ROC Pizza: Almost like Cheese N Crackers!

With ieatjr

12 inch Pizza $8

Following up on my Hawkerpreneurs at Golden Mile Food Centre story, here is another young Hawkerpreneur that is trying to burst into the food scene by offering Cafe style food at hawker prices.

If you are hungering for your pizza fix but don't want to spend more than $8 on your meal, this might be just what you are looking for.



The pizzas here are probably the thinnest and crispiest in Singapore. It is almost like eating "Jatz" crackers with tomato and cheese. The toppings are also modest, you get your basic ham, chicken sausage, mushrooms, pineapple and seafood. None of the fancy stuff, no parma ham or freshly chopped herbs, just staightforward freshly made pizza base with your choice of topping.

I find the crispy, super thin pizza base surprisingly nice although it is not really your traditional Napoli style pizza. As I said, it is almost like eating baked water crackers with tomato and cheese. For $8 for the large 12 inch pizza, it is the kind of thing you can eat and then proceed to have an Ice Cream over at Ice Queen and spend around $10 for a lunch that might cost you closer to $20 at a cafe. 4/5

Conclusion

Cheapest way to get a pizza fix but not for those with a big appetite as the thin crust is not going to fill you up.

ROC (Relax one Corner) Pizza

Golden Mile Food Centre

#01-109

96846908

12pm to 9pm

Closed Monday except Public Holidays

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Ice Queen Ice Cream: Great Homemade Ice Cream at Hawker Prices!

This stall has closed!

3 flavours of homemade gelato $3.50

Golden Mile Food Centre will soon be turned into a centre for Hawkerpreneurship.

I am amazed that the place has quite a few stalls manned by young Hawkerpreneurs trying to break into the food business. Remember the Belgian Waffles and Pasta Planet which I blogged previously? They are all here, as well as some other new stalls selling "Ang Moh" food that I will blog about later. Yes, the Hawker centres are an cost effective way for anyone to create a brand which is relatively low risk. And the irony is that when you actually sell stuff that usually belong in a shopping centre, you actually attract more media attention.

One of the latest entrant into the "Cheap and Good" category is this little Ice Cream shop in Golden Mile Food Centre called Ice Queen Ice Cream. Opened by a young lady who calls herself a "part time hawker", this is the kind of hobby stall where the emphasis is on making something that the owner is proud of, as opposed to making enough money so that one can pay the bills.

While studying in Melbourne, this "part time hawker" learnt the art of Gelato making from an Italian couple who ran a Gelato stall while letting out rooms to University students. Being a bit of a health nut herself (just a moderate health nut, I guess), she makes her Gelato with just enough cream and sugar to keep the ice cream from becoming icy. So it is low fat, low sugar and no egg which is healthier than your normal ice cream.

This Gelato (ice cream for the heartland aunties) really is "Cheap and Good" and it's every Kiasu Singaporean's dream. I was quite impressed with the Black Sesame Ice Cream 4.25/5 which was full of nutty flavour but without being too rich. The Peanut flavour was again quite excellent as is the dark and rich chocolate flavour. The ones with alchohol, viz the Rum and Raisin and Baileys were notably not "drunk" enough, but you really can't expect too much at $2 per scoop. If you prefer something a little more tart, you should try the sour plum sorbet which a lot of readers from the forum said they like.

Conclusion

Cheap and good Gelato. Where else can you get 3 scoops for $3.50? I really think that this part time hawker is really treating it as a hobby more than anything else and I suspect that after running it for a few more months, she will decide to increase the prices in order to get some money to buy some nice accessories. So better enjoy it while you can.

Update: 29 Nov 2008
Our readers are reporting that the stall has been closed for a while

Ice Queen Ice Cream

Golden Mile Food Centre

#01-86

Closed on Mondays

What do do next?

Find out what the others are saying about this in the forum

Go eat the Hokkien Mee or Curry Mee before eating the ice cream

Read about the other ice cream stalls in the blog

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Kheng Fatt Beef Noodles: Do You Prefer Soup or Dry?

Damien says it is damn shiok. Makansutra nominated them for street hawker masters for 2007 and they have been around since 1978. So, according to the theory of evolution, this should be good since its the survival of the fittest or should I say, the survival of the tastiest. Yes this sounds like one those stalls I need to add to my collection.

I usually eat the dry version of beef kway teow because I figured that you get the best of both worlds when you eat the dry version since you still get the soup at the side. Also the dry version has got more kick from the sticky thick gravy that covers all the bee hoon.



After all that preamble, it would not surprise you if I said "Hmmm, I thought it should have been better" OK, it is a good bowl of beef noodles but again it lacked that elusive oooomph factor. The soup was robust and sweet but it does not stand heads and shoulders above the other famous beef kway teow previously featured on the blog. Then again, I might have raised my expectations too high after all the hype. 4/5



One thing that really did stand out though was the chilli sauce with chinchaluk (shrimp sauce). Now this chilli really did redeem the situation as I really got a real savoury and spicy kick out of it.

Conclusion

Another famous Beef Kway Teow. Better than most, but not quite the Holy Grail of Beef Kway Teow.


Kheng Fatt Beef Noodles
Golden Mile Food Centre #01-89
11am to 8pm Closed on Wed

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Hainan Hokkien Mee: Takes a Hainanese to fry Hokkien Mee

With iwatch_ueat and damien


I have made a most momentous decision of my life! I finally decided that Hokkien Mee MUST be fried with thin Bee Hoon and it MUST be dry. Some of you might be wondering how this little revelation can be so momentous. But for me, it was like the words of the World's most famous Hymn, Amazing Grace: I was blind, but now I see.

Revelation is like that. You go through life not knowing what you do not know. Then something happens and suddenly it was as if someone turned just turned on the lights and you realize what the fuss is all about. Know what I mean?



This is one superb Hokkien Mee. It is unlike a lot of Hokkien Mee nowadays which are prepared more like a pasta where the stock simply added at the end and served really wet. This one was fried until all that wonderful stock has been completely absorbed into the noodles and beehoon AND sealed. Every mouthful was such a delight that it really is a plate of Hokkien Mee that I slowly savored every mouthful. 4.6/5

Now the weird twist at the end is this. How come one of the best plates Hokkien Mee in Singapore comes from a stall that calls itself "Hainan" Hokkien Mee? Surely the owner is not making the statement that it takes a Hainanese man to show the Hokkien how to fry Hokkien Mee properly right?

Conclusion

Stands out as one of the best plate of Hokkien Mee I have tasted. Only letdown was the chilli which was not quite fragrant enough and you get a really small portion for $3.

Hainan Hokkien Mee
No 34 Golden Mile Food Centre
62946798
11am to 2pm 3pm to 9pm
Closed on Wed

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Pasta Planet: It may be cheap but it Ain't Mass Produced Pasta

With carnineviand, iwatch_ueat and dory

The appearance of Pasta in hawker centres is a welcomed sight for those who just happen to have a pasta craving but do not want to sit down in a restaurant and have to pay more than $10 for a meal. The problem with pasta is that the raw ingredients are mostly imported, so the price is necessarily higher than local hawker fare. So in order to produce a plate for $5, something's gotta give.

There is no point comparing a plate of plate of Pasta produced at a hawker centre for $5 with a plate of Pasta at a restaurant for $15. That is just not fair. What I do conceptually is to give the pasta a Satisfaction score and divide it by its price to derive a "Satisfaction per Dollar" (SpD) value. So if the $5 pasta gives you a satisfaction score of 4 and the $15 pasta gives you a 5, the SpD of the cheaper pasta is 4/5 or 0.8 while the expensive one is 5/15 or 0.333. Now this does not mean that one will always go for the cheaper one just because the SpD is higher, it just means that you might eat 0.8/0.33 or 2.4 plates of the cheaper pasta for every plate of more expensive pasta. The assumption is, of course that one has limited pocket money. If one had an unlimited amount of money than this really does not apply!

Amatriciana $5.50

This plate of Amatriciana is pretty good for $5.50. The sauce is tangy and has enough bite to it. The penne was Al Dente and satisfying. Good to satisfy a quick tomato craving. 4/5



The thing that separates this stall from the other Hawker Pastas that I have previously blogged about is that the young Shatec Trained Chef actually insists on cooking each plate of pasta on the spot, the way he had done it when he was working in the kitchens of proper Italian restaurants. So to make this plate of carbonara, the bacon and onions were sauteed before fresh cream and seasonings are added.

The carbonara was ok, but lacks the ooomph which had to be made up with the addition of extra parmesan cheese. They actually use proper grated Parmesan here rather than the "Kraft" ultra long life, no refrigeration required, reconstituted from who-knows-what type Parmesan, which is a good thing. An extra handful of grated parmesan will save any cream sauce! 3.5/5

Conclusion

Another place to get a cheap and quick fix. I think if you want more ooomph from the pasta, you can always ask the Chef to specially prepare it for you since the sauce has not been precooked.

Pasta Planet
Golden Mile Food Centre
#01-82
11.30 am to 9.30pm
Closed on Tuesdays

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The Sweet Stone Parad Ice: Belgian Chocolate in Hawker Centre

With Carnineviand, Dory and iwatch_ueat


We Singaporeans continue to be fascinated with the Ang Mohs. When I was young, I had the perception that Ang Mohs here were all very well to do CEOs and Expats in positions of influence. That was because my father worked in an Ang Moh Company and he had an Ang Moh Boss.

Nowadays we are seeing more and more Ang Mohs living in the heartlands. (And I don't mean locals dying their hair blonde) But we are still fascinated by them. So when you get an Ang Moh selling sausages in Chinatown, the media gets excited with the story. Somehow, we don't expect an expat to be mingling with the heartlanders.

Along comes Sebastian, a very smart Ang Moh who realizes the potential marketing power of an Ang Moh serving Ang Moh food in a Hawker Centre. Little surprise that just three months after their opening, there are so many newspaper clippings in front of their store that they can start selling Kachang Putih (Gone were the days Kachang Putih was sold in newspapers).

There are two qualities that make Singaporeans Singaporean. We are world reknown for our love for food and our love for getting a good bargain. So what do you get when you put an Ang Moh in a hawker centre, selling fondue made with genuine Belgian Chocolate at a price you cannot find anywhere else? A "Sure win" situation to say the least.

Of course, you can have all the marketing hype, but if your food is not good, people will stop coming. Our hatred of getting "Ketok" (swindled) supersedes our love of getting a bargain.

So what I am saying is that the food here is not only cheap, it is also quite good. The waffles here are very nice. They are not the usual thin waffles you get in the heartland bakeries. These waffles are made from dough rather then batter, so they come out with a bready texture. Certainly something you would expect to find in a proper cafe than a hawker centre.


Fondue Set $14.80 includes 2 bowls of ice cream (not shown)

The chocolate sauce is made from pure Belgian chocolate that Sebastian imports from home. His family actually runs the business of the same name and they have a few branches worldwide. Because the chocolate sauce is made from pure chocolate with no added milk or cream, they don't actually put a candle to heat up the sauce. Instead it is served in a warmed claypot. Our dessert specialist, iwatch_ueat said that this Fondue "Can-do lah", but she still prefers if it was bubbling, so that you can actually melt the marshmallows. I tend to agree.

However, you cannot discount the fact that this is a very good bowl of chocolate sauce, and that for $14.80, you are getting a big plate of fruits which includes strawberries, bananas, grapes, marshmallows and honeydew melon, two Belgian Waffles and two bowls of double scoop homemade ice cream. I think your Singaporean instincts are telling you to at least go and check it out, right? 4/5

Conclusion

This one of a kind, Ang Moh in the heartland type of stall serving quality Belgian chocolate fondue for cheap. Even if I say no good you would still go and see for yourself right?

The Sweet Stone Parad Ice
Golden Mile Food Centre
505 Beach Road #01-76
11.30am to 9.30pm
James 97389868
Sebastian 90078465

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Granny Chin Chow - Golden Mile FC: Part 8 of 8

Just when I thought I was done for the day, (I mean, I had a 7 course lunch that afternoon, albeit shared among 4), I saw this store with the Makansutra label on it with 3 bowls and chopsticks. For those who don't know, this is their "die-die-must-try" rating. Well, what to do? Die die must try lah! After all, this herbal jelly is supposed to cool you down after eating all that "heaty" stuff.



The original Granny started selling this "cooling" jelly back in 1945. Most of really established hawkers I have spoken to started around this time after WWII. I wonder what people actually ate during the Japanese occupation, Sushi?

I like the texture of the jelly. Unlike the commercial ones that have the consistency of soft agar agar, this one has the consistency more like a nice soya bean curd, but more gelatine like. Soft enough for you to push through the gaps between your teeth. However, it does not really have that strong a "Chin Chow" taste. It reminds me of the Rochor Tau Hway, nice texture, but feel as if they just watered it down and sacrificed taste for texture.

Still it was very enjoyable and a redemption from guilt after all that chilli stuff. At least I have done the right thing and restored my Yin/Yang balance.



Conclusion

I like the texture but a bit more taste would be great. Slightly more expensive then the normal Chin Chow, but definitely will take this again when I come back. 4/5

Zhao An Granny Grass Jelly
01-58 Golden Mile FC
11am-7pm
Closed alt Sundays

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Ah Balling Peanut Soup - Golden Mile FC: Part 7 of 8

Make sure you leave some room in your tummy after all that feasting cos if you like Ah Balling, this is not to be missed. Incidentally, you know what Ah Bor Ling means right? Ah Bor is Momma Duck and Ling is the egg that is still within the duck without the shell. So Ah Balling is meant to resemble yet to be laid duck egg. (This is my own theory worked out from the name - please let me know if I am talking rubbish)

The picture above proves that they still handmake their Ah Balling and not buy it frozen from a factory. The difference in the taste is evident.



The peanut soup is one of the best ones I have tasted. The peanuts have been boiled for long enough (I heard for at least 10 hours) so that it is nice and soft. The skin of the Ah Balling is smooth and chewy and the fillings now come in six different flavours, including the Green Tea Ah Balling shown in the middle of the picture.



Conclusion

Although they have a few branches now, it is good to know that they still stick to the traditional way of making Ah Balling. $2 for a bowl with 6 glutinous balls still pretty good value. 4/5
For me the ultimate is Ah Balling in peanut paste made from roasted peanuts. The last time I had that was at the old Airport Road FC before they closed for renovations.

Ah Balling Peanut Soup
505 Beach Road
Golden Mile Food Centre 01-75
97605710

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91 Fried Kway Teow - Golden Mile FC: Part 6 of 8

This stall is famous for putting a mound of Chye Sim (Greens) on top of their Char Kway Teow. A healthy Char Kway Teow? Sounds like another incontrovertible oxymoron. When we got there the signboard proudly declares its allegience to the pig: "No Pork, No Lard"! Wow, no lard? How can this Char Kway Teow be any good?



Behind the curtain of Newpaper cuttings and Food review articles is the Man with the Hat busily frying the Char Kway Teow. "Uncle!" I asked "No Lard, how come your Char Kway Teow so nice?"

"You eat first then say lah" he countered. Ok, we'll see. My eyes began to scan the kitchen, looking for what may provide a clue as to why this Char Kway Teow is so famous. Nothing. Everything seems above board. Nope, no signs of pork lard around. And yes, a huge mound of greens are piled on each plate of Char Kway Teow. You'd think these people are undercover Health Promotion Board agents!



The verdict: Char Kway Teow must have pork lard lah! All agree that though the texture is good, the taste lacks that knockout punch. Oh its better then most other run of the mill unknown HDB Char Kway Teow, but not great enough to have a curtain of accolades.



Conclusion

If you really crave for Char Kway Teow, but your doctor, wife, mother and children keep reminding you of your cholesterol problem, your impending heart attack and the open heart surgery scheduled for next week, then this is the place for you. Plenty of greens and no cholesterol (if you leave out the egg and ikan bilis). I'd rather choose not to eat Char Kway Teow at all if I were in that state. 3/5

91 Fried Kway Teow
Golden Mile Food Centre
505 Beach Road #01-91
HP 98300965
11am-9pm daily
Closed on Monday

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Special Yong Tau Foo - Golden Mile FC: Part 5 of 8

Accompanied by: ieatMaMa, iwatch_ueat, genetronic



Got there at almost 3pm and they have sold out most of their items. Aiya! Only able to taste the soup, a few fish balls and Tau Kee (Crispy Bean Sheets). I am not a big Yong Tau Foo man, so I've got to rely on ieatMaMa who loves the stuff to give her opinion.



If you want to eat great food, you have to look for hawkers who are passionate and proud of their heritage and cooking. There are a few types of hawkers nowadays. You have those in the food courts who are hired by a boss to run a stall, they won't know nuts about the food. Then, you have hawker traders who merely buy stuff to sell, like most Tau Hway (Bean Curd) and Ngo Hiang (Prawn Fritters) stalls. Most of the highest rated hawkers are of the third category. They insist on having the best ingredients and most of the time, this means that they have to prepare most of the food from scratch.




So here's the secret of this shop's success. They make their own fish paste and insist on using the traditional Hang Zse Her (Yellow Tail) fish. The fish paste is then used to fill the Capsicums, Brinjal, Tau Pok, Okra etc. The water that the fish paste is soaked in is used to make the soup! Mmmmm, no wonder the soup is so nice. And the fish balls are exceptional! They are not overly bouncy, but have that authentic bite and tastes like unadulterated fish meat, which is what it really is.




Conclusion

Have to come one day to try the full menu! They have over 10 items that they make themselves, and it should not only be really tasty, but quite healthy too! 4/5
(Real Yong Tau Foo enthusiasts may rate it higher)

Golden Mile Special Yong Tau Foo
B1-44 Golden Mile Food Centre
6298 5908
Opens 11am and usually sold out by 2.30pm
Closed Sundays

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Haji Kadir Sup Tulang: Golden Mile FC Part 4 of 8, The Anthony Bourdain Trail 2 of 8

How not to try something that is both a Makansutra Legend as well as a place where the Bourdain was taken to when he was in Singapore?

It's my first time trying Sup Tulang (Mutton Bone Marrow Soup). Oh, I have heard of it before, but somehow the thought of sucking out bone marrow did not quite thrill me. I mean, the only time I hear about bone marrow is when a diagnosis of Leukaemia is suspected and a Bone Marrow Trephine (A large bore needle is introduced into the hip bone and the marrow sucked out for investigation) is performed to confirm the diagnosis. Not a very savoury picture. Now, my friends who are Gastro-Intestinal Surgeons would always long for a nice bowl of Kway Chap (Pork Innards) after performing surgery, but I have never heard of Haematologists craving for Sup Tulang after performing Bone Marrow Trephine.

I must say I did not think much of it. The taste was a bit like Soup Kambing (Mutton Soup) but a bit sweeter and thicker and it was really red in color such that you get all your fingers stained while eating it. I agree with Bourdain that the plastic fork they provided was absolutely useless (I mean these guys eat with their hands, the fork is probably only a nice gesture for us other folks who use utensils)

Well, what's there to say? Been there, done that and still left wondering what the fuss was all about! Maybe it was fasting month and the cook did not manage to taste the food or maybe its just that I did not like to perform a Bone Marrow Trephine with my mouth. Don't know.



Conclusion

Maybe one of these days I would learn to like this stuff. Until then I give it 3.5/5. But since it is both a Legend and something the Bourdain ate, you might just want to try it yourself, if only to prove me wrong.

Haji Kadir & M Baharudeen
Stall B1-15, Golden Mile Food Centre
12.30pm to 1.30am
Closed alternate Wednesdays

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Bugis Beef Kway Teow - Golden Mile FC: Part 3 of 8

With fellow foodies: ieatMaMa, iwatch_ueat, genetronics.



To me Beef Kway Teow has always been one of those dishes that I ate occasionally but never really craved for.... until now. This one is so good that I cannot stop thinking about it after I got home. For your info, the Grand MakanGuru comes to Golden Mile FC specially to eat at this store. Talk about a great recommendation!




The dry version is pretty darn shiok. That gravy contains enough bovine essence to make you want to Moo.... and that's no Bull. I have never tasted a better gravy. It so savoury, so beefy, so tasty, so Shiokadoodle Doo! (Better than a Scooby snack, no, TWO Scooby snacks!) The meat really soft and tender and they don't overcook it so it is still pink when it is served.




Phwa say! Nothing more to say!




The Beef Balls are the World's Second Best (Best dunno where). They actually still make their own Beef Balls from scratch, and you can taste the results. The ball is springy and is not adulterated with flour, so you get 100% beef protein. Mmmmm... there of lots of air bubbles trapped in each ball, such that its texture is like cross between a Fishball and a Souffle. I could eat a whole bowl of these in front of the TV!

Incidentally, did you know that in order to make the balls springy, the meat is not minced but actually beaten? In the good old days, they used 2 rectangular metal batons to pound the meat. Pounding the meat straightens out the protein strands and causes the springiness. Same method goes into making Fish Balls.



Can't resist taking this picture of an old photo to show you the original stall at Bugis. The stall was started by father of the lady who now runs the stall with her husband just after the war in 1945. This picture was taken probably in the 70's before they cleaned up the Bugis Area. Bugis, as you know was famous for its Ah Kwas (Transvestites) then. Back then, Singapore was also the regional centre for sex change operations, a dubious honour that has since been lost to Bangkok.




Conclusion

If you've never been passionate about Beef Noodles, now is the time to see the light Brother/Sister! Better than the famous, Hock Lam Beef Noodles at Purvis street. 4.5/5

Bugis (Long House) Lim Kee Beef Noodle
505 Beach Road #B1-27
Golden Mile Food Centre
Mobile 9069 4916
11am -9pm daily

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Chilli Mee - 3 Gen Sarawak Receipe: Golden Mile FC Part 2 of 8

With ieatMaMa, iwatch_ueat, genetronic


Every heard of chilli mee? Well, I haven't until now. Not being a big chilli enthusiast, I was reluctant to try at first but the people in the know keep telling me this is really good.

There is an interesting history behind Chong Cheng Chilli Mee. If the name reminds you of a certain chinese school in Singapore, then you would be pleased to know that this Chilli Mee IS actually named after the school. So how did this come about? Well it turns out that the original Mr Yeo fled from Sarawak to Singapore after the war and started selling his Mee from a pushcart in Tampines just outside the old ChongZheng Primary School.



Chilli lovers will rejoice when they see this big pot of chilli sitting on the counter. They don't call it chilli mee for nothing you know. Unlike other Prawn Noodles store whose chilli are in a small bowl, these people have a baby bathtub sized cauldron of flam'n chilli right there in front of you! It like staring into the entrace of Hades! And, you can have as much as you want! The chilli is made from belachan, dried shrimps, garlic, onions and other secret spices. It tastes quite shiok but I had to have a big cup of sugar cane drink to put out the fire.



The chilli sauce is more then just heat, you can taste the savoury combo of the belachan and dried shrimps plus bit of sweetness which agrees very well with me. I really like the pork ribs which are really soft, tender, sweet and tasty. Its made from quality pork soft bones and marinated with 13 special spices and slow cooked for 4 hours.




Here are the 2nd and 3rd generation of Yeo's who will keep this dish alive in Singapore for the next 40 years at least. Nothing like a 3 generation receipe. The stall moved over to Golden Mile Food Centre since the 70's and has been faithfully serving Singapore's only Sarawak Chilli Mee ever since.



Conclusion

If you love chilli and/or are a self professed foodie, then do yourself a favour and go try this. I like it, but probably not as much as those with leather tongues. 4/5

Chong Cheng Chilli Mee
Golden Mile Food Centre
#01-59
HP: 92761203 Chris Yeo
8am - 8.30pm daily
Closed every Tuesday

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