Don't Play With Food SG

all because of this soon hock...
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Took a precious day off work yesterday to fulfil my parent's wish of going over the border to visit our favourite (and pricey) restaurant to have a mini feast. We over ordered and had all these scrumptious dishes for 3 people. The Hong Kong style steamed soon hock was marvellous. There was a small piece of liver that came along with the fish (small item in the second picture beside the fish head) and that small piece of liver was treasure. The kam heong crab was very fragrant and the crab flesh was firm and juicy, which can only be possible when it is very fresh. The hae zho (deep fried prawn and meat roll) was good too, being handmade in the stall and stuffed with plenty of ingredients. The other items are not really worth mentioning so I shall not talk about it. Overall, the meal was extremely delicious (albeit pricey) and they live up to their reputation. The restaurant is always full and customers on the weekends are mostly Singaporean. Visiting on a weekday will be less crowded for sure. The seafood here is extremely fresh and the chef has hands that can create magic. This meal's damage came at RM509.90, which converts roughly to S$170 (AKA a meal beyond my pay grade). Yesterday was pay day, and it was a day brightly litted by my parent's smiles. Today, I pok (broke) liao. Seems like it's maggie mee for the rest of the month. 😂

was also slightly Ang-ry at myself for not having tried this sooner...
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Yesterday, I got to try some kuehs for the first time from @pohcheukitchen. It was an impromptu decision to go down for some kuehs with my friend and it was a decision that I did not regret. I managed to try the yam ang ku kueh which I really loved a lot as it was not too sweet and the filling was generous. Imagine having orh ni but enclosed in a thin and delectable layer of ku kueh skin. Splendid! I had the peanut one which was pretty normal but still delicious nonetheless. The one with the mung bean paste filling was slightly too dry for my liking and I have had better (read more about it below). The soon kueh, bamboo shoot kueh, koo chye kueh, and png kueh were also pretty good too. You could tell that they use plenty of dried shrimps when you bite down on the kueh and that is one of the reason for the fragrance it emits. Many places sell kuehs with skin that is too thick which diminishes the quality of the kuehs in my opinion. Not here though, as the skin for all the kuehs that I bought were appropriately thin. I will definitely be back to get all 12 flavours of ang ku kuehs! Too many flavours, too little room in the stomach! 😂
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I once had a discussion with @traditionalfoodhero and @ariane.le about what I would choose to have as part of dessert for my last meal (if I had a choice). I said that my aunt's Ang Ku Kueh, which she used to make for friends and family on special occasions, would definitely top the list. I love Ang Ku Kueh ever since young mostly because of my aunt but I haven't had nice ones for a long time because my aunt is now too old to make her signature Ang Ku Kueh. I would say that I am quite particular about my ang ku kuehs and my favourite would be the mung bean paste ang ku kuehs made by my aunt. Mung bean paste ang ku kuehs were my aunt's signature and they are the best I have ever had. People often attempt to pay my aunt for her to make it in batches but she always rejects the offers. Making ang ku kueh is extremely tedious but I guess my aunt's love for the family is stronger, thus only making it for us. 😅

better to siam this place...
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There are many first experiences in life and they shape your views and perspectives of how certain things are. Some of these are good, and some are bad. I remember my first Japanese Omakase meal. It was perfect and it raised the bar for Japanese food for me. I viewed Japanese food in a whole new light after that very first (and only so far) wonderful and memorable experience.
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Then, there are bad experiences which also impacts the manner you perceive certain things or places. My first experience at the newly opened @makkoteckneo outlet around my office area was a total disaster. I visited this stall wanting to have their nasi lemak but was told that there was none left which got me slightly disappointed. However, all was okay as there were other choices to choose from which sounded rather appetising. After much thought, I ordered the mee siam instead. Then, people who ordered after me was served with nasi lemak, and tons of it. I was further disappointed but it was okay as I thought that I should give the mee siam a chance. So, together with my colleagues, we waited for 30 minutes (half of our lunch time gone just like that). Lo and behold, came the mee siam which was priced at $5.80. It contained 3 miserable cold halved eggs (why 3? Probably to replace some other items they "ran out of"), a cold and hard potato begedil, and mee siam that was not only cold but under and unevenly cooked. Me and my colleagues who had this for lunch, within 3 hours, had upset stomachs. What a terrible meal. First experiences matters and never again will I be here.

makes the weekends feel so much greener...
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This outlet is relatively new and I gave it a try yesterday. A massive slab of chicken thigh meat with two sides costs $10.50 nett. The chicken was amazing. Thick and juicy, it was very filling. The choices of sides they have is very wide as well and I would love to try it all some day. Some interesting sides they have includes the parmesan asparagus, the cinnamon pumpkin, and the garlic butter eggplant. I chose to have the parmesan asparagus and coleslaw for my sides. The asparagus was a tad overcooked, resulting in it not having a crunch. It was also topped with slightly burnt cheese which was not really to my liking. The coleslaw was pretty good but not for those who dislikes celery as the after taste of the celery used in this coleslaw was rather strong. Long queue, relatively affordable and pretty delicious food. What else is there to say? A good way to end off a Friday!

prata is definitely a flipping good food...

Time to go full trotter once more...
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One of my favourite places to dine at ever since I was a young boy. Every single dish that they offer is delicious, just like how I remember it since I first had it ages ago. Was greeted by the da jie (now aunty liao) who knew me since I was a kid and her first reaction when she saw me after all this time was "小弟啊！上次看到你才小小而已，现在那么大了啊？娶老婆了没有？" The same can be said back to her. Last time your business small small only, now so big liao. Got Michelin bib some more leh! 😂

but not too shabu (shabby)...
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Went and did it again. Solo buffet lunch because I had a $10 voucher to spare which was expiring soon. Paid $7.50 for this huge buffet meal which could have fed at least 4 people perhaps. The dessert selection was awesome. Especially loved the peanut mochi which I tried pairing with the matcha soft serve, and boy was it good. Swipe to the last few photos to look at my dessert "creation". Now, its food coma time. Oh, the lady at the table beside me told me that she wished she had my appetite because I sure ate my worth 😂

pay 2 DOL-lars for this and you will achieve some temporary relief...
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I have always spotted a queue at this stall but never did gave it a try. This was until the recent mad heat came and tore my sweat glands apart. I went ahead to buy this bowl of chendol with red beans ($2) this time and it was a good decision. The aromatic coconut milk paired well with the not-too-sweet but extremely fragrant gula melaka, on top of finely grated ice. The red bean and the jelly gave the dish a great texture and once again, complemented amazingly with every thing else in the bowl. First time having it here, definitely going to have it again another time. Perhaps I'll try the durian chendol ($3) next time. For those who love their chendol plain ($1.50) or with sweet corn ($2), rejoice! They have it there too! Its located at Boon Lay Place Market and Food Village and the stall is called Nyonya Chendol and it is relatively easy to find!

that should be enough for people to feel belly happy...
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These two slices of tuna belly was the best I have had in my life thus far. It was extremely flavourful, creamy and smooth. I have not been seeing Japanese cuisine in the same light ever since having this meal. Dining here was a life changing experience.
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On a side note, here are some thoughts of life. Health is wealth and it is often under unpleasant circumstances that we realise how a simple and healthy life is sufficient. It matters more than anything to be healthy.

there is defi-nut-ly a grain of truth in this tea-eory...
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Hakka Lei Cha Fan (Thunder Tea Rice):
Lei Cha fan comprises of a bowl of rice that is topped with various kinds of vegetables. These vegetables all have a strong flavour profile on its own and when mixed together, makes up a taste that is indescribable. It is probably more of an acquired taste as some may hate it beyond reasoning, while others who love it can have it every single day. The bowl of tea/soup that comes along with it is extremely flavourful as well. However, eating this is pretty tiring for the jaw as a lot of chewing has to be done 😂. I love lei cha fan, especially for the crunch to it, and this stall that sells it is one of the more popular stall in Boon Lay hawker centre. Be prepared to queue if you are there during lunch time! This bowl of lei cha fan that has so many shades of green is choked full with healthy vitamins, minerals, and fibre and a bowl of it from $3.50 (white rice) to $4 (brown rice), with multiple topping options available. That was a filling and delicious meal 😁

right, chap-s?
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Kway chaps that sells out by 11am daily should not require a review right? Nevertheless, let's review what we have here. Braised pig offals, pig intestines, pig belly, pig rind, pig skin, tau kwa, tau pok, eggs, preserved salted vegetables, and much more which I might have left out. This stall serves every thing a piggy eater will love. Topped with a bowl (or two for me) of rice sheets that comes with a flavourful herbal broth, this is definitely one of the better kway chaps around that I have tasted!

it was cray-zy...
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Lobster Porridge:
If you have been following my IG stories, you would have noticed that I am a sucker for porridge. If I could, I would have porridge for every meal, every day. That is why when this bowl of goodness from @unclekiisu arrived on my table, I was literally drooling. The Lobster Porridge is one of their newest introductions, and is becoming a fast favourite according to the Chef. I could see why. This porridge is unlike your typical kind in two ways. Firstly, the porridge after being cooked, is wok charred which results in a wok-hei flavour being infused into the dish. This makes it extremely flavourful. Secondly, who would have expected tobiko to be found in porridge? Certainly not me. When I first saw tobiko in the porridge, I was rather skeptical of it as it was very foreign to me. I then proceeded to take a bite of it and my skepticism disappeared instantaneously. The porridge was already very flavourful by itself with the wok-hei in it and the tobiko gave it even more flavour, which resulted in the dish turning out to be extremely savoury. This was well balanced with the crab meat chunks, the scallops, and the lobster present in the dish which added a tinge of seafood sweetness. The combination and explosion of flavours in this dish makes every spoonful even more addictive than the one before. The Chef's exact words when he served the dish were that "there is a very thin and fine line between having wok-hei, and being burnt". Preparing this dish required mastery that is hard to attain. Therefore, the price of this dish is slightly higher at $28.80. However, as premium ingredients are being used, and with the intricacies involved in preparing this dish, the price tag of it is justifiable. Uncle Kiisu is located at Novena Square 2, #02-65.
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@traditionalfoodhero @ariane.le 😋🤤