Rubiah Muslim Food: To get your Sotong Roe, you need to get past the Nazi

With Smart, Sumosumo, Wahcow, Cactuskit, ijeff, chocolate and PK


If you enjoy Sotong with roe, you are going to like this post.

This is a stall that is frequented by Cactuskit and it has a perpetual queue outside the stall from the time they start selling. Now, I am not a big fan of Sotong, much less Sotong with roe. But our kakis that day, especially Sumosumo and Smart were all going on about this Sotong that I had to go buy a plate of rice just to be able to take a photo and find out what the fuss was all about.



I guess it is not easy to find a place that almost guarantees that you will get a Sotong that is full of roe. I found it amazing that the three or four servings that we ordered were all full of roe, much to the delight of our kakis. To me it was a 4.25/5, sumosumo gave it a 4.5/5 and Smart a 4.75/5. So I guess this is one dish that depends on whether you really like Sotong roe.



What I really did enjoy was the pennuts with ikan bilis which was excellent here, as was the bergedil. The Sayoh Lodeh was quite average. Cactuskit was also raving about the Assam Fish here.


Be nice to this lady or you might not get your Sotong with Roe!

Now the Malay lady behind the counter is perpetually stressed and sweating away but she's actually quite personable when you talk to her. However, in order to get to her, you will have to get past the Food Nazi who stands guard at the door taking orders. I won't say that she is particularly nasty, but just very pragmatic and bent on taking your orders without wanting to engage in small talk. If you don't believe me, just try asking her with a big grin on your face whether she can make sure that your sotong will be full of roe! ;)

Conclusion

As I alluded to in my opening sentence, if you like Sotong with Roe, you will definitely want to make a beeline to this stall, but just make sure you behave yourself when you are making your orders! You have been warned.

Note: I use the term "Food Nazi" in a very tongue in cheek manner. Food Nazis are not really that nasty, they are really people with a heart of gold but just lack the ability to express it. To read about other the Hawker Food Nazis please click here

Rubiah Muslim Food
Whampoa Food Centre
Stall 34
10am to 6pm
Closed on Sundays

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The ieatishootipost East Coast Lagoon Satay Challenge!

One of the things that really frustrates me every time I visit East Coast Lagoon FC is the fact that I never really know which of the 10 Malay style satay stalls is really the best. I always end up ordering randomly from whoever does the best touting that night. Sure, there is Haron 30 satay (Stall 55) which is the one that a lot of people recommend, but having tasted it a few times, I remain unconvinced that it is really the best one there. I have this niggly feeling that there is a better Satay around just waiting to be discovered.

So, being a Scienty Fienty(as opposed to Arty Farty) type of a guy, there was only one solution to the problem and that is to do an experiment -- A Randomised, Double Blinded, Controlled Trial (yeah right) to find out which Satay is indeed the best.

Test Design

What I did was to mobilize a dozen test subjects, order Satays from every stall there and taste test each one to find out whether there is a clear favourite. Our unwitting but intrepid test subjects are all experts in their own rights, each with at least 20 years of experience in eating. Of course that's just counting biological age. The true "eating" age of some of them far exceeds their biological age as evidenced from the subcutaneous storage of unused calories.

Unfortunately for us, 3 of the stalls were closed that night, so we sampled Satays only from the following stalls: 49, 50,51, 55, 56, 58, 60.

We decided only to taste test Chicken Satays since that is the most popular choice. 10 sticks of Satays were ordered from each stall and each judge graded both the Satay and the quality of the peanut sauce.



Here then are our panel of Satay judges: From the far left: who, jems, khim, Melbournite, TeochewHKer, carnineviand, khim(again!), holydrummer, holybunny, holybro, J-star and Dodo. Big round of applause for them who unselfishly sacrificed their calories so that you can save yours! Clap clap clap clap!


The Aftermath

You would think that with 10 Satay stalls all competing for the same customers, that competition would be stiff. But the unfortunate truth is that a lot of them taste quite similar and most of them were quite lack lustre. Our judges were penning down more phrases like "terrible, no taste at all, not marinated enough", than adoring accolades.



There was however a real difference in the quality and style of the Satay gravy that was provided. These ranged from "watery, burnt nutty taste to "consistent" and "can taste peanut" You can appreciate from the picture just how wide a difference there was.

Three of the seven stalls sampled procured their Satays from suppliers, but some make it a point to cook their own peanut sauce. It seemed to me that the sellers are trying to differentiate their products with their sauces rather then on the Satay itself.


Chicken Satay from the winning stall

The good news is that there was a clear winner that night (with only a minority opposing). Our judges rated this Satay as "Tender and plump, grill taste good and can taste the chicken".



The accompanying peanut sauce was thick and chunky with generous amount of coarsely ground peanuts. The interesting thing is that the Satay from this stall comes from a supplier, but they do cook their own peanut sauce. And the other interesting thing is they are actually an Ikan Bakar cum Satay stall rather than a specialised Satay stall!

So, without much ado, let me present Musa Ikan Bakar Stall -- winner of the ieatishootipost East Coast Lagoon Satay Challenge. 4/5

Musa Ikan Bakar Stall
51 East Coast Lagoon FC
Open 4pm till late
Closed on Mondays
64422976



Post Mortem

Personally, I still feel that the overall standard of the Satay here can and should have been better. The problem is that there are so many stalls and no clear favourite, each stall does well enough just by enticing the passersby with their perfunctory "Satay sir?". They don't see the need to put in effort on their part to improve their Satay. Think about it, every stall we ate at literally serves the same chunky thigh meat Satay. No one thought about maybe adding the chicken skin, or even doing Chicken Mince like the legendary Fat Man Satay of the old esplanade Satay club. It is just complacency mixed with contentment - a lethal concoction for blah food.

Then, there is this funny thing amongst Singaporeans about not wanting chicken skin in their Satay. I am not saying that eating chicken skin is good for you. You should not eat too much of it especially if you have high cholesterol levels or are overweight. What I am saying is that the same people who frown at eating chicken skin in Satay are also happily munching away at BBQ chicken wings, chicken rice and wagyu beef . It's a form of gastronomic hypocrisy that has permeated our society.

I think that is what most Satay sellers assume.

As a result, you don't see any chicken skin in Satays in Singapore whereas they are still widely available in Malaysia. And then we all complain that the Satay is better across the causeway.

Satay is one of the "must try" dishes in the minds of many tourist that visit Singapore. Yet I can't even name one great Satay in any of the "Satay Clubs" at East Coast Lagoon or Lau Pa Sat! It is truly a great disappointment, but also a great opportunity for some enterprising young entrepreneur to rise to the challenge and give us a "die die must try" Satay for us all to enjoy.

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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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Noor Jannah's Kitchen: Bone Steak Hor Fun Anyone?

With fashionfoodie, bashful hunter, carnineviand, khim and friends


The good people from Noor Jannah's who were responsible for the Prata Bomb, have just moved to their new location at Jalan Masjid. As you would recall in the previous post, the neighbours were complaining about the smoke from the BBQ pit and as a result they couldn't grill their satay outside anymore. So they actually moved to another location and starting doing this Bone Steak Hor Fun which became a big hit after it was featured in the Suria Channel. When the owners of the coffeeshop saw how successful they were, they decided to take back the coffeeshop and run it themselves. As a result, this nice Malay couple found themselves having to move again. So now they have settled in Jalan Masjid, a place where they can panggang their Satay in the open and lead a Kampung like existence, hopefully for a long time.

I really enjoy eating at Noor Jannah's because they are not afraid of experimenting with new things. The raisin bomb, cheese bomb came into existence because of our zany experimentations and the bone steak hor fun became a reality because of the Satay Man's (Sha) secret fantasies.

This is my very first review of a Malay Cze Char. In fact, it is the first time I am eating Malay Cze Char. With all due respect to our Muslim readers, I have never really thought of eating Halal Cze Char because I had always assumed that there was no way Halal Cze Char can be that good since they don't use any pork to cook. However, I was proved wrong as the Hor Fun turned out to be quite tasty and I dare say better than a lot of Chinese Cze Char Hor Fun. Our group felt that the Hor Fun deserved a 4/5 even though it still lacked that elusive wok hei flavour. We were however not quite sure about the combination of Bone Steak and Hor Fun. The taste was just too jarring for our liking. However, it might appeal to people who love the strong taste of mutton. Guess it's something you will have to try for yourself!



If you like Malay Style Mee Goreng, then we would recommend you this particular one. Before this, I only know of Indian and Chinese Mee Goreng. Fashionfoodie told me that this version is the Malay version, which was more like the Chinese version but is more savoury than sweet. He gave the Mee Goreng a 4.25/5.



We confirm that you can now find the raisin and cheese bomb here and the good olde prata man from Malaysia is also resident. So this is going to be my regular prata spot since it is close to home. They have also introduce coin pratas which are mini pratas the size of a drink coaster. At six pieces for $2, it's great for the kids but a heck of a lot of work for $2 if you ask me. 4.25/5



Finally, my favourite (Malay) satay has found a home in the East. Not just I say, but the rest of my makankakis who are tasting the satays for the very first time also agree that the satays here are really good. Sha uses only thigh meat and they are big enough to remain juicy after grilling. We all agreed that it deserved a 4.5/5 You can also get beef tripe satay here, though it was a little too soft that evening and only scored a 3/5. However, Sha has informed me that he has already rectified the problem, so it should be much better now.

Like most Muslim 24 hour joints, the coffeeshop also serves a lot of other stuff. Frizz grill is also here for those looking for western food in the middle of the night. They also have a stalls selling Naan Bread and Ayam Penyat. Located in close proximity to two other 24 hour Muslim eateries, this stretch along Upper Changi Road is fast becoming a hub for those looking to satisfy their hunger 24/7.

Conclusion

To my surprise, Malay Cze Char actually turned out to be quite good. You'll just have to try the bone steak Hor Fun out for yourself to determine if you like it. The place has got a laid back kampong charm to it and coupled with a very good Prata and Satay, I can see myself having supper here quite often.

Noor Jannah's Kitchen
2 Jalan Masjid
90373623
Opened till very late for now
Open 24hrs soon
Disclosure: This was an invited review

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Malay Kuih: Lontong Shiok Ah!

With Amagada


My wife insists that I need to blog this particular lontong because it is in her words "to die for". Yeah, she's been going on about this lontong for months. She has it for breakfast almost every Saturday without fail just before doing her weekly grocery shopping. She even brought mum there and mum ended up going there mid-week to get her lontong fix. So, like any good husband, I followed my wife's instructions and brought my camera to blog the place.......after much incessant "persuading".

So what's lontong anyway? I see it as a sort of reverse rice dish. The usual way to eat rice is to have the rice on a plate and put the gravy on top. In lontong, you have the gravy on a plate and you put the rice on top. Ok it may be a stretch of the imagination, but lontong is essentially compressed rice in a spicy coconut gravy yah?

Anyway the lontong here is really quite good. I haven't really been big on lontong but I would have to say that this one is pretty darn good. The gravy is just about right. Not too spicy or too rich, such that you can really drink it all up. The best part is the way the soft rice blends with the gravy and the kerisik (fried grated coconut). My wife insists that it is a 4.5/5 and all you husbands out there (who wish to enjoy a peaceful existence) would agree with me that it is best to just give a nod and say "Yes Dear".



Anyway, apart from the lontong, the stall also sells a variety of homemade, traditional kuihs which are quite good. They have tapioca cakes, kuih kosui, doughnuts and many others. The kuih kosui was specially good. It had just the right texture, springy yet creamy at the same time and just about the right amount of sweetness.

Conclusion

Have not really looked into Singapore's most famous and tastiest lontong but I have to say that this one is good enough to be included in such a list.

Malay Kuih
Banquet Food Court
Blk 217 Bedok North St 1
8.30am to 10pm daily

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Sabar Menanti II: Good things come to those who wait patiently

Ayam Opor $2

Sabar Menanti roughly means "Good things come to those who wait patiently". This is quite misleading because one hardly has to wait patiently for a plate of Nasi Padang unless of course the queue is very long. Even though the stall is called Sabar Menanti II, it is quite different from the original Sabar Menanti just across the road at Kandahar Street. Having tasted the food from both stalls, I would say that this is one restaurant where the offshoot is better than the original.

Now, let's get back to my Chicken Korma trail.

The problem with Chicken Korma is that there are several names attached to this dish so there is a bit of confusion over whether you are really ordering the right stuff. This stall calls the dish Opor Ayam but the gravy tastes like the Ayam Korma that I was expecting. The one at Warong Pariman is simply known as Ayam Pangang. Would our Nasi Padang specialists please enlighten us on the finer aspects of this dish?

Whatever you might call it, I call this dish SHIOK! Oh yes, the gravy here is great and almost like the one I remember at the original Rendezvous Restaurant. Oooohhhh, spoon the gravy over the Bergedil and I would gladly trade my Ribeye steak with you. (NZ Ribeye but not Wagyu yeah?) The creamy, green chilli and tumeric scented gravy is definitely one of the top ten yummiest tastes in my books! 4.5/5


Beef Rendang $2

Now Beef Rendang also comes in many different styles. This one is the dry type with chunks of tender beef coated with a fragrant spicy paste spiked by Kaffir Lime and Tumeric leaves that gives it a nice spicy-citrus flavour. This is great with rice but you get even more ooomph out of it if you put it in pita bread with cucumber raita. 4.25/5



Bergedil 50cent each

Bergedil is one of my favourite food and I can down half a dozen of these especially when I have the Ayam Opor gravy to drown it in. Mak Cik uses the yellow and creamy Holland potatoes to make the Bergedil, so it's real sweet and creamy. Simple dish it may be, but it delivers maximum satisfaction especially if they are served freshly fried. 4.5/5

Conclusion

A plate of rice, half a dozen bergedil and a big plate of Ayam Opor equals max-oooomph for me!

Sabar Menanti II
747 North Bridge Road
(Jn Jln Kledek)
6am to 5pm
Closed on Sundays and PH

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Warong Sudi Mampir: Satay Legend!

This is one of those satay stalls that don't need to open at night and closes 2 days a week. I think that says it all. At 3pm in the afternoon, almost every table in front of the stall has a plate of satay in front of them and they they BBQ satays non-stop to fulfill the take home orders of hundred sticks or more.

Curious? I certainly was. It is my first time at the stall, and I was keen to give my tastebuds a treat.

I asked the Pak Cik which type of Satay was the "die die must try" one, to which he answered without even a split second of hesitation, "Tripe"

Ooohhh, never tried that either. Sometimes it is good to have had a deprived foodie childhood. I still get to try things for the very first time!



What I like about this satay is the marinade and the good thing about tripe is that it really absorbs the marinade very well, so that you can taste the zesty lemon grass and other spices in the meat. 4.5/5 What I don't like is the fact that they use chicken breast meat for the chicken satay. 3.5/5 It would have been a killer if they used thigh meat and dare I say, some chicken skin. I found the mutton a little on the tough side but still very yummy. 4/5 The satay sauce was also very commendable. Lots of chunky peanuts and very sedap (tasty)!

Conclusion

Really nice marinade and satay sauce. For me it would have been better if they used chicken thigh meat instead of breast, but I feel that the nature of breast meat does allow the flavour of the marinade to come through more than thigh meat.

Warong Sudi Mampir
Blk 14 Haig Road Food Centre
#01-19
64440167
Weekdays 10.30am to 7pm
Weekends 10.30am to 5pm
Closed Wed & Thursdays

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Hajjah Meriam Family Stall: Has Anyone tried this Kentang Ball?

Now this is a novel dish. I have never eaten this before so I don't have a gold standard to compare it to. Maybe our readers can shed a bit of light on where the really good ones are?

Anyway, the dish consists of mashed potato about the size of a cricket ball filled with minced beef inside. The whole thing is deep fried in a batter and then served in a bowl of spicy chicken soup.



Something new for me. The taste of the dish is pretty predictable. Imagine eating mashed potato and minced beef and essentially you have it. Certainly worth a try if you haven't had it before. 4/5



After my recent disappointment with the famous Roti John at Serangoon Way FC, I was understandably apprehensive about Roti John, not wanting to have to grieve all over again so soon after my last tragedy. But thankfully, my faith in the good old Roti John has been restored by the one served here.

The crust was toasted till it was light and crispy and the savoury minced mutton in the omelette was adequately spiced and delicious. They also serve it was a great homemade sweet chilli sauce. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Always delighted to try something new, but I don't really have a craving for the Kentang Ball anytime soon. The Roti John is definitely one of the better ones around.

Hajjah Meriam Family Stall
Blk 14 Haig Road Food Centre
#01-15
2pm to 10pm daily

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Putu Piring: The Lord of the Pirings!

Putu Piring 3 for $1

Do you remember the old Singapore Wonderland? I remember the small rollercoaster with the head of a lion in front of it. That coaster, together with Van Kleef aquarium (ie National Theatre) were iconic of Singapore in the 70's (for a 6 year old boy at least). I can still remember visiting Wonderland at night. I don't know if it is just because I was a kid, but Singapore nights seem to be cooler then. The best things to eat on a cool night were steaming hot peanuts and Kueh Tutu (Putu Piring).

The Kueh Tutu almost went out of fashion in the 80s (around then) but thankfully, like the handmade Paus, Gen Xers who grew up eating the traditional foods took it upon themselves to re-introduce the old favourites to a new generation.

Putu Piring is essentially the Malay version of Kueh Tutu. According to the friendly uncle at the stall, this dessert has its origins in India. The Malay version uses gula melaka for the filling and is served with grated coconut whiles the Chinese version ie Kueh Tutu, contains grated coconut and peanut filling and is generally smaller in size.



This uncle has been running the stall for 14 years. He used to be in the building industry and was involved in many hotels. It was during this time that he learned the art of kueh making by observing the many Hotel Chefs that he had to work with. After several attempts and experimentation, he finally arrived at the perfect recipe for his Putu Piring.

There is a perpetual queue of people outside the stall even at 3pm in the afternoon, but the hardworking staff are always cheerful and friendly. Guys should be especially careful about ordering from the amorous, circumferentially enhanced lady who is always after the handsome son of the owner and every other guy for that matter!



Now this picture really tells it all. Who can resist the finest grade Gula Melaka (from Malacca of course) oozing out of the kueh when it is piping hot? It is a wonder to behold and certainly not something you want to wait till you get home to eat. 4.75/5

Conclusion

Can a Putu Piring get much better then this?

One Piring to rule them all,
One Piring that leads them,
One Piring above them all,
With a Gula that beats them.

~The Lord of the Pirings~

Putu Piring
Banquet Food Centre
Blk 12 Haig Road
96883067
Daily 12noon to 10.30pm
closed on the 2nd Tuesday of the month

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Sinar Pagi Nasi Padang; Bukit Tinggi Style Nasi Padang: Geylang Serai Temp Mkt Part 5 of 5

With liverpool and iwatch_ueat


I am no expert in Nasi Padang. For me Nasi Padang is the stuff that Rendesvous Restaurant used to dish out in the good old days. What I really liked about Nasi Padang is the yellow green curry chicken whose name can range from Chicken Korma to Opor Ayam depending on who you talk to. I remembered the curry had this particular taste that was really shiok.

Anyway while walking around the Geylang Serai Temp Mkt, we spied this stall with lots of recommendations stuck on the front, so we decided to try out the food on your behalf. ( : ) Yah like its such a big sacrifice!)

The Chicken Bumbu (Fried chicken with fried grated coconut aka Kerisik) was good but as with all fried chicken it needs to be taken fresh. The piece we got was one of the last pieces so it was a tad dry. The Kerisik was quite good though. 3.5/5



One of the dishes I would order again is the Chicken Rendang. The gravy has got that special oomph about it and went very well with the rice. Liverpool liked it immensely. 4/5



Begedil (mashed potato) is one of my favourite dishes. A good begedil is made from local potatoes which tend to be buttery and slightly sweet. The potatoes should roughly pound so that it is still a little chunky and it should be moist and savoury on the inside. This one fulfills the above criteria and is quite agreeable. 4/5



The stallowner was explaining to me that one of the the differences between Padang food and Malay food is difference in condiments used. This is their version of the Sambal. It is not as well fried as the Malay Sambal so it's tastes a bit lighter.

Conclusion

As I said, I am no Nasi Padang expert. I found the food delicious and nice enough to include in this series of blogs. So can I ask our Nasi Padang experts to write in your comments please!


Sinar Pagi Nasi Padang
#01-353 Geylang Serai Temp Mkt
9am-10.30pm daily
Off: Every fortnight on Mon and Thurs

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