This is truly a hidden gem tucked in between so many stalls with so many pictures of food hanging all over the place. Was here for lunch after doctor’s for Diana and I noticed this old uncle do not have that many orders like the other stalls in this coffeeshop. I told Diana that I had a feeling that the food might be good. So I approached the stall.
Mr Leong, the old uncle who retired being a crane operator is 77 years old this year and have been operating this stall for over a year. This is a very scary sight because at this age, he should be happily retired and living his life. There could be a lot of factors to consider but I’m leaning towards happy and positive thoughts… maybe his passion for cooking supersedes everything. So ya, here he is answering my questions and the first thing I asked him was,”Uncle, if I had to eat one thing, what would you recommend. He pointed the Penang Char Kway Teow. I told him ok let’s do it. $3 one plate. Reviews below:
StallThe aroma already passed my test!Soft and niceFor $3 there’s a lot of ingredientsBurp! #worldcleanplateUncle Leong
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: No doubt about it, very close to authenticity. Not overly salty, flavour just right. Wok hei controlled well without the burnt taste. Even Diana said it was good!
Portion: Good size for $3!
Service: Self-service
Ambience: Coffeeshop
Price: $3.
RTE: Definitely! I got a feeling the Char Beehoon is also good!
Location: Block 418 Bedok North Avenue 2, Epic Haus Coffeeshop.
Wah writing on this is not gonna help my dieting plans but I had it weeks back and this is a sure winner with most of my foodie friends and readers here. Was invited to check out Don Lechon, located at the back of Grandlink Square which is not easy to spot unless you walk inwards, and I was quite impressed with the food and passion in it!
Lechon, which means ‘Roasted Suckling Pig’ in Spanish is of Spanish origins. As Phillipines used to be under the ruling of the Spaniards, there are many dishes in today’s Filipino cuisine that are of Spanish origin. I have always a keen interest to know more about Pinoy cuisine after being exposed to some of the dishes like Lechon, Chicken & Pork Adobo, Asado and confectionery from the famous Goldilocks, like Polvoron, Mamon and my favourite, Ensaymada… I love cheese and everyone knows! Haha…
Ok back to Don Lechon, this quaint eatery has already a following as around the area lives many fellow Filipinos and this is truly comfort food for them. While they can cook many other items at home like Sinigang (Sour soup) and Kare Kare (Meat Stew), but the use of lechon in them makes a smoky difference! Started by a native Pinoy, Kris, who was originally from Manila and have been in Singapore for more than 8 years already. Going into this food business have always been his passion and to be honest, the food is really yummy and they do have dishes for one pax to groups. So to my Pinoy friends and readers in Singapore, you prolly know about this place already but you may wanna visit them soon!
Eatery frontChopped Lechon ($9.50). Crackling skin of a suckling pig, this is very close to our Chinese Sio Bak or even the suckling pig itself. Damn yummy!Yummy LechonSauces to go with your Chopped Lechon. The darker one is a little sourish which goes damn well with the crispy pork. The other one is made from blood, a little acquired for me.Lechon Kare Kare($7.50). Lechon is used in this peanut based dish as a stew and goes damn well with rice. Traditionally there should be a lot of spare parts including feet of pigs and cows. Thank God this is Lechon. 😉Lechon Sisig ($9.50) – My favourite dish by far cos of the lime and chilli peppers used inside. You definitely need a plate of white rice for this!Lechon Sinigang ($11.50). Big portion for this and great for those who needs more food like me. Lechon chunks are used inside and really awesome with rice. Sourish and savoury, how can you go wrong with that?Lechon Paksiw ($6.00). Paksiw to me is like a stew and in this case, lechon is used as the meat base and simmered with vinegar and perhaps fish sauce. Very appetising dish.Bopis ($5.50). This beef lungs dish has Spanish origins. Actually quite nice and spicy, sauteed in onions, chillies and tomatoes. Again you need rice for this!Interior. No seats. All dining outside the shop.Kris and me. Wish him all the best in his business!
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Pretty authentic. All the meat bases are of Lechon cos Filipinos do not waste their food. Extra food are usually used in other dishes so there is no wastage! You know it’s good when you can see so many Pinoys frequenting this place! Really love some of the dishes here and will be heading back for more soon!
Portion: Average. Please note that there are Rice Meals prices and Ala Carte prices. Ask if not sure.
Price: Affordable. Ate others before and pretty ex.
Service: Good!
Ambience: Al Fresco under tents. There are mozzies so please be prepared.
RTE: YES!!
Location: 511 Guillemard Road #01-52 Grandlink Square (Facing river at far corner opposite Little Vietnam) Hours: 5-11pm (Daily)
Hung Wan Restaurant is a Cha Can Ting I frequent when I was staying in Shenzhen, China. The best thing about this place is, it is just below the regular spa I frequent too. So can order their food up and eat while I was watching TV program or having a foot massage! Awesome lifestyle back then and missing it definitely.
Hung Wan I believe are owned by Hong Kongers and they have gone through renovation recently and the interior designing was done by Millwork Interiors based in HK too. Very excellent work done, with a vibrant and energetic design giving the restaurant a younger and fresher look. Check out the pics below:
Store frontInteriorsLovely Milk TeaCha Can Ting fried drumsticks are usually quite yummyMy fav fried maggie with pork chops!
Rating: 4/5.
Taste: Not bad. Tasted better but nice enough to curb my cravings. A bit on the oily side though.
Portion: Average.
Service: Slow… Cos 24hrs… lesser staff?
Ambience: Smoking now disallowed inside aircon areas but still you get some assholes smoking inside.
Shenjing is famous for it’s roast goose in Hong Kong but you don’t have to travel there just to look for good roast goose. Many have learnt the trick of roasting good goose and they are all over HK and Guangdong province of China. One of which, was pretty near my Shenzhen office at Huaqiangbei area, the electronic city of Shenzhen.
The eatery is very very small and usually super crowded during lunch hours. The weird thing is, their meals are not cheap there as compared to some RMB$15 ones along the same road. But people would queue up and pack or dine in. So I gave it a try, and was lucky to find a table.
Store frontLeft only 1 goose, sold out pretty fast so have to wait for second batch if late.See how small the placeSoup of The Day or 例汤. Usually some veg thrown in with the greasy goose bones.Char Siew and Roast Goose Platter (RMB68)Goose Liver (RMB4)Char Siew too lean for me
Rating: 4/5.
Taste: Roast goose not bad. The skin is the key factor. Very yummy. Flesh is tender. Char siew is typical lah, lean and a bit chewy cos of the tendons.
Portion: Average.
Price: As above on the pics.
Service: Fast and poor.
Ambience: Small, crampy and loud.
RTE: Tapao maybe. Will ask the runners to tapao next time.
Location: 93 Huafa N Rd, HuaQiang Bei, Futian Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 518000. Hours: 9.30am to 9pm daily. Tel: +86 755 8376 3344 (Check stock or orders)
Opened not too long ago by young hawkerpreneurs, this Thai style beef noodles is really pretty close to what I ate in Thailand. Got the lead from one of my riders working in Wawa Pictures and so here I am.
Located away from the main road, this little stall is tucked away from sight and you’ll have to find the coffeeshop that is within some neighbourhoods. Check it out.
I put about half of the little saucer… damn spicy but shioks! Rating: 4.5/5.
Taste: The broth is da bomb!!! Rich and beefy! A little sweet like Thai style but I reckon the Thais would love it sweeter! Glass noodles are nicer and chewy, the way I like it! Beef Shank and beef slices could be a little more tender but the satisfaction from the broth and noodles are enough to hide that part. The chilli oil is really damn spicy! Really awesome!
Portion: Above average. Noodles quite good portion or is it cos I dieting?
Service: Self-service
Ambience: Coffeeshop
Price: $6 + $1.50 (extra shank)
RTE: Yes! The roast meats stall beside is also damn good!
Recently I was contacted by one of the partners of this little stall located in Bedok area to try out their food. So I brought along some foodies who were not working on one of the days I was off.
Located at a corner of a coffeeshop, the stall stood out from its modern outlook. But definitely overshadowed by some household stalls that were there for the longest time. Nevertheless, we ordered their signatures and see the reviews below:
StallCreamy Bacon & Mushroom Pasta ($9.50) – I love this so much. Love how the creamy sauce is reduced into the pasta and yet still holding the al dente-ness. Very yummy dish!Chilli Crab Pasta ($10.50). Taste is a fusion Asian taste with kaffir lime leaves on top. Very generous in crab meat toppings.Salted Egg Prawn Ravioli ($13.80) Four large pieces of homemade prawn ravioli, salted egg sauce, chilli padi and curry leaves. The skin was a little thick for us but the taste was good.Hearty Platter (For 2 at $29.80) – A great deal which consist of 220gm Striploin Steak, 160gm Lamb Chop, 250gm Chicken Chop. Served with Mashed potato and Ratatouille. Choice of sauce: Mustard, Black Pepper, Mushroom. Rating: 4/5.
Taste: Overall taste is good, just need to tweak on some of the recipe to make it great.
Portion: Average.
Service: Order at counter and food will be served to table.
Was told that this is a 24hrs stall and I decided to check it out since I was around the area. Wasn’t difficult to find them, just have to listen out for ladle-clanging-on-porcelain-bowl sound and you’ll find them.
Naturally when I was there, there’s a queue. I dunno if the queue was there because the noodles are damn good or it’s because it’s the only noodle stall there 24hrs? Only way is to find out.
Long queue lah…
My bowl of Bak Chor Mee $3
Interesting they have crispy ikan bilis inside. Adds to the flavours.
Fishball soup $2
Rating: 4.5/5.
Taste: Really like the taste of the noodles but I found the noodles were a little soggy for me. The pork lard bits were crispy and burst in my mouth. The addition of ikan bilis was a final touch to the whole awesome taste. Pork and liver were very fresh and cooked to perfection without blood sightings. Fishballs were smooth and springy type. Overall was good.
Portion: Good portions.
Service: Self-service.
Ambience: Hawker centre, very dim lighting, dirty tables cos no cleaners at night.
Price: $3 for noodles, $2 for fishballs soup
RTE: I might… cos there’s a 24hrs Giant supermarket and bakery there catered for people like me.
