Good Year Local Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball

A friend of mine from the Philippines once mentioned that Singapore is famous for its chicken rice ball but I had absolutely no idea. That was about two years ago when I was not so crazy about good food and have not started this blog yet. Today I finally made my way to Jalan Besar to try Good Year Local Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball.


Located in a coffee shop behind Lavender Food Square, Good Year serves delicious chicken rice that is specially hand moulded into appetizing rice balls. A set meal for one person, which comes with two rice balls and a plate of chicken, costs only $3.50. Compared to the usual chicken rice that is more robust, the unique rice ball is soft and mushy, retaining the authentic flavour of chicken stock and the desired fragrance of pandan leaves. The steamed white chicken is fresh and tasty and served in a generous portion for its price.

Good Year Local Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball (and its branch in Toa Payoh) is the one and only chicken rice ball in Singapore. If you have not tasted chicken rice balls before, come down and try it for yourself.

7.5/10

Good Year Local Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball
30 Foch Road #01-02 Singapore 209276
Off on Fridays except Public Holidays

Hougang Hainanese Curry Rice

When I went to Bendemeer Food Centre for lunch last weekend, I saw a long queue in front of Hougang Hainanese Curry Rice and decided to give it a try.


I ordered a plate of rice with a curry chicken drumstick and curry vegetables which cost $3 in total. You might ask, "Why everything curry?" Well, if I have to choose some dishes to gauge the standard of Hainanese curry rice, my obvious choices will be the curry dishes. More sweet and savory than spicy, the flavorful curry is somewhat reminiscent of that of the famous Redhill curry rice. The curry vegetables, however, are slightly too salty for my liking.

I guess I still prefer Nyonya curry over Hainanese curry because Nyonya curry is more spicy, less sweet and less sticky. Nevertheless, Hougang Hainanese Curry Rice is still a must-try for Hainanese curry fans in Singapore.

7/10

Hougang Hainanese Curry Rice
Bendemeer Market and Food Centre
Blk 29 Bendemeer Road
#01-59

Lam's Special Abalone Noodle

When I was at Bendemeer for dinner, I had intended to try Fatty Fried Kway Teow but didn't know that it was closed on Sunday. So I wandered around the area and found Lam's special abalone noodles instead.


For $6 a bowl, I really had very high expectations of Lam's special abalone noodle. After all, Tang Ren Jie and Chai Chee abalone noodles cost only $3. Coated with a savory sauce that is sweet and spicy, the noodles are served with minced meat, pig's liver, fish cake, meat ball and crispy pork lard, similar to any other minced meat noodle. The distinguishing feature of Lam's special abalone noodle is the abalone stick with two appetizing pieces of fresh and juicy abalone.

I am not a big fan of abalone hence my review will be biased. I was certainly not impressed spending $6 on a bowl of ordinary minced meat noodle with an abalone stick. However the coffee shop was filled with customers enjoying Lam's noodles. Come down and judge for yourself.

6.5/10

Lam's Noodle House
460 Race Course Road
Singapore 218700
Closed on Mondays

Che Jian Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

Just as Changi Village has 3 famous nasi lemak, Chomp Chomp has 3 fried hokkien mee, Ah Hock Che Jian and Kim's. Having tried Kim's a few months back, I was disappointed that the fried hokkien mee was nowhere as fantastic as that from its main restaurant at Joo Chiat. Today I decided to try Che Jian instead.


I ordered a plate of fried hokkien mee which costs $3. The first thing about Che Jian hokkien mee that catches my attention is the use of thin bee hoon which absorbs the savory gravy really well. Topped with crispy pork lard and spicy sambal belacan (instead of the usual sambal tumis), the delicious noodles are well-fried with a subtle charred aroma.

In the face of strong competition from the other stalls, Che Jian certainly commands a steady stream of customers with its impressive fried hokkien mee.

7/10

Che Jian Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee
Chomp Chomp Food Centre
20 Kensington Park Road

Big Bird Chicken Rice

I remembered having Big Bird chicken rice at Peace Centre in Selegie many years ago and was amazed by its super hot chilli sauce. Since then, it has moved out of Selegie and I have no idea where it went until recently, when I read that it is now at Balmoral Plaza in Bukit Timah.


The chicken rice set for one person which cost $5 comes with a bowl of chicken rice and a plate of steamed white chicken. I was impressed with the golden yellow rice which is marvellously fragrant and flavorful. The special chilli sauce has not changed over the years, still extraordinarily scorching and spicy with a strong peppery taste. The steamed white chicken is fresh and fleshy and goes very well with the rice and chilli.

Big Bird Chicken Rice is indeed praiseworthy for its unbeatable chilli sauce. If you are a chilli lover, you must come down to Balmoral Plaza and try it for yourself.

7.5/10

Big Bird Chicken Rice
Balmoral Plaza
271 Bukit Timah Road
#01-07

Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Noodle

What makes a great wanton noodle? For Hong Mao at Joo Chiat, it is the special chilli. For Kok Kee at Lavender, it is the special sauce. But for Zhong Yu Yuan Wei at Tiong Bahru, it is the special char siew.

Even though I used to visit Tiong Bahru Market frequently, I only managed to try Zhong Yu Yuan Wei wanton noodle when I went there for lunch today.


I ordered a plate of wanton mee which cost $2.50. Somewhat similar to Kok Kee, the delicious noodles are topped with a sweet and savory sauce that enhances its flavour.

To the delight of char siew lovers, the well-marinated char siew is tasty, tender and exceptionally fleshy.

The outstanding char siew is certainly the highlight of Zhong Yu Yuan Wei wanton mee. Nowhere else in Singapore can you find a better grade char siew. Come and try it for yourself today.

7.5/10

Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Noodle
Tiong Bahru Market
Seng Poh Road #02-30
Singapore 168897

Sri Sujana Nasi Lemak

Changi Village is well-known for its nasi lemak, not one but three stalls. Besides the famous International nasi lemak, two other stalls Mizzy's Corner and Sri Sujana have found their way into the Makansutra forums and stolen some customers from the long queue of International.

I have intended to have International nasi lemak but it was closed on a Saturday night, so I settled on Sri Sujana instead.


The standard chicken nasi lemak set which costs $3, comes with a fried chicken wing, a fried egg and ikan bilis. Adequately coated with a layer of coconut milk, every grain of rice has a distinctive aroma and flavour and goes very well with the sweet sambal chilli. The fried chicken wing is delightfully crispy and tasty with a spicy coating.

In terms of standard, Sri Sujana is definitely comparable to International and Mizzy's Corner. I certainly find it difficult to pick up the subtle differences among the three. Come down to Changi Village, try for yourself and decide which one you prefer.

7/10

Sri Sujana Nasi Lemak
Changi Village Hawker Centre
#01-54
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays