The Bark Cafe

Hidden in a far corner of Upper Changi Road North, beside Changi Chapel and Museum, is an al-fresco cafe with lovely ambience and delicious food named The Bark Cafe. Even though I lived in the East, I didn't even know that it existed until a friend brought me there some years ago. Since then, I have occasional cravings for its signature crayfish hor fun and fried chicken wings and this led me to drive there on a weekday evening for dinner. Parking is free and readily available at the open space just in front the cafe.

Well-known for its fusion concept, the Bark Cafe serves Western cuisine like steak, fish and chips, burgers, salad, soup as well as local favorites like hor fun, fried rice and mee goreng. The signature crayfish hor fun, which may seem rather exorbitant at $17.90, comes in an enormous portion that is satisfactory for two. Expertly fried with a remarkable wok hei fragrance, the hor fun is coated with thick savory seafood gravy and topped with fresh crayfish, prawns and sotong. The specialty chicken wings, priced at $15.90 for 6 pieces, are extremely cripsy and juicy.

Overall, the Bark Cafe impresses me with its tranquil dining experience and its outstanding crayfish hor fun. If you are looking for a romantic place for dinner away from the hustle of the city, I strongly recommend the Bark Cafe.

8/10

The Bark Cafe
1000 Upper Changi Road North
Singapore 507707
http://www.thebarkcafe.com/

Suki-Ya Dinner Buffet

Of the many restaurants open at the relatively new Katong 112 shopping mall, the one that caught my attention was Suki-Ya Japanese Restaurant which has hotpot buffet for lunch and dinner. Reasonably priced at $16.90 for lunch and $20.90 for dinner (additional $2 on Friday to Sunday, public holiday and eve of public holiday), my partner and I decided to try the dinner buffet to see if it is truly value for money.

Given a choice of 2 out of 3 soup bases (shabu shabu, sukiyaki and kimchi) for the hotpot, we opted for shabu shabu and kimchi. Beside a free flow of meat (beef, pork and chicken), the dinner buffet comes with a variety of vegetables, mushrooms, fish and meat balls, beancurd etc. We were most impressed by the freshness of the meat especially the sliced beef which is extremely tender and tasty. It was only at the end that we realized that we had a total of 9 plates of meat between the two of us.

Having read some unpleasant reviews of other outlets of the restaurant, I must say that Suki-Ya at Katong 112 left us a very good impression. Not only is the service staff efficient and attentive, the food is delicious and worth every dollar paid. Do come down to Katong 112 with your family and try it for yourself.

8/10

Suki-Ya
Katong 112
112 East Coast Road
#03-04
Singapore 428802

Huat Heng Fried Prawn Mee

On a Saturday evening when Shunfu Mart Food Centre appeared dark and almost deserted, I was surprised to see a queue forming in front of Huat Heng Fried Prawn Mee. Curious to find out what is so special about this prawn mee, I decided to join the queue and try it for myself.




A plate of Heng Huat fried prawn mee which costs $3 is served with prawns, sotong and lean meat. Fried to a semi-wet consistency with a delightful wok hei aroma, the noodles are coated with tasty seafood gravy and go very well with the savory chilli paste.

Certainly one of the better fried Hokkien mee in Thomson and Bishan, Heng Huat is a definite must try if you live around there.

7/10

Huat Heng Fried Prawn Mee
Shunfu Mart Food Centre
Blk 320 Shunfu Road
#02-09 S570320

Jin Pai Zi Char

  

Although there are quite a number of stalls selling zi char (Chinese cooked dishes) in Alexandra Village Food Centre, Jin Pai Zi Char appears to be the most popular. With its comprehensive menu printed in large size and pasted in front of the stall, most people will automatically stop to take a look. Having a wide variety of ala carte cooked dishes at very affordable prices, it took me a while to decide what I wanted to have.




I ordered a plate of kai lan beef rice which cost $4. Served with generous servings of tender beef and crispy kai lan fried with oyster sauce, this dish is indeed delicious and value for money. I love the sambal belacan chilli paste which goes very well with the beef and the rice.

Besides kai lan, the tasty rice sets also come in other combinations eg ginger and spring onion, black pepper, dried chilli, bittergourd with black bean sauce, sweet and sour, sambal etc. If you do not like beef, you can choose to have chicken, pork or fish instead. Come down to Jin Pai Zi Char and savour the impressive variety of dishes available. However be prepared to wait as the queue can be quite long during peak hours.

7.5/10

Jin Pai Zi Char
Alexandra Village Food Centre
120 Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-47 
S150120

Centre Satay Bee Hoon

 

Five years after I started this blog, I finally wrote my first post on satay bee hoon. Best described by Wikipedia as a dish of cultural fusion between Malay and Chinese, satay bee hoon consists of rice vermicilli topped with chilli-based peanut sauce, similar to the one served with satay.



While I patronize Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 Food Centre frequently, today is the first time I tried Centre Satay Bee Hoon. A plate of satay bee hoon which costs $3 comes in a satisfactory portion of vermicilli served with cuttlefish, cockles, prawn, lean meat and kangkong. Remarkably sweet and savory, the thick satay sauce coats the bee hoon very well. The fresh cuttlefish is extremely tasty and crunchy.

Centre Satay Bee Hoon also has another branch in Sembawang Hill Food Centre which is how I came to know about it. After trying both stalls, I honestly can't tell the difference between the two. But I must say that they serve one of the best satay bee hoon that I've tasted in Singapore.

7.5/10 

Centre Satay Bee Hoon
Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 Food Centre
Blk 724 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6
#01-12
Closed on Tuesdays

Wang Lao Wu Chicken King Chicken Rice

Although I have lived in Singapore for more than three decades, I realized that there are some food centres that I have not been to. One of them is Jalan Batu Food Centre in Mountbatten. When I was there on a Monday evening, most of the stalls were closed and I had little choice but try the chicken rice from Wang Lao Wu Chicken King.




I ordered the chicken rice set which costs $4.50 and it comes with a plate of steamed white chicken, a plate of oyster sauce vegetables, a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup. Well-cooked to the perfect texture, every yellow grain of rice, which is thoroughly coated with chicken essence, is remarkably fragrant and flavorful. The special chilli paste is thick and savory and goes very well with the rice and chicken. The steamed white chicken is fresh and tender, while the oyster sauce vegetables are crunchy and tasty. The soup is one of the most delicious that I've tasted before.

Overall, I was very impressed with Wang Lao Wu Chicken King chicken rice. Despite strong competition from various famous chicken rice stalls all over Singapore, Wang Lao Wu Chicken King has indeed distinguished itself with its outstanding and value for money chicken rice.

7.5/10

Wang Lao Wu Chicken King
Jalan Batu Food Centre
4A Jalan Batu 

Fresh Fish Seafood Soup

Having read about this famous fish soup stall with long queues during lunch time, I was both happy and surprised to find no queue when I was there on a rainy Thursday afternoon at around 130pm.

I ordered a bowl of fish soup with instant noodle which costs $3.50. Incredibly value for money, I counted more than ten pieces of fish, certainly the most that I have ever found in all similarly priced fish soups in Singapore. In addition, the thick pieces of fish are remarkably fresh, tender and fleshy. However, what I found mediocre, was the quality of the soup itself, somewhat lacking in seafood essence and aroma.

If you are a fan of cheap and good fish soup like me, you must not miss Fresh Fish Seafood Soup in Sembawang Hill Food Centre. Its outstanding fish will definitely leave you wanting to return for more.

7.5/10

Fresh Fish Seafood Soup
Sembawang Hill Food Centre
590 Upper Thomson Road
#01-36 S574419
11am to 230pm
Closed on Mondays

Four Seas Seafood Hor Fun

Haven't been updating this blog for quite some time, I finally found something that is worthwhile recommending. Four Seas located at Albert Centre Food Centre has one of the best seafood hor fun in Singapore.

A plate of seafood hor fun which is very reasonably priced at $3.50, comes with prawns, sotong, lean meat, chicken, fish and egg. I seriously can't think of any other hor fun that is more value for money.

What I love most is the irresistable gravy that is incredibly flavorful and yet not oily and goes very well with the well-fried hor fun with the wok hei fragrance. The ingredients are extremely fresh and tasty.

If you are craving for delicious seafood hor fun, hesitate no longer. Come down to Albert Centre Food Centre in Bugis and try it for yourself today.

8/10

Four Seas Fried Mee & Rice Fried Hor Fun
Albert Centre Food Centre
270 Queen Street
#01-106
Singapore 180270

Pine Garden Lychee Martini Cake

Although I was never a fan of cakes and pastry, this lychee martini cake from Pine Garden's Cakes at Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 left me with such a lasting impression that I wanted to return for more.


Topped with a fresh lychee, a piece of lychee martini cake, which is reasonably priced at $2.50, comes with smooth sponge cake layered with fragrant cream and filled with small lychee pieces coated with martini. What I enjoyed most about this lychee martini cake is its irresistible sweetness that leaves a lingering aftertaste on the taste buds.

Besides its famous lychee martini cake, Pine Garden also has many other specially created cakes eg brandy cherry cake, baileys chocolate crunch cake, mango passionfruit cake etc. Check out its website at http://www.pgcake.com/

8/10

Pine Garden's Cakes
Blk 529 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10
#01-2369

Yong Heng Fried Hokkien Mee

It took me 3 tries before I decided to recommend Yong Heng Fried Hokkien Mee. More often than not, I dismissed it as not good enough eg broth too sweet, noodles too wet, chilli too ordinary etc. But when I tried the branch in Changi Village Food Centre, I was finally impressed to blog about it.


I ordered a $4 plate of fried hokkien mee which comes in a very satisfactory portion. Well-fried with a remarkable wok hei flavor and a slightly wet consistency, the delicious noodles are thoroughly coated with thick savory gravy concentrated with seafood essence. Although the noodles are so tasty that you can eat it with just the sweet chilli paste, they are served with fresh prawns, sotong, meat and egg.

What makes Yong Heng fried hokkien mee more outstanding than most others is the superior broth that it uses. It also has other branches in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Vivocity etc. Do give it a try if you haven't.

7.5/10

Yong Heng Fried Hokkien Mee
Changi Village Market and Food Centre
Blk 2 Changi Village Road
#01-21

Heng Huat Fried Kway Teow

Although the words "fried kway teow" and "healthy" may sound contradictory when used together, Heng Huat Fried Kway Teow in Pasir Panjang Food Centre serves one topped with generous servings of green vegetables and fried with no lard.


I ordered a $3 plate of fried kway teow and was impressed by the crunchy pieces of fresh chye sim that cleverly add a healthy component to the otherwise unhealthy dish. Well-fried with a remarkable wok hei flavour, the noodles come with the usual egg and juicy cockles but lacking in fish cake, Chinese sausage and lard.

If you are a health-conscious foodie who craves for fried kway teow, this one from Heng Huat will make you feel less guilty after eating. However I personally prefer my fried kway teow to come with plenty of lard and sweet sauce instead.

7/10

Heng Huat Fried Kway Teow
Pasir Panjang Food Centre
121 Pasir Panjang Road
#01-36
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays

Lao Ban Soya Beancurd

Even though there are a few stalls selling soya beancurd in Old Airport Road Food Centre, only Lao Ban Soya Beancurd had a queue when I was there at 8pm on a Saturday and the queue seemed perpetually long.


After queuing for more than 10 minutes, I got my bowl of original soya beancurd which costs $1.50. My first impression when I tried the beancurd was that it seemed to taste like soya pudding instead because it does not come with syrup and it is so soft and smooth that it "dissolves" effortlessly in the mouth. Unlike the typical soya beancurd, it has a unique malt sweetness that lingers on the taste buds.

I believe the reason why Lao Ban soya beancurd is so appealing to the crowds because it is so special and different. However, if you are a fan of traditional soya beancurd like me, Lao Ban will probably not impress you enough to return for more.

7.5/10

Lao Ban Soya Beancurd
Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road, #01-127

Xi Xiang Feng Curry Yong Tau Foo

Having been out of action for two months, I am finally back to try the famous Xi Xiang Feng yong tau foo in Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 Food Centre which has a long queue when I was there at 515pm.


With a wide variety of steamed and deep fried dishes, vegetables and beancurd whose prices range from 30 cents to 1 dollar per piece, I chose 6 pieces of yong tau foo to go with noodle and laksa gravy which cost $4.20 in total.

I was most impressed with the special laksa gravy that is remarkably thick and flavorful yet not overly concentrated or spicy. In terms of the yong tau foo, I like the steamed homemade meat ball best. The sweet sauce is fragrant and savory and goes well with the yong tau foo.

Although it is slightly more expensive than some neighborhood yong tau foo, I have to agree that Xi Xiang Feng is one of the most delicious in Singapore. If you haven't tried it before, come down to Ang Mo Kio central and decide for yourself.

8/10

Xi Xiang Feng Yong Tau Foo
Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 Food Centre
Blk 724 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6
#01-23
Closed on Sundays

Top 1 Home Made Noodle

The odds of finding two delicious home made noodle within a month must be very low. Yet, soon after featuring Poon Nah City Home Made Noodle in City Plaza, I came across Top 1 home made noodle in Chinatown.


I ordered a bowl of prawn ban mian which costs $3. Topped with prawn, minced meat, mushroom, vegetable and fried anchovy, the homemade noodle is smooth and tasty. Filled with delightful seafood broth, the soup is remarkably sweet and flavorful.

Certainly better than the home made noodle from Poon Nah City, what Top 1 lacked is a special chilli paste to go along with the noodle. Nevertheless it impresses with its outstanding seafood broth. Come down and try it for yourself.

7.5/10

Top 1 Home Made Noodle
Chinatown Branch
? Address
Bukit Timah Branch
Beauty World Centre
144 Upper Bukit Timah Road
#04-44

Cai Li Seafood Soup

I came across this stall named Cai Li Fish Head Steamboat in Blk 90 Whampoa Drive Food Centre one day when the more famous one in Blk 91 Whampoa Drive Market was closed and was surprised to find that its fish head steamboat is just as good, if not better. Hence I returned today to try its seafood soup.


A bowl of seafood soup which costs $4, comes with 3 medium sized deshelled prawns, a few pieces of sotong and several huge chunks of fresh fish. Unlike the bland broth which other stalls use for their seafood soup, Cai Li's winning point lies in its superior quality soup which is indeed as thick and flavorful as the one it uses for its fish head steamboat. And unlike cheapstake ingredients eg fish cake, fish balls, crab stick which other stalls use for their seafood soup, Cai Li uses fresh fish, prawn and sotong which I am willing to pay slightly more for.

Impressed by its outstanding fish head steamboat and seafood soup, I will definitely return for back. However Cai Li is a relatively small stall with few helpers hence its service can sometimes be rather slow, so please be prepared to wait.

8/10

Cai Li Fish Head Steamboat
Blk 90 Whampoa Drive
Whampoa Drive Food Centre
#01-70

Sin Chie Toke Huan Pork Porridge

Whenever I have the craving for delicious porridge, I will think of Zhen Zhen in Maxwell Food Centre. Unfortunately, Zhen Zhen only opens in the morning and the queues are invariably long. Recently I found this porridge stall inside a coffee shop along Upper Serangoon Road well-known for its curry rice but I was impressed by its porridge instead.


A bowl of pork porridge from Sin Chie Toke Huan costs $2.50 (add $0.50 for egg) and comes with sliced lean meat, minced meat balls and pig liver. Remarkably soft and silky in consistency, the piping hot porridge is fragrant and flavorful. The minced meat balls are very well-marinated with a delightful tinge of pepper.

The key to an outstanding porridge lies in two factors: its textile and its taste. But although it sounds simple, many porridge that I have tried seem to get one or the other wrong. Sin Chie Toke Huan has got both right, hence this is one porridge that you must definitely try.

7.5/10

Sin Chie Toke Huan
1018 Upper Serangoon Road
S534756
Closed on Tuesday

Poon Nah City Home Made Noodle

When I was taking photos of the Hari Raya bazaar in Geylang Serai, I stumbled upon Poon Nah City Home Made Noodle inside a coffee shop on the 5th storey of City Plaza. Surprised to see many people ordering from this stall when I didn't even know that this coffee shop exists, I couldn't resist but try it myself.

Upon seeing the wide variety of home made noodles eg prawn, fish, clam, abalone etc that Poon Nah City has and the thick chilli paste that it sells, I immediately noticed the striking resemblance between this stall and China Whampoa Home Made Noodle in Whampoa Drive Market.


I ordered a bowl of prawn ban mian which costs $3 and was served within 15 minutes. Topped with prawns, minced meat, vegetables and sliced mushroom, the home made noodle is thick and tasty and the piping hot soup is filled with delightful seafood essence. The special chilli paste is remarkably spicy and burns inside the mouth.

Although I have to admit that Poon Nah City home made noodle is one of the best in Singapore, I still prefer China Whampoa home made Noodle as the latter comes with more flavorful soup and deshelled prawns. However Poon Nah City home made noodle is open till 830pm on Monday to Saturday hence there is ample opportunity for you to come down to City Plaza to try it.

8/10

Poon Nah City Home Made Noodle
City Plaza
810 Geylang Road
#05-02
S409286

Ai Xin Lor Mee

On a day when I had the sudden craving for lor mee, I coincidentally found this new stall in Bendemeer Food Centre named Ai Xin Lor Mee.


A bowl of lor mee which costs $3 comes with braised meat, ngor hiang, braised egg and fried fish. Pleasantly thick and savory with the subtle fragrance of herbs and spices, the tasty gravy goes very well with the noodles. The use of traditional ingredients like braised egg and braised meat accentuates the old school flavour of this lor mee, something which is missing in most lor mee nowadays.

A simple lor mee, like what it was in the good old days, warms my heart more than any other. Perhaps this is where Ai Xin lor mee derives its name from.

7.5/10

Ai Xin Lor Mee
Bendemeer Market And Food Centre,
29 Bendemeer Road
#01-39

Dunman Duck Rice

Having read great reviews of this duck rice on the first storey of Dunman Food Centre, I went with high expectations to try it.


I ordered a plate of $3 braised duck rice and a braised egg which cost $3.50 in total. Thinking that the dark colored rice was traditional yam rice, I was rather disappointed to find out that it was actually plain rice coated with braised gravy . However, Dunman duck rice makes it up with its well-marinated braised duck which is remarkably tender and tasty. The herbal soup is fragrant and savory.

Besides duck rice, Dunman Duck Rice also has duck porridge and duck kway chap which I will return to try someday.

7/10

Dunman Duck Rice
Dunman Food Centre
271 Onan Road
#01-10
S424768

Zhong Hua Mian Zhuang Stewed Beef Noodle

I recently discovered that People's Park Food Center in Chinatown has a number of stalls selling traditional cuisine from Mainland China. After much hesitation, I decided to try the stall with the longest queue - Zhong Hua Mian Zhuang which has cuisine from the Henan province.


I ordered a bowl of stewed beef noodle which costs $4. What immediately impressed me was the huge chunks of stewed beef which are fleshy and tasty. Filled with the delightful sweetness of meat and spices, the flavorful soup goes very well with the handmade noodle which is soft and silky.

Zhong Hua Mian Zhuang certainly has one of the more impressive Chinese beef noodle in Singapore, comparable in terms of standard to those in restaurants like Crystal Jade yet available at coffee shop prices.

7.5/10

Zhong Hua Mian Zhuang
People's Park Food Centre
32 New Market Road
#01-1052

88 Mixed Vegetables Curry Rice

Located inside an inconspicuous Kopitiam in Kovan, just beside Eddy Western Delights which I frequently patronize, I did not have a lasting impression of 88 mixed vegetables rice when I first tried it some years back. Nevertheless when I had the craving for vegetables and curry last week, I decided to try it again and this time, I was very impressed.


A plate of plain rice with fried beansprouts, cabbage and curry chicken drumstick cost only $3.50. Concentrated with the delightful sweetness of coconut milk and the subtle aroma of spices, the curry gravy is extremely thick and savory. The fried beansprouts and cabbage are juicy and tasty and the chicken drumstick is huge and fleshy.

What I enjoyed most about 88 mixed vegetables curry rice is the traditional home-cooked flavour of the dishes which is missing in most economic rice in Singapore.

7.5/10

88 Curry Fish Head
Kopitiam
Blk 210 Hougang St 21

9-11 Teochew Fish Soup

While having dinner at Toa Payoh Lorong 4 Food Centre last week, I discovered 3 things.
(1) Chi Hao Liao which is famous for its $10 signature hor fun has closed down.
(2) Ocean economic rice which was previously located at Toa Payoh Lorong 8 has shifted to Toa Payoh Lorong 4.
(3) There is a kway chap stall in the food centre with an extremely long queue.
Not a fan of kway chap, I decided to try the seafood soup from 9-11 Teochew Fish Soup instead.


A bowl of seafood soup which costs $3 comes with a generous variety of ingredients including 2 medium sized prawns, sotong, sliced fish, vegetables, tomato, seaweed and bittergourd. Filled with the natural sweetness of fish, the mouthwatering soup is very flavorful even without the addition of evaporated milk. What distinguishes this fish soup from the others is the remarkable freshness of its ingredients.

9-11 Teochew fish soup is the perfect example of a healthy yet delicious fish soup. I will certainly return for more whenever I come to Toa Payoh for sunset photography.

7.5/10

9-11 Teochew Fish Soup
Blk 93 Food Centre
Toa Payoh Lorong 4
#01-44

Chai Chee Prawn Noodle

Previously whenever I had the craving for delicious prawn mee soup, I would travel all the way to the Eastern part of Singapore as there is none in the Northeast region where I live. Until I found Chai Chee Prawn Noodle in Kovan Food Centre located just beside Kovan MRT station.


A bowl of Chai Chee prawn mee soup, which is reasonably priced at $3, comes with fresh prawns, lean meat and fish cake. The flavorful soup is filled with the sweet essence of prawn and pork rib and with the addition of pork lard, further accentuates its remarkable fragrance.

Besides prawn noodle, Chai Chee also has pork rib prawn noodle at $4. This is certainly one of the more outstanding prawn mee soup in the heartlands.

7/10

Chai Chee Prawn Noodle
Kovan Food Centre
209 Hougang Street 21
#01-03

Dunman 28 Fried Kway Teow

Better known as Stall No 28 on the second storey of Dunman Food Centre, this stall with no signboard has won several culinary awards for its fried kway teow. Ironically I only tried it this evening because the prawn mee soup stall was closed, the duck rice was sold out and I just had the wanton mee yesterday.


A plate of fried kway teow which costs $2.50 comes in a reasonable portion. Superbly fried with a rich wok hei flavour, the delicious kway teow is remarkably savory and sweet. While some other hawkers cut costs by using small cockles, this fried kway teow is served with large juicy cockles.

Certainly praiseworthy for its outstanding culinary standards, this stall also sells a variety of local cooked food eg fried hokkien mee, fried carrot cake, fried oyster, oyster omelette etc. Come down to Dunman Food Centre and try.

7.5/10

28 Fried Kway Teow
Dunman Food Centre
271 Onan Road
#02-28
Singapore 424768

Paradise Inn Braised Hor Fun With Venison In Black Bean Sauce

Reminscent of the famous Geylang Lorong 9 beef hor fun, the braised hor fun with venison in black bean sauce from Paradise Inn Restaurant left me a lasting impression when I had dinner there.


A small plate of braised venison hor fun which costs $12++ comes in a satisfactory portion for 2 persons. Extraordinarily thick and flavorful, the savory black bean sauce gravy complements the well-fried hor fun with an irresistable wok hei fragrance. The marinated venison is extremely tender and tasty.

Beside braised venison hor fun, we also tried the coffee pork ribs and sambal kang kong which were also very impressive. Come down to Paradise Inn Restaurant and try for yourself.

7.5/10

Paradise Inn Restaurant
http://www.paradisegroup.com.sg/inn/index.html