Ah Kong Wa Kuih @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

A few months back, a new wa kuih stall called Ah Kong Wa Kuih has opened next to my favorite pandan butterfly bun stall at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre.

I have tried visiting the stall numerous times but the shutters were always down. It does not help that information regarding their operating hours and off days are not available.

I must have made at least six wasted trips to the stall before I was finally able to catch it in business today.

Yuan Lang Soy Sauce Chicken Master - Salted Chicken Rice @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Update: Yuan Lang Soy Sauce Chicken Master has permanently closed.

Among the many chicken rice stalls at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, Yuan Lang Soy Sauce Chicken Master is often the overlooked one...

I visited the food centre on a Monday to grab my late lunch after an appointment at the nearby hospital. It is probably a bad idea to visit a food centre on the first day of the week since a majority of the stalls would be closed but this stall is just one of the few options available.

This stall sells soy sauce chicken that you can have with noodle or rice. Hanging on the rack alongside the soy chicken is something quite unusual - the salted chicken - which many might mistaken for Hainanese chicken.

However, do not confuse it with salt baked chicken either because it is not baked. Think of it as the poached version of salt baked chicken that is cooked in a stock made of Japanese scallops, dried octopus and a variety of herbs giving the chicken its unique taste. 

What the stall cannot emphasis enough is that they do not use MSG so what you are ingesting are all natural goodness.

If you notice from the signboard, they used kampung chicken which are healthier.

Porridge Master @ Blk 442 Jurong West Ave 1

While checking out the chicken rice balls from Qi Lin Xuan Kitchen at Blk 442 Jurong West Ave 1, I found out about this porridge stall called Porridge Master from the coffee shop next door. 

A search revealed that this porridge stall does not have much online presence. According to whatever little information I could gather, the stall owner purportedly dishes out fantabulous bowls of porridges. 

Upon my arrival at around 10am, the stall owner was sitting outside his stall, having porridge with canned sardines.

I felt bad for disrupting his breakfast but I did it anyway and ordered the signature mixed pig's organ porridge ($4.50). He did not immediately respond to me but took his time to put down the spoon and slowly make his way into the kitchen without a word.

Chong Jia Food - Lu Rou Fan @ Blk 493 Jurong West Street 41

Update: Chong Jia Food has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

Over at Jurong West Street 41 is a coffee shop named Tahoe Garden. Inside, you can find Chong Jia Food, a stall specializing in Taiwanese lu rou fan (braised pork rice), special marinated drumstick steamed rice and congee. 

I was greeted by the cheerful stall owner who prepared my order for a plate of lu rou fan. The ingredients were all ready cooked so it did not take her long to assemble everything together.

On my plate of white rice sprinkled with black sesame seeds were a generous serving of lu rou, braised peanuts, two halves of a hard-boiled egg and a bed of lettuce. It came with a free bowl of vegetable soup.

JJ Sarawak Noodle @ Blk 504 Jurong West Street 51

Update: JJ Sarawak Noodle has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

I recently found out that there is a stall selling Sarawak noodle (kolo mee) as well as Sarawak laksa inside a coffee shop at Blk 504 Jurong West Street 51.

I visit the market and food centre at Blk 505 from time to time but I have not seen or heard of the stall called JJ Sarawak Noodle before as the coffee shop is located at a secluded part of the neighborhood with low footfall.

Business here is a far cry from the food centre or even the halal coffee shop just one block away. You have to see it for yourself to know what I am talking about.

Anyway, I am not complaining because those places are rowdy and difficult to find seats. If I wanted some peace and quiet to have my meal, this is where I would go.

Fu Ji - Minced Meat Noodle @ Blk 491 Jurong West Ave 1

After my dental appointment at the nearby Polyclinic, I visited this noodle stall named Fu Ji which is located inside Fu Chan Coffee Shop at Blk 491 Jurong West Ave 1. 

I learned about the minced meat noodle here weeks prior my appointment from a Instagram friend so I planned a visit to check it out.

Business was sluggish upon my arrival with only Fu Ji and a chicken rice stall opened. At a glance, there are less than five customers in the coffee shop.

As it is my first time here, I am not sure if it is due to the dine-in restrictions or competition from across the road at Jurong Central Plaza where there are more coffee shops and therefore more choices.

Qi Lin Xuan Kitchen - Chicken Rice Balls @ Blk 442 Jurong West Ave 1

Qi Lin Xuan Kitchen first started out in 2014 as a tze char business. When they began offering chicken rice balls in 2018, it was picked up by social media where it made a flurry of appearances in various media outlets.

Knowing me, I would always wait for the hype to wear off before I make my move but I think I may have waited a little too long (three years!) as there was nary a soul when I arrived just before noon.

Has the chicken rice balls lost its magic already? There were no other customers in the premise and the coffee shop was dim inside. Only the lights from the chicken rice stall at the front of the coffee shop is on but there is no one manning it.

Just as I was about to walk away, someone called out to me from the depths within.

"Shuai ge, chi ji fan ma?" (handsome, chicken rice for you?) 

On account of him calling me shuai ge, I ordered a chicken rice ball set ($3.50). For some reason, after making my order, customers began streaming in one after another and they were all addressed as shuai ge by the very same staff. 🙄