Ya Kwang Dai Pai Dong: A different Cze Char Experience

With smart, liverpool, iwatch_ueat,bashful hunter, bashfully hunted, fashionfoodie, pk

Hong Shao Fish Head $18 (half) $30(whole)

Ever since smart discovered Ya Kwang, he has been eating here almost every week with his family or his group of cronies. He's commented on them so many times that I felt it was time to blog it again so that you all can understand what the fuss was all about.

Ya Kwang is about experimental Cze Char. It's owner, Jason is not your typical Cze Char hawker and for that matter not your typical Singaporean either. Rather than playing safe and selling the usual Cze Char favourites, he continues to introduce dishes that you don't commonly find in Cze Char stalls. So, a trip to Ya Kwang usually means you get to taste some of his new dishes or even invent new ones if you wish.

The dish that smart has been raving about is the Hong Shao Fish Head. If I recall, this dish started off as a curry fish head, but one of smart's cronies could not take spicy dishes, so Jason came up with the Hong Shao Fish Head instead. It's a good dish and my only complaint is that the gravy could be a little thicker and that there could be a few more pieces of Sio Bak in it. Otherwise the fish head (He uses Ang Kor Li) is very fresh and the gravy really makes you want to eat more rice (know what I mean?). 4.25/5



Another new dish is the Ti Wan Chye with deep fried crispy Bean Curd. The two elements are an interesting contrast in texture, but I did not think that the flavours synchronized that well. This one needs a little more tweaking but it was an interesting try. 3.5/5



I remember having this dish in a Teppanyaki restaurant in Sydney. Essentially its chunky pieces of ribeye beef flash fried with teriyaki sauce. Not quite novel BUT certainly not something that you normally get in a Cze Char. We felt the beef could be cut just a little thinner so that it was easier to bite. Otherwise the thicker chunkier beef was actually good because it was cooked medium so it retained a lot of the juices. 3.75/5



Of course a trip to Ya Kwang would not be complete without the signature Crab Tang Hoon which I have already written about in the my previous blog. Still good and prices are still reasonable compared to other crab bee hoon places. 4.5/5

Conclusion

There you go. A trip to Ya Kwang is always enjoyable because Jason is pretty hospitable and accommodating. So you get to order your dishes the way you want or even suggest new dishes. Not everything is die die must try, but there are some winners and some of the new dishes need tweaking. But that's the beauty of it, since you are there to experience something new and to offer feedback for further improvements. I think you can expect to hear a dissertation from smart on the Ya Kwang Cze Char experience.

Ya Kwang Dai Pai Dong
709 Geylang Road (Lor 37)
11am to 11pm daily
98170006
Special orders before 7 pm

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Hooked on Heads: Hooked on everything else as well!

With ieatMama, iwatch_ueat, liverpool, PowerAunty and the PowerGang

Fish Head Curry (whole) $30

Quite a few people have written to me about Hooked on Heads, but I never quite got round to it. However, last week a series of events happened that finally brought me to this restaurant. Firstly, my friend from church emailed me about this stall raving about the Mee Siam and Har Cheong (Prawn Paste) Kai and then PowerAunty found out that ieatMama was in town and wanted to meet her. Knowing that both these ladies love fish heads and peranakan food, I finally arranged to eat here. At least I will have two experts to give their opinion on the Fish Head Curry!

I must admit that I have never been big on fish heads, but I really enjoy watching how people who love fish heads really slurp up all the fiddly jelly bits with gusto. I imagine it is like eating chicken feet or oxtail where there is a lot of effort for that bit of tasty gristle.

Anyway our two experts concur that the fish head curry was really sedap! (tasty). The curry is made with milk and coconut milk so it is not too jerlak, but still creamy and the fish was really fresh. It wasn't overly spicy so it suited me fine but for someone like Liverpool, he complained that it was too mild. If like me you are not big on Fish Head Curry, this one might get you "Hooked on Heads". 4.5/5


Mee Siam $3.80

The Mee Siam here is quite different from your normal Mee Siam. If you are a stickler for the more traditional Mee Siam, you might not take to this. However, I loved it because it had the sweetness and creaminess of the Indian version but at the same time it retained the tanginess of the more familiar Mee Siam. Both PowerAunty and ieatMama gave a resounding two thumbs up as well. 4.6/5


Mango Salad $6.80

Although there is a strong emphasis on Peranakan food, the restaurant owners has not allowed this to restrict his menu. They also offer Thai food as well as local Cze Char dishes. I was amazed at how well Thomas and wife Gina were able to juggle it all. And what I really enjoy is the way they tweak the dishes just that little bit to make it even better. Take for instance the Green Mango Salad which is a traditional Thai Dish. Aside from the crisp, tangy shredded Mango and other greens, they have also topped it off with shredded dried Cuttlefish which has been lightly toasted. The savoury flavour and chewy texture of the cuttlefish was an excellent contrast to the tangy, crunchy salad. 4.5/5


Prawn Paste Chicken $8

I have been lamenting the fact that though many places serve Prawn Paste Chicken that one can hardly taste the flavour of the prawn paste. So I am happy to report that the prawn paste chicken here is excellent. They use only mid wings here and they are marinated long enough such that the red colouring has really seeped into the flesh. Thomas also explained that they use modern fryers to deep fry the chicken instead of a wok. So with the right temperature control, the meat of the chicken is kept nice and juicy inside. One of the best Prawn Paste Chicken I have tasted. 4.5/5


Crispy Sole Fish $18

There are three versions of the Crispy Sole Fish. We had the plain one which is dipped in a Thai style green chilli sauce. This is a real visual treat and though it was executed perfectly, I found that there was a lack of ooomph in the flesh. What was interesting though is the unique garnishing which is made from thinly shredded lemongrass. I think the Garlic Fried or Thai Sweet Chilli version should taste better. 3.75/5


Banana Fritters Special $3.80

Make sure that you leave some room for desserts as they have got a nice selection here. The first I would recommend is the banana fritters which is eaten with ice cream and golden syrup. I used to have this a lot when I was living Thailand. But the version I had was simply a banana halved lengthwise and fried in a crisp batter, very similar to our Goreng Pisang. This one is a little bit different. It has a crispy golden shell on the outside and fluffy on the inside, almost like a donut with banana inside. They use Del Monte bananas here which is nice and sweet. It was both a visual and gustatory treat! 4.5/5


Mango Sticky Rice $3.80

I used to buy Mango Sticky Rice for 50 Baht (less than $2) from the roadside hawkers in Bangkok and it was one of those things that I was really hooked on. Although it seems like a simple dish, there a real art in getting the sticky rice to the right consistency and it has to have a good balance of sweet and salty. Thomas was explaining to me that they use Thai sticky rice which cooks evenly unlike those of Vietnamese origin. This is one of my all time favourite Thai desserts and I am very happy with this one. 4.5/5

Conclusion

We all had a great time in this restaurant that really exceeded our expectations. They have a nice Lunch Sampler Set for 2-4 people that features a half Curry Fish Head with a choice of other dishes for $22.80+ on weekdays which is quite good value. For those eating alone, you can get a mini set with a choice of 2 dishes for $5.80+. Everyone was so delighted that we all vowed a return visit to taste the other items on the menu.

Hooked on Heads
Tower 2, #01-01/02,
Sin Ming Plaza 6
Sin Ming Road 64554948
www.hookedonheads.com

Recommended by Rebecca and Karen

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Kok Seng Restaurant: Just how do you define Cze Char?

With Damien, iwatch_ueat, smart, liverpool and Tag

Big Prawn Bee Hoon Soup $11.50

What's the difference between a Cze Char and a Restaurant? Is it just because a Restaurant has air-con and a Cze Char does not? Or is it that the dishes are different? Perhaps it is the prices or service that is different? Take Zi Yean Restaurant for instance, which has 2 sections. One with air con and one without. Both sections share the same kitchen and the same dishes. We call one a Cze Char and the other a Restaurant. How about this scenario; let's say a Cze Char Hawker migrates to Australia and opens a restaurant that sells exactly what he sells in Singapore. Surely it would be called a Restaurant and not a Cze Char. So how would define a Cze Char? It's almost like trying to define the colour Red. You can't really describe it but one look and you know it is Red.

Anyway, the Cze Char is something as Singaporean as Bak Kut Teh and when we say Cze Char, immediately you think of Hor Fun, Ee Mee, Sweet and Sour Pork and Hot plate Tofu. More and more Cze Chars are trying to differentiate themselves by offering more unique signature dishes. But the problem in Singapore is that once a new Cze Char dish gets famous, others will start copying it and we are then back to square one.

Anyway, this Cze Char was recommended by Bashful Hunter and it is a place that he regularly brings overseas visitors. We started with the Prawn Noodles which was one of their unique dishes. Their version is quite a bit different from the usual Hawker Fare. The soup was strong on the Belachan and a bit grainy and instead of noodles, they use the Thick Bee Hoon that is usually used for XO Fish Head Bee Hoon. It was interesting for a try but did not quite resonate with our tastebuds. 3.75/5


Sliced Fish Hor Fun $5.50

The Hor Fun saved the day for me and I wouldn't mind coming here just for this dish. However the reviews from around the table was a bit mixed. I felt the Hor Fun had that nice wok hei flavour and the gravy was quite tasty. However Damien, Smart and Liverpool all felt that there are better ones elsewhere. 4/5


Bittergourd Pork Ribs $10

The Pork Ribs were excellent. They were tender but not the sort of tenderness that is derived from marinating the meat in bicarbonate so that it has a fishball type consistency. No the meat still has that natural fibrous texture but is easy on the bite. The sauce was quite good although I was not quite sure if I could taste the contribution from the bittergourd. 4.25/5


Curry Fish Head $12

I realise that many of our readers love Fish Head Curry. Now, I am not big on this dish, but my makankakis are. So I promise that I shall go on the Fish Head Curry trail soon. If you have a good stall to recommend please write in!

The Curry Fish Head here is the Chinese version. It is strong on the curry powder and does not have that sourish taste found in Indian Curry Fish Head. The makankakis all felt that there are better Curry Fish Head elsewhere although they did finish the whole plate. The fish was quite fresh, so no one was willing to let a good fish head go to waste! 3.5/5

Conclusion

Not too bad but not overwhelming either. Perhaps we did not order the right dishes. However, the restaurant is well established and is usually full during lunch time. The sliced fish hor fun and pork ribs were good enough for me to come back again to try some other dishes.

Kok Seng Restaurant
30-32 Keong Saik Road
11.30am to 11.30pm
Chef takes a break from 2.30pm

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