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

Joo Chiat Hokkian Prawn Mee

No other food can bring me more reminiscence of my childhood than a bowl of traditional prawn mee soup from Joo Chiat. Back in those days, a small bowl of prawn mee was to be shared between several people eg myself and my cousins, certainly delicious but not at all satisfying. Thus today I can't help but feel very privileged to be living in Singapore, an affluent society and a food paradise.

Recently relocated to a new coffee shop further down the road, Joo Chiat Hokkian Prawn Mee finally has a prominent signboard featuring its name. Previously I have only known it as the prawn mee soup inside the old coffee shop with Fei Fei Wanton Mee.


I ordered a $3 bowl of prawn mee soup which comes with sliced prawns, lean meat and pork rib. What is most outstanding about this prawn mee is its mouthwatering soup which is concentrated with the irresistable essence of prawn and pork rib. The remarkable flavour is accentuated by the fragrance of fried onion shallots, making this prawn mee soup one of the best I have tasted in Singapore.

If you are craving for the old school type of prawn noodle with no fanciful ingredients eg big prawns, Joo Chiat Hokkian prawn mee is just the right one for you.

8/10

Joo Chiat Hokkian Prawn Mee
No 59
Joo Chiat Place

Ah Yee's Soon Kueh

Located at the basement of Dunman Food Centre, Ah Yee's Soon Kueh has one of the best soon kueh (steamed Chinese dumpling with rice flour skin and chopped turnip filling) in Singapore.


Handmade on the spot and served piping hot, Ah Yee's soon kueh are undoubtedly fresh and tasty. Reasonably priced at 80 cents per piece, I was amazed by the generous variety and superior quality of the ingredients which ranged from crunchy turnip strips to mushroom, carrot and fragrant dried shrimps.

Although I am not a fan of soon kueh, I was certainly impressed by Ah Yee's and would definitely return for more.

7.5/10

Ah Yee's Soon Kueh
Dunman Food Centre
Blk 271 Onan Road
#01-05

Heng Heng Prawn Mee Soup

When I visited Dunman Food Centre last weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the famous Eng's Wanton Mee which had disappeared recently, had not closed down after all. Instead it was relocated to the basement of Dunman Food Centre. Although I was very tempted to try its super spicy wanton mee again, I reminded myself that I was there to try Heng Heng prawn mee soup.


I ordered a bowl of pork rib prawn noodle which costs only $3. Topped with several pieces of pork ribs and sliced prawns, this prawn noodle is certainly value for money. When I tasted the soup, I was immediately reminded of Joo Chiat prawn mee. Considering the close proximity of the two prawn noodle stalls, I really doubt if the similarity is merely coincidental. The mouthwatering soup, which is concentrated with the delightful sweetness of prawns and the subtle fragrance of fried onion and pork lard, really brings out the "old school" flavour that is missing in most prawn mee nowadays.

Regardless of whether it is related to Joo Chiat prawn mee or not, Heng Heng prawn mee soup is certainly worthwhile trying. If you are a prawn noodle lover like me, do not miss this delicious prawn mee with a traditional flavour.

7.5/10

Heng Heng Prawn Mee Soup
Dunman Food Centre
#02-12
Onan Road
Singapore 424768

Joo Hing Seafood Hor Fun

A friend recommended me to the seafood hor fun from Joo Hing, a restaurant in Joo Chiat which is famous for its cze char (Chinese cooked dishes).


Reasonably priced for an air-conditioned restaurant, a plate of seafood hor fun which costs $5 is served with a wide variety of ingredients such as prawns, sotong, fish, chicken, lean meat and fish cake. Well-fried with a delightful wok hei flavour, the delicious hor fun is coated with thick savory gravy. I was impressed by the freshness of the fish, sotong and prawn which makes the hor fun even more value for money.

If you prefer dining in an air-conditioned environment, Joo Hing is the one restaurant which I will certainly recommend for its impressive hor fun and cze char.

7.5/10

Joo Hing Restaurant
360 Joo Chiat Road
Closed on Mondays

Joo Chiat Place Fried Kway Teow

Having spent a significant portion of my childhood at Joo Chiat Place, I could remember that my favorite food then was prawn noodle soup, followed by wanton mee and fried kway teow. It must be during that time when I first developed my love for good food.

Recently reopened after it was closed for renovation last year, I finally had the opportunity to revisit Joo Chiat Place Fried Kway Teow.


Marvellously fried to a dry consistency, the delicious kway teow is remarkably fragrant and flavorful with a distinctive charred aroma. A plate of fried kway teow which costs $3, comes in a satisfactory portion with egg, sausage and cockles.

More than just a nostalgic flavour, the quality of Joo Chiat Place fried kway teow has remained outstanding over the years. It is certainly one of the most impressive fried kway teow in Singapore.

7.5/10

Joo Chiat Place Fried Kway Teow
No 59
Joo Chiat Place

Yummy Crab Fried Rice

Crab fried rice for only $10?

To the delight of crab lovers, the special crab fried rice at Yummy Crab is going at a promotional price of only $10.

Located at Changi Road between Lor Marzuki and Lor Marican, Yummy Crab is well-known for its signature crab dishes eg chilli crab, crab fried rice, crab bee hoon, crab ee mee etc, that are not only delicious but value for money.


A $10 plate of crab fried rice comes in a satisfactory portion for two people. Well-fried with a distinctive charred aroma, every grain of rice is irresistably flavorful and fragrant. What is remarkable about Yummy crab fried rice is the generous servings of fresh crab meat which are extremely chunky and tasty. Besides crab meat, the rice is delightfully fried with a variety of other ingredients eg egg, char siew and prawns.

In terms of both quality and quantity, this plate of crab fried rice is certainly worth much more than $10. I will definitely return to try the other recommended dishes of Yummy Crab. Do bring your family down to Changi Road and try it for yourself today.

8/10

Yummy Crab
No 351 Changi Road

Hjh Maimunah Nasi Padang

Another famous Nasi Padang restaurant in Singapore, Hjh Maimunah did not leave me a good impression when I went there for dinner last year. During that time I felt that the dishes had too strong a scent of Indian spices which I disliked.


When I went there again for lunch with my colleagues recently, we ordered nasi padang with sambal goreng, sayur lodeh (lontong vegetables), curry chicken and sambal kerang (cockles).


The flavorful sambal goreng is a delightful combination of long beans, fried bean curd and tempeh marvellously fried with savory sambal chilli. The sayur lodeh with its coconut-scented gravy complement the plain rice very well. The curry chicken is extremely tender and tasty.


I loved the sambal kerang most as the cockles were irresistably sweet and juicy.


For an air-conditioned restaurant with a comfortable ambience, I must admit that the dishes are very reasonably priced. We paid around $15 inclusive of drinks. If you are a fan of nasi padang, do come down to Hjh Maimunah and experience it for yourself today.

7.5/10

Hjh Maimunah Nasi Padang
20 Joo Chiat Road
#01-02 S427357
Opening hours: 8am-10pm
Closed on Mondays

Charcoal Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

What distinguishes charcoal fried hokkien mee from normal fried hokkien mee is the irresistable smoky charcoal aroma. When I tried the famous Geylang Lor 29 charcoal fried hokkien mee at East Coast Road, I was not impressed at all. Although it was fragrant, the noodles were too oily and not flavorful. Today I went to try the Charcoal Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee in Kim San Leng coffee shop at Changi Road and it was indeed impressive.


Delightfully sprinkled with pieces of crispy pork lard which amplify the distinctive charcoal fragrance, the delicious noodles are exceptionally flavorful and not overly oily. Complemented with tasty prawns and sotong, every mouthful of the noodles is simply irresistable.

Calling all fried hokkien mee lovers out there, this charcoal fried hokkien mee at Changi Road is a must-try if you haven't.

7.5/10

Charcoal Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee
Kim San Leng (Changi) Coffee Shop
324T Changi Road
Closed on Tuesdays

The Garden Slug

When my friends first mentioned about going to a new restaurant in Telok Kurau named The Garden Slug for dinner, I immediately rejected their suggestion. With a distasteful name like the Garden Slug, I doubt if the food can be anything fantastic. Several months later, I happened to read the excellent reviews of the food online and realised that it might be a mistake to write it off.


When we finally went there for dinner last weekend, I ordered the recommended ribeye steak which costs $18.90. Evenly grilled to a medium doneness and lightly topped with savory sauce, the mouthwatering steak is extremely tender and juicy, every bite exudes a flavorful taste and a smoky fragrance. I must admit that this is one of the most impressive steaks I have eaten in Singapore.


We also ordered the Wasuga chicken wings which were well-marinated and well-grilled and the pan-tossed mushrooms & zucchini which were delightful and appetizing.


Apart from the delicious food, the beautiful ambience was soothing and the efficient service was commendable. The Garden Slug is certainly the ideal restaurant for a relaxing meal with family and friends.


7.5/10

The Garden Slug
55 Lorong L Telok Kurau
#01-59/61 Bright Centre
Singapore 425500
Tel 63460504

Changi Lor 108 Fei Lao Seafood Hor Fun

Located at Joo Chiat Road in the midst of several famous tze char restaurants, this small restaurant is often overlooked. When I walked past it tonight, I noticed several people having seafood hor fun and decided to give it a try too.

As a plate of Fei Lao seafood hor fun costs $5, more expensive than in other tze char restaurants, I really had very high expectations in mind. Fortunately it did not disappoint.


Surrounded with savory gravy, the mouthwatering kway teow is spectacularly fried with an irresistable charred fragrance, I finished all of it at one go, mouthful after mouthful. Delightfully embellished with generous servings of fresh prawns, sotong, fish, lean meat and pig liver, this sumptuous hor fun is definitely worthwhile for its price.

This is undoubtedly one of the most delicious seafood hor fun in Singapore. If only the gravy is less oily and more flavorful, perhaps it would be the best.

7.5/10

Changi Lor 108 Fei Lao Seafood
229 Joo Chiat Road


Update 21/3/09 - This stall has shifted to:

Blk 86
Bedok North St 4
#01-165
Singapore 460086

Kim's Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

When I first tasted Kim's fried prawn hokkien mee, I couldn't believe that it was so fantastic. Even though I visit Joo Chiat so frequently for its delicious food, namely Joo Chiat Prawn Mee, Hong Mao Wanton Mee, Fei Fei Wanton Mee, Joo Chiat Fried Kway Teow etc, I didn't know that at the junction of Joo Chiat Place and Tembeling Road, lies is a small restaurant famous for its world-class fried hokkien mee.


For only $4, you get a large plate of mouthwatering Kim's fried hokkien mee with crispy pork lard and spicy sambal belacan. The tasty noodles are so impressively fried with a characteristic charcoal fragrance, every single strand is thoroughly coated with savory seafood gravy. The special pork lard accentuates the flavorful taste and irresistable aroma of the noodles. While most fried hokkien mee use sambal tumis, the sweeter version of sambal chilli, Kim's uses sambal belacan, the spicier version which surprisingly complements the noodles very well. Even though the hokkien mee comes with generous servings of prawn and sotong, it is cooked so excellently, you can actually eat it on its good.

This plate of fried hokkien mee is a masterpiece indeed. After you try Kim's, you will find it difficult to be satisfied with any other hokkien mee in Singapore.

8.5/10

Kim's Place Seafood Restaurant
37 Joo Chiat Place
Singapore 427761
Tel: 6742 1119
Opens daily from 11am to 3am

Eng's Char Siew Wanton Noodles

I used to patronize Dunman Food Centre frequently for supper many years ago and my favorite stall is Eng's Char Siew Wanton Noodles. Well-known for its fiery hot chilli that is believed to be made from ground pepper, Eng's noodles is so popular, the waiting time can be as long as 45 minutes. I usually order a small packet of nasi lemak to partially satisfy my hunger while waiting.


The unique chilli is extremely spicy with a strong tinge of pepper, it bursts into flames inside the mouth and stings the taste buds mercilessly. The delicious noodles are tasty with a distinct egg fragrance. The dumplings are tender and savory. The wanton soup is sweet and readily extinguishes the residual spiciness in the throat.

Indeed Eng's Char Siew Wanton Noodles is one of the more impressive wanton noodles in Singapore.

7/10

Eng's Char Siew Wanton Noodles
Dunman Food Centre
#02-19
Onan Road
Singapore 424768
Closed on Wednesdays

12/4/09

This stall has been relocated to:
Dunman Food Centre
Basement, Stall 02
Closed on Mondays

10/2/11

However, one thing that lets this stall down is its poor service. If you haven't seen how the owners take their own sweet time to cook the noodles, serve the soup to the customers long before the noodles arrive, refusing to take extra orders when the queue is long, serve soup to you first but noodles to customers who ordered later etc, go down and try it for yourself. In recent years, I certainly ran out of patience and started having Dunman wanton mee on the second storey instead.

Astons Prime

Much has been blogged and discussed about Astons Specialities in our online food communities over the past year eg Dr Leslie Tay's ieatishootipost blog and Astons Specialities blog.


There is no doubt Astons' mouthwatering steaks are value for money but questions have surfaced about the inconsistencies of service and food quality which are aggravated by the perpetually long queue and setting up of franchises.


On the contrary, little is known about Astons Prime that is recently set up in Joo Chiat near to Astons Specialties. With dark-colored glass windows and the absence of a queue outside, many food enthusiasts are curious about what is happening inside Astons Prime. Are the prices in Astons Prime similar to Astons Specialties? Is the quality of the food as remarkable?


So I decided to take the opportunity to have lunch there today. Glancing through the menu, I noticed that the prices of the food were slightly more expensive than Astons Specialties. I ordered the New Zealand Rib Eye Steak which was highly recommended in many forums & blogs. Indeed the service was quite slow and I waited impatiently for around 40 minutes for my steak to arrive.


When I took my first bite into the rib eye steak, I finally understood why the long wait was so worthwhile. It was unbelievably fabulous, more than words can say. The meat was extremely tender and succulent, every bite is wholesome and satisfying. In addition, it was well-grilled to the right extent, it exudes a characteristic smoky aroma and an irresistable meaty taste. The New Zealand Rib Eye Steak cost $18.90 and it was indeed one of the best steaks I have ever tasted.

Overall it was a memorable lunch experience and I certainly look forward to returning to Astons Prime for more.

8.5/10

Astons Prime
467 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427678
Open 11.30 to 11pm
Closed on Tuesdays
Call 63442447 for reservations

Joo Chiat Prawn Mee

Eating Joo Chiat Prawn Mee certainly brings back plenty of heartwarming childhood memories. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my grandmother used to live in Joo Chiat and I was treated to delicious Joo Chiat Prawn Mee when I visited her every Saturday.

Twenty over years have passed and I still craved for those tasty noodles. But one thing I can be sure of, when I tasted Joo Chiat Prawn Mee today, it is still as mouthwatering as ever.


The magic lies in the dark brown soup that is concentrated and brimming with rich crustacean sweetness. It is indeed the best prawn soup I have ever tasted. In addition, Joo Chiat Prawn Mee uses rice vermicelli instead of rice noodles and it absorbs the fragrance of the soup so well, each mouthful is simply irresistable. The prawns are moderately in size and extremely fresh. The pork ribs are tender and savory.

So to all food enthusiasts out there, if you haven't tried Joo Chiat Prawn Mee, you don't know what you are missing. Come down to Carpmael Road and experience it for yourself today.

8/10

Joo Chiat Prawn Mee
75 Carpmael Road
Singapore 429812
Closed on Tuesdays

Fei Fei Wanton Noodles

The race to win the title of Singapore's best wanton noodles has narrowed down to two contestants, Fei Fei Wanton Noodles versus Hong Mao Wanton Noodles. Coincidentally or not, they are situated at close proximity to each other in Joo Chiat. Hong Mao Noodles opens only in the morning and finishes selling after lunch whereas Fei Fei Noodles opens the whole day and has a franchise in the opposite coffee shop. At this point in time, you should be able to judge who is the more deserving winner. Since this post is on Fei Fei Wanton Noodles, I shall not digress any further.


Fei Fei Wanton Noodles is characteristic in that it does not come with soup, unless you order an extra bowl of wanton soup. But after you finish your noodles, you can bring the bowl to the owner and she will fill it up with piping hot wanton soup. The noodles are smooth and has a special egg taste. The chilli is extremely spicy and has a tinge of pepper in it. The dumplings are tender with a distinct smoky aroma. Ask for a normal bowl of wanton mee with an extra bowl of wanton soup which cost only $4.50 and you will get a whole lot more value for money.

Indeed Fei Fei wanton noodles is one of the best in Singapore. If you have a craving for wanton noodles in the middle of the night, you can drop by its franchise which is open 24 hours.

7.5/10

Fei Fei Wanton Noodles
62 Joo Chiat Place

Hong Mao Wanton Noodles

Please allow me to introduce, what I feel is, the BEST WANTON NOODLES I have ever tasted in Singapore. Situated in an old coffee shop along Tembeling Road, Hong Mao Wanton Noodles is always so popular, the waiting time is hardly less than forty five minutes. However, don't let this discourage you because once you sink your teeth into those delicious noodles, you will understand why the long wait is so worthwhile.


First of all, the chilli is so spicy and unique, it blends impeccably with the noodles and leaves a lingering taste in your mouth even hours after eating. Secondly, the irresistable dumplings, which are made from seasoned minced meat, exude a savory fragrance with every bite. Thirdly, the soup, which is brewed from fresh anchovy, is so tasty, it completes the unforgettable experience of having Hong Mao wanton mee and makes you want to return for more.


Enough said, drop by Hong Mao Noodle House today but remember to bring along a book or PSP, to pass time while waiting. Enjoy your noodles.

8.5/10

Hong Mao Noodle House
128 Eating Corner
Tembeling Road
Open in the morning until 1pm
Closed on Mondays