Killiney Kopitiam: A Tale about an Old Hainanese Gentleman

Kopi $1.10

I was told that if you wanted the best cup of Kopi from Killiney Kopitiam, you still had to go back to the original shop at Killiney Road where the coffee is brewed by an old Hainanese gentleman who has been making the Kopi there for the longest time. Now, I have always enjoyed the Kopi and Teh from Killiney Kopitiam, but never really blogged them because, well, they are everywhere and everyone knows about them already. But when I heard about the old man, I decided that I must pay the original kopitiam a visit.


"Ah Gong"

As it turns out, I was a little late. Four years too late as a matter of fact. The old man in question, affectionately known as "Ah Gong", retired in 2004. (Now who was it in the forum that told me about him?) Anyway, I was unfortunate not to have ever tasted the Kopi from this legendary "Barista" who had spent 54 years of his life brewing Kopi in the very same shop till he retired. Such was his dedication that he never had time to start a family and thus on retirement, he did what a Salmon would do and went back to Hainan island. Unfortunately, "Ah Gong" died last year at the age of 86 after having served close to a million cups of Kopi. (Assuming he makes 500 cups a day for 54 years with 2 weeks break each year)

You don't get people like "Ah Gong" anymore, so here's a little tribute to him for his contribution to our Singapore food Heritage. I am very sure that some of our readers will remember him fondly. Do write in and let us know yeah?


Kaya Toast

According to the Singapore Book of Records, this original shop at 67 Killiney Road is Singapore's oldest existing Hainanese Coffeeshop, having been around since 1919. The shop used to be known as Qiong Xin He and was a typical Hainanese Coffeeshop which served really good Kopi and Kaya Toast. It was only in 1993 that the shop was bought over by Mr Woon who then changed the name to Killiney Kopitiam and started expanding its operations. Fortunately, when Mr Woon took over Killiney Kopitiam, he managed to persuade "Ah Gong" and two other Hainanese men to continue serving the Kopi and Kaya toast.

Now, I used to think that franchising and expansion was a bad thing for our Singapore food heritage. There are some franchises out there which I feel have deviated too far from the original recipe. However, with Killiney, somehow they managed to still preserve a part of our heritage that would have otherwise been lost back in 1993. Now at least, I can still get a good cup of Kopi accompanied by Kaya Toast that is made to a certain standard at several locations around Singapore.

Whether it is a placebo effect or not, both Amagada and I felt that the Kopi C that day was about the best cup of Hainanese style Kopi compared to the rest of the other Killiney stores that we frequent. It was smooth, aromatic and very fragrant with only a slight tinge of bitterness and acidity. 4.75/5


French Toast

This issue about vanishing Heritage Hawkers is something that we should be concerned about. The good old hawkers of yesteryear who, like "Ah Gong" consider their jobs their life's calling are getting very rare. For many Heritage Hawkers their craft ends the moment they retire because for a lot of them, their kids have been educated and are not willing to carry on the family business. Over the next 10 years, we will be seeing hawkers from the post war "Baby Boomer" generation dissappear from our food scene. I think something has to be done to preserve some of these famous names.

Now, if we can draw upon what we learn from Killiney Kopitiam, it would seem apparent to me that one of the ways to preserve some of these Heritage Hawkers is for their businesses to be acquired with plans for expansion. Purists may baulk at the notion, but it is either we do that or we can just enjoy them in their current state for the next few years before they fade into history. I think for a lot of these hawkers in their 60's who do not have an heir apparent, an attractive retirement plan might be a good way of getting them to part with their skills. I feel that if they have been building up their "Brand" for the last 40 years, that this brand as value and this value can be repackaged into a sort of pension for the hawker so that he can still have some steady income, go into semi retirement and act as consultant to ensure that their recipes and skills are passed onto the next generation. This idea is not new and there are some other people who have already taken on the task of preserving our Heritage Hawker Brands, but this needs to be accelerated over the next 10 years in order to preserve some of these famous stalls. I must admit that not all of them work out well, but for those that do, like in the case of Killiney, it is a piece of tradition that has been preserved for posterity.


Fresh Bread with Butter and Kaya

Here's a little something from the regular customers of the kopitiam which you might want to try. Rather than ordering the usual Kaya Toast, get there first thing in the morning and try their fresh bread with butter and their fragrant Kaya which incidentally is still hand made with freshly squeezed coconut milk. You will have to get there early in the morning because by the afternoon these traditional bread would have already become a little stale. If you think about it, the real reason for us to toast bread or make french toast is because stale bread doesn't taste good. But freshly sliced bread is super soft and you can really savour the taste of the butter and Kaya while you enjoy nibbling on the soft texture of the bread. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Great Kopi and Kaya Toast and a legacy of an old Hainanese man preserved for future generations to enjoy.

67 Killiney Road
Singapore 239525
Tel: 6734 9648 / 6734 3910
Mon, Wed to Sat - 6am to 11pm
Tues, Sun & PH - 6am to 6 pm




What to do next?

Check out the other stalls where you can get a great cup of kopi
See where else you can get traditional Hainanese food
Remember to vote for the dialect group you are in!

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No Name Hainanese Curry Rice: Maximum Ommph, Minimum Fuss

Crispy Fried Pork

There is really only one word that would adequately describe this meal and that word is SHIOK! Somehow "really tasty", "yummy", "delectable" and all the other adjectives don't really capture the emotional response as well as the word "SHIOK" or even better, "D__n SHIOK!". It just rolls off your tongue and I think it must also cause the release of endorphins when you say it. It really is almost like uttering a vulgar expletive because it does give release to your pent up emotions inside when you taste something that hits the spot. I reckon the Singapore Tourism Board should intentionally market it to tourists so that it has the same level of recognition as "Oishi!" and "Aroy Mak!".

This meal can be found in the most predictable of places, viz in an old run down coffeeshop reminicent of Singapore in the 60's. It is so unassuming that the stall doesn't even have a name, let alone a signboard. They don't even bother to light up the dreary trays of food! It goes to show that for Singaporeans, when it comes to food, it is all about substance over style, Shiokability over show.

The Crispy Fried Pork here is really D__n Shiok! Unlike some other stalls which I have tried, the crispy pork here is like eating Keropok. It is crispy right through and when you add it to the plate of rice covered with the deluge of curry, lor and cabbage gravy, it really is heavenly. Give me just these two things and I am a happy man. 4.75/5


Rice with Curry, Lor and Chap Chye Gravy. 50 cents

Now I always say that the only thing better than really good food is when the really good food is cheap as well. So here is probably the cheapest way for you to fill your tummy, still have change for your dollar AND still be able to say SHIOK! Yes, I have confirmed that they will actually sell you a plate of rice with 3 gravies for 50 cents and it comes with a plate and utensils.


Hainanese Curry Chicken

Now the star of the show is the Crispy Pork. The rest of the dishes like the Curry chicken 4/5, Braised Pork 4.25/5 and Stewed Cabbage with "Lion Head" 4.25/5 are all very good but not as outstanding. However, taken as a whole package, it makes for a very satisfying meal.

Conclusion

Shiok Not Enough! Veeeery Veeery Shiok!

No Name Hainanese Curry Rice
Blk 40 Beo Crescent
6.30am to 3pm
Closed Wed

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Kwong Satay: Kushiyaki style Pork Belly Satay!

With Holydrummer, Holybunny, Wahcow, Cactuskit, Khim, Amagada, Denniz

Kwong's Premium Pork Belly Satay $1ea

I had a dream.

I dreamt that I was eating Pork Belly Kushiyaki (Butabara) and all the wonderful juice was bursting out in my mouth as I sank my teeth into the springy flesh. But in my dream, instead of the plain salt and pepper marinade, the pork was marinated Hainanese satay style and I enjoying the sweet fragrance of the cumin, coriander, five spice powder and saffron....yummm...

Then I woke up right at the part where my pastor said: "And in conclusion......."


Pork Belly Satay on the grill (note size of the normal satay beside it)

Now that I had that dream, I just couldn't get it out of my mind. Somehow, I had to find some Satay seller who is willing to take on my idea. As if by divine intervention, I stumbled upon this blog whose author just happened to be the daughter of Kwong's Satay whom I blogged about a while ago. In her blog post, she said that she was pleasantly surprised that one day, person from one of Singapore's major organizations called up to place an order for a large function. She found out later that they had found out about them from reading my blog post! So since I knew she was happy, I decided it was an opportune time to try my luck and see if they would agree to my idea of a Kushiyaki style Pork Belly Satay.

So that is how our group of Makan Kakis ended up in Geylang Lor 29 one evening to taste-test the latest "ieat creation". The majority of the makan kakis including myself gave it a 4.75/5 for being the juiciest and best tasting satay (certainly the largest). Cactuskit was not as ecstatic as he did not like fats in his satay (where got pork satay with no fats?) but still gave it a 4.25/5. The satay is almost 2 and a half times their normal Pork Loin Satay, so I guess the price of $1 is justified and furthermore you are getting Pork Belly meat which is more expensive than Pork Loin.


Original Pork Satay 40 cents each

Don't miss out on the normal Pork Satay (40 cents) as well as the two meats are different. The normal Pork Satay is more tender compared to the Pork Belly which is a little more chewy but more flavoursome and juicy. One of the secrets of Kwong's satay is that he still insists on using Saffron ($6000 per kg) in the marinade which made it very aromatic. 4.5/5

The peanut sauce comes with crushed pineapple which would please most foodies. However, I did feel that the sauce could have been more "peanutty" to make it even shioker. The Ketupat is very nice as they use pandan leaves instead of coconut. Have a bit of a sniff before you pop it into your mouth when you try it.

Somehow, I felt that the Satays here at the original stall taste better than the one that I blogged earlier at one of the franchisees. It could have something to do with the high turnover of the satays as well as the person who is actually doing the grilling.The original owner, Mr Kwong has since passed on the everyday running of the stall to his disciple whom he has trained in the art of Satay BBQing. He now concentrates on supplying his satay to various stalls around Singapore (as well as home parties). However, he can still be spotted at the stall occasionally since it was where he first started his business in the 80's.

Conclusion

One of the most memorable Satay experiences for me and, I hope, for you too!

Post Script:

This is already quite a popular stall on weekends, so be prepared to wait for your satay!

Kwong Satay Geylang Lor 29 (Geylang side)
5pm - 11pm
closed on alt Wednesdays (This wed open)
Home orders available from Kwong's
Call 6565 0002 Judy
www.kwongsatay.com.sg

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Chai Chee Pork Porridge: This Teochew Ah Hia actually prefers Hainanese porridge!

Ah, an anonymous reader quipped that being Teochew I only liked the grainy kind of porridge. Not true, not true. My favourite kind of Jok is actually the Hainanese style one which has broken grains in it. I guess it might be something I grew up with. I remember eating Jok almost every Sunday morning with my Dad when we were still living in Toa Payoh lor 8 and it was this kind of Jok. Best thing was that there was a You Char Kway stall in the same market were this old man used to sell 10 for a dollar. Happiness is dipping a freshly fried You Char Kway into hot porridge!



For me, I like my porridge with lots of savoury minced pork balls which have been well seasoned with sesame oil. So the porridge here certainly hit the right buttons in my books. The porridge was nicely flavored which, according the the aunty is attributed to long hours of cooking with the best pork bones a hawker can buy. 4.25/5

Since we are talking about porridge, can I ask our readers what you usually do with the egg? Do you break it, leave it to cook or leave it out entirely?

Conclusion

Great bowl of porridge with savoury minced pork that hits the spot when you need something to warm the tummy on a cool night.

Chai Chee Pork Porridge
FengShan Food Centre
Bedok Blk 85
Opened till late

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Twe Kee Chicken Rice: Mom and Pop still doing it the traditional way.

With ieatjr


Tucked in a small corner coffeeshop in the East Coast is an elderly couple who are still making chicken rice the same way they have been for 30 years. If you have ever wondered what chicken rice tasted like in the old days, you better get here quick, cos these good old mom and pop shops are getting rarer nowadays.

So just what makes a particular chicken rice "retro" and what makes it "modern"? Well, for one thing, the traditional way of preparing the rice is to fry the grains in garlic and ginger first before boiling the rice in chicken broth. Not many people do it nowadays and certainly the large chains will not be able to do it because of the volume of rice they have to dish out. So the only place to find such rice is either at home if you are fortunate enough to have a Hainanese Grandma OR you have to look for other people's Hainanese Grandma to cook it for you. In case you do not have Hainanese friends or if your Hainanese friends are sort of half Hainanese, quarter Teochew and quarter Cantonese, then can I suggest that you come to this stall where you can find a purebred Hainanese couple.



Another thing that makes this a "retro" chicken rice is the way they cook their chicken. Traditionally, Hainanese do not soak the chicken in cold water after cooking. Trust me, I know. I have a Hainanese MIL who has refused to soak the chicken in cold water for the 20 years that I have known her. Now, soaking the chicken in cold water quickly stops the cooking process which results in nice crunchy skin but at the expense of losing all that nice chickeny juices. If you don't soak the chicken then it takes a lot more skill and experience in order to get the timing just right so that the chicken flesh is still tender.

Now, for those who like chicken with a strong chicken taste, this one is just right for you. The flesh is still amazingly tender but of course the skin is not as crunchy as if it was soaked in ice water. I am sort of quite undecided whether this is the one for me but I know that the traditionalists will love it. 4/5



As I mentioned before, this is one of the few places where they fry the grains first before cooking the rice. They also make a point of not adding the chicken oil into the rice so the rice is not so oily. I am sort of wishing they would as I think it would have made the rice even more shiok! 4.25/5

Conclusion

I must make it a point to find and blog a few more of these mom and pop shops before they all disappear!

Twe Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice
Coffeeshop at the jn of Jago close
Open 6.30am to 4pm
Closed Tuesday
Recommended and gently persuaded to blog this place by Cactuskit and supported by Smart in the forum
You can read their comments here



Where to go next?

Another place you can find traditional "non-soaked" chicken is Yet Con
The other place that still fries the grains first is Thien Kee
Read about other chicken rice stalls by clicking the "Chicken Rice" label - 21 stalls blogged and counting!
Join the Forum and see where our forummers are eating chicken rice! Click Here
Have a read of the other mom and pop shops!



Remember to vote today! Click here

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Yeo Keng Nam Chicken Rice: Should the Rice be fried first?

With the ieatfamily


I used to believe that in order to prepare a good chicken rice, the rice had to be fried with garlic first to coat the grains with a thin layer of flavoured oil before cooking in chicken broth. That was how my Hainanese mother-in-law taught my wife to cook it.

When I ate the rice at Yeo Nam Kee, I started to wonder what the process of frying the rice first actually does to it. I guess the only way to find out is to conduct a simple experiment at home. But until I do that, I seeked the opinions of a few experts I knew. One was the owner of a famous chicken rice chain and the other is a self professed "all the chicken rice in Singapore cannot beat my mother's" chicken rice expert. Their answers caused a paradigm shift.

It seems that the frying process was not as important as the broth and the chicken oil used in the cooking, and in fact both the experts don't even think it is necessary to do it. Well, this just raises a lot more questions. I wonder if the frying process does something to the texture? And to ask a more fundamental question: How should chicken rice be judged? Of course, taste is one factor. But how about the texture? Should the grains be whole and chewy or broken and soft? Should it look perfect and display an homogeneity of colour like the one here or should it look a little uneven in colour and broken like Thien Kee's?

The rice here is the picture perfect -- almost a bit too perfect. Each grain is whole and coated with a thin layer of oil and the texture is just right. However, I just can't help but feel that it was too "clean". When you add chicken broth to the rice while cooking, you would invariably get those little "protein and blood precipitates" so that your rice would have little specks in them. At least that is how chicken rice at home usually turns out. So I am not sure what to think when the rice turns out so clean.

Tastewise, it was alright but certainly not exceptional. It was the kind of chicken rice that I could get from a lot of chicken rice stalls nowadays. Carnineviand, the foodie who recommended this stall had already warned me that the standard of the rice here varies. According to him, it is unbeatable on good days, but pretty ordinary on others. I guess I must have come on one of those "ordinary" days. 3.75/5


Half Chicken $15

On the other hand, the chicken here is quite shiok. It's the plump and juicy, city dwelling (as opposed to kampung), voluptuous and sexy type of chicken that I prefer. And the chicken has managed to retain a lot of its "chickeny" flavour since the stall owner here makes it a point not to soak the chicken in ice water for too long and thus wash away all the natural oils and juices. You can just about make out the nice bits of jelly on the surface of the chicken. 4.25/5


Hainanese Pork Chops (Small) $10

Being a traditional Hainanese joint, I just had to try the Hainanese Pork Chops here and I am glad to say that I was not disappointed. They were seasoned well and the there's that light tingly crispiness about it that hints of the fact that they still use crushed cream crackers to coat the pork loin before frying. The only thing lacking is the canned peas which have been replaced with frozen ones. Otherwise, it was pretty enjoyable 4.25/5

Conclusion

Now I am really determined to get to the bottom of this chicken rice conundrum. What constitutes traditional chicken rice? What do chicken rice afficianados look for in a good chicken rice? Is frying the rice before cooking a critical step? And most important of all, where can I find that gold standard plate of chicken rice in Singapore?

Yeo Keng Nam (Traditional) Hainanese Chicken Rice
No 8 Braddell Road
10am to 9pm
Closed on Monday except when PH
62854261, 62854153

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Kwong Satay: Satay with Hokkien Mee, my favourite combination!

This next entry is very risky. Let me explain.

First this satay is relatively unknown. Unlike those famous stalls that a lot of people can attest to, this one I am basing only on my taste buds. Secondly, the satay it is not even made by the stallowner but it is actually sourced from a supplier. So why is it even here in the blog?

Because I do enjoy it and it is situated just beside one of my regular Hokkien Mee haunts. Best thing is that they sell pork satay which is increasingly hard to find. The meat is tender and it is on the sweetish side which I like. The spices of the marinade is fragrant and the citrus punch of the lemongrass is evident. 4/5

For me, the things that I most look forward to eating when I am overseas is, undisputedly, the combination of Hokkien Mee and Satay. I guess it has something to do with my childhood days in Toa Payoh Lor 8 when I would go down to the coffeeshop to buy these two items and then come home to share with my two brothers. Those were the days when the hawker stalls were at the front of the coffeeshop rather than at the back which is very conducive for learning how to prepare hawker dishes like Hokkien Mee. There was never enough to feed 3 hungry boys, so I was always left with the longing for more.

Talking about combinations, the other combination that I really enjoy is Prawn Mee Soup and Ngoh Hiang and of course Laksa with Steamed Chicken. So what other hawker fare combinations do you all enjoy?

Conclusion

Pork Satay and Hokkien Mee combination! Yummm....


Kwong Satay
396 East Coast Road
12pm to 9pm
Closed on Mondays




PS: After being prompted by an anonymous reader I began to do some research on Kwong Satay and realised that actually they are quite an establishment! I am glad that there is supplier of Hainanese style satay which is of a commendable standard. More info can be found on their website www.kwongsatay.com.sg. Found out that they actually use pandan leaves to wrap their ketupat. Must try next time!

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Beach Road Scissor Cut Curry Rice: Sticky, Gooey, Goodness

I would bet that if you brought an Ang Moh friend to eat this Hainanese Curry Rice, he would think you were pulling a quick one on him. It's a plate of rice topped with an unthinkable mixture of gooey chicken curry, braised pork and slimy soft cabbage gravy. If you had never eaten this before, you'd probably be wondering how something that looks like pig's swill could even taste good.

But if you had just finished a 20km road march and had nothing else to eat but dry biscuits and water, this stuff will definitely hit the G-spot.

I also cannot imagine how you can mix curry with lor (braising sauce), but man the concoction sure tastes good. And that is not all, the texture of the gravy is like that of Tau Suan. It's full of corn starch, so it's like eating glue. But when you are famished, that bolus of rice and gravy slides down the oesophagus like engine oil on pistons. It's the quick and tasty way to satisfy your hunger pangs.



Best of all, you can eat everything with just a spoon since they cut up the meat for you with a traditional pair of scissors (don't know where to get these nowadays). Effortless, tasty and simply damn shiok. 4.5/5

Conclusion

Know any Ang Mohs who actually like this stuff?

Beach Road Scissor Cut Curry Rice
Cnr of Jalan Besar and Kitchener Road
11am to 3.30am daily

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Cheng Delicacies: Its what's not on the Board that matters!

With iwatch_ueat, smart and damien

Chicken Chop Curry Rice $4.80

I don't quite agree with the signboard which says that this restaurant serves "Traditional" Hainanese cuisine. To me it was more like Singapore dishes with a Hainanese twist cooked by a typical Hainanese lady. In addition, the dishes have been modified to suit the new generation of Singaporeans.

Take for instance the signature Chicken Chop, curry rice. First it is Chicken Chop and not pork because of the health concerns and the chicken skin has also been taken off, again because of health concerns. So this can't really be called "Traditional" anymore can it?

But anyway, this dish is by far the most popular there with almost every table ordering the one dish meal. The batter is really nice and crispy and it is served piping hot. However, without the skin, the chicken tends to be a little dry. The curry was very good and aromatic and reminded me a little of Japanese Curry. 4/5


Hokkien Mee $12

The real gems of the restaurant though are what is not found on the board. The lady boss/chef has been a passionate cook all her life. So when Mr Cheng retired from his job in an MNC, he decided to open a restaurant to showcase his wife's cooking. They have regulars who come here for the "off the board" menu regularly.

One of the "off the board" gems is the Hokkien Mee which was very very shiok. Mrs Cheng tells me that they do it the traditional way without the use of thickeners. So the noodles are braised in the stock until the gravy thickens. It is a bit more laborious, but the result is a very fragrant and tongue tantalizing dish. It was so good that smart and I finished our plate of Hokkien Mee while waiting for Damien to arrive. Cannot Tahan (resistance was futile). The only problem that day was that they did not have the crispy pork lard, or else it would have been even more outstanding. Still, it was easily the best KL Hokkien Mee this side of the causeway. 4.5/5



The other "off the board" delicacy was this white braised pork. It might not look that appetizing but it was heavenly. The pork was braised till it was sublimely smooth and tender and served with an invigorating garlic and vinegar sauce. Simple but very very satisfying. 4.5/5

Conclusion

Funny that the best KL style Hokkien Mee is found in a "Traditional" Hainanese restaurant! We are told that there are still other "off the board" delicacies that are still waiting to be discovered. If you are a regular there, won't you let us know what they are?

Cheng Delicacies
27 Yong Siak Street
97489135/62237883
Open daily for lunch and dinner

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Thien Kee Steamboat: A Place to hold your Hainanese Clan Dinner?

With the ieatFamily

Hainanese Steamboat set $32

Singapore's Chinese population is made up of 41% Hokkien, 21% Teochew, 15% Cantonese and a mere 5% Hainanese. But when it comes to food, the Hainanese are right up there with their hugely popular Chicken Rice and of course, Singapore's favourite brew, the good old Kopi and Kaya Toast.

Sadly the number of truly authentic Hainanese Restaurants are diminishing and even if they are still around, the food seems to have lost its original taste. Fortunately, there are still places like Thien Kee which are still run by a group of Hainanese men who are still trying to maintain the old Hainanese tradition. I can't personally vouch for the authenticity of the food here, since I have not been around for long enough, but the fact that 80% of the clientèle here are Hainanese should be a good indicator of its authenticity. Plus, I have a Hainanese mother-in-law (HM-i-L) who can also lend some weight to the review.

First up is the Hainanese Steamboat. Everyone enjoyed the fresh ingredients and the tender slices of beef, but frankly I am quite ignorant of what makes a "Hainanese" Steamboat Hainanese. Looks like any other steamboat to me. Basically, served with chicken stock and the usual raw ingredients. Perhaps some of our readers can enlighten us on this? 4/5


Pork Chops $15

The pork chops here are thickly sliced and are really tender and juicy. The portions are generous and it still comes with the traditional canned peas. It is missing the thick cut potato chips though. I felt the pork chops could still do with a bit more ooomph. But still one of the better ones around. 4/5

In trying to be everything Hainanese, this stall also sells Pork Satay. Though the satay is outsourced, it is made to the restaurant's specifications. It was good but not outstanding especially compared to a the one I blogged about recently. 3.75/5



What was outstanding though was the chicken rice. According to my HM-i-L the rice here is fragrant and very authentic. When I asked her what makes it authentic, she said that the rice was broken and tasted like they actually dry fry the rice before steaming it with chicken stock. The texture was a little grainy but very fragrant. True enough, the owner of the stall confirmed that he still insists on frying the rice first before steaming. The chicken was tender with much of the flavour came from the soy sauce that was drizzled over the meat. It was interesting to see the way they tie the chicken with raffia string so they can pull it up when after cooking. 4.25/5



One cannot leave a Hainanese Restaurant without finishing off with some Hainanese kopi right? Both ieatMama and HM-i-L are kopi lovers and both gave their thumbs up for the kopi here. Fragrant, smooth, non-acidic with lots of body. Gulp -- Smack -- Ahhhh! 4.25/5

Conclusion

Good place of an inexpensive family lunch. The parking is very convenient and the restaurant is comfortable. Food wise, not any single item to really rave about, but overall, it was a satisfying and enjoyable meal.

Golden Mile Thien Kee Steamboat
B1-20 Beach Road Golden Mile Tower
62985891/62935910

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Chuan Kee Satay: Authentic Hainanese Pork Satay!

After over a year of blogging, I must admit that I am getting a little spoilt. It is getting harder and harder to find dishes that really make me go "Phwa Say!!" I guess the threshold to delight keeps getting higher and higher because once you have tested the best, the rest just don't thrill anymore.

Fortunately, there are still many gems out there just waiting to be found. And finding this satay was a "Holy Grail" experience after quite a long lull period.



The elderly couple manning this stall told me that they have been dishing out their satay for almost 50 years. The uncle started out by helping his father sell satay when he was just 5 years old along the streets of Geylang. Back then, satays were 5 cents per stick and they were not as popular as they are now.

This is traditional Hainanese style satay which means Pork Satay served with a peanut gravy that comes with a pineapple slush. The flowery bouquet from the freshly grilled skewers was too much of an unbearable tease and the first bite of the satay was like getting infatuated all over again. The meat is really tender and coated with spicy golden syrup that hinted strongly of lemongrass and coriander. Fantastic. 4.75/5



I remembered as a kid, pork satay used to come in 5 sections. Meat, fat, meat, fat, meat. This one only had 3 sections. Meat, fat, meat. I thought it might be because they cut down on the fat because of health concerns, but the uncle told me that this is the "pattern" that they have kept for as long as he can remember. Ok, the fat makes the satay really juicy and delicious but do remember to always eat in moderation ok?

Conclusion

Heavenly pork satay. I must admit that I have not eaten such tasty Pork Satay, at least not for a very long time. Now before I get carried away, I must warn you that the waiting time on the weekend is around 45 minutes and while I was queuing, a young lady was bitterly complaining that the chicken satay she just had was not worth the wait. OK, so I am only vouching for the Pork Satay not the chicken. My advice is to head straight for the stall, order your satay and go eat other stuff while you wait. And make sure you order more than enough. It was so good, I came back to reorder some more and that meant more waiting!

Chuan Kee Satay
Old Airport Road Food Centre
#01-85
6pm until sold out around 10pm
Closed Mon and Thurs
Sunday opened at 1pm

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YY Kafei Dian: Authentic Hainanese Fare?

I really don't know why Hainanese Food has such an effect on me. I am not sure if it is the nostalgia attached to it since I have so many fond memories of old Hainanese Coffee Houses like Silver Spoon and Cairnhill Steakhouse. Many Hainanese men worked on "Ang Moh" ships where they learnt how to cook western dishes. When they arrived in Singapore, they modified their cooking to suit our local tastes. If you think that fusion cuisine is a modern phenomenon, then you should really consider Hainanese style food and think again.



Don't you think that Hainanese Pork Chops is fusion cuisine? Essentially it is a Pork Schnitzel seasoned to suit local tastes and served with Pototo Chips and Peas. I am a big fan of Hainanese Pork Chops. So much so that there is even a special label for this particular dish. One of our readers, jcys, alerted me to this particular one which he described as "old fashioned killer" pork chops.

What I like about the pork chops is that instead of bread crumbs they still use the crushed up "Jacobs" Cream Crackers for the crust which is how it is done traditionally. This really makes the crust just that much more crispy. The other thing I like is that instead of using Pork Loin, they use the Pork Neck (I think) which is the same cut used for Sweet and Sour Pork (Ku Rou Yoke). This cut of meat tends to be more juicy, chewy and flavoursome. So overall, I would say this is one Pork Chop that you'd need to add to your list of must trys. 4.25/5

The Hainanese Chap Chye here is good but still pales in comparison with my all time favourite over at Chin Chin. It did not have enough of the cuttlefish flavour which I really enjoy. 3.75/5



The Chicken Rice here is pretty standard for Chicken Rice nowadays. The chicken is soft and succulent even though they cook it till the marrow is dark red color. That really gives more assurance that I will not be getting salmonella poisoning after eating it. (Yeah, Doctors think like that) As you can see from the picture, they are able to cook the chicken such that there is a nice layer of gelatine under the skin which is a real plus point for me. The rice is good but nothing much to rave about. 4/5



One of the dishes which we were pleasantly delighted with was the Crispy Sotong. The batter has a very nice spicy vanilla flavour to it that reminded me of cereal prawns. It goes really well with the plain Chicken Rice. 4.5/5



Although YY Kafei Dian is probably most famous for these Soft Kaya Buns, there are other traditional Hainanese Desserts that they serve on weekends that we did not get to try. One is the Arh Buah which is similar to the more familiar Muah Chee. Guess I have to make a return trip for this.

The buns are all baked on the premises and are super soft. I think that for these type of buns, one really goes for the texture. I found the buns was rather plain and the crust too light and dry for me. It was not the savoury buttery style buns like Chin Mei Chin or Gideon. Amagada really loved it though. 4/5

Conclusion

It was a great after Church lunch for the extended family. We all had chicken rice, several dishes and finished it off with Kopi and Kaya buns and still had change for $50. When I was there I spied that they had a Hainanese Kong Bak which looked like quite a killer dish, (in more ways than one) and one of the guys in the adjacent table was raving about it. So looks we'll be back one of these days.

YY Kafei Dian
37 Beach Road #01-01
8am to 10.30pm Daily

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