all up - a satisfying dinner right there 🤤

the snapper ramen from @brosramen. a mix of chicken and fish-based broth, it is topped with green onion, coriander and pieces of chopped snapper.
the broth is wonderfully fragrant - the smell of coriander hits you first followed by a mixture of chicken and ginger. the soup tastes predominantly of chicken, with a subtle fishy aftertaste. the noodles were chewy and slurp-worthy, while the green onion added some pungency and balanced the richness of the soup. I only wish the topping could have been some sort of roasted meat instead of the fish - though tender it tasted quite bland in comparison to the soup. at $14.90 (no gst or service charge), I would probably try the chicken ramen next time but this snapper flavoured bowl is really quite interesting!

in the past year, the lack of decent bak chor mee in the vicinity and the michelin star attained by tai hwa (damn you, 90 minute queues!!) has forced me to turn to other noodle dishes when the craving hits.
the thai wanton mee from @soi19thaiwantonmee answers this craving very, very admirably. qq noodles, slippery soupy wanton, crunchy fried dumpling, waxy thai sausage, crisp veg - the dish is a melange of textures that works so well. even chili is optional - the noodles are tossed in a sweet gravy with a slight hint of fish sauce that is irresistible. i wish it opened for dinner so i could eat it more regularly, but it is a tad oily so some self-restraint would be appropriate too.
thinking about this dish as I type this - perhaps it shall be Monday’s lunch 🤤

the mushroom and bacon agio olio from @grouptherapycafe . while the pasta was nice and al-dente and the bacon nice and salty, the whole mix was a little on the oily side, leaving the empty plate oil-slicked like a gulf of mexico-esque oil spill. tasty though.

the ramen rouge from @ramenatelier , a relatively new stall at @savourworldsg conveniently located beside kent ridge mrt station. the stall claims to use french culinary techniques in their cooking, hence i had high hopes for this dish.
essentially ramen cooked in a rich tomato soup (bisque, i forget this is french cooking), the dish is warm and comforting, especially with the rainy weather we are experiencing. the tomato flavour takes centrestage here, resulting in a tangy, umami-laden broth that tantalizes the tastebuds. mix in the ball of chili flakes and the gentle heat tingles the palate without scorching it. the curly, sapporo-styled curly noodles are cooked al-dente, with a firm bite. always a plus point. the requisite tamago and pork belly is decently flavoured, while beansprouts provide crunch.
At $13, can i just say that this dish is really worth it. for something similar at most other ramen chains one can expect to pay upward of $17-18. definitely coming back.

Had the opportunity to try the new duck ramen at @tsutasingapore before it launches this saturday. there are two renditions of this - a soup based shoyu ramen and a dry mazemen.
right off the bat let me just say that both dishes are RICH. artery-cloggingly rich. though the soup version has a shoyu base, the soup is made by boiling duck bones and meat over a high flame so it resembles a tonkotsu as well. creamy duck soup, anyone? toppings for both dishes include raw diced onion and chopped cashews for some crunch and to balance the rich broth, baby spinach leaves (to add crunch and provide some semblance of a healthy meal, perhaps) and black pepper. slices of slow-cooked duck replaced the pork belly seen in other ramen dishes. the soup version also had an ajitsuke tamago (always a prerequisite) and a pork wanton that felt slightly out of place competing with the duck.
the individual components of each dish were fantastic. tsuta’s noodles have always been cooked perfectly and offered a good chew. for such thin noodles, they also held the broth surprisingly well. the duck was juicy and tender. it came pink in the centre, quite unlike the braised/roasted duck that is usually served in hawker centres.
right before serving the ramen, the manager of the restaurant mentioned that one has to really like duck in order to enjoy the dishes. and he was right. the salty, savoury, oily hit from the noodles was a relentless assault on the tastebuds, undoubtedly delicious but a little too rich for my liking. toward the end of the dish, I found myself struggling to finish the broth, something that doesn’t usually happen.
nevertheless, I felt the dish stood out with its strong flavours and use of interesting toppings. perhaps a duck egg could be used instead of a chicken egg? and meh, no need for the wanton in the dish. .

Had the opportunity to try the new duck ramen at @tsutasingapore before it launches this saturday. there are two renditions of this - a soup based shoyu ramen and a dry mazemen.
right off the bat let me just say that both dishes are RICH. artery-cloggingly rich. though the soup version has a shoyu base, the soup is made by boiling duck bones and meat over a high flame so it resembles a tonkotsu as well. creamy duck soup, anyone? toppings for both dishes include raw diced onion and chopped cashews for some crunch and to balance the rich broth, baby spinach leaves (to add crunch and provide some semblance of a healthy meal, perhaps) and black pepper. slices of slow-cooked duck replaced the pork belly seen in other ramen dishes. the soup version also had an ajitsuke tamago (always a prerequisite) and a pork wanton that felt slightly out of place competing with the duck.
the individual components of each dish were fantastic. tsuta’s noodles have always been cooked perfectly and offered a good chew. for such thin noodles, they also held the broth surprisingly well. the duck was juicy and tender. it came pink in the centre, quite unlike the braised/roasted duck that is usually served in hawker centres.
right before serving the ramen, the manager of the restaurant mentioned that one has to really like duck in order to enjoy the dishes. and he was right. the salty, savoury, oily hit from the noodles was a relentless assault on the tastebuds, undoubtedly delicious but a little too rich for my liking. toward the end of the dish, I found myself struggling to finish the broth, something that doesn’t usually happen.
nevertheless, I felt the dish stood out with its strong flavours and use of interesting toppings. perhaps a duck egg could be used instead of a chicken egg? and meh, no need for the wanton in the dish. .