Sri Bistari Changi Village Famous Ayam Penyet

Formerly located in Changi Village Food Centre prior to its renovation last year, Sri Bistari is well-known for its ayam penyet (smashed fried chicken) which is one of the best locally. However it seemed to have vanished since then and in its place, appeared a number of imitation stalls with similar names. Today when I was walking along Joo Chiat Road, I was surprised to find Sri Bistari again and decided to enter the restaurant to try its ayam penyet.



The ayam penyet set, which comes with a plate of fried chicken, a plate of chicken rice and a bowl of soup, costs $4.90.The chicken rice is remarkably fragrant and goes very well with the special chilli paste. The fried chicken is cripsy, tasty and juicy.

Not a big fan of fried chicken, I felt that the standard of Sri Bistari ayam penyet seemed to have gone down over the years. Nevertheless it is still one of the more delicious in Singapore.

7/10

Sri Bistari Changi Village Famous Ayam Penyet
102 Joo Chiat Road

Hot Tomato Steak And Prawn Combo

When I went to Hot Tomato Cafe & Grill at NEX shopping mall for dinner last weekend, I was surprised to find out that the steak and prawn combo costs only $13.50.

Topping up $3.50 for the set meal upgrade of soup, garlic bread and drink, I ordered the steak and prawn combo which comes with a large piece of steak, two grilled prawns and aglio olio (spaghetti with garlic and oil). The service was fast as I got my main course within 15 minutes after ordering. Although nowhere near the best that I have tasted, the steak is thick and delicious and the prawns are fresh and juicy.

 

Even though I would prefer my steak to be slowly grilled and served on a sizzling hotplate, it was nevertheless a satisfying and value-for-money dinner at Hot Tomato Cafe & Grill. Indeed a lovely place for a casual Western dinner, do bring your family there too but remember to go early as the queue can be long especially during weekends. 

 

7.5/10

Hot Tomato Cafe & Grill
NEX
23 Serangoon Central Mall
#B1-47

Qiu Rong Handmade Noodles

I remembered that a few years ago, the food court at the basement of Roxy Square used to be quiet most of the time, except in the evenings when people come for its famous Parkway Parade Steamboat and on Sundays when Christians from nearby churches come for lunch after service. But today when I was there, I was surprised to see a long queue in front of this stall, Qiu Rong Handmade Noodles.

Hence I joined in the queue and ordered a bowl of ban mian with prawns which cost $3.50. Just in case you are wondering why my serving looks so huge, I have requested for an extra $0.50 of vegetables to be added.

What distinguishes Qiu Rong from the other handmade noodles is the quality of its soup. Filled with the natural sweetness and delightful essence of meat, the flavorful soup goes very well with the smooth handmade noodles. The generous servings of minced meat and green vegetables are very tasty and fresh.

Certainly my idea of a healthy meal, Qiu Rong handmade noodles is definitely worth trying if you are around the Katong area. They also serve a variety of other dishes eg fried dumplings, Fuzhou fishballs, ABC soup, lotus soup etc.

7.5/10

Qiu Rong Handmade Noodles
Roxy Square II

50 East Coast Road

#B1-01

Chicken Hotpot

   
Often enticed by the distinctive aroma whenever I walked past the Chicken Hotpot in Square 2, I finally succumbed to the temptation of trying it last weekend.

We ordered the couple set (which comes with a small signature chicken hotpot, a small spicy shrimp hotpot and 2 drinks) for $33.80++. Topped with thick savory sauce, the chicken hotpot is served with pieces of chicken, capsicum, onion and chilli. Initially the sauce tastes too salty and too concentrated to be consumed on its own but as the waitress starts adding stock to dilute it, it gradually becomes a flavorful and fragrant soup that is extremely pleasing to the taste buds.

On the other hand, the spicy shrimp hotpot is topped with sweet and spicy sauce and served with large fried prawns, French fries and celery. Similarly, adding stock to the special sauce eventually produces a very mouthwatering soup.

We also saw customers ordering extra items eg instant noodle, mushrooms, vegetables etc, to add into the soup, something that we will try next time.

After service charge and GST, we paid around $42 for the dinner, inclusive of 2 plain rice not included in the couple set. Although neither cheap nor value for money, I will still recommend you to try Chicken Hotpot if you haven't, especially if you have a liking for food with strong and unique flavours. 

7.5/10

Chicken Hotpot
Novena Square 2
10 Sinaran Drive
#04-01-02A/B/C

Meng Kee Seafood Fried Rice

One evening when I had a sudden craving for fried rice, I came across this cze char (Chinese cooked food) stall in Pasir Panjang Food Centre and decided to order its seafood fried rice.

A plate of seafood fried rice from Meng Kee costs only $3 and is served with small shrimps, char siew and egg. Expertly fried with a distinctive wok hei aroma, the rice is remarkably fragrant and flavorful. The fried rice is served with a special chilli paste that is extremely spicy. While other cze char stalls try to reduce cost by using mock ingredients, Meng Kee is very generous with its serving of fresh shrimps.

Besides its outstanding and value for money fried rice, Meng Kee also has a wide variety of cze char dishes eg its signature fish head steamboat, seafood soup, hotplate beancurd, fried vegetables etc. This stall is a definite must-try when you are at Pasir Panjang Food Centre.

7.5/10

Meng Kee Seafood Fish Head Steamboat
Pasir Panjang Food Centre

121 Pasir Panjang Road

Stall nos 30, 31

Ma Bo Lor Mee

Located in Albert Centre Food Centre in Bugis, Ma Bo lor mee must be one of the cheapest and nicest lor mee in Singapore.

Priced at only $2.50, a bowl of lor mee comes with ngor hiang, fish cake, braised meat, braised egg and fried fish nugget. Delightly thick and savory, yet not overly starchy, the gravy coats the noodles very well. My only grouse is the strong flavour of spices in the gravy which can be overwhelming at times.

As evident by the long queue in front of the stall, Ma Bo lor mee is a must-try if you are a fan of lor mee. Besides the traditional lor mee, Ma Bo also has fried fish lor mee, chicken cutlet lor mee and laska.

7/10

Ma Bo Lor Mee
Albert Centre Market & Food Centre

270 Queen Street

#01-67

Hoe Kee Seafood Hor Fun

Located in Chong Pang Market and Food Centre in Yishun, this stall serves one of the best seafood hor fun in Singapore.

 
Reasonably priced at only $3 when most hor fun in coffee shops & hawker centres are going for at least $3.50, Hoe Kee seafood hor fun is served with fresh prawns, sotong, lean meat and vegetables. Expertly fried with a delighted wok hei fragrance, the delicious hor fun is coated with thick savory gravy filled with concentrated seafood essence.

This is certainly one of the most impressive seafood hor fun that I have tasted in Singapore. Besides hor fun, Hoe Kee also serves a variety of outstanding cze char dishes. The ones that I strongly recommend are spicy hotplate seafood beancurd, spring onion ginger venison and oyster sauce kailan. Come down to Chong Pang Food Centre and try it with your family.

8/10

Hoe Kee Seafood Stall
Chong Pang Food Centre

Blk 105 Yishun Ring Road

#01-161