Local Delights

My only gripe was the service - I'd arrived at 8:40PM & was talking to the 2 others with me, asking them for their orders… The lady with glasses standing at the cash register barked at me telling me that they close at 9, insinuating that I need to hurry TF up. Very grumpy & curt, to the extent that I was quite taken aback.

It's not a matter of what you say (I obviously understand that I shouldn't take 21 minutes to order), but how you say it.

Regardless, I'd come back again... Just not expect any warm or polite kind of service, I suppose.

Wanton Noodle House is listed as closed on Tuesdays, but by some stroke of luck - they were open when I swung by. My colleague, against all logic, encouraged me to "try (my) luck" - turns out that they are only closed every alternate Tuesdays.

I'd seen this on a Hungrygowhere Instagram reel, & it looked fairly promising. Since it was nearby, I gave it a shot.

Despite its namesake, I ended up ordering Shrimp Dumpling Noodles 水饺面 ($5.70 nett), as I much prefer dumplings to wantons (+ am also not a fan of charsiew). These dumplings were meaty & delicious; most importantly, the meat wasn’t smelly. The sauce was good too, coating the al dente mee kia nicely.

I also enjoyed how the soup is pretty tasty - with some kind of umami that is welcomed, & not a bowl of MSG water that many places serve. If you order the soup-noodles version, or just the dumpling soup without noodles, it'd certainly be an above average dish.

The adjacent (relative to Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kueh, which I'd just ordered) Wang Fu Roasted Delight, which I read about in an 8 Days article, also had a queue. As I understand, their chef had previously worked in Kam's Roast Pacific Plaza - so I had high hopes for this plate of Duck Noodles ($4.00 nett).

The meat was easy to eat (I am a lazy MF who hates deboning things), & also tender & juicy. The noodles were QQ & didn't have an alkaline smell/taste to them. Drenched in a delicious sauce, this dish overall had thumbs up from me & my dining partner.

The Char Siew with Roasted Pork Rice ($4.30 nett), however, left much to be desired. While I'm honestly not a porky connoisseur as I rarely eat charsiew or siobak, this dish felt very ordinary & I didn't enjoy it. The rice was plain & the meat was tough & dry. I'd recommend skipping this & going for the duck which was much more scrumptious & fulfilling.

(Disclaimer: Photo is of semi-eaten dish, as I was queueing at Jiak Song when this was served, so I asked my dining partner to chow down first 😂 For the record, he wasn't impressed with this either.)

📱 Accepts GrabPay

Jiak Song seems like a hot favourite amongst the crowd in this coffeeshop, so come prepared to queue for a while as I did - 20mins during weekday lunch hour.

As it was my first time, I wanted as comprehensive an experience as possible. So I ordered the Signature All-in Combo ($5.50 nett), which comes with the full works of ingredients: Minced pork, pork slices, pork ball, shrimp ball.

With mee hoon kueh, I usually get the dry version instead of soup, with the intent of wanting to appreciate the sauce the noodles are tossed in. Was dismayed to find this sauce quite ordinary. However the soup was pretty damn amazing. There is an egg mixed in (wheeew), & the soup is fairly umami, served hot & very comforting.. I slurped up every last drop. The texture of the handmade mee hoon kueh was pleasant too, so I think next time I'll opt for the soup version.

Ever since my favourite noodles stall moved out of this coffee shop, I don't really frequent it anymore. However, today's pleasant surprise came in the front of Duck Noodles ($6 with duck drumstick) from Master Choy Roasted Delight (#01-15).

The duck drumstick is a top-up from the regular duck meat, & was served without the bone upon my request. Service was friendly & with a smile.

This isn't the best plate of duck noodles out there, but it is good enough for me to return, especially since my office is nearby. The meat is tender & in sufficient quantity. The mee kia still has a spring to it, albeit oily. The sauce it is tossed in is quite fragrant as well.

Lasy but certainly not least, I also like that they accept FavePay here. I'm all for cashless transactions, & I'm glad to get 5% of FavePay rebates here. #auntie

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

Ye Shang Hai 夜上海潮州粥 is located in a coffee shop with a couple of other stalls that sell individually portioned hawker food. Think fish noodles, ban mian, prawn mee, etc. So there are options for everyone should you be in a large group. But the general rule of thumb is - the more the merrier, so I'd hope everyone in the group would want to order from Ye Shang Hai to maximize the variety of dishes.

Simple comfort food. I always go for more vegetables, 'cos that's how I roll. Meats like the duck or fish bump up the price of your meal real quick, & they don't satisfy me that much so I usually give them a miss.

This portion pictured here was nice for a duo of gluttons; good variety, piping hot porridge, & not stuffed to the brim. $15 for 2 pax. More expensive than your average plate of mixed vege rice, but I'd gladly pay for the variety.

However, the other dishes were unfortunately not great - the Australian Prime Grade Grass Fed Beef Rendang ($18++) sounded promising, but they could've seasoned the beef a little less. Texture, however, was good - & paired with the rice I suppose it was passable.

Lifehack: If you order the Etto's Beef Burger ($18++, didn't take a picture) you probably can't taste the black pepper glaze & would find the meat patty bland. So to solve this problem, put some rendang sauce over it to make it all better.

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available
🖥 Accepts reservations - I used Chope
🍽 Burpple Beyond partner
📶 Free WiFi available
💦 Water is not chargeable

Bollywood 3-in-1 ($10+) is a fabulous trio of banana bread, kueh bingka (tapioca cake), kueh kosui (tapioca flour cake with palm sugar). My favourite of the three, hands down, is the banana bread! It tastes as good as I remember it from 4 years ago - moist, not overly buttery, with the great fragrance & flavour of banana. It is terribly addictive.

The kuehs were delicious as well; not overly sweet. I'm not a huge fan of kuehs, but I enjoyed sharing these with my family.

💷 Cash/NETS only
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available
📞 Accepts reservations - I called them
🙋🏻‍♀️ Service charge applicable
🚫 No GST
💦 Water is not chargeable

I only pinched a little bit of the Nasi Lemak Platter ($18+, serves 2) - but it does look pretty appetising & has a good variety of ingredients to pair with the bowl of Blue Nasi Lemak Rice included.

You are spoiled for choice with: Bolly Wings, Kranji Eggs, Ikan Bilis, Peanuts, Farm Tempura, Kerobokan, Sambal Goreng, Sambal Kangkong. The sambal has a good kick & is fragrant, without being too salty.

In case it's too spicy for you, just help yourself to the complimentary water outside the restaurant, near the entrance of Bollywood Veggies itself.

💷 Cash/NETS only
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available
📞 Accepts reservations - I called them
🙋🏻‍♀️ Service charge applicable
🚫 No GST
💦 Water is not chargeable

The Pig Organ Soup 猪什汤 ($4 small, $6 large) was not peppery, & absolutely crazy tasty without being porky. I was glad that you can refill your bowl with soup for as many times as you want, because I couldn't get enough of this soup. I had the large portion to share, & it filled me up very decently.

When this is served to you, the soup is filled to the brim that you won't know what's inside until you dig around. Don't underestimate how much ingredients there are inside - pork slices, intestines, meatballs, liver, etc. General consensus is that a large bowl is too much for 1 to finish.

💵 Cash only
☀️ Al fresco seats only
🖥 Like them on FB, get 10% off!

I've never been here, but so glad I did. This is apparently the legit original stall that you should be visiting; while I haven't been to the other one, I definitely know I'm coming back here again.

Not only is it crazy value for money (you also get 10% off if you like them on Facebook & show it to them when you make payment), but super freaking delicious.

The humble bowl of Braised Pork Rice 卤肉饭 ($1.80) is packed with flavours. I couldn't resist tucking in, despite not actually being a fan of fatty meat. This, & the Preserved Vegetables 梅菜 ($2.50), both surprised me with their comforting flavours.

💵 Cash only
☀️ Al fresco seats only
🖥 Like them on FB, get 10% off!