Jin Hock Seafood is tucked away in a kopitiam in Tampines where they whip up familiar zi char fare with a twist. Their bestselling Double Flavoured Hor Fun ($15) tops off regular hor fun with a deep-fried version. And an awesome side I rec you pair that with is their Crispy Deep Fried Pork with Garlic ($12), which is battered pieces of pork, and cloves of deep-fried garlic. It sounds pretty straightforward, but your first bite into a piece of pork is full of umami goodness. It's crispy on the outside, with a distinct, garlicky fragrance. Inside, it is tender, juicy, and very deliciously fatty. The garlic cloves are neither pungent nor dry after deep-frying. With their house-made belacan that is tangy, and a little spicy, this side dish would go well with rice too. If you canβt get enough of it though, Jin Hock Seafood sells larger portions at $18 and $24.
My ma thought these were egg whites but they're fresh coconut tarts best had chilled at $1.20 per pop or $4 for four. Have them right away because they're really refreshing right outta the fridge. Pop each piece whole into your mouth because these babies are extremely delicate. Let their smooth custard centre fill you with their light coconut flavour. I got these from Coconut House B1-30 beside Westgate's Food Republic which makes these small bites perfect for dessert.
The chef π¨π»βπ³ at @keehiongsg takes a slab of fatty pork belly from the central broth and chops it into chunks for your order of Dry Bak Kut Teh ($8.80). He fires them up in a clay pot till extra fragrant with dried chilli, cuttlefish, okra, and sauces tossed in. A mix of reduced BKT soup and Chinese white wine imported from Malaysia lends its sauce some caramelisation and gives the dish a glazed finish. A bite into a piece of meat washes you over with a complex flavour from the cuttlefish and the fattier cut of meat. Pair it with Fragrant Garlic Rice ($0.80) π which is white rice garnished with bits of browned garlic. Though it ain't super strong, the bowl is distinctly infused with garlic flavour which complements the intensity of the Dry Bak Kut Teh and blunts its spicy heat.
When Iβm back in NTU π«, @dams.ntu at Canteen 1 has a Western Cuisine stall that gives me Chicken Katsudon ($6) cravings. Your spoon shovels in first for a spoonful of miso cheese on Japanese grains π₯ It's a mouthful of appetising saltish savouriness and for an extra dollar, you also get hokto mushrooms which enhances it with earthiness. Nestled between the shrooms π and rice π is an onsen egg waiting to be punctured. Tear open the yolk to let flow a stream of yellow π³ that adds creamy richness to your mouthfuls. The main ingredient yet is the generous chunks of breaded chicken π which are fried till crispy. Though the batter is bland, it doesnβt assault you with greasiness and it wraps around dense but tender meat. If youβre in school, this is one comforting bowl to fill ya.
If weβre at Golden Mile Food Centre, my first question to you would probably be, βhave you had the Chilli Mee?" I like my order ($3/$4/$5) from Chung Cheng Chilli Prawn Noodles #01-59 with a mix of yellow mee and beehoon. You've got dry noodles with pork ribs, prawns, taupok, fishcake and hard boiled egg topped with their signature chilli sauce to thoroughly toss. It's a secret recipe made from the usual suspects like belacan, dried shrimps, garlic and onions. Tuck into a mouthful that tastes mildly spicy and slightly sweet, with fresh prawns that are crunchy and firm. Chew into lean cuts of pork that are especially tender with a lingering aftertaste of five-spice powder. Gulp down some prawn mee soup served complimentary to finish this meal that's best with wet weather.
For a change from yum cha with the fam, take them to Tonny Restaurant and order a Pig Trotter Vermicelli ($20) to share. It's braised bee hoon loaded with pig trotter skin, pork lard, and garlic cloves. The waiter pushes this wide dish to the centre of the table, wobbling the gloriously gelatinous fats. Some gravy is pooled at its base so give the soft noodles a light toss before tucking in. They're not soggy so you can bite through the moist individual strands which are well-braised. Take a bit of every ingredient with each spoonful. The fats add chewy bounciness while the crispy lard cubes break in your chew and mixes in with the garlic that adds light fragrance. This Canto restaurant is a five-minute walk from Kallang MRT Station. Just look out for a huge poster of mustachioed Chef Tonny on the side of its building.
I want to remember eating with just joy instead of with anxiety. I want eating to be a blessing to me, from how it pleasures my tastebuds to the contentment a full belly should give me. I want to remember eating with just joy instead of with anxiety. I want eating to be a blessing to me, from how it pleasures my tastebuds to the contentment a full belly should give me.
DingTele is the place for dimsum when near Kovan MRT Station. You have to order Sheng Jian Bao ($4.80 for four pcs) but if it's to share, excuse me while I order another plate for myself. They are dumplings fried upside down till their twisted tops turn golden brown, then served with their white bottoms facing up. The browned part of the dumpling skin is thickest and crackles slightly as you bite it, tasting like delicious fried dough. As your teeth sink into its moist pork fillings, it bursts with broth that's richly savoury. Think pan-fried pork paus like Xiao Long Bao ($4.80 for five pcs) but bigger, with firmer skin.
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If you're coming in the afternoon, bring a friend and come as a pair because they have lunch sets ($7.50/$8/$8.50/$9.80) that include two pieces of Sheng Jian Bao or three pieces of Xiao Long Bao so you can share. Don't swing in too late for dinner either because this spot is popular.
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πΈ: @yoyuanning
Salted Caramel Fries with Himalayan Pink Salt ($4) is one mouthful of a name to order at halal-certified I β€οΈ Burger Lah #01-06. It gets you a heaping pile of hot shoestring sticks that's cooked till golden-brown and drenched till it glistens from sauce. A dusting of salt balances the sweet goo, giving you a plate straightforward awesomeness that's shockingly addictive despite my lack of a sweet tooth. I started with a piece and couldn't help but finish this first before I even touched the π
Happy Mookata solves my dilemma between Thai mookata and Korean cheese BBQ with a pampering all-you-can-eat buffet ($29.90 per person) that throws in drinks and desserts β think, chocolate fondue π«, six flavours of ice-cream with toppings π¨, and (my recommended) Thai milk tea. This here, is the buffet I recommend to my friends even when they donβt ask π
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Grab at least one friend to share a dual soup pot that includes a cheesy nacho sauce dip π§ Their tom yum broth is spicy and salty and their chicken soup is slurps of savoury. Help yourself to their seafood spread thatβs replete with crayfish, clams, tiger prawns π¦, scallops, flower crabs π¦, and mussels. There's an array of marinated meats π₯© but also grab their unseasoned pork belly to grill till brown and smoky. Then smother all in smooth cheese sauce and, while you're at it, boil a pack of Korean instant noodles to do the same. Pull the strands in to the yellow dip π and twirl up a gloppy tangle to relish β voila, DIY cheese ramyeon.
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πΈ: @mikkonje
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Read more: https://herecomesgin.wixsite.com/ginwashere/single-post/Happy-Mookata
Slayed weeks of CTK cravings with this order of black and white ($4) from Ghim Moh Carrot Cake #01-16. Prices start from $2.50.
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My default order anywhere is usually a black but their white CTK is the must. Fried till both sides are browned, it's served with fragrance you're eager to succumb to. Your first forkful of their self-made carrot cake makes an impression with deliciously salty flavour as chilli enmeshed into it burns the back of your throat. As you dig in more mouthfuls, the flavours of egg yolk grow prominent while garlic highlights its taste. The lightly crusted pieces hold together well so you can enjoy gobbling it down with ease.
Before I bring my friend back to @keehiongsg for herbal bak kut teh, imma call in and reserve a Tua Kut (Big Bone) Soup ($9.50) because they've only eight portions per day (BKT meat isnβt sold in parts and each pig π· only has a pair).
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A huge bone from the central broth is dunked into a clay pot of soup, bubbling fiercely over strong heat. It's a weighty hunk the dish can't fully contain. Half of it is glorious, thick fats, and the other, are pork chunks so ready to fall off the bone. Tear in with your teeth and hands.
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The fresh meat is tender, though lean and meaty, and a dab of their chilli padi in black sauce intensifies it with some spicy. I declare here I love fats over meat, so eagerly, I sank my teeth in. The thick and heavy chunk is soft enough to tug off, with some chewiness to make an impression.
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The broth boasts over 16 traditional Chinese herbs, but itβs still less herbal flavour than I expected. It wasnβt sticky thick but the clay pot retained the heat of the soup. Itβs definitely addictively umami after being fired with the tua kut π₯
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Youβll need their Dough Fritters ($1.60) which are freshly fried and cut. Itβs satisfying crisp on the outside with a soft, airy centre to drench in tua kut soup. They soak up moreish deliciousness. Excuse me, friend-I-will-revisit-with, as I will need a bowl to myself. At least imma bring you to this gem of the serene, paktor-worthy-seriously A.H. Garden Cafe π©
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Writer & Artist | I like yellow π | IG: herecomesgin
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