Foodie Paradise

Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee
Stall No. 02-79 and 02-80
Amoy Street Food Centre

Ratings: 7.0/10

If you ask me to name some of my favourite local food, Lor Mee will have made it to the list.  Lor Mee is a Hokkien noodle dish with brown sticky gravy topped with ingredients like fish, braised pork and fried flour bits.  Poured lots of vinegar into the gravy (a personal preference of mine), it instantly becomes a delightful meal to me.

Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee is currently my favourite Lor Mee stall in Singapore, that is, before I give another famous lor mee stall at Bukit Purmei a try so that I can make some comparison.  I love it so much that I’ll purposely make a trip down to the stall at Amoy Street just to satisfy my Lor Mee craving.

Just imagine:  The strong vinegar taste in the gravy instantly piques your appetite.  The thick and sticky-looking gravy becomes the silky and smooth gravy that slides down your throat while you eat the yellow noodles.  The crispy flour bits are so crispy and delicious to munch on and the pork is so nicely braised. 

And that is how Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee tastes to me - the hearty and delicious meal that I’m so addicted to.

At the price of S$2, it’s so worth the price even though the portion is a bit paltry.  From a single stall at Amoy Street Food Centre, it has expanded to occupy two stalls that are side-by-side to meet the increasing demands for its Lor Mee.  Long queues are a characteristic of this stall, so prepare to wait if you want to try some of these mouth-watering Lor Mee.

Parklane Zha Yun Tun Mee House
#01-53, Sunshine Plaza
91 Bencoolen Street
Singapore 189652

Ratings: 6.0/10 

To put it frankly, this place has been over-hyped.  

The most notable feature of this stall is its zha yun tun or fried wanton (fried dumplings).  Apparently, many people love the wantons of this stall because they’re extremely crispy.  True enough, you can hear that "crunchy sound" of people biting the extremely crispy wantons echoing throughout the stall.  However, the reason why the wanton is so crispy is because of the paltry amount of meat that’s wrapped in the wanton, thus making the wanton less moist when fried, hence resulting in these crispy wanton. 

However, is this method of cooking justified?  I don’t think so.   

I feel like I’m just merely eating wanton skin when I’m biting those wantons.  True enough, they’re extremely crispy.  But I could hardly taste the minced meat wrapped in it.   If the reason why I’m eating those wantons is just to taste the crispy wanton skin, the owner of the stall might as well skip wrapping the meat in the wanton and just served fried wanton skin to its customers. 

To make a tasty wanton so to speak, you need to also have a good mastery of the right combination of ingredients to use in the wanton filling and also on how to marinate the fillings well.  It’s easy to fry a wanton skin well.  However, when it comes to making a good crispy wanton with delicious fillings, I think this stall has failed to make the mark. 

Perhaps I should put the blame more on the patrons of the stall, who goes "Oh, I like the wanton because it’s so crispy and nice to bite!  The noodles are nice because the sauce that accompanies the noodles is sweet!"  And wala, the stall owner has found the "winning formula" to draw its customers back again and again. 

Thus, the measly fillings in the wanton, the paltry portion of noodles for $3, or the thinly-sliced char siew that’s actually made from frozen meat become insignificant.  This is simply because the customers are here to taste the crispy wanton skin.

The entire plate of wanton noodles doesn’t taste that bad.  The noodles are springy.  On the whole, it’s much better than the wanton noodles sold in most food courts (and also the type of lunch I’m eating on most days).  However, I just feel that the food from this stall has been way over-hyped. 

Soon Huat Pig’s Organ Soup
Serangoon Garden Market Stall 42 

Ratings: 6.5/10 

As the saying goes, "one man’s meat is another’s poison".  Having pig organ’s soup may allude to an episode of "Fear Factor" to some, but to many locals, it’s another gratifying meal at the local hawker centre.

I’ll probably cringe at the sight of fried insects or escargots now, but pig organs are something that I’ve been having since young.  At the young tender age where everything is just food to you, you relished them like any other dishes.  Then when it comes to the age of "enlightenment", where you realised they are pig’s offal, you decided in the end that they are still…..just food.  Well, I just try not to learn which part of the pig they come from.  Ignorance is definitely blissful occasionally. 

The sour pig organ’s soup is due to the salted vegetable that is boiled in the soup, hence making the soup especially appetising.  Eating it together with the braised organs and rice, it’s a delicious meal at the local hawker centre that is not to be missed!

Pig’s Organ Soup

Soon Huat Pig’s Organs Soup is characterised by its long queues.  At S$10.20, it is definitely a cheap meal for three.  What I loved most about this stall is the mouth-watering gravy that is served together with the braised organs.  Pouring a little of the gravy into the rice, I could just have the rice and gravy and nothing else!

Rice with gravy

My only complaint is that the meat from this stall is not as tender as I hope.  On the whole, the food is palatable and it definitely justifies the long waiting time for the food, given the long queue at the stall. 

Shukor Stall
Serangoon Garden Market, Stall 30

Ratings:  6.0/10

Roti John - S$2.50

Roti John, a local Malay dish, is toasted French Toast spread with pan-grilled eggs and minced meat with a chilli-ketchup sauce. 

A search I did online came up with different versions on how this dish actually originates in Singapore.  The first story that I read said that Roti John had been inspired by a homesick tourist named John who was in search of a sandwich.  Failing in his search, a helpful hawker sliced up a loaf of French bread, clapped in a mixture of minced mutton and onion and dipped the whole in beaten egg which he fried until crisp.  As locals took to Roti John, it soon becomes a staple at Muslim food stalls.   

Another explanation about the origination of Roti John said that this food is actually named after the British who were stationed in Singapore during the colonial era.  Roti means bread in Malay and the British were known as "John" to the Malays and that is how the name of this dish originated. 

However, according to the Makansutra Hawker Legend 2005, if we were to trace the origin of Roti John, it will inevitably lead back to the Shukor stall, which is the stall that I’ll be writing on in this entry.  Apparently, the history of Roti John goes way back to 1976.  The Shukor Stall used to be located at the Taman Serasi Food Centre near the Botanic Gardens, before the food centre was demolished some years back.  Now, this legendary stall has moved to the Serangoon Gardens Market, which also happens to be just a stone throw away from another famous local hawker centre, Chomp Chomp.

Irregardless of which is the actual version on how the Roti John originates, the most important point here is still to talk about the legendary Roti John that’s being served at the Shukor Stall.

My first taste of the Shukor’s Roti John was two months back when my parents bought it back home for me to try.  Despite being wrapped up for some time, the crust of the French toast was still crispy, which I attribute it to the patient grilling of the stall owners.  The eggs that was spread above the French Toast was tasty.  The entire combination of this "fusion food" was delicious, and I regretted not taking photos of the Roti John and blogged about it.

However, when I went back to try the Roti John last weekend, I was disappointed.  Though the combination of eggs, onions and minced meat still tasted delicious like before, the crust of the French Toast wasn’t as crispy as I had remembered it.  I guess the reason was because it was the busy weekend peak hour period when I was at the Serangoon Garden Market, thus the French Toasts were not as patiently grilled as the ones that I had before.

My conclusion about this famous Roti John stall: This lack of consistency in the Roti John irks me because I had purposely gone to the Serangoon Garden Market hoping to try some great Roti John.  As for being one of Singapore’s legendary hawkers, I feel that there are definitely better hawker legends around that are not among these top 15.  However, on the whole, the Roti John sold by the Shukor stall is definitely delicious.  It’s a can-try local food in Singapore.

Killiney Kopitiam
67 Killiney Road
Website

Ratings: 7.0/10

Having Kaya Toast with Coffee (or “Kopi” in Malay as it is more affectionately called in local eateries) is one of the traditional breakfasts in Singapore. However, due to its popularity and also the advent of franchising, we can now savour this lovely snack throughout the day.

The two most popular places in Singapore to savour Kaya Toast are at Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Killiney Kopitiam. Though Ya Kun Kaya Toast has more outlets throughout Singapore, many Singaporeans will probably comment that the place that wins hands down in terms of serving the best kaya toast is probably Killiney Kopitiam.

My favourite place to savour Kaya Toast is still at Killiney Kopitiam. Personally, I’ve tried Ya Kun twice (once at its Takashimaya outlet and once at its Toa Payoh outlet) and both experiences had left me disappointed.

Kaya is a jam that is made from coconuts and eggs, flavoured by the unique pandan leaf and sweetened with sugar. Imagine this: A thick layer of kaya oozing into your mouth as you bite into slices of bread that has been toasted over charcoal until they are crispy; it’s definitely the best kind of breakfast to wake up to!

Kaya/Butter Toast - $1.50

Coffee with Milk, or Kopi in Malay - $1

Further coupled with a cup of nice aromatic coffee that wakes you up for the day, it’s definitely a great way to enjoy your breakfast, or even an afternoon snack, especially if you’re in need to that mid-day caffeine boast.

Being a coffee addict myself, I’m pretty particular with the coffee I drink. Sad to say, many places serve coffee that are either too bland or too mild for my caffeine addition. However, the aromatic coffee at Killiney Kopitiam has definitely passed my standards. I nearly ordered another cup of coffee when I was there because I couldn’t get enough of those lovely coffee. But I have a pact with myself that I’ll cut down on the amount of coffee intake per day, and it’s easy to revert back to my caffeine addition the moment I start to drink more than 2 cups of coffee a day, thus I held back my order.

Curry Chicken - $4.50

Besides the great coffee and kaya toast, the rest of the menu that is being offered there is delicious too. The Nasi Lemak and the Curry Chicken are some of the delicious items there. The curry is thick and yummy, especially when you dipped the bread that comes along with the curry into it. The chicken in the curry is also pretty tender. It’s definitely one of the other must -try there!

However, some other items on the menu such as the French toast can be skipped. It’s not exactly the best items on the menu.

At the Food Centre next to Allson Hotel and Opposite Bras Brasah Complex

Ratings: 3.5/5.0

This is a stall that I happened to chance upon when I was looking for some cheap food in the area.

Perhaps I wasn’t expecting to taste anything delicious that day, thus I did have a lower expectation when I was eating this bowl of noodles. When I first tasted it, I had to admit I love it. However, I realised that it tasted “normal” after a while. It lacks that “lingering taste” that makes you hanker for the food long after you tried it. This is definitely a decent place to have noodles, but not a place for great noodles.

I guess my favourite minced pork noodles stall currently is still at Sim Lim Square.

Good Chance Popiah
Blk 149, Silat Avenue, #01-58
Singapore 160149

Ratings: 4.0/5.0

Dine & Dish No. 6 - Amazing Graze - A food blogging event

My first attempt in making my own popiah

Popiah is believed to have originated in China during the Qing Dynasty and was usually eaten during spring when there was a surplus of vegetables in the market. After being given a localised flavour, it is now a common snack in Singapore and Malaysia.

Popiah is made up of a variety of ingredients wrapped in spring roll skin. It is similar to the fried spring roll, though a major difference in both dishes is that the popiah is not fried, unlike the fried spring roll.

The ingredients for the popiah comes separately

A good popiah is usually packed tightly and full, thus one factor in determining how delicious the popiah is will be dependent on the skill of the popiah-maker. This is to ensure that the popiah will not disintegrate when it is being picked up for eating. Secondly, it is also to ensure that all the different ingredients are evenly spread out throughout the popiah since a popiah is usually sliced into many smaller pieces so that it can be shared among the people.

I never got to try how good the skill of the chef at Good Chance Popiah is as the ingredients and the spring roll skin are being served separately at the restaurant. This is to allow the diners to have a chance to wrap their own popiah and also at the same time, allow the diners to decide how much ingredients they want inside each popiah.

Personally, I feel that Good Chance Popiah is an ideal place for gatherings among friends and family, where friends can learn how to wrap popiahs from each other while engaging in a friendly banter or harmless teasing on how good or bad the popiahs have turned out to be. It can also be a good place for couples, even though there is a lack in romantic atmosphere at the restaurant. Making your own popiah can be a nice change from the usual mundane dinner dates. In some sense, it’s a chance for the lady to “showcase” her domestic ability by making popiah for her guy (drawing some inferences from the not-so-secret criteria of Singaporean guys who want their significant others to peel the prawn shells for them).

Peeling prawn shells for the guy is something I will never do (It is actually more gentlemanly for the guy to do that for the gal, since it isn’t nice for a lady to get her fingers dirty *innocent smile*), but I will attempt to do an amateur step-by-step guide on how to wrap a popiah:

more…

“佳记美食” - Jia Ji Mei Shi
#02-161
Chinatown Complex

Ratings: 4.0/5.0

Very often, I find myself running out of words to describe a food that I’ve just tasted. Many times, the only word that I can think of to describe the food is “delicious”, or that the food just “taste exactly how it should taste”, or just “simply marvellous”.

Maybe I lack the vocabulary depth that will allow me to better describe these foods. Perhaps another reason is because I personally feel that eating a food sometimes feels like falling in love. The food just tastes right, feels right, and I just love it. Yet, there is no special reason attached to it. As a result, I occasionally find myself in a loss for words when I was trying to describe that taste of the food or that special flavour that has just oozed through my taste buds.

I guess every food emits its own unique flavour and there is just not enough words in the dictionary to describe every taste, smell, and texture. The only way to know it is to taste the food yourself.

That’s what I exactly feel about the food sold at “佳记美食”.

What the stall sells are simple hawker fare that most of us have taken for granted, for example the fried noodles that we usually “da bao” (take away) to the office for breakfast. It is these simple hawker fare which I feel that I’m really at a loss on how to describe them because I’ve never thought or wonder how should I ever describe their taste. They are no gastronomical experience, yet they’re food that makes your breakfast, lunch or supper (as in my case) tastes a lot better.

I had my supper there after shopping at the CNY street market at Chinatown. “佳记美食” is one of my mum’s favourite stall around Chinatown and she often patronises it whenever she’s in the area.

I personally feel that this stall at Chinatown complex sells one of the tastiest Chee Cheong Fan in Chinatown. The texture of the Chee Cheong Fan is smooth and the sauce complements the dish perfectly.

Another dish to try at the stall is the fried noodles and beehoon. My deepest impression of the fried noodles is that it’s very springy, which is also the best part of the noodles. Besides that, it is also not very oily and yes, it just tastes like how I feel fried noodles should taste. =P

Thus, I can only end off this entry by saying, order takeaway at this stall if you happen to work or live around the area, or have a snack at the stall if you happen to be around Chinatown. They’re simple hawker fare that’ll brighten up your meal unknowingly. Simple hawker fare that probably most of the time we never really bothers about.