Hot & Sour Pork Bone Broth @ Gong Yuan Ma La Tang

The ma la craze has taken Singapore by storm for many years now, but can you believe that this is actually my first time having it? 

Had I not won a gift voucher for Gong Yuan Ma La Tang from The Clementi Mall giveaway, I doubt I would have ever taken the first step to come to this ma la place for a meal.

So, what is stopping me from having something so popular with Singaporeans?

Jian Bing Guo Zi @ Kun Hai Shop

I have been watching videos about China street food on YouTube for quite a while now and my latest obsession is with the jian bing guo zi.

Imagine a Chinese crêpe of sorts, wrapped with crispy crackers and youtiao and eaten mostly for breakfast. It is always made fresh upon order, on a griddle by the street vendors. 

It was by sheer chance that I happened to walk past this China supermarket at The Clementi Mall called Kun Hai Shop while on my way to Qin Ji Rougamo next door.

Out of curiosity, I entered the shop to check out the products they carry and to my surprise, I discovered a jian bing guo zi station inside!

Pickled Cabbage Fish with Rice Noodle & Cumin Pork Rougamo @ Qin Ji Rougamo

Unlike my previous rougamo/roujiamo which are found in a coffee shop and hawker centre, Qin Ji Rougamo is located inside The Clementi Mall on the fourth floor, right outside the food court Boleh Boleh.

They have other locations at Alexandra Retail Centre, Guoco Tower, Jurong Point, Payar Lebar Square, Raffles Place, Sengkang Grand Mall and The Woodleigh Mall. 

This brand is operated fast-food style, where you place your order over the counter with their crew whom I find pretty friendly. You will be given a printed receipt with your order number and all you have to do next is to wait for your number to be called to collect your food.

Beijing Time-Honored Cuisine - Pig Trotters Rice @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

To be honest, I have not heard of this stall named Beijing Time-Honored Cuisine before even though it has been there at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre for a while.

I guess it is easy to be overlooked when the stall is sandwiched in between the bigger names like Hawker Chan and Heng Ji Chicken Rice. The situation is made worse when another stall with a similar menu is ]located directly across them. The stall in question is Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao and it had a Michelin 2018 decal proudly displayed on its display window.

I only got to know about this stall when I came across a photo of their pig trotters rice on Instagram which prompted me to come check them out.

Big Dot Chicken @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

I can never resist the lure of fried chicken hence when news of this month-old stall at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre reach my ears, I knew I had to head down for a look.

A joint venture by three entrepreneur friends, Big Dot Chicken is a social enterprise aimed at helping the unemployed by offering them jobs and providing on-the-job training to equip them with the necessary skills required to run their own stall one day. They do not need any F&B background nor even have to pay any franchising fees.

Impressed by the noble cause behind its inception, I support this business wholeheartedly. If this business module indeed works, it can help someone in need to make a living.

On the day of my visit, I dropped by the stall fifteen minutes before the advertised timing of 11am and guess what? An elderly uncle was already seated at the table in front of the stall, enjoying his fried chicken.

Zhonghua Roujiamo @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

My very first rougamo was from a coffee shop behind Clementi Bus Interchange two years ago. It was love at first bite but unfortunately, that stall has since shuttered.

Fast forward to last week. I heard there is a newly opened rougamo stall named 中华肉夹馍 at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre.

According to a 8 Days magazine interview, the stall belongs to a Mr. Sham Hei from Hong Kong. If the name sounds all too familiar, that is because he is the man behind Chef Sham H.K. Vinegar Trotter - a chain of hawker stalls known for their black vinegar trotters and nutritious Cantonese soups.

The craft of rougamo making was acquired from one of Chef Sham's business associate, a native from Xi'an, where the street snack hails from. He has since gone back to his hometown and the stall's day-to-day operation is now handled by Michael, a Singaporean PR from Malaysia. 

You can read more about the interview here.

Bai Li Xiang Economic Bee Hoon - Ah Lian Bee Hoon @ 651 Jurong West Street 61

Have you heard of a particular Ah Lian Bee Hoon that is located at the far western part of Singapore, inside a coffee shop right beside Pioneer MRT Station?

Notorious for their rude service, it is akin to our version of Karen's Diner, where customers willingly succumb themselves to bad service.

Due to the information online, I always thought this economic bee hoon stall is a "supper spot" that only cater to the dinner crowd. Little did I know they operate from 6pm till 11am the following morning!

The hours are rather odd for a economic bee hoon stall hence, I am unsure if this timing reflected on Google is actually accurate? Nevertheless, I decided to take the risk and visited on a morning. 

To my delight, the stall is indeed opened for business! In fact, it is near closing time when I arrived around 10am.

651 Ayam Penyet @ 651 Jurong West Street 61

Not many people know about this but I have a spreadsheet where I bookmark all the interesting food places that I have come across on social media.

They are arranged according to district, followed by postal code and unit number in running order for ease of classification so I could check them out whenever I have the opportunity to.

Recently, I had plans to get some stuff from Decathlon beside Joo Koon MRT Station so I checked my spreadsheet and found some to-eat suggestions one station before it at Pioneer MRT Station.

One of the earliest stall here to make it into my list, is the infamous Ah Lian Bee Hoon - a title that NTU students bestowed upon the stall owner with the terrible attitude.

Think of it as our version of Karen's diner where customers get scolded and disrespected.

Regrettably, I have yet to experience the stall's hospitality hostile-tality for myself whose actual name is really Bai Li Xiang Economic Bee Hoon (百里香经济米粉) because they only open from 6pm onwards. 

I could only opt for the next stall on the list which is 651 Ayam Penyet.

En Hui Vegetarian Food - Vegetarian Chicken Rice @ Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre

In the previous post, I had the vegetarian nasi lemak from Hong Cook Food however, my hunger was not satiated by its small portion so I went in search of the other vegetarian stalls at Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre to see what they have to offer.

I came upon En Hui Vegetarian Food and what caught my eye here, is the photo of their vegetarian chicken rice ($5).

The stall owner began to fry the mock chicken in the deep fryer only after I placed an order so there is a short wait.

Hong Cook Food - Vegetarian Nasi Lemak @ Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre

If I am not mistaken, Hong Cook Food is one of the three vegetarian stalls located at Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre.

I found out about this stall when I come across a photo of their vegetarian nasi lemak ($4) on Facebook. It looked promising to me so I was tempted to give it a try.

Something cropped up on the day that I am supposed to drop by. I postponed the visit to the following week which coincidentally falls on the lunar fifteenth when I have to abstain from meat for a day.

Seems like everything is working out according to someones' plan.

Gao Ji Shu Shi - Nasi Lemak @ Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre

Gao Ji Shu Shi Nasi Lemak is another one of the more popular stalls located at Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre.

I have bookmarked this stall ever since I found out that they were from the Old Woodlands Town Centre Hawker Centre. I believe they may have been around since the 1980s, judging from their very old school signboard.

They have a very simple menu which are mostly deep fried finger food such as Chinese sausage, hotdog, fish roll, ngor hiang, fish fillet, crab tempura, luncheon meat, fried egg, otah otah and fried chicken drumstick/wing/cutlet.

Uncle Louis Famous Chicken Rice @ People's Park Food Centre

It has been some time since my last visit to People's Park Food Centre at 32 New Market Road. 

The hawker centre underwent a 3-months long renovation last year and is now comparatively cleaner and brighter. However, the persisting bird nuisance remains a issue to be addressed.

The lunch crowd was already gone by the time I arrived at two o'clock. I walk around to check which stalls are still available post lunch hour and I came upon Uncle Louis Famous Chicken Rice. 

I do not remember seeing this stall before. I have not been here for ages so it might be new. I decided to give it a try.

Quan Long Wanton Noodle @ Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre

Within the past two weeks, I have been to Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre three times for this Quan Long Wanton Noodle however, I have no luck with it as the stall is close each time I am there.

I wanted to try this stall so much because of its glowing reviews. According to Google, they open everyday so it seems like they might have closed for good?

On the fourth visit, I still harbor a glimmer of hope that the stall is still in business but I am also mentally prepared to try something else just like the previous three visits. 

Imagine my joy when I saw the shutter up with a line in front of the stall. I joined the queue eagerly.

Ye Lai Xiang Laksa - Prawn Noodle @ Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre

If you have been researching for food recommendations at Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre, chances are, you will see one particular name keep turning up in your search.

As I was about to find out, this stall called Ye Lai Xiang Laksa is one of the more popular stalls here with a constant queue. I observed that customers just keep coming the entire time I was sitting there in front of the stall, however, the staff clears the line efficiently.

I think the auntie would make a pro at playing Cooking Mama.

The stall serves laksa, lor mee and prawn noodle at two prices: $4.50 for regular and $5.50 for large.

Although laksa is their signature dish, I decided to try the dry prawn noodle instead hence I ordered the large bowl.

Ah Yi Handmade Noodle - Manually Hand-Pinched Mee Hoon Kueh @ Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre

This is my first ever visit to Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre at 4 Woodlands Street 12. Opened in 2018, it houses 70 cooked food stalls with 80% of the hawkers coming from the Old Woodlands Town Centre Hawker Centre.

While researching for food recommendations here, Ah Yi Handmade Noodle & Fish Soup caught my eye. Maybe I am bias but that is because I love handmade noodle.

Among the types of noodles available, my favorite is the mee hoon kueh. However, most of the time, I would order either the ban mian or u-mian instead.

The reason for doing so is because not all mee hoon kueh are created equal.

Xiang Mei Roasted Meat & Chicken Rice - Nanyang Curry Chicken Noodle And Dong Quai Roasted Duck With Char Siu Rice @ 395A Bukit Batok West Ave 5

This location at Goodview Gardens, 395A Bukit Batok West Ave 5, is actually Xiang Mei Roasted Meat & Chicken Rice's second outlet.

The address leads me to a annex building next to the multi-storey carpark where amenities such as a coffee shop, a clinic, a hair salon, a pet groomer and a Chinese medical hall are housed in.

Do take note that Xiang Mei is not one of the stalls inside the coffee shop but they took up tenancy in one of the shops outside it.

The eatery is not too big but it is clean and brightly lit with good ventilation owing to the tall ceiling. I feel really comfortable dining there.

There is no table service here. You have to place your own order at the counter where a beeper will be given to you after payment. Head back to the counter to collect your food once the device go off.

The original stall is still operating inside the S-11 coffee shop at Bukit Batok Central behind the bus interchange. 

They have been serving roasted duck, char siu (bbq pork), siu yuk (roasted pork) and siu gai (roasted chicken) at this location for the last twenty odd years. 

According to them, they have their beginnings at Bencoolen Street since the 1920s. This makes their brand more than a century old!

Teppan-Man @ 395A Bukit Batok West Ave 5

Right across the road from Swiss Cottage Secondary School is Goodview Gardens, a HDB estate set on a hillside at Bukit Gombak. 

By the side of the multi-storey carpark is a coffee shop named Eightways Eating House. I am there to check out Teppan-Man, a hawker stall located in this quiet neighborhood serving Japanese fare like Teppanyaki, Donburi and Udon. 

I have come specifically for the Teppanyaki but unlike the usual modus operandi where the chef cooks right in front of you at a long counter and entertain you with some culinary performance, the food here is prepared inside the hawker stall minus all the fanfare. I guess there are limitations when you are operating in a coffee shop.

Uncle Neo Western - Chicken Chop @ 253 Choa Chu Kang Ave 1

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have heard of this Uncle Neo Western at 253 Choa Chu Kang Ave 1 numerous times.

It is located inside this coffee shop named 85°C Cafe at Keat Hong Shopping Centre near to the wet market.

According to the people who tried it, they have nothing but good things to say about this old school western food stall managed by an elderly Chinese couple.

I finally found the chance to visit this neighborhood coffee shop yesterday evening.

Bak Chor Mee Fish Ball Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

It has been a while since my last visit to Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre and it is high time that I return in search of new stalls to try out.

I must say this trip is rather fruitful as there are indeed a number of newly opened stalls (and some closures).

The first stall to catch my eye has a very straightforward name with a clear indication of what they sell - Bak Chor Mee Fishball Noodle.

If it is of any interest to you, this noodle stall occupies the vacanted unit of Tian Tian Porridge, the Cantonese porridge stall with a history of seventy-years. Run by five elderly siblings, they ceased operations last October due to old age.

Cheongfun Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Update: Cheongfun Noodle has permanently closed.

Located at the yellow section of Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, Cheongfun Noodle is one of the newly opened stalls offering Hong Kong-style rice rolls (cheong fun) and ban mian (handmade noodle).

If my intel is correct, the six-months old stall is run by a Mr and Mrs Wong. The husband, a Hong Konger handmade the cheong fun while the wife, a Malaysian, prepares the noodle.

I chanced upon a photo of their chili ban mian dry ($5.30) on social media when they had just opened. It looked so darn good that I decided it is what I will have but you know what they say procrastination did to men?

So, I finally got my ass off the couch and head down to Chinatown. The stall is not hard to find in the maze-liked food centre if you come up by the myCK Department store escalator.

It is the first stall on your left which used to be Lao Ren Jia Roasted.