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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Barcook Bakery: Ooooh so soft and silky, but don't fight ok?

Cheese and Raisin Bread $1.30 ea

In case you still haven't heard, there's this place at Hong Lim Centre that sells really soft and irresistable bread which sells out everytime a new tray comes out of the oven. Like every other new pastry fad that hit Singapore, this stall is attracting long queues of people waiting impatiently for a bite of their buns. Such queues are a real hotbed for fights and quarrels to erupt.

Oh yeah, we Singaporeans love to queue and it is precisely because we love to queue that fights can sometimes occur. When you go to a place where there is no culture of queuing, everyone just jostle and push to get to the front, buy their thing and go away. I saw this incredible scene on TV once, I think it was in India, where the ticketing counter is just a little hole in the wall for people to stick their hand in with the money, grab their tickets and go off to celebrate the fact that they have managed to buy some tickets. I think that such places ironically have less fights than places like Singapore where there is a strong queuing culture.

While I can't say categorically that a fight had actually broken out at Barcook Bakery, I do have first hand information that some of our makan kakis who had gone down there did get themselves involved in some less than cordial verbal exchanges with the staff of the bakery. It was something to do with someone behind the queue being served ahead of someone in front of the queue. Thankfully fights don't actually break out all that often given that all of us would somehow be in a queue somewhere in any given week. Aside from being affected by those Courtesy Campaigns (I can still remember the jingles), I think a lot has to do with the fact that Singaporeans are not as verbal as say, the Americans or Australians. So a lot of the time we would rather just keep quiet rather than speaking out should we happen to see someone cut the queue. So actually fights don't actually break out all that often and when it does, it gets reported in the New Paper.



Anyway, I managed to get to the front of the queue without incident and lucky for me, there was a tray of the famed Cheese and Raisin Buns which just came out of the oven. So I quickly bought a few and took a photo of a tray of the buns above. Believe me, a tray full of the buns is not a very common sight.

One of the reasons for the perpetual queue, aside from the fact that the buns are absolutely delectable when they are fresh out of the oven, is that all the bread here is made with the Sponge and Dough method which is a technique of baking sweet dough buns which takes more time than the normal sweet dough buns. Essentially, the Sponge and Dough technique is a two step process where the dough is allowed a first rise, followed by a second step where the rest of the ingredients are added, followed by a second rise. The result is a sweet dough with a silky soft texture. This technique is no big secret but there are few bakeries which will bake all their breads this way because it is very time consuming.

The Cheese and Raisin buns are one of the best sweet dough buns I have come across. The texture is very good and their creamed cheese filling is generous and creamy but not overly jialak. When eaten fresh out from the oven, it must be one of the most shiok things you can get your hands on for around a dollar. 4.5/5

Conclusion

As they say, "all good things come to those who wait" (no idea where that phrase came from). So if you are willing to wait in the queue for a while, you will be rewarded with a very nice treat for afternoon tea indeed! But remember to be patient, take it easy and don't fight, ok?

Barcook Bakery
531 Upper Cross Street
#01-54 Hong Lim Complex
Singapore 050531
65336588
Mon-Fri: 8am - 6pm
Sat-Sun: 8am - 4pm

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Wanton Noodle Specialist: Hong Kong Style Wanton Mee Since 1965

What do you all think constitutes a classic Wanton Mee? Mee, Char Siew and Wanton are standard. The only difference is the sauce. Do you think Classic Wanton Mee has got tomato ketchup in it or should it be only a dark soy sauce based gravy? Should it be eaten with chilli? I think most people would consider Hong Kong style wanton mee as the dark soy sauce type and the Singapore style ones to be served with chilli and ketchup. What do you all think?

This stall has been around for over 40 years and is a self proclaimed Wanton Noodle Specialist. So they should know right? Their wanton mee is the dark soy sauce type and has quite a regular following. Our friend, Liverpool has his cafe just around the corner and his staff comes almost daily to partake of the Wanton Mee. Sounds like its got some sort of "Gong Tau" (Addictive substance) in it. And while I was buying the noodles, I also met another customer who comes every week to eat the noodles. Hmmmm... this should be good.



The best thing about the Wanton Mee is the noodles. They were lively and springy to the bite. The sauce was good, not really outstanding, but tasty enough. The homemade Char Siew is properly grilled, tender and juicy but the wantons were pretty ordinary. Overall, a decent plate of Wanton Noodles. 4/5

Conclusion

If you are a noodle person you might become one of the regulars at this place. For me, the Char Siew and Wantons play quite a significant role in the dish and I like my sauce with a bit more kick.

Wanton Noodle Specialist
#02-49 Hong Lim Food Centre
10.30am to 8pm

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Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa: A very different Mee Siam!

Damien has put his head on the chopping board yet again when he recommended the mee siam from this particular stall. He told me that the Mee Siam here is "Damn Shiok leh" and it's a definite "must try".

I was a little confused when I saw the stall because their signboard said "Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa". So it should be the Laksa that is the signature dish right? So I asked the owner just which of his dishes is the really outstanding one to which he gave the usual reply, "They are all outstanding". Hmmm, that was a great help. Ok, I can't decide, so I had to try both.

The Laksa comes with a very light gravy that was more to the soupy end of the spectrum. So you could drink a lot of it without getting jialak (indigestion). However, that does not mean that the flavour is compromised. The soup is still quite fragrant and has the savoury sweetness of dried prawns which I enjoy. 4.25/5



The mee siam here is very different from the usual mee siam that you get. It is made with fruit juice instead of tamarind and is quite tangy. Great for those people like Damien who like soury stuff. It's a very different mee siam and definitely a place where mee siam lovers should plan a pilgrimage to. 4/5

Conclusion

The laska and mee siam here have very distinct characteristics which sets them apart from a lot of other stalls. Worth a visit to try them out.

Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa
Blk 531A Hong Lim Market #02-67
10.30am to 6.30pm
Closed on Sundays

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The Old Stall Famous Hokkien St Prawn Noodles: Is this really the Original Stall?

The owner of this stall claims that they can trace their lineage all the way back to the old Hokkien street around 50 years ago. Back then, prawn noodles were very different in that the gravy was very dark. He claims that it was his mother who first invented the light colored prawn soup which is the common garden variety nowadays. Since they have been around for so long, they have built a very faithful following especially amongst the older folks. Apparently, the stall is frequented by MPs and other VIPs as well, who go there because of its original taste.

So with all that historical backdrop, the strong recommendation by Damien, plus the bold statement on their signboard stating "Specially Make Delicious Soup", I primed my tastebuds for an adventure of a lifetime.

The soup was good but I guess I had expected much more. It did have that prawn soup kick but just did not hit the threshold for "Shiok!!". 4.25/5

The thing that really did have the Oooomph factor though, was the specially prepared chilli powder. One whiff of the powder and you know that it is something special. Unlike a lot of other stalls which simply give you plain chilli powder. This stall fries their chilli powder with dried prawns (Hae Bee). The taste is very distinctive. It is so good that he even sells the chilli powder for those who need to get their satisfaction at home.



Conclusion

Is this really a direct descendant of the originator of our present day Prawn Noodle? Perhaps our more seasoned readers can shed some light the history of Prawn Noodles? And by the way, is Prawn Noodles only found in Singapore or do they also have this dish in Malaysia?

The Old Stall Hokien St Famous Hokkien Mee
Hong Lim Complex
531A Upper Cross Street #02-68
9am to 5pm
Thursdays Closed
Michael Tan 98539630

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Fragrant Hong Kong Pork Rib Rice: Great Value HK Cuisine!: Hong Lim Food Centre 7 of 7

With iwatch_ueat, damien, liverpool and smart


When I was in Hong Kong recently, every Char Chan Ting (Tea House) I walked into had dishes around HK$20-30 (S$5-6). Even in Singapore, most of the Tea Houses that have sprouted up across our island have dishes for around the same price (ie for a dish you can eat to fill your tummy for dinner). So imagine my surprise when I found this Stall selling a Hong Kong meal for $2.50!



The thing about Hong Kong food is that when compared to Singapore food, there tends to be less use of chillies and spices. Some Singaporeans may find it bland. I certainly find Hong Kong food tasty yet satisfying without having to suffer the glutton's hangover (Indigestion). Aiya, as one gets older, sometimes we don't go for "Shiok Shiok" anymore as much as "Shiok and comfortable after the meal" and "Shiok and my cholesterol levels still ok".

That's the kind of feeling when I tried the Pork Rib Rice. I think "Fragrant" is the right word to describe it. The Pork Ribs were lightly seasoned, tender and savoury while the rice was surprisingly satisfying. It wasn't that the sauce was shiokadelicious, it was just that the rice was perfectly steamed such that the grains were nicely separated and firm to the bite. There was minimal oil in the rice and every mouthful feels just right. 4.25/5

When I was younger I used to love potatoes chips, pasta, steaks, hamburgers etc, but as I grow older I find that I can't go for too long without my bowl of simple plain steamed rice and this one really hits the spot for me. (It's scary but one day I might even start liking Rosewood furniture -- sure sign of old age!)



The rice is first steamed and the meat is then added on top and place in a steamer. When you order, they first remove the meat from the bowl, then mix the rice with the sauce and put everything onto the plate.

This second dish is the Mince Meat with Mei Chai which was really tasty. It's the kind of thing I love to order with my bowl of piping hot Teochew porridge but it went equally well with the rice. The taste of the Mei Chai was subtle and lends a bit of sweetness to the mince meat. 4/5



Our makanbro damien swears by their "tonic" soup. This soup is boiled for over 4 hours and like the other items here, you feel really comfortable after eating it. Good stuff to complement your rice and for $1.50 I'd say its real value for money. 4/5



Our pair of HK sisters have been in Singapore for almost 30 years. They started this stall over at the Chinatown Complex Food Centre 5 years ago and shifted here when they closed for renovation.

Conclusion

Simple, satisfying and definitely one of the cheapest Hong Kong food you can get in Singapore.

Fragrant Hong Kong Pork Rib Rice
Hong Lim Food Centre
#02-70
9.30am to 7pm daily

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Outram Char Kway Teow: Hong Lim Food Centre 6 of 7

With smart, damien, liverpool and iwatch_ueat


This is one of those stalls that have been hotly debated in the forums. It is famous and because it is famous there are high expectations. Quite a few people who have tried it recently still hanker about its heydays and lament on how the standards have dropped.

I had to try it for myself since there is so much controversy over this. I must admit that my first impression was not good because the CKT was not very attractive to look at. All the ingredients were of the same brown colour and even the cockles were not bright red in colour.

But hey, it actually tasted quite good. I would say better then your unknown neighbourhood food centre CKT. The Kway Teow was quite lively and coated with a savoury sweet sauce which I quite like. 4/5

Conclusion

I imagine it must have been really shiok in the past. But even now it's still quite an enjoyable plate of CKT, though not enjoyable enough for me to go all the way down to Hong Lim for a plate.

Outram Park Char Kway Teow
Hong Lim Food Centre
#02-18
7am to 4.30pm

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Hiong Kee Dumplings: Hong Lim Food Centre 5 of 7

With smart, iwatch_ueat, damien and liverpool


This dumpling stall is one of the favourites of smart and they sell traditional Hokkien Style Dumplings (Changs) with salted eggs as well as Nonya Changs.

For me, any dumplings are now measured against the Gold Standard which is Hoo Kee over at Amoy Street FC, so though they are excellent dumplings, they still lack that X factor of Hoo Kee. However, unlike Hoo Kee which essentially sells one flavour of Bak Chang with optional extras, this one sells more tradtional flavours which include the Nonya variety. Someone actually did recommend the Nonya Chang, but I did not managed try it. 4/5

Conclusion

Certainly a very good traditional Hokkien style Bak Chang. I will need to return to try their Nonya Chang.

Hiong Kee Dumplings
Hong Lim Food Centre
#02-38
8.30am to 7.30pm
Closed on Sun & Public Holidays

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Ah Kow Bak Chor Mee: Another champion BCM?: Hong Lim Food Centre 4 of 7

With liverpool, Damien, iwatch_ueat and smart


I serendipitously stumbled upon this stall which had a big Makansutra Legend poster stuck onto the front of the glass display. Oh I knew that there was a really good Bak Chor Mee stall in the food centre, but no one mentioned that they were also a Makansutra Legend. Those of you who have been following my blog would know that I have been hunting these legends down one by one to post their pics here. Ah, the joy of unexpected discoveries!



The one characteristic of good BCM is freshness (Teochew: Chnee - Fresh) of the ingredients and this bowl of piping hot BCM tastes really fresh. Those who like their BCM with a bit more vinegar will appreciate their unbridled use of black vinegar which is reportedly a special brand of traditional black vinegar from China. The noodles were QQ and were complemented very well by the sauce. They were generous with the Ti Po (Crispy fried sole) which was a bonus cos I love the stuff. As far as I am concerned, this was an excellent BCM but some of my makankakis still pay homage to Tai Hwa as the Chumpion BCM. 4.5/5

Conclusion

I am frankly undecided as to the best BCM in Singapore. This one was, to me, as good as a BCM can get, but real BCM afficianados may be able to tell us who they think the real champ is.

Ah Kow Mushroom Mince Pork Mee
Hong Lim Food Centre
#02-43
Daily: 9am to 7pm

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Ritchie's puffs: Really Rich Puffs: Hong Lim Food Centre 3 of 7

With smart, Damien, iwatch_ueat and liverpool


You can tell from the delicate handiwork that these curry puffs are handmade and they are really quite big for $1.20 each.



I would say they are good curry puffs, but I found them a little too rich for my stomach. The crust is crispy but a tad oily and the filling is nice and savoury but they use quite a bit of coconut milk in it so you get jerlak (indigestion) very quickly. If I were 20 years younger and not having to worry about my indigestion and cholesterol problem, this would have been a real yummy treat.

Conclusion

One of the better curry puffs around but a tad too rich for me. 3.75/5

Ritchie's Puffs
Hong Lim Food Centre
#02-33
7am to 7pm daily

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Tuck Kee Sah Hor Fun: Crayfish Hor Fun: Hong Lim Food Centre Part 2 of 7

With smart, iwatch_ueat, liverpool and Damien


My father came from a small fishing village in Malaysia and used to tell me that in the old days, they used to consider the lobster and crayfish a second class substitute for prawns. The flesh of the lobster and crayfish were tougher (Teochew: "Char" meaning wooden) and less sweet compared to a nice succulent prawn. Nowadays, lobsters and crayfish come at a premium price. But really, is the flesh that much nicer then a good sized Sea Prawn? My view is that you really pay for the shell more than anything else. I don't think anyone would pay $50 for a dish with just lobster meat sans shell.



Same thing with the Crayfish Hor Fun. Hor Kua Boh Hor Chia (Good to look at, not good to eat). I find crayfish meet less succulent and sweet than prawn. But hey, its impressive and when you say you sell Crayfish Hor Fun, it is bound to get some attention, especially when you get 2 half crayfish and some big prawns for $4 a plate.

The Hor Fun came as one matted mass which was a little dissappointing cos Hor Fun should be nice, soft and silky smooth. Maybe it was because we waiting too long to mix it with the sauce as we took pictures. The sauce was quite ordinary and nothing to rave about. 3.5/5



One thing that was good was the Sui Gao. You can see that they are quite generous with the prawns. $3 for about 8 dumplings. 4/5

Conclusion

It's going to upset some people, (especially those readers who actually love the hor fun enough to queue for it) but I found that apart from the visual excitement elicited by the Crayfish, there is really nothing to draw me back to it again.

Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Sah Ho Fun
Hong Lim Food Centre
Stall 41A
11am to 3pm
Closed on Sunday

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Heng Kee Curry Mee: Yummy Curry in a Hurry: Hong Lim Food Centre 1 of 7

With smart, liverpool, Damien and iwatch_ueat


Imagine you have been dieting on fresh garden salad for a week in order to get a good cholesterol test result and today is the day you got the test done. Your taste buds have been deprived of attention for a week and you are really looking for something with a bit of KICK....

A piping hot bowl of curry mee is sure cure for your deprived taste buds. But not just any curry mee yah! The sign on the front of the stall says it quite clearly that this stall is "the one and only"



Now, it may not look very attractive, but man, this curry sure hits the G-spot (G for gastronomic). This hawker has been making the same curry for 40 years and still insists on using the same receipe. According to him, the curry is not Malay, not Indian, not even Hainanese (he is Teochew), its just something he concocted over 40 years ago, so it is a truely Singaporean dish.



In contrast to the Tau Pok which has been stewing in the curry, the plain white chicken (ala Hainanese Curry Mee style) is simply added on top of the noodles and soaked in the curry. So you get nice cool chicken meat covered with warm savoury curry. Shiok! I really like it this way and would frequently buy white chicken to eat with laksa. Don't forget to add that dark red chilli, it's sweet and fragrant and complements the curry perfectly. 4.5/5

Conclusion

Guranteed to give you that lemak fix!

Heng Kee Curry Mee Hoon Mee
Hong Lim Food Centre
Blk 531A Upper Cross St #01-127 1
11am to around 2pm daily
Closed on Sun and Public Holidays

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