Chinese

Came here at a friend’s recommendation. You can tell this place is pretty authentic since it’s run by Chinese Nationals. Hygiene levels are questionable but food is pretty good. As with all Chinese skewers, the seasoning is pretty strong and if you’re here for dinner, you’d feel thirsty in the middle of the night. But nonetheless, it felt great eating this and pairing it with beer 🍻

My recommendations are the chicken, mushrooms, French beans, pork belly!

If pork ain't your jam, they do offer Chicken as well, which is seasoned with salt and pepper, and comes with your choice of carbs.

Their Sarawak Laksa w Tiger Prawns is very unassuming. Unlike its name, other than just prawns, there were also a plethora of other ingredients such as their signature fried pork, omelet shreds, fried tau pok, cucumber and fish cake slices. The pork belly was nice touch, but got soggy really quickly, which is nothing out of the norm. My only qualm for this dish is for the prawns to be peeled for easier consumption!

If you are looking for a more filling meal, you'd be glad to know that the Fried Pork comes with your choice of carbs - white rice, kuey tiao, noodle. We opted for the kuey tiao and since we took some time to photograph it, it had clumped together by then. However, I doused some of the soup from the Century Egg Dumpling into my bowl and it was back to a slippery mess - in a good way! The essence had been absorbed by the kuey tiao by then, giving off robust flavours with every bite.

Originating from humble beginnings, Ah Yen was first founded in the 40s' in Sandakan, a small town in Sabah. Since then, the recipe has been passed down generation after generation like a heirloom, to the current third generation owner.

I've had the luxury to try some of their signature dishes. Take the Sandakan Fried Pork for example, it's marinated with red fermented beancurd before being thrown into the batter and finished off via deep frying. The end result is a plate of flavourful and crispy fried pork that'll leave you wanting more.

Located in the coffeeshop is Old World hougang outlet. Their fried porridge and bak ku teh is no stranger to anyone! tried their Signature Bak Ku Teh (Dry) which is suitable for sharing between 2 pax. It was sweet and lightly spicy, with a generous amount of chunky pork ribs that were both tender and succulent at the same time. My only qualm was that it could have been more fragrant.

Apart from mains, they also offer various sides such as Braised Chicken Feet, Beancurd Sticks, Tau Pok, Large Intestines that you could order to complement your mains.

Located in the coffeeshop is Old World hougang outlet. Their fried porridge and bak ku teh is no stranger to anyone but it was their affordable Seafood Cheese Bee Hoon that caught my eye.

Every strand of beehoon is coated with their thick and creamy cheese sauce that was both savoury and sweet, with the sweetness likely coming from the seafood which they were pretty generous with as well. The sauce is rich and gets heavy on the palate after a while so I’d recommend getting this for sharing instead!

This is a delayed post but I felt there was nothing special about the food that warrant such a long queue? I WhatsApp the number to order for delivery but there was no reply so I went down on a friday afternoon to place my orders - line moved pretty fast as I was 4th in line when I got there at 11ish? Though, my experience may not be the most accurate since I took away my food, it should probably taste better if I eat there? Nevertheless, I won’t be paying them a visit anytime soon.

Mixed Meat Trio Mixian was delicious! The mixian was akin to think vermicelli, soaking in all the essenese from the milky broth that spots a wokhei scent. Packed with ingredients, I'd say this is really worth it!

If you enjoy eating grilled fish, you'd be happy to know they serve them here as well! The Spicy Numbing Seabass was shiok to say the least! Fresh and tender, the fish wasn't fishy at all and even if it was, any hint of it will be covered by the spicy and fragrant sauce. There were thin slices of potato at the base and having been boiled for so long, it was really tender and I happily paired it with a bowl of rice for good measure. If spice isn't your jam then you could go for the Pickled Cabbage Seabass which was rather sour though I preferred the spicy version.

I like my food heavy duty (lol) so Mala Tang always felt like a lighter version of Mala to me. The broth was light and slightly creamy and you can feel free to add in any ingredients of your choice.

The Chicken Stew in Pig’s Stomach was so comforting and had me drinking it by the bowl to down every last drop of its essence. Spotting a thick, creamy consistency, it looked like it had been boiled for hours on the stove to reach this viscosity. Despite that, it was light on the palate and had a generous amount of tender chicken that was easily pulled apart with the slightest tug.