Ah Hor Mee Pok Tah: Chilli and Giao Champion

With my Teochew Ah Di, Wahcow

Mee Pok Tah $3

Here's another one of those stalls that you better be quick to taste because the original hawker is already past 72 and even though he still looks like a "Lao Yankee", and behaves like one, he himself admits that at most he has 10 years of Mee Pok Tak left in him. Actually, he still looks quite good for a 72 year old. When I asked him why he wears a long sleeved shirt while he cooks his Mee Pok, he simply replied, "Cos I want to look good!"

Talking about the subject of aging, I know for most of our readers, hitting the eighth decade might still be quite a long time away. For us who are hitting middle age, it is like "Oh my, I am more than half way there, and the 2nd half is going to go quicker than the first half". I once heard a preacher (An Anglican Bishop in his 70's) say that every morning when he wakes up he goes, "Ay! I am still around!". It is almost as if after you cross the life expectancy age (78 for men, 82.8 for women), every day is a bonus. Are there anyone here that fall into this category?



Anyway, if you do have the fortune of passing the life expectancy age, then it really does give you the passport to do whatever you want, right? I mean, who cares if your Doctor tells you to stop smoking? "Ay, Doc, been smoking for 50 years and my bus still arrive at the interchange. You asking me to stop now?" Well, if you are in that category, then when it comes to food, I guess you can also just indulge in a bit of Mee Pok Tar which has a chilli made with good old Pork Lard.



Mr Liang proudly tells me that his chilli is made from Pork Lard, Buah Keluak, Hae Bee and Dried Chilli. For a person who always orders Mee Pok Tar mai Hiam (no chilli), I can tell you that this is one stall that I would ask for extra chilli. You see the main problem I have with Chilli is that most stalls just want to make their chilli hot hot. However, the chilli here is not overly spicy but the flavour is oh so addictive that you can just sit there and just pick on it with your chopsticks.

The other "champion" item is the Fish Dumplings (Her Giao) which Mr Liang still proudly makes himself. The slightly gooey texture of the meat filling is very good and it is one of the most memorable Her Giao that I have had.

Too bad the Mee Pok itself was not as QQ as I would like it to be. Otherwise it would have scored a higher rating. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Very good bowl of Mee Pok Tar and you get quite a big bowl for $3! Do yourself a favour and order a bowl of Giao Soup and try the chilli especially if you are the type who don't usually take chilli. It might just make you change your mind.


Mr Liang, 72 and still wants to look good!

Ah Hor Teochew Kway Teow Mee
12 Verdun Road
Bet Sam Leong and Syed Alwi Roads
7am to 4pm
Wed closed
81274249
Mr Liang
Recommended by ice. Read her review here

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Tian Kim Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee: Why do Standards of Hawkers drop?

SCS Butter


How many times have you heard this phrase: "Aiya, they used to be much better but now standards dropped already!" Too often, if you ask me.

Why do hawker's drop their standards? Is it because they lose their passion or is it because things are getting more expensive and they have to cut corners. Or maybe they got so famous that they don't feel they need to put in so much effort anymore? Sometimes it may also be society's need for healthier food that pressure hawkers to cut down on lard and msg. I think another factor is the role of the National Environment Agency who clamp down on a lot of practices such as the use of charcoal fires for instance. I think that they are responsible for the diverging standard between Singapore and Malaysian street food . (tastiness as well as hygiene)

Whatever the case may be, this particular Hokkien Mee must have dropped in standards. They are quite well known and have been around for over 20 years and some people have recommended them. Heck, even Andy Lau comes here to eat the Hokkien Mee. (Don't know low long ago lah)

This is the second time I am eating it and my response is as the first time. It's good, but not ravable. Better then your average food court Hokkien Mee to be fair, but with so many nice Hokkien Mees nearer home, there is no compulsion to come all the way here to eat this. Something I would order as a side dish when I come here for the Wanton Mee next door. 3.75/5

The interesting thing about this stall though is that they also sell Hokkien Fried Rice who looked quite good. Maybe I'll have to give that a try the next time.

Conclusion

Any fans out there who would like to defend their favourite Hokkien Mee?

Tian Kim Fried Hokkien Mee
209 Jalan Besar (Sam Leong Road)
11am to 5.30pm
Closed on Sundays

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Da Jie Wanton Mee: Simply Divine!

With SCS Butter

Braised Chicken Feet $3

Wanton Mee is a serious misnomer.

Just the other day I was talking to some passionate Hong Kong foodies about our Wanton Mee and all I got was a "Pfffff! You call this Wanton Mee? Yao Mo Gao Chor Ah? (Gotta be kidding right?)" I think I would have to agree. Unlike the Wanton Mee in Hong Kong where all you get are big juicy Wantons with noodles, Our Wanton Mee here is served with Char Siew, veggies are pathetically anorexic wantons where there is more skin than meat. So really, we shouldn't call our Wanton Mee, Wanton Mee since the Wanton is such a small part of the whole dish. Gon Lor (Dry Tossed) Mee would be a more accurate name in order to differentiate our version from the Hong Kong version.

Since we are on this topic, wouldn't it be great if some enterprising hawker would take on this idea and start dishing out ping pong sized Wantons? It will surely get the attention of the foodie community! Now if you know of someone who is interested to take on this idea or if you know of any stall already doing this, do let us know!


Wanton Mee $2-$3

This Wanton Mee was really a very pleasant surprise. For me the noodles and the sauce really hit the U-Spot (Umami Spot). The texture of the noodles was perfect and comes alive when you slurp and chew on it. The sauce had that extra something in it that made the difference between great and eye-opening "Phwa, Shiok!" (Yes there's lard) I have been continually thinking about eating this again the whole of this week! Now if this Wanton Mee had big, juicy Wantons and Char Siew that had a little more burnt bits and fats, then I would have found my Holy Grail. 4.6/5



One of the secrets to the texture of the noodles aside from the fact that they use a specially ordered egg noodle is Da Jie's practice of actually loosening all of the noodles and allowing it to rest in a big box. If I were to open a Wanton Mee stall, this is definitely what I would do. Of course a lot has to do with the way the noodles are cooked as well. That one I still have to learn.

SCS Butter raves about the Chicken Feet here. The Chicken Feet are stewed till they are super soft and gelatinized, so you really get to slurp up the sticky gluey juices and it is literally "finger lickin good!" (both yours and the chicken's). A bit more kick with the sauce, (perhaps a little cut chilli and fermented black beans) might just make it so much more enjoyable. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Most enjoyable plate of Wanton Mee I have had in a long long time!

Now please remember my Ping Pong sized Wanton challenge. If you know of anyone who is game enough to serve up a Wanton Mee that would satisfy my Hong Kong foodie friends, please write in and let me know! The thing is there are $5

Da Jie Famous Wanton Mee
209, Jalan Besar (Sam Leong Road)
96670087
7am to 2pm daily
Closed on Sun and PH
Recommended by SCS Butter and Tian Tian Chi

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Stiff Chilli: Hole in the Wall Pizzas

OK, this is the kind of "Hole-in-the-Wall" outfit that I really feel Singapore should have more of. It's a dingy, dilapidated little place surrounded by Karaoke Lounges such that you get to hear middle aged men dishing out their own renditions of "I did it my way" while digging into your pizza and pastas.

Call it rustic, call it cheap. I call it "Boh Chup" (Can't care less) decor. The walls spot original paint from WWII with the existence of old electrical trunking left unashamedly evident. Oh, it just brings back memories of the times I was in the rustic cafes of Bangkok. It's original and it's got personality. It's a far cry from the standard "Nanyang School of fine art" plug and play type, I copy you, you copy me and "why think of something new when we can play it safe and stick to what everyone likes" kind of decor. No, we are talking about raw concrete, don't bother plastering up defects and using whatever is lying in our storeroom to decorate the place kind of approach.

Too bad the food was not as original as the decor. It's good but I was hoping for something that would have the same amount of raw, unabashed passion behind it. This is a shame as they even went to the extent of building a wood fired oven at the back to cook the pizzas. The pizzas range from $15-$26 dollars and are as competent as any pizzas around. 4/5

In case you are wondering, Stiff Chilli is a branch of a chain of restaurants started in Bali by this Aussie guy who married some Balinese princess. So I guess the "Boh Chup" decor probably resembles its sister restaurants in Bali. I was kinda hoping that this was going to be another "Ang Moh in the heartlands" story, but unfortunately, the joint is being run by a local, so it really is a shame. Having an Ang Moh behind the counter could really complete the illusion that you are somewhere overseas!

Conclusion

Great place to chill out, get a nice bite to eat and listen to Karaoke music!

Update: 29 Nov 2008

One of our readers has updated that they are closed.

Stiff Chilli
279 Jalan Besar
Singapore 208943
Phone: 62975509
Recommended by Damien

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Johore Road Boon Kee Pork Porridge: Hainanese Porridge is Not Smooth one!

So when do you all eat porridge? Do you treat it as a comfort food or is it something that you gather all you makan kakis and plan an outing to? I suspect it is the former.

I always feel like a bowl of porridge when I am not so well or when I have overeaten and are just feeling a little bloated and just want something light. Never have I craved for porridge as much as I do with Hokkien Mee or Satay. It is no wonder porridge never made it to the top ten list of Hawker foods. It received so few nominations that it might have been last on the list!

But a good bowl of porridge is comfort food when you need it most. And speaking of porridge, the different dialect groups have their different ways of preparing it. The Teochew like it whole grain with lots of water, the Cantonese like it really smooth and, in the case of this stall, the Hainanese like it sort of somewhere in the middle.

This 30 year old porridge stall in the Jalan Besar is your typical Hainanese style porridge where the rice grains are sort of grainy. Almost too grainy, I thought, being used to eating more of the Cantonese style congee nowadays. But the flavour is robust and for $2.50, there are lots of ingredients in each bowl. 4/5

Conclusion

It's good but I would have liked it better if it were not so grainy. Then again, I am no Hainanese, so I might not know better.

Johore Road Boon Kee Pork Porridge
Blk 638 Veerasamy Road
#01-101
62969100

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Sungei Road Laksa: The Last of the Mohicans?

With iwatch_ueat and The Butcher


If you still want to eat laksa that is cooked with charcoal fire, you better hurry down to this Sungei Road Laksa before it goes the way of the Dodo! This is probably one of the last few places where you can still see the traditional aluminium pot resting on top of a charcoal fire!

People say that this is the first stall to introduce the concept of eating laksa with only your spoon. Apparently, it was this uncle who first had the idea of cutting up the laksa bee hoon so that you can scoop it up only with a spoon. How true this is, I don't really know. Can some of our makangurus out there please confirm if this is true?





For $2 a bowl, they are certainly generous with the amount of Haam (Cockles) so lovers of this mollusk would be very happy. The distinct characteristic of this laksa has to be the gravy which is much lighter than what I am used to. It has flavour without being too jialak (heavy). Personally, I felt that the bowl I had that day did not meet up to expectations befitting its legendary status. But that's me against the 10 or 20 other customers who had turned up to eat the laksa at 3pm in the afternoon . 4.25/5

Conclusion

One of the most well known laksa around and its still being heated over a charcoal fire (I notice they acutally use gas to cook but the pot in front is heated by charcoal). I felt the gravy could have had more ooomph but I am sure there are fans of this laksa out there who would beg to differ.

Sungei Road Laksa
Blk 27 Jalan Berseh,
#01-100 Jin Shui Kopitiam
9am - 6pm
(Closed: First Wed of each month)

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The Beef House: Bouncy Beef Ping Pong Balls

With liverpool, iwatch_ueat and introducing our latest makankaki, The Butcher


This is Happi Mummi's favourite Beef Noodle place and she insisted that I should blog it one day. So I hope she is looking at the pictures and drooling!

The stall is called the Beef House, but the only beef they sell are these Ping Pong Ball sized Beef Balls. This is not your run-of-the-mill beef noodle stall. It is Hakka style Beef noodles. That means you get your Beef Balls in a clear soup with thin bee hoon, kway teow, or the mee kia. They also serve other Hakka stuff like the Soon Kueh and Yong Tau Foo.

Now when I say Beef "Ping Pong" Balls, I really mean it. They were super bouncy and you get a serious temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) workout when you bite into them. I suspect that if I do drop one by mistake that it should just bounce back up onto the table! They were juicy and had a nice beef flavour. The beef balls are still made in-house so it is no surprise that I have never tasted anything quite like it anywhere else. 4/5



They ran out of kway teow that day so I had the mee kia instead. This is the type of noodles that you typically get with Hakka Yong Tau Fu, with a season minced pork to accompany it. Boy they were good! At least one of the best mee kia I have ever tasted. QQ enough to be a delight to the bite, yet soft enough to absorb the subtle flavours of the minced pork. The noodles were so good, I am rating them separately. 4.5/5



We also tried these super large Soon Kuehs that looked as good as they tasted. Chock full of dried shrimps and turnips, they were excellent. Tastewise, I think they are almost the same as other Soon Kuehs but it is the size that really sets them apart. 4/5

Conclusion

Really very few stalls that sell this style of Beef noodles. Although I liked the beef balls, my other kakis were less enthusiastic about it. The noodles were really memorable. Liverpool said the Yong Tau Foo here is pretty shiok too but I did not get to try it because they had sold out already.

The Beef House
217 Syed Alwi Road
Gar Lok Eating House
9am to 6pm
Closed on Fridays
96654919, 98215463

Recommended by Happi Mummi
and eslim

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