Delish Sweet &Sour Pork! Lunch Set: Sweet & Sour Pork (S) + a Half Jajangmyeon & Half Jjampong [$42++] They serve food pretty fast so that's great for h(angry) men. The sweet &sour gravy is served in a separate bowl from the plate of fried pork. The strong smell of vinegar intrudes your nasal path and goes all the way up! Jang, you'll be thinking why is this dish their signature when it smells kinda bad. But wow, when our teeth sank into the pork chop (yes they taste like pork chop coated in a thin batter!! score points for zero clots of fats, zero grease and such tender meat!), we were pleasantly amazed. The sweetness of this dish came from the pork. While the sour vinegar taste got instantly balanced out. The gravy has quite a thick yet smooth consistency (think: goooey) which coats the meat really well. The jajangmyeon has lotsa onions in them which makes it so fragrant! The texture of the noodles were al dente. I could do with even more chew thou! But hey, that's just my personal preference. My friend commented that this Jajangmyeon was the closest she could get to the ones she had in Korea. I can't even recall how Jajangmyeon in Korea tasted like.. It's been too long! Jjampong features the same noodles but in a seafood soup. The soup is quite nice and doesn't taste like the usual instant korean noodles soup base. It has a stronger seafood flavour to it. Go give this place a try, the sweet and sour pork is nothing like the typical tze char's rendition (:

Jajangmyeon & Jjampong This is good for those who don’t know to eat Jajangmyeon or Jjampong 😅 Jjampong is quite spicy. Noodle is a bit too soft for me. With some squids and mussels.

Seafood Noodles 16++ Baby octopus was quite chewy but still acceptable. Wasn't really much seafood and the soup was also meh. Taste like msg. Ya and feels like something anyone can make at home. Again, just stick to their jajangmyeon

Braised Pork Rice A perfect example of comfort food that feels like home. I like how the short-grain rice was drenched with sauce all the way to the bottom, such that I could still devour the tasty rice on its own. 。 Unfortunately, the stall at Ang Mo Kio creased operation soon after but will still be operating by delivery within Sembawang Area. For more info, check out their Facebook page! Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This hidden gem in my hood serves some of the reputable eats rounded up from the streets of Taiwan, in case you haven’t visited the food haven or didn’t get to try them before you left. . Something you can hardly find around in our little red dot is the Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang ($6.60) above, essentially Taiwanese sausage wrapped in a sticky chargrilled glutinous rice “bun” garnished with minced peanuts, parsley, shredded cucumbers & carrots. I thought the omission of the pickled garnish would be better. . Braised Pork Rice ($3.80) is a safe bet here, with succulent moist pork along with a braised egg included in the bill (usually +$0.50 elsewhere). Again, I believe it’s simple & sufficient on its own without the garnish, or better if could be served separately as the acidity kind of cuts through the savoury a little more than desired. Sometimes less is more. . Overall, worth a visit if you’re craving for decent Taiwanese eats without breaking the bank. . 📍Mei Ming Taiwanese Delicacy Block 159 Coffee Shop 159 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, S560159 Daily: 11am to 8pm

Taiwanese Street Eats In A Coffeeshop Lu rou fan - The sticky and plump grains absorbed the braising sauce nicely, adding depth to every mouthful of rice. Read more: https://www.misstamchiak.com/mei-ming-taiwan-delicacy/

Very long never eat @soi19sgthaiwantonmee. The standard drop, it’s still decent but not as tasty as before. The noodle still springy, the sliced pork a bit tough,the sausage still good, the pork lard not crispy. 💰$5.5. 📍Soi 19. 151 Ang Mo kio ave 5. #shootoniphone

Thai version of white Wantan mee For lovers of “white” Wantan Mee instead of the ubiquitous black or red versions, you don’t have that many choices over on this side of the Singapore/Malaysian borders. Soi 19 is therefore one option even though it is not your usual Chinese version of Wantan Mee. For one thing, Soi 19’s wantan mee consists of lean dark char siew and grilled sausages. And they do not have the option to add chilli sauce into the noodles, as with most Thai Wantan Mee. The plate I got at this Soi 19 outlet met my expectations of the brand. Not exactly like what you can get from the Pratunam stall where Soi 19’s name came from, but good enough to keep diehard fans like me satisfied without making a trip to Thailand. Noodles we al dente and the wantans crispy but meat a bit dry. I also ordered fish cakes which were rather greasy and desiccated. Maybe I should stick to more wantans. And perhaps there is a reason why the crowds brave long queues at the borders during weekends. For legit white Wantan mee.

Thai Fried Pork 🐷 This was crispy and addictive. Another crowd favourite that we got was the Thai fish sausage, which we even ordered a second portion of 🤭

Claypot Crab Vermicelli Soup Haven't been to Mellben in a really long time and I miss having Mellben’s crab done in its signature way. The milky broth is thick, rich, creamy and beamed with sweetness from the crab. The crab was fresh and succulently sweet with chunks of meat coming off cleanly.

Shrimp Roll Wrapped in crispy beancurd skin with generous fillings of prawns, pork and together with a crunch of chestnuts 》$10 (Small)

Favourite Chilli Crab Mellben will always be be go-to restaurant for crab. Hands down my favourite. Crab here are always fresh, meaty and the sauce is great. Female crabs are full of roe, but the claws are smaller. Male crabs have bigger and meatier claws. 5% Discount if pay by cash. Please make reservations before coming. Unless u want to queue and wait.

Pork Skewers Pork skewers met expectations. The meat is well marinated and tender but it has quite an overpowering pork smell.

Thai Omelette I love a good Thai Omelette but unfortunately, this dish disappoints. The omelette was not fluffy and the texture is kind of flat and dry. Doesn't bring out the sweetness of the egg.

Small Beef Noodles Bowl Tried both their Tom yum and beef noodle bowls at $1.90 each. The noodles were quite hard instead of Al dente. The soup is alright but nothing much to wow about. The restaurant was completely empty on a Tuesday night at 8pm. Not likely to visit again :(

Waffles n Ice Cream Return visit (photo from late 2019, first visit early in 2019) Seems like the cafe has a savoury dining menu now. Waffles and ice cream isn’t as good as I remembered from the 1st visit but still not bad.

Iced Cappuccino The service at Les Patisseries is quite minimal. Despite accepting same-day Chope reservations up to an hour before the reservation, the staff didn’t bother to check my reservation and just pointed to any table. Most of the tables at large, so you might get a few groups sitting at the same long table when it gets crowded. However, it was quite empty on a Sunday afternoon. The way my iced cappuccino was served in a disposable cup, with a lid and straw despite dining in made me disappointed that this cafe is environmentally apathetic. While their coffee isn’t bad, they didn’t have any non-dairy alternatives when I visited. Perhaps these people need to step up their cafe game, especially in terms of service, if they want to survive in the Upper Thomson area.

Matcha Affogato A very thick matcha shot with vanilla ice cream. We found that a fair bit of matcha tended to solidify on the ice cream instead of sliding off and pooling at the bottom as the shot was very viscous, but overall the mixture turned out to be really thick. This would do well as a dessert, but not a beverage on its own. The balance of the bitter matcha and sweet vanilla ice cream is good, and both components complement each other well. I liked the almond flake toppings as well as the bed of crunchy granola, which added a contrasting texture to this creamy and thick dessert.

Lobster Kueh Pie Tee | $24 This was a fun starter to have. Generous about of creamy lobster salad that was full of lobster and prawn meat as well as seasonal fruits. If you like lobster salad sushi, think of that but wayyy more decadent. Each bite was rich and decadent, a really unorthodox experience compared to your normal kueh pie tee. Would recommend to share this among four people so that each person can just have 1, because it will get kind of filling if still want to make space for the other dishes. Rate:🌟🌟🌟

Wok Fried Wagyu Hor Fun | $34 Xiao Ya Tou is that one place that you’ll walk past and be so intrigued by its decor that you know you have to try it. With its old school retro ambience, the space is cosy, fun, and great for gatherings. Service is both attentive and warm, and I personally think it’s a great place especially to bring your friends from far who want to have fun Asian but fusion cuisine. The wok fried wagyu hor fun fell a bit short for me in terms of the hor fun itself. The wok hei wasn’t strong, and the flavour of the noodles itself tasted a bit bland. I did ask for their sambal to spice it up though. The wagyu beef jazzed up the hor fun a good ton, especially because it was nicely seared and well-executed till tender. A dish that’s both a hit and a miss for me. Rate:🌟🌟🌟

Xiao Ya Tou We had the truffle roasted duck, mala fish, brussel sprouts and lobster pai tee. All of them were not bad but quite overpriced IMO. The lobster pai tee was the best dish out of the 4 with a generous amount of lobster, slathered in rich mayo and topped with ikura. Truffle roasted duck was not subtle with the truffle which I appreciated. The mala fish was average, while the brussel sprouts was a bit too sweet with Thai chili sauce-like taste.

One of the best Eggs Benedict I ever had! Eggs were cooked very nicely, the amount of sauce was just right. The bacon was not too salty and the bread was crispy and warm. Salad was fresh. I enjoyed their service as well. Will certainly want to come back again.

Zesty Crab Angel Hair Pasta Sis had this and i wished i had too haha. She customised it at the highest spice level and it was shioks! The angel hair pasta made the dish light and savoury.

Creamy Chicken Pesto I like that the sauce was sufficient to mix thoroughly with the spaghetti. But halfway through i felt it was too creamy and 'jelak'. They were generous with the chicken chunks though.

Balance burger indeed The creamy eggs, crispy bacon and the fresh tomato relish - balance indeed and yummy! Even the brioche bun deserve a mention, is pillowy soft and brown on the outside. 10 for 10!

impossible meatballs am a regular at grounded by cmcr and i've got to say this has been the most novel dish i've had in a while! the impossible meatballs ($18) are perfect for sharing! the taste reminded me of mexican food :3 may be a bit much for a single person to finish bc of the strong flavours. went well with the workout bowl ($17) that we were eating

Avocada Toast Very expensive plate of avocado toast but it tastes good. Bread was crusty and I like it that the feta cheese is not too pungent.

Common Man Fluffy Pancakes ($24) Common Man Fluffy Pancakes ($24) I was honestly really excited for the pancakes, considering these were thick! The pancakes came with caramelised bananas and walnuts, salted caramel sauce, nutty crumble & berry coulis. Ngl this didn't taste like a pancake, but more like a cakey texture, which was dense and slightly dry esp at parts without the sauce. It also got jelak so you gotta share this. Kinda expected more for the price, and I'd defo prefer some fluffy pancakes for brunch! Their other dishes might be better tho! Overall Rating: 6/10

Croissant Croque Monsieur ($18) It was extremely crowded during brunch on weekends, but since it was near the area we decided to give their food a try. Croissant Croque Monsieur ($18) Look at that cheese! This croissant was filled with Ham, Bechamel & aged cheddar cheese. Certainly a hearty option for brunch, and it's a combination of flavours and texture that can't really go wrong. The portion might not be enough for some though!

Nitro Honey Oat Latte So good … words cannot describe how elevated this coffee is