POH - Chye Poh Hor @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

When I was at Empress Road Market & Food Centre three years ago, I had wanted to try the stall named POH, which serves chye poh hor (菜莆河).

Alas, the four trips that I made to the food centre would always end in disappointment as the stall was perpetually closed each time. I later learned that the stall has shuttered for good.

Fast forward to a few days back, I was at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre when I noticed a new stall along the same row as Chef Sham. 

Somehow, the familiarity of the stall - from the menu to its name, reminded me very much of the old "POH".

As it turns out, it is indeed them! Fans would be elated to know that after taking a three years break, their favorite stall has made a comeback at a new location!

They are marked as permanently closed at their previous location on Google. Because they are still new at their current place, they are not visible on Google at the point of writing. I have already made a submission so hopefully, by the time you read this review, their new status would have already been updated.

Yan Ji Steamed Pot Rice & Soups @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

I am not entirely sure if Yan Ji Steamed Pot Rice at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre is a new stall but I do not recall seeing it during my previous visits to the food centre (or maybe I was just not paying enough attention).

I tried searching online but could not find anything about it so, I took the liberty to submit the stall's information to Google. I am now awaiting for their approval (Okay, it has gone 'live' now).

The stall is located at the yellow section where the cluster of stalls serving Chinese soups are congregated. 

Chinatown Omelette Chef - Smoked Duck Omelette with Pasta @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Uncle Francis Lai and Auntie Doreen are the happy faces behind Omelette Chef at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre.

The husband and wife team used to operate a Cantonese soup stall named Grand Stewed Herbal Soup (豪华滋补炖汤) however, as age catches on, decided to switch to selling something that is easier on their backs while also leaving them more time with family.

As the name implies, their current specialty is omelette which you can have with your choice of topping such as Hawaiian ham, diced chicken, smoked duck, cheese, prawn, mushroom and pork sausage.

More flavors like chicken satay, chicken floss and otah are later added to the menu.

Apart from the omelette, you also have a choice of either Japanese rice or pasta drizzled with mushroom sauce and a side of corn and lettuce.

Reasonably priced at $5 for all the different sets, it seems like a complete meal in itself with protein, carbohydrates and fiber all accounted for!

Alimama Green Chili Chicken Rice & Prawn Noodle @ Maxwell Food Centre

While researching on what to have at Maxwell Food Centre, I came across this stall called Alimama Green Chili Chicken Rice that serve Indonesian fare such as nasi ayam pangang (grilled chicken rice) and nasi ikan bakari (grilled fish rice).

The stall is not difficult to locate as it is right next to Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice.

What caught my eye at Alimama, is item number one on their signboard - the green chili chicken rice ($6.50).

This dish is something new to me hence I am eager to try it out. I had expected it to be a Halal stall but on the contrary, it is not as they also serve prawn noodle with pork ribs, pig's skin and intestine.

Ah Gong Minced Meat Noodle - $2.50 Claypot Bak Chor Mee @ Maxwell Food Centre

Update: Ah Gong Minced Meat Noodle has permanently closed.

Madam Chow has been a hawker at Maxwell Food Centre for the past five years but business has not always been rosy due to the construction of the Thomson-East Coast Line in the area. 

As the proverb goes, it never rains but it pours. Her business was dealt a further blow when the pandemic struck. Footfall to the food centre fell drastically as dine-in restrictions were imposed.

Not one to admit defeat, Madam Chow turned to selling claypot bak chor mee (she was selling something else before that) thus, Ah Gong Minced Meat Noodle was born. 

Sisaket Thai Food - Basil Chicken, Green Mango Salad & Tom Yum Soup @ Maxwell Food Centre

I am exploring Maxwell Food Centre this week and after walking through the rows of food stalls several times, I still could not make up my mind as I am bored with having the usual local fare. 

Eventually, I narrowed down my choice to a stall named Sisaket Thai Food. Well, Thai cuisine sounds good to me as I have been yearning for something more exotic lately to arouse my already dormant taste buds.

A search online revealed that the stall is started by a Thai national, Ms Viparat Saibua who owns two other locations at Telok Blangah and Bukit Merah.

As I stood in front of the stall studying the menu, I was impressed to hear a staff (or perhaps it is lao ban niang herself) conversing in fluent Mandarin with a customer. 

I ordered the basil chicken with rice ($5) and topped up $2.50 for a green mango salad and a bowl of tom yum soup which is pretty worthwhile.

I actually preferred pork but there are only chicken and beef options. In fact, there are no signs of any pork dishes on the menu. I am not particularly sure if the stall is Muslim-friendly but I did not notice any Halal certification.

Wei Jia Ban Mian Fish Soup - Chicken Cutlet Noodle @ Blk 443 Clementi Ave 3

Wei Jia Ban Mian Fish Soup is located inside the same coffee shop as Wan Jia Xiao Guan Zi at Blk 443 Clementi Ave 3 behind Clementi Mall. In case you are wondering, no, the two stalls are unrelated.

The stall offer variations of handmade noodle such as ban mian, u mian, mee hoon kway, koka noodle, ee-mee, bee hoon/mee sua, tom yum noodle, dumpling soup, dumpling noodle dry/soup, qq noodle, chicken/pork cutlet noodle, kimchi noodle, steamed dumpling and fried dumpling. 

Strangely, there is no sign of fish soup on the menu. Perhaps they used to serve it but not anymore? Or maybe it is a off-the-menu item which you have to ask for? 

I do not have the answer.

Wan Jia Xiao Guan Zi - Roùjiámó @ Blk 443 Clementi Ave 3

Update: Wan Jia Xiao Guan Zi has permanently closed.

Roùjiāmó (肉夹馍) is a meat sandwich that has been around for the last 2,000 years.

From my understanding, it is a specialty of Shaanxi, Xi'An - one of the oldest city in China.

The name, roùjiāmó literally means "meat giap bun" but if you had not already noticed, the reality is quite the opposite whereby its "bun giap meat" (mójiāroù/馍夹肉) instead.

So, how did that come about? One explanation is, its original name was actually 肉夹于馍, which means "meat giap within bun" however for some reason, the "于" was omitted hence, it became 肉夹馍. 

Another reasoning was 馍夹肉 sounds a lot like 么夹肉, meaning there is "no meat". Nobody would want to buy a bun with no meat so they rearranged the sequence of the words by putting the roù (肉) in front to emphasize on the presence of meat.

It is my first time trying this and I am going to visit a stall named Xiao Guan Zi (小馆子) located inside Food Loft coffee shop at Blk 443 Clementi Ave 3. It is the coffee shop behind the bus interchange where Sheng Yi Fa Lor Mee and Ann Chin Popiah are.

This stall does not have any media presence but that is exactly the aim of this blog which is to seek out the lesser known stalls and give them some exposure. Even though I do not have a big following or the influence to do so, I just do what I can to the best of my ability.

The guy taking my order seems like a Malaysian but the lady who prepared my order is a bona fide Chinese National. All it took her was just about a minute or so to assemble my roùjiāmó ($4), put it into a paper sleeve and handed over the counter to me in a basket.

Xin Peng La Mian Xiao Long Bao @ Blk 442 Clementi Ave 3

Ask anyone for food suggestions at Clementi and chances are, the majority would direct you towards Clementi 448 Market & Food Centre. 

However, apart from the food centre, there are quite a number of coffee shops in the vicinity which are worthy of a visit too.

Bgain 442 Eating House - the coffee shop within the closest proximity, is located just across the food centre at blk 442. 

Xin Peng La Mian Xiao Long Bao is one of the more notable stall here and as its name imply, offers a variety of la mian and xiao long bao.

For la mian, they have:

• fried bean sauce la mian (aka zha jiang mian)
• dumpling la mian (soup/dry)
• five spices beef la mian soup
• chicken chop/pork chop la mian (soup/dry)
• vegetable meat wanton la mian (soup/dry)
• preserved vegetable shredded meat la mian (soup/dry)
• vegetable meat wanton soup
• spicy shredded chicken la mian soup

As for dumplings, they have:

• Shanghai xiao long bao
• Shandong dumpling
• Shandong fried dumpling
• red oil wanton

Frozen dumplings are also available at $12 for 30 pieces. That is good news for your hotpot party!

After a quick scan of the menu, I was impressed by how affordably priced the food here are.

I got greedy and decided to order the dumpling la mian dry ($4.50) and a steamer of xiao long bao ($4.50 for 6 pieces). 

Tiong Bahru Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Blk 177 Bukit Batok West Ave 8

On my third visit to Get Together Coffee Shop at block 177 Bukit Batok West Ave 8, I headed straight for the chicken rice stall called Tiong Bahru Hainanese Chicken Rice.

I must admit that I have never heard of them before but from what I found out prior to my visit, they have been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand for six consecutive years and the owner, Mr Cheong Weng Wah, learned the craft from a Mandarin Hotel chef.

While reading up about them, I also found out something very interesting; they have been aggressively opening one new outlet every month since last November.

It first started with Tampines (11/11/21) followed by Marsiling (12/12/21), then Ang Mo Kio (6/1/22), and now, Bukit Batok (10/2/22). By the time you read this review, they would have already opened their fifth outlet at Clementi (9/3/22)!

Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway @ Blk 177 Bukit Batok West Ave 8

Another stall that I so desperately wanted to patronize from Get Together Coffee Shop at block 177 Bukit Batok West Ave 8 is Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway.

The person behind the stall needs no further introduction. He is non other than Aaron Wong of MasterChef Singapore fame.

A professional photographer and diver, Aaron decided to venture into the hawker scene by selling his favorite hawker food - mee hoon kway!

Since opening his flagship stall at Telok Blangah two years ago, you can now find more outlets at Bedok, Toa Payoh, Tampines, Queen Street (Bugis), Jurong West, and now, Bukit Batok.

Chef Kin HK Wanton Noodle @ Blk 177 Bukit Batok West Ave 8

From this month (10 February 2022) onwards, residents of Bukit Batok will have more food options to explore following the opening of a new coffee shop at block 177 Bukit Batok West Ave 8.

What makes this coffee shop stand out among the others in the neighborhood is that several 'branded' hawker stalls can all be found under one roof here.

Some of the big names that took up space in this coffee shop named Get Together Coffee Shop included:

• Chef Kin HK Wanton Noodle,
• Chef Wei HK Cheong Fun,
• Jiak Song,
• Rong Cheng Rou Gu Cha,
• Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee, and
• Tiong Bahru Hainanese Chicken Rice

There is also a nasi lemak stall, a western food stall, a vegetarian stall, and the beverage stall.

As I googled for the location, I realized it is the old site of the coffee shop where I used to have vegetarian food with my classmates after school when we need to stay back for ECA. 

Of course, it is not the same dingy coffee shop anymore but one that is newly renovated and probably under new management.

The very first stall that caught my interest is Chef Kin HK Wanton Noodle.

Eng Kee Chicken Wings @ Beauty World Food Centre

Eng Kee Chicken Wings has recently opened their fourth outlet at Beauty World Food Centre. Needless to say, I had to go check it out for I am a fan of their fried chicken wings.

Although their outlets are all located in the West, this stall is by far, the nearest and most convenient for me. 

I have not been to Beauty World Food Centre for a short while and I am taken aback by the sudden influx of new stalls during this visit. I will write about them in my subsequent posts.

Blanco Court Fresh Fish Soup @ Beauty World Food Centre

I am not gonna lie but the reason why I went to try out this Blanco Court Fresh Fish Soup is due to its pretty bowls which I see on almost every other table.

It seems like a hot favourite for the hikers who have finished their workout at the nearby Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

This fish soup stall at Beauty World Food Centre serves fried fish head soup, sliced fish soup, fried fish soup, seafood soup and tom yum soup with either rice, thin bee hoon or thick bee hoon. You can request for more rice, bee hoon and evaporated milk at no additional charge.

Guan Yin Vegetarian - Mui Fan @ Beauty World Food Centre

Update: Guan Yin Vegetarian has permanently closed.

I am just a casual vegetarian who goes meatless on the first and fifteenth of every lunar month or when a major Buddhist event come up (e.g who's who birthday/enlightenment day, etc).

Guan Yin Vegetarian at Beauty World Food Centre basically offers two menu - the noodle soup menu (mee hoon kueh soup, dumpling noodle soup) and the rice & noodle aka tze char menu (hor fun, mui fun, ee-mian). All the dishes here are reasonably priced at just $4 and $5.

I was there during lunch time with a sizeable crowd. I initially wanted to try the mee hoon kueh but was told that there is a 30 minutes wait. However, the wait would be shorter if I order from the tze char menu instead.

As there is only one chef working within the confines of that limited stall space, it is understandably more efficient to focus on one menu instead of alternating between the two during peak hours. 

Chef Wei HK Cheong Fun @ Blk 352 Clementi Ave 2

Have you heard?

There is a new Hong Kong-styled chee cheong fun stall in town but alas, it is located all the way at Bedok. Having been a Westie all my life, that is pretty far by my standards therefore I have not been there yet. 

If you are my faithful follower, you would have noticed that there are hardly any food reviews from the East side on this blog because I am too lazy to travel!

The stall in question is Chef Wei HK Cheong Fun, headed by Chef Wei, a former dim sum chef from Peach Garden. At the point of writing (two months after opening his Bedok stall), he has already opened two more outlets at Blk 352 Clementi Ave 2 and Blk 257 Bangkit Road - both in the West!

Despite Bangkit being nearer, I decided to visit the Clementi outlet instead because that is where I lived and spent a greater part of my childhood. I have not been back for eons and it is a great opportunity for me to to do so.

Wen Ji HK Roasted Delights - Poached Chicken Curry Noodle @ Blk 359 Bukit Batok Street 31

Update: Wen Ji HK Roasted Delights has permanently closed.

I tried to Google for this roast stall called 文记港式烧腊 at Blk 359 Bukit Batok Street 31 but nothing relevant turns up in the search engine as the stall does not have a full English name. 

Underneath the Chinese stall name on the signboard are simply the words "HK Roasted Delights" but with a generic name like that, how to stand out among the sea of "HK Roasted Delights" out there? 

When I Googled the Chinese name, it leads to a "Man Kee Hong Kong Style Roasted" at 710 Clementi West Street 2 which I doubt the two are even related.

I guess the lack of a anglicized name does make it harder to appear in search results.

Anyway, this roast stall is located in the same coffee shop as Ah Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee at Bukit Gombak (yes, that Ah Kow previously from Hong Lim).

Nameless Economical Fried Bee Hoon @ Blk 359 Bukit Batok Street 31

I stay a couple of bus stops away from Meng Soon Huat Food Centre but I have no idea that there is actually a economical bee hoon stall at this coffee shop.

To begin with, this nameless stall does not have a signboard and it operates out of a rojak stall (there is a A4-sized paper on the glass printed with the word rojak in Chinese). All evidence that leads to the existence of a economical bee hoon stall is wiped out the moment they pack up for the day.

And the most crucial part is, they begin business daily (except Mondays) at the ungodly hour of 4.30am till 9am. 

So you see, I have a legit explanation for not knowing. I only found out about this by chance when I Googled the coffee shop 'for fun'. 

The coffee shop is located at Blk 359 Bukit Batok Street 31 - a stone's throw away from Bukit Gombak MRT Station.

Tian Tian Lai Lor Mee @ Blk 359 Bukit Batok Street 31

Update: Tian Tian Lai Lor Mee has permanently closed.

Lor mee is one of my favoritest thing to eat but regrettably, non of the ones from my neighborhood can meet my expectation. As a result, it is a ongoing mission of mine to always be on the lookout for a nice bowl.

When I found out about Tian Tian Lai Lor Mee at Blk 359 Bukit Batok Street 31, I was thrilled since it is not too far from my place.

Changi Nasi Lemak - Mala Fried Bee Hoon @ Blk 323 Bukit Batok Street 33

Update: Changi Nasi Lemak has permanently closed.

Previously, I mentioned that Gorilla Curry is the rebranding of Lao Cai Curry. 

In this post, I am going to share about Changi Nasi Lemak which is located right next to Gorilla Curry in the same coffee shop at Blk 323 Bukit Batok Street 33. 

Both stalls are actually run by the same family under the same management. The caricature of Lao Cai on the signboard from the previous location now graced the front of the new stall.

Although Changi Nasi Lemak is known for their nasi lemak, I am more interested in their mala fried bee hoon which is something totally new to me.