Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodles

Hubby recommended me to this prawn noodles stall at Longhouse Food Court at Upper Thomson Road. I think this is already quite a popular stall as most of the people go there for their prawn noodles.

The food came quite quick, which I love, and another thing I love? You can never go wrong with fragrant home made deep fried pork lard and fried shallots. Not those factory made, dried up, flavorless, pathetic excuse of a fried shallot many food stores buy.

Anyway, the soup have pretty good flavour, the jumbo prawns (I got 3 pieces) was very sweet and scrunchy, and again, I love the pork lard and fried shallots. Of course, this pales in comparison to the Wah Kee Prawn Noodles, but it was good nonetheless.

The noodles comes with a side of the usual chilli padi and their ultra hot chilli powder. Word of caution, it is hot! I only added a small pinch and it was enough to make me sweat with a runny nose. Though there was this guy at the next table who poured the whole thing in plus more into his soup. Siao~! Haha, everybody's taste is different!

Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodles
Longhouse Food Court
183 Upper Thomson Road
Big prawn noodles - $6.00
Regular - $3.00

Wah Kee Prawn Noodles

Hands down, this has got to be the BEST PRAWN NOODLES I have ever had. This is actually the 2nd time I went there, because on the first attempt, the noodles was completely sold out even before the lunch crowd has dispersed.

This prawn noodles is not exactly your typical prawn noodles. On the store front, you may be shocked to see that the prices may range up to $10.00! Well, since the reputation is SO GOOD, might as well go all the way and order the best they can offer!

We waited for about 45mins, (I think it's due to the inefficient aunties and uncles working at the store) but it was sure worth the wait I tell you! Where do I start..?

The THREE, sweet, succulent, super fresh, JUMBO prawns?
The unbelievably sweet, or in chinese, very 鮮, seafood flavour of the soup that reminds me of lobster bisque??
The wonderful noodles, cooked to perfection with that amazing chilli sauce and generous sprinkle of fried pork lard???



Like I said, it's not the typical prawn noodles taste, which is more salty. Honestly I CANNOT find any fault in that wonderful bowl of goodness. I actually felt a little lost because everything was so good that I seriously could not decide which to devour next. A big bite into the prawns? A mouthful of noodles? Or should I only drink the sweet sweet soup? Dilemma...

My poor hubby was allergic to prawns, so I felt a little sorry for him, who had to watch me munch down the food greedily. (do I detect some drool at the corner of his mouth?) So I promised him that next time we'll both have the prawn noodles, and we'll go home immediately after that so that he can have his allergy breakout at home. Somehow I think he would find it all worth while!

*TIP* MUST go early to avoid disappointments! I went around 11.30am...

Wah Kee Prawn Noodles
Blk 41A Cambridge Road Hawker Centre (Pek Kio)
#01-15
96883633
7.30am to 2pm
Closed on Mondays

Tiong Bahru Hua Yuen Porridge

If I have to choose what is my favourite dining out breakfast, this is it. A hot and piping bowl of fried big intestine porridge (炸大腸粥）from Tiong Bahru Hua Yuen Porridge. Located at the Tiong Bahru food centre, the store has been around since before the renovation and it serves good, authentic Cantonese porridge.

So far I have not come across another store that sells fried intestine porridge. Maybe it's because it's a lost art really. Many people just don't bother to sell fried intestine dishes anymore because it is such back breaking work! You have to wash it VERY thoroughly or else it would smell (yah gross right), and the folks at Hua Yuen sure knows how to make good intestines!

I love the contrast of the crispy and crunchy intestines with the smooth and silky porridge. It is the ultimate comfort food for me, especially on a cool morning.

Of course, if you are having breakfast at Tiong Bahru Food Centre, it would be a real shame if you went all the way just to enjoy ONE dish. In fact, it would be a down right sin!

So before we even start on the porridge, we would always have at least 4 pieces of the famous zhui kueh. The pickled turnip topping is SO good, Cobby would even mix a little into the porridge.



Of course, how can you have porridge without some freshly fried you tiao (油條)? Imagine dipping the hot and crispy fried dough stick into the porridge before sinking your teeth into them.... yummm... heaven...

I love you tiao...

Perfect combination...

Of course, if you're not a fan of fried intestines, they also have the usual pork, chicken or fish porridge, which is just as good!

Tiong Bahru Hua Yuen Porridge
#02-59
30 Seng Poh Road
Tiong Bahru Market and Hawker Centre

Mellben Seafood

If you are looking for a good quality crab but not wanting to travel all the way to East Coast for your seafood, you can drop by Toa Payoh for your fix!

Mellben Seafood is more popular for their crab beehoon and their more unique crab dishes like their Golden Sand Crabs, but Cobby and I aren't really fans of crab beehoon. So we went for the classic Chilli Crab for our dinner that night.

They have a interesting system at Mellben. You actually have to order your food before they prepare a table for you. I guess in this way, you get your order faster as the restaurant is crowded almost everyday at Mellben.

The wait is definitely worth it! Even though we ordered 2 small crabs, it was heavenly! The crab was so meaty with nice, firm flesh! The sauce was not very spicy, but the flavour was just nice to dip the delicious fried man-tous in. Perfect complement to the crabs!

This was what we ordered that night:



2 small crabs $49.40 (1kg+ per crab)
crispy baby squids $12.00
stir fry baby kailan $8.00

Mellben Seafood
Block 211, Lor 8 Toa Payoh
#01-11-15
63533120

Sri Bistari - Famous Nasi Ayam Penyet (Changi)

Ever since I saw Makansutra recommend Nasi Ayam Penyet on TV, I've been hooked. I thought the one that Seetoh recommended was Nuramin at Changi village but it turned out to be the wrong stall, so, not very good. Then, upon recommendation by Mao, I went to try out The Ayam Penyet House at Beach Road. It's good, but not exactly to my liking. Then one fine day I was inspired to find the original recommendation by Makansutra and... I FOUND IT!



Apparently the store is located at the more obsure and quiet wet market side of the Changi Village Hawker Center. No wonder cannot find it! Good things are really harder to find huh!

This is the second time I've visited the store. I love how the skin of the chicken is super crispy with a slight spice fragrance to it. But amazingly, the flesh is still very tender and moist! So, crispy on the outside, moist on the inside! Best!



The chilli paste is not the super spicy type, but has a slight sweetness in it. But somehow it goes very well with the chicken, and I love to mix it with the rice like when having nasi lemak.

Unlike the Ayam Penyet House with the fancy side dishes, this store only gives a cherry tomato, some cucumber slices and a lettuce as a side. But I like it this way as the raw vegetables provides a nice refreshing contrast to the crispy fried chicken.

My only complain is that the chicken is TOO SMALL! Leaving you with a half full feeling, but allowing you more space for other yummy delights you can find at Changi Village's hawker center. On our 2nd visit we ordered 2 sets and an additional plate of chicken ($3.50) to share - just nice... :D



The chicken comes with a plate of fragrant chicken rice and a bowl of soup, total cost - $4.00

Definitely will go back again!

Sri Bistari - Famous Nasi Ayam Penyet (Changi)
Blk 3 Changi Village Road
#01-40/41 Singapore 500003
Time: 1000 - 0200
For other outlets, click here

Botak Jones

There was alot of hype about this food outlet, all just because an Ang Moh opens a food store at a coffee shop. Many of my friends have tried it before, and their reponse to the food? "it's OK lah..." they all say. What does that mean? So to put my curiousity to rest, I suggested a burger meal at Botak Jones (Ang Mo Kio Branch) one Sunday evening.

First impression? Crowded! There's a long queue at the store and most of the customers belong to Botak Jones. With so many customers, the food couldn't be that bad I guess...



So we ordered their Botak Burger and waited for about 20 minutes before the food came. Oops, they forgot to put the cheese, so we had to wait another 15 minutes before finally getting to meet our dinner.

The burger did looked quite good honestly...



The portion is very big, so it's good for hungry people. But taste wise?



It's OK lah Now I know what that means. It's not bad tasting, but it's not fantastic either. Just a few more dollars and you can get a much much better tasting burger at Earl Swensen's. Plus air-conditioning seating too. Haha...

I ordered a little dessert too, which... was quite sad looking...

my little apple pie...

Well, I did see other people order giant sausages, which looked good too. So was I just unlucky and ordered the wrong dish? Or is Botak Jones just all gimmick? I'm leaning more to the latter really :)

Block 529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10
Singapore 560529
Phone / Fax: 67551225
Everyday 11:30 am till 10:00 pm (last orders)
http://www.botakjones.com/

ABC Popiah

When ever Cobby and I are having Kuay Chap dinner at Toa Payoh, we'll always share one of our favourite popiahs. This store has been here since the 70s? Maybe longer.



The stewed turnip is very nice and flavourful with a good texture. I especially love the slight hint of fresh mince garlic smeared onto the popiah skin, along with their firery chilli paste. I also love the crispy bits inside, what is it? I think its peanuts. Wrap up all the goodies with their handmade popiah skin, 1 roll is usually not enough. YUM~!



Oh if you're feeling adventurous you can even buy the popiah skins from the boss and make popiahs at home! :)

ABC Popiah
#01-204
Blk 93 Lor 4 Toa Payoh
S310093
Time: 1000 - 2200, Off on Mon
Owner: Mr. Tay
Outlet: 62561737

Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa

There's alot of contraversy on this simple little laksa store.

The humble laksa store originated from a simple coffee shop at Depot Road, mostly frequented by people from the nearby DSTA buildings. In no time, the yummy claypot laksa created a reputation as one of the best laksa stores in Singapore!

When the coffee shop suddenly closed down, there was a frenzy among fans to search for their beloved laksa store. Strangely, not one but TWO stores were found. One at Alexander village food centre, the other at Telok Blangah crescent, both claiming that they were THE store from Depot Road.

This caused quite a lot of discussions on WHO is the real macoy!? Along with the heated discussions came theories on why there were two stores. Some say they were actually siblings, some say daughter, some simpy claimed that the other is fake! Haha… I have tried the original as well as the other two new stores, so my stand is…

I believe the one at Telok Blangah Crescent is closer to the original one at Depot Road. :D

But this entry is about the other one at Alexander Village Food Centre. Although it is not as good as the one at Telok Blangah Crescent, this laksa is honestly not bad.

Long queue...

The soup gravy is very thick and flavourful as they are a little heavy-handed on the coconut milk. But hey, any thinner and it would be crossing the line of being bland right? :)



The prawns are very fat and crunchy, and the claypot keeps the laksa nice and warm throughout the meal.

P.S.I’ll visit the one at Telok Blangah again soon so stay tuned for updates!

Alexander Village Food Centre
#01-75, Block 120, Bukit Merah Lane 1

Heng Kee Curry Chicken Mee

A colleague once mentioned that the Chicken Curry Noodles at Hong Lim Food Centre is "...The Best Chicken Curry Noodle Ever!" Wah... bold claim. I've walked pass the stall before, I've seen the long queue, but THE BEST? This I gotta try.

The queue was so long! But when we finally got it I thought it was really worth it.





It's more like Curry Noodles with chicken as they actually boil the chicken seperately. The chicken is super tender, the gravy is very tasty but not heavy! So we gobbled up the whole bowl in a matter of minutes. YUM! Please do go down and give it a try sometime.

#01-127, Heng Kee Curry Chicken Mee, Hong Lim Food Centre

多记猪肠粉

Whenever I'm in Chinatown food complex, I always make sure I stop by 多记 for a nice plate of 猪肠粉, or steamed rice rolls.



Thousands of shops in Singapore sells 猪肠粉, but once you've tried 多记's you will notice the difference in taste. When you take a bite, take a while to savour it. You would notice that their 猪肠粉 has a very nice fragrance. The fragrance of rice.

That's because 多记 is one of the very few stores left that makes its own 猪肠粉, which uses real rice flour. I also love how smooth it is, with a little bit of bite in it. Rather than the mushy ones you eat at your neighbourhood coffeeshop. The sweet sauce is to die for! But since my hubby likes chilli sauce, I always request for them to put the chilli sauce by the side, so that I can enjoy it with just the sweet sauce.



It's quite cheap, $1, $1.50, or $2. But honestly, just order $2, it'll be gone in less than 10mins. They are also famouse for their bean dumplings and steamed yam kuehs, so do give it a try. On weekends they sell out VERY quickly. So by late morning most items would have been sold out. So be early! Oh by the way, good stuff always involve queueing, so be patient!

Chinatown Complex Food Centre
335 Smith Street, Chinatown Complex
#02-216

雪花飞 Hot and Cold Desserts

Located at the newly renovated market at Chinatown, 雪花飞 Hot and Cold Desserts served the best chendol that I know of in Singapore. The store front looked exactly like the other hundreds of dessert store in Singapore, but their Chendol is to die for!



The ice shaving is very fine, so it melts easily when you mix it with your spoon. Those that didn't melt forms nice little ice balls that absorbs all the yummy flavours without being too hard or crunchy.

The red bean paste at the bottom of the bowl is not too sweet, and the generous scoop the nice aunty gives is just enough to make sure that every spoonful has some yummy red bean on it! Yeah!

The green stuff - well - the are the same green stuff, so no comment. But what made me rank this as the BEST chendol ever is the coconut sugar, or gula melaka.

Oh mama~

It's thick, sticky, sweet and fragrant. Just looking at it makes me sigh in delight...



Mix everything together with a small scoop of thick, creamy coconut milk and voila! Heaven awaits!



You may try to savour it slowly, but sadly, the bowl won't last as you greedily slurp up every last drop!

Oh gosh I think I'll have to get my fix as soon as possible. Anyway, with such hot weathers, why resist? :)

雪花飞冷热甜品
Xue Hua Fei Hot and Cold Desserts
Chinatown Complex Food Centre
335 Smith Street, Chinatown Complex
#02-019

(Hua) Fong Kee Roasted Duck

If you are around Toa Payoh and you're hungry for some roasted meat rice (烧腊饭), like, char siew (叉烧), roasted meat (烧肉) or roasted duck (烧鸭), Fong Kee is the place to go.



The char siew is the dark brown type, with a little bit of fat in between the meat, so its very flavourful and tender. I love their roasted park too, especially their crispy skin on top.



The gravy that they pour on top of everything is heavenly. The perfect condiment to go with the rice and meat. Such a simple meal but so hearty and comforting!



(Hua) Fong Kee Roasted Duck
Block 128, Toa Payoh Lorong 1

Nuramin Nasi Ayam Penyet

This was my first try at this dish. Located at Changi Village, there are about a dozen of stores selling this dish! Not knowing who is best, I just tried this store - Nuramin

Nasi Ayam Penyet is a dish where they marinate the chicken with spices, fry it till it's nice and crispy, then, before serving, smash the chicken with a mallet to tenderise the meat. Then you serve it on a bed of lettuce and some firey hot sambal!! Hmm I guess the chef would never have a problem with stress management! (DaMn YOu ChicKen!!! Hammer Hammer Hammer...!)Haha...

Oops sorry lame joke - anyway, this store's chicken was pretty good. The meat is juicy and tender, but, the sambal, is sadly weak. But it has an interesting flavour to it. Maybe she added fresh tomato? Not sure. But could be more spicy yah...

Also, the chicken doesn't seems to have much meat leh... So it kindda left us still a little unsatisfied. So although it taste good, I would not go back to this store again. But this dish is a good spin-off from the usual chicken rice.

I will continue to hunt for a better Nasi Ayam Penyet!

Lau Ka Ki Nasi Lemak

If you refer to my previous entry on the Leon Kee Pork Rib Soup (a.k.a. Bak Ku Teh), you will find another fabulous store at the same location. Lau Ka Ki Nasi Lemak.

To most locals, Nasi Lemak is a pretty common meal. What's so unusual about this store that would make Miss CoCo put this up in her blog you say? Well, all I can say is, if you are someone who loves hot and piping, freshly cooked meals, you'll love this store.

Usually what you see at nasi lemak stores are a whole shelf of pre-cooked items which you pick to go with your rice. I can recommend some really kick-ass fantastic stores another time, but usually they are not HOT you know what I mean...

This store is different. Located at #01-12, block 120, Bukit Merah Lane 1, there's only ONE man handling the whole store. But this one man takes your order, then like clockwork, prepares every side dish only at you order. Queue? Definitely. All good food comes with a line of devotees... But surprisingly it does not take too long; probably it was after much trial and error that made his system so smooth...

Oh yah and do take note that the boss is a very contented man. By 2pm all the food and rice would have been sold out, so try to get there early.

Ok back to the food. The chicken drumstick - freshly fried from the wok, HOT and crispy on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside... The luncheon meat, like the drumstick, HOT and crispy on the outside, oh so good when you sink you teeth in them. The freshly fried sunny side up egg, with the white crispy and fluffy, but the yoke still runny so that you can mix it with your hot rice, ikan bilis and chilli paste and scoop the whole spoonful into your mouth!!!

Now for the critic part.

Strictly speaking, Lau Ka Ki does not have the best nasi lemak. Like I said before, I've had better in terms of taste. But I have also tasted many worse. So the thing that really impressed me and made me go back is the freshness and how the boss is willing to go the extra mile to serve fresh and hot food to his customers. Not alot of stores are willing to do that nowadays, so this I gotta give it to him.

Ok I admit, I am a sucker for piping hot food. From where I grew up, wholesome comfort food is all about freshly cooked food and eating it while it's hot. So this shop I adore and I recommend.

Burp...
(disclaimer - The left over rice was a my sad dieting attempt, nothing to do with the yummy rice hor)

Leon Kee Pork Rib Soup

If you are near the Alexandra Village food centre during weekday, I would highly recommend a food stall that should not be given a miss!!!

On top of the list is Leon Kee Pork Rib Soup (or known locally as Bak Ku Teh). I personally rank it as Miss CoCo's Top Choice for Bak Ku Teh. Located at #01-18, block 120, Bukit Merah Lane 1, this stall's opening hours is most difficult to grasp. But when it does open, you'll see that almost every table patronise the stall.



The Bak Ku Teh soup is served in clay pots, which means that soups stay warm longer. Every piece of meat is head spinning-ly tender and the flavour in the soup is so good, you want to drink up every last drop of it. But be warned ~ the soup is herbal in nature. I totally love how it makes the soup taste but I do know that some people just don't like herbal stuff. My advise is, try it anyway. Hey who knows, maybe your taste buds would make an exception for a good bowl of bak ku teh?

Don't forget to order their side dish of chai buei, which is the preserved vegetable. Honestly, I have tasted better chai buei. So it may not be the best, (that I would tell you where another time) but at least it is not horrible tasting. A bak ku teh meal would not be complete with your hot soup, your steaming bowl of rice and a little plate of chai buei. So... very important; must order.

My only complain for my favourite stall is the blatant lack of chilli padi to dip my yummy, tender, pork rib! Argh... Big chillis are tasteless one ok...

But even without the chilli padi, Cobby and I still enjoy our occasional meals at our favourite stall. So far we have not found any stall that serves a more flavourful soup, or meat so tender. So little obstacles like chilli padi would never deter us from going back again and again! Haha...