Ramadhan Mubarak!

I will still be blogging every now and then. Muslims, I advise that you come by in the evening, lest your persistance/resistance waver and I shall not be held responsible. ;-)

Found these really cool graphics here. These are my favourites.

Mon An - Goi Cuon, finally!

UPDATE: The stall has moved to 459 Changi Road (Kassim Restaurant).

The fasting month of Ramadhan is looming near. This week will be the last that we'll have lunch together before we go on our 1-month 'break'. Gotta' accompany our Chinese colleague cum 'driver' before he either lunch alone or 'purposely make lunch appointments' (as quoted by him) from next week on.

We were wondering what we'll be lunching on (preferably something that we might miss consuming in the coming month). Then we recall our favourite Vietnamese haunt which happen to be Halal, too. My previous entries HERE & HERE.

Goi Cuon - Vietnamese Vegetable roll

Most of our previous experiences there, the ubiquitous 'Gui Cuon' (at other Vietnamese eateries, that is), always managed to elude us.

Apparently, only the proprietress cum cook can prepare them and she's constantly busy! More often than not, we never got to have them because she remained busy till' the end of our meal. So sad. :(

Till' today, we remain apprehensive and kept our expectations to a minimum. Imagine our excitement when we saw a tray of these, neatly stacked in the display window! Immediately, I placed an order for them before they run out and the proprietress got too busy to make any more.

These are also known as 'Summer Rolls'. I can see why. Thin, chewy skin stuffed with vermicelli & refreshing herbs like mint, basil & garlic chives. Makes for a very nice snack during a hot day.

Cha gio - Vietnamese spring roll

These were also neatly arranged on the tray beside the Gui Cuon. Although I have to admit that the ones I had previously looked much better. The rice paper skin seemed to almost come apart, maybe due to the oil temperature while frying.

Thankfully the filling remain as scrumptious.

Pho Bo - Vietnamese Beef Soup

This is as refreshing as ever!

They are very generous with the slices of tender beef. And the herb garnishings.

Plus, my colleague kept passing me her sinewy pieces of beef, much to my delight. You know those cuts of meat with lots of tendon trimmings? Yeah, incredible texture, they have. Yums!

Given our nice experience today, colleague decided that Thursday will be a good day to come by here for lunch. And considering that most of the stall hands are men, we conclude that they won't be around on a Friday afternoon because they'll be at the mosque for Friday prayers. Beside, it'll be a nightmare trying to get a parking lot since there's a mosque nearby.

The poor fella gotta' come here alone should he intend to come by here for lunch, in the coming month. Heh.

Fish & Co. @ Parkway Parade

Table mat block

We saw that they have lunch specials and decide to take up the offer. The mains will come with homemade coleslaw, selected soft drinks & dessert.

Clam chowder soup

All of us chose to top up $1 for the soup-of-the-day instead of the coleslaw. Good thing, too. We later saw the coleslaw being served to the other table and it was a pretty sizable mound. We wouldn't be able to finish our mains like that!

This soup, meanwhile; is mediocre. And oily. Just how can a creamy soup be THAT oily?

Honestly, the clam chowder from LJS seems more desirable to me; at that moment.

Arctic Fish & Chips

My 2 female colleagues chose this set. Their trademark dish. I wonder what variant of fish was used though. 'Arctic'? Really??

My colleague set aside a big chunk of fried batter and I swooped in on it. It was delightfully light and crispy and seasoned nicely.

Platter for 1

Myself, being the advocate for variety; chose this, alongside my other colleague. When it arrived, we were like... erm...

That's one sorry looking piece of baked/grilled fish, man! And the amount of sauce was pathetic. The shrimps don't look too appealing either.

My friend managed to remark, "Wah, luckily never order a portion of the mussels!" I have to agree that the mussels doesn't look too promising.

The best thing has got to be the fried calalmari (which I much prefer over the one at MFM). The (instant-mix) mashed potato was alright. So much for wanting some variety, huh?

Chocolate mousse

We were served dessert in this cute little bowl, prior to the payment. The bowl must have been only 3inches across and it was filled with this yummy chilled, chocolate mousse.

And that sums up lunch for that day.

PS: Honestly speaking, I'm almost always skeptical when it comes to 'lunch promos'. Main reasons for such promos is to draw in crowds. And also, some people chose to have a lighter yet complete meal, hence it's either cheaper or portions are made smaller. But some places seem to take the opportunity to skimp on portions and presentation, from what I see. Pfft!

Ah Nam BBQ Seafood

I'm quite surprised to see that I've not posted any entries on this place before, considering that I've been patronising their stall at Changi Village Food Center quite a number of times.

It was my dad who recommended this place, saying that their BBQ dishes are one of the best. The first time we went there, it was a weekday and we were somewhat amused by the loud, techno music blasting from inside the stall and the chef/proprietor actually singing/dancing while cooking.

Then there's the great service from his wife and stall hand, who were very accommodating to us newbies. We asked a lot of questions, they made some recommendations and they gave us extra condiments. We even find out that their fresh seafood comes directly from a kelong at the nearby Pulau Ubin. Can it get any fresher than that?

Needless to say, we love their service and their food enough to make return visits. At one time, they already opened the eatery at the neighbouring Blk 2 but the clueless us still patronise their stall in the food center instead. The food stall serve mainly stir-fry & bbq items while at the eatery, they have a full 'zhi char' menu. We sure miss out on a lot.

Somehow, there has been a void between our last visit there and now. And since we're heading to Changi Village, I recommend that we try out their eatery instead.

Here are what we ordered.

Onion Egg (Omelette)

Funnily enough, there are many reviewers out there praising this. I guess, you can't go wrong with the humble omelette right? Especially when this is such a nice accompaniment to other dishes.

But I have to agree that this omelette DOES taste good. Full of flavour (and ingredients) and moist. Not greasy, too. Maybe there's a little more something-something inside. Hmm... 'belacan', maybe?

Kangkong Belacan

You see the red chilli oil at the bottom of the plate? And the abundant amount of chili paste sticking on the kangkong leaves?

My advice: If you can't take the heat, please request for this dish to be less spicy. Seriously. Otherwise, it's all good. The leaves are cooked enough to make them soft, yet retain that little bit of crunch to make it delightful.

Cereal Prawns

An all-time favourite. Especially when my hubby is around.

Taste good however the prawns weren't a firm as I wanted. However the sweetness was there. Fresh prawns but maybe a different type from the ones I'm used to?

Only this dish warrant me to nibble on the whole prawns - head, tails and all. Sometimes even the heads rejected by others. Oooh.. the crunch!

Sweet & Sour Sea Bass

My favourite fish done in my favourite style.

I love their rendition - fish was fleshy yet managed to be fried till very crispy. They were very generous with the garnishings and the sauce is a nice balance of sweet & sour. My only gripe was that they could have been more generous with that wonderful sauce.

Honey Chicken

Now this.is.awesome!

I had initially wanted to order the 'Har Cheong Kai' (prawn-paste chicken), something that my family have never tried before. Chicken marinated in prawn-paste and other seasonings before being deep fried till crispy. It was a favourite of my boss's and I got hooked on it as well, despite the obvious stink.

However, the server (I think he's the boss's son) recommended this Honey Chicken instead. I told him I want crispy, fried chicken and he told me that this is and I will definitely like it. And boy, was he right! Very crispy outside, with slightly sweetened and juicy chicken meat. Awesome!

When my bro made payment at the counter, he asked how the chicken is done and the guy generously told him. Marinate the chicken, then fry. Then coat with honey and flour then fry again...

Okay, that wasn't the detailed description since my bro kinda forgot what he was told and I kinda' forgot what he told me so this is definitely incomplete but yeah, you get the idea.

I'm sooo going to get this again. Food is good and prices are reasonable. And the ambience while dining alfresco at Changi Village on a weekend night - well it's gonna be worth another trip!

You can find their menu HERE (for their old stall selling BBQ & stir-fried dishes).

Ah Nam BBQ Seafood
Blk 2 Changi Village Rd
#01-23
S (500002)

Tang Tea House re-visited

My bro was telling us about this Hong Kong food place at Simpang Bedok. He claimed that they have one of the best 'rojak' ever that will give him free dried 'sotong' when he order. I was very sure that he was talking about Tang Tea House (TTH). Well, until he drove past TTH itself and turned into the car park where the Simpang Bedok market is.

That's when I realise that he talking about the sort-of 'newer' Hong Kong food place. When they first opened, I heard some not-so-savoury reviews about them. I've also heard people mentioning this Enak Tea House that's like a spin-off of TTH.

Then again, I've always mis-read the 'Enak' of the logo as 'Chak'. And I thought that to be a pretty crappy name. I mean the 'e' was almost uncurled, making it look like a 'c' and somehow I got the word 'Chak' impulsively running into my mind. Until that day. Madness!

ANYWAY....

As luck would have it, there was no available parking lots in that area (even at the other side where Mad Jack is). So we parked at the public car park beside TTH. And we decide that it's simply inconvenient to cross the road, especially with a toddler & pram in tow and so we just dine there.

And horror of horrors! The rojak stall is gone! O_o

We eventually put two-and-two together and figured out that the awesome rojak my bro was talking about was from the same rojak stall that had moved to the premise across the road. Yes, to another HK Tea House. Sounds like the battle of the tea houses already, eh?

Well, my bro took no chances and went across the road to take+away the desired rojak. And yes, he got the free 'sotong', alright.

It doesn't help that the crowds weren't really picking up at TTH despite the fact that it's already 6pm. Worse still, when I want to order my favourite dim sums, the server gave me a crestfallen look and showed me the looooong list of unavailable items at that moment. Oh crap. It's like 60% of the items are not there, can?

French Toast w/ Chicken Ham & Egg

I won't fault you if you happen to think that I was here for breakfast, when you see this pic.

Reminded me of the term: All-Day Breakfast.

Ever since his chance encounter at Streats HK Cafe, there's no turning back on my bro's love for these thick HK French toasts!

Steamed Rice Roll with BBQ Chicken (char siu)

More commonly known as, "Chee Cheong Fun". I remember ordering the one with shrimps inside but they serve us the one with chicken 'char siew' instead (maybe it's unavailable?). The chicken meat makes the whole ensemble seem bland, though.

I'm someone who's used to the plain rice rolls mixed with dark, sweet sauce & dried shrimp-infused 'sambal' - pretty strong flavours they have. Love those from Qi Ji. So this version where it's simply doused with light soya sauce and the sambal served on the side just don't do it for me. Too much sodium and I dislike my food to be (too) salty.

Siew Mai

Good as evarrr...

Hong Kong Style Egg Tart

Seeing that we don't have much choices with the dim sum selection, I half-halfheartedly ordered this.

Maybe I much prefer the layered, flaky pastry version. Or the thin, crunchy crust type.

This? It was too thick, soft and crumbly. And seemingly uncooked at parts (read: white dough base). Not nice. Could really do with more time in the oven, seriously.

Pan-fried Crispy bee hoon

I have no idea what to expect when I ordered this.

It arrived when I was busy taking food shots. And when I finally saw it, I was like, "Eh, who ordered omelette?" Someone told me it was, "Bee hoon something-something." That's when I realised that it's my order.

Okayyyy… So what was this supposed to be? Some deconstructed fried bee hoon of sorts? One part was the bee hoon that's fried with seafood and eggs ala omelette. The strips of 'ku chai' (garlic chives) and blanched beansprouts were scattered on top. On the side were calamansi lime halves and 'sambal'.

Interesting.... But I like my fried 'bee hoon' to carry the flavour of everything as they're mixed and cooked together in the wok. Preferable served slightly moist. I've definitely made a wrong order.

This one here, well, it's good for picky eaters. Hate veggies? Simply cast aside the chives and sprouts. Can't take spicy stuff? Dump the sambal. No like sour food? Throw away the limes. Like that. Easy peasy. :P

Roasted Chicken Noodle

The 2 chicken lovers who felt like eating 'something light' (read: no rice) chose this. Simultaneously.

Looks decent and they have no complaints.

HK Stewed Beef Brisket Noodle(Dry)

Something that I had planned to order, initially. But my dad cut me to it and I let him have his way. Nice to see him being adventurous with his food choices, for once.

I asked him how it was and he said it was alright. I remember a friend who commented about the meat being on the slightly tough side. I took a piece. It was ok. Not very tender, just nice. The sauce had a slightly 'herbal' accent. Not sure what it was. Maybe it's five-spice. Oh, there's even a wanton or two on the plate.

We also ordered some satay, since the guy came by our table and we find it hard to turn him down. But the sauce was a real downer. It was so runny/watery that it didn't even cling onto the meat! Plus there were a few sticks that were undercooked. Had to send them back for more time on the grill.

All in all, I'm not sure if the food quality has diminished. I've never really fully tried their 'zhi char' items, save for the hotplate tofu that's meant for my toddler. And the fact that our favourite rojak stall has moved across the road…

Well surely, next time I'm heading to that area, it's to check out Chak Enak Hong Kong Tea House. Confirm!

Bagus

We've always passed by here but it never really cross my mind to bring my colleagues here to try their fare. And last week, we saw a spate of wet weather so on one of those days, I suggest that we come by to this popular Yong Tau Fu place for lunch.

Nothing like piping hot soup on a rainy afternoon…

Menu 1

Menu 2

Menu 3

Been a long time since I last came here so I almost forgot how the 'Ampang' style is done. My Chinese colleague told me that it's just some starchy gravy ala 'horfun'.

However, I vaguely remember some slight sweet & sour taste so I asked the staff there and they confirmed it. My colleague was slightly surprised that their take on the 'Ampang' sauce was slightly different (but it's starchy, alright).

Funny how when you actually travel to Ampang in Johor (Malaysia), their version of Yong Tau Fu is different from their namesake here in Singapore.

'Ampang' Yong Tau Foo w/ La Mian

I took a fair number of both the wet & fried stuff. With the Ampang version, every one of them were put together in the bowl.

However, almost all the items were given a quick fry in hot oil prior to serving so the outer layer of those pre-fried ones were really crispy and when coated with the thick sauce, it was pretty delightful (unhealthy, I know)… Surprisingly, even the wet items like those with the fish paste , quail eggs and green chilli were fried as well. Excluding the leafy veggies, of course.

Only the dried seaweed was left to soak in the hot soup in a separate bowl.

The sauce had a consistency that's similar to your 'zhi char horfun', albeit having a slighly sweet & sour accent that reminded me of pineapples, somehow. Wish I had chosen the 'kway teow' instead of this 'la mian', their supposed specialty.

These freshly-made noodles, not that that weren't any good but they got soggy pretty easily in the gravy and filled me up way too quickly.

Laksa Yong Tau Foo 1

Laksa Yong Tau Foo 2

My other colleagues all chose the 'Laksa' gravy.

With this rendition, the fried stuff were re-fried and served separately, away from the (more watery) gravy which would have made them soggy easily, as compared to my more starchy version.

The laksa taste and consistency was much milder and lighter than the actual version so one finds no harm in sipping the gravy every now and then. Too bad they didn't top the bowl with more of the 'daun kesum' (Vietnamese mint leaves). That would have made the laksa taste more... erm... laksa-ish.

All of us waddled back to the car after we're done. My colleague was fretting about how one loses self-control when choosing the items for Yong Tau Fu. They don't look like much in those (large) bowls, initially. Only when they are served, do we realised that we've chosen too many.

Do you have the same problem? I encounter that same issue when buying Indian 'rojak' too. They don't look like much when you put the items on the (large) plate. Only after they are cut up and piled onto the serving plate do I realise the damage…

Definitely coming back here. I wanna check out their Cuttlefish Kang Kong. And the shredded chicken horfun.

Bagus La Mian Yong Tau Fu
276 Changi Road
(adjacent to Darul Ma'wa Orphanage)