Yong Seng Teochew Fishball Noodle

 

Always with a long queue on Sunday morning, I was very reluctant to try Yong Seng Teochew Fishball Noodle whenever I went to Hougang 105 Hainanese Village Centre for breakfast. Today I finally had the chance to try it when I was there at 3pm and didn't have to queue.

I ordered a bowl of minced meat noodles which costs $3. Topped with tasty servings of minced meat, pig's liver, fish ball and meat ball, the noodles are well-cooked to a remarkably springy consistency and coated with savory gravy.

The standard of a Teochew noodle is determined by a combination of 3 factors: (1) the texture of the noodle (2) the flavour of the gravy (3) the quality of the ingredients. Yong Seng Teochew Fishball Noodle is one of few in Singapore that has got all 3 factors right.

7.5/10

Yong Seng Teochew Fishball Noodle
Hainanese Village Centre

Blk 105 Hougang Ave 1

#02-39

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