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Showing posts with label Hawker Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hawker Food. Show all posts

5 Favorites Stalls Worth Queuing For At Chinatown's Hong Lim Food Centre!


My overseas friends often ask me about the best local food they must try whenever they visit Singapore. For me personally, I always think hawker centre has its own local charm, hence I usually suggest them to visit at least one if they have never before. 

7 Anti-or-Less-Mainstream HAWKER Food You Must Try in Singapore!


Hawker centre, it's actually part of Singapore heritage and identity where you can find the best of multi-ethnic cuisines. With that said, hawker centre is a must visit, especially for tourists, if they truly want to eat local delicacies in unique casual eating environment. 

Talking about wide variety of local delicacies, one can easily find chicken rice, fried kway teow, hokkien mee, bak kut teh, satay, laksa, yong tau fu, and so on in one place. If you keen to try something new, how about stepping up your hawker game with some of these innovative delicacies? 

So without further ado, here are my 7 anti-mainstream hawker food you must try in Singapore:

1. Singapore-style Ramen: A Noodle Story - Tanjong Pagar

The queue at this first and only Singapore-style Ramen stall has started even before they open at 11.15am. Bringing the usual bowl of Wanton Mee to the next level, A Noodle Story incorporates modern European techniques with Japanese elements and as a result, their version of perfect Wanton Mee!

Their QQ noodle is thin and springy and has a great flavour when mixed with their garlicky oil (infused with lemongrass and pandan leaves) as well as their special sauce. The chashu topping is tender, juicy, sweet and yet salty. The wantons are plump and remains intact as you bite them. 


But what I like the most is their Potato-wrapped Prawn Fritter! Crispy shredded potato, fried till golden brown with prawn on the inside - tasty, delicious, and don't forget to order some extras!

A Noodle Story
Address: 
Amoy Street Food Centre #01-39 (MRT: Tanjong Pagar)
Opening Hours: 
Monday - Friday 11.15am - 2.30pm and 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Saturday 10.30am - 13.30pm
Closed on Sunday

2. Coffee Break - Tanjong Pagar, Ascent

Bored with the same Kaya Toast for breakfast? Head to Coffee Break and try their Wholemeal Toasts with various spreads! Tried their Tiramisu, Pistachio, and Black Sesame flavor - the latter is actually my favorite! Served with thin slab of butter, it has that rich nutty flavor, sweet and yet savory. 

Coffee Break also offers the Traditional Kopi as well as Latte with different flavors, all sock-brewed in traditional way. They told me to try Sea Salt Caramel Latte and to my surprise I actually liked it (I'm not fond of caramel flavored drinks usually). The latte still has that rich and full-bodied coffee flavor, but at the same time you taste the sea salt and wonderful taste of caramel.

Coffee Break
Tanjong Pagar Outlet:
Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, #02-78 (MRT: Tanjong Pagar)
Opening Hours: 7.30am - 2.30pm on weekdays, closed on the weekend

Ascent Outlet:
Address: 2 Science Park Drive, #01-28 (MRT: Kent Ridge)
Opening Hours: 7.30am - 5.30pm on weekdays, closed on the weekend

3. Bee Kee Truffle Wanton Noodle - Food Park, Raffles Place, Tanjong Pagar

Who doesn't love the beautiful aroma of truffle? Bee Kee adds a touch of truffle-infused oil by spraying it into their bowl of Wanton Noodle. I might be biased because of the truffle smell, but the this version tastes better than their original bowl. Served with generous toppings, the noodle is springy but the roast pork feels a little tough and dry unfortunately. 

Bee Kee Wanton Noodle
Serangoon Outlet:
Address: Blk 2 Lorong Lew Lian, Food Park (MRT: Serangoon)
Opening Hours: 7am - 3pm on weekdays and 7am - 4pm on the weekend

Raffles Place Outlet:
Address: 50 Market Street, #03-01 Golden Shoe Hawker Centre (MRT: Raffles Place)
Opening Hours: 7am - 3pm on weekdays, closed on the weekend

Tanjong Pagar Outlet:
Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, #02-130 (MRT: Tanjong Pagar)

4. Ah Hoe Mee Pok - Clementi

Japanese man selling Bak Chor Mee (BCM)? Yes! You read it right! 
Learnt how to make BCM from his co-partner, Naoji Kuribara and his family, started their food venture in Singapore selling BCM and Japanese Fusion Mee PokAs for their fusion version, you can choose either Miso or Shoyu based sauce, as well as Char Siew Mee Pok

Tried their Dry Mee Pok with Miso, and it was served with generous toppings like meatballs, minced pork, sliced canned abalone, and crispy Pork Lard! The noodle was cooked and coated perfectly in sweet savory miso sauce upon serving. To accompany every delightful bite was their thick sliced Japanese Char Siew that was tender, fatty, and definitely satisfying.

Ah Hoe Mee Pok
Address:
Blk 710 Clementi West Street 2 (MRT: Clementi)
Opening Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday 7am - 4pm

5. Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa - Hong Lim Food Centre

Listed on the list of Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand 2016, the queue has even started before the stall opens. Their signature dish, Fruit Juice Mee Siam, as the name suggests, is made from fresh fruit juices instead of the usual tamarind paste. I must say this is the best mee siam I've ever tasted so far and so addictive with its refreshing tangy, citrusy and yet some sweetness aftertaste. You can also add crayfish if you prefer mee siam with many ingredients.

Another popular choice is their one-of-a-kind-Laksa made with fresh coconut juice instead of coconut milk! Heard that the soup base was made by simmering scallop, dried oysters, and dried prawns - the texture is not as thick as the usual one we always see but the taste is definitely flavorful and not compromised.

Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa
Address: 
531A Upper Cross Street, Hong Lim Food Centre #02-66 (MRT: Chinatown)
Opening Hours:
Monday - Saturday 11.30am - 5.30pm
Closed on Sunday
Ps: Please do come early to avoid disappointment as they tend to sold out pretty quickly. 

6. Wong Kee Wanton Noodle

At Wong Kee, everything is made in-house from noodles, wanton skin, meat, and so on. They have 3 different types of noodle all made using natural ingredients. The usual yellow egg noodle, spinach for their green noodle, and tomato for their orangey-red noodle. 


One of their signature dishes is Beef Brisket Noodle. Cooked with more than 15 different spices and stewed for hours, the brisket was so tender, richly flavored, and generously placed on top of the QQ spinach noodle. Add extra tasty dumplings on the side filled with minced meat, crunchy black fungus, and chestnuts.

Wong Kee Wanton Noodle
Address:
73A Ayer Rajah Crescent, Timbre+ #01-06 (MRT: one-north)
Opening Hours:
Monday - Friday 7.30am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 2pm
Closed on Sunday

7. Hambaobao - Beauty World Centre

Just in case you missed it, Hambaobao has re-opened on the 3rd May 2017! Located on the 4th floor at Beauty World Centre, the couple serves hand-crafted burgers with a homemade touch. They have 5 burgers on the menu, with their Crispy Pork Belly Burger usually is the first to sell out. 

If you feel like something different, try their Ayam Buah Keluak Burger. I think Buah Keluak is a native to Indonesia and also used in Peranakan cuisine - it's black with an unique earthy taste. Here, they make the patty from minced chicken marinated with rempah (spices) and buah keluak sauce. I think the taste is either you love it or hate it for some people. Usually I like it especially when buah keluak is used in making "rawon (Indonesian Beef Black Soup)" but I find Hambaobao's version is quite bitter for my liking. The overall patty itself was juicy and went well with the chap chye cabbage and black fungus. 

Hambaobao
Address:
Beauty World Centre, #04-49 (MRT: Beauty World)
Opening Hours:
Wednesday - Sunday 12pm - 8pm





Ho Jiak - Strathfield


Ho Jiak is a familiar word to both of us since it's actually a Hokkien dialogue which means taste good. I think it might be one of the reason why it's used by the same team behind Petaling Express for their Penang-inspired eatery in Strathfield Plaza. 

Ho Jiak might easily be missed as there is no sign in front of their kopitiam look alike stall. If you walk pass Petaling Express sign and see a busy place with quite a long queue of people (especially during peak hour) waiting to place their orders - Yup! You're in the right place!


Let's celebrate with these Satay Chicken because Strathfield is no longer all about Korean food! The meat is well marinated in aromatic mixed herbs and spices, sweet and deeply fragrant with heavier use of turmeric. It has yellowish appearance with thicker, sweeter but less nutty peanut sauce compared to the Indonesian version we usually eat.


One thing that I will never miss in Kuala Lumpur and Penang is to eat Chee Cheong Fun

We're waiting in anticipation after placing the order and not long after.. Served in its original form - firmly rolled up, light, with the right chewiness,this light bite came with some tofu skin and fish balls. You can choose to have it with the original sweet black sauce or the curry sauce or even both sauces side by side - just the way I usually eat my chee cheong fun!


It's been ages since I had Bah Kut Teh (Pork Bone Tea Soup). Back in the day, my mom usually makes it for all of us at least once a month and it's really good - Well I'm not biased here! LOL!

Slowly boiled with heaps of garlic, herbs, mushrooms, pork ribs, pork belly, Ho Jiak's version is quite different to the other Bah Kut Teh (mostly Klang version) we've ever tried, their style is more like sweet chinese herbal soup with comforting and earthy flavor. If they had Chinese cruller on the side, it'd be even better to enjoy alongside the steamed rice. 


Last but not the least, we try Curry Mee Goreng instead of the usual Char Koay Teow. Served with prawns, fish cakes, some greens.. Their version is more like dry noodle with subtle curry taste (they use curry powder), slightly sweet with light charred flavor.


Ho Jiak
Address:
Shop 33, 11 The Boulevard, Strathfield
Opening Hours:
10am - 9pm daily
Ho Jiak Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

-Let's Nomnom dined as guests of Ho Jiak. Thanks Yee Mei and Ho Jiak team for the warm service and hospitality. All opinions here are our own and independent-

Sydney's New Downtown: Kensington Street (Spice Alley & Glider KS) - Chippendale



Chippendale is having a 'face-lift' with the addition of its new entertainment district, Kensington Street! The entire laneway is not fully operated now but it will soon be packed with shops, cafes, restaurants and the newly refurbished boutique hotel, The Old Clare, that will also include different dining experiences on site. 

Reynold Poernomo - MasterChef 2015 will also join Clayton Wells' Automata, Sam Miller's Silvereye with his new dessert bar that's set to open around mid-November offering fine-dining desserts at an affordable price. Chef Jason Atherton will also open his first Australian venue called Kensington Street Social that will soon become local hangout place as they open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

Little Hutong - Little Bay


"What does Hutong mean?" - That's the first question Mr. Nomnom asked when I told him there's a relatively new place in Eastern suburb called Little Hutong.

I started googling and found it actually means a type of narrow lane or alleyway in a traditional residential area in China where many of the Chinese cooking styles and tastes we know now emerged from those small back lanes. Little Hutong hold this concept close as they combine the authentic flavours from Penang, Japanese, Chinese and Peranakan food with high quality of raw ingredients and thus create a high standard for their own authentic taste!
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