First Street Teochew Fish Soup (第一街潮州鱼汤) @ Upper Serangoon Road - One Of The Best Fish Soups, Be Prepared To Queue Up To 45 Minutes

I have grown up in Hougang but I did not know about this awesome fish soup stall near my home. It is only after I moved to the West then I know about its existence. I have to travel all the way back to the East to visit First Street Teochew Fish Soup (第一街潮州鱼汤) to find out for myself why the stall has a constant long queue of customer willing to wait up to 30-45 minutes, just to have their fish soup.

Batang Sliced Fish Soup 4/5

The stall offers a variety of fishes for the fish soups such as batang (mackerel), promfret and red garoupa. Customers also have a choice to add rice, porridge or mee sua to go along with their fish soup. We started with the Batang Sliced Fish Soup ($5.50/$7.50/$9.50) which comes with fresh slices of mackerel, tang oh vegetable and slices of ginger to remove any fishy taste.. The soup was light and sweet. We added mee sua at an additional cost of $0.50 to go with the bowl of comforting fish soup.

Red Garoupa 4.2/5

A popular and limited quality at the stall is the Red Garoupa ($8/$10). During my first visit, it was sold out and I was second time lucky. I also noted the pricing varies depend on market price. It was priced at $9/$11 during my first visit. I preferred the red garoupa over the batang fish primarily because of the firmer and bouncier texture of the fish meat.

Mixed Soup 4.5/5

My favourite among the dishes I tried is the Mixed Soup ($5/$7$10) which comes with batang fish, greens, squid, fish maw, fish cake, prawn, salted vegetables, ginger, fried shallots and minced pork. The highlight is the minced pork with is mixed with tee poh (dried sole fish). The stock of the fish soup is all the same but the additional of the minced pork with tee poh gives the soup an extra punch, elevating the flavour to a new level.

While queuing for my order, I noted that the stall is quite flexible with the order. I noticed a lot of customers requested to add minced pork in the batang fish soup. After tasting the mixed seafood, I released the minced pork which comes with tee poh, giving the soup the unami finish.

First Street Teochew Fish Soup at Serangoon North Ave 4 was started in 1989 by Mr William Lim. The father runs the stall with his two sons, Desmond and Aaron. Previously they have a few spin off branches including one nearby at First Centre at Serangoon Avenue 4  but all closed now.


First Street Teochew Fish Soup
1014 Upper Serangoon Road
(Jalan Rengkam)
Singapore 534752
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 8am - 3pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Kovan MRT station. Take Exit C. Turn right onto Upper Serangoon Road. Walk down Upper Serangoon Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Kovan MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at Kovan MRT station (Stop ID 63031). Take bus number 80, 81, 82, 101, 107, 112, 113, 136 or 153. Alight one stop later. Walk to traffic light and cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]

Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodle @ Kovan Food Centre - Famous Long House Prawn Noodle Opens 2nd Outlet.

The famous long house Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodle at Balestier Food Centre has opened a new outlet at Kovan Food Centre. The Kovan branch is helmed by the founder himself Mr Tan Ah Hui. A slight different here to balestier stall is the use of tiger prawn instead of angka prawn.

Prawn Noodle Dry 4.2/5

The Prawn Noodle Dry ($5) comes with the noodle and prawn separated. Five huge halved prawns can be found in the flavourful soup. I was telling my dining partner that the soup tasted somehow different from the balestier branch. It is more herbal here.

The other highlight of the prawn noodle dry hae bee hiam sauce that is added to the noodle. Instead of the usual chilli sauce or oil, the hae bee hiam further accentuated the whole enjoyment of the noodles with its savoury and spicy kick.

For an additional of $1, we can add pork ribs to our prawn noodle. Besides the flavourful herbal soup, the topping of pork lards and fried shallots enhanced the whole flavour.

Prawn Noodle Soup with Pork Ribs 4/5

It is great to know that Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodle has expanded their business and opened a second outlet at Kovan Food Centre. It means more people can taste the bowl of delicious prawn noodle.


Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodle
Kovan Food Centre
Blk 209 Hougang Street 21
#01-59
Singapore 530209
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Wed, Fri-Sun: 8am - 5pm
(Closed on Thur)

Direction:
1) Alight at Kovan MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Lola's Cafe @ Simon Road

I always tell my foodie friends that I find it hard to review establishments near my place because I will always tell myself I have time to check it out another day. Instead I will make all sort of efforts to travel to the other end of the island for good food. It is contradicting isn't it. Nevertheless, thanks to Charleen and Kimberley who have journey down to my hood, I managed to drag my lazy feet to meet them and finally get to check out Lola's Cafe at Simon Road which is like a bus stop away from where I am staying.

Latte 3.5/5

Lola's Cafe uses coffee beans from Dutch Colony. The blend that they used is pretty smooth drinking but the Latte ($4.50/$5.50) was lacking that sweet bitterness body that I personally preferred.

Organic Chai Tea Latte 4/5

Charleen is not a coffee drinker so she has gone for the Organic Chai Tea Latte ($5). Bonus point for the beautiful latte art.

Honey and Paprika Wings 4.2/5

I have been very skeptical about cafe food because it usually turns out bad rather than good. I can't really blame them because their focus is different. However saying that, there are cafes that are worthy of going back for the food and one such place is Lola's Cafe. We started off with the Honey and Paprika Wings ($9 for 8 pieces). Most cafe will probably just marinated the chicken, deep fried it and served with either ketchup or chilli sauce. I applauded the effort behind the menu and creation to pair it with honey and paprika. The chicken was deep fried to a nice crisp while retaining the juiciness inside. The spices and honey further lifted the flavours for a common finger snack.

Avocado Eggs Benedict 4.2/5

Brunch at Lola's Cafe is served between 10am to 3pm. Basically there are only 5 items in the brunch menu. We had the Avocado Eggs Benedict ($15) that has 2 beautifully poached eggs resting on slices of avocado, ham and a very soft brioche bread. Very delectable combination that was beaming with sunshine.

Mushroom and Cheese Toast 4/5

The Mushroom Melt ($10) is a good change to the usual French Toast or traditional Kaya Toast. The melted mozzarella cheese with mushroom and brioche bread did surprise me how 3 simple components can come together to be an excellent dish.

I am glad that there is such a nice cafe in the heartland near my place. Besides the friendly service, the friendly pricing of not more than $16 on the menu is very reasonable with the portion and delicious offering. I do look forward to try their dinner items in the very near future if I managed to drag my lazy feet out of the house.


Lola's Cafe
5 Simon Road
Singapore 545893
Tel: +65 62840349
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lolascafesg
Website: http://lolascafe.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Thu: 10am - 1130pm
Fri-Sat: 10am - 12midnight
Sun: 10am - 1130pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Kovan MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk straight to the traffic junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Simon Road. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Hatter Street Bakehouse & Cafe @ Kovan

Hatter Street Bakehouse and Cafe is a new cafe that has opened in the heartland of Kovan/Hougang. I am glad that this little gem has opened in my hood. The Alice in wonderland inspired cosy cafe is opened by chef-owner Yvette Chua. Yvette graduated from the Culinary Institute of Amercia and trained at 3 Michelin starred Bo Innovation in Hong Kong. For those familiar with Kovan, it is located just a shop away from Nahkon Kitchen.

The cafe is magically decorated in a wonderland theme with a one side of the wall featuring the menu while the other side showcasing a collection of cute stuff.

Alice 3.5/5

We took quite a while in deciding what to order as all the cakes looked very yummy. In the end we settled on Alice ($6.80). The chocolate was decent but the richness I have tired. I also felt that the price is a bit expensive for the size I am paying.

Gula Melaka Waffle with Pandan Ice Cream 4.5/5

The Whoaffles ($8.90) at Hatter Street comes in three flavours. Did a quick search online and it seems like the Gula Melaka Waffle with Pandan Ice Cream is the most popular among the patrons. Can't agreed more with the choice after trying the waffle infused with Asian flavours. Substituting maple syrup or honey with gula melaka introduced a new whole enjoyment of appreciating the crisp and fluffy waffle. The homemade pandan ice cream was creamy, smooth and flavourful, complementing the whole experience. We love the pandan ice cream so much that we order another additional scoop.

Fans of Hatter Street who has been following their facebook will know that the chef periodically has interesting and unique creations in her cakes and macrons. During my visit I wanted to try their burgerons, a creation whereby the macaron is made to look like a mini handburger but I was not in luck. I am not disappointed as it gives me a reason to come back again.


Hatter Street Bakehouse & Cafe
Blk 212 Hougang Street 21
#01-333
Singapore 530212
Tel: +65 69884591
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HatterStreet#!/HatterStreet
Website: http://www.hatterstreet.com/
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 1pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Kovan MRT station. Take Exit C. Cut through Heartland Mall walk towards Kovan hawker centre. Continue straight and walk towards Macdonald at Hougang Street 21. At Macdonal, turn left and continue straight. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Sin Chie Toke Huan Hainanese Curry Rice @ Upper Serangoon Road

Just a couple of steps from my place is a popular Hainanese Curry Rice at Upper Serangoon Road. This rustic eating house only opens at 6pm daily.

The first thing that caught my eyes was the steamed Minced Pork Patty that was shaped into a huge ball shape. The patty was nicely marinated with a springy texture.

Minced Pork Patty 4/5

The Sotong was a bit overcooked. It did not have the firm and springy texture. The sauce was also too sweet for me. I would prefer it to be on the spicy side.

Sotong 3.5/5

The Curry Chicken was not up to my mark. I find it too bland and watery. It was not spicy at all.

Curry Chicken 3.5/5

The Cabbage was soft and stewed perfectly retaining the sweetness of the Cabbage.

Stewed Cabbage 4/5

The thinnly sliced bread crumbed Pork Chop was a bit dry and tough.

Pork Chop 3/5

Overall I find this place is a bit overrated but then it is still very popular with people staying nearby. A queue can always be seen at the eating house. By the way, the congee here is pretty good.

Sin Chie Toke Huan Hainanese Curry Rice

1018 Upper Serangoon Road

Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

Opening Hours:

Daily: 6pm - 5am

Direction:

1) Alight at Kovan MRT station. Take exit B. Walk to Kovan Station bus stop (Stop ID 63031). Take bus no. 80, 81, 82, 107, 112, 113, 136 and 153. Alight 1 stop later. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time 3 mins.

2) Alight at Kovan MRT station. Take exit C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 mins.

Pontian Wanton Mee (笨珍云吞面) @ Kovan Food Centre

After the renovation and upgrading work completed for Kovan Food Centre, Pontian Wanton Mee has moved into the new sparkling clean food centre. Pontian Wanton Mee has a history of 60 years and it has been aggressively expanding its business into many food centres in recent years.

Pontian Wanton Mee 4/5

The noodle was springy but the char siews were dry and thin. The fried wanton was also rather small. Overall I think Pontian Wanton Mee is quite average and the portion was rather small.


Pontian Wanton Mee (笨珍云吞面)
Kovan Food Centre
Stall #01-14
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

Hock Lam Beef Noodles @ Upper Serangoon Road

Beef noodle basically has two versions, dry and soup. I used to love the dry version when I was in my teens but now I prefer the soup version. Hock Lam Beef Noodles which started selling the noodle on foot in Chinatown for years, opened its first stall at Hock Lam Street in 1911. It has a 100 years of history behind it and will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this month.

Beef Noodle Soup 4.2/5

The sliced beef at Hock Lam is hand sliced which retains its natural tender without the use of tenderiser or MSG. The sliced beef was cooked by the hot steaming broth when served. The broth was also light and flavorful. Hock Lam Beef Noodle definitely live up to their reputation but I still find it a bit pricey for a bowl of beef noodle.

Beef Noodle Soup 4.2/5

[CLOSED]
Hock Lam Beef Noodles
949 Upper Serangoon Road
Website: http://www.hocklambeef.com/blog/
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Kovan MRT station. Take Exit B. Head northeast on Upper Serangoon Road towards Simon Road. Journey about 2mins.

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)

Cheng Kee Beef Kway Teow @ Kovan

The coffeeshop spotted a new look and it also seemed that it had changed owner and underwent a renovation. The great news is Cheng Kee Beef Kway Teow stall is still there. It was almost a year since I last patronized the stall and the standard is still there.

I am a big fan for innards and I always order the mix beef kway teow soup so I can get a bit of everything. The innards were well cleaned, soft and tender with no odour. I also like the rich and brothy soup as well as the smooth thin kway teow used by the stall.

Beef Kway Teow 4.2/5

Cheng Kee Beef Kway Teow
Blk 203 Hougang Street 21
Singapore 530203
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun: 930am - 5pm
(Closed on Fri)

Yi Shi Jia Wanton Mee @ Kovan Food Centre

If you live in Hougang you probably know about this popular Wanton Mee stall. Long queues were always spotted at the stall especially in the morning. After the renovation, all the food stalls were relocated to the same level and Yi Shi Jia Wanton Mee still retains the same unit number.

Yi Shi Jia Wanton Mee offers 4 versions of Wanton Mee catering to the different taste buds. They have spicy, ketchup, soy sauce and soup versions. I had the spicy Wanton Mee which came with a decent amount of char siew and greens. The wanton which was not captured in the photo had tasty minced pork fillings and silky wanton skin. Overall it was a good old school plate of Wanton Mee that brought back childhood memories.

Wanton Mee 4.2/5

Yi Shi Jia Wanton Mee
Kovan Food Centre
Blk 209 Hougang Street 21
#01-57
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

Ice Edge Cafe @ Kovan Road

The stretch of roads around Simon Road and Kovan Road has been slowly and in a way quietly developing into a food street. The Ice Edge Cafe is a cozy cafe located at the quiet stretch of Kovan Road. The cafe offers a wide variety of Gelato Flavors.

Gelato Flavors in display

I ordered a Root Beer with ice cream which is known as black cow on the menu. For the ice cream flavor, I went for Lychee Martini. I thought I made a bad choice. Should have gone for something more creamy and sweet without alcohol.

Root Beer with Lychee Martini Ice Cream 3.5/5

The waffle was crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. The ice creams were Mao Shan Wang (a type of durian breed), Snickers and Strawberry Cheesecake which were very flavoring too.

Waffles with Ice Cream 4/5

Ice Edge Cafe
Simon Plaza
2 Kovan Road
#01-10
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

Fa Ji Minced Meat Fishball Noodle @ Kovan Hougang Market & Food Centre

Kovan Hougang Market and Food Centre  was under renovation and it is opened in Nov 2010. Most of the old stalls are back and one of them is Fa Ji Minced Meat Fishball Noodle. Although there are quite a few noodle stalls at the food centre, a long queue can always be seen at the stall.

A bowl of minced meat fishball noodle will cost $3 or $3.50 that came with a generous servicing of fishballs, meatball, slices of fish cakes, liver, mushroom and minced meat. Usually Bak Chor Mee does not come with fishballs and fish cakes but you have it all here. The fishballs and fish cakes were fresh and tasty too.

Minced Meat Fishball Noodle 4/5

Fa Ji Minced Meat Fishball Noodle
Kovan Hougang Market & Food Centre
Blk 209 Hougang Street 21
#01-05
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

Yong's Teochew Kueh @ Upper Serangoon Road

This Teochew Kueh stall has been around at Upper Serangoon Road for a long time. Every weekend morning I would see a long queue of people eating and buying Teochew Kueh from the stall.

My favourite is the soon kueh here. I enjoyed the fullest of its filling and the smooth silky skin.

Soon Kueh 4.5/5

Yong's Teochew Kueh
1022 Upper Serangoon Road
Nearest MRT: Kovan (NE Line)

AMK Hainanese Abalone Minced Meat Noodle @ Upper Serangoon

Located at the same coffee shop as the Ponggol Nasi Lemak at Upper Serangoon near Kovan MRT station, I have patron this stall a few times. I like their minced meat noodle or bak chor mee because they used black vinegar. I realised they have also introduced abalone minced meat noodle and it is quite reasonable priced at $4 per bowl.

Minced Meat Noodle 4/5

AMK Hainanese Abalone Minced Meat Noodle
美式食阁
965 Upper Serangoon Road
Nearest MRT: Kovan, NE Line

Cheng Kee Beef Kway Teow @ Kovan

Cheng Kee Beef Kway Teow stall is located at Wong Poh Kopitiam near Kovan MRT station. This is one of the best beef noodle in town. I have been a frequent patron of this stall for the past 10 years. Although the stall is no longer ran by the original owner and the price has gone up, the beef noodle is still that superb! Compare to Hock Lam Street beef noodle, the price of $3.50-$6.00 is value for money too.

The stall offers both dry and soup beef noodle. I usually ordered the beef kway teow soup. Most important don't forget the chilli paste and chinchalok for dipping the beef slices. It is just a heaven combination.

Beef Kway Teow Soup 4.8/5

Chilli Paste and Chinchalok

Cheng Kee Beef Kway Teow
Wong Poh Kopitiam
203 Hougang Street 21
Nearest MRT: Kovan, NE Line

Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe @ Heartland Mall

Xin Wang Kovan has just reopened on 14 April after renovation. The Kovan outlet is usually quite crowded. It is opened up to 2am on Monday to Thursday, 4am on Friday to Saturday and 3am on Sunday. Nice place for group hang out and supper.

Iced HK Ying Yang 4/5

Tender Pork Dry Ramen 3/5

Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce 3.5/5

Japanese Rice Mochi with crushed peanuts and white sesame 3.8/5

Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe
Heartland Mall Kovan
Nearest MRT: Kovan, NE Line