Teochew Street Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle: A Most Elaborate Mee Pok Tah

Mee Pok Tar with the Works $4

I have alluded many times to the fact that us Teochews are really very fussy about the freshness. It is part and parcel of the cultural trait of being Teochew that everything must be "Chnee Chnee" (Fresh).

If you want to see an extreme example of this in action, you must come to this Mee Pok Stall in Smith Street Food Centre. But you have to be prepared to queue for at least 20 minutes even in the middle of the afternoon in order to partake of this particular Hawker's dish, nay, I would say, his passion.



His bowl of Mee Pok Tar with the works is just $4, but it is packed with many quality ingredients many of which he prepares on the spot. When I say "On the spot", I really mean literally "on the spot". The uncle will turn aside while waiting for the noodles to cook to make some dumplings (Giao), then turn back to toss his noodles a few times before turning to his chopping board to slice a few pieces of meat. I also notice that he would pinch the noodles every time he cooks a batch in order to see if they are cooked perfectly. All these things really slow down the process of producing one bowl of noodle which definitely contributes the the length of the queue.



There is no doubt that his ingredients are fresh and for $4 you really do get quite a few goodies. There is one medium sized peeled prawn which tastes like it is a sea prawn rather than the farmed ones, several slivers of crispy sole fish, one dumpling, one pork ball, slices of lean meat and minced meat, braised mushrooms and unique to this stall, a piece of braised pork skin. All the ingredients are excellent but I can't give them top marks because I felt the noodles and sauce lacked a bit of flavour. 4.25/5

Conclusion

This is probably the best value, most elaborate and freshly made Bak Chor Mee that I have ever come across. It really is frustrating that there never seems to be a lull period where the queue is less than 15 mins! But then again, I guess everybody knows a good deal when they see one.

Teochew Street Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle
Chinatown Smith Street Food Centre
#02-023
Closed Mon - Tues
12.30pm to 9pm

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Nam Seng Wanton Mee: Is This Singapore's Oldest Hawker Legend?

Mdm Leong, 80, founder, owner and operator of Nam Seng

Usually I would put the photo of a dish as my first picture, but as I started to write this post, I began to feel that this story is more about Madam Leong rather than the Wanton Mee which she has been dishing out since 1959. At 80 years of age, I think she is the oldest working hawker that I have met. Amazingly, she still comes to the stall at 6am in the morning to prepare the ingredients for the day.

You might have heard about this stall, which is the famous Wanton Mee stall at the old National Library. You might also remember that SM Goh recounted his early dating days at the National Library. What you might not have heard is that according to Mdm Leong, besides using the National Library as a dating hotspot, he also went there to get his foodie fix back in the days when he was Minister for Trade and Industry. Aside from SM Goh, Mdm Leong also rattled off a few other Ministers and VIPs who had frequented her stall. I guess, you can say there she is quite a living legend in the hawker scene.

When they moved out of the National Library premises about 14 years ago, they relocated to Joo Chiat where they stayed for a while before being invited to open a stall at Far East Square. It turned out that one of the Directors there is also a fan of the stall and wanted to make sure that this stall's legacy lives on. So, as you can see there are a lot of VIPs who grew up as fans of the stall in their not-yet-so VIP days!


Wanton Mee $4

So if this stall has survived for 41 years, it must be good right?

Right!

If you are a Wanton Mee lover, then this is certainly one stall to add onto your list. Now, my taste for Wanton Mee has been evolving. When I was younger, the Char Siew was the main thing for me. As I got older, I am beginning to appreciate the noodles more and more. But I would say that there are several styles of Wanton Mee and each can be appreciated in its own right. You really cannot compare a KL style Wanton Mee with black sauce with a Singapore style Wanton Mee with tomato ketchup. I think each has its own merits and should be judged in its own category. But of course we can all have our own preference for a certain style.



This Wanton Mee is one where the noodles take centre stage. This is in the same style as the popular and controversial Kok Kee at Lavender Food Centre. When you look at the Wanton Mee, you will not be impressed because the noodles nook quite plain and the fluorescent red charsiew, dry and unappetising. However, when you take your first mouthful of the noodles, you would be rewarded with a great tasting noodle and a secret sauce which will make you stop and wonder. I tried very hard to find out more about her secret sauce, but only managed to guess correctly that there is some dried scallops in it. The noodles and sauce alone deserves a 4.6/5.

I have always rated Wanton Mee based on the whole package and quite often, stalls don't get a 4.5 unless their Char Siew and Wantons are also of a certain standard. The Char Siew here is not the juicy charred type which I like, but I think that traditionally, this type of dry fluorescent red char siew might resonate with some readers. The wontons are very good, but I have tasted better. However, despite the lack of good charsiew, I still find myself thinking of the noodles the day after I ate them and find myself wanting to go back again. So for that I feel that it is justified that they get a 4.5/5.


Venison Hor Fun $4

Besides Wanton Mee, there are two other dishes that are also very famous. The first being the Venison Hor Fun. Now, the sauce for this Hor Fun is really really good. It is quite addictive and very satisfying. However, I was less enthusiastic about the Hor Fun as it lacks the smoky Wok Hei flavour. I highlighted this to Madam Leong but was told that unfortunately, the landlords do not allow them to use a gas stove in the premises and so they have to use an electric hotplate to cook the Hor Fun. I can only imagine what it must have been like previously. Still, it is one of the tastiest Beef (in this case Venison) Hor Fun around. 4.25/5


Fried Rice

Since Madam Leong had been serving their fried rice since 1968, she wasn't going to let a small detail like not having a gas stove to stop her from serving the fried rice for her customers. I felt that the Hor Fun could still make it because the gravy did not really need a hot wok to cook. But for fried rice, a hot stove is essential. So for me the fried rice was quite ordinary. It was a bit dry and not something I would order again. 3.5/5

But, she still has fans who have been eating this rice for the last 50 years who would raise a ruckus if she stopped selling it. And remember what I said before? Some of these guys are now VIPs, so we won't want to dissappoint the VIPs would we?

Conclusion

I reckon Madam Leong is the oldest working hawker around. The 2nd oldest would probably be Mr Liang of Ah Hor Mee Pok Tar. But of course, those are the only ones I know. If you know of any older hawkers who are still selling the same dish for the last 40 or more years, do write in so that I can blog about them! Let's see if we can find Singapore's oldest living Hawker Legend.

Nam Seng Wanton Mee
25 China Street #01-01
Far East Square
Open 8am to 8pm
Closed on Sundays
www.namsengnoodles.com


What to do next:

Pop by next door to try another Hawker Legend: Hock Lam Beef Noodles
Then hop, skip and jump to Nanyang Cafe for some Kopi and Kaya Toast

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Chako Japanese Restaurant: Want to taste real Japanese food?

Oden set meal $19

Japanese cuisine has really taken off in Singapore in a very big way and that means that you can find Japanese food almost everywhere nowadays. That is the good thing. The bad thing is that a lot of the Japanese food that we eat really comes out of a packet. There are of course the high class Japanese restaurants which employ Japanese Chefs who actually prepare the sauces and cook the food, but there are others who employ people who know very little of Japanese cuisine, give them a pan, some chicken and a bottle of teriyaki sauce and get them to produce some Japanese like food.

Hey, I am one of those fellas who has a couple of kids who simply adore Japanese food, so I do subject myself to the "out of a bottle" Teriyaki Chicken quite often. Heck, I sometimes cook it myself at home and I do think that the "out of a bottle Teriyaki Chicken is still pretty tasty. But what eating all these quasi Japanese food has done for me was to arouse curiosity over what real Japanese food should taste like. What I would really like is to be able to experience eating a homecooked meal at a Japanese home.


Tempura Moriawase set $20-$22

Since I don't know any Japanese well enough to invite myself over to their home, I found the next best thing, which is to make a reservation at the Chako restaurant. The delightful Obasan (Japanese for aunty) at Chako has been operating a tiny little Japanese Restaurant in Hong Leong Gardens and has been cooking authentic Japanese homestyle food since 1978. How authentic is it? Well, in the Japanese household, it is the lady who does all the cooking. Now, how many Japanese restaurants in Singapore do you know has a Japanese lady with is the head chef?

Obasan still does everything herself, with a little help from her daughter (who speaks perfect Singlish). So one of the things she specificially asked me to mention in the blog is that if you want to come here to eat, you should not be in a rush to, say, go to the hospital to be with your wife as she delivers her baby. No, when you come to Chako, please be prepared to wait for meal. That is because, Obasan will start preparing your meal only when you get there and also because she doesn't use anything out of a bottle. Everything has to be made from scratch, the traditional way.

So if you want to try some Oden, which is the Japanese equivalent of our Yong Tau Foo, do be prepared to wait in the little restaurant while you reminise about the 70's and gaze upon the family photo with President Nathan which was taken when he visited the restaurant. Yes, this is another President's Pick. (presidential fanfare in the background). You will then be rewarded with a nice hot bowl of Oden which consists of konnyaku, tofu, boiled egg, fish cake and the stewed Daikon. Point to note, the soup has all been done from scratch and has to be brewed for 6 hours, BUT Obasan said that you are not supposed to drink the soup. No it is just for the sole purpose of flavouring the other stuff. That is why she doesn't give you a spoon. I thought it was nice, but I have yet to become a big fan of Oden. However, if you have never tried Oden before, I reckon that this is one place where you can get a pretty authentic one! And it definitely tasted better even than the one I had in Tokyo. 4.25/5

My favourite dish that day was the Tempura Moriawase. Now, the batter here is made from scratch and not from premix and it was very good. The set costs $21 but the two prawns which I got were large, succulent and juicy and the proportion of crispy tempura batter to the prawn was just right, unlike the prawns which you often find in other places which are really thumb sized tiger prawns which have been stretched and heavily coated with tempura batter so that it becomes the size of a banana. The dipping sauce was, again, brewed by Obasan and complemented the tempura perfectly. It was certainly one of the most satisfying tempuras I have eaten in Singapore. 4.5/5


Saba Misoni $18-$19

For those who like Saba fish, their Saba braised in miso sauce is quite good. I am not big on Saba as I find it too fishy, but with this one, the miso sauce really took away quite a bit of the fishiness. I loved the sauce, but as a dish overall, it didn't quite resonate with me. 4/5

Conclusion

Definitely a place I would recommend anyone who loves Japanese food. They don't serve Wagyu or any of the expensive stuff here, just simple homecooked Japanese cuisine prepared with lots of care and passion. Again, please be prepared to wait because Obasan will not let anyone else other than her daughters, into her kitchen. You can be assured of a unique and authentic Japanese food experience.

Note: It does help to order before you go but you will still have to wait.

Chako
134 West Coast Way
Hong Leong Garden Shopping Centre
Tel: 6776 3919
Mon - Fri 12:15pm - 2:30pm, 6:30pm - 10:30pm,
Sat - Sun 6:30pm - 10:30pm

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Lau Sim Shredded Chicken Noodles: You are only allowed a maximum of 7 giaos!

With Amagada and SCS butter

Shredded Chicken Noodles with Fish Dumplings (Her Giao)

There is a popular saying amongst the Hokkiens that Teochews are very "Hao Lian" (Proud). Well, when you meet a hawker like the Mr Sim, you can't help but agree that there is some element of truth in it. Having blogged so many hawker stalls, it is inevitable that when I chance upon a hawker that is a bit of a Food Nazi, there is a very big chance that he would turn out to be a Teochew.

But it is good to take pride in the food that you serve, because it is only that pride that keeps you from taking short cuts in the preparation process. The Teochew "Her Giao", which is a dumpling made with minced pork and dried sole wrapped in a skin made almost entirely of fish meat, is a labour intensive dish which many hawkers have decided to outsource to a supplier. You can't blame them really. In order to make the skin, you have to debone the yellowtail, take all the meat and knead it till it can be rolled out as a paper thin sheet. It is not something one would do unless he is a little "Hao Lian" about his food.



This stall is the kind of stall which I get very excited about blogging. SCS Butter has been telling me about this place for months, but he never mentioned about how the owner does business here. Situated in an old style coffeeshop with that classic old black and gold wooden signboard, you would be likely to give it a pass unless someone had told you about the stall. And even if you had just stumbled upon the stall and ordered a bowl of noodles, you probably wouldn't make the effort to return there again. That is because the chicken noodles are pretty ordinary and it is only the Her Giao and the Fish Balls which are exceptional. But if you just went up to the uncle and asked for a bowl of noodles you are not going to get any Her Giao. He only gives it to the regulars and for those people who actually ask for it.

That is not all, he imposes a restriction on how many Her Giao you can actually buy! So here are his rules:

1. You only get 2 Her Giao if you order a bowl of noodles
2. You cannot order just Her Giao without buying the noodles
3. If you buy a bowl of noodles with 2 Her Giao, you then have the option of buying a bowl of Her Giao soup. It is $3.50 and comes with 5 Her Giao
4. Each person is only allotted 7 Her Giao maximum. So if you want more, you have to bring friends along so you can eat their share

Now, he is not mean about it or anything like that. He just feels that he can only make so many Her Giao per week and he needs to make sure that customers that come to eat his Her Giao gets to eat something when they come to the stall. And he also feels that if you eat 7 Her Giao you probably reach the point of diminishing returns so you would get less enjoyment from the Her Giao as you start getting too full.


Special Her Giao 70cents each

So just how special is this Her Giao? Well, it is quite a different style of Her Giao from what I have been eating all along. The skin is rather chewy but somehow increased masticatory work you have to do brings out that extra "pangness" of the fish. Unlike other Her Giao, this one is packed full of the meat filling which has lots of "Ti Poh" (fried sole fish) in it. So if you love Ti Poh, you are going to love this. The soup here is very special too. It is almost milky white because of all the pork bones used to cook the soup. He does use a bit of msg in the soup but he has a money back guarantee should you feel thirsty within 3 hours of drinking the soup. 4.5/5

The chicken noodle as I have already alluded to is really quite ordinary. 3.75/5. But you need to order a bowl in order to order the Her Giao, so really, you have no choice but to eat it. SCS Butter was telling me that the Fish Balls at this shop is really quite special as well. They are only available on Fridays to Sundays and usually get sold out by lunch time. According to Mr Sim, the best time to eat the fish balls is at around 10.30am. If you come too early, the fishball would be a little more salty as they have not been soaked long enough and the texture is not as good. At 10.30am, the fish balls are just right.

Conclusion

This Her Giao is really quite special and coupled with a friendly Food Nazi, it was a really great eating experience.

Lau Sim Shredded Chicken Noodle
Tai Thong Coffeeshop
1 Tai Thong Crescent
Singapore 347835
96663183
7.30am to 1330pm
Closed on Mondays

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JB Ah Meng: You don't have to cross the causeway for some JB food!

White Pepper Crabs. $20 for 3 small crabs.

Ever heard people say that the food in JB is really great? Yeah, I believe it too. But everytime I think about going into JB, the traffic jam at the causeway and the potential of losing your car and a few bucks is always a big deterrant. So what is the next best thing? Well, the next best thing is to have a JB restaurant right here in Singapore, I guess.

Now, even though there is a Restaurant called Ah Meng in JB, this is not a branch of that restaurant. Neither is the owner from JB. So how can a restaurant in Geylang, run by Singaporeans give themselves a name like JB Ah Meng? Marketing gimmick perhaps?

Well, according to the owners, the chefs are all from JB, but then again many Cze Char cooks are now from across the causeway anyway. The second reason cited is the fact that the dishes are all JB inspired dishes. Mind you, they even admit that they were past favourites of JB, not even the current ones.


JB Sanlou Fried Bee Hoon

Perhaps the most signature dish they have here is the fried Bee Hoon. This outstandingly austere dish is served with the veggies hidden at the bottom so that unsuspecting carnivores would not baulk at the greens. So all you are going to see is this flat bed of crispy black bee hoon. I had to toss it a bit to make it look nicer for the camera. Even then, it still looks pretty boring.

But never judge a dish by the way it looks. Perhaps the unattractiveness of the dish is meant to fool you into lowering your expectations to rock bottom. But when you actually taste it, it is quite different. Very much like the Susan Boyle phenomenon eh?

One reader remarked that fried Bee Hoon is one dish which I have not blogged about yet. So here it is at last. A fried Bee Hoon that I will highly recommend for anyone who likes it. Actually Bee Hoon is an excellent medium for soaking up flavours. So after this I am on the look out for more Bee Hoon dishes to try! 4.25/5


Deep Fried Eggplant

If you like white pepper crabs, it is quite good here. The only problem is that they don't have those huge Sri Lankan Crabs but instead have the small ones, so you will be getting a claw the size of a teaspoon as opposed to one that is as big as a Ping Pong bat. But the sauce is very tasty and the meat is sweet and quite solid. For $20 for 3 crabs, it is quite a good feed. 4.25/5

The last dish which I would recommend is the Fried Eggplant. The Eggplant is first fried in a Tempura like batter and then stir fried in a yummy oyster sauce based gravy. Somehow I just like the contrast of the crispy batter to the smooth and creamy eggplant inside. At first Amagada thought it was some deep fried fish fat! Can't really tell you what went into the sauce, but I was just picking away at the dish till it was all finished. (It doesn't help when the kids don't like eggplant) 4.25/5

Conclusion

If you are looking for a Cze Char with a difference which is opened till the wee hours of the morning and is not too expensive, then this is it! Of course, I still think that the food across the causeway is better, but hey Geylang is much less hassle!

JB Ah Meng
New Good Place Eating House
5pm to 3am daily
2 Geylang Lor 23 (Geylang Road side)
67412418

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Bak Kee Teochew Satay Bee Hoon: Why is there so few Satay Bee Hoon stalls?

With Taukwa and Cactuskit


Ever wonder why there are so few Satay Bee Hoon stalls in Singapore? Is it because there is little demand for this dish or is it because there just aren't enough hawkers passionate enough to want to serve it?

According to the uncle who mans this particular stall, which has been around for over 30 years, the reason is because Satay Bee Hoon is a lot of work. There is a lot of ingredients that you need to prepare and also you have to cook that pot of peanut gravy. So I guess selling something like Kway Teow soup might be simpler. But hey, I can't imagine that Satay Bee Hoon can be more trouble to make than say Nasi Padang. Afterall, aside from the peanut gravy, the rest of the stuff needs little preparation right? But this is not the only Satay Bee Hoon seller that told me this. The uncle over at East Coast Lagoon also told me the same thing.



Our kaki, Taukwa as been eating at this stall since he was only a Tauhoo and he loves it so much that as long as the stall is still around, he will continue to patronize the stall until he becomes a Taukee.

After my first taste of the Satay sauce, I can see why. The gravy is very addictive and unlike the East Coast version, this one is more grainy and robust so you can actually bite into the peanuts. It is not overly spicy or sweet so the balance is just right. Satay Bee Hoon is not something I automatically look for when I am at the hawker centre, but if I come to Redhill Food Centre, this is definitely on my list of things to order. 4.5/5



If you want to make Satay Bee Hoon at home, they have ready made sauces direct from their own factory so all you have to do is add water and heat up! Just imagine what great ingredients you can pour the gravy over!

Conclusion

You can count the number of good Satay Bee Hoon stall using one hand even if you are missing a finger. With Satay Bee Hoon being so shiok, why are there so few around?

Bak Kee Satay Bee Hoon
2nd last row of stalls
12pm - 8pm
Closed on Wednesdays

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Ming Yun Fried Hokkien Mee: Everyone loves the Underdog!

With Cactuskit and Taukwa

Hokkien Mee $3

Everyone loves an underdog right? One of our kakis, Champagne recently shared this video with me which was a real inspiration. In case you still have not heard about Susan Boyle, she is this 47 year old lady who managed to put a big smile on Simon Cowell's face. When she rocked up on stage, no one would ever imagine that this lady was going to bring the house down. Just watch this, it will really brighten up your day.

This relatively unknown Hokkien Mee in Redhill is just such an underdog. None of the usual accolades pasted on the front of the stall except one self proclaimed story of long snaking lines when the stall was still at Bedok Blk 85 more than 10 years ago. According to the owner, he moved to somewhere near Tampines Round Market where he used to only open for 1 and a half hours in the evening before he was sold out. How true this is, I do not know. Perhaps some of our readers might be able to shed some light on this stall?

Anyway the owner who is in his fifties now says that he had been frying Hokkien Mee since he was in his teens. He moved to Redhill after he took a break to have an operation and has been here for four months. Since no one talks about his stall in our forum or on the internet, we would have easily missed this stall except for the fact that Cactuskit had the sixth sense to give them a try.

We were unexpectedly surprised by how good this Hokkien Mee was. It is the thick bee hoon with gravy version but it is fried till the gravy is just nice and greyish brown. That grey brown colour might sound a bit dreary but for Hokkien Mee lovers, it is a sign of a tasty gravy. For $3 a plate it is probably the best tasting plate of Hokkien Mee at that price. 4.5/5

Conclusion

Always nice to be able to find a stall which not many people are talking about yet. Give it a try and see if you agree with us.

Ming Yun Fried Hokkien Mee
Redhill Food Centre Stall
11am to 2pm and 5pm till 9.30pm
Monday closed
They fry Mee Goreng from 5am till 10.30am
9798 0133

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Nan Xiang Chicken Rice: Great Chicken Rice but is it the Top 5?

The competition for the best chicken rice in Singapore is a tough one. There are a lot of chicken rice out there and most of them are not bad. The thing with chicken rice is that it is very easily franchised because the rice, chicken, chilli and soup can all be made in a central kitchen and distributed to several branches. Very little of it is operator dependent. So, as long as you can find someone who can chop the chicken, you've set up another branch of your chicken rice chain.

It's getting more difficult to blog about chicken rice because I really need to find one that has that special something in order to justify it being included into the blog since there are so many good chicken rice out there.

I actually do have a stash of chicken rice photos that lie unpublished because they were good but I just did not have much to say about their chicken rice. So when I chanced upon Nan Xiang last week, I was actually quite excited that at last I have found another chicken rice which has a little something special.



There are three things I would say about Nan Xiang. First, there are one of the very few stalls who claim that they still fry their rice before cooking. A lot of chicken rice stalls out there have stopped this practise because it is labour intensive especially if you have to cook bucket loads of rice. So when you eat the rice here, you can appreciate that extra fragrance and texture that sets it apart from the other stalls.

The second thing I would like to bring to your attention is that they have pasted on their display cabinet a newspaper cutting that proudly claim that their are one of the Top Five chicken rice in Singapore. I didn't take note of the details and who the other contenders were, but being able to be shortlisted as the Top Five is quite an achievement since I think that there are far more Chicken Rice stalls than any other types of food stalls in Singapore.



Now apart from the rice being very nice, I really like the ginger here. It is different from the ginger served at other places. The owner was mum about what goes into it, but it had a nice saltiness about it that went well with the chicken. If you are a lover of hot chilli, you would love their chilli sauce as well which is made from chilli padi and lime juice. That extra touch of lime juice rather than vinegar is also another indication that the owner is passionate about his food. The chicken is good, but much the same as any other good chicken rice stall around. Overall, this chicken rice gets a 4.5/5 because of the rice and condiments.



Since we were dining with our venerable Uncle Smart, we just had to request for the most prized part of the chicken for him. I actually wanted to try some but did not managed to get to them in time.



When I met the owner, I had a sense that I have met him before somewhere but I just could not put my finger on it. It was only when I started writing the blog that I realised that he looked a bit like our Hokkien Mee Uncle from Geylang Lor 29 Hokkien Mee! Have a look at the two gentleman and see if you agree with me.

Conclusion

Yes this chicken rice is special, but is it really Top Five? What would your Top Five be?

Nan Xiang Chicken Rice
Left hand side facing the Carpark
Whampoa Food Centre

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Joo Heng Bak Chor Mee: Why is Bak Chor Mee so underated?

Bak Chor Mee is such an underrated Singapore dish. When we conducted our polls last year, Bak Chor Mee was the third most favourite Singaporean hawker dish after Hokkien Mee and Chicken Rice. But, if you have a friend from overseas coming to Singapore, how many of us would think about bringing him to eat Bak Chor Mee? No, it is either Chilli Crab or Chicken Rice but not Mee Pok Tar or Bak Chor Mee. In fact, I don't recall seeing Bak Chor Mee being featured in any of these foreign food documentaries whenever they feature Singapore food. Yet Bak Chor Mee remains very close to the hearts of many Singaporeans. The phrase "Bak Chor Mee (or Mee Pok Tah) mai Ter Kuah" (Minced Pork noodles, no liver please) is such a commonly used phrase that it can be ranked up there with "Relac one corner" and "Arh Boh Den?". Still remember that podcast by Mr Brown?



I was told by Damien and Cactuskit that this Bak Chor Mee is quite legendary and used to be in that food centre in AMK before it burned down. They have since shifted to the temporary market and are still drawing the crowds.

As a dish, Bak Chor Mee, in general, is still has good as it was in the past. What I am saying is, when you talk about Chicken Rice, poeple always say how good it was in the past. This is the same with Char Kway Teow and even Hokkien Mee. But when it comes to Bak Chor Mee, I haven't heard many people complain that Bak Chor Mee was so much better in the past.

Bak Chor Mee really is about the noodles more than any other noodle dishes that I know. The topping and sauces really just serve to accentuate the flavour of the noodles. So you really need to start with a good quality egg noodle and then make sure you eat it piping hot. With each mouthful, you get to enjoy the aroma of the egg noodles that is lightly flavoured with the lard with the vinegar just cutting through the oils and getting the salivary glands to start working.

This is a fine bowl of Bak Chor Mee. I felt that the flavours are nicely balanced and you get a whiff of the eggy aroma of the good quality egg noodle with that first mouthful. The texture of the noodles was nice and QQ. It is a good as the other great Mee Poks around, but not really one head above the rest. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Actually the fact is that as Mee Pok/Bak Chor Mee goes, it is hard to differentiate between all the good ones around as they have all reached a certain standard. The one that stands out for me is Seng Kee Bak Chor Mee because I can order Fish Maw soup and Nam Joo Fried Pork Strips to go with my Bak Chor Mee. But if you are looking for a standard bowl of expertly made Bak Chor Mee and you are in Ang Mo Kio, this is it.

Joo Heng Mushroom Minced Pork Mee
AMK Blk 628 Temporary Market
7am to 2pm daily

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Wah Yen Eating House: So shiok how come nobody copy?

I am always puzzled whenever I come across something simple and satisfying which nobody else tries to copy. You know, Singapore is a nation of copy cats. No sooner did Roti Boy become a big success that we see the rest of the Roti family (Mama, Papa, uncle, aunties) all appear across the island. Then there was Donut Factory which started the whole Donut craze. But you know, there are many people sitting down to eat the crispy toasted French Loaf with Kaya and butter at this coffeeshop and yet no one else tries to copy them.



Our local "French Loaf" which we often use to make Roti John and eat with Curry might be passe, but hey it is actually quite shiok if you simply toast it till its super crispy and slap on some butter and kaya. This really doesn't take much skill or knowledge. Even the kaya is not homemade. Yet they have a winning formula which puts a serving on almost every table in the coffeeshop. I found the crispy crust of the French Toast contrasted with the cold creamy butter to be highly satisfying. Too bad they don't have homemade kaya. 4.25/5

Now, the crispy French Loaf is very impressive, but the real winner is the Kopi here. Unlike the French Loaf, you would not be immediately taken by the humble unmarked cup on the red melamine saucer. But have a sip of the Kopi and you suddenly realise that this is a real gem. It's smooth, milky and full of that Kopi oommph. Not for someone who like their kopi bitter and acidic but if you enjoy those Japanese milk coffees that comes in the cans, you will really like this. 4.5/5

Conclusion

So, know anywhere else that sells French Loaf Kaya Toast? The French Loaf is a real novelty but it is the unassuming Kopi here that will really surprise you.

What to do next:

We tarpaued this fried rice which was excellent around the corner. Link here
Right opposite is where you can get a bowl of excellent Mee Siam. Link here
Famous Bak Kut Teh just down the road. Link here
Want to try the Roti Prata which can be used as a frisbee? Link here

Wah Yen Eating House
Blk 23 Sin Ming Road
#01-01
S(570023)
Open 7.30am to 12.30am
No more bread after 8pm


Update: 17 Mar 2009

There has been some discussion in our comments about who the coffee is made by, so I decided to post this photo of the lady who was making the very nice cup of kopi I had that day. Another point to note, you should order the small cup with the saucer, not the bigger glass cups. The Kopi does seem to taste better in the traditional cups.

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Astons Prime: Great Value Sizzling Steaks

Astons Prime had been a victim of its own success, or rather, the success of the first Astons Specialities which is located just a stone's throw away. From its inception, Aston (the owner) had wanted Prime to be a place where you could get a great steak at a great price. He wanted to use Prime to showcase better cuts of meat and quality produce. But somehow, it had always been in shadow of Specialities. Along the way, I thought that Prime lost its focus somewhat when it went into a lot of fancy, modern type cuisines which required birds of exotic names being stuffed with things that are hard to pronounce.

What I wanted was a great sizzling beef steak for less than thirty bucks. I wanted to re-live the good old days when you could walk into a steakhouse and be hit by the wonderful aroma of sizzling beef and be teased by the tantalizing sound of oil bubbling on the hotplate. Cairnhill steakhouse was like that in the good old days. Even Jack's Place. Sadly Cairnhill Steakhouse is but a memory and Jack's Place, well, they are not quite the same as in the past.

So when Aston finally brought in some hotplates and revamped the menu, I got pretty excited. I think this time round, he really got back to the basics of what made Astons a success in the first place -- Really good food at really good prices.


New York Striploin 250g $19.90

After this latest revamp, what sets Prime apart from Specialties is two things. First, the hotplate. Purists might say that the hotplate would overcook the meat. But for me, the hotplate excites my sense of smell as well as my sense of hearing even before it satisfies my sense of taste. To prevent the beef from overcooking, they place it over a bed of sauteed onions which over the course of the meal turns into a nicely caramelised accompaniment. Secondly, they use better meats here. Aston managed to get exclusive rights to sell Rockdale beef which produces quite a nice Long Fed Ribeye and Striploin as a standard item.


Veal Rack 250g $31.90

Our makan kakis were invited to Astons for a special session to give their feedback on the latest menu. All in all, we had a great time. I think everyone liked the idea of the hotplate and we all agreed that the prices were very attractive. There were of course some issues which needed to be worked on, especially pertaining to the hotplates and the service. One thing that everyone did enjoy that night was to be able to taste a several items on the menu rather than the single steak.

Value for money is still the key feature at Astons. A quality Long Fed New York Striploin, 250g on a sizzing hotplate served with a fluffy baked Russett potato and buttered mushrooms is just $19.90 with no GST or service charge. My pick is the Long Fed Ribeye Xtracut, 250g, $22.90 which I thought was comparable to steaks that I have eaten elsewhere for around the $30 to $40 range. 4.5/5

There were some steaks which needed more work. I thought that the tenderloin was a little dry and could do with some bacon wrapped around it. Best also to avoid the porterhouse steak for the moment unless you just want a big piece of meat to satisfy that meat craving.


King Salmon Steak $23.90

For those who are concerned about their cholesterol levels, the selection of fish is quite good. Aston's King Salmon Steak is a NZ wild Salmon which in my opinion is best served medium rare. This is especially if you like sashimi. The taste of wild Salmon is distinct from the farmed ones that is so common nowadays. 4.5/5 The Sablefish which is also known as the Black Cod is also very good. If you like Gindara at Japanese restaurants, this is the same fish. It is a very smooth and oily fish that is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, so it is always a joy to eat. However, I thought that since the fish is already so oily, it should have been served with a lighter sauce. 4.25/5

They do have a beer battered fish and chips for $14.90 but I would not recommend it at the moment because they use Pacific Cod which can be a little tough and fibrous. Astons is busy looking for a replacement after our feedback.


New Zealand Black Angus Ribeye "Pittsburg Style"

The surprise item of the night was the NZ Black Angus Ribeye which Aston cooked in a different style where he got the surface of the steak was really charred. We had a great discussion as to whether this should be called "Pittsburg Rare" which just means that the outside is charred while the inside was still rare. Aston also did one which was medium on the inside and charred on the outside which is a style known as "Chicago Medium". Steak specialist PChong, who has eaten at a lot of great steakhouses around the world gave his stamp of approval for the NZ Black Angus Ribeye done Chicago Medium which was also my favourite that night. The charred bits really adds a nice smokey flavour to the meat just like how it does for Char Siew. Some of our other kakis did not quite enjoyed the charring, so you might like to try one before ordering all your steaks to be done the same way. Aston should hopefully be serving the NZ Black Angus as a standard item soon. He tells me it should be less than $30.

Conclusion

I think Astons Prime has finally found its identity. Great sizzling steaks at around $20 without the ++ is hard to resist. If you like to try your steaks charred on the outside, ask for it done Chicago style and tell them if you want it medium or rare in the middle.

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to Holydrummer, Holybro and Holybunny for organizing the session.
Thanks to Aston for hosting us and donating all proceeds ($1050) to charity.

Astons Prime
467 Joo Chiat Road
Open 11.30 to 11pm
Call 63442447 for reservations

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Cantonese Delights: Cantonese eat Curry Mee Meh?

Fried Chicken with Curry Noodle

If there is one combination of flavours that really trigger my umami receptors, it must be the that of fragrant fried chicken soaked in the classic Hainanese style chicken curry or fragrant Laksa Gravy. The contrast between the savoury crispy chicken with the sweet creamy coconut gravy really hits the spot and in terms of flavour, definitely ranks up there with Foie Gras and Matsuzaka Beef. And the great thing is that it is much more affordable and you can eat until you "Peng" (collapse) and still have change from a $10 note.

Whenever I eat at 328 Laksa in Katong, I would always hop over to the Chap Chye Png stall to buy some fried chicken to add to the laksa. The fried chicken is nice but it is very hard to get it freshly fried. What you really want is a piping hot, freshly fried chicken cutlet which is crispy on the outside but still oozing with chicken juices to dip in the curry gravy!



If you are starting to salivate, so am I. The good news is that if you are working in town, you can pop by Hong Lim Food Centre and satisfy that craving at this particular stall. The chicken is fragrant, freshly fried and the curry gravy is very nice. You can tell that they actually make their own Rempah as the gravy has got those gritty bits of ginger, tumeric and other spices. It's one of those things that would really re-tox you if you have been forced to take a detox diet for a week. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Actually Byron had recommended the Wanton Mee from this stall, but when I got there, I just found the Chicken Chop and Curry Noodles too hard to resist. Might try their Chicken Chop with Yong Tau Foo Laksa next time!

Cantonese Delights
Hong Lim Food Centre
#02-03 9am to 3pm
Closed on Sat and Sun
91051904

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