Wei Yi Laksa

Featured on Makansutra, this stall in the newly-renovated Tanglin Halt Market has delicious laksa and prawn noodles.


A bowl of $4 laksa comes with generous servings of fresh cockles and prawns. Delightfully flavorful with coconut milk sweetness and prawn essence, the savory gravy coats the noodles thoroughly, making every mouthful seem irresistable.

In terms of quantity of dishes eg prawns and cockles, Wei Yi Laksa is indeed impressive. But I felt that its gravy would have been better if it was thicker. Nevertheless it is still worthwhile to try it if you are at the Commonwealth area.

7/10

Wei Yi Laksa
Tanglin Halt Market
Blk 46 Commonwealth Drive
Closed on Sundays

Astons Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

Located in an old coffeeshop in Serangoon Garden, Astons Express is a franchise of Astons Specialties which is famous for its mouthwatering steaks. As its name suggests, you don't have to queue to be seated at Astons Express unlike at Astons Specialties. Having tasted the fantastic steaks from Astons Specialties and Astons Prime, I decided to try the grilled teriyaki chicken for a change.


Reasonably priced at $5.50, the grilled teriyaki chicken comes with 2 free side dishes of your choice. I chose tasty rice (butter rice with carrot pieces) and corn cob to complement the main course. Topped with a savory layer of teriyaki sauce, the tender chicken is flavorful and modestly grilled without the slightest burned taste.

Though delicious, the grilled teriyaki chicken just lacked the distinguishing factor. I also felt that the teriyaki sauce was too salty. However my opinion may be biased as I prefer my grilled chicken to come with a distinctive charred flavour. Nevertheless Aston Express is still worth a try if you have a craving for Astons' steaks but not keen to go all the way down to East Coast

7/10

Astons Express
New Huat Hin CoffeeShop
56 Serangoon Garden Way
Singapore 555952
Closed on Thursdays

Hup Kee (Orchard) Fried Hokkien Mee

As featured on Makansutra, Hup Kee (Orchard) Fried Hokkien Mee first originated at Gluttons Square in Orchard Road back in the 1960s. The fried hokkien mee was well-known for its distinct quality because of the seafood soup base and superb wok-frying technique. Today Hup Kee's franchises are scattered all over Singapore eg Gluttons Bay at the Esplanade to Ang Mo Kio, Commonwealth, Hougang etc.

I recently tried Hup Kee (Orchard) fried hokkien prawn mee at Hougang Mall's Mei Shi Mei Ke Food Court and it was indeed impressive.


A $4 plate of fried hokkien mee comes with 3 medium sized prawns and a few slices of sotong. Expertly fried in thick savory gravy that is rich in seafood fragrance, the delicious noodles are irresistably flavorful.

Don't be fooled by the number of franchises. Overall Hup Kee (Orchard) is still one of the best fried hokkien mee that you can find in a food court.

7/10

Hup Kee (Orchard) Fried Hokkien Mee
Mei Shi Mei Ke Food Court
Hougang Mall Level 4
90 Hougang Avenue 10
S538766

Hill Street Tai Hwa Minced Meat Noodles

A friend of mine who knew that I dislike vinegar commented, "How can mee pok taste good without vinegar?" Indeed, as far as I can recall, I have never found a mee pok tah (dry mee pok) that tasted fantastic without vinegar. Until I tried Hill Street Tai Hwa minced meat noodles yesterday.


A bowl of minced meat mee pok tah which costs $4 appears rather unappealing. Only after sinking my teeth into the mediocre noodles did I realize that appearance can be deceiving. Extraordinarily well-cooked with a special springy consistency, the delicious noodles are well-complemented with savory chilli sauce that is exceptionally flavorful. Enjoy the mouthwatering noodles topped with generous servings of tasty minced meat, pork slices, pig's liver and meat balls.

Compared with Jalan Tua Kong mee pok, Hill Street Tai Hwa mee pok is certainly more sumptuous. It is indeed one of the best mee pok tah I have tasted in Singapore.

8/10

Hill Street Tai Hwa Minced Meat Noodles
Block 466 Crawford Lane
#01-12 Singapore 190465

328 Katong Laksa

Mention the word Katong to any food lover in Singapore and he or she will immediately think of the famous Katong laksa. But there are so many laksa stalls in Katong: Which is the original? Which is the most popular? And which is the best?

I believe the original Katong laksa is in the coffee shop on the ground level of the old Roxy Square. However when I tried it with my colleagues recently, we all felt that its standards have dropped tremendously.

Today I decided to try the more popular 328 Katong Laksa located opposite Roxy Square. Hopefully its standards have withstood the test of time.


I ordered a $4 bowl of laksa which comes in a reasonably satisfactory portion. Delightfully scented with coconut milk, the mouthwatering gravy is sufficiently spicy and flavorful with the distinctive essence of dried shrimps but lacking in the irresistable thickness that used to distinguish it from other laksa. The delicious noodles are complemented with generous servings of fresh cockles and prawns.

328 Katong Laksa may be one of the best laksa in Singapore but I feel that it pales in comparison with Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa. While Zhen Shan Mei's gravy is thick and robust, 328's gravy seems rather watery and disappointing. Maybe it's the rising cost of ingredients or the increasing health awareness of Singaporeans but 328 is no longer the fantastic Katong laksa from the good old days.

7/10

328 Katong Laksa
No 51 East Coast Road
S(428770)

Lam's Crab Bee Hoon

My pursuit for crab bee hoon led me to this stall at Rangoon Road which is featured on Makansutra. Better known for its prawn noodle soup, Lam's also has crab bee hoon which I just could not resist.


The steamed crab bee hoon which costs $10 is served with a small crab. Gently steamed to a mild springy consistency, the dry bee hoon tastes unique but somewhat lacking in flavour. Although small, the mouthwatering crab is fresh and sweet and serves as a worthy compensation for the disappointing noodles. The crab bee hoon also comes with a complementary bowl of prawn soup which is full of savory seafood essence.

To all crab lovers out there, Lam's is one special crab bee hoon that you must try if you haven't. For only $10, you get to satisfy your craving for crabs. Besides steamed crab bee hoon, Lam's also has crab noodle soup and prawn noodles which I will definitely try someday.

7/10

Lam's Crab Bee Hoon
83 Rangoon Rd Singapore 218369

91 Fried Kway Teow

With an increasing awareness on healthy living, Singaporeans are cutting down on the intake of unhealthy food such as fried kway teow. Following this trend, there is a fried kway teow at Golden Mile Food Centre that contains no pork lard. You might ask, how can fried kway teow taste good without pork lard? I was just as curious, so I went down to try it for myself.


A plate of healthy 91 fried kway teow which costs $3, is topped with generous servings of green vegetables and ikan bilis. Despite the absence of pork lard, the appetizing kway teow is very fragrant and flavorful, complementing well with the juicy cockles and crispy ikan bilis.

I can understand why 91 fried kway teow is so popular with Singaporeans but I still prefer the conventional fried kway teow with pork lard. Nevertheless it is a novel alternative for fried kway teow lovers who are health-conscious to have the best of both worlds.

7/10

91 Fried Kway Teow
Golden Mile Food Centre
505 Beach Road #01-91
Closed on Mondays