Labrador Villa Food Centre: Food Centres should have World Heritage Status!

With smart and liverpool

Lontong $2.50

At the rate the NEA are going with the upgrading of food centres, we will soon have nothing good left to eat! Just take the venerable Tiong Bahru Market for example. Tiong Bahru used to stand tall and proud as the place to eat. Now it seems like it needs a double dose of Viagara to restore its vitality. Somehow, the upgrading of the premises usually means the tastiness of the food somehow goes downhill.

It seems that over the last few years, the NEA has been busy upgrading food centres. Of course, progress is good and new facilities mean better hygiene and working environment for Singaporeans. However, it also means that some hawkers take it as a signal to retire and returning to the new premises means higher rents and for many it may mean they have to cut corners in order to remain viable. So as a food lover, I lament whenever I hear that another hawker centre is slated to be upgraded. It's almost like it has been passed the death sentence.

I just wish that some of the good old hawker centres can be put on the heritage list so that they can be preserved for our future generations. Just take tiny row of hawker stalls along Labrador Villa Road. It kind of reminds me of the good old hawker centre outside of the botanic gardens years ago. Serving mainly Malay and Indian Muslim food, it is probably the last of its kind in Singapore. When I look at it, I think "Wha, sure got good food", but I am sure when the NEA officers look at it, they are thinking "Hmmm, put on upgrade list!" Perhaps the only way to preserve these places is to have them in opposition constituencies!









Anyway, ranting about it isn't going to change its inevitable fate, so let's talk about the food.

Damien has been telling us about this wonderful Lontong that is being made by this Mak Cik who looks like she fits right in with the antique environment. So we had to make a trip down to see just how good it really is. The stall is actually No. 5 but when we got there it had already sold out. So instead, we bought tried the lontong from the stall next door (No. 6). One thing about the food here is that it is still very cheap. We got a whole bowl of lontong with the works for $2.50. And it was actually quite good. The soup was lemak without being over jialat. 4/5. Perhaps if you manage to get down there, compare No. 5 with No. 6 and let us know.



Damien also recommended the Nasi Briyani being sold at the far end of the row of shops. We found the Chicken curry was very good, but the rice was found lacking. Maybe because of the increase in the price of rice, they reverted to poorer quality rice. Still not a bad briyani if you are having the briyani craving 3.75/5

Conclusion

This place really has a nice Kampung atmosphere to it. Come in the afternoon and you will see lots of people drinking Teh Tarik and eating Epok Epok. One of the last places of its kind in Singapore! If you are a part of the Y Gen, you have to visit this place at least once to experience what Singapore was really like in the good old days before it gets handed the NEA Death Warrant!

Labrador Villa Road Food Centre
Jn of Alexandra and Pasir Panjang Road
Stall No 5 and 6 for Lontong
Opens 6.30am to 10pm daily

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Ali Nachia Briyani Dum: Real Dum Briyani

With Damien


I remember some years back, MM Lee once mentioned that Singapore may merge with Malaysia in the future. This created such an uproar among the Malaysians, who simply don't see any reason why they would want Singapore back with Malaysia. Culturally, Singapore and Malaysia are very close and it used to be that many families have cousins and uncles across the causeway. However and time went by, the two cultures are slowly diverging.

If you think about it, Singapore and Malaysia may not be so culturally different as say East and West Germany. We speak almost the same language and share lots of common hawker foods. It's only the proportion of the mix of Malay, Chinese and Indians which are different. And when we are overseas, Malaysians and Singaporeans tend to congregate and regard each other as the same gang. So it might not be so difficult to imagine that one day in the distant future, the socio-political-economic climate might force the two countries to consider merger again.

Anyway, the Malaysia-Singapore preamble is to introduce this particular stall which is situated in the Malaysian part of Singapore. Yes, there is a thin strip of Malaysian land which bisects our island from the causeway up north right down the middle to end in the South at Tanjong Pagar. It's none other than the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. The last bastion of Malaysia in Singapore. Yet even though it is Malaysian land, we still have to pay Singapore prices for the food and the stalls are still subjected to the NEA's cleanliness ratings. Aside from that, the Railway Station still retains that Malaysian charm of yesteryear guaranteed to bring back some feelings of nostalgia of our colonial past.



Now moving on to the topic of Dum Briyani.

There's Nasi Briyani and then there's Dum Briyani. And nowadays, stallowners are increasingly calling their Briyani "Dum" to differentiate it from "lesser" Briyanis. From what I understand, this should not be the case at all. All Briyani should be "Dum" Briyani. The lesser "Briyani" is in fact pilaf, which is essentially Nasi Minyak (Buttered/Oil Rice). Whereas in a real Dum Briyani, the rice and mutton curry is partially cooked first then combined and baked together. (pic above). This way all the aroma of the curry gets infused into the rice. Mmmmmm....

This stall is run by ex-butcher turned ex-soccer coach, Cik Ali who happens to be the father of soccer star Rafi Ali. This Pak Cik is passionate about wanting to make a proper Dum Briyani and as you can see from the picture above, this is the real deal. And furthermore, being an ex-butcher, Cik Ali also knows how to handle his meats so he only picks the best parts of the goat to make his curry.



The Briyani Rice here is light and fluffy and not over powering so you can eat lots of it and not feel too jerlak. But the real gem is the super tender and aromatic mutton which has been slow cooking in the rice. The mutton has been seasoned just right such that it does not have that strong mutton smell that puts most muttonophobics off, and it has just the right amount of fats so that the meat is not dry after cooking for so long. At $5 per plate, it is still worth it as the piece of mutton is very generous and comes with the bone. The only little drawback for me was the dhalchat which could do with a bit more ooomph and it really should be eaten when it is still piping hot during lunch time because by 2pm the rice has lost some of its ooomph. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Yummy Dum Briyani surrounded by nostalgia. Little wonder that it is recommended by foodiephiles like Yuen (Prive and Brown Sugar) and Damien (Mien).


Ali Nachia Briyani Dam
The Railway Station
Tanjong Pagar
93892615
10am to 3pm
Closed on Sundays

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Geylang (Hamid's) Briyani Stall: I went back 3 times in a week! Geylang Serai Temp Mkt Part 1 of 5

With iwatch_ueat and liverpool


Once in a long while, you get so enamoured by a certain dish that you just keep going back because you can't get enough of it. This is precisely what happened to me when I first tasted Hamid's Briyani last week. This recommendation came from a comment from one of the numerous "Anonymous" readers of this blog (You guys should really just give yourself a pen name!)



No kidding, I have to say that this is the most tasty meal $3 ($3 for mutton, $3.50 for chicken) can buy in Singapore! You will derive the most pleasure per dollar from this one dish compared with any other food in Singapore and I would like to see if anyone can top this.

The texture of the rice was near perfect. The grains were fluffy and separate and firm to the bite and you can taste the buttery ghee and spices in it. I said near perfect because they don't use the top grade of Basmati rice here ($3 what do you expect?). The mutton was so tender you could seperate it with a fork and it literally dissolves in your mouth. (That could be that particular piece that we had). The Chicken Masala ($3.50) gravy was the real killer. The combination of the gravy with the rice was 100% satisfaction. 4.75/5



Pak Hamid might look like Saddam Hussein, but he was a real jovial fellow who didn't mind sharing a few tips on how to cook briyani with us. So here's how his Briyani is made: You start by frying the onions in oil till golden brown, then you add in the cloves, cinnamon and other spices and fry it until it is fragrant. Next add Evaporated milk and water and bring to boil. Add the rice in the ratio of 1:1. Stir constantly while the rice is being cooked. When it is cooked, add ghee and dab some yellow colouring on top of the rice, then stir and mix the rice. (I think I would just go to Hamid's and pay $3, wouldn't you?)



Conclusion

This has been the only stall that I have revisited 3 times in a week since I started the blog. I would challenge anyone to find something more tongue tinglingly satisfying for the same price! Now, the man himself told us that on Wednesdays, he sometimes makes a very special Fish Dum Briyani using top grade Basmati Rice and that this is even more shioker than what we had. Can't wait to find out!

NB1: Some one told me about a $11 Briyani in little India that is absolutely devastating. I am waiting for a chance to see if it can match Hamid's satisfaction per dollar value. To do that it would have to be 4-5 times more tasty!

NB2: I also sampled 2 other Briyani's this week which I will not be blogging. They were Abak's Dum Briyani around Arab St area and another stall at Geylang Serai Temp Mkt run by 2 sisters. They were highly recommended by some people. I have decided not to blog them for the moment because I was not so thrilled with them as I was with Hamid's.

Geylang Briyani Stall
aka Hamid's Briyani
Geylang Serai Temp Market #01-327
9am - 5pm
Closed: Monday
98310574
Acknowledgement: An Anonymous reader' recommended this on the House of Briyani post

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House of Briyani: Nice Rice! Briyani Challenge Round 3 of 3

I am not sure if it is fair to enter this Briyani as a challenger because they don't actually sell Indian Briyani. They sell Afghan, Iranian and Turkish Dum Briyani instead. At $5.80 per plate it is definitely one of the more expensive Briyanies around. But as you will see, it is a matter of, "Yi Fen Chian, Yi Fen Huo" (you get what you pay for)



Just look at how beautiful the rice is! Every grain is perfectly steamed, fragrant, aromatic and firm to the bite. They must have used a good grade Basmati. The curry lamb was fantastic. They use the back of the lamb (T-bone I think) to cook the curry, so the meat was very tender. The thing to die for is that Tomato Sambal they provide. It was sweet, not overly spicy and had large pieces of well caramelised onions in it.



Conclusion

House of Briyani is the winner in this round of the Briyani Challenge! 4.5/5



The rice we had was the Afghan version. It was not oily and most similar to what we know as our local Briyani. On the right of the picture above is the Turkish Dum Briyani which is a tad oily and has raisins and nuts in it. I found the Iranian Briyani on the left too much like normal boiled rice.

House of Briyani
Cnr of North Bridge Rd and Kandahar St
Open for lunch and dinner
Open 11am to 7pm
Closed on Sundays, Mondays and Public Holidays

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Famous Islamic Beryani: 90 years and still going! Briyani Challenge Round 2 of 3

Now this is probably the GrandDaddy of Briyanies and definitely one of the oldest eateries that I have blogged. Its been around since 1911 and when you walk into the restaurant, it feels as if you just walked through a time portal. Man, when this place was fashionable, my father wasn't even an idea yet!

They serve Dum Briyani here. For the uninitiated, Dum Briyani just means that the chicken is cooked together with the rice. Anyway, the rice, like Allaudin is monochrome and it was good but nowhere as great as I had expected it to be. Texture wise, though the grains were separate and unbroken but it did not have as good a bite as others. Overall taste did not measure up to my expectation especially after so many people have raved about this restaurant. $4.80 3.75/5



Oh, I did like the Lemon drink which had a unique flavour and really refreshing with the Briyani. You should try this.

Conclusion

Perhaps it's because I ate there at 3pm in the afternoon and the Briyani was freshly cooked, but ultimate Briyani it was not. It is however one of the better ones around.

Famous Islamic Beryani Shop
754 North Bridge Road
Jn of North Bridge Road and Klapa Road
10.30am to 9.30pm daily closed 1pm-2pm on Fridays

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Thohirah Restaurant: Briyani Challenge Round 1 of 3

With iwatch_ueat and SuperSatayMan


Since my blog on Allaudin's Briyani, people have been writing in recommending their favourite Briyani's around Singapore. So I have decided to go on a Briyani Pilgrimage to try to find Singapore's, dare I say, "Ultimate" Briyani. My first stall is one which I frequent and up till last week, my favourite Briyani. People look for different things in a Briyani. For me the rice is of prime importance, then the meat and the curry and I also like the cucumber achar/salad to be nice and sweet to contrast with the savoury flavours of the curry. I opt for fried chicken rather than curry chicken because my stomach complains when I have too much curry.



The rice at this stall is nicely done. Every grain is separate and unbroken. The springy texture is satisfying to the bite. The cucumber achar at this place is also very good. I love just eating the rice by itself without the gravy. 4.25/5 I have to concede that overall, the combination of the curry, the rice and achar was not as shiok as others I have tried.

Conclusion

Rice texture is tops, taste is great but not quite the ultimate Briyani.


Thohirah Restaurant
258 Jalan Kayu (Next to the carpark)
64812009
Opened 24 hours

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Allaudin's Briyani: Briyani Nice

Shown here with fried chicken instead of the usual curry chicken

There were 3 rows of Indian/Malay Muslim stalls, and each row having at least 3 stalls selling Briyani. Yet only this stall had a long queue. Ohhh, I am excited, the Briyani must be as good many people claimed it to be.

But alas, is was not as awesome as I expected.

Unlike the popular version of Briyani, this one was monochrome. Not that one can differentiate different tastes from the different colours. I always thought the different colours of the briyani rice was more for presentation only, but I could be wrong. The rice here was a little overcooked such that some of the grains were mushy and broken. I expect a first class briyani to have beautifully long and slender Basmati rice with each grain individually spiced and firm to the bite. Otherwise the taste of the Briyani was excellent and the Dhalchat and Chicken Curry really complemented the rice well. The Dhalchat was a little on the sweet side which agrees very well with me.



Conclusion

Their fame is undisputed, having been in business for over 40 years. Many who have grown up eating it would fiercely defend it. It was delicious tastewise but I feel the texture could be better. $3.50 4/5

Allauddin's Briyani
665 Buffalo Road
#01-297 Tekka Centre
Open 8am - 3pm (Sometimes till 6pm depending on supply)
Dum Briyani is served in the mornings

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