Makanista @ Tampines Mall - Unique Range Of Local Delights With A Delicious Twist

The people behind Food Junction has opened a new concept called Makanista at Tampines Mall. The convivial dining space is located on the ground floor of Tampines Mall, with a chic cafe interior. Four different stalls - Chicken Rice, Yong Tau Foo, Western, and Prata & Desserts offers diners both classic hawker favourites as well as inventive creations with a little twist. There is no pork, no lard here. It is in the process of applying for their Halal certification to cater to a wider group of diners.

Beef Hamburg & Fries 3.5/5

We started our dinner from the Western station with the Beef Hamburg & Fries ($10.90). On top the mound of fries is a whole beef patty and a sunny side up egg. It is like having a full set meal in a dish less the buns. The fries are dressed in a decadent black pepper and truffle cheese sauce, that goes very well with the crispy fries. For those that don't take beef, there is a chicken hamburg verison at $8.90.

French Chicken Curry Pasta 4/5

Bored of the usual cream and tomato base pasta? How about a little local twist with the French Chicken Curry Pasta ($7.50). The curry sauce is a concoction of curry. chiili powders, turmeric. coconut milk and whipped cream. It is something familiar but unusual in a western pasta dish, which turns out pretty good. It was well received by my other dining friends too.

Spicy Honey Mustard Wings 4/5

You can also find Korean-style fried chicken at the Western station such as the Spicy Honey Mustard Wings ($7.50 for 6pc). The chicken wings are dipped in a batter and deep fried, before being tossed in the different sauces. They are crispy and juicy. Other flavours available include Pesto Cheese and Kicap Manis.

Bakwan Sayor 4/5

A great snack to share with friends and family is the Bakwan Sayor ($2.80) from the Yong Tau Foo station. It is fried vegetable fritter which consists of shredded cabbage, carrots, chilli, beansprouts and spring onions. This is best eaten with the Lingham chilli sauce.

Curry Yong Tau Foo 4/5

Yong Tau Foo is a common dish that we can find in any food centre or foodcourt but have you hear of Soto, Mee Siam, Satay and Curry Yong Tau Foo? Yes, besides the normal Yong Tau Foo whereby diners get to pick 7 items plus a choice of rice or noodles (yellow noodles, bee hoon, hor fun, rice roll, thick bee hoon) for $6.50, for an additional one dollar you can change the soup base. After sampling the 4 different soup flavours, my favourite goes to the Curry Yong Tau Foo while I think the satay will complement the dry version better.

Combo Meal - Duo 3/5

If you order the Combo Meal - Duo ($16.50) from the Chicken Rice station, it will be served on a ceramic rattan ' dulang' or tray. This way of serving is similar to how the traditional Nasi Ambeng is presented. Besides the normal Hainanese and roasted chicken, the stall offers both Thai and Mala style chicken rice too. I would recommend sticking to the traditional. The combo meal also comes with a soft drink, a Japanese inspired house special ramen egg and sides like bean sprouts, fresh vegetables in oyster sauce or tahu goreng.

Mutton Prata Burger 4/5

My favourite station at Makanista is the Prata station for its specialty pratas which are unique and delicious. We start with the Mutton Prata Burger ($8.50) which is their own rendition of Ramly burger in a murtabak. Besides the mutton patty, you can also find sauteed onions and fried egg with mayonnaise and black pepper sauce in it.

Okonomiyaki Prata 4.5/5

A must try is the Okonomiyaki Prata ($7). Inspired by the Japanese dish, the prata is wrapped with shredded carrots, purple and white cabbage, cheese and egg. It is then drizzled with mayonnaise and sweet okonomiyaki sauce, topped with bonito flakes. This is one of its kind prata, with textures and flavours that wins me over. This is like prata gone international. Other savoury prata include Chicken Luncheon & Floss and Special Tandoori Chicken.

Peanut Butter and Jam Prata 4/5

For the sweet take of the prata, there is the Peanut Butter and Jam Prata ($2.80). This is a brilliant combination of nuttiness and sweetness coming together. It brings the appreciation of the tradition prata to another level.

Overall I think the food at Makanista is really unique and interesting. However for some of the items, it still need more adjustment to get it right. For the time being, I would recommend going for the specialty pratas.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


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Makanista
Tampines Mall
4 Tampines Central 5
#01-42/43/44
Singapore 529510
Tel: +65 62606002
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Tampines (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 8am - 10pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Tampines MRT station. Take Exit C. Turn left and walk to traffic light junction. Cross the right, walk along Tampines Central 5 towards Century Square direction. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Yentafo Kruengsonge @ Cathay Cineleisure Orchard - Thai Style Yong Tau Fu

For years, our repertoire for Thai cuisine is pretty much confined to the realm of Pha Thai, Papaya Salad, Tom Yum Soup etc. Till lately we got acquainted with Thai Boat Noodles but now there's Thai Yong Tau Fu! Yentafo Kruengsonge by Madam A. Mallikaun, a renown Bangkok ‘yen ta fo’ (as the Thais knows it) noodle chain, with 28 outlets in Bangkok and 2 in Laos. It has set up its first Singapore outpost at Cineleisure Orchard.

Kruengsonge; which refers to a selection of the best ingredients in one big bowl. The brand’s distinctive rooster earthenware containing the rice noodles and a myriad of ingredients in a light broth, pinkish with a savoury-sweet ‘yen ta fo’ sauce. Hence it is also known as ‘pink noodle soup’ which is the character of Madam A. Mallikaun’s ‘yen ta fo’. What draws people to her place is essentially her signature pink sauce which is made with fermented red tofu and cooked Thai red rice. Imagine mixing a piece of Chinese fermented beancurd into your porridge...

Kratong Tong 2.5/5

We started off with some appetisers that really got our jaws moving. Kratong Tong ($5 for 6 pc) reminiscent of our Kueh Pai Tee – deep-fried pastry shells filled with stir-fried minced chicken, carrots, peas and corn. They tasted like chicken pie but accented with strong peppery taste due to the aromatics of the coriander root.

Kao Tung Rice Crisps 3/5

Instead of the usual candied version with sweet, caramelised sugarcane glaze, their Kao Tung Rice Crisps ($6 for 4 pc) is an exquisite, savoury version. Its nutty signature dip made with minced chicken and red curry paste makes the otherwise flavourless and pale rice crisp moreish and alluring .

Yentafo Kruengsonge Soup, Non Spicy 3.8/5

Moving on to their specialties, four choices of 'yen ta fo’ are showcased on the menu in Singapore. Simply pick their Yentafo Kruengsonge Soup ($8.50) which you get to try all the 8 items such as fish ball, squid ball, fish ball with tofu, fried tofu, fried seasoned taro and black fungus mushroom, paired with rice noodles in Madam Mallika’s quintessential broth and pink sauce. The broth, pink sauce and Kangkong are specially imported from Thailand. I like the Thai Kang Kong. Although they are much thicker, they add a refreshing crunch to the dish. You may be wandering what is that piece of grass jelly doing in my Yong Tau Fu? Back in Thailand, Pig's blood is one of the quintessential ingredients in Yen Ta Fu. To keep the tradition, grass jelly is adopted to symbolise that significant curd. Much consideration has been given to the colour, shape and texture when choosing the supplier. How cool is that!

Dry Yentafo Kruengsonge, Spicy 4/5

Similar to Thailand, customers can opt for three levels of spiciness for their choice of ‘yen ta fo’ - ‘Dek-Dek’ (not spicy), ‘Jai-Soh’ (spicy) and ‘Rod-Jeb’ (screaming spicy). Like an authentic Italian restaurant, you won't see any other spices or condiments on the table as Madam A. Mallikaun believes that her version of pink noodles is robust enough to go with sauces. Their dry version ($8.50) attests to that. We had ours ‘Jai-Soh’ (spicy) with a teaspoon of the chilli. It gives the noodles a fiery and tangy kick which was lacking in our non-spicy soup. Spicy is highly recommended for both version!

Original Tom Yum Noodles 4/5

And by all means, give their Original Tom Yum Noodles ($9) a try. Made using the same broth base, they serve up a relatively sweeter tom yum soup that is more rounded in flavour. Fresh lemon juice is used in place of vinegar, whetting your taste buds with a citrusy kind of tanginess, instead hitting you with sharp vinegary notes. For something less stimulating, you can opt for their classic Kway Teow Kruengsonge ($8.50), a Thai-style clear soup noodle with six toppings. Knowing that the imported broth, which forms the base of all soup dishes here, is made from simmering pork bone, radish and coriander root, I'm certain that even their clear soup noodles will be as satisfying as the Yen Ta Fu. Both are available in soup and dry.

Nam Prik Khai Poo 4/5

Their menu also features a few unique Thai rice dishes, in which Nam Prik Khai Poo ($9) may caught your attention with its crab dip made with fresh crab meat and cooked egg yolk. Personally I like my vegetables to be simply blanched, hence this dish sits very well with me (apart from the oily and flat omelette atop of my rice). The dip is a balance of sweet, spicy and sour. The 3 signature flavours of Thai cuisine. What needs to be improved is perhaps its portion. Reminiscent of a decadent salted egg crab, eat your vegetables if you want to savour the essence of the plate!

Gai Pad Krapow 3.5/5

Gai Pad Krapow ($8.50) may set your stomach on fire. Putting the heat level aside, which ironically some of you may find it hard to stop. I quite enjoy the strong flavour of the Thai holy basil infused in the minced chicken.

Santol Sweety Delight 3.5/5

Not just the mains, Yentafo Kruengsonge also introduces us a range of different traditional Thai desserts. After all the heat and spice, wash them down with Santol Sweety Delight ($5). With flesh too tart to consume on its own, the Thais simmers this cotton fruit in sugar until it is soft, ingeniously turning it into a refreshing dessert.

Nam-Wa Banana 3.8/5

I like their Nam-Wa Banana in Coconut Milk with Sesame Seeds ($5) just as much, or perhaps more - There is a lot more play of flavours and textures in it. Compared to the cavendish bananas which soften under heat, these specially-imported Nam-Wa bananas that are grown in the central and North-eastern parts of Thailand, remain firm after being cooked. The freshly-squeezed coconut cream has a light consistency with caramelised sweetness from the palm sugar. Each bite was aromatic with nuttiness from the toasted sesame seeds, along with a touch of salt that complements its mellowness.

Ka-Nom Tuay 3/5

Ka-Nom Tuay - a traditional steamed coconut custard. The sweet coconut flavour is a taste of nostalgia.

In Bangkok, one may find it hard to identify the real Yentafo Kruengsonge by Madam A. Mallikaun as there are a handful of other brands around selling the same thing. However, since this is the first and only in Singapore, there's no way that you will mistaken it, especially with their trademark rooster earthenware. Comfort food priced reasonably, I'm quite sure this Thai Yen Ta Fo will make it mark here in no time.

Written and photography by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Yentafo Kruengsonge 
Cathay Cineleisure Orchard
8 Grange Road
#02-06A/B
Singapore 239695
Tel: +65 67360971
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am - 10pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit B. Go all the way to the ground level. Turn left and walk to the junction of Orchard Road and Grange Road. Cross the road and turn left onto Grange Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Full of Luck Club (福乐) @ Holland Village - Bringing Progressive Cantonese Cuisine To The People

The team behind the award winning Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant has opened a new restaurant in Holland Village introducing a progressive and contemporary take on authentic Cantonese cuisine. The new concept, Full of Luck Club (福乐) actually took over the premises of the former Wendy's, just next door of Crystal Jade.

Panko-crusted Portobello 3.8/5

A highlight at Full of Luck Club is the Bao Bar window concept, which offers a delectable selection of both steamed and fried baos for patrons to takeaway. It is also available for dine in. As of today, a total of six choices are available on the menu such as kung pao fried chicken, salted egg yolk prawn, portuguese pork chop.

For the steamed bao, I got to the Panko Crusted Portobello and Braised Pork Belly. The baos are going at $6 per piece and $9.80 for two. The bao concept is quite refreshing. It is like the Chinese's version of hamburger but replacing the bun with bao.

Braised Pork Belly 4/5

The Panko Crusted Portobello comes with fluffy steamed bao sandwiched with golden fried whole portobello mushroom in teriyaki mayo sauce, carrot cabbage slaw and grilled pineapples. The sweetness of the grilled pineapple play an important role in holding the different components together.

The Braised Pork Belly is like an upgraded version of kong bak pau. It comes with slow braised pork belly, lettuce, pickled lotus root, fried shallots, peanuts, coriander and bird's eye chilli. It has more textures and an extra omph from the chilli compare to the traditional kong bak pau.

Hokey-Pokey Ice Cream 3.5/5

For the sweet tooth, there is the Hokey-Pokey Ice Cream which comes with cocoa chips, toasted marshmallow and creamy honeycomb ice cream in a fried bao. Surprisingly I actually quite enjoyed it except that it is a bit messy to handle.

Raspberry Pu Er 4.2/5

From the beverage menu, I ordered the Raspberry Pu Er ($4.50) which is light and refreshing. I like the modern twist to traditional tea drinking. The other modern iced teas on the the menu are the Lychee Oolong and Sour Plum Oolong.

Stir Fried Radish Cake with XO Sauce 3.5/5

The Stir Fried Radish Cake with XO Sauce ($6.80) was chunky and has a nice caramelized crispy crust on the exterior. I thought the radish cake itself was rather bland, saving grace is the external seasoning that coated around it to make it delicious.

Golden Sand Corn with Salted Egg Yolk 3/5

To be frank, I was not too impressed with the Golden Sand Corn with Salted Egg Yolk ($4.80). Can't deny that the corn kernels are sweet with a good crispiness from the light batter coated around it. Unfortunately, I have difficulty tracing the salted egg yolk.

Chilli Glazed Fried Fermented Bean Paste Chicken Wings 4/5

The Chilli Glazed Fried Fermented Bean Paste Chicken Wings ($8) works for me. I like the spicy and tangy kick coated on the exterior of the chicken wings on top of the juicy meat.

Poached Wontons in Chilli Soy 3/5

There was mixed opinions of the Poached Wontons in Chilli Soy ($7.20). I agree with the group that the wontons were good. However I felt it lacked the chilli oil aroma and spiciness which is the soul of this dish.

Braised Spinach Beancurd 3.5/5

The Braised Spinach Beancurd ($16) with its silky texture is yummy. However isn't this a classic dish, where is the progressive take on authentic Cantonese cuisine?

Spicy Stuffed Yong Tau Foo 3/5

The Spicy Stuffed Yong Tau Foo ($16) comes with assorted vegetables and tofu stuffed with minced pork. It is then seasoned with spiced whole fermented bean paste. Once again I find the spicy dishes on the menu lacking the heat that I was expecting to make me break into a sweat.

Sweet Mint and Lime Cod 3.5/5

The buttery flavour of the cod fish is the highlight of the Sweet Mint and Lime Cod ($24). The pan seared cod is scented with mint and lime for a rounder and enhanced flavour. The cuttlefish on the other hand is rather irrelevant and not necessary for the dish.

Crispy Aromatic Duck 4/5

One of the signature dishes at Full of Luck Club is the Crispy Aromatic Duck ($35 half/ $70 whole). It is paired with hoisin sauce, cucumber, shredded spring onions and steamed Chinese pancakes. The duck is done similar like duck confit, so it can be eaten on its own or wrapped with the steamed pancakes with a bit of the hoison sauce, cucumber and spring onions.

Moonlight Truffle Beef Hor Fun 3.5/5

The Moonlight Truffle Beef Hor Fun ($20) will please the new gen with the addition of truffle and poached egg in the classic zi char dish. A couple of us prefer to leave out the truffle so we can get the scent of the wok hei instead of some artificial chemical. I think I will still go for KEK's version if I need a good plate of moonlight hor fun.

Besides the bao dishes on the menu, I am not quite impress with the rest of the items consider the team of Li Bai is behind it. I can't find much progression in the creation. It is more of tweaking authentic Cantonese cuisine to suit the taste and wallet of the new gen. Saying that I find the pricing quite steep for the quality of food it is serving. i think I will just stick to the steamed baos when I visit the restaurant again.


Full Of Luck Club
243 Holland Ave
Singapore 278977
Tel: +65 62086845
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Holland Village (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Sun-Thu: 11am - 11pm
Fri-Sat: 11am - 1am

Direction:
1) Alight at Holland Village MRT station. Take Exit B. Turn left and walk to destination. Journey time about 2 minutes. [Map]

Face to Face Noodle House (面对面) @ City Square Mall - Home of Original Sarawak Noodles with 105 Years of Heritage

After Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee, another well known brand in Malaysia, Face to Face Noodle House (面对面) has arrived on the shore of Singapore with its first outlet at City Square Mall. Face to Face Noodle House has 105 years of heritage and 30 outlets around Malaysia, bringing the authentic Sarawak noodles to Singapore. The founder's great grandfather picked up the rare skill of making Jook Sing noodles, one of the rarest forms of noodle making. The noodles at Face to Face Noodle House is handmade daily without any preservatives.

Traditional Sarawak Noodle 4.2/5

I have not tried the Sarawak Noodle ($8.90) in Malaysia but this is definitely the signature here. The sarawak noodle comes with minced pork, char siew, fried wanton and marinated spring onion. The star has to be the noodles for its springy texture. The char siew if has a bit more fats would be excellent.

House Specialty Pan Mee 4/5

For those that prefers soup base noodles, the House Specialty Pan Mee ($8.90) comes with minced pork, crispy anchovies and onsen egg. The rich and intense broth together with the bouncy noodle complemented each other excellently for a comforting and satisfying bowl of pan mee.

Genki Herbal Chicken Soup Pan Mee 4/5

To cater for the locate palate, Face to Face has also created the Curry Chicken Pan Mee and Genki Herbal Chicken Pan Mee ($12.90). I had the latter which comes with homemade noodles in traditional herbal soup served with tender chicken, enoki mushrooms and various herbs. The noodles used is thinner and softer compare to the others. It also feels more substantial with a huge piece of  tender chicken thigh.

Hakka Yong Tau Foo 3/5

To complete the meal, Face to Face Noodle House also offers Yong Tau Foo and some snacks on their menu. We ordered the Five Treasure Set ($7.50) which has a bit of everything. The basket comes with chilli, ladyfingers, tofu, brinjal and bittergourd with meat stuffings.

Face to Face Noodle House did manage to satisfy me for the excellent texture and smoothness in their homemade noodles. My only wish is they will open another outlet in the West of Singapore. Bringing their delicious Sarawak noodles nearer to my home.


Face to Face Noodle House (面对面)
City Square Mall
180 Kitchener Road
#02-23/24
Singapore 208539
Tel: +65 65090182
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Farrer Park (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Farrer Park MRT station. Take Exit I. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Hakka Thunder Tea (客家佬擂茶) @ Tanglin Halt Food Centre

I have known about Hakka Thunder Tea (客家佬擂茶) at Tanglin Halt Food Centre for years but I have never thought of trying it because I am not a big fan of thunder tea. I always think that it is a weird idea to have rice with tea. Anyway I decided give the stall a try as I noticed that they also sells Hakka Yong Tau Foo.

Hakka Yong Tau Foo 4/5

The greedy me picked almost all the different varieties available. All the Yong Tau Foo comes stuffed with fish paste. There are items such as brinjal, bitter gourd, chilli, mushroom, beancurd, tau gwa, lady finger etc. I am not sure but I suspect these yong tau foo is homemade as you can see the inconsistency in the ingredients.

Hakka Yong Tau Foo 4/5

The yong tau foo comes in either dry or soup version. I decided to go for the dry version for the reason that almost all the ingredients are deep fried stuff. It will be good if they offer a mix of non deep fried stuff.

Pardon m but I could not remember the exact price. I think it is sold at sixty to eighty cents per piece.
For those that likes Thunder Tea, it seems that the stall is quite popular with it. Basically most of the people in the queue is ordering that, and I was the odd one out.


Hakka Thunder Tea (客家佬擂茶)
Tanglin Halt Food Centre
Blk 3A Commonwealth Drive
#01-31
Singapore 140003
Nearest MRT: Commonwealth (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 10am - 8pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Commonwealth MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Tanglin Halt Road. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Tian Ji Niang Dou Fu (添記釀豆腐) @ Seah Im Food Centre

I sort of chance upon Tian Ji Niang Dou Fu (添記釀豆腐) at Seah Im Food Centre when I was roaming around aimlessly one weekend looking for dinner. I spotted a queue at the stall and my foodie radar instantly sent out a curiosity signal for me to check out the place. Without second thought, I joined the queue.

Laksa Yong Tau Foo 4.2/5

While queuing I observed that the stall sells mostly fried stuff for the Niang Dou Fu or Yong Tau Foo. The items are pre-determined and you don't get to select what you want like those Yong Tau Foo stall at most food court. The style here is more towards the ampang or kok kee type.

Laksa Yong Tong Foo 4.2/5

While the stall sells the soup and noodle version, I decided to go for the Laksa Yong Tau Foo ($3/$4) with yellow noodles instead. As I am a big fan for laksa, this is one stone hit two birds for me. I got to enjoy my bowl of laksa that comes brimming with delectable yong tau foo. Normally a bowl of laksa already is about that price, so this is definitely value for money. Among the different varieties of fried items, my favourite was those with fish paste stuffing. The fish paste was not too floury, smooth and flavourful. The laksa broth itself was rich and lemak but not as spicy as I would have like.


Tian Ji Niang Dou Fu (添記釀豆腐)
Seah Im Food Centre
2 Seah Im Road
#01-52
Singapore 099114
Nearest MRT: Harbour Front (CC Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 7am - 9pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Harbour Front MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]