The new Whampoa Drive Food Centre

Whampoa has quite a few well-known food stalls in the food centres (spanning across two blocks). The food centres were recently renovated, and are now cleaner, brighter and more airy. When I visited the new Whampoa Food Centre, I was pleased to note that several of the famous stalls were still around. Some of the stalls maintained the same storefront, like the Hokkien Mee stall, and so was instantly recognisable. Of course, the queues in front of the popular stalls made them much easier to spot as well.

I didn't have any particular stall in mind, but I not in the mood to queue. I saw that there were quite a number of people ordering from the Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee/Fried Kway Teow stall. Even better, there wasn't a queue because the stallholder would deliver the food to the table. I decided to order a plate of char kway teow (炒粿条).

Char kway teow (炒粿条)

The char kway teow didn't look particularly attractive, because it was just all brown. But I thought it tasted pretty decent. It wasn't really good, but it was a good, satisfying plate of char kway teow. And I know there are many stalls that could have done much worse. The char kway teow is the sweet, local version, and is served with cockles, squid, prawns and beansprouts. The seafood used were fresh and cooked just nice, so they definitely helped make this plate of char kway teow rather enjoyable.

While looking around for dessert, I found a new stall called Sugar O/甜品. The Mango Tango looked interesting, so I decided to give it a shot.

Mango Tango

The Mango Tango was nice, but it really could have been better if it had been served with more mango syrup. As it was, part of the ice were just plain ice shavings, and even after mixing the ice, I thought it was a little bland. The ice cream, though, was good. It was smooth and creamy and had a pleasant mango flavour. The ingredients were also substantial, so it was quite value for money, though maybe a little expensive for "hawker food". I'd definitely like the try some other creations by the friendly lady boss.

Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee/Fried Kway Teow
#01-59

Link: HungryGoWhere

Sugar O/甜品
Blk 90 Whampoa Drive
#01-18
Whampoa Drive Food Centre (map)
Singapore 320090

Paper hot pot noodles and red bean dessert

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

Xin Wang Hong Kong Kitchen

Despite the cha chan teng (茶餐厅), or Hong Kong café, craze that hit Singapore a few years ago, I haven't actually caught on to it. So when my dining partner suggested Xin Wang (新旺) Hong Kong Kitchen at White Sands shopping centre, I agreed.

There weren't the usual Hong Kong café food items like pastas and baked rice. Instead, this outlet sold mostly Hong Kong cuisine. We both ordered the Shrimp Dumpling Noodles in soup (水饺面汤), Iced Milk Tea and a Strawberry Snow Ice.

Iced Milk Tea - $2.90

Our iced milk teas came first. It was actually quite a small cup, and filled to the brim with ice cubes. But the taste... oh... the taste... This was probably the best iced milk tea I've ever had, and beats one of my favourites from a coffee shop in Simpang Bedok.

Shrimp Dumpling Noodles in soup - $6

It doesn't look like much, nor taste like much either. Still, it really isn't their fault since there's really little you can do with soup and noodles. The noodles were good, as they should be - the springy HK-style noodles. The shrimp dumplings tasted pretty good, but I thought the skin was a little on the thick and soggy side, which was a bit of a let-down.

Strawberry Snow Ice - $5.90

This gigantic abomination arrived at our table. You can see the cup of iced milk tea behind on the left. Yes, this thing is huge. Shaved ice packed very tight, drizzled with generous amount of strawberry syrup and condensed milk, plus a scoop of ice cream placed precariously on the top, and "garnished" with jelly and attap chee (attap seeds). This is a really sweet dessert (well, duh...) so consider yourself warned. I did enjoy it, because the strawberry syrup was really good. Don't attempt to eat it by yourself though. Unless you have a really good appetite and are immune to brain freeze.

It was an enjoyable meal, and I especially enjoyed the iced milk tea and strawberry snow ice. Service was generally good - the waitstaff were courteous and seemed friendly enough. I don't think I'd really crave to return to this place, but I sure wouldn't mind returning if the opportunity arises.

Xin Wang Hong Kong Kitchen (website)
1 Pasir Ris Central Street 3
#01-14 White Sands Shopping Centre (map)
Singapore 518457
Phone: 6583 3611

Links: HungryGoWhere | Yum.sg