Pandan Leaf Nasi Lemak @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre

Update: Pandan Leaf Nasi Lemak has permanently closed.

Today, I will be trying out Pandan Leaf Nasi Lemak which is the second nasi lemak stall out of the three located at the Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre. The third stall, called Makan Sutera Nasi Lemak Pandan Rice is closed during this visit.

As it is my first time at this stall, I am clueless about the ordering procedure. I only saw the $3 and $4 pricing pasted on the glass so I told the auntie that I wanted the $4 portion.

She proceeded to ask whether I wanted the chicken wing or chicken drumstick. I opted for the latter. 

Then, came the awkward silence.

Spinach & Soup @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre

I have just stepped into Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre when the skies opened up and a torrent of rain poured down with a roar behind me. Any second later and I would have been drenched from head to toe.

Well, it seems like the perfect morning to have a bowl of soup then. To be precise, let's have spinach soup.

The stall I am visiting is called Spinach & Soup and they have two sets for you to choose from.

Set A comes with spinach, minced pork, prawn, mushroom and wolfberry (goji berry) while Set B had spinach, minced pork, mushroom, wolfberry, century egg and salted egg.

They have recently added a new Set C to the menu which includes spinach, lobster ball, fish tofu, mushroom and wolfberry.

Peter Fried Kway Teow Mee @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre

Before moving to its current location at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre, Peter Fried Kway Teow Mee was set up along East Coast Road and apparently quite well-known around the Katong area.

Instead of using normal boiled water to fry their kway teow (flat rice noodle), they used superior broth (brewed by old hen) which is more fragrant in taste.

The stall offers three different styles of fried kway teow namely Teochew, Penang, and Baba Nyonya.

The Teochew-style ($3/$4) that uses black sweet sauce is probably the one that Singaporeans are most familiar with.

The Penang-style ($4/$5), on the other hand, omits the use of black sweet sauce and leans more on the savory side.

As for the Baba Nyonya-style ($4/$5), only a little black sweet sauce is used, imparting the dish with both sweet and savory notes.

Xiang Xiang Nasi Lemak @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre

Update: Xiang Xiang Nasi Lemak has permanently closed.

Tanjong Pagar residents must be really ardent fans of nasi lemak because there are actually three non-Halal nasi lemak stalls located on the second floor of the food centre!

The one I visited is called Xiang Xiang Nasi Lemak which is operated by an elderly couple.

During my previous visit, I was sitting right in front of this stall having my lor mee when I noticed the never-ending queue. That aroused my interest to check them out during my next visit.

Soon Heng Food Delights Lor Mee @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre

The one and only item that Soon Heng Food Delights sell is lor mee, a noodle dish of Hokkien origins.

The stall, located on the second floor of Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre used to serve two versions: batang lor mee and fried shark lor mee, with reference to the type of fish used.

I have not eaten their batang version before but I guess it is shredded fish meat whereas the shark meat version is fried shark meat nuggets.

Now, only the shark meat version is available on the menu.

While researching for recommendations at this food centre, I came across photos of this lor mee and I was impressed by the presentation and reviews therefore I decided to include this on my to-eat list.

Beo Crescent No Name Hainanese Curry Rice @ Blk 40 Beo Crescent

This is my second time having Hainanese curry rice, the first being at Loo's seven years ago.

The stall in question today is a few minutes walk from Tiong Bahru MRT Station, located at an old, run down coffeeshop under Blk 40 Beo Crescent.

This unassuming stall selling Hainanese curry rice does not have a signboard, let alone a name! I suppose that is why people started calling it the "Beo Crescent no name Hainanese curry rice".

Seng Huat Coffee House - Bak Chor Mee @ Blk 811 Hougang Central

Located within the same coffeeshop as the pork chop bun is a noodle stall that sell dry mee sua, fish ball noodle, abalone noodle and bak chor mee.

I have heard nothing but good reviews about their bak chor mee so I decided to try it out. Now, do you understand why I did not order soft-boiled eggs with my pork chop bun?

There is a short queue before me which cleared pretty fast. When it finally reached my turn, I ordered a bowl of bak chor mee kia.

Seng Huat Coffee House - Pork Chop Bun @ Blk 811 Hougang Central

I have seen this pork chop bun making its rounds on Instagram since a few years back but the thought of going all the way to Seng Huat Coffee House at Hougang is enough to stop me in my tracks. 

It was actually after my visit to Sentosa FunFest 2018 when I thought of dropping by Seng Huat Coffee House since it's on the way.

My idea of "on the way" is by taking the North-East Line from Habourfront MRT Station (NE1) to Hougang MRT Station (NE14).

The coffeeshop is conveniently located just right outside Hougang MRT Station opposite Hougang Mall.

Market Street Teochew Kway Teow Mee @ Market Street Interim Hawker Centre

Update: Market Street Teochew Kway Teow Mee has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

A bowl of kway teow soup is what people usually have when they are not feeling well or do not have much of an appetite as it is non-greasy and not so heavy on the stomach.

I, for one, can have kway teow soup anytime of the day because I love soupy stuff; not necessary only when I am sick.

It is my comfort food and my backup plan when I have no idea what to have for my meal at the hawker centre.

Market Street Teochew Kway Teow Mee offers Teochew-styled noodles either dry or soup with your option of noodles like mee pok (flat noodles), mee kia (thin noodles), kway teow (flat rice noodles), macaroni, etc.

鹏 Tiong Bahru Wanton Mee @ Market Street Interim Hawker Centre

Update: 鹏 Tiong Bahru Wanton Mee has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

This is a very promising bowl of wanton mee at Market Street Interim Hawker Centre. Just look at the amount of ingredients in my $3.50 bowl.

The portion of the mee kia is more than half the height of the bowl while char siew, fried wanton and choy sum sits on top. I actually have difficulty finishing the noodles even though what I had was the regular bowl.

The Live Turtle And Tortoise Museum @ The Chinese Garden

Located right inside the Chinese Garden lies Singapore's - and probably the world's - only turtle and tortoise museum. It is a unique, and one-of-a-kind museum, which houses a varied collection of the reptiles including some endangered species on the CITES.

It also holds the Guinness World Record since 2005 for the largest collection of turtle and tortoise items.

Unfortunately for the museum, the site it is sitting on has been incorporated into the masterplan design of the Jurong Lake Gardens project.

This spells nothing but trouble for the 500 turtles and tortoises who have lost their home with nowhere to go.

With a heavy heart, I decided to pay the museum a visit, four days before they are slated to close - permanently.

Ah Liang Ipoh Hor Fun @ Market Street Interim Hawker Centre

Update: Ah Liang Ipoh Hor Fun has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

My first visit to Ah Liang Ipoh Hor Fun was at their Maxwell Food Centre outlet a few weeks ago after an appointment nearby.

I have come across Ah Liang Ipoh Hor Fun during my previous research thus when I happened to stumble across them at Maxwell, I decided to order a plate to try since the lunch crowd has already dispersed with no queue.

Sentosa FunFest 2018 With 300 We Bare Bear Inflatables!

This March school holidays, Cartoon Network's We Bare Bears will be coming to Sentosa for Sentosa Funfest 2018! 

There will be plenty of photo opportunities with the 300-ish We Bare Bear inflatables around Palawan Beach and Palawan Green. Apart from the inflatables, keep your eyes peeled for cardboard cut-outs and life-sized figurines scattered randomly around the island.

Say Seng Authentic Teochew Mee Pok @ Market Street Interim Hawker Centre

Update: Say Seng Authentic Teochew Mee Pok has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

Say Seng Authentic Teochew Mee Pok (生成乾面) is one of the few stalls with a snaking queue that caught my attention during my first visit to the temporary hawker centre. I did not managed to have anything at that time because I do not want to join the lunch time queue.

I returned for a visit slightly earlier on another day and I headed straight for the stall only to find that there is no queue.

Old Chang Kee Nasi Lemak Chicken'O

You can tell that Singaporeans really love their nasi lemak when the national dish has been given numerous makeovers in recent years. From nasi lemak burger to nasi lemak onigiri and even nasi lemak served with lobster, Old Chang Kee has now upped the game with their own nasi lemak chicken'o!

Encased within the green, flaky crust are the usual suspects like chicken meat, a wedge of hard-boiled egg, ikan bilis, peanuts and sambal.

Wei Nan Wang Hock Kian Lor Mee @ Market Street Interim Hawker Centre

Update: Wei Nan Wang Hock Kian Lor Mee has permanently closed.

Last year, it was reported in the news that the Golden Shoe Car Park is slated to be demolished to make way for a spanking new 51-storey office tower.

Inevitably, the hawker centre located within the building had to be relocated. This is grim news for many as the hawker centre has been offering affordable food options for those working in the CBD area for the past 33 years.

There is no need for panic though, as the hawkers did not move far - they have simply shifted into a temporary hawker centre just about 200 metres from their original location. 

One of the levels in the new office building will be reserved as a food court and once the construction has been completed, the former Golden Shoe hawkers will return.

River Hong Bao 2018

Happy Chinese New Year!

I visited the River Hong Bao at The Float @ Marina Bay on the second day of the Chinese New Year.

While walking over from MBS via Helix Bridge, the 18m tall God of Fortune caught my attention. Unlike previous years, this year's God of Fortune is more jovial.

The afternoon sun is such a killer. I cannot even open my eyes due to the glare!

I recommend coming in the evenings since it would be cooler and more comfortable. Besides, there will not be any golden showers from the God of Fortune till 7pm, 8pm, 9.10pm and 10pm so this is another consideration if that is what you are coming for.

Furthermore, the lanterns will look better in the dark when they are all lit up.

Lau Phua Chay Roasted Delicacies @ Alexandra Village Food Centre

Shocking would be an understatement to describe my first impression of Lau Phua Chay Roasted Delicacies at Alexandra Village Food Centre.

I was actually queuing for the avocado juice next door during my previous visit to the food centre when I saw the darkest char siew I had ever seen hanging behind the glass window.

That certainly got my attention and I made a mental note to try this out during my next visit here.

Hor Fun Premium - Beef Hor Fun @ Alexandra Village Food Centre

Hor Fun Premium is another one of the more popular stalls along the same row as Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa at Alexandra Village Food Centre. I was there on a Sunday morning and had their beef hor fun for breakfast.

Hor fun sounds a tad too heavy to have at 10-ish in the morning if you ask me but the charred kway teow (flat rice noodle) drenched in the alluring eggy gravy is tough to say no to.

Apart from beef, you also have the option of sliced fish or seafood. Or, if you prefer, you can have those options with mui fan too if it rocks your boat. They serve pork ribs rice, ginger & spring onion sliced fish rice and ginger & spring onion beef rice as well.

Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa @ Alexandra Village Food Centre

Singapore and its nearby region seems to have been hit by an unusually cold weather spell since the beginning of the new year. At a time like this, having a hot, steaming pot of claypot laksa doesn't sound like a bad idea.

I have always wanted to try Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa not because of its Bib Gourmand status but I am a sucker for claypot-anything. Food seem particularly tasty when served in claypots, don't you think?

The stall at Alexandra Village Food Centre is located along the row just opposite to Tai Chong Kok Confectionery at Blk 122 so it is really easy to find.