Thursday, February 6, 2014

Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle @ Serangoon North Ave 1

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So I have finally made my way down to Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle to taste this young hawker's Fried Hokkien Mee. The young hawker Xiao Di or Terrence has been getting quite a bit of media coverage and even my friends who have tried his fried hokkien mee has beeen raving about it. Even to the extend that some of them have proclaimed it as probably the best fried hokkien mee.

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Fried Hokkien Mee 4.8/5

The Fried Hokkien Mee here is of the wet and gooey version. The plate of delicious fried hokkien mee comes in a medley of yellow noodle, rice vermicelli, egg, beansprout, sliced pork belly, prawn, squid, garlic and pork lard. All these beautiful flavours are binded together with a thick and robust prawn stock well absorbed by the yellow noodles and rice vermicelli (thick beehoon).

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Fried Hokkien Mee 4.8/5

Besides the flavourful noodles that is well infused with the prawn stock, the other characteristic of the fragrant plate of fried hokkien mee is the garlic and pork lard that further accentuated the flavour and aroma of the whole dish. Squeezed a bit of the lime juice and ate with the specially made chilli sauce to fully enjoy this delish plate of fried hokkien mee.

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Fried Hokkien Mee 4.8/5

After finally trying the fried hokkien mee by Xiao Di. I have to agreed with my friends that this is indeed very delicious and probably one of the best fried hokkien mee in Singapore now.


Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle
Serangoon Village
Blk 153 Serangoon North Avenue 1
Singapore 550153
Tel: +65 90621201
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FPNxiaodi
Nearest MRT: Ang Mo Kio (NS Line), Hougang (NE Line)

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

Direction: 
1) Alight at Ang Mo Kio MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Ang Mo Kio MRT station (Stop ID 54261). Take bus number 25, 74, 76, 132 and 165. Alight 7 stops later. Cross the overhead bridge and walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

1) Alight at Hougang MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Hougang Central Bus Interchange (Stop ID 64009). Take bus number 132. Alight 7 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Shinkei Japanese Restaurant @ Toa Payoh Lorong 4

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I was actually quite surprised when told that there is an All You Can Eat Ala Carte Japanese Buffet, near Toa Payoh library. I have passed by the place numerous time but I did not remembering seeing Shinkei Japanese Restaurant. Apparently it is newly opened sometime back in September 2013, probably that is why I have not noticed it. Singaporean loves buffet and I am sure they will welcome the new buffet restaurant in the hood. Shinkei Japanese Restaurant offers an extensive range of over 140 items in their menu ranging from sushi, sashimi, tempura, yakitori and many more.

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Complimentary Dish

I thought it was not necessary for Shinkei to serve a complimentary dish since it is a buffet restaurant. Nevertheless I welcome the gesture. Ordering is pretty simple. Just indicate the item number and quantity in the ordering sheet and pass it to the waiter/waitress. Once the food is ready, they will be served to the table.

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Sashimi 4/5

I started with some Sashimi. I ordered the Salmon, Yellow Tail, Swordfish, Snapper, Octopus, Cuttlefish and Roasted Salmon. I actually ordered Tuna too but was told that the tuna was not good so the chef decided to take it off the menu. I actually glad to hear that, showing that they have their customers at heart and there is quality control.

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Chawanmushi 3/5

The Chawanmushi was a bit too plain looking for photo taking so I added some colours to it from other dishes. Although presentation was dull and lacking of ingredients in the chawanmushi, it still came across as a pretty flavourful steamed egg custard.

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Soft Shell Crab Temaki 4/5

I am not a big fan of hand roll but my friend, Kimberley who tried the Soft Shell Crab Temaki said that it was quite yummy.

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Sushi 3/5

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Sushi 3/5

Moving on, Kimberley and I ordered some Sushi to try. We did not enjoy the sushi. The rice is not flavourful, lacking of vinegar. The ratio of the rice to the thinly sliced ingredients is too much. Can't help feeling that it is to stuff customers with plenty of rice so as to make them full faster. Anyway we ended up eating the ingredients and left the rice untouched.

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Tempura Moriawase 4/5

The Tempura Moriawase with its thin batter gave the vegetables and prawn a nice crispy bite and yet still can appreciate the beautiful flavours of the ingredients.

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Agedashi Tofu  3.5/5

Agedashi Tofu is one of my sure to order dish whether I dined in a Japanese restaurant. The hot and silky tofu topped with spring onions and dried bonito flakes in the hot tentsuyu broth was a delightful combination.

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Ton Katsu 2.5/5

The pathetic looking Ton Katsu was lean and dry. To be frank the portion was so small as if it was a miniature.

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Shishamo 3.5/5

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Yakitori 3.5/5

The extensive menu at Shinkei also offers a selection of grilled items such as the Shishamo, Grilled Mushroom and Tori Teriyaki. There are many more items on the menu such as soba, ramen, udon, kare, maki and etc. Unfortunately I did not have the stomach to try all of them.

Overall I don't think the food is of the top quality but it is definitely value for money. With the huge selections of over 140 items, patrons will be spoilt for choices.

Lunch
Mon-Sun: Adult $32++, Child $22++ (Below 10 years old)

Dinner
Sun-Thur: Adult $35++, Child $24++ (Below 10 years old)
Fri-Sat & Eve of PH: Adult $38++, Child $28++ (Below 10 years old)


Shinket Japanese Restaurant
600 @ Toa Payoh
600 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh
#01-06/07/09/10
Singapore 319515
Tel: +65 62555598
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shinkei
Website: http://www.shinkei.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Toa Payoh (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Toa Payoh MRT station. Take either Exit A or C. Walk to Toa Payoh library direction. Proceed to block 181 adjacent to the library and walk over to the building beside it. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]