Mr LorBak @ Ubi - A Comforting Bowl of Lu Rou Fan At $3.50

The constant breakdowns of the MRT train services have inconvenienced many commuters but we cannot deny that it has also provided accessibility to many places which is hard to reach. A good example is the opening of the Downtime Line 3, it brings us into Ubi neighbourhood. I would never image myself traveling all the way from the West to Ubi without the new MRT line.

The opening of the new Downtime Line 3 means I can explore new places for food. One of such new places is Mr LorBak near Ubi MRT station. The stall is opened by a younger hawker, Mr William which used to would as a GM in a restaurant group before venturing on his own selling Lu Rou Fan adopting a recipe from his grandmother.

Lu Rou Fan 4/5

Unlike the Taiwanese style, the Lu Rou Fan ($3.50) here comes with chunky pieces of braised pork belly. Do not expect melted in the mouth type but a pieces of fatty belly that is well braised, infused with the different herbs and spices, and yet still have a fork tender bite to it. The braised pork belly comes across with a stronger herbal taste, which may be a bit hard for some to accept due to the hint of aftertaste bitterness.

Besides the chunky braised pork belly pieces, the bowl of Lu Rou Ran is comes with a whole braised egg and crunch black fungus. For the price, it is quite generous and value for money.

Mixed Platter 4/5

To complete the meal, you can also add on additional braised item such as tau pok, peanuts, mushroom and preserved mustard greens. I have one of each which costs me an additional $2.

Overall this is comforting rice bowl to satisfy a meal. If you do not like those strong herbal taste then you may not like the braised pork belly rice here. Do expect long queues during lunch time.


Mr LorBak
Blk 350 Ubi Ave 1
#01-947
Singapore 400350
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Nearest MRT: Ubi (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon, Wed-Sun: 11am - 8pm
(Closed on Tue)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Ubi MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Ubi Road 3. Turn left onto Ubi Road 3 and walk to Ubi Ave 1. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Sheng Yi Fa Lor Mee (生益发卤面) @ West Coast Drive - The Popular Clementi Lor Mee Stall Is Back

For those who stay in the West, you probably will know about Sheng Yi Fa Lor Mee (生益发卤面) at Blk 443 Clementi Ave 3 (Clementi Central). There is always a snaking queue at the stall and they are sold out slightly after noon. It is with great joy to announce that the Lor Mee Uncle and Aunty has come out of retirement after almost a year and re-opened the stall at Blk 501 West Coast Drive. They are at the same coffeeshop where Ah Hoe Mee Pok is located.

Lor Mee 4.8/5

I have a brief chat with the stall uncle when he was taking a break. He told me that his son wanted to learn the recipe and skill and pursued him to come out of retirement. His son also rooted in a partner who helps out at the stall when I visited the stall. Uncle told me that his son still holds a day job. He will come in the early morning to help out in the prep work and cooking, leaving in the late morning for his day job.

A basic bowl of Lor Mee starts from $4 which comes with braised pork belly, deep fried dumpling, ngor hiang and fried fish nugget. I have the $5 bowl which comes with extra ingredients. The lor mee here does not come with fishcake or braised egg. You have to pay an additional $0.70 for a braised egg. I noticed a different in the bowl of lor mee now. Uncle has added the bowl of noodle with crunchy flour bits for that extra texture. Customers can help themselves to their liking of chilli, ginger and black vinegar.

Most lor mee gravy is brown in colour, gooey and at times even lumpy. However at Sheng Yi Fa Lor Mee, the gravy is actually dark coloured, almost black. It looks similar to those beef noodle gravy. The gravy is smooth and comes with a lot of depth. Another different compared to elsewhere is the used of braised pork belly which is beautiful cooked to a nice tender.

I am really glad that uncle has come out from retirement. Every slurp of the delicious noodle brought back that fond memories of the familiar taste which I have missed so much. I really hope his son and partner are able to pick up the skill and continue his legacy.


Sheng Yi Fa Lor Mee
Blk 501 West Coast Drive
Singapore 120501
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Nearest MRT: Clementi (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Tue: 7am - 2pm
Thu-Sun: 7am - 2pm
(Closed on Wed)

Direction:
1) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Clementi MRT station (Stop ID 17171). Take bus number 78. Alight 5 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 18 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Clementi Bus Interchange. (Stop ID 17009). Take bus number 285. Alight 5 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 18 minutes. [Map]

STREAT 2017 @ Clifford Square - Kickstarts Singapore Food Festival 2017

This year's Singapore Food Festival 2017 has lined up a series of events around island happening from 14 to 30 July 2017. Kick-starting this year's Singapore Food Festival is STREAT. The two day event from 14 to 15 July 2017 takes place at Clifford Square.

This year Singapore Food Festival has rooted in Peranakan Chef Malcolm Lee of Michelin-starred restaurant Candlenut and Chef Willin Low of Wild Rocket to helm  a pop-up restaurant where the 2 chefs present contemporary interpretations of local dishes, through a 3-course mod-sin and modern Peranakan Tok Panjang menu. Diners will get to sample a variety of 3 appetizers and 3 mains served communal style, capped off with individual desserts for $50 nett.

Among the dishes prepared by Chef Malcolm and Chef Willin, my favourite dishes are the Valrhona Dark Chocolate Rojak and Buah Keluak Chye Tow Kway. I thought I have already seen the last of what can be done with the local hawker fare but both chefs have proven me wrong.

Buah Keluak Chye Tow Kway

Valrhona Dark Chocolate Rojak

In addition, the 2 chefs have also curated 9 stalls, each helmed by a line-up of young hawkerpreneurs and chefs. Each stall will present a unique spin on quintessentially local dishes. The 9 stalls are,
1. The Masses
2. KEK x Good Chance Popiah
3. New Ubin Seafood
4. Khek (Dessert)
5. Whampoa Prawn Noodle
6. Madam Tan's Nasi Lemak
7. Olympics Team
8. One Kueh At A Time
9 Native x Sunday Punch (beverage)

KEK - Coffee Pork Burger 

Good Chance Popiah - Tempura Kimchi Popiah

New Ubin Seafood - USDA Ribeye Heart Attack Fried Rice

Madam Tan's Crispy Pork Nasi Lemak

Whampoa Prawn Noodles - Spicy Prawn Pasta

To make a booking at the pop-up restaurant by Chef Willin Low and Malcolm Lee, please do not hesitate to email wildnuts2017@gmail.com. For those who do not manage to reserve a table, fret not as there is also a takeaway counter of the pop-up restaurant’s menu.

More information of the Singapore Food Festival can be found at the link here.


STREAT 2017 
(Beside Fullerton Bay Hotel)
Clifford Square
80 Collyer Square
Singapore 049326

Opening Hours:
14-15 July 2017
5pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Raffles Place MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Clifford Centre. Cut across the building. Go to 2nd floor, take the overhead bridge link across the road. Turn left at the base of the overhead bridge. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Eat 3 Bowls (呷三碗) @ Seah Im Food Centre - Young Hawkers Serving A Great Bowl Of Mee Sua & Lu Rou Fang

Eat 3 Bowls (呷三碗) at Seah Im Food Centre is a new stall opened by 2 young men. During our visit for lunch on a Saturday afternoon, the place seems rather quiet. Great that I do not need to queue up to order my food. Since there is 2 of us, we decided to go for the set meal for two pax which costs $15. It comes with 2 soups, 2 bowl of braised pork rice, 1 vegetable and the salted crispy chicken.

Braised Pork Rice 4.5/5

I have to agree with many reviews that I have seem online that the Braised Pork Rice ($2.50) or also known as Lu Rou Fan is top notch. The braised sauce is not overly sweet with hints of spices such as star anise and cinnamon. The minced pork literally melted in the mouth which has absorbed the essence of the braising sauce which complemented the soft and pearly rice excellently.

Salted  Crispy Chicken 4.2/5

The Salted Crispy Chicken ($4) comes in spicy and non-spicy. Thinly coated with a crispy batter. The chunky pieces of chicken were tender, juicy and crispy. The chemistry of the sodium chloride and chilli powder provided the stimulation for taste buds to appreciate the dish.

Braised Chinese Cabbage 4/5

The Braised Chinese Cabbage ($3) was cooked to a delectable softness while still retaining the natural sweetness of the Chinese cabbage.

Bittergourd Pork Ribs Soup 1/5

The Bittergourd Pork Ribs Soup ($3) is way too healthy for me. It tasted really bland. There was no body to it and it felt like the stall has forgotten about the seasoning.

Intestine Mee Sua 4.5/5

Since I have made my way down to Seah Im Food centre, I have to order another signature item on the menu, their Intestine Mee Sua ($3.50). Using the red mee sua, the rendition by the 2 young gentlemen reminded me of my Taiwan trip. This is probably the best and closest I have eaten by far. Add some garlic and vinegar to complete the full appreciation of the mee sua.

Eat 3 Bowls (呷三碗)
Seah Im Food Centre
2 Seah Im Road
#01-21
Singapore 099114
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Nearest MRT: Harbour Front (CC Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 830am-730pm

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

Hua Kee Chicken Rice @ Redhill Food Centre - A Traditional Taste For Nearly 40 Years

Hua Kee Chicken Rice at Redhill Food Centre is one of those stalls that I wanted to visit the longest time. I have friends who even declare this as their number one chicken rice stall in Singapore. Hua Kee was founded over 30 years ago by Mdm Tan's husband. Now the stall is run by Mdm Tan and her son, Mr Jay Lim the 2nd generation.

Chicken Rice 4.2/5

I can consider myself quite lucky to get the last few plates of chicken rice after queuing for almost 30 minutes. The stall helper has to keep telling the people behind me that they are sold out. So how do I find the plate of chicken rice? I like that it is chopped into chunky pieces which is tender and juicy. Most important I released what my friends meant that their chicken has that chicken taste while a lot of places tasted rather bland.

The other component for a good plate of chicken rice is the rice. I understand that the stall cooks their chicken rice with chicken oil and sesame oil in smaller batches using several smaller pots instead of one big pot. The chicken rice comes with a mild chicken aroma, fluffy, grainy and not greasy.

For the chilli sauce, I thought it can be spicier and more tangy. I also slightly disappointed that the stall does not order ginger dip.

Hua Kee Chicken Rice
Redhill Food Centre
Blk 85 Redhill Lane
#01-72
Singapore 150085
Nearest MRT: Redhill (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Wed-Sun: 930am - 130pm
(Closed on Mon & Tue)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Redhill MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk down Tiong Bahru Road towards the traffic light junction. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Master Prata @ Bukit Purmei - Very Crispy Prata Indeed But It Did Not Wow Me

Once again, social media comes to our rescue when finding places to eat near our home for the weekend. After seeing several social media posting about the crispy prata from Master Prata, my wife and I made a trip down to Bukit Purmei to check it out.

Prata Kosong 3/5

It is understand that the stall owner still make his own dough, following the recipe that his dad who used to work in Jalan Kayu making pratas has passed down to him. Many has also raved that this is the Thasevi style crispy prata, bring back fond memories.

Egg Prata 3/5

I ordered both the Kosong Prata ($1/pc) and Egg Prata ($1.70/pc) to try. I supported the review that the kosong prata is indeed very crispy. It exterior of the pan fried dough simply shattered when u tried to tear it apart with a slightly fluffy interior dough. Saying that, while my wife and I enjoyed the crispy texture, we did not like the strong margarine taste that comes with the prata.

A bonus at Master Prata is the choice of chicken, mutton and fish curry to go with their prata. Among the trio we tried, we preferred the fish curry more than the rest. We also felt that the chicken curry was sort of powdery which was quite unpleasant for the palate.

By the way, there is another prata place at Alexandra which is also called Master Prata. Do note that they are not affiliate to the stall at block 109 Bukit Purmei.


Master Prata
Blk 109 Bukit Purmei Road
#01-157
Singapore 090109
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Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru (EW Line), Harbourfront (CC Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 7am - 915pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Tiong Bahru MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop opposite Tiong Bahru Plaza (Stop ID 10161). Take bus number 123. Alight 4 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Harbourfront MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Harbourfront MRT station (Stop ID 14129). Take bus number 123. Alight 5 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

Block 24 Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Sin Ming Road - A Great Plate of Chicken Rice By Young Hawker Couple

I have been wanting to check out Block 24 Hainanese Chicken Rice at Sin Ming Road for the longest time since I read about it on FINS and several social media posting from my foodie friends. By chance I was in the vicinity and decided to drop by Ghim Huat Coffeeshop for lunch.

Block 24 Hainanese Chicken Rice is run by a young couple, Kelvin and Dynn. The first thing I observed when queuing up to place my order is the top notch customer service from Dynn. The smile, the interaction and small little things like cleaning the plate before serving to the customer. This is restaurant standard service. Thumbs up!

A brief chat with the couple revealed that they used to have a stall nearby selling chicken rice before moving to China. They came back and decided to continue selling chicken rice and hence opened the current stall. As per every plate of chicken rice, the rice plays a part of the whole enjoyment. Their rice is nicely cooked to a grainy bite with a mild chicken stock flavour. The other element is the chilli sauce. While it has an aftertaste spicy kick , we felt it was slightly diluted.

Half Chicken 4.2/5

The stall sells both the poached chicken and roasted chicken. I decided to try the poached chicken and ordered Half Chicken ($12). I can taste the chicken has undergone a cold bath giving it the distinct jelly-like skin. The chicken was also juicy and tender. While the texture is good, my friend felt that it lacked that chicken flavour. Nevertheless, overall this is a good plate of poached chicken or even above average. I actually look forward to come back and try their roasted chicken as it seems to be more popular with the customers.

Block 24 Hainanese Chicken Rice
Blk 24 Sin Ming Road
Singapore 570024
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Upper Thomson (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1030am - 530pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Upper Thomson MRT station. Take Exit 3. Walk to Jalan Todak Road. Turn left onto Jalan Todak Road. Walk to the end and continue on Sin Ming Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]

Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh 榕城(新民路)肉骨茶 @ Midview City (Sin Ming Road) - Introducing The New Sea Cucumber Pork Rib Soup

It has been a while since I last visited Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh at Midview City. I remembered the last visit was to bring my Thai friends to have their bak kut teh. I am back again to try their newly introduced Sea Cucumber Pork Rib Soup.

Sea Cucumber Pork Rib Soup 3.5/5

We ordered the Sea Cucumber Pork Rib Soup Set ($18) which comes with a choice of a small side dish and rice. Sea cucumber is known for being rich in collagen and no cholestrol. This is probably the first bak kut teh restaurant to introduce sea cucumber into their soup. just like how they first introduced the dragon ribs to Singapore. While I enjoyed the bouncy texture of the sea cucumber, I felt that it needed more time to absorb the essence of the pork rib soup.

Dragon Ribs Set 4/5

Besides their Sea Cucumber Pork Rib Soup, we also ordered their signature Dragon Ribs Set ($10.50) which comes with a choice of a small side dish and rice. Not sure whether we were early during our visit but the pork rib soup does not quite hit the spot for me. It was not as peppery as I have used to know.

Mee Sua Soup with Pig liver and Kidney 4.2/5

Lastly I had a bowl of Mee Sua Soup with Pig Liver and Kidney ($6). This is a comforting bowl of silky noodle in a light and hearty soup. Enjoyed how the innards still retained a crunchy bite, not being overcooked.


Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh
榕城(新民路)肉骨茶
Midview City
Blk 26 Sin Ming Lane
#01-117
Singapore 573971
Tel: +65 66841889
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rongchengbkt
Website: http://www.rongchengbkt.com/
Nearest MRT: Upper Thomson (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 7am - 9pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Upper Thomson MRT station. Take Exit 1. Turn left and walk down Bright Hill Drive. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Aw's Signature Minced Pork Noodles @ Tanglin Halt Food Centre - A Bowl Of Slurping Goodness by Gen Y Hawker

Aw's Signature Minced Pork Noodles is a rather unknown stall selling a very different type of bak chor mee at Tanglin Halt Food Centre. Besides the bak chor mee, it also sells other noodle dishes such as their signature noodle, fish maw beehoon, braised pork noodle and shredded chicken hor fun. The most exciting part in the discovering of this stall is that it is run by Gen-Y stall owner.

Signature Noodle Dry 4.2/5

I had the Signature Noodle Dry ($5) which comes with a generous portion topped with ingredients such as abalone slices, fish ball, fried meatball, fish maw, pig liver, minced pork, fish dumpling, prawn and quail egg. Unlike the usual bak chor mee sauce, it tasted like the stall owner has added some braising sauce into the concoction of vinegar and chilli. It's tasted different in a good way from the usual bak chor mee. If you like you noodle to be packed with the spicy kick then this is not the type for you. It is more like a braising sauce noodle.

Fish Maw Beehoon 4.5/5

The highlight for me is actually the Fish Maw Beehoon ($4). At first glance, it looks like a bowl of lor mee but it is not. The sauce is not gooey or starchy. Instead the braised sauce gravy complemented the silky beehoon excellently. The star is the soupcon of orange coloured looking chilli that elevated the whole experience to the next level. It definitely packed a punch. I will definitely asked for more in my next visit. Similar to the signature noodle, the bowl of beehoon comes with generous serving of fried meatball, quail egg, shredded chicken, fish maw and minced pork.

Unfortunately during my visit, they are not selling the braised pork noodle. It is only available on Monday to Friday. I read that their braised pork is pretty good, hence I was looking forward to try it. While I did not get to try it, I am glad to discover the stall and I will definitely be back for more.


Aw's Signature Minced Pork Noodles
Tanglin Halt Food Centre
Blk 1A Commonwealth Drive
#01-08
Singapore 141001
Tel: +65 98276502
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Commonwealth (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 730am - 2pm, 5pm - 8pm
Fri-Sat: 730am - 3pm
(Closed on Sun)

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]