Ah Xiao Teochew Braised Duck: Slice it Nice!

When you all order chicken or duck dishes, do you ever pay attention to who chops up your meat? I seldom, but I find that when it comes to a potentially tough meat like duck, the person who slices it really does make a difference.

This teochew braised duck was highly recommended by smart who claimed that it was one of the best in Singapore. It is the Teochew style braised duck meaning that the sauce is the thin, watery type and more savoury than sweet compared to the Hokkien version.



So I had really high hopes when the dish of duck came but surprisingly my first impression was that the meat was a little tough and a tad dry. Tastewise, the Teochew style braising sauce is not as sweet as the Hokkien version and was quite Pang (savoury). However, I was sitting there giving my muscles of mastication a good workout and wondering why smart would even recommend such a place.

When the Lao Ban Niang spotted me taking pictures of the plate of duck, she popped over with the usual "Are you a reporter?" question. When I complained that the duck was a bit tough, she immediately explained that her worker was not as adapt at slicing the meat as she was and offered to demonstrate how it should be done.



So when I was presented with the 2nd plate of braised duck, I must say it looked quite different from the first plate. This time it was sliced thinner and each slice was wider as she angled the cleaver more diagonally. And it yes the meat was more tender and juicy. So, if you are patronizing this stall, make sure you ask the Lau Ban Niang to slice it for you! 4/5

Conclusion

Who slices the meat does make a difference which is why other Lau Ban Niangs like the one from Yeo Keng Nam and Kay Lee insist on doing it themselves!

Ah Xiao Teochew Braised Duck
Geylang East Food Centre
#01-30
11.30am to 7.30pm
Monday Closed

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Penang Delights: Authentic Penang Fare! Geylang East Central Part 6 of 6

With liverpool, smart, iwatch_ueat and tamago


The last time I was in Penang was almost 30 years ago and the last time I ate Penang food was around that time too. Oh yes, everyone says that Penang food is so great, but the problem is you can't get great Penang readily in Singapore (so they say). So as a result Penang food has never been on my radar screen. Luckily for me, Liverpool and his wife are big fans, so they provided some expertise to the review of the food here.

Penang Assam Laksa is very different from Singapore Laksa. It is sourish and a lot of the taste is derived from the Kembong Fish (Small fish akin to the Selar). Liverpool remarked that he usually finds Penang Laksa too sourish but this one is well balanced. Certainly, the spicy, fishy, sourish soup is an acquired taste. If you are a Penang Laksa Afficianado, please give this a try and let us know what you think! 4/5



Penang Char Kway Teow, like the Singapore version is a very simple dish where Kway Teow is flash fried with lard and some soy sauce/fish sauce. A lot depends on the skill of the hawker who needs to control the wok fire to get the perfect texture for the Kway Teow. I felt this stall managed to do it quite well. The Kway Teow came out soft and slippery which enough burnt bits, fish sauce and pork lard to flavour it. 4/5



Conclusion

Quite authentic according to our Penang Food expert. Good enough for him to bring his wife back to taste it.

Authentic Penang Hawker Food
Geylang East Food Centre
Blk 117 Aljunied Ave 2 #01-60
Lucy Tan 97330658
Closed on Monday (except Pub Holidays)

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Vegetarian Poh Piah: Poh Piah with a Serious Crunch! Geylang East Central Part 5 of 6

With smart, liverpool, iwatch_ueat and tamago


Finding a Vegetarian Poh Piah is not easy. Finding a Vegetarian Poh Piah which is also good to eat is even harder. That is why this Poh Piah is being featured! The skin is handmade, so it is nice and chewy. But it is what lurks inside that makes it stands out from the rest. When you bite into this Poh Piah, you will immediately be delighted with super crunchy tasty bits reminiscent of the old "Nestle Crunch" ads. (The one where every bite causes an earthquake)



Those following my Poh Piah trial will know that so far I have yet to find a Poh Piah to rave about. This Poh Piah is very good and better then some of the more famous ones I have blogged previously, but it still lacks that ravability (sic) factor. I found the turnips not soft and sweet enough (? lack of dried shrimp) and of course the absence of animal proteins meant that my umami receptors suffered from neglect. However, the crunchy stuff is so good that it almost made up for its other shortcomings. 4/5



Conclusion

Considering that it is all vegetarian, this Poh Piah still managed to put other Poh Piahs to shame! However, I am still on the trail of the ultimate Poh Piah, so if you have one to recommend please let me know yah?

PohPiah/Rojak Stall
Silver Stream Cafeteria
#01-54
Blk 119 Aljunied Ave 2

Specially for ET who requested more vegetarian food!



Update 2 May 2009

The stall has now shifted to this new address:

Silver Stream Cafeteria
Blk 226F
Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
#01-697
Singapore 566226

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One Li Xiang: La La Hokkien Mee: Geylang East Central 4 of 6

This stall is no longer in operation

With iwatch_ueat, tamago, smart and liverpool


Now this is an interesting twist to the good old Hokkien Mee! What do you think Hokkien Mee would taste like if you add some La La (Clams) to it? I remembered having the KL style Hokkien Mee with La La at the Old Hokkien and I really loved it, but this was the first time I came across the Singapore version of Hokkien Mee with La La! Must at least give it a try right?



The first thing you notice is the characteristic bitter sweet taste that the La La adds to the Hokkien Mee. The noodles itself could have done with more Wok Hei but overall the taste is quite acceptable. Note that this comes from a Cze Char Stall, so for $3 a plate, it is unexpectedly good value given the addition of La La. Worth trying if not just for the sake of it. 3.75/5

One Li Xiang Seafood Fish Head Steamboat
Blk 116 Aljunied Ave 2 #01-55
Just opposite Ng Soon Kee Fish Porridge at the Food Centre
2pm-11pm daily
Mr Ong 91246906

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Ng Soon Kee Fish and Duck Porridge: Shiokafishsoup!: Geylang East Central Part 3 of 6

With liverpool, smart, tamago and iwatch_ueat



When you look at the mound of freshly sliced fish at this stall, you immediately know that you are dealing with a man who cares about fresh ingredients. Especially with the monsoon rains causing a shortage in supply of fresh fish, it takes a real passionate Teochew Ah Hia (Typical Teochew Man) to bid top dollor for the fish and still sell it at the same price.



This is one of the few hawker stalls around which sells sliced Pomfret fish soup with Szechuan Vegetables. You can of course get this dish at a Cze Char. But over here you get a nice bowl of Slice Pomfret Soup from $5. (The portion shown here is $8) The fish was super fresh but we had to request a bit more Szechuan vegetables to give the soup more kick! 4/5



The Batang Sliced Fish soup on the other hand was really tasty. Compared to the Pomfret, the Batang soup was more potent and definitely one of the tastiest fish soup I have tasted. 4.5/5 Pity you can't get the delicate flesh of the Pomfret and the potent Batang soup in the same bowl! The stallowner emphasized that the soup stock is prepared from fish bones and Old Mother Hen and they don't use any Pork bones at all.



I can understand the Teochew Passion for Fresh Fish since the Teochew's live in a region of China close to the river where Fresh Fish is readily available. But why Duck and Goose? Eating Goose is like eating the family dog since they are often used as "Watchdogs" at the farm.

Anyway, you should try the braised duck here. It is very shiok. The taste of the Lengkuas (Blue Ginger) really comes through nutralizing any "fowl" smell and the duck has been braised to the extent that the braising sauce has permeated right through to the bones. $3 4.5/5

For those who like to try braising duck at home, the stallowner was kind enough to share his "Secret" brand of Dark Sauce with us! -------->

Conclusion

If you like fish soup and you have not tried this one then you really need to add it to your fish soup resume!

Ng Soon Kee Fish & Duck Porridge
Blk 117 Aljunied Crescent Ave 2
#01-11
12noon to 9pm
Closed Sunday
Ng Hoe Soon 67476014

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Tang Cheng Chicken Rice: Back after 10 years in exile!: Part 2 of 6

With liverpool, iwatch_ueat, smart and tamago


We stumbled upon this brand new stall which looked very promising. According to the owner, they are previously a popular stall in Jurong before they took a 10 year break. (This is according to them, if you had patronized their stall before could you please let us know?) Anyway, I saw their big bowl of Achar and decided they must be of a certain standard to provide such an impressive side dish.



Those who like their food more salty and shiok will appreciate their Roast Chicken and Braised Duck. The chicken was tender and the sauce was really savoury (Some of the other makankakis remarked that it was a tad too salty). Now if you like to snack on Corn Chips and Potato Chips to get that Umami (Savoury) rush, then you shouldn't complain about this stall's food. 4/5

The braised duck was nice and tasty but the flesh could be more tender. 3.5/5


Conclusion

Great if you like your food really tasty and salty and are not having to go for a low salt diet (ie if you suffer from hypertension)

Tang Cheng Chicken Rice
Blk 117 Aljunied Ave 2
Geylang East Food Centre
Same row as Ng Soon Kee Fish Soup in the middle

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Citizoom Minced Fish Noodle: Everything is made from Fish! Geylang East Central Part 1 of 6

With smart, iwatch_ueat and liverpool


Now this is a great one for those looking for something novel and healthy. This place sells Shou Gong Yu Mian (Handmade Fish Noodles). Not only is the noodle made of fish, the brown crispy stuff is also made of fish, the wanton is stuffed with fish and the noodles are topped with He Chor (minced fish).



The fishball here is one of the best I have tasted. Its substantial and meaty but at the same time bouncy and you can really savour the taste of the fish. I was told that they make all the ingredients themselves at a factory and they use only yellowtail fish. The fishballs are made from fish meat without fillers and that makes such a difference. The only let down was the soup, which could have been more solid.



These hawker has only been in business for over a year, but they are already making quite a name for themselves. The reason you are reading this today is because 3 different people told me about this stall last week!

Conclusion

Its new, its tasty, its healthy. Gotta try it right? 4/5 (The soup needs more kick!)

Citizoom Minced Fish Noodle
Blk 117 Aljunied Ave 2
#01-34
7am to 3pm
Closed Alternate Thursdays
Jorene Yeo 81254883

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