Mr Fish - Sliced Fish Bee Hoon @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Update: Mr Fish has permanently closed.

Mr Fish is located at a secluded spot of Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre which could prove to be a little challenging to find however, if you know where Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Fu is, the stall is just a bit further in.

What brought me here is their fish soup which is purportedly made with no milk added. The creaminess and depth of flavor was achieved through long hours of non stop boiling fried fish bones.

A long waiting time is to be expected during peak hours as each bowl is cooked upon order. I arrived at about half past ten but the stall did not open till slightly after eleven. Even though I was the second customer of the day, my order only came ten minutes after the first customer was served.

Claypot & Cooked Food Kitchen - Serving Cantonese Delights @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Claypot & Cooked Food Kitchen at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre specializes in Cantonese-style tze char. The modest menu included their signature claypot pig's liver, har cheong gai, sweet & sour pork, salted fish minced chicken tofu pot, tofu & roasted meat among others.

In the days following up to my visit, I was actually quite looking forward to have their har cheong gai (prawn paste chicken) because honestly, is there anyone who does not like fried chicken?

When the day eventually arrived, I visited the stall with much anticipation but I was taken aback when the lady told me in her heavily Cantonese-accented Mandarin that the har cheong gai is a sauce-less dish which would be too dry to have with rice and refused to process my order.

To be fair, she did not say it outright but I got the signals from her body language. I was waiting for her to give me suggestions on what other dishes to try, however, she turned her back on me, not willing to carry the conversation further.

For a moment, I stood there dumbstruck, trying to comprehend what has just happened. Have I just been told that I am unable to have har cheong gai with rice because it is too dry?

"Huh... then... how?" I asked, totally puzzled by the logic.

"Choose something else" she replied curtly.

I looked up at the signboard and had a quick browse at the menu before I decide to add on a vegetable dish to my fried chicken.

"One kai lan with oyster sauce and one har cheong kai. With rice."

It was only then she picked up the pen and wrote down my order on a piece of paper.

I do not understand what is the issue here with having fried chicken with rice? Is it because I am ordering only one dish therefore she is not too keen in my patronage? I hope that is not her bid to make me spend more because I came alone so how much food can I actually eat?

Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre needs no further introduction but, unless you have eaten it before, you would never have guessed that what I had here is a plate of chicken rice because frankly, it does not even remotely resemble one.

It is not my first time having their chicken rice but it is my first time having it there hence I was rather taken aback by the presentation. In the past, my family always chose to pack a bird home for dinner.

Despite having patronized them for years, I did not realize that they actually sell two kinds of chickens with different pricing. There is the Hong Kong-styled soya sauce chicken (half $7/whole $14) and signature soya sauce chicken (half $10/whole $20).

Well, I guess I would not have taken such a close look at their signboard if not for doing this review. In fact, I wonder why it took me so long to write about them?

Chef Sham H.K. Vinegar Trotters @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

I have wanted to try the pig's trotters from Chef Sham H.K. Vinegar Trotters for the longest time, but somehow, I would always ended up having something else while at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre.

On this visit, I made up my mind and marched my way to the stall to order myself a bowl of black vinegar pig's trotters and a bowl of rice.

It was a younger Chinese man who took my order but it was Chef Sham himself who served me. The stall made enough pig's trotters to fill a large vat which could last them probably several days. When an order is received, the trotters would be fished from the vat and transferred to be reheated over a stove in a claypot. 

Ah Hua Assam - Signature Assam Chicken Set @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Update: Ah Hua Assam has permanently closed.

Ah Hua Assam is a relatively new entrant at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre having set up stall only in August this year. Their main focus are dishes made with their home made assam (tamarind) sauce.

In fact, they were marketing their home made assam sauce in glass bottles online before setting up stall here.

When photos of their enticing dishes served on enamel plates began making their rounds on Instagram, it caught my attention. Wow, that screams nothing but old school therefore, I decided to go check them out at the food centre.

On the menu are their signature assam chicken set, braised chicken set and assam batang fish set. The sets are served with rice, omelette, and your choice of curry vegetable or chap chye.

They also have whole assam fish heads and other add-ons, like home made ngor hiang, assam bee hoon, babi pongteh and otak.

Ah Hor Teochew Kway Teow Mee @ 165 Kitchener Road

Just across the road from City Square Mall is a coffee shop housing a very popular Teochew noodle stall. 

I have kiv-ed this stall at the same time as the braised duck rice stall because they are categorized under the same area. This noodle stall called Ah Hor Teochew Kway Teow Mee has since moved from the address (12 Verdun Road) recorded in my list.

According to Dr Leslie Tay, the old stall used to be under an elderly man in his 70s who had a penchant for long sleeved shirts with flowery prints.

However, when I was at their new location, the havoc uncle is no where to be seen. Instead, the cooking was done by a middle aged lady with a young man taking orders.

South Buona Vista Road Famous Teochew Boneless Duck Rice - Closing At The End Of November! @ 16 Sam Leong Road

Update: South Buona Vista Road Famous Teochew Boneless Duck Rice has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

There is a braised duck rice stall with a rather lengthy name located near Mustafa Centre.

Its owner, Mr Ang Chiap Teck - brother-in-law to the founder of the famous Lim Seng Lee Duck Rice at Buona Vista - set up the business here at Verdun Road in 2013 after Lim Seng Lee closed down during that same year.

As a mark of respect to his brother-in-law who had given him his blessings to revive the 45 years old business, Mr Ang did not continue with the Lim Seng Lee brand. Instead, he named his business South Buona Vista Road Famous Teochew Boneless Duck Rice.

I have kiv-ed this stall for quite a few years now but have never gotten round to paying them a visit.

While getting out of bed one Saturday morning, I suddenly made up my mind not to put it off any longer and took the train to Farrer Park MRT station. Cutting through City Square Mall, I exited the mall and crossed the road to the opposite side where the stall is located inside a coffee shop named Kim San Leng.

There were no customers that Saturday morning so I was able to order a plate of braised duck rice for $4 immediately.