Meng Kitchen (日夜小厨) @ Upper Thomson Road

If you are a Bak Chor Mee lover, there is Meng Kitchen that can satisfy your craving 24 hours 7 days a week at Upper Thomson Road. The noodles were springy and well mixed with  a good balance of vinegar and chilli. They are also generous with their ingredient which has meatball, sliced and minced pork, liver and mushroom.

Bak Chor Mee 4.2/5

Bak Chor Mee 4.2/5

Meng Kitchen (日夜小厨)
246B Upper Thomson Road
Nearest MRT: Marymount (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 24hr

Direction:
1) Alight at Marymount MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to the Bus Stop opposite Shunfu Estate (ID 53021). Take Bus No. 52, 132, 162. 163, 165, 166, 167, 855 or 980 and alight one stop later. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey about 9mins.

Penang Road Cafe @ Novena Ville

Penang food always has a place in Singaporean tummy. I guess this is because due to the similarity of the food such as Laksa, Fried Kway Teow, Prawn Noodle and etc but with a little twist of Penang flavour.

After reading a few reviews on Penang Road Cafe, I went to check out the place at Novena Ville. The cafe has a simple decor and the menu is limited offering popular Penang dishes such as Fried Kway Teow, Assam Laksa, Prawn Noodle and Lor Bak.

The Assam Laksa was pretty decent however I felt that the soup was not robust enough. It lacked the strong sour flavour from the tamarind. A bit more of the shredded pelagic fish would also be preferred.

Assam Laksa 4/5

Assam Laksa 4/5

Unlike the common Fried Kway Teow, Penang Fried Kway Teow does not use sweet sauce but still tasty and flavourful. The Penang Fried Kway Teow had the "Wok Hei" flavour meaning good control of the wok fire and timing frying the Kway Teow.

Penang Fried Kway Teow 4.2/5

Penang Road Cafe also offers dessert on their menu. I tried both their Chendol and Pulut Hitam. The sight of the Chendol already excited me as the cafe used large kidney beans instead of red beans. The Pulut Hitam (Black Glutinous Rice Dessert) worth a special mention. While digging in to the aromatic dessert, I discovered dried longan. This is something unique which I have not tried before.

Pulut Hitam and Chendol 4.2/5

Bandung is a popular drink with the Malay community. It is milk flavoured with rose cordial syrup giving it the pink colour. Adding grass jelly is a modern twist to the drink which I really enjoyed.

Bandung with Grass Jelly 4/5

To get here, alight at Novena MRT station and talk a 3-5 minutes walk to Novena Ville along Thomson Road.


Penang Road Cafe
Novena Ville
275 Thomson Road
#01-08
Singapore 307645
Nearest MRT: Novena (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 545pm - 915pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Novena MRT station. Head northwest on Thomson Road towards Irrawaddy Road. Cross the overhead bridge to reach destination. Journey about 3mins.

Pho 99 Vietnamese Delights @ Amoy Street

Pho 99 is a little Vietnamese restaurant tucked at the corner of Amoy Street just opposite Amoy Street Food Centre. Pho 99 serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine and you can also find Trung Nguyen Vietnamese drip coffee here.

The hot and steamy Pho with sliced beef and meatballs were as good as what I had in Vietnam. It also came with a side  plate of basil, sawtooth like herb, lime and chopped chilli which you can add to your likings.

Pho with Sliced Beef and Meatballs 4.2/5

Bun Thit Nuong is a simple and popular noodle dish in Vietnam. It consists of cold rice vermicelli mixed with fresh vegetables and topped with grilled/bbq pork chop. It is served in Nuoc Cham sauce a type of Vietnamese dipping sauce made mainly from fish sauce. My first impression of the noodle dish is Vietnamese rice roll unwrapped version. It tasted pretty good with the different textures. It is light, low fat, healthy and cool.

Bun Thit Nuong 4/5

To get here, alight at Tanjong Pagar and walk about 10 minutes to Amoy Street.



Pho 99 Vietnamese Delights
57/58 Amoy Street
Telok Ayer Conservation Area
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 10am - 9pm
Sat-Sun: 10am - 8pm

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Hui Wei Chinese-Thai Cuisine (回味中泰小厨) @ French Road

This recently opened Zi Char stall at Blk 802 French Road coffeeshop near Lavender MRT station woks up delicious Chinese-Thai Cuisine. It definitely distinct itself from the rest of the competitions around the vicinity in offering a combination of Chinese and Thai style cuisine. What got me more excited is the chefs are from the popular Thai Zi Char stall at the basement of Sembawang Shopping Centre. It definitely gave me the assurance these guys are not new kids on the block. Being located at a coffeeshop, their extensive menu are very reasonable and value for money.


The Xiang Di Mi Fen or Crispy Fried Noodle is a popular noodle dish in Malaysia. The noodle was first deep fried and served over a gravy full of seafood and vegetables. This is my first time having the noodle dish and I really enjoyed it. Look at how big the serving was and it costs only $3! The dish is not on the menu so you have to ask the stall.

Xiang Di Mi Fen 香底米粉 4.5/5

The Braised Pork Shank was a surprise to me. It was soft and tender with a bit of herbal taste. Usually you don't find it at Zi Char stall as it takes long hours to braise the meat until soft and tender.

Braised Pork Shank 4/5

The Deep Fried Eggplant known as "Mei Ren Yu (美人鱼) or Mermaid" Eggplant is sliced into french fries shape and size. I still could not figure out why it is called Mermaid Eggplant but it was really very good. A lot of people do not like to eat eggplant because it turns mushy when cooked. The Deep Fried Eggplant was not mushy at all. The sweet sauce coated around the eggplants and the anchovies lifted the dish further in taste and texture.

"Mei Ren Yu" Eggplant 4.2/5

The Thai Style Fried Cuttlefish or Calamari was big and firm. It also came with a sweet chilli dip sauce.

Thai Style Fried Cuttlefish 4/5

The Thai Style Honey Chicken which I could not find anything Thai about it was rather average. It will be a kid's delight with the sweet honey and tender chicken meat.

Thai Style Honey Chicken 4/5

The Signature Fish Head is a best try. For a mere $15 you get a large fresh fish head with a lot of meat. The delicious sauce which was a bit sour and spicy was specially made from vegetables.

Signature Fish Head 4.5/5

Zi Char stall offering Pineapple Fried Rice on their menu is quite rare. Hui Wei's Pineapple Fried Rice was really good and fragrant. It came with a generous serving of pineapples, shrimps, char siew, egg and pork floss. Forget about plain rice to go with the yummy dishes Hui Wei offers on their menu, each mouthful of their Pineapple Fried Rice will definitely satisfy your dining experience here.

Pineapple Fried Rice 4.5/5

To get here, alight at Lavender MRT station. From Exit B, cut across the blocks of flats and walk down French Road and you will locate Block 802 which is actually opposite People's Association Headquarter at King George Ave.


Hui Wei Chinese-Thai Cuisine (回味中泰小厨)
Blk 802 French Road #01-69
Website: http://www.huiwei.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Lavender (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1045am - 215pm (Lunch)
           430pm - 1030pm (Dinner)

Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh @ Beach Road

I am back at Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh for their herbal style Malaysian Bak Kut Teh. I last visited this place in August last year and you can read my previous posting  here. Except that the eatery has expanded buying the premise next door, nothing has changed.

The Bak Kut Teh served in claypot was still as good with tender pork ribs that slipped off the bone easily. I ordered the mixed claypot hence it also came with other pig offal and pork belly (three layered pork).

Bak Kut Teh 4.5/5

The You Cai with Oyster Sauce was light and refreshing. It always good to have a plate of greens to lessen my guilt with all the meats and pig offal.

You Cai with Oyster Sauce 4/5

To get here, you can either alight at Nicoll Highway or Bugis MRT station and walk to the junction of Beach Road and Sultan Gate. Nicoll Highway MRT station will be nearer.


Leong Kee (Klang) Bah Kut Teh
321 Beach Road
Kampong Glam Conservation Area
Nearest MRT: Nicoll Highway (CC Line), Bugis (EW Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 11am - 9pm (closed on Mon)

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Fine Cuts Premium Meat and Seafood @ Central

Fine Cuts is located at the basement of The Central at Clark Quay. Besides selling premium meat and seafood, it also has an open concept dinning area. I tried their dinner set for 2 at $33+ which came with a soup and drink. I thought I was a catch for premium meat at such price. I was disappointed when I realized the selection was limited and the set meal excluded kobe, wagyu, black angus, kurobuta pork.

I ended up ordering the Salmon and Lamb Chop. I wanted my Lamb Chop medium not it was overcooked. Nevertheless, both the Salmon and Lamb Chop were good but not great.

Salmon 3.5/5

Lamb Chop 3.5/5

If you want value for money and avoid the crowd, Fine Cuts set meal is worth considering. Go for the ala carte menu if you don't mind paying a bit more for the premium meat.


Fine Cuts Premium Meat and Seafood
The Central @ Clarke Quay
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#B1-44/45
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 930pm

My Peranakan Spice Box @ Toa Payoh Central

My Peranakan Spice Box is a new eatery at Toa Payoh Central. In fact, it took over from the previous owner, Origins (元莊). It is located at the back alley opposite the HDB hub beside Wheat Baumkuchen.

I tried their Beef Redang Kailan which I thought it was a bit tough. However the gravy was good and my rice was drenched with it.

Beef Redang Kailan 3.8/5

The Hew Peow (Fish Maw) Soup was my favourite among the three dishes I ordered. The soup was light and refreshing. It also came with 2 fishballs and 1 meatball.

Hee Peow (Fish Maw) Soup 4/5

The Nyonya Chapchye (Mixed Vegetables) was nice too. I was expecting more variety of vegetables since it is a Chapchye (Mixed Vegetables) dish. Nevertheless, the cabbage was very soft and nice, the way I like it.

Nyonya Chapchye 4.5

Do take note that the portions were rather small. If you are a big eater, you may want to order a few more dishes.


My Peranakan Spice Box
Blk 190 Toa Payoh Lorong 6
#01-528
Singapore 310190
Nearest MRT: Toa Payoh (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 7am - 830pm
(Closed on Tue)

Tian Wai Tian Fish Head Steamboat @ Kovan

I visited the coffeeshop intending to try the Shantou Shi Teochew Fish Head Steamboat but was surprised that it has changed to Tian Wai Tian Fishhead Steamboat. Is this the popular Fish Head Steamboat at Serangoon Road? When have they taken over and have another branch in Kovan? Nevertheless, I am happy to be trying out another popular Fish Head Steamboat. It is also more spacious here compare to the branch at Serangoon Road.

The Fish Head Steamboat here uses charcoal. The soup base was very rich in flavor but my partner felt that it was a bit salty. I also noticed that the steamboat size were all the same except for the amount of fish depending on the portion you order.

Fish Head Steamboat 4/5

Having the Fish Head Steamboat alone is a bit boring so I ordered Prawn Rolls. The Prawn Rolls were huge and nice. I actually found prawns inside the rolls unlike most places whereby they always made me wonder why it is called Prawn Rolls while I couldn't find any prawns in them.

Prawn Rolls 4//5

Tian Wai Tian Fishhead Steamboat
Hougang 203 Coffeeshop
Blk 203 Hougang Street 21
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

O'Coffee Club @ Changi Airport Terminal 3

The O'Coffee Club or commonly known as Coffee Club has a branch at Changi Airport Terminal 3 arrival hall. The cafe is located at the corner of the arrival hall having a cozy ambience we great view of the hall.

O'Coffee Club was having 1 for 1 promotion so my colleagues and I went to terminal 3 for lunch. I had the Black Pepper Duck Linguine. It has tender slices of smoked black pepper duck breast, arranged over a mound of linguine topped with gruyere cheese and black pepper cream sauce. The cream sauce was really "Oishi" but felt cheated as the portion was rather small.

Black Pepper Duck Linguine 4.2/5

Coffee Club
Changi Airport Terminal 3
65 Airport Boulevard
#L2-LF1 (Departure Hall Level)
Nearest MRT: Changi Airport (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 24 hours