Lavender & Jalan Besar Lunch Spots

I’ve been coming down here a couple more times over the last few days, and oh boy, it’s a lot of fun. This bulgogi beef + cheese + fries set is part of their special $5.30 promo menu, and honestly a really disgustingly good deal for the price. The sandwich was cheesy, savoury and had a huge helping of beef, and the fries were, I think, kimchi seasoned? Either way, very delicious and extremely worth it.

I don’t know how long more this menu will be here, since it’s for National Day, but I would highly rec trying the sandwiches at least! I did try the doenjang jjigae a couple of days back, and unfortunately that wasn’t so hot - a little less tofu than I’d like, and they actually missed out adding the rice. Luckily I was actually at the place, so could just ask for it.

What a nice surprise! Usually quinoa bowls are pretty expensive, but this place serves up a really healthy (geddit) portion of grains, protein and veg at a pretty reasonable price ($7.90 for cajun chicken / portobello mushroom + cheese options, $9.90 for the baked salmon one). Quite often when I have veg bowls, I get pretty peckish some hours afterwards, but this left me full for a really long while.

Plus, I’ve had salad bowls that are way too light on the protein portion (i.e. I’m finished with the meat / mushrooms before even getting through half the bowls) and that’s always irritating. Really glad to say that the bowls served here aren’t like that - they really don’t skimp on any of the ingredients, or try to make it seem fuller with ‘filler’ leafy vegetables or anything like that.

The thing about this place is that there’s nowhere to sit, and that it’s also a reasonably popular lunch joint. So if you go down, expect to stand around waiting for about 5 mins or so - and you’ll have to head off after that. But still, if you’re looking to drop by and grab something quick, delicious and relatively good for you, you can’t go wrong here!

Man, this place is convenient. It’s basically open nearly all hours of the day, so whether you want a super early morning breakfast or ultra late night supper, you can get it here. Food wise, the menu is actually super extensive - it’s almost like 2 to 3 stalls in one. It’s got everything from the usual Indian food you’d expect, to fried rice / Thai-ish food / western stuff as well.

The prices are pretty much standard for a place like this; I didn’t check out everything but I’d be surprised if they had anything over $10. I ordered one cheese prata and one plain prata. Not much to say, besides that it was fine! Loved the curry as well. It’s a pretty popular lunch spot, and can get a little crowded, so you might have to be prepared to wait a little. It’s nothing too bad, though.

Well, this was a surprise! My first time trying it out (they’ve got a $8 off for first time orders promotion right now, the code is ‘CLICK8’) and I think I’m gonna be coming around here a LOT in future.

Anyway, the way this place works is that it’s kinda a central kitchen for deliveries. But if you use the Click & Collect option in your app, you can basically order something, stroll down 10 mins later, and pick up your food and eat straight away. Frankly, the wait at some restaurants or cafes nearby is over 10 mins, so even if you arrived first and ordered there it’d still be saving time.

As for the food, they’ve got a HUGE range, from Aloha poke bowls to middle eastern stuff, Wolf Burgers, Indian food, and more. The seating area inside is small and cosy, and frankly this is just a really convenient option to have around. I’m surprised I didn’t see that many people using it, because it’s a great alternative for quick, good lunches.

Well, this was fun! And nice - if you spend above $5.80 in a meal (not hard, that’s the 2 x meat option which I’d rec) you get a free water chestnut or ice lemon tea drink, which was certainly appreciated. For the meal itself, I tried both the cha siew and sio bak options, and honestly I have to say the sio bak is definitely what this place is all about.

Not that the cha siew was bad; far from it, but it really didn’t stand out much. The sio bak, on the other hand, was that perfect mix of crunchy and flavourful, and I really could’ve gone for more. It’s also a surprisingly affordable lunch in an occasionally pricey area. If you just want something that’s both familiar and delicious, it’s worth giving a shot!

Here is their Ohsho set! Probably the flagship set, since it has the same name as the store. Extremely worth getting - crispy karaage chicken, juicy gyoza and savoury fried rice makes it a super filling meal. Every now and then I get gyoza cravings, and I’m glad to say that the ones here are totally satisfying.

It’s $9.90 for the set, but if somehow it’s not enough for you, go ahead and get another 3 more gyoza for $2.90 (or choose from the pretty wide range of side dishes they have). The only thing here, of course, is that the food doesn’t get served quite as fast as the other hawker stalls around. Frankly, though, the wait is still reasonable enough considering what they’re serving.

Not too spicy, not too bland, not too salty, not too sour, not too wet, not too dry - basically, everything is exactly right with this! I’m pretty fussy about my Hokkien Mee, and I’m very glad this turned out to be worth the hype.

You know you’re at a good stall when they just offer one dish exclusively. That’s what this place is like; they do Hokkien Mee, one size, for $4 and nothing else. Their prep is pretty impressive too, everything is just ready to go so they can churn it out fast. If you see a long queue, don’t worry - it moves quickly.

The Hokkien Mee itself is just very solidly good! I found that they added just the right amount of seafood too, so every bite had something in it. The accompanying chili padi/sambal/lime set off the noodles well, and gave it a punch without overpowering the rest of the flavours. Overall, it’s one of the other ‘must try’ stalls at Golden Mile.

Oh man, this was really, REALLY nice. I came by pretty late to order the truffled mushroom burger + fries for around $8-9 (forgot the exact price), and was legitimately a little surprised by how well it turned out. The patty is thick, savoury and juicy, and the mushrooms on top are like legit shimeji mushrooms, not the sliced button mushrooms you’re probably more familiar with.

The fries were solid too, nicely chunky with a good bite to them, and they made for the perfect compliment. I really have to commend these guys; considering the meals they sell are easily double or triple the cost of everything else around, they’re still seeing a lot of traffic. Justifiably so, because it’s still a huge bargain for the quality you’re getting. Anywhere else, this would likely cost you easily $15++ or something like that.

If you’re around, do check this out! I love that it’s halal too, because that means I can bring anyone else around. They’ve got a vegetarian option as well, so this is really a great way for everyone to come together over great burgers.

If you’re craving for a flavour-packed bowl of hot, savoury soup and delicious tender beef, this is for you! For $6, you get a pretty big bowl with sliced beef and beef balls, plus a generous helping of beansprouts over kway teow noodles. It’s pretty quick too, so you won’t have to wait long if you want to order this.

I always find eating at this stall to be a fresh, fun experience. I’d suggest some of the cooler dishes if it’s a really hot afternoon, but you really can’t go wrong here.

Back here again! I actually did try their Omakase (it’s AMAZING, basically a food journey that builds up the whole way through for a satisfying finish) but… was legitimately too distracted by the food to take photos. Whoops. Anyway, here’s their wagyu bowl ($18.90++) instead, which is every bit as delicious as everything else Southpaw serves.

The experience of getting this is great. Sit down at the counter, and you can watch the chef just take out a legit chunk of wagyu that gets carefully flame-grilled to really bring out its flavour. Then the slices are arranged on a bed of fluffy, steaming rice, all topped by a soft egg that just oozes out to coat everything when you poke it.

Needless to say it was very, VERY good. I always appreciate their attention to detail; like how the spring onions were soaked in water beforehand to give them a slightly milder flavour that complimented the meat perfectly. This is definitely a real standout dish – just make sure you go earlier in the month because they actually can sell out of it.

So, I’m back here because 1) I felt they could use more reviews, and 2) I’ve been meaning to try the ramen for a while.

When it comes to ramen, there’s a couple of choices. Standard ramen, which comes minus the egg for ~$7, the same but with 5 pieces of their (very good, very savory, very nice) cha siew for about $10, and this zhng version of the standard ramen for $9.90 nett, with an egg and toppings. You can also customise the soup base! I went with tonkotsu, but for people wanting a lighter or spicier broth, there’s shoyu and chilli versions available too at no extra cost.

Anyway as for the ramen itself, it was great! Honestly at this price, I really can’t complain. The tonkotsu broth was light and the corn added a nice sweetness to it. I’ve already mentioned that the cha siew is delicious, and the egg was just right – not too soft or hard. If you’re craving ramen but your wallet can’t handle another $17++ bowl, this is definitely a good option to try.

So I actually wanted to check out the nearby Don.档 because I saw it on Burpple, but that was closed! Luckily, this newer stall in the same place didn't let me down at all.

Ohsho Express (which surprisingly was not on the app when I came) serves up restaurant-worthy Japanese fare at food-court prices. It's a little more expensive than the other stuff around, but honestly, more than worth it.

Up in the pic there is the Tenshinhan ($9.90), which is basically a deliciously rich, almost decadent crab meat omelette on rice surrounded by curry. It's VERY good, if a little salty, and I highly recommend it!

Their gyoza is also amazing, and the Ohsho Set (Gyoza, Chicken Karaage, Fried Rice for $11.90) is another 'can't go wrong' dish to order. I've yet to try the ramen, but honestly from what I've seen, that seems pretty worth it too.

Anyway if you're in the area and looking for something fast and tasty and a little out of the ordinary, do give them a shot!