Xiao Yang Guo Kui - Flatbread With A Thousand Years History Arrived In Singapore!

Update: Xiao Yang Guo Kui has permanently closed.

Forgive the hand model, k? Don't let the fur get to you.

When I first heard of Xiao Yang Guo Kui (小杨锅盔), I was bewildered as its name does not make any sense nor give me an idea of what the product really is.

After some googling, however, I found out that this naan look-alike flatbread is called a guo kui (锅盔) while Xiao Yang Guo Kui (小杨锅盔) is the brand name which brought this chain to Singapore. 

Xiao Yang Guo Kui has got absolutely nothing to do with Yang Guo of The Condor Heroes fame from Louis Cha's novel. However, it does have an impressive history dating back to the Three Kingdoms.

Wow. Imagine having the same thing as Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang?

Word has it that a soldier used his helmet (kui) as a wok (guo) to cook some flour over a fire and voila, the guo kui is born. For the next thousand of years, this staple army provision has evolved into a popular traditional street snack for the masses in China.

Soon Heng Hot & Cold Desserts @ Tanglin Halt Food Centre

Update: Soon Heng Hot & Cold Desserts have relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

As its name implies, Soon Heng Hot & Cold Desserts at Tanglin Halt Food Centre serves a selection of hot and cold Chinese desserts.

What I find amazing about this stall is that most of their desserts costs only a dollar per bowl! Yes! ONE DOLLAR!

That is the charm with food centres found at the older estates. Food prices are usually kept low so that the lower income and elderly could afford it.

I am totally spoilt for choice here but I decided to order the lian zi suan, ice kachang and tau suan.

Queenstown Lontong Mee Soto @ Tanglin Halt Food Centre

Update: Queenstown Lontong has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

After trying the mee rebus from Queenstown Lontong at Tanglin Halt Food Centre, I could not stop thinking about their mee soto. After all, it is my ultimate favorite Malay noodle dish.

I decided not to have anymore naggy feelings about it so I returned to the food centre and ordered myself a bowl of mee soto ($3) with the same nice kakak inside the stall. A cheerful stall owner versus a grumpy one really makes a difference to my mood.

As the kakak busied herself with my order, I saw a fresh batch of chicken wings frying in the wok and was so tempted to get one but I opt for the begedil ($1) instead.

Queenstown Lontong Mee Rebus @ Tanglin Halt Food Centre

Update: Queenstown Lontong has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

While doing my research about Tanglin Halt Food Centre, I learned about the wonderful mee rebus from Queenstown Lontong. To be honest, it was a photo of the noodle dish that caught my attention.

To verify if the mee rebus was really as good as what the reviews claimed to be, I decided that a visit to the stall is in order!

On the day of my visit, the two ladies from the stall were amiable and full of smiles. It made my trip  a welcoming one.

Just like any Malay stalls, they serve typical breakfast such as nasi lemak, lontong, mee rebus, mee siam, mee soto and soto ayam. Every dish costs a standard $3.

I was initially undecided between having mee rebus or mee soto but I eventually caved in to the former.

Hakka Thunder Tea Rice @ Tanglin Halt Food Centre

Update: Hakka Thunder Tea Rice has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

The thunder tea rice stall at Tanglin Halt Food Centre is one of the more popular options that draw a perpetual queue during lunch hour.

When I was there, customers were already crowding in front of the stall waiting for them to open for business at 11am.

As the opening hour neared, the crowd automatically formed a line in a orderly manner. While standing in the queue, I observed that the stall owner is working inside the stall without switching on the lights.

Makes one wonder how does he see in the dark?

Ruyi Yuan Vegetarian Bee Hoon @ Blk 46-1 Tanglin Halt

Update: Ruyi Yuan Vegetarian has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

Ruyi Yuan Vegetarian is well-known for her snaking queue which can extend all the way out of the coffeeshop. I decided to visit the stall at 6.30am on a Saturday morning to avoid the crowd because with lesser people around, I feel less stressful about taking photos.

When I arrived, there is no line at all. I marched right up to the stall and ordered two sets; one to have there and one for takeaway.

Over here, you have the option to add "lor" (gravy) to your bee hoon. I love having lor in my bee hoon but not many places offer this. I am grateful this is one of the very few places that did. For the takeaway pack, the lady even gave me a big packet of lor packed separately.

Tanglin Halt Roti Prata @ Blk 49 Tanglin Halt

What caught my attention at this prata stall was the coffeeshop's name "Peking Room" which sounded a lot more like a nightspot than a coffeeshop to me. The prata stall itself is called Tanglin Halt Roti Prata though part of its name was obscured by a piece of newspaper cutting.

When I arrived on a Saturday morning, the chilly breeze and crisp air makes it most comfortable to be seated on the outdoor alfresco area under the canopy. With no queue in sight, I approached the stall and ordered two plain pratas for myself.

There was already a stack of made-in-advanced pratas behind the glass window and the staff picked two pieces onto my plate. I requested for a saucer of fish curry to go with my breakfast.

Tian Xiang Wanton Noodle @ Tanglin Halt Food Centre

Update: Tian Xiang Wanton Noodle has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

Apart from the drinks stalls at Tanglin Halt Food Centre, Tian Xiang Wanton Noodle is one of the earliest stalls to open for business every morning.

I have read numerous good reviews about their wanton noodle so I decided to give them a try. I arrived just slightly after 7am - their stipulated opening hour and there is just one customer before me.

The stall offers both wanton and sui kow noodle at the same price of $3 and $3.50.

Tong Kee Chicken Rice @ Tanglin Halt Food Centre

Update: Tong Kee Chicken Rice has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

While researching about the food available in the Tanglin Halt area near Commonwealth MRT Station, the names - Tanglin Halt Market and Tanglin Halt Food Centre constantly turn up and I was left confused, wondering if they were referring to the same place?

Only after paying a visit to the neighborhood did I realize that Tanglin Halt Market and Tanglin Halt Food Centre are two different hawker centres barely a minute's walk from each other.

The confusion arise because some reviewers from burpple have wrongly geo-tagged the food stalls from the market under the food centre.

To add on to the initial confusion, the address for the food centre varies from 1A to 3A Commonwealth Drive.

As it turns out, the food centre is comprised of three octagonal buildings hence each building will have its own block number and so does the food stalls under each block.

Compared to Tanglin Halt Market, Tanglin Halt Food Centre is considerably quieter as the stalls here open for business much later. The air-circulation is good here due to the high ceiling and proximity between the tables are quite spacious.

The first stall I am going to visit here is Tong Kee Chiken Rice which is previously from Margaret Drive. This stall specializes in roasted chicken so you will not be able to find the poached variety here.

Tanglin Halt Delicious Duck Noodle @ Tanglin Halt Market

While queuing for Wei Yi Laksa, I noticed that Tanglin Halt Delicious Duck Noodle two units down is another one of the stalls here that open for business during the wee hours at Tanglin Halt Market.

By "wee hours", I really meant 5.30am! One can only wonder how early our hawkers have to be at their stall to prepare everything just so we could have breakfast the moment we opened our eyes. Their dedication to their craft is what makes them truly deserving of our respect!

Just like the queue at Wei Yi Laksa, a comparable line has also formed in front of the duck noodle stall. Unfortunately, there is only so much food I could fill my stomach with so I have to make a return trip for the duck noodle on another day.

Due to the Lunar New Year, I could only make my way down after the festivities have ended. This time, I arrived much later than the previous visit but there is still a snaking queue in front of the stall at 10am. Fortunately, the queue cleared quite fast.

I ordered a large bowl of dry duck noodle ($3/$4/$5). Unlike other Teochew braised duck noodle stalls that offer only bee hoon, yellow noodle and kway teow, this stall also have mee kia and mee pok.

Wei Yi Laksa @ Tanglin Halt Market

This week, I am checking out Tanglin Halt Market where a row of hawker stalls share the same building as the wet market.

Some of the hawker stalls here open for business as early as 5am and Wei Yi Laksa & Prawn Noodle is one of them. I thought that there would not be much of a crowd when I arrived at 6 in the morning however, there are already a number of retirees starting their day over a cup of coffee and laksa.

At that ungodly hour, a line has already formed in front of the stall and I am number six in the queue.

As its name suggests, the stall sells both laksa and prawn noodle although they are more popular for the former. For the laksa, you can select from six different combinations of chicken, prawns, cockles and tau pok.

Too bad there isn't any option without tau pok since I am not too fond of it.

I decided to go for option number 5 ($5) that consisted of everything they have but, there was a mixed up and I received option number 6 which came without prawns.

Economic Food - Wah Kueh @ Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre

I was having porridge in front of a random stall at Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre when out of the corner of my eyes, I caught sight of the word "wah kueh" among the list of food items they sell.

I doubt the younger generation would know what "wah kueh" really is because it is a fast disappearing snack rarely found nowadays.

This rice pudding of Hokkien origins is made by steaming the rice mixture in bowls. The word "bowl" in Hokkien is pronounced as "wah" hence the name, wah kueh, which roughly translates as bowl cake.

During my younger days, I have been hearing Mum reminiscing about this elderly gentleman who peddles his wah kueh from a basket at Hoy Fatt Road where my family used to stay during the 1970s.

I was only born after we moved away to another estate. Needless to say, I never quite got the chance to eat this.

Ivan's Fried Intestines Porridge @ Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre

Remember the time I had fish porridge at Ivan's Porridge at Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre? I could not stop thinking about the fried intestines porridge that I saw on the menu so I have decided to make a return visit for just that.

I have eaten boiled and braised intestines before but having it fried is still my very first time. The humble offal often plays second fiddle to the other ingredients like minced pork and pork slices however, at this stall, the intestine is the star taking centrestage as the sole ingredient!

Honestly, intestine porridge is quite uncommon to me as its not available at any of my regular porridge stalls. The most I get is two or three pieces of it in mixed pork porridge and that is about it.

I placed an order for a bowl of fried intestine porridge ($3.50) and added an egg (50¢) with the "havoc" auntie.

Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow @ Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre

Update: Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

Right next to the entrance of the open air car park to Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre is a nondescript HDB coffee shop.

Every time I walked past it to get to the food centre, I see only a handful of customers around. Due to the lack of crowd here, I did not think much of the coffee shop and what it may have to offer.

Well, until one day when I saw someone having a mean-looking plate of char kway teow there. 

That prompted me to take a look inside the premises where Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow is located.

Soon Heng Hong Kong Style Charcoal Roast @ Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre

Soon Heng Hong Kong Style Charcoal Roast at Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre serves the usual roasts like char siew, roasted pork (siew yok/sio bak), roasted duck and roasted chicken.

As I was craving for roasted pork, I ordered the char siew and roasted pork combo with rice ($4). While the auntie was preparing my order, my gaze fell upon the rolls of pig's skin in the window. How could I resist the temptation not to get some?

The overall cost came up to $5 so that makes the pig's skin only a dollar.

Zheng Nasi Lemak @ Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre

That piece of luncheon meat is a dead giveaway but if you can't already tell, Zheng Nasi Lemak at Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre is wholly Chinese owned therefore tak Halal.

I have walked past this stall numerous times during my last few visits and I finally decided to try them out this round. They have six different sets for easy ordering. I chose set number one ($4) which comes with a drumstick, luncheon meat and fried egg on top of rice, sambal chili and cucumber.

The rice is nicely perfumed with the coconut milk aroma but the texture is a tad dry and not fluffy enough. I do like it though for its saltish undertones.

Eng Huat Fishball Mee @ Havelock Road Cook Food Centre

This visit to Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre is to try the fishball noodles at Eng Huat Fishball Mee.

When I arrived at the food centre, there are only four persons in front of the stall. I joined the queue totally unprepared for the long wait.

I turned to look inside the stall and I saw the uncle taking order, cooking, collecting payment, slicing fish cakes, washing, chopping spring onions all at the same time with no helper. 

It is a one-man show. That explains the slow moving queue!

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IAAI Malay Food - Mee Siam @ Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre

I have a funny encounter with the nenek of IAAI Malay Food at Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre.

It all started when I ordered a bowl of mee siam with her at the stall. I spoke to her in English but she replied to me in Malay which I did not understand.

I simply smile and nodded at her words. After I received my bowl, I chose a table in front of the stall and started snapping away with my camera.

Then, I heard nenek giggling. I turned to look at her and she gave me two thumbs-up with a big grin on her face. I gave her two thumbs-up in return.

She came to my table with a packet of assam in her hands and began telling me what I believed to be how she used it in the mee siam I was having. I wished I understood what she said so I could put in the extra info here.

After finishing my food, I walked up to nenek to tell her that her mee siam is "sedap" and ordered another round of mee siam and mee rebus to take away for the folks at home. Then, I finally understood why she keep talking to me in Malay - she thought that I am a Indonesian tourist because I was taking photos.

But why Indonesian of all places? Well, technically she isn't wrong as I do have some Indonesian blood in me though I cannot speak a word of it to save my life.

I bade farewell to nenek and she was still grinning from ear to ear.

Guang Fa Laksa @ Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre

The uncle behind Guang Fa Laksa at Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre is real friendly but oddly quiet who uses the thumbs-up sign to acknowledge you.

You have to specify if you want cockles because if you don't, you will not be given any and there will be a difference in pricing. The price for laksa without cockles is $2.50 and $3 while with cockles is $3 and $4 respectively.

What is laksa without cockles? Without a doubt, I had to order a bowl with the shellfish.

Ivan's Porridge @ Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre

During my second visit to Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre, Ivan's Porridge was on the agenda.

I am there to try the boneless fish belly porridge which is highly recommended online but after scrutinizing the menu, I realize that it was no longer available. Perhaps it is an off-the-menu item but I did not ask so I decided to settle for the sliced fish porridge instead.

I placed my order with the auntie who had a punk hairstyle. To my surprise, she is actually quite polite and soft-spoken despite her "havoc" appearance. I was told to take a seat while my order will be delivered to me shortly.