Saturday, August 20, 2022

Bara Food @ Altez / Icon Village - True Indonesian Flavours With Nasi Bakar, Indonesian Special Grilled Rice

BaraFood8

Bara Food is a Halal Indonesian restaurant located inside Altez at Tanjong Pagar, serving Nasi Bakar, Indonesian special grilled rice. The restaurant offers a number of set menus with the nasi bakar as well as side dishes complete the meal.

BaraFood14
Ayam Goreng Serundeng 4.2/5

The first set we had is the Ayam Goreng Serundeng, which comes with a whole Javanese-style fried chicken leg topped with serundeng, mixed fried Indonesian herbs and spices. The sides include tempeh and fried tofu. All these are accompanied by rich and aromatic rice wrapped in banana leaves, grilled over fire.

BaraFood4
Ayam Goreng Cabe Ijo 4.2/5

If you like spicy food, I recommend trying the Ayam Goreng Cabe Ijo. The fried chicken topped with green chilli sauce is fragrant, spicy, and has a spicy punchy kick.

BaraFood6
Ayam Bakar Betutu 4.2/5

The Ayam Bakar Betutu will be a delicious option if you are not into spicy food. It comes with Balinese-style grilled chicken in sweet kecap manis paired with sambal matah (a mixture of different raw spices in special chilli oil), fried tofu, tempeh and nasi bakar.

BaraFood25
Kangkung Belacan 4/5

We ordered Kangkung Belacan cooked in shrimp paste sauce for a balanced diet. The rich shrimp paste flavour accentuated the enjoyment of the crunchy morning glory.

BaraFood31
Gado Gado 3/5

We also ordered the Gado Gado, an Indonesian mixed salad in peanut dressing.t I am not a fan of it. I find it weird to have cold vegetables in peanut dressing.

BaraFood18
Bergedel 4.5/5 and Corn Fritter 3.8/5

I would recommend the snacks at Bara Food too. The Bergedel was so good. It is probably one of the best I have eaten. As for the Corn Fritter, It lacked the crispiness I was expecting.

I visited the place during the weekend for lunch, which is packed. Fortunately, I made a reservation. Hence if you plan to check out the place, avoid the peak hours or make a reservation.


Bara Food
Altez / Icon Village
16 Enggor Street
#01-10
Singapore 079717
Tel: +65 81826876
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 8pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk down Peck Seah Street towards Gopeng Street. Walk to Icon Village. Cut through Icon village to Altez. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Friday, August 19, 2022

Poh Preserved Veg Hor Fun (菜莆河) @ Chinatown Complex Food Centre - The Return Of The Teochew Chai Poh Hor Fun

PohPreservedVegHorFun-2

Poh Preserved Veg Hor Fun (菜莆河) is back at Chinatown Complex Food Centre after abruptly closing its Empress Road Food Centre. The stall currently offers only four items on the menu, a reduction he used to sell at his last stall. From what I read online, Mr Ng, the stall owner, has 20 years of experience working at Shangri-La and Kim Huat Restaurant. He was running the stall alone during my visit.

PohPreservedVegHorFun28

PohPreservedVegHorFun34
Preserved Veg Hor Fun 4/5

We had the signature Preserved Veg Hor Fun ($6). I observed how Mr Ng heated up the wok and stir-fried the flat rice noodles in the high heat, infusing them with the wok's breathe (smokiness). After that, beaten egg is poured into the wok, wrapping and sealing the smokiness in the golden egg coat. When one tucks into the plate of noodles, the first thing that hit me was the release of the smokey aroma, followed by the egg's fragrant. It is like having a plate of fried white carrot cake, not getting the crunchy bites of sweet chai poh.

PohPreservedVegHorFun16

PohPreservedVegHorFun38
Oyster Preserved Veg Hor Fun 3.8/5

We also had the Oyster Preserved Veg Hor Fun ($6), which is not much different from the original version. However, I find the addition of prawns is better than oysters. The sweetness from the prawns gave the plate of noodles an additional boost in taste profile.

PohPreservedVegHorFun11
Egg Fried Rice 3/5

The Egg Fried Rice ($5.50) was rather ordinary. The rice texture has a bite, so if you prefer the soft and moist type, this is not for you.

PohPreservedVegHorFun8
Prawn Paste Chicken 4.2/5

To complement your plate of hor fun or fried rice, I would highly recommend the Prawn Paste Chicken ($10). Deep-fried to golden brown, it was crispy and juicy. The fried chicken was packed with the rich prawn paste flavour, rich and prominent.


Poh Preserved Veg Hor Fun (菜莆河)
Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Blk 335 Smith Street
#02-206
Singapore 050336
Nearest MRT: Chinatown (DT Line, NE Line), Maxwell (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 10am - 3pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Chinatown MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk down Pagoda Street. Turn right onto Trengganu Street and walk to the end of the street. Cross Smith Street and walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Maxwell MRT station. Take Exit 2. Walk to Sago Lane. Turn left and walk down Sago Lane. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. Map]