Shiooook Halal!

I honestly couldn’t tell that there wasn’t any pork in this broth or that this was halal! A couple of prawns and a copious amount of clams, this was definitely an enjoyable bowl that’s worth the slightly steep price tag.

TTT’s signature is this cross of a slurpy tulang stew on a pizza base. You’d be thinking like ‘eh, won’t this be a huge mess?’, but surprisingly their pizza base was pretty absorbent while remaining chewy (and not soggy). Don’t be shy and ask for a straw to suck out all that precious bone marrow! This was the smallest size, and it goes up to a max of four tulangs per pie.

It’s been a while since I’ve had one of their bowls, and since then they’ve managed to get Halal certified! Previously they were quite heavy handed with the flavours, but the bowls we had tasted clean and simple. So if you’re looking for more oomph, get their Spicy Mayo Salmon and add on some kimchi.

Wooo, lemak! Tasty green curry with rough chunks of chicken, eggplants and basil; perfect to douse your rice in. Simple and hard to go wrong with this.

Given a rating of 🌶🌶🌶, this north-eastern Thai spicy and sour soup was a hit among us! Punchier than their tom yum soup, this was great on its own or when drenched in your rice. Drink carefully though, I almost choked on this. 😂

Or essentially, what we called a deconstructed rojak. This was surprisingly satisfying for me! The rojak sauce was perfect; enough funkiness from the prawn paste and just the right amount of heat. The generous serving of fruits – green apples, jumbu, turnip, guava, pineapple and mangoes – meant we kept munching on these from the beginning of the meal, all the way till the end.

Maybe it’s called the LePak Burger cause man, am I nursing a food coma now! A massive double patty of beef enveloped in egg with cheddar, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and their own special sauce. While the patties will remind you of the Ramly style of meat (packed tight with a certain bite), it was still pretty enjoyable though quite gamey. Although just a side to the massive burger, those sweet potato fries stepped up! Arriving hot, these were crisp on the outside and thick enough to provide a nice, fluffy bite in the inside. I’m a fan!

Newly opened in Tampines mall, Makanista serves up local delights with unique takes on them. Take the ubiquitous chicken rice for example; spice lovers will love their mala chicken (not so much 麻 , more 口水鸡). A crunchy mix of chillies, garlic, black vinegar and house-made sweet sauce that’s sure to get appetites going. Of course, traditionalists can also get the usual steamed Hainanese/roasted chicken rice (loved their chilli sauce, reminds me of Boon Tong Kee!).

Makanista is a modern, comfortable space and they’re currently applying for Halal certification, making it a popular spot for the residents and office workers around the area. Deffo a good option for a casual lunch in the Tampines area.

Located on the second floor of Amoy Street Food Centre is a buzzy little stall selling four different kinds of salmon bowls. Big Bowls Project is Muslim-owned and seems quite popular with the lunch crowd so far.

All the bowls come with a sizable salmon slab that’s been sous vide so you know it’s going to be moist and juicy. While the meat is soft, it wasn’t grilled so don’t expect a crisp skin. You can also choose between rice or baby spinach as your base while the rest of the items comes as it is (onsen egg, tomatoes and cucumbers) with minimal seasoning, so I really appreciated the saltier mentaiko sauce on the salmon. Really simple and quite well executed, it’s just missing a little pop of acidity. 😛

For Halal certified Budae Jjigae, you can now visit selected outlets of NeNe Chicken to get your fix! Available at Hougang Mall, Bukit Panjang Plaza and Junction 8, it’s great comfort food for sharing between 2-3 pax.

I’ve got to say, there’s something about those thick, QQ instant noodles that’s just so addictive with the salty, spicy army stew. While the broth got a little salty towards the end and the ingredients are the typical army stew offerings, it really is one of the most affordable ones out there that I wouldn’t mind paying for.

$2.80 for this?!? Ridiculous value for money and tasty? Sign me up! The chicken thigh meat was smooth, tender and generous and the sauce had the right amounts of salty and sour. Despite its dark red appearance however, it was hardly spicy so feel free to add more heat on with their dried chilli.

The pickled veg ($1.80) behind was refreshing too and definitely a good pick to go along with the chicken.

This bowl was a lot tastier than its soupier counterpart. It actually comes “deconstructed”, with all the toppings in side plates, almost like banchan.

Add in the soybeans, carrot and cucumber strips, coriander, bean sprouts and the zhuppy minced meat that added a whole lotta flavour to the bowl. Our only qualm was that there was waaaaaay too much noodles, so much so that it got jelat towards the end.