Western Barbeque Chicken Chop

The recent opening of Dakota MRT station of the Circle Line has greatly increased the accessibility of Old Airport Road Food Centre which is well-known for many delicious food eg fried kway teow, fried Hokkien mee, Western food, lor mee, wanton mee and cze char, just to name a few.


When I was there for dinner last night, I decided to try this stall named Western Barbeque which features several awards from Makansutra, Channel U and I Weekly etc. I ordered the chicken chop which costs $5 and comes with French fries, bread and baked beans. Fabulously grilled with a crispy charred outer layer, the chicken chop is remarkably tender and fleshy and tastes great even without any sauce.

No special flavors like teriyaki or black pepper, no side dishes like corn or coleslaw, Western Barbeque has the traditional old style chicken chop which impresses with its simplicity. If you crave to sink your teeth into a thick and fleshy piece of chicken chop, come down to try Western Barbeque today.

7.5/10

Western Barbeque
Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road #01-53

Swee Ting Seafood Hor Fun

Hidden inside Maxwell Food Centre is a stall named Swee Ting which has seafood hor fun with the best wok hei that I have tasted. While most seafood hor fun costs only $3 or $3.50, Swee Ting's costs $4 but don't be tricked, what you get is worth more what you pay for.


Topped with every ingredient you can ever think of, ranging from prawns, sotong, lean meat, sliced fish, fish cake to mussel, pig intestine and chicken liver, a $4 plate of seafood hor fun comes in such a generous portion that even though I was hungry, could not finish all of it. Every piece of hor fun is marvellously fried with a irresistable wok hei flavour and coated with savory seafood gravy. What impressed me most was in spite of the excellent hor fun, the ingredients are all remarkably fresh and tasty.

Certainly praiseworthy for its outstanding culinary standards, Swee Ting seafood hor fun is undoubtedly one of the best that I have tasted in Singapore. I will definitely return to try its fried hokkien mee someday.

8.5/10

Swee Ting
#01-51 Maxwell Food Centre
Maxwell Road
Closed on Tuesdays

International Food Stall Nasi Lemak

Over the years, despite fierce competition from Mizzy's Corner and Sri Sujana, International Food Stall still retains its title of the most famous nasi lemak in Changi Village with the longest queue.


Similarly priced as its competitors, a plate of International nasi lemak which costs $3, comes with ikan bilis, fried egg and fried chicken wing. Sufficiently fragrant with the aroma of coconut milk, the flavorful rice goes very well with the sweet sambal chilli. The highlight of the nasi lemak is the fried chicken wing that is crispy and juicy.

Apart from their names, I honestly can't tell the difference between the three nasi lemak in Changi. Judging by the longer queue, there must be something special about International Food Stall's nasi lemak that distinguishes it from the other two and keeps its fans coming back for more. Perhaps readers who know can share it with me.

7/10

International Food Stall Nasi Lemak
Changi Village Hawker Centre
Blk 2 Changi Village Rd #01-57

Fu Kee Cartilage Ramen

Having tried several disappointing ramen from food centres and food courts, I finally found a praiseworthy ramen from Fu Kee at Kovan Food Centre.


I ordered the cartilage ramen which costs $4. Topped with juicy straw mushrooms and fleshy and tender pieces of well-marinated braised cartilage meat, the special ramen is indeed value-for-money. Concentrated with the delightful sweetness of pork ribs and carrot, the mouthwatering soup complements the smooth ramen really well.

One of the few ramen that leaves me wanting to return for more, Fu Kee also has delicious mutton soup which I will definitely try someday.

7.5/10

Fu Kee Ramen
Kovan Food Centre
Blk 209 Hougang St 21

Bishan 504 Boneless Chicken Rice

With stalls selling chicken rice for as cheap as $1.80 sprouting all across Singapore, it is no wonder why chicken rice sellers nowadays have to think of all kinds of gimmicks to woo their customers. Located in the S-11 coffee shop directly across Junction 8 in Bishan, this stall gives away free soup of the day with every purchase of chicken rice.


For $3.30, you get a bowl of rice, a satisfactory plate of chicken and a large bowl of chicken feet with groundnut soup. Fragrant and flavorful, the golden grains of rice are robust in consistency and go very well with the spicy chilli sauce. The steamed white chicken is fresh and tender and served with crispy beansprouts. The chicken feet with groundnut soup which is sweet and savory, certainly helps to quench one's thirst at the end of the sumptuous meal.

Although paler in comparison with the expensive chicken rice from the famous Five Star and Boon Tong Kee, Bishan 504 has affordable chicken rice that is certainly more delicious than that from many neighborhood stalls.

7/10

Bishan 504 Boneless Chicken Rice
Blk 504 Bishan Street 11
S-11 Coffee Shop
#01-444 S(570504)

Liang Seah Street Prawn Mee

At Golden Shoe Food Centre where the famous nasi lemak and lor mee cost only $2, I was surprised to find out that a bowl of Liang Seah Street pork rib prawn mee costs $5. What made me even more skeptical was that the stall also sells laksa and lor mee, which makes me wonder if the prawn mee is indeed so delicious.

On a Thursday evening when the nasi lemak is sold out and the lor mee stall is closed, I finally decided to try the $5 pork rib prawn mee and it was certainly worth the price.


What I liked most about Liang Seah Street prawn mee is the special soup that is highly concentrated with the desirable sweetness of prawn and pork rib. Served with halved medium prawns, sliced small prawns and pork ribs, the noodles come in a generous portion that is definitely satisfactory for dinner.

Whether you are working in the CBD or not, do come down to Golden Shoe Food Centre and try Liang Seah Street prawn mee as it is open even after office hours.

7/10

Liang Seah Street Prawn Mee
Golden Shoe Food Centre
50 Market Street
S(048940)

Loy Kee Chicken Rice

Located in Whampoa Block 91 food centre which is well-known for its fish head steamboat, handmade noodles, mee siam etc, Loy Kee is one of the famous chicken rice in Singapore.


A chicken rice set for one person costs $4 and comes with a plate of steamed chicken, a bowl of rice and soup. Lightly coated with a layer of chicken essence and pandan fragrance, the rice is sufficiently tasty but not overly greasy or sticky. The steamed chicken is fresh and tender and goes very well with the unique chilli sauce that is salty and sour. I especially enjoyed the juicy preserved pickles that came with the chicken, adding a desirable tinge of sweetness to the dish.

Besides delicious chicken rice, Loy Kee also has seafood steamboat. Bring your family down to Whampoa and try it for dinner today.

7/10

Loy Kee Chicken Rice & Porridge
Whampoa Drive Food Centre
Blk 91 Whampoa Drive
#01-49/50

New World Mutton Soup

Located on the second storey of Jalan Berseh Food Centre, this must be the most potent mutton soup that I have ever tasted.


Very reasonably priced at $3.20 (add $0.50 for a bowl of rice), New World mutton soup is concentrated with the desirable sweetness of mutton and the distinctive bitterness of herbs and spices, certainly appealing to die-hard mutton soup fans but probably not for the faint-hearted. The numerous pieces of mutton are indeed fleshy and tasty.

If you are looking for a mutton soup that is mind-blowing, New World mutton soup is the one for you. Come down to Jalan Berseh and be overwhelmed.

7/10

New World Mutton Soup
Jalan Berseh Cooked Food Centre
Jalan Berseh #02-57
Singapore 209037

Ah Tat Kitchen Mini Hotpot

After Marina Square and Marine Parade, my new-found fascination with mini steamboat led me to Chinatown where I discovered Ah Tat Kitchen at Smith Street Food Centre. Here I found the cheapest mini hotpot set meals (inclusive of rice at $3.80) for chicken or pork and $4.20 for seafood.


What impressed me most about Ah Tat Kitchen mini hotpot is the superior quality of the soup base. With a subtle fragrance of ginseng, the mouthwatering soup is irresistably flavorful that you can have it on its own. The chicken mini hotpot set comes with slices of chicken, hotdog, beancurd, mushrooms and vegetables.

If you are a fan of mini steamboat like me, do come down to Smith Street Food Centre to try Ah Tat Kitchen mini hotpot today.

7.5/10

Ah Tat Kitchen
Smith Street Food Centre
#02-054
335 Smith Street Singapore 050335


Update 1/8/2010 - This stall has closed down.

Ji Xiang Ang Ku Kueh

Ang ku kueh, literally translated as red tortoise cake in Hokkien, is a Chinese pastry of steamed rice flour filled with green bean paste or roasted peanut. When I was at Everton Park recently to buy pineapple tarts for Chinese New Year, I came across Ji Xiang Confectionery which I read on the Internet has one of the best ang ku kueh in Singapore.


With a fabulous variety of ang ku kueh ranging from sweet bean paste to savory bean paste, peanut, corn, coconut, sesame and durian, I decided to try the traditional sweet bean paste ang ku kueh which costs $0.60. The special rice flour skin is amazingly smooth and chewy yet does not stick onto the teeth at all. Just right in terms of sweetness, the fragrant bean paste filling is delightfully soft and melts gently in the mouth.

Although I am not a fan of ang ku kueh, I was certainly impressed by that from Ji Xiang Confectionery. Do also try its highly recommended pineapple tarts which make an excellent gift for Chinese New Year.

7.5/10

Ji Xiang Confectionery
Blk 1 Everton Park
#01-33
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays

Katong (Peter) Fried Kway Teow

Formerly located at Jago Close along East Coast Road, Katong (Peter) Fried Kway Teow has shifted to Tanjong Pagar Food Centre, bringing competition to the already famous Tanjong Pagar Fried Kway Teow there.


I ordered the $3 plate of fried kway teow which is served on a banana leaf with a generous variety of ingredients such as prawns, cockles, fish cake and Taiwan sausage. Well-fried with a subtle charred flavour, the tasty kway teow is savory and fragrant, not overly wet or greasy.

Comparing the two fried kway teow, Katong (Peter)'s is the salty type whereas Tanjong Pagar's is the sweeter type. Also Katong (Peter) uses the normal thick kway teow whereas Tanjong Pagar uses thin kway teow. Come down and try both to decide which one you like better but be prepared to queue with the lunch time crowd.

7/10

Katong (Peter) Fried Kway Teow
Blk 6
Tanjong Pagar Plaza
#02-14
Singapore 081006

Marine Parade Ginseng Mini Steamboat

Located in the recently renovated G8 Food Court opposite Parkway Parade Shopping Centre, this new stall has 6 different mini steamboat sets (chicken, pork, mutton, beef, prawn and fish) priced at only $5.50 each ($6 with a bowl of rice). You get to choose from 3 types of soup bases (chicken, tom yam or spicy hot).


My favorite is the chicken mini steamboat set which comes with a plate of lean tender chicken and a plate of miscellaneous ingredients eg fishball, prawn ball, crabmeat, hotdog, beancurd, egg, vermicelli, vegetables etc. The chicken soup is clear and flavorful with a subtle tinge of ginseng.

Compared with Old Hong Kong Mini Steamboat at Marine Square Food Court, the ginseng chicken soup from Marine Parade Mini Steamboat seems to be less impressive but it easily makes up for the deficit with its fantastic sambal chilli sauce which goes so well with the fresh ingredients. Bring your family down to Marine Parade and try it for yourself today.

7.5/10

Marine Parade Ginseng Mini Steamboat
G8 Food Court
5 Marine Parade Central

House Of Tau Sar Piah

Having featured Loong Fatt as the most well-known tau sar piah in Singapore, I feel compelled to blog about House Of Tau Sar Piah in Balestier because I like the tau sar piah from the latter better.

As taste is often subjective, I shall first share some objective differences between the two.
1. Loong Fatt's tau sar piah costs $0.70 whereas House's costs $0.50 (sweet) or $0.60 (salty).
2. Loong Fatt is closed on Sundays but House is open.
3. Loong Fatt's tau sar piah is non-vegetarian whereas House's is made using pure vegetable oil hence suitable for vegetarians.


Now I shall share the subjective differences. Served in a smaller portion than Loong Fatt's, House's tau sar piah is just sufficient for a light snack. The fragrant crust is less thick and more robust and goes very well with the red bean filling which is soft and flavorful.

Just as I prefer Leung Sang's egg tarts to the famous Tong Heng's, I feel that House's tau sar piah tastes much better than Loong Fatt's. Come down to Balestier and try both to decide for yourself.

7.5/10

House Of Tau Sar Piah
529 Balestier Road

Old Hong Kong Seafood Mini Steamboat

Used to be well-known for its signature trolley noodle trolley noodle, Old Hong Kong at Marina Square Food Court now has mini steamboat sets at very affordable prices.

For only $6.80 inclusive of rice, you get to choose one of the following sets ie seafood, chicken, beef or pork with either ginseng chicken or tom yam soup.


When I was there last week, I decided to try the seafood mini steamboat with ginseng chicken soup. The first thing that impressed me was the flavorful soup filled with the irresistable sweetness of chicken and the distinctive fragrance of ginseng. The seafood set comes with fresh prawns, cuttlefish, fishballs, meatballs, hotdog, crabmeat, mushroom and a variety of vegetables.

If you are a fan of steamboat but not keen to indulge in the pricey buffet type, Old Hong Kong Mini Steamboat is just the ideal choice for you. Plus you get to dine in an air-conditioned restaurant which makes it even more value-for-money. When I returned a few days later to try the chicken mini steamboat, I must admit that it is just as fantastic.

7.5/10

Old Hong Kong Seafood Mini Steamboat
Marina Food Loft
Level 4
Marina Square Shopping Centre


Update 1/8/2010 - This stall has closed down.

Whampoa Prawn Noodle

Closed on Sundays and often sold out before lunch on the other days, I finally managed to try Whampoa Prawn Noodle when I was there for breakfast last Friday.


I ordered a bowl of $3 prawn noodle which is served with sliced prawns and sliced lean meat. Topped with fried spring onion and pork lard, the delicious soup is irresistably savory and fragrant with a distinctive traditional flavour.

No big prawns, pork ribs or other fanciful gimmicks, Whampoa prawn noodle is the typical "old school" style prawn mee that will certainly touch your heart.

7.5/10

Whampoa Prawn Noodle
Blk 91 Whampoa Dr #01-39
Closed on Sundays

Yeap Seng Egg Tart

When I was having my favorite ban mian at Whampoa Market this morning, I stumbled upon this stall named Yeap Seng Handmade Pau Tim which has a variety of pastries and dim sum at very affordable prices.


Although priced at only $0.70, I feel that Yeap Seng's egg tart tastes better than the famous $1.30 egg tart from Tong Heng in Chinatown. Filled with thick butter fragrance, the flavorful crust goes very well with the mouthwatering egg custard that is just of the right sweetness.

Besides egg tart, Yeap Seng also has carrot cake, char siew bao, fried ngor hiang, curry puff etc. If you are a pastry lover, come down to Whampoa and try it for yourself.

7.5/10

Yeap Seng Handmade Pau Tim
Blk 91 Whampoa Dr #01-33

Gourmet Claypot Herbal Chicken

With a wide variety of claypot dishes ranging from herbal chicken to claypot rice, bak kut teh, curry chicken and claypot noodle, Gourmet Claypot at Compass Point Food Court has one of the best claypot herbal chicken that I have ever tried.


Reasonably priced at $5 with additional $0.50 for a bowl of plain rice, the delicious herbal soup comes with several pieces of fresh and tender chicken. Served piping hot in a claypot, the mouthwatering soup is rich with the authentic flavours of Chinese herbs such as angelica root, codonopsis root and wolfberries etc. Another plus point is the special chilli sauce which goes very well with the tasty chicken.

If you have the craving for traditional homemade herbal chicken soup, you must come down to Sengkang and try Gourmet Claypot herbal chicken today.

7.5/10

Gourmet Claypot
Compass Point Shopping Centre
Kopitiam Food Court
Level 4
1 Sengkang Square
Singapore 545078

Kim Seng Live Prawn Noodle

Formerly known as Feng Yun Live Prawn Noodle when it was located at Kim Seng Plaza, it has shifted to Marina Square Food Court and is now known as Kim Seng Live Prawn Noodle.


Served at a promotional price of $3.90, the prawn noodle comes with two live tiger prawns, shredded braised meat and fish cake. You can choose to have either the traditional prawn soup or the nutritious herbal soup. Having tried both, I prefer the nutritious herbal soup which is exceptionally savory and fragrant. The live tiger prawns are indeed fresh and sweet.

Whether you are a fan of prawn noodle or herbal soup, come down to Marina Square and try this special herbal prawn noodle from Kim Seng today.

7.5/10

Kim Seng Live Prawn Noodle
Marina Food Loft
Level 4
Marina Square Shopping Centre

Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah

Search for "Balestier" and "tau sar piah" on Google and the name Loong Fatt comes out in most hits, ahead of all its other competitors along Balestier Road.


Closed on Sundays, I finally had the chance to savour the famous Loong Fatt tau sar piah when I went there on a Friday morning. Although slightly more expensively priced at 70 cents instead of 50 or 60 cents from its other competitors, the tau sar piah from Loong Fatt is considerably larger in size. Served fresh from the oven, the special crust is soft and warm with a distinctive butter fragrance. The thick red bean filling is irresistably delicious with the right balance of sweet and salty flavours.

Having my Loong Fatt tau sar piah with a cup of hot green tea was a wonderful experience. Come down to Balestier and try it for yourself.

7.5/10

Loong Fatt Eating House & Confectionary
639 Balestier Road
Closed on Sundays

Ah Yee's Soon Kueh

Located at the basement of Dunman Food Centre, Ah Yee's Soon Kueh has one of the best soon kueh (steamed Chinese dumpling with rice flour skin and chopped turnip filling) in Singapore.


Handmade on the spot and served piping hot, Ah Yee's soon kueh are undoubtedly fresh and tasty. Reasonably priced at 80 cents per piece, I was amazed by the generous variety and superior quality of the ingredients which ranged from crunchy turnip strips to mushroom, carrot and fragrant dried shrimps.

Although I am not a fan of soon kueh, I was certainly impressed by Ah Yee's and would definitely return for more.

7.5/10

Ah Yee's Soon Kueh
Dunman Food Centre
Blk 271 Onan Road
#01-05

Ocean Economic Rice

When I was having dinner with my friends at the Toa Payoh branch of Mellben Seafood some weeks ago, I noticed a long queue in front of this economic rice stall named Ocean Curry Fishhead. Curious to find out what is so special about this economic rice, I returned on another day to try it for myself.


I ordered a plate of rice with curry vegetables, curry chicken and fried omelette which costs $3.30. Richly scented with a distinctive lemon grass fragrance, the curry gravy is spicy and savory. I was most impressed with the fried omelette which came with fresh shrimps.

Yet to try its other signature dishes such as curry fishhead, sambal prawn, mutton rendang, sambal cockles, oyster sotong etc, I would certainly bring my family down to Ocean Curry Fishhead for dinner soon.

7/10

Ocean Curry Fishhead
Blk 212 Toa Payoh Lorong 8

Tan Soon Mui Soya Beancurd

At only 50 cents a bowl, Tan Soon Mui soya beancurd at Serangoon Gardens Food Centre must be the cheapest in Singapore. Unless you can still find those soya beancurd in some primary school canteens, which if I remembered correctly, used to cost only 20 cents.


Served in a porcelain bowl, the soya beancurd is soft and smooth with a traditional flavour.

Although it says offer on its signboard, I have not seen a price increase, at least for the past 2 years. If you patronise Serangoon Garden Food Centre for dinner, do complete your meal with a bowl of sweet soya beancurd from Tan Soon Mui.

7/10

Tan Soon Mui Soya Beancurd
Serangoon Garden Food Centre
49A Serangoon Garden Way
Stall 41

Ishi Mura House Special Ramen

This Japanese-themed foodcourt on the level 3 extension of Northpoint Shopping Centre looks more like a restaurant on the outside. Which is why even though I have been working in Yishun, I never knew that Ishi Mura is a foodcourt until recently.

An interesting concept of food stalls with an impressive variety of delicious Japanese food ranging from ramen to baked rice and omelette rice, pizza and pasta, okonomiyaki, bento and burger, sushi and sashimi etc, I decided to have the house special ramen after much hesitation.


Reasonably priced at $6.90, the house special ramen comes with a prawn, two scallops, a piece of char siew (braised meat) and half a braised egg. Filled with delightful seafood essence and a slight milky tinge, the special soup is sweet and flavorful and goes very well with the springy ramen. The authentic homemade chilli paste is remarkably spicy and savory. The fresh scallops and prawn are also juicy and tasty.

Delicious yet affordably priced, Ishi Mura ramen will certainly give Ajisen ramen a run for its money.

7.5/10

Ishi Mura (Northpoint)
Northpoint Shopping Centre
930 Yishun Avenue 2
#03-47/50

Blanco Prawn Noodle House

When I passed by Jalan Kayu last weekend, I was delighted to see a new addition to its stretch of delicious eating places - Blanco Prawn Noodle House.


I ordered the $5 bowl of pork rib prawn mee which comes with 4 pieces of pork ribs and 3 pieces of halved prawns. What immediately impressed me was how the thick and mouthwatering soup, which was concentrated with the flavours of prawn and pork rib, complemented the noodles so well. The halved prawns are sweet and the pork ribs are fleshy and tasty.

Though similar in names, I do not know if Blanco Prawn Noodle House is related to the famous Blanco Court Prawn Noodle at Beach Road. Nevertheless its pork rib prawn mee is certainly fantastic enough to keep me coming back to Jalan Kayu for more.

7.5/10

Blanco Prawn Noodle House
Jalan Kayu
Closed on Tuesdays

Leung Sang Egg Tart

Located in the heart of Chinatown, the delicious egg tarts from Leung Sang Hong Kong Pastries go for only $0.70 instead of the usual $0.90 after 6pm. Compared with the pricey $1.30 egg tarts from the famous Tong Heng Confectionery across the road, one may think that the Leung Sang egg tarts are inferior in quality but I beg to differ. After trying the egg tarts from both Leung Sang and Tong Heng on several occasions, I still feel that Leung Sang's egg tarts taste much better.


The special crust of Leung Sang's egg tart is thick and crispy and exudes a delightful butter fragrance with every bite. The flavorful egg custard is soft and smooth and just right in terms of sweetness.

An egg tart from Leung Sang, together with a cup of hot Lipton tea, makes the ideal afternoon tea that I would crave for. Come down and try it for yourself if you haven't.

8/10

Leung Sang Hong Kong Pastries
18 Sago Street