Ah Five Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Ang Mo Kio Ave 4 - By Daughter Of Five Star Chicken Rice Founder

While exploring the newly opened Thomson East Line brings me to Ah Five Hainanese Chicken Rice near Mayflower MRT station Exit 3. What caught my attention was a petite young lady behind the chopping board. It is a rare sight in the hawker scene. The stall, run by a sister and brother team, is inside a coffeeshop at block 158 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4. They are the children of Mr Lee Tai Keng, the founder of Five Star Chicken Rice.

The petite young lady is Natalie, who has just finished her Master in Intellectual Property. Instead of joining the corporate world, she decided to open Ah Five Hainanese Chicken Rice to continue her dad's legacy. Her dad, Mr Lee, founded Five Star Chicken Rice at 224 East Coast Road. He later entered into a partnership with Mr Yeo Ban Seng to open the current Five Star Chicken Rice at 191 East Coast Road. Mr Lee has since sold his share of the business and is no longer associated with the present Five Star Chicken Rice.

So how does Ah Five Hainanese Chicken Rice fare? I visited the stall twice with two different groups of friends, and they both enjoyed it. The stall uses kampong chicken which is leaner but tastier than the broiler. The poached chicken is tender with a sinful but yet so delicious layer of fatty skin. We have the Half Chicken priced at $15.

If half a chicken is too much for you, you can go for the 1 Person Set priced at $5. I like how Natalie chopped the poached chicken into chunky pieces. However, the rice was not as fragrant on my second visit. Maybe there is some consistency issue which I hope they can get it sorted. An essential element for a good plate of chicken rice is the chilli sauce. The spicy and tangy chilli sauce complements the chicken rice excellently, zesting up the whole experience.

Besides the poached chicken, the stall offers Shredded Chicken Porridge ($3) and Special Chicken Fried Rice ($5). The porridge and fried rice are cooked by her brother, Lex. The fried rice fried a la minute comes with the poached chicken too.

Ah Five Hainanese Chicken Rice is an unexpected discovery. It is another good chicken rice stall I will recommend. I am glad to see Natalie and Lex, willing to continue Mr Lee's legacy, learning from the Master himself. They have spent months learning and perfecting their skills before opening the stall a month ago in August 2021. If you are in the area, do support them.


Ah Five Hainanese Chicken Rice
Blk 158 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4 
Singapore 560158
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Nearest MRT: Mayflower (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 730 am - 230pm

Direction: Alight at Mayflower MRT station. Take Exit 3. Walk to destination. Journey time about 4 minutes. [Map]

Seletar Sheng Mian. Mian Fen Guo @ Kebun Bahru Food Centre - Comforting Bowl Of Noodle With Long Queue

Together with my foodie friends, we paid a visit to Kebun Bahru Food Centre to explore the good food along the new Thomson East MRT Line. A popular stall at the food centre with a constant queue is Seletar Sheng Mian. Mian Fen Guo.

There is actually two Seletar Sheng Mian. Mian Fen Guo in Singapore. The elder brother runs the one in Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Food Centre. The other by the younger brother is at Kebun Bahru Food Centre.

Sheng Mian Soup 4/5

The bowl of Sheng Mian Soup ($3.50) comes with egg, ikan bilis, fried shallots, vegetable, prawn, minced pork and lean pork. Having tried the elder's brother cooking, I thought the noodle had a lesser alkaline taste, and the soup was not as rich. However, it is still a bowl of comforting, slurping goodness.

Mian Fen Guo 

The gang prefers the Mian Fen Guo Dry ($3.50) with a sweet dark sauce. What kept us going back for more was the texture of the mee hoon kuey. The more you bite into it, the more the chewy texture grows on you. The addition of ikan bilis further enhanced the flavours with an extra crunchy texture.

Seletar Sheng Mian. Mian Fen Guo
Kebun Bahru Food Centre
Blk 226H Ang Mo Kio Street 22
#01-07
Singapore 568226
Nearest MRT: Mayflower (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Sat-Thu: 6am - 230pm
(Closed on Fri)

Direction:
1) Alight at Mayflower MRT station. Take Exit 5. Walk to Ang Mo Kio Ave 3. Cross the road. Cut through the housing estate to Ang Mo Kio Street 22. Walk along Ang Mo Kio Street 22 to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Shu Heng Bi Tai Mak @ Kebun Bahru Food Centre - What Is JB Bi Tai Mak?

Shu Heng Bi Tai Mak, a new stall at Kebun Bahru Food Centre, was opened in December 2020 by a young couple. Unlike other bak chor mee stalls, it specialises in Bi Tai Mak. They have an item on their menu called JB Bi Tai Mak which I have never tried or heard of. Hence I am very interested in giving it a try.

JB Bi Tai Mak 3/5

The JB Bi Tai Mak ($3/$4) comes in a starchy gravy, brimming with minced pork, mushroom, salted fish, shrimp, fried shallots and green onions. I love the generous serving as each mouth full is filled with flavours and textures. Unfortunately, I was not too fond of the starchy gravy. I prefer a more soupy version packed with pork and mushroom flavours.

Mushroom Pork Mince Noodle 4.2/5

A surprise discovery is the Mushroom Pork Mince Noodle ($3/$4). The chilli and vinegar concoction complement the bi tai mak excellently. The marinated minced pork and mushroom provided the balance to the spiciness while elevating the whole enjoyment. 

While I didn't enjoy the JB Bi Tai Mak, I read many reviewers do like the starchy version. Hence I think it is a personal preference. However, I do highly recommend you to try the mushroom pork mince noodle. 


Shu Heng Bi Tia Mak
Kebun Bahru Food Centre
Blk 226H Ang Mo Kio Street 22
#01-25
Singapore 568226
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Nearest MRT: Maryflower (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon, Wed-Sun: 7am - 1pm 
(Closed on Tue)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Mayflower MRT station. Take Exit 5. Walk to Ang Mo Kio Ave 3. Cross the road. Cut through the housing estate to Ang Mo Kio Street 22. Walk along Ang Mo Kio Street 22 to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]