Hawker Hops

I wasn’t a huge fan when we first tried Bao Fa’s Claypot Rice, but it really grew on me over time and now I will have random cravings for this hearty bowl 😂

Chicken drumstick chunks are tender albeit a bit bony, with lap cheong, salted fish and spring onions in well-cooked rice. The queue can get quite long during meal times - but call them 20 min in advance (both takeaway and dine-in) and you won’t have to wait long when you arrive!

Wasn’t a big fan of the doughy skin here although the filling was decent. Would have liked a better crisp!

For fellow Westies and fans of roast meats - Old Airport Road’s Roast Paradise has made their way to Jurong East!
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Our absolute favourite was the caramelised chunks of Char Siew. These were so tender and smoky, with just the right amount of sweetness. I especially loved the burnt ends for the crisp and char! The premium 不见天 (underarm) cut will satisfy with its extra oomph of fat, but don’t worry, as they offer leaner cuts as well. Their Herbal Roast Duck carried a hint of dang gui with a herbal sweet sauce to pair, while the Roast Pork comes with mustard.

Pair them all with Hakka noodles or rice, and if you dine-in, you get to enjoy complimentary soup. They’re also at Old Airport Road, Compassvale Link and Tampines Ave 12!

📍Roast Paradise
132 Jurong Gateway Road
Singapore

I actually thought the Prime Rib could be more tender, but otherwise I very much enjoyed the broth. It has a good heat without being too peppery.

There are many other options to go for apart from the Prime Cut Rib, such as Sliced Pork, Liver & Kidney, Intestine & Stomach, Sliced Fish, etc. The friendly staff come around for fresh refills of the broth!

📍Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh
18 Toh Yi Drive
Singapore 590018
🕚 11am to 10pm Daily

Apart from Rice ($1), diners can opt for Mee Sua to pair with the bak kut teh! The portion comes quite substantial and they offer soup refills for it too.

📍Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh
18 Toh Yi Drive
Singapore 590018
🕚 11am to 10pm Daily

If you prefer convenience, Ya Hua offers the option of sliced pork instead of the boned ones. Pretty tender pieces here! They also offer Sliced Fish Soup ($9).

📍Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh
18 Toh Yi Drive
Singapore 590018
🕚 11am to 10pm Daily

A simple dish done well, the steamed egg was done smooth and silky as its name! It was seasoned with light soy sauce.

📍Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh
18 Toh Yi Drive
Singapore 590018
🕚 11am to 10pm Daily

Just had an ultra comforting dinner in the neighbourhood at Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh. It recently relocated to 7th Mile Coffeeshop at Toh Yi Drive, while its previous space was across the road alongside Micasa and Flagwhite Cafe.

I like that their Teochew-style clear BKT gives substantial heat but is also not done overly peppery. The soup comes with every option you can think of - Prime Cut Rib, Sliced Pork (which are what we had), Liver & Kidney, Intestine & Stomach, Sliced Fish, etc. & yes, they come around for fresh refills of the broth!

Sides you must try are their freshly fried crunchy You Tiao and Chilled Cucumber Salad. We wiped the latter quickly cause it was super refreshing, a little spicy and not oily!

📍Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh
18 Toh Yi Drive
Singapore 590018
🕚 11am to 10pm Daily

Another solid meal option at one of my favourite food centres around, Holland Drive!

Yap Kee is owned by my friend’s family, and they serve up Malaysian-style wanton mee. The springy egg noodles are done very qq and free from any alkaline taste. The well-marinated homemade dumplings were my FAV - generously meaty and fresh with a crunch from water chestnuts. Would be a great addition to steamboats!

Ordered this from a new stall at Beauty World Food Centre, called 大马粿条汤. We had the mee tai mak as they were sold out of kway teow. Thought it was promising since they only sell this one dish, but it was unfortunately very disappointing ☹️ Broth was bland, the meats were pretty tough, and the fishballs and meatball were average too. Still on our search for good kway teow soups here!

Back at one of my best spots to get handmade fishballs and meatballs. Ru Ji Kitchen has been a family favourite for a long time now - we always get their fresh fishballs and meatballs for steamboats at home! Their default bowl of noodles come with just the fish cakes and fishballs, but I highly recommend to top up a dollar for the meaty meatballs which are so satisfying.

PS. Just saw that they’ve just opened a new outlet at Maxwell Food Center too!

Back for mee pok - we used to have this almost weekly, when they still had an outlet in Bugis. Was so happy to see the some uncle today at the Simpang Bedok branch!

Our mee pok was more saucy than we remember, but we did still enjoy the springy noodles. Soup was flavourful as usual. Can’t say that it’s the best around, but it’s always a comforting bowl for us.