Western Chow Hainanese Beef Stew

After trying the delicious beef stew from Jacob's Cafe, I decided to embark on a journey to try the other beef stews in Singapore. My next stop is Western Chow at Bishan Central.


A plate of Hainanese beef stew, which costs only $6.50, comes in a generous portion that is certainly worthwhile for its price. Served with carrot and potato, I was delighted to find huge chunks of beef inside the stew. Creamy and peppery, the savory stew goes very well with the rice. While extremely tenderised, the beef seems to have lost its natural beefy flavour which is something very essential in a dish like beef stew.

Although Western Chow's Hainanese beef stew is cheaper and comes in a larger portion, I still prefer the beef stew from Jacob's Cafe. Nevertheless if you crave for beef stew but do not wish to travel all the way down to Changi Village, Western Chow at Bishan Central is certainly worth trying.

7/10

Western Chow
Blk 504 Bishan Street 11
S-11 Coffee Shop
#01-444 S(570504)

Jacob's Cafe Beef Stew

After I read the book Tell It @ Jacob's Cafe written by Towsoon Lim, the founder of Jacob's Cafe, I was curious about its famous beef stew, so I went down to the restaurant at Changi Village on a Friday evening to try it for myself.

Seated at the alfresco section of Jacob's Cafe, I enjoyed the cosy and soothing ambience and almost did not realise that I was actually on the void deck of a HDB flat. I ordered a bowl of beef stew and a plate of rice which cost $10.20. With no service charge and no GST, the prices on the menu are exactly what you pay on the bill.


Indeed value for money, the delicious beef stew comes in a satisfactory portion served with generous chunks of beef and pieces of carrot and potato. Concentrated with the sweet essence of beef, the mouthwatering soup is delightfully thick and irresistably flavorful. The beef chunks, though tasty and fleshy, could have been less tough and more marinated.

Overall it was a sumptuous dinner at Jacob's Cafe. I absolutely loved the special ambience of the place and would certainly bring my family and friends down to try its other recommended dishes eg Hainanese mutton stew and chicken curry.

7.5/10

Jacob's Cafe
Blk 5 Changi Village Road
#01-2049 Singapore 500005
Closed on Sundays

Soon Lee Fire-Pot Stew Beef Noodle

There are times when I wished I have taken a better picture of the food I recommend. But I was too hungry to resist the temptation of this fire-pot stew beef noodle, so I just snapped a random shot and started to eat. Believe me, this fire-pot stew beef noodle tastes a thousand times better than it looks in the photo.


Run by two ladies in their sixties, Soon Lee at Alexandra Village Food Centre has a variety of stew beef dishes. I ordered the fire-pot stew beef with a plate of noodles which cost $6. Served piping hot in a fire-pot with carrot and potato, the tender and fleshy chunks of well-marinated stew beef are coated with thick flavorful gravy that is irresistably sweet and savory. The mouthwatering gravy, together with the special chilli paste, complement the thin noodles (mee kia) very well. The delicious noodles also come with a bowl of soup that is concentrated with delightful beef essence.

Soon Lee fire-pot stew beef noodle is certainly the best that I have tasted in Singapore. If you are a beef lover like me, come down to Alexandra Village Food Centre and experience it for yourself.

8/10

Soon Lee Beef Soup
Alexandra Village Food Centre
#01-16