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

Hougang Fried Oyster: The hidden pearl

This stall in Hougang is perhaps one of the hidden gems of Singapore hawkers. In my opinion, this husband and wife pair serve one of the best orh luah (fried oyster omelette; 蚝煎) around. It has everything that makes orh luat so sinful, yet delightful, to eat - crispy bits of starch as well as chewy parts, generous portions of eggs and of course, the most important ingredients, the big, juicy oysters. The only real problem I have with this stall is the consistency.

Orh luah (Fried oyster omelette) - $3

Thankfully, I went on a good day, with the large, juicy oysters and crispy portions of starch. The garlic & chilli mix was a perfect mix of sweet and sour.

The char kway teow here is fried local style, which is a wetter, sweeter version with dark soy sauce.

Char kway teow (Fried kway teow) - $2.50

The char kway teow was not as good as the previous times that I've eaten. It was a little on the bland side, and there wasn't that nice burnt taste (called wok hei). Still, it was a generous portion, and better than the average char kway teow around.

This is still my favourite stall for orh luah. And since I'm there already, I'll order the char kway teow as well, making it a very, very unhealthy meal. But very, very satisfying indeed.

Please note that the stall will be closed from mid-October, and will reopen from 1st November at Blk 435A Hougang Avenue 8 (map).

Hougang Fried Oyster (后港蠔煎)
Blk 9 Hougang Avenue 7 (map)
Singapore 530009

Fei Fei Wanton Mee - Money fly away

There are two kinds of wanton mee (云吞面) you can get in Singapore. The first is local style, with the thicker, softer noodles and thick, dark soya sauce or tomato ketchup and red chilli sauce. The second is the Hong Kong noodles style, with the translucent, springier noodles and a light, watery sauce. Personally, my preference is for Hong Kong-style noodles, perhaps because I have been eating local-style wanton mee from young and have grown tired of it.

A while back, I read that Fei Fei Wanton Mee (飞飞云吞面) is a "must-try" for any wanton mee lover, and yet I had not eaten from there before, so one day, we headed to Joo Chiat to see what was so great about this Fei Fei Wanton Mee. Now, it is important that if you want to go on a food hunt, that you do your research carefully first. Unfortunately, we didn't, so instead of going to 62 Joo Chiat Place, we ended up at 72 Joo Chiat Place, simply because we passed that first. The shop at 72 is actually called 炎記飛飛雲吞面大王 (simpl.: 炎记飞飞云吞面大王). Like Dr. Leslie Tay of ieatishootipost, we were actually at the franchised stall, and not the original.

Of course, we didn't know that at the time. And since we went all the way to Joo Chiat for the famed wanton mee, we ordered the big portion.

Wanton mee (云吞面) - $3.50 (big)

This was what was served to us. It doesn't look like much. I gave my noodles a stir.

No, it certainly isn't much. First, the noodles. No, I didn't think it was all that great. Yes, it's better than most of the local-style noodles, that's for sure. But it wasn't that much better. The chilli sauce is supposed to go with the noodles, of course. But again, I didn't think the chilli was all that great. I actually thought it was a little too salty, and being a chilli lover, I felt it lacked the spicy "oomph". So, chilli plus noodles didn't help too. Next, the wantons were tiny. It would not be an exaggeration to say they were the size of, say, macadamia nuts. They tasted alright, but there were just too few of the tiny wantons. And the char siew (barbecued pork / 叉烧) was not even barbecued. I guess my opinion of this bowl of wanton mee is pretty clear by now. There wasn't a single redeeming factor. Above average noodles and an average chilli sauce do not make outstanding noodles. That, coupled with the meagre and substandard ingredients makes this $3.50 bowl of noodles a rip-off.

We also ordered a portion of hei zho (fried prawn roll).

Hei zho (fried prawn roll / 虾枣) - $6

This has got to be the most expensive hei zho I've eaten. The photo shows the portion. If the hei zho were good, it would have been money well spent. Unfortunately, it wasn't. The hei zho was (re-)fried after being cut into pieces, which I really dislike because it usually results in the filling being overcooked, and it was the case. It also destroyed the taste of the filling, and so I felt like I was eating flour instead of meat and prawns. I have eaten better and cheaper hei zho.

When I started this blog, I wanted to be different, to be objective. I wanted to be fair as well. Perhaps I went on a bad day. Perhaps I had too high expectations. Perhaps it was simply because I wasn't at the original stall. I certainly did not enjoy my meal at all, and I have absolutely no reason to return. I am even hesitant of trying the original stall. Instead, I might just stick to my usual stall in Dunman Road Food Centre.

Fei Fei Wanton Mee (炎記飛飛雲吞面大王)
72 Joo Chiat Place (map)
Singapore 427789

Also, the original:
Fei Fei Wanton Mee (飛飛雲吞面)
62 Joo Chiat Place
Sin Wah Coffeeshop (map)
Singapore 427785

Links: HungryGoWhere

Koo Kee Dumpling & Ramen House

I find it surprising that good Chinese cuisine - and I mean the China stuff, not local - hasn't made much progress into our food centres and coffee shops. Sure, once in a while, there's a stall that sells Chinese la mian (拉面), or maybe a stall that sells xiao long bao (小笼包) and guo tie (pan-fried dumplings, 锅贴), but if you really want to go Chinese, you'd have to step into a restaurant. (Maybe I just haven't discovered such a food stall yet.) Din Tai Fung (鼎泰丰) is, of course, a rather well-known restaurant. Granted, the food there is pretty decent, but my experiences have always been ruined by the "fast-food" feel that the waitstaff exude. You take a number to enter, place your order while waiting, get ushered to a table, and hurriedly finish your food. At least that's how I felt with the waitstaff running about and quickly clearing the dishes the instant you're done.

Of course, my whole rant about Din Tai Fung is merely a set up for one of my favourite places for a nice, quiet (generally), relaxed Chinese meal. I first discovered Koo Kee Dumpling & Ramen House (高记饺子拉面) a few years ago when a friend brought me there. Later on, they underwent a menu change, and it was then that I discovered, and fell in love, with the Ramen with Double Boiled Ginseng Chicken Soup. Some time back, I suggested this place to another friend, and so, two weeks ago, we finally had our dinner at Koo Kee.

My dining partner had a hearty appetite, so we ordered some dim sum (点心) in addition to our noodles. We settled on the xiao long bao and guo tie.

Steamed Juicy Meat Bun (小笼汤包) - $6

Pan Fried Pork & Chive Dumpling (三鲜锅贴) - $6

Both the xiao long bao and guo tie were good, though maybe the skin of the xiao long bao was a little drier and tougher than Din Tai Fung's. I guess it really depends on how you like it, and to me, I liked Koo Kee's all the same.

My dining partner ordered the Ramen with Spicy Seafood Soup, which she said she enjoyed.

Ramen with Spicy Seafood Soup (辣汤海鲜拉面) - $8.80

I ordered my usual, of course.

Ramen with Double Boiled Ginseng Chicken Soup (人参鸡汤面) - $8.80

And I wasn't disappointed at all. The soup tasted great, with a strong, but not over-powering taste of ginseng and herbs. The chicken was smaller than I remembered, but there were also pieces of pork in the soup, probably to give it a meatier "oomph". The noodles were great too, not too thick, and cooked just right. After I finished my noodles, I continued drinking the delicious soup. Two-in-one! A good bowl of noodles, finished with ginseng chicken soup.

Although we were having dinner at the "peak" dinner period, the place was only about three quarters full. It was also rather quiet, except for the pounding sounds by the chef making the noodles (yes, the noodles are hand-made). The atmosphere was also very relaxed, which is the way I like it. Who likes being rushed through a meal, after all?

Koo Kee remains one of my favourite places to go for Chinese la mian. The good food and decent prices (it would even be fair to consider the food cheap) makes this an appealing place to go to. Yes, I would definitely be back again, and yes, more ginseng chicken ramen for me please!

Koo Kee Dumpling & Ramen House
2 Tampines Central 5
#B1-27 Century Square (map)
Singapore 529509
Phone: 6782 6338

Other outlets:
159 Rochor Road
Bugis Village (map)
Singapore 188434

80 Marine Parade Road
#B1-125 Parkway Parade (map)
Singapore 449269

Links: HungryGoWhere | Yum.sg

Baked Rice at PastaMania

PastaMania's Ham & Sausage Baked Rice came highly recommended to me, so I decided to try it for lunch one day.

Ham & Sausage Baked Rice - $9.20

The baked rice was served with slices of ham, sausage and button mushrooms, with a layer of cheese on top. I enjoyed the baked rice quite a lot, especially because of the generous amount of cheese that it came with. I think it might've been too cheesy. But since I like cheese, I'm not complaining! At $9.20 a serving ($3.20 to $4.90 more if you order a set meal), I thought it was a little pricey, considering the fast-food nature of Pastamania and the quantity of ham and sausages on the baked rice. Still, I can't deny that it was satisfying and filling.

PastaMania (website)
79 Robinson Road
#01-07 CPF Building (map)
Singapore 068897
Phone: 6223 6964

Other outlets: See website

Links: HungryGoWhere | Yum.sg