Showing posts with label .Station: Mountbatten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label .Station: Mountbatten. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Fussy Duck Private Dining @ Sampan Place - Modern European Cuisine With Indian Influences

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With the private home dining scene getting popular in Singapore, new players have also emerged in the scene. Is it too late into the game or there is still a market for them? My view is there still an opportunity for them as the popular ones are fully booked up to 3 months or more. Their prices have also increased by 30% or more since they started. This means diners may go for shorter waiting time and cheaper options instead.

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One of these new players is Fussy Duck hosted by Chef Raj offering modern European cuisine with some Indian influences. He has worked in professional kitchens for over 13 years including under Daniel Boulud in New York and at MBS. His place can host up to 8 person per night. Currently he is only open for weekends. We had the 5 course meal at $99 per pax. They even have a vegan 6 course menu.

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Our dinner started with some freshly baked bread and butter. Not sure whether this really good or we were hungry, the bread disappeared from our table within minutes.

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Ravioli 4/5

Next we have the amuse bouche,  homemade Ravioli filled with Shiitake and Button Mushroom, topped with shaving of black truffles. Love how the earthy flavours from the mushrooms shone through the pasta shell. It can be a lovely pasta dish by itself too.

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Truffle Leek and Potato Vichyssoise 4.5/5

We started the dinner proper with the Truffle Leek and Potato Vichyssoise. It is a cold soup that comes with potato chips and burnt figs. A very refreshing soup that kind of brightens up the palate for the next dish.

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Vegan Eggplant Caviar and Tomato Tart with Earl Grey Infused Tomato Water 3.8/5

Our next dish is the Vegan Eggplant Caviar and Tomato Tart. I actually quite enjoy this. It is like have a toast with eggplant and tomato jam spread on it, except that the base is a flaky tart. The dish also comes with a cup of Earl Grey infused Tomato Water with a few drops of chilli oil.  It has that strong tomato flavour, yet not overwhelming, probably the addition of earl grey and chilli oil helped to harmonise it. It is quite complex in taste but yet light and refreshing.

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"Palak Paneer" Risotto with Pan Seared Scallops 4.5/5

I have to say Fussy Duck serves an awesome plate of risotto. Inspired by chef's Indian heritage is the "Palak Paneer" Risotto with Pan Seared Scallops, served with paramsen and ricotta cheeses. There was a silent at the table followed by "wow this is really good". The infusion of the different palak paneer into the risotto simply elevated the whole dimension of the traditional risotto dish. I have not tried or seen anywhere incorporating Indian influences into a risotto dish, at least for my food journal. This is a winning dish.

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Duck Confit with Pea Fricassee and Pumpkin Puree 4/5

For the mains, diner can choice between the Duck Confit and Roasted Lamb Rack. For the Duck Confit, it is served with pea fricassee and pumpkin puree. You get a whole duck leg which is really huge and tender.

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Roasted Lamb Rack with Pea Fricassee and Spiced Carrot Puree 4/5

As for the Roasted Lamb Rack, there is additional $10 charge if you want to have it. Similar to the duck confit, it comes with pea fricassee but the pumpkin puree is changed to spiced carrot puree. I understand NZ lamb rack that is less than 3 months old is picked so it doesn't have not strong gamy flavour. Simply cooked with some spices rub to showcase the beautiful piece of red meat

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Saffron Creme Brulee 4.2/5

Wrapping our dinner is the Saffron Creme Brulee. Creme brulee is quite common but spiced with saffron is an unique take to the classic dessert. It even comes with crushed pistachio, rounding it off with a nutty finish.

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Overall we have a lovely time at Fussy Duck. Chef Raj and his partner are great host too. We even get to bring some homemade cookies home and they were delicious. For Fussy Duck to stand out among others, it may need to incorporate more Indian influences into is modern European cuisine or even a traditional Indian menu which is something not available in the market as for now.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Fussy Duck Private Dining
RiverEdge
21 Sampan Place
Singapore 436593
Tel: +65 90146386
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Mountbatten (CC Line)

Direction:
1) Alight at Mountbatten MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at Mountbatten Road (Stop ID 80279). Take bus numbers 12, 14, 30, 158, 196 and 401. Alight one stop later. Cross the road. Walk to Kampong Kayu Road. Walk down Kampong Kayu Road. Turn left onto Sampan Place. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Mountbatten MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Mountbatten Road. Cross the road to Jalan Benaan Kapal. Walk down Jalan Benaan Kapal along the canal. Cross the canal onto Kampong Kayu Road. Turn right onto Kampong Kayu Road. Turn left onto Sampan Place. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Mei Qi Cuttlefish Kangkong.BBQ Seafood @ East Coast Lagoon Food Village - Shiok Sambal Chilli Sauce

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Many times whenever my foreign friends come to Singapore, I would bring them to East Coast Lagoon Food Village to try the different local food. There are many stalls in the food centre and one of them is Mei Qi Cuttlefish Kangkong.BBQ Seafood where you can order a variety of cooked dishes.

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Sambal Stingray 4.2/5

Many places sells the BBQ Sambal Stingray but what stood out is there sambal chilli which is very fragrant and shiok. The other bonus is the accompanying cincalok dipping sauce. The sharpness of the cincalok sauce brings out the freshness of the fish meat.

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Sambal Kang Kong 4/5

The Sambal Kang Kong is a common dish which you can get in every restaurant. I have to say the stall's concoction of sambal chilli is really good and it seems to go well with anything. Love how the greens still retain a crunchy texture. not overcooking it.

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Sambal Squid 4.2/5

The Sambal Squid is as good too with the sambal sauce. Coated with the fragrant sambal sauce, the perfectly cooked squid comes with a delightful bite.

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Sambal Mussel 4/5

For those that finds the sambal chilli sauce too spicy to handle, the Sambal Mussel may be more manageable. The plump and juicy mussel is bath in a sweet chilli sauce similar to the chilli crab sauce.

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Mei Qi Cuttlefish Kangkong.BBQ Seafood
East Coast Lagoon Food Village
Stall #01-22
1220 East Coast Parkway
Singapore 468960
Nearest MRT: Mountbatten (CC Line)

Direction:
1) Alight at Mountbatten MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at block 2 along Mountbatten Road (Stop ID 80279). Take bus 401*. Alight 10 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 35 minutes. [Map]

* Note this bus service is only available on weekends and PH. The operating timing on Sat and Sun varies too. Please check SBS Transit website.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Choon Hiang (春香) @ East Coast Lagoon Food Village - An Unexpected Find

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During the Singapore Food Festival in July 2016, I took part in a food tour at East Coast Lagoon Food Village, Hawker Spotlight and was introduced to the stall Choon Hiang (春香). The stall used to be in Macpherson before relocating to its current place in 1979.

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Fried Kway Teow 4/5

Actually during our food tour, we were introduced to the Fried Kway Teow ($3/$4/$5/$8). After taking a bite of the fried kway teow, the aroma of the wok hei hit me and I instantly gone for more. The version is neither too dry nor wet, the texture that I enjoy. The sauce was also not overly sweet, coating the noodles evenly and accompanied with generous ingredients such as cockles, fish cake, Chinese sausage, bean sprouts and egg.

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Fried Hokkien Mee 4.2/5

With the distinction showing of the fried kway teow, I went back to the stall to order a plate of Fried Hokkien Mee ($4/$5/$8). I am glad that I did so as the plate of fried hokkien mee turned out to be even better than the fried kway teow. The sweet and flavourful stock was well infused into the noodles. The fact that the stall uses more beehoon, it helps to absorb the beautiful stock even more.

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I have to say Choon Hiang has been rather under the radar all these years. If not for the food tour, I would not have noticed the stall. Probably it has been over shadowed by the more popular stalls in the food village. Now I have another option to choose from when I visit the food village. Well it is a good problem.


Choon Hiang (春香)
East Coast Lagoon Food Village
1220 East Coast Parkway
#01-46
Singapore 468960
Nearest MRT: Mountbatten (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Mountbatten MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at block 2 along Mountbatten Road (Stop ID 80279). Take bus 401*. Alight 10 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 35 minutes. [Map]

* Note this bus service is only available on weekends and PH. The operating timing on Sat and Sun varies too. Please check SBS Transit website.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Sunrise Bistro & Bar @ Big Splash East Coast

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If you looking for a French cuisine at affordable price in a comfort and casual ambience, near the beach, then Sunrise Bistro & Bar at Big Splash East Coast will be a good place to consider. Sunrise Bistro & Bar is helmed by Execute Chef and Owner Vincent Teng with 22 years of culinary experience under his belt. He used to work at  many well established hotels and restaurants, latest was at Table 66 and Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar before venturing out on his own.

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Seafood Chowder Soup 4.2/5

The first dish that was served, already got me curious with Chef Vincent's cuisine. Tomato is added to the Seafood Chowder Soup ($12) to give it a bit of acidity on top of the creamy soup with seasonal seafood. It is then topped with chives and a few drops of extra virgin olive oil. The creaminess of the soup and the tanginess from the tomato provided a comforting and hearty enjoyment.

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Luncheon Chips 4/5

I am not sure how the kitchen managed to sliced the luncheon meat into such thin slices. These Luncheon Chips are extremely addictive.

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Seared Foie Gras 4.2/5

The Seared Foie Gras ($19) is a nice starter before mains. The beautifully seared goose liver is rest on a brioche bread layered with mango, with citrus jam and berry compote at the side. I like the use of mango to cut through the gaminess of the foie gras, with the jam and berry compote providing an injection of acidity.

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Sunrise Fish & Chips 4/5

This is definitely not your usual fish & chips. The Sunrise Fish & Chips ($26) actually comes with a whole red snapper deep fried to crispy. It is served with lemon myrtie pepper, mango salsa, tartare sauce and french fries.

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Cereal Crusted Cod Fish 4.2/5

The other fish item on the menu is the Cereal Crusted Cod Fish ($28). The cod fish is baked with cereal crust and served with vegetable braised in sesame oil, in a ginger shoyu broth. It actually tasted like a Chinese dish, like those Hong Kong style steamed fish with the ginger shoyu broth.

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Asian Five Spice Duck Leg Confit 4.2/5

Chef Vincent is known for his sous vide cooking which can be seen in the following dishes. We started with the Asian Five Spice Duck Leg Confit ($28) which is sous vide for 8 hours, infused with five spice. The crispy skin and the tender meat is paired with passionfruit sauce and served with citrus salad. A classic French dish with Asian inspired flavours, subtle but not throwing it off.

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Marmite Canadian Pork Shoulder 4.2/5

The Marmite Canadian Pork Shoulder ($26) is sous vide and grilled with marmite marinate. The pork shoulder has a consistent tender bite to it. The marinate gives a nice sweetness to it but I was hoping that the marmite taste can be stronger.

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BBQ Beef Short Ribs 4/5

The BBQ Beef Short Ribs ($32) is sous vide for 24 hours and roasted in a homemade BBQ sauce. It is another enjoyable dish on the menu with the tender and fall of the bone meat.

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Tiramisu Semi Freddo 3/5

Moving on to the dessert, we had the Tiramisu Semi Freddo ($12).  It is made up of semi frozen mascarpone cheese layered with coffee liqueur jelly sponge topped with milo crunch and tuile biscuit. Unfortunately the pretty presentation did not transpire to taste. I find the various components have too much individual character on the plate and it did not come together as a dish.

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Espresso Martini 4/5

If the night is still young, hit to the bar and have an Espresso Martini. Sunrise has an extensive wine and beer list. It also makes some great cocktails and mocktails.

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Salted Egg Yolk Custard Molten Chocolate Cake 3.8/5

The most looking forward dessert for the night was the Salted Egg Yolk Custard Molten Chocolate Cake ($14). Cutting into the molten cake, is the flowing salted egg lava. Maybe it was my high expectation, I felt that the chocolate overpowered the salted egg and got lost in the richness.

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Sunrise Bistro & Bar presents a casual French fare at a more affordable price in a comfortable and casual ambience, near the beach. The quality of food at Sunrise is as good as what one can experience in fine dining, but at a much more affordable price in a less intimidating environment.


Sunrise Bistro & Bar
Big Splash East Coast
Block B
902 East Coast Parkway
#01-05
Singapore 449874
Tel: +65 64409090
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Mountbatten (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 1130am - 1am
Fri: 1130am - 2am
Sat: 9am - 2am
Sun: 9am - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Mountbatten MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at block 2 along Mountbatten Road (Stop ID 80279). Take bus 401*. Alight 5 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 25 minutes. [Map]

* Note this bus service is only available on weekends and PH. The operating timing on Sat and Sun varies too. Please check SBS Transit website.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Maple & Market @ Cassia Crescent

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Lately we have seen many cafes opening in the suburbs of Singapore probably due to the lower rental and bring their offering nearer to the heartlands. Maple & Market is one such pioneer cafes that has started the humble business in the heartland before the so called local cafe culture boom. Maple & Market also conducts baking classes and I understand it even supplies their bakes to some cafes.

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Latte 4/5

Latte ($4.50) is my usual caffeine order whenever I visit any cafe. I am not sure which blend or beans they used but I did enjoy the cup of coffee. I can't drink too acidic coffee so this was alright with the right smoothness and still came with a nice body that was not too strong.

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Gula Melaka Cake 3.8/5

One of the signature cakes at Maple & Market is their Gula Melaka Cake ($5.50). I have yet to seen this being made elsewhere. It is an interesting localised combination of kaya cream cheese frosting, almond brittle and grated coconut shaving. It was a good cake that comes with different layers and moist. However it seems to be lacking the characteristic taste of gula melaka.

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Bacon Maple Cupcake 4/5

Many of you know that I am not a fan of sweet and savoury combination so I was not really excited with the Bacon Maple Cupcake ($3.50). Even though so, I did take a couple of bites and I thought it was quite good especially the candied bacon. It tasted like bak kwa.

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Caramelised Bananas, Homemade Caramel and Walnuts Waffle 4/5

Last but not least, I tried the Caramelised Bananas, Homemade and Walnuts Waffle ($9). Pretty good waffle that was freshly made on the spot. It was crispy on the outside and fluffy inside.

While the focus of Maple & Market is their bakes, the little bakery has been done up into a cosy little cafe with limited seats. The smell of coffee and butter filled the air as you step into the little white heaven. I would recommend trying one of the bakes that is beautifully displayed at the counter.


[MOVED]
Maple & Market 
34 Cassia Crescent
#01-82
Singapore 390034
Tel: +65 63488068
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mapleandmarket
Nearest MRT: Mountbatten (CC Line), Dakota (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon, Wed-Fri: 12pm - 630pm
Sat: 1030am - 10pm
Sun: 10am - 9pm
(Closed on Tues)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Mountbatten MRT station. Take Exit A. Cut through the housing estate towards block 1. Walk towards Pine Lane. Cross the road and cut through the housing estate again towards block 34. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Dakota MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk towards Old Airport Food Centre. Turn right onto Cassia Link. Then turn left onto Pine Lane. Make a right onto Cassia Crescent and walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Friday, August 1, 2014

Tien Kee & Co Cafe @ Dakota Crescent

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Among all the cafes that has opened up around various part of Singapore, Tian Kee & Co Cafe is probably one of the hipsters of them. Converted from a 54 years old provision shop in one of the oldest neighbourhood, the converted artisan cafe comes in rusty metal gate with air conditioning. The owner has even chosen to retain the original provision shop's name as well as the iconic blue signboard.

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Pink Lady 3/5 and SNAG 3/5

There is a interesting drinks on the menu such as the Pink Lady ($5) and SNAG ($5.50)/ This is something you don't get to see in other artisan cafe. The pink lady is rose syrup with steamed fresh milk, or in my own interpretation hot bandung drink. SNAG on the other hand is espresso and rose syrup with steamed fresh milk. I was told to appreciate the different layers first before mixing the drink up for anther different enjoyment. The two drinks are definitely an interesting playful addition but it will be subjective to individual's liking.

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Yuan Yang Cheesecake 3/5

I ordered a slice of their Yuan Yang Cheesecake ($6.50) which is actually made up of a layer of espresso and another layer of Hong Kong style milk tea. Interesting take of the tradition but I could not really taste the distinct character it intended to portray.

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Caffe Latte 4/5

Can't complain much about the Caffe Latte ($5) because they are using one of roaster's coffee beans. The coffee beans Tien Kee used is from Dutch Colony. I am not sure whether they have changed it by the time of the post as the owner did share with me that he plans to try out other roasters.

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There is definitely a rustic vibe at Tien Kee & Co however I felt that the missing link is their food. This is further confirmed after coming across several reviews about the food at the hipster cafe. I random idea came to mind while drafting this post. Instead of selling the usual bakes, pastries and western breakfast, Tien Kee may want to consider selling Chinese style fried beehoon with choices of luncheon meat, egg, chicken wings and/or some Chinese traditional kuehs. I thought that will be pretty cool, unique and fits their whole Chinese provision shop setting.


Tien Kee & Co
Blk 12 Dakota Crescent
#01-48
Singapore 390012
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiankeedakotacrescent
Nearest MRT: Mountbattan (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Fri: 12pm - 9pm
Sat-Sun: 10am - 9pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Mountbattan MRT station. Take Exit B. Turn right and walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice @ Katong Shopping Centre

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So I have heard that there is a very popular Chicken Rice stall at Katong Shopping Centre food court. In fact, I have heard of Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice for years but I have not been able to make my way down to the far east to check out the chicken rice. By chance I needed to run some errand in the area so I made my way to the basement food court hoping to get a quick meal a couple of weeks back. However to my horror, there was a snaking queue and I ended up waiting for a good 45 minutes.

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Hainanese Chicken 4.5/5

While the name of the stall is known as Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice, the chicken is not served boneless unless you request. The Hainanese Chicken is chopped into big chunky pieces and topped with fried garlic. The chicken is definitely dipped in cold ice water to get the jelly like skin because the chicken tasted chilled. Overall the chicken was really very tender. No wonder the stall is so popular with patrons willing to wait for a good 30 minutes or more.

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Chicken Rice 3.5/5

The Chicken Rice has a nice garlic aroma but it was not as fluffy as I would have liked. In fact it was almost on the dry side.

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Achar 3/5

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Lotus Root Soup 4/5

What I think is very generous of the stall is the complimentary Achar and Lotus Root Soup. The achar is cut into chunky pieces and patrons can help themselves to them as many times as they want. Although simply seasoned,  I am not complaining since it is free flow. The Lotus Root Soup on the other hand was rich in flavour. The soup should have been boiled for hours with pork ribs and chicken feet that literally fell apart when I picked them up with my chopsticks.

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Bean Sprouts 4/5

Since I have queued for so long, I might as well ordered more dishes to try. I had the Bean Sprouts which surprisingly is topped with a few slices of abalone. A nice crunchy side dish to go with the chicken rice.

Overall I agreed that the chicken served at Delicious Boneless chicken is ready delicious as per its name. I do like the way the chicken is chopped into big chunky pieces. I prefer it to be smaller. The complimentary achar and soup are definitely a bonus and generous of the stall. However will you wait 45 minutes for the chicken rice?

*All photos in this post is taken using the new Samsung Galaxy K Zoom LTE smartphone.


Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice
Katong Shopping Centre
865 Mountbattan Road
#B1-85/87
Singapore 437844
Nearest MRT: Dakota (CC Line), Mountbattan (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 1030am - 8pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Dakota MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Blk 99 Old Airport Road (Stop ID 81181). Take bus number 10 or 32. Alight 5 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Mountbattan MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at Blk 2 Mountbattan Road (Stop ID 80279). Take bus number 12 or 14. Alight 7 stops later. Journey time about 16 minutes. [Map]