Buangkok. This place will always remind me of the White Elephant Incident. Step out of the Buangkok MRT Station now, and you will be faced with Kopitiam City (well, unless you got off at the other exit, then all you will see is an empty field). Kopitiam City can be considered a mini-town centre, and is managed by Kopitiam Group, which own the Kopitiam chain of food courts around Singapore. There are two food courts there (one non-air conditioned), as well as two restaurants and several retail shops.
I'd originally wanted to try the mee rebus at the non-air conditioned Kopitiam, but the stall was shut. My dining partner then suggested the air-conditioned Kopi Food Court. The place definitely looked a little classier than the average food court. And I liked that it felt pretty spacious too (a vast difference from the non-air conditioned one just several steps away). After surveying the food stalls, I decided to go with the popular vote, and ordered from the noodle stall called 唐人街 Noodle House. I had the Hot Pot Noodles (唐人锅面) for the novelty of it. Unlike mini pot noodles (小锅面), this was served in a paper hot pot, like the Japanese kaminabe.
Hot Pot Noodles (唐人锅面) - $4.50
There was quite a variety of ingredients, including a dumpling and a slice of abalone(?), as well as the usual sliced pork, minced meat and pork liver among others.
The noodles was served with a fried dumpling and a strip of pork chop.
Unfortunately, I think my noodles had too much chilli paste. After stirring my noodles, they looked a very dark brown colour (whereas my dining partner's noodles was not that dark). I can stand spiciness, but not saltiness, and the saltiness was the problem for me. It was a waste, really, because it could have been a good bowl of noodles if the amount of chilli paste was cut down.
The novelty of the paper hot pot, and the ingredients used differentiate this from the usual mini pot noodles. And at $4.50, it is no more expensive than mini pot noodles sold in food courts. I'd like to return to the stall again some day to try the other dishes. And hopefully with the right amount of chilli in my noodles.
For dessert, I ordered a bowl of Red Bean Milk Ice (红豆奶冰).
Red Bean Milk Ice (红豆奶冰) - $1.90
It didn't really look like what was shown on the signboard, but, wow. I absolutely loved it. The red beans were soft, but not overly so. And they tasted great, not like the tasteless mush or overly-sweetened type that some dessert stalls use. The shaved ice was drenched in evaporated milk, and went perfectly well with the red beans. This is such a simple dessert, yet just so delicious. I can't believe I've never eaten this before! I have a new favourite dessert!
This was my second trip to Buangkok, and it was certainly a worthwhile trip. The Hot Pot Noodles was an interesting alternative to the usual mini pot noodles, and I suspect my overly-salty noodles was a genuine mistake and not the norm. But I'll definitely be back for the Red Bean Milk Ice, which, at $1.90, is actually rather good value.
唐人街 Noodle House
The Dessert Shop
Blk 277C Compassvale Link
#01-13 (map)
Kopi Food Court
Singapore 543277
