Zi Char Comfort

Situated in Swissotel, I guess not-so-local prices are expected in this literally, atas, Kopi Tiam. Food was good though, rich beef rendang and salted egg prawns which were fried and prepared the local way, just the way I like it. Kudos to the chefs for preparing the beef rendang in such a way that the beef was still tender and easy to chew on. Preparation was SLOW though, like, really slow, which is something the management has to work on because it has happened 3 of the 3 times I visisted Kopi Tiam. So do be prepared to wait during peak periods.

Visited Lai Wah on a lazy Sunday afternoon and was greeted with rustic, old school vibes in the quaint restaurant along the Kallang riverside area. Ordered a set meal for 4-5 at $62 which consisted of Yangzhou Fried Rice, Salted Egg Squid, Honey Pork & Veggies. Added a whole chicken for $38 if Im not mistaken & Fried Cereal Beancurd $11 and Venison $15. Their roasted chicken is said to be one of the best but it was pretty OK to me, nothing that special but still good, crispy on the outside but a the meat was a tad too dry for my liking. Venison and Cereal Beancurd was really good though, along with the Yangzhou fried rice which was really tasty! Having a long history since the 60s/70s, Lai Wah has really made a name in the pioneers of Singapore & it's popularity is proven as they've already started taking in reservations for CNY reunion dinner.

Cost - $132 for 6 people!

Amazing roasted ducks served in 8 different ways here. At such an affordable price for Singaporeans, around $20 for 2x quarter ducks, 2x rice & a plate of sambal kangkong, I'd brave the long queues at Checkpoints just for it! It's really flavourful & so rich in it's sauce! It's located really near city square so just walk a little & you'll find it right round the corner. A must try in JB!

Considering SengKee's proximity to Kembangan MRT & my house, it's definitely a place I visit often to appease my late night hunger pangs (it's open till 3/4am). Had the Har Cheong Kai ($12) for 7 pieces. I'd say it was pretty good, deeply battered to a nice rusty brown, better than average but not the best I've had, plus I found it a little expensive too. Had their signature Herbal Mee Sua ($5) with a mix of ingredients, the herbal taste was pretty strong but tbh I don't understand the craze over it, maybe because I'm not a big fan of herbal soup. & lastly the Salted Fish Fried Rice ($6) which was REALLY salty & hard to palate. Ended up scraping off the salted fish crisps off the top and ate the fried rice as it is. I feel that Seng Kee's actually a little overrated haha I've had much better zichar fare with price tags that are much easier on the pocket! It's good location is definitely a plus point though, it's only a 3 minute walk from the MRT!

Ordered a few zi char items from my friend's zi char stall for a celebration at home. Prawn paste chicken was honestly AMAZING. Battered & fried to perfection of a bronze brown, and marinated long enough to taste the goodness of the prawn paste & it was really just awesome. No complaints! Yam ring & salted egg chicken were not bad too. Do give them a try & ESPECIALLY THE HAR CHEONG KAI if you're around the area!

If you're looking for value, taste & convenience for lunch in JB, head over to Kam Long which is just down the road from City Square Mall (5mins walk). Kam Long is well known for their curry fish head, to a point where they only have ONE dish. That's right, curry fish head. It comes in small, medium & large for both fish head & tail & even comes in a one person portion. For 2, I got the medium curry fish head @ RM35. Served in a claypot, the dish was bubbling when served. I expected myself to get tired of eating halfway due to the usual coconut milk doused in curries but this was an exception, the gravy was superb, with veggies & beancurd skin decorated over the fresh fish. When we were done, the gravy was almost gone. At such a price, it is a must go whenever you're in JB. Tip: avoid peak hours as queues can get pretty long. Tip2: Order the large rice, the small rice is really, really, small. Tip3: It's a typical shophouse with no aircon so don't expect too much, just simple & no frills decor. The only complaint I have was that the fish head I got wasn't really meaty for a 'medium' size one so you may want to consider getting the large one.

Really good chicken claypot rice ($12.50+) aromatic & doused with black soya sauce, the chicken claypot never disappoints and is the star of the stall. Nestled in a quiet Eunos industrial kopitiam, it serves up a pretty good range of food. Relatively cheaper than many zi chars out there, another recommended must try is their sambal brinjal ($6.80) and har cheong kai ($6.80) which came in chicken fillets. Their much raved about crispy pork trotter was more of a miss though, pretty dry and not for my liking. Overall Id recommend this place for those living in the east! :)