Hawker/Kopitiam Eats

Golden Mile Food Centre has always been known for their interesting mix of tenants that comprises of both familiar local fare and more gentrified hawker food stalls that are run by hawkerpreneurs — there seems to be yet another round of switch-ups with the stalls operating within the hawker centre and one of the latest additions to the hawker centre is Taiwan Fan Bao 台湾饭包. Located at the second level of the hawker centre, Taiwan Fan Bao is located along the same stretch of stalls where one can also find Salmon by Hinoyama, which is also its neighbour — Taiwan Fan Bao is also located just right opposite from Cat in the Hat; a stall that is best known for their financiers, Madelines and tarts that also opened fairly recently in the food centre. While there are other hawker stalls located within Golden Mile Food Centre such as the likes of Wen Li Taiwanese Food which serves up the classic braised minced pork rice, Taiwan Fan Bao’s focus is a little different — the illustrations do suggest that they are adopting an approach more similar to the style of Taiwanese railway bento (i.e. bento-boxed meal served at railway stations). The menu at Taiwan Fan Bao features items like Saba Rice, Salmon Rice and Chicken Thigh Rice; the Pork Belly Bun serves as the the only bun item on its menu.

Making our order at the counter, it was pretty soon that we realised that patrons first decide on the choice of protein which they wish to go for here — most of the other items are pretty much customisable to the patron’s desire. There is an option to switch up the rice to Bee Hoon here (though itself being an additional charge of 30 cents), while patrons also get to choose two out or four different types of vegetables that is being offered at the counter. Each order comes standard with a seasoned egg, while patrons can also help themselves to the Taiwanese fermented chili bean paste and the house-made chili dip that is placed prominently at the self-service area.

We went with the Braised Pork Rice, and opted for the stir-fried beansprouts and stir-fried pea shoots for our order. Served on a plate, the aesthetics of the dish looked more similar to the Chinese mixed economy rice especially considering the way it is being plated. Digging into the Braised Pork Rice, what we found really intriguing was the lingering sweetness and flavour that came from the relish that sits atop the middle part of the mound of rice that also provided some crunch — couldn’t really pinpoint what exactly it is but it was most certainly enjoyable to say the least. Nothing could really go wrong with the stir-fried pea shoots and the stir-fried beansprouts that we opted for, though the beansprouts did seem to come with a sauce that seems to comprise of a bit of black pepper just for taste. The slab of braised pork belly itself came having absorbed quite a fair bit of flavours from the braising liquid; savoury with a tinge of sweetness, though the meat seems to be generally on the leaner side with the exception of the part nearer to the skin that is especially gelatinous. The seasoned egg was actually brilliantly executed; soft egg whites and a creamy, molten yolk that is to the right degree of savouriness. Meanwhile, the house-made chili dip was something close to that of the chili that usually comes with Hainanese-style chicken rice — just a little less zippy and also a touch sweeter invite starting notes. Overall, a decent eat at $5.50, though we would still say that we have some sort of preference for the other Taiwanese establishments in the food centre nonetheless.

Was just going around Marsiling Mall deciding on what to grab for dinner there when we found a relatively unfamiliar sight in one of the middle rows of the hawker centre — we were initially wanting to give the new Western food stall a go but we just could not find ourselves giving Joy Pan Authentic Yam Abacus a go after passing by it. Occupying a stall that is right beside the outlet of 石年 at Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre, Joy Pan Authentic Yam Abacus is a new addition to the food centre that seems to be especially distinct considering its choice of a brown signboard — rather atypical of hawker stalls around the island. As the namesake of the stall suggests, Joy Pan Authentic Yam Abacus does seem to be a stall that is primarily focused on their Yam abacus seed offerings — the menu offers both a Prawn Yam Abacus (also listed as a signature item) and a Yam Abacus as dishes available at Joy Pan Authentic Yam Abacus. For those whom are looking for something apart from Yam Abacus Seeds, Joy Pan Authentic Yam Abacus also does offer other dishes such as Hong Kong Style Braised Beef, Pork Noodles, Beef Brisket Noodles and Tom Yum Noodles — just so if one is liking to have a more standard sort of carb for their meal.

Joy Pan Authentic Yam Abacus actually offers two portion sizes of their Yam Abacus Seed dishes here — a small and a large portion, while patrons can also opt for their Yam Abacus seeds to come in either Dark Sauce, Tom Yum or Sambal variants. We found ourselves going for the Yam Abacus with Tom Yum in the small portion size. The Yam Abacus comes with all the usual suspects that one would expect to be served with the dish — think black fungus, scraps of mushrooms, minced pork etc., while elements such as fried shallots, coriander and sambal chili are all optional. We hadn’t quite had Yam Abacus for quite a while — the dish being difficult to find around the island but the Tom Yum variant definitely did sounded like an innovation somewhere that is pretty much their own unique take. No doubt the dish tasted like how it was intended to be; the earthiness and bouncy chew from the mushrooms and black fungus, as well as the meatiness and the firm bite from the minced pork — all these went well with the savouriness and crispness of the fried shallots and that unique hint of flavour from the coriander. What really surprised us was how the Tom Yum sauce gave the Yam Abacus such a good spin of flavours however — there was underlying hint of sour-ish tang that went so well with the savoury sambal, with both elements lending a hand to provide a hint of spiciness to the dish that should do fine for those tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness; the Yam abacus seeds being well-sized to chew in a single mouthful whilst carrying a good bouncy chew with it. Yam Abacus Seeds are quite a rare find across the island; glad that the ones from Joy Pan Authentic Yam Abacus were pretty decent — all that with their own twist that makes them all the more interesting. A spot that fans of yam abacus should add to the list to check out!

Sing Hi 辛海 is one of those coffeeshop stalls that we had only noticed whilst going around the HDB estate which the coffeeshop that houses it is situated in — the outlet which we had noticed and visited eventually is the one that is located within the recently revamped Kim San Leng coffeeshop at Blk 130 Jurong Gateway Road; we do know of another outlet which is operating out of Food City Eating House by Yue Hua in the East as well at 1550 Bedok North Avenue 4. Irregardless, the same coffeeshop which houses Sing Hi at Jurong East is also the same one which an outlet of Cheeky Bee Hoon is also located. Sing Hi’s signages claim that they are a brand “From The Old Market i” — something which we are unable to catch nor verify considering the haphazard way that it has been written; would probably be interesting to know of its history nonetheless. One thing for certain though is that their Jurong East coffeeshop stall is fairly easy to find — it occupies a unit around the corner with dual frontage; one side facing the walkway of the HDB block it is situated in, and the other side facing inwards into the coffeeshop; the signages facing into the coffeeshop being of a rather deep hue of blue. One thing that can be secure from the menu of Sing Hi is that the stall seems to emphasise quite a fair bit of Malaysian fare — the menu comprises of a Malaysian-style noodle dishes ranging from Traditional Lor Mee Hokkien Style, Traditional Prawn Noodle, Hakka Yong Tofu, and Handmade Noodle with Traditional Scallop Base Soup.

What prompted us to make a mental note to drop by Sing Hi after going past the stall on a random occasion was because we had noticed that the stall actually serves up Chicken Cutlet Ipoh Hor Fun; while Ipoh-style Hor Fun is something that is not too difficult to look for around the island, most variants coming with chicken would usually be served with shredded chicken — stalls that serve up fried chicken with their Ipoh-style Hor Fun like Amigo and Weng Kee (both at Changi Village Food Centre) are pretty much a rarity still. interestingly, the Chicken Cutlet Ipoh Hor Fun from Sing Hi is actually listed in their Traditional Lor Mee Hokkien Style section of the menu as the last item listed — this is for good reason. Digging into the Chicken Cutlet Ipoh Hor Fun, it starts to get increasingly obvious that the gravy used for the Ipoh Hor Fun itself does seem to at least include what they have used for their actual Lor Mee offerings — the gravy here is pretty much starchy like what one would have expected the consistency to be for the gravy that typically comes with Lor Mee; the flavours being lightly savoury without being overly complex not clouds the tastebuds. We personally loved it after adding a dash of the chili which they had provided on the side; basically lifts the gravy by adding a bright note that makes the gravy incredibly easy to have — all that without being particularly spicy and should work well even for those whom have low tolerance to spiciness. The chunks of fried chicken still had some crispy bits despite having absorbed some of the gravy; the chicken chunks being juicy and did not require much effort to chew through — great to have in the same way like how shark nuggets are just great accompaniments to Lor Mee. We opted or the small-sized version of the Chicken Cutlet Ipoh Hor Fun at $5 and found the portion to be appropriately-sized; Sing Hi also offers an upsized variant at $6.80 as well. Guess Sing Hi would probably be the spot for us to head to whenever we crave for Chicken Cutlet Ipoh Hor Fun in the future; definitely a more accessible location than Weng Kee at Changi Village to us for sure!

King of Cheong Fun is one of those F&B establishments which we had only come across whilst scrolling around social media during our free time — the namesake of the establishment is not particularly exciting, especially considering how it comes after the a slew of un-relate brand names whom have decided to name themselves “King of ..” after the success of King of Fried Rice, which had expanded across the entire island with multiple outlets all around. Located in a coffeeshop at Blk 87 Bedok North Street 4, King of Cheong Fun is located not too far away from the notable 85 Fengshan Market that is best known for their soup variant of the minced meat noodles. Occupying the corner stall near the beverages stall in the coffeeshop that it is situated at, King of Cheong Fun can be easily missed considering how the shopfront is blocked by items on one side and a rojak stall that a space at the front of the coffeeshop on the other — that being said, its bright red signboard is quite impossible to miss if one manages to spot it. Yet another one of those locations which serves up the trendy Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun, Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun is pretty much their core offering. One thing worth noting though is how they do serve up a wider variety of Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun than most other establishments does — quite similar in the way of Yin Ji where they do offer less common variants like the Signature Pork Egg Cheong Fun and a rather generously-portioned Signature Family Combo Cheong Fun. Just like how Chef Wei HK Cheong Fun is these days, King of Cheong Fun also does serve up a variety of dim sum dishes such as Siew Mai, Har Gow, Steamed Pork Rib with Black Bean Sauce etc. for those whom are looking to have some form dim sum variety to add on to their Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun orders. Interestingly, King of Cheong Fun also does serve up Steamed Bee Hoon with meat and vegetables as well.

Our recent trips to other establishments serving up Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun of the late hadn’t been particularly impressive — with that being said, King of Cheong Fun actually serves up one of the most memorable versions of the dish that we have had in recent times. Skimming through the menu to decide on which of the Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun offerings to go for, we found ourselves settling for the Prawn Cheong Fun — their other items such as the Signature Pork Egg Cheong Fun and the Signature Family Combo Cheong Fun were interesting, but they seemed a tad filling for us considering we have had a few items along the way to King of Cheong Fun. Sticking to an item which we are all very familiar with and one which we often use as a gauge against the other establishments we had tried, the Prawn Cheung Fun does come close to the one that we absolutely loved from Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-milled Rice Noodle Rolls 梁师傅肠粉 at Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Digging into the Prawn Cheong Fun, it was the texture of the Cheong Fun that really got to us here — these were done thin enough — so much that it actually absorbs all of the colour of the light soy sauce that puddles at the bottom. The Cheong Fun comes all smooth, silken and yet has a prominent flavour from the rice slurry; one can also notice the slight chewiness in terms of the rice noodle here — very well-made. While the soy sauce didn’t carry a particularly strong note of savouriness, as though it was sufficient considering how the Chee Cheong Fun had already absorbed the flavours of the soy sauce very well; could easily be fixed by their “Super Spicy Sambal” on the side at the self-service counter that was not only sufficiently savoury, but also provided a kick of spiciness that tantalises the taste buds even for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. The prawns were well-sized; fresh and carried a natural sweetness with a good bite. All-in-all, a must-visit spot for those who love Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun; and especially so for those whom resides in the East!

Yet another one of those establishments which we had found on Instagram before they had officially opened their doors — Good Good Bird is a new coffeeshop stall that had just recently moved into the FM412 coffeeshop that is situated at Blk 412 Bedok North Avenue 2. For those whom are unfamiliar with the HDB blocks around the neighbourhood, perhaps it would be easier to refer to this block as the HDB located right across where the now-defunct original outlet of FATCAT Ice Cream Bar used to be — some may also recall the same block housing FATCAT Ice Cream Bar also being the same one where Katong Sin Chew Cake Shop is also at. A stall that is run by hawkerpreneurs, Good Good Bird seems to be a stall that focuses much on Ayam Goreng Berempah as their main offering. That being said, whilst most places around the island that are known for their Ayam Goreng Berempah tends to be establishments that primarily serves up Nasi Lemak, the folks at Good Good Bird seems to have stuck to serving up a fusion form of the dish — one can describe it as a fusion of Hainanese-style Chicken Rice and Nasi Ayam Berempah. The menu at Good Good Bird is fairly limited — pretty much restricted to their fried chicken where one can opt between a Fried Chicken Wing Set or a Fried Chicken Thigh Set, though there is a choice to also order the chicken wing / thigh, and even braised egg and pickled vegetables as an ala-carte item to add-on if one so wishes.

We visited Good Good Bird a little late, considering how we had only dropped by the stall on a weekday evening during their dinner service — and so we can be considered as pretty fortunate since we were able to get ourselves one of the last portions of their fried chicken rice that they are serving up for the day even if it meant that we had to stick to ordering only the Fried Chicken Thigh Set since that was the only chicken part that was left during our visit. Based on the description on their menu, the Fried Chicken Thigh Set does come with elements such as chicken rice, one chicken thigh, braised eggs and pickled vegetables (turned out to be Achar) — we were asked if we would like to go for the spicy or non-spicy variant of the chicken even despite the menu not indicating so for the Fried Chicken Thigh Set (it exists for the Fried Chicken Wing Set), which we went for the spicy variant. Also not mentioned in the menu at all was the choice to opt for either curried eggs or braised eggs — we went with curried eggs for our order. It was only when all was served up that we realised how generous the portion of food was — one thing was not mentioned on the menu was the accompanying bowl of soup which also comes with the set.

Digging into the plate excitedly, we went for the fried chicken thigh first — the Ayam Goreng Berempah here does come with a somewhat crisp exterior and tender flesh; the chicken has been prepared earlier, only to be chopped up at the counter before being served. That being said, the flavours of turmeric are rather evident here, giving it a notably savoury note — we did wish that there were more curry leaves and a stronger note of lemongrass here to push things a little further though. We also felt that despite us ordering the spicy variant, we didn’t quite feel any hints of spiciness that pulled through from the chicken itself, though one can definitely add the chili provided on the side which we would mention later. The rice on the other hand was moist and easy to have — would have been a well-executed one with a distinct note of galangal even if it were to be served as a Hainanese chicken rice dish; the folks at Good Good Bird even offers to types of chili as well as dark soy sauce on the side so that patrons can enjoy it the way that they would as though it is a proper plate of Hainanese chicken rice. Whilst the chili of normal spiciness came with a tang and a level of spiciness that those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness should do just fine with, the one labelled as “spicy” was one that set our taste buds basically on fire — they were definitely not kidding considering how it was not shy on its spicy kicks definitely tingles the tastebuds for most.

The best way to go about this is probably do have all three condiments in an alternate fashion — the dense and sweet dark soy sauce would help to take away some of the heat from the chili that way. The curried egg that we had opted for came swimming in a pool of curry gravy; served in a bowl. While the curry was sufficiently rich and flavourful, we were impressed that the curry actually came with scraps of cabbage and even small chunks of potatoes — definitely not something we would had expected out of a side. The same could also be said with the soup which comes pretty refreshing; one can find nibs of corn, carrots and tomatoes with the corn providing an added sweetness. Meanwhile, we liked how they had seemingly excluded the use of peanuts in the Achar here (great for those whom are allergic); gives a good crunch and a tangy note that was refreshing without any hints of spice. While there are some hits and misses with the Fried Chicken Thigh Set from Good Good Bird, we did feel that this is a good attempt by the hawkerpreneurs overall to provide patrons with something inventive, yet familiar. Prices of the food here do also seem like they have the heartlanders in mind whilst curating the menu — the prices of the sets are priced from $5 to $5.50; a price that seems to be wallet-friendly enough to most, not to say the generous portions of food that they are serving up. An earnest attempt from budding hawkerpreneurs dedicated in serving up value-for-money meals to the community around it, all that whilst having the passion to serve up something good from scratch — definitely a spot that is worth supporting!

Amoy Street Food Centre seems to have been returning back to its “former glory” to the pre-COVID days in recent times — not only is the hawker centre now perpetually crowded with hungry office workers on weekdays, but there seems to be quite a wide variety of stalls serving up both local fare and hippier selections of food. We had written about the opening of the new 128 Amoy Laksa which had recently opened its doors at the ground level of the food centre not too long ago; there is also the new Amoy Fried Chicken which is situated at the upper floors occupying the old unit which Harry’s Eurasian Pies was formerly located at before its relocation to the stall beside Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak. Considering so, Amoy Fried Chicken is a stall that is relatively easy to locate at the hawker centre; they occupy the corner unit in the row of stalls where the famous and always-crowded Han Kee Fish Soup is also located. Given such a namesake, it is fairly obvious what Amoy Fried Chicken specialises in — fried chicken. The menu of Amoy Fried Chicken mainly comprises of fried chicken offerings such as fried chicken wings, two-piece fried chicken and a Maryland fillet — there a number of non-fried chicken dishes being listed on the menu but those have been struck off with a marker with red ink. Apart from those, Amoy Fried Chicken also serves up a variety of sides — think a variation of fries, that caters to those looking for something to share around the table.

The folks at Amoy Fried Chicken serves up their fried chicken sets with either a gravy salad or with fries — it does seem like they have at one point of time intended for rice to also be one of the option of carbs to come alongside their fried chicken offerings; that has since been struck off with the red marker as well. We were initially quite keen on giving either the Grandmon’s Fried Chicken Wings with Fries (yes, spelt in the menu as-is) or the Amoy Fried Chicken (2 pcs) with Fries a go, but after considering how there was a need to deal with chicken bones, we went with the Amoy Fried Chicken Maryland Fillet with Fries instead — a dish that features a fried chicken fillet that provides for a more convenient dining experience considering the lack of chicken bones to deal with in this dish.

The portion size of the dish was really generous — apart from the humongous fried chicken fillet that comes as the main star of the show, they were also very generous with the fries; it also comes with a side salad where shredded cabbage is drenched in Goma dressing as well. Going straight for the Maryland Fillet, we liked how the fried batter of the chicken fillet was lightly crisp; almost akin to that of a cracker crumb batter, though we did note that some parts felt a little more floury than the rest. That being said, the batter did carry quite a prominent hint of pepper that gave it much of its flavour — not too spicy, considering how it emphasises on the fragrance of the peppercorn. The chicken was also tender and juicy; not greasy and does not come with any undesirable stench of overused oil. For those whom might find the fragrance of the pepper a little overwhelming, dipping it in the beef gravy that was akin to that of a savoury mashed potato gravy might help — the gravy being flavoursome despite its runnier consistency. The shoestring fries are actually prepared fresh-upon-order; the grease being drained off adequately so that they still remain crisp despite sitting on the plate for quite some time. It does seem that the flavours of the fried food ar Amoy Fried Chicken are on the heavier side — the fries were well-flavoured for us being seasoned with sufficient salt, though we would reckon that some might find it a little salty especially considering the other elements on the plate. Meanwhile, the salad on the side keeps things refreshing and provides a break from the fried elements — the greens delivering a good crunch while the roasty sesame notes and the creaminess of the dressing helps to bind everything altogether. Whilst spending $8 at a hawker centre may not be something which everyone fancies given how there are cheaper and more conventional options around, it is undeniable that the quality of the food and the portion size makes it value-for-money. Looking forward to give their Grandmon’s Fried Chicken Wings with Fries sometime soon!

Some might be able to recall us having a penchant for Heng Hwa cuisine from our previous postings of several Putien / Heng Hwa-style eateries all across the island — so imagine the excitement when we learnt about the opening of a new stall named 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine that had just opened its doors at Lao Pa Sat. Located at one of the corners of the market that faces inwards, it seems that 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine is actually concept that is run by their equally-new neighbour; a stall named Lobster King Ramen that serves up Japanese Ramen with various choices of meat and seafood. Both stalls actually share the same counter — patrons whom intend to dine from Lobster King Ramen would also have to make their order at 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine; do note to quote the item that one intends to order as the numbering of the menu items are repeated across both establishments. One can find a mini write-up about the brand history of 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine that is situated right behind a counter — it mentions that a certain Chef Gao is the man behind the brand; his motivation in staring a business in F&B coming from his mum whom mentions about his interest and talent in cooking, and that Putian fare is what he have had during his childhood. While some food court stalls serving up Putian-style cuisine offers quite a wide variety of items on the menu, 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine boasts of a slightly compact menu that is well-positioned to appeal to office crowds that prefers more fuss-free experience. Individually-portioned dishes available at 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine include the Heng Hwa Signature Mee Sua and Red Wine Sausage and Scallops Cabbage Fried Rice; just to name a few, though patrons are still able to find communal dishes like the Shredded Pork with Golden Sesame Bun, Pu Tian Sweet Lychee Pork and the Crispy Wang Wang Yam here as well.

The Heng Hwa Fried White Bee Hoon from 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine comes in only one size; at $7.80, the Heng Hwa Fried White Bee Hoon from 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine is also one that is priced slightly on the higher side. Their rendition of the dish come with all the usual suspects — think rice vermicelli that has been wok-fried in a seafood broth that has pretty much been reduced all the way down and absorbed by the rice vermicelli; the dish also comes with mushrooms, clams, cabbage, prawn, nibs of tofu puff and peanuts. Truth to be told, the rendition of the Heng Hwa Fried White Bee Hoon at 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine was one that we found a bit less spectacular than that we have had from other establishments before — whilst the “rice-y”notes of the rice vermicelli was prominent, the lightly umami notes from the reduction of the broth was a little mild; one that we felt was a little too clean for our liking despite the light-tasting nature of the dish. That being said, they seem to be pretty generous with the portion of the rice vermicelli for the price here — the portion size is not only substantial, but it does come with quite a good portion of cabbage that carried a soft crunch (not a fan of its slightly bitter undertone though). Clams were decent; we did not notice any undesirable grits of sand that laced the rice vermicelli, while the shrimp did carry a good bite with a natural sweetness. The lack of dried seaweed did seem a little obvious here since the flavours of the dish is generally on the lighter side — the addition might have added an umami note and a light and crisp texture that provided some contrast both in terms of flavour and texture. That being said, the chili that is being provided on the side gives it a quick fix; the chili being all zippy and tangy and gives a good contrast of flavours that packs a punch — tickles the taste buds for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. We would say that the Heng Hwa Fried White Bee Hoon from 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine isn’t quite the most memorable, but we are glad that such an option for Putien / Heng Hua cuisine is finally an option available in the Central Business District. Looking forward to an opportunity to give the Crispy Wang Wang Yam a go soon!

Was supposed to be dropping by yet another F&B establishment within the Tanjong Pagar Plaza vicinity, though we found ourselves going around Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre since the initial spot that we wanted to visit was closed for the day. Found this relatively new stall at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre which we had not noticed in our prior visits to the food centre in recent times. Located towards the middle of the entire food centre near the Korea Cuisine stall, 卤肉饭 Sky Kitchen does seem to be a relatively new addition to Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre. As it seems, 卤肉饭 Sky Kitchen is a stall that has an emphasis on serving up Taiwanese fare; the wooden planks hung from the signboard of the stall states many of the Irene which are available in the menu here — these would be ala-carte rice bowls such as the likes of Braised Pork Rice, Braised Pork Rice and Chicken over Rice. That being said, 卤肉饭 Sky Kitchen also serves up their rice bowls in sets — this would see the rice bowls accompanied with a saucer of braised cabbage on the side. All ala-carte rice bowls at 卤肉饭 Sky Kitchen are priced between $4.50 to $6.50 depending the meat option that one goes for — the only exception to this would be the Iberico Pig’s Cheek Rice that is priced at $9.50; the prices of the sets being at $1.80 above the stated ala-carte price of each item.

Since the stall already carries the words “卤肉饭” in its namesake, it goes without saying that the Braised Pork Set was the item to go for here at 卤肉饭 Sky Kitchen — possibly a signature item of theirs. The actual serving of the Braised Pork Set that we have had does come with all the elements which 卤肉饭 Sky Kitchen had illustrated in its menu — the rice bowl coming with some greens, coddled egg as well as pickled cucumbers; all of which with a bed of rice at the bottom. It is needless to say how the Braised Pork Rice at 卤肉饭 Sky Kitchen does seem especially Taiwanese — the braised meat being almost in a consistency of a sauce and drenched over the bed of rice. This differs a little from the ones that some establishment would serve up — think the likes of Eat Three Bowls and many others which serve their Taiwanese-style braised pork rice that comes with tender chunks of meat for an additional bite; the one from 卤肉饭 Sky Kitchen isn’t quite close to this. That being said, the sauce-like consistency of the braised pork here does carry a stronger note of spices here, and the sauce goes around all of the rice for a good flavour; there is also ample meat sauce to go around all of the rice as well. The coddled egg was well-executed; soft egg white with a creamy molten egg yolk, while the pickled cucumbers provided a tangy, light crunch that refreshes the tastebuds from the savoury notes and the carbs. The braised vegetables that is served as part of the set was well-executed; featuring a mix of cabbage, black fungus and carrots, everything was cooked till a soft consistency — the vegetables being well-flavoured from the liquid that it was braised in. Overall, a pretty good eat that does not break the bank — an establishment where one can tell the effort placed by the folks behind the shop in the food; looking forward to be back soon to give their Chicken over Rice a try some day.

It seems that the West is finally buzzing again when it comes to its game in the local F&B scene — whilst Jurong West Hawker Centre had previously closed down under the previous operator, the hawker centre is now known as JW50 Hawker Heritage after its operations have been taken over by Chang Cheng Mee Wah; a rather familiar name in the local F&B scene considering the number of coffeeshops which the name runs all across the island. Whilst the revamped Jurong West Hawker Centre has seen familiar chains opening up stalls in the hawker centre itself (think names such as Bai Nian Niang Dou Fu 百年酿豆腐 and Shi Nian Pig Leg Rice 石年猪脚饭, as well as GoPizza just to name a few, there are also some rather interesting tenants that are new in the local F&B scene in general. One such stall would be Xiangyu Pan-fried Bun 香遇生煎包; a stall that is located at the second level of the food centre just right beside the dessert stall. There does seem to be an uprising of establishments serving up Chinese pan-fried buns of the late; this includes stalls that are located in Maxwell Food Centre, the Food Republic food court at Parkway Parade, and Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Much like other establishments that serve up Pan-Fried Buns, Xiangyu Pan-fried Bun also serves up a good variety of other dumplings and Chinese-style noodles — some Irene include Xiao Long Bao, Chives and Pork Dumpling, as well as Prawn Wanton in Chilli Oil Noodles in both dry or soup format.

Being a Sheng Jian Bao junkie, it is needless to say that it was the Pan Fried Pork Bun and Pan Fried Prawn Buns that made us decide to dine from Xiangyu Pan-fried Bun during our visit to JW50 Hawker Heritage during our visit there. Some disclaimers that we should probably include is that we did spend quite a while waiting for our order; from the queueing to us getting buzzed to collect our food, we spent a good 1.5 hours to get our Pan Fried Pork Bun and Pan Fried Prawn Bun. The waiting time can be attributed to how there is typically a waiting time involved for the preparation of an entire batch of Pan-Fried Buns, and the extreme crowd level that was visiting the hawker centre on the very first weekend that they had opened their doors. The Pan Fried Pork Bun and the Pan Fried Prawn Bun are best to be had when they are still piping hot — we noticed how the skins for both the Pan Fried Pork Bun and the Pan Fried Prawn Bun are actually pretty thin and delicate; leaving them out for a while would see the skin absorbing much of the broth in the filling itself. Taking a bite into the Pan-Fried Buns, the broth instantly squirts out of the bun; the buns being really well-filled broth. Between the Pan Fried Pork Bun and the Pan Fried Prawn Bun, it was hard to make an accurate call on which would be the better one out if the two — we liked how the Pan Fried Pork Bun comes with a good portion of meat filling; the broth carrying a savoury bite with a gingery undertone which made it really refreshing and easy to have. On the other hand, the Pan Fried Prawn Bun seems to consists of a mix of fish paste and prawns; its broth carrying a significant hint of sweetness that was also cleaner and lighter tasting in comparison. Truth to be told, the Pan Fried Buns from Xiangyu Pan-fried Bun are some quality stuff with consistency that is able to rival that of other establishments serving the same in town; that being said, perhaps it is best to probably give them a try only after the hype of the entree hawker centre had died down to skip on the long waiting times which we experienced.

It does seem that the phase for Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun hadn’t quite ended all these while; with multiple of such establishments having been set-up in the last couple of years from the hype first generated by Chef Wei HK Cheung Fun, we had pretty much been thought that the market for Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun had become really saturated in recent times. There has been some mention of a particularly new stall serving up Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun which had opened around in recent months at Bukit Merah Central Food Centre named Dong Heng Chee Cheong Fun — the stall having its operation hours from Mondays to Saturdays, and operating exclusively in the day till mid-afternoon. The stall is located in one of the middle rows of the Bukit Merah Central Food Centre that is located closer towards the HDB blocks within the same neighbourhood. Being a stall that specialises in Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun, the stall only serves the said item — there are five (5) different variants of Chee Cheong Fun being offered here; a Plain Roll, Vegetable Roll, Char Siew Roll, Fresh Prawn Roll and the Smoked Duck Roll. All Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun on the menu are priced below $5.

After skimming through the menu board to have a look on what they have to offer, we found ourselves going for the Smoked Duck Roll. As with all stalls that specialises n serving up Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun, the Smoked Duck Roll is prepared upon-order; the rice slurry being poured into the tray and going into the steamer as one places their order. Having tried a number of variants of Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun that is served up by other establishments, Dong Heng Chee Cheong Fun’s variant of the dish can be said as a little bit forgettable. Whilst the entire package can be said as pretty decent, one thing which we did not particularly like about the Smoked Duck Roll that we have had is how easily the roll seems to unravel as one picks them up using the chopstick. The Smoked Duck Roll was otherwise decent; the Chee Cheong Fun being smooth and silken — there was also a prominent note of savouriness from the light soya sauce as well. The smoked duck is pretty much similar to what is typically sold commercially in supermarkets; adds a savouriness to the dish that veers towards being umami. Overall, a decent attempt on the trendy Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun, though one that is probably worth considering if one is around then neighbourhood.

This one is probably an oddball that those working in the Central Business District are likely to recognise — located in the recently re-branded Kopitiam food court (previously NTUC Foodfare) at Marina Bay Financial Centre, the Fishball Noodles stall probably stands out for its rather odd signage that indicates “Bubble Tea” instead. Indeed; this stall used to be operated by a certain tenant called Ju Fu De Cha which had vacated the stall sometime back. This said stall also once housed the short-lived outlet of the I Like Chicken concept — a brand name that serves Korean fried chicken, fries and burgers after the move from its previous stall within the same food court. Now a stall that serves up Fishball Noodles, it is interesting to note that it is still run by the same folks whom are behind Ju Fu De Cha — these folks apparently also run other brand names such as Frank's Western Kitchen and Ju Fu Mala Kitchen as well. The poster at the stall makes references to its incredibly weird identity; refers to themselves as MBFC Bubble Tea Stall #13, and serves up quite a limited menu — one would only find Fishball Noodles, Minced Meat Noodles and Laksa here for noodle dishes, while those going for soup can go for Meatball Soup or Fishball Soup as well.

We found ourselves visiting the stall since we had been holding ourselves back on visiting the location itself; the Kopitiam food court had never been an attractive location for how crowded it is during weekday lunch hours, though we went on an occasion where we were tight on time and was having quite a craving for Minced Meat Noodles anyway. As with most other establishments, the Minced Meat Noodles at MBFC Bubble Tea Stall #13 comes with the choice of dry or soup — noodle options are limited though, considering how we did overhear the staff informing a patron that they do not have Mee Kia here. As one would expect, the Minced Meat Noodles at MBFC Bubble Tea Stall #13 comes with Mee Pok by default; comes with pork slices, minced pork, fish cake, meatballs and some mini Ngoh Hiang to go along with the noodles. One can call the Minced Meat Noodle here pricey — $6.50 is indeed not cheap for such a dish, but this was one bowl that comes chock full of meat; we hadn’t quite seen a stall that serves such a generous portion of meat with their minced meat noodles. Going for the noodles first after giving them a toss around the sauce, the sauce mix isn’t too heavy in flavours here — the lightly savoury notes from the soy sauce was well-balanced with a slight tang from the vinegar; even the spiciness from the chilli was rather mild here. The noodles itself was springy — done just about right. Amongst all the different types of meat here, the pork slices were a little lacklustre; carried a slightly heavier porky note than we had expected, but all the other elements worked well and especially so for the mini Ngoh Hiang that added a contrast of flavours from all the other porky elements. Another thing which we felt that the bowl here was missing out on was the lack of pork lard; certainly could have done slightly more to the dish if included. With all that being said, the Minced Meat Noodles is a decent eat at $6.50 — one that comes with a good portion size for those who aren’t too picky with their food in general; something fuss-free which we wouldn’t mind having again.

Went around People’s Park Food Centre recently and noticed a number of stalls that we hadn’t quite paid attention to before in the past — one stall that stood out rather prominently from the rest for us would be the stall labelled Indonesian Cuisine • Nasi Lemak 印尼美食 · 椰浆饭. Occupying one of the units along the same row as Ah Gong Traditional Hainanese Curry Rice 海南咖喱剪刀飯, Indonesian Cuisine • Nasi Lemak sports a black signboard with a brightly-lit signage that comes with multiple colours to entice hungry patrons to check out what they have to offer. Being a stall that serves up what is being described in its namesake, one can opt to go for the various rice sets which they have to offer featuring a good variety of choices of meat — think items like Sotong Kering, Sweet Sauce Chicken, and Green Chili BBQ Chicken amongst a few others, or more basic Nasi Lemak offerings such as the Nasi Lemak Chicken Wing, Nasi Lemak Rendang Chicken or the Budget Meal just to name a few of the options they have. With all that being said, one can also decide to pick and choose from the various dishes which they have to offer that one can view from the display shelf at the counter as well.

Skimming through the menu to have a look through the various items which they have to offer, we found ourselves being enticed by the Ayam Masak Merah — a dish which we felt was not an easy find around. Priced at $5.50, the Ayam Masak Merah Set served to us at the counter looks pretty much the same as what is being illustrated on its menu board — we had requested for our order to come with Nasi Lemak rice instead which they had kindly obliged to at no cost; the rice comes accompanied with a chicken leg for the Ayam Masak Merah, whilst also coming with a side of long beans that has been fried with scrambled egg that adds on to the wholesomeness of the dish. The folks at the counter also added a dollop of sambal chili on the side as well.

Digging into the Nasi Lemak rice, we were pleasantly surprised by how they had executed the Nasi Lemak here — using regular rice grains rather than that of basmati rice that has become quite the norm for more artisanal Nasi Lemak specialty stores to use, the grains does come with a distinct note of coconut-y aroma which wasn’t too gingery; one that was better made than most hawker stalls out there. The Ayam Masak Merah came with a chicken leg that did not particularly stand out, though the Ayam Masak Merah itself was otherwise quite decent — prominent notes of the tangy sweetness of tomato with a slight hint of spiciness that tickles the taste buds; works well even for those whom do not have a high tolerance to spiciness. The sambal chili on the side was similar to that to the variant often found with Nasi Lemak which we are all familiar with, though this variant does come with a stronger earthiness without being too savoury amidst the sweet notes that it comes with — itself carrying a slightly spicier note then the Ayam Masak Merah itself. The addition of the long beans was a great call — adds a refreshing crunch with a slight egginess from the scrambled eggs stir-fried eggs that gives the dish a good balance. Not a bad choice to go for whilst at People’s Park Food Centre without having to resort to mainland Chinese cuisine that certainly dominates the food centre.