Yang Zhou Fried Hokkien Mee @ Blk 127 Bukit Merah Lane 1

For the last 30 years, the owners of Yang Zhou Fried Hokkien Mee have been frying their noodles over a charcoal stove inside a coffee shop at Beo Crescent, effectively drawing long queue of customers everyday.

Two years ago, they relocated to another coffee shop called KPT Coffee Shop at Blk 127 Bukit Merah Lane 1 which, unfortunately, does not allow them to use charcoal anymore.

I am a old school foodie and I am game for anything cooked over a charcoal stove. Although they no longer uses it, I am still tempted to give them a try thanks to the glowing reviews online.

I visited the stall at about ten on a weekday morning with no queue in sight. The stall owner - Uncle Lim - was busy at the back while his wife is seated at the front with the newspapers spread in front of her. I walked up to her and placed an order for a $5 plate.

Sentosa Sandsation 2019 - Star Wars Edition

R2-D2, BB-8, C-3PO

Fans of STAR WARS rejoice!

For the third consecutive year, Sentosa is hosting Southeast Asia's biggest sand festival "Sentosa Sandsation 2019" and the theme for this year is STAR WARS!

Be enthralled by 20 larger-than-life sand sculptures including YODA, Darth Vadar, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and many others!

Old Teochew Mee Siam @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

The husband and wife team behind Old Teochew at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre serves the Chinese-styled mee siam and satay bee hoon.

I decided to order the mee siam ($3) since I am not too big a fan of satay bee hoon.

After placing my order, the friendly auntie began assembling the ingredients into a plate of bee hoon followed by adding hot broth to it. After checking with me if the sambal is enough, she even took the initiative to help me squeeze the lime so that I do not have to do it myself.

Such motherly love though I am sure she does it for everyone else. This is what I call service with a heart!

Granny's Pancake @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Granny's Pancake is a franchise with a number of stalls around Singapore and one of them is located at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre. Their mee chiang kueh draws a queue whenever I visit the food centre.

In fact, I already noticed them during my first visit. It was about 4pm then when most of the other stalls had already closed for the day. Only a handful of stalls like Granny's Pancake are still opened or just opening for dinner service. I was sitting right in front of their stall having my prawn noodle from Prawn Village.

While enjoying my meal, I noticed students from the nearby school coming in twos and threes to buy their mee chiang kueh. That aroused my interest.

Tom's City Zoom Mee Pok Tar @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Based on the choice of font used on the signboard, it is quite apparent that this "Tom" behind Tom's City Zoom Mee Pok Tar at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre is relatively young.

Indeed, when I was queuing for my bowl of noodle, I was served by a lad seemingly in his twenties with a woman whom I assumed to be his mother.

Tom have a pleasant deposition with a great smile and he looks younger than he actually is. He is the one building rapport with customers while assisted by his Mum, working silently by the side.

When the OL (office lady) in front of me walked off with a bowl of mee tai mak in her hands, it reminded me that I have not had one for a long time and I wanted one too. However, I guess Tom misheard me over all that noise at the food centre and gave me mee pok instead.

Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow is one of those legendary stalls at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre that commands a long queue of customers who willingly wait in line for a plate of their fried kway teow.

I arrived just a few minutes after they had opened for the day and the queue has already stretched to the stall opposite. I thought I would wait for the queue to clear by taking a walk round the food centre but with each extra round I took, the line only gets longer than before.

I decided to take the plunge and join the queue like everyone else. It was painfully slow but that did not seem to deter the line of people from forming behind me.

After an agonizing thirty minutes later, I finally reached the front of the stall where the uncle could be seen frying behind a glass panel.

63 Laksa - $2 Laksa @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

If you are wondering why this stall at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre is called 63 Laksa, here is a clue: it is NOT the stall's unit number.

Well, try pronouncing the numbers 6 and 3 in Hokkien. Do you get it now?

While researching about this stall, I found out that the price of its laksa is a mere $2 however, by the time I finally visited, the price has increased to $2.50. This is what procrastination do to you.

On the day of my visit, I headed straight for the stall to order a bowl of laksa. Placed beside the cauldron of laksa broth are a few porcelain bowls containing thick bee hoon that has been cut short. The shortened thick bee hoon is easier to pick up with the spoon and much more convenient to eat.

The stallholder picked up one of the bowls and scooped boiling laksa broth into it before pouring the broth back into the pot. He repeated this a couple of times more in an unhurried manner.

He is so meticulous that not a drop of the broth splashed anywhere. 

Ghim Moh Carrot Cake @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

There are two fried carrot cake stalls at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre and I am undecided which one to patronize. Reading up reviews online at home pushed me into deeper dilemma as both have their fair share of supporters. 

Even on the day of my visit, I am still mulling over it. It was only when I reached there at the food centre that I made up my mind to have Ghim Moh Carrot Cake instead of Hock Soon Carrot Cake.

Reason? I went to the one with the longest queue.

This stall sells both the white and black carrot cake for $2.50, $3, $4 and $5. Now here comes another problem: black or white?

When it reached my turn to order, I queried whether they serve the yuan yang, which is a combo of both the white and black carrot cake on the same plate. To my delight, they said yes. 

Problem solved for $4.

Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck Rice @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Chuan Kee specializes in braised duck meat and is one of the more popular stalls at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre. It was included in the Michelin Bib Gourmand for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019.

Not that the inclusion in the list matters (not to me anyway) because with or without it, Chuan Kee have no lack of customers coming for their signature braised duck. The French tyre simply caused frustration in people who have to cope with the queue they created.

You can have the braised duck with either rice, noodle or porridge in three sizes ($3/$4/$5).

I was actually hesitating whether to give them a try. I mean, I do like braised duck rice but I prefer having it with white rice and a non starchy sauce like what Cai Ji and Ah Xiao are serving.

Despite Chuan Kee serving their braised duck with a dark colored looking rice and starchy sauce which is not really what I like, I still decide to go ahead and ordered for myself the $4 braised duck rice set.

Heavens Appam @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Heavens is the name of an Indian breakfast stall serving a very limited menu of thosai, putu mayam and appam at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre.

What piqued my interest is their unusual name. Why Heavens? Indian food stalls are normally named after the registered owner's name, the kind of food they sell or based on its location.

Of course, I do not speak collectively for all but just sharing my own personal experience with the ones that I have come across with.

Besides, such establishments are usually dominated by a male working environment hence my surprise to discover this stall managed wholly by two ladies.

Furthermore, if you have not already noticed by now that roti prata - quintessentially the representative Indian breakfast choice for many - is not on the menu.

But, roti prata is not why I am here for. What I am really after is their appam which I have not eaten before.

Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Mention Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre and Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh is bound to come to mind.

Sixty years into the business, Mr Lee began helping his mother peddle chwee kueh from a push cart outside Alexandra Hospital in 1959.

Now, a permanent fixture at the food centre since its opening in the 1970s, he and his wife has been selling chwee kueh to a faithful following with a sixty year old recipe that was passed down by his mother.

Prawn Village @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Update: Prawn Village has permanently closed.

I have been meaning to visit Prawn Village when they were at Golden Mile Food Centre but procrastination has gotten the better of me and before I knew it, they had relocated to Ghim Moh Food Centre.

Well, not that it is a bad thing since Ghim Moh is actually much nearer for me. However, they have recently switched their operating hours from 9am - 5pm to 4pm - 9pm instead which makes it harder for me to have a bowl since I usually have dinner at home.

As fate would have it, I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon and there is a direct bus that goes to Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre. By the time I arrived at the food centre, it was almost opening time. So, it was kind of like the stars aligned for me to finally have a bowl!

The last time I came to Ghim Moh Food Centre must have been at least fifteen years ago. When I reached there, I am surprised to find the food centre deserted and void of people. I asked a passing cleaner why is this so and he explains that the majority of stalls here closes for the day after the office lunch crowd has subside with only a handful remaining opened for dinner service.

Weng Kiang Kee's Triple Egg Porridge @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Weng Kiang Kee Porridge is just next door to Fatty Ox at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre. I have been to Fatty Ox a couple of times but I have not noticed Weng Kiang Kee Porridge there before.

There were a couple of customers sitting around in front of the stall, waiting for their orders thus I decided to join them to see what the hype was all about.

The stall adopts an electronic queue system. When an order is placed, you will be given a number tag which you have to wait for the corresponding number to flash on the screen in order to collect your porridge. 

Babas Peranakan - Peranakan Chap Chye Png @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Update: Babas Peranakan has permanently closed.

Economical rice, or more commonly known as chap chye png (mixed rice) is no stranger to most of us here. But have you heard of one that specializes in Peranakan dishes?

Today, I am going to introduce Babas Peranakan - a Peranakan food stall located in Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre.

Peranakan cuisine are usually found in restaurants but to have one in a food centre is hard to come by.

Some of the dishes I saw on display included vegetable curry, chicken curry, assam fish, fried mackerel steak, otah and fried long beans among others.

The variety of dishes is quite limited compared to a regular chap chye png stall but that is only because one person is cooking in this space constrained kitchen. However, you can be assured of the consistency and quality of the food delivered.

I ordered a plate of rice and picked chicken curry, bitter gourd yong tau fu and chap chye. I also asked for curry sauce to be splashed over the rice. The bill came up to $5.

Happies Bak Kut Teh By DFTBA Kitchen - Hawkepreneur With A Heart @ Chinatown Complex market & Food Centre

Update: Happies Bak Kut Teh has permanently closed.

While waiting in line for my porridge and fried bee hoon from Chang Ji Gourmet, the Doraemon decal on the shutters of Happies Bak Kut Teh caught my eyes.

After some googling, I found out that the stall owner Connie Chan, is a fan of this anime character. If you check out their Instagram account, they occasionally have Doraemon's merchandise available for sale.

I myself is a fan of the robotic cat from the future hence my particular interest in this bak kut teh stall at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre.

Tian Tian Porridge @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Update: Tian Tian Porridge has permanently closed.

After having my chee cheong fun at Duo Ji, I walked past Tian Tian Porridge which is managed by a couple of old folks. I find myself unable to walk away without having a bowl because I have the tendency to patronize a stall if the stall owner is an elderly. It does not matter if the food is good or not as my main reason is to support them.

As its name implies, Tian Tian Porridge serves porridge and they only have two options available so you can have either fish or pork.

I ordered a $4 bowl of pork porridge and the auntie told me to take a seat. I sat at the table nearest to the stall so she did not have to walk too far to deliver my order. I collected my bowl and moved to another table out of sight from the stall to take my photos in peace as I feel stressed out with people watching me taking photos of my food.

The perks of visiting the food centre early is that there is virtually no crowd at all.

Duo Ji Famous Chee Cheong Fun @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

This is actually an accidental find.

I was walking through the food centre when I stumble across this particular section where all the stalls have yet to open except this one.

It was quite early then, around 7am. The place was dark and the only lights available came from this stall. There were no customers so I walked up to see what they have to offer. Apparently, they sell chee cheong fun (rice rolls) and yam cake ($1.50/$2/$3).

Perhaps, it is a psychological thing; the morning was chilly and having piping hot chee cheong fun that is freshly out from the steamers seemed like the ideal thing to do. I decided to order a $2 plate to try. 

Fei Ye Ye Food Tradition - Soy Sauce Chicken Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre have no lack of stalls offering soy sauce chicken. Other than Fatty Ox and Liao Fan (Hawker Chan), Fei Ye Ye Food Tradition is another stall here that specialize in soy sauce chicken ($7.50/half, $14/whole).

Apart from soy sauce chicken noodle, they also serve wanton noodle, wanton soup, sui kow (dumpling) noodle, sui kow soup and chicken feet noodle.

Almost every lunar new year, I would head to Fei Ye Ye for their jellyfish yee sang however, I have yet to give their noodles a try. Well, not even once.

Come to think of it, I wonder why?

Since I am currently on a food trail at this food centre, I thought why not take the opportunity to try all the soy sauce chickens here?

Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Melvin Chew, second generation owner of Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap took over reins of the 36 years old business from his father after the elder Chew's demise a few years ago. He now runs the stall with his mother.

Unlike other conventional lor ark (braised duck) stalls which serves either rice or kway chap, Melvin went one step further by injecting Japanese influences into this traditional Teochew dish. Think bento and ramen with lor ark.

Jin Ji does serve their braised ducks the traditional way for the purists, of course, but the new offerings will appeal to the millennials. After all, they are quite Instagram-worthy. 

Tai Wah Cooked Food - Pandan "Butterfly" Bun @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Tai Wah Cooked Food at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre sells traditional Chinese fried fritters like the youtiao (Chinese cruller), ham chim peng (salted five-spice buns), green bean bun, red bean bun and, the specialty of their stall, the butterfly bun.

I enjoy their fritters as they are hand-made at the stall daily and fried on the spot so it is always fresh and piping hot.

My favorite among all is the butterfly bun but not just any butterfly bun, mind you. Theirs is really unique because it is pandan-flavored. So far, this is the only stall I know that does it this way. 

Fatty Ox HK Kitchen - Beef Brisket Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

I am not much of a beef person thus, there are some beef dishes that I have not eaten before. Among them, I am particularly curious about the ngau lam (beef brisket).

I heard that the ngau lam at Fatty Ox is one of the best there is in Singapore. Since I am already checking out Fatty Ox for their soy sauce chicken, why not give their ngau lam a try?

That is why, I decided to order a plate of ngau lam with noodle ($4).

I also hear their sui kow (shrimp dumplings) are pretty solid so, I asked to add a couple in as well.

My ngau lam noodle with two pieces of sui kow came up to $5.50.

As this is my first time having ngau lam noodle, I do not know what to expect. In fact, I do not even know which part of the cow ngau lam is!

Fatty Ox HK Kitchen - Soy Sauce Chicken Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Soy sauce chicken are a dime a dozen at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre. At last count, there are at least five such stalls here within this complex and that's not including the lesser known ones.

The most famous one of them all - Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle - is the world's first hawker to be awarded one Michelin star. I was a fan of theirs prior their award days but ever since then, I can only shake my head in disappointment at the outrageous queue.

That is when I decided to seek out the other soy sauce chicken located within the food centre.

Cue Fatty Ox HK Kitchen.

The chef, Mr Cheung, is a Hong Konger who moved to Singapore during the 1980s. In 1986, he started his first stall inside a coffee shop at Pagoda Street. Then, in 1991, he moved to Murray Street and operated there for 16 years. Subsequently, he moved to a coffee shop at North Bridge Road for about two years before settling down at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre.

Maxwell Haha Mee Siam Mee Rebus @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Reviewing this stall is not part of the plan.

I was actually there at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre for Fatty Ox HK Kitchen's soya sauce chicken noodle but I have forgotten that they are closed on Mondays.

Not wanting to make a wasted trip, I went to the next stall on my list, Tai Wah Cooked Food for their Pandan-flavored "butterfly" but they, too were not opened.

Then, I remembered about this mee siam stall at the row behind Chang Ji Gourmet when I was there to review them. I was actually sitting at the table outside this stall because I wanted to make use of the lights coming from their stall to take photos of the fried bee hoon and peanut porridge.

The stall in question is called Maxwell Haha Mee Siam Mee Rebus and you can probably tell where they were previously located and what they sell. The stall is wholly Chinese owned, selling Chinese-styled mee siam and mee rebus.

Chang Ji Gourmet - $1.20 Porridge & Fried Bee Hoon @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Chang Ji Gourmet at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre has a very simple menu with just three items: fried bee hoon, fried noodle and peanut porridge.

I have not eaten at this stall before but I did walk past it many times and I am intrigued by its long, snaking queue.

Chang Ji offers a simple, no-frills breakfast at just $1 per serving. Their fried bee hoon and fried noodle come with just bean sprouts and nothing else. They do not even have additional sides that you can add on to your meal so why are they such a hit with customers?

I decided to join the queue on a Saturday morning to find out why.

Woo Ji Cooked Food - $2 Laksa & Prawn Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

The food centre at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre is like a labyrinth filled with surprises at every turn. I am excited to learn of a stall here that sell laksa and prawn noodle for a mere $2!

The only catch is, you have to come very early for a bowl as they are opened from 6am till they closes at 10am. Yes, only four hours! Very short operating hours I know!

But, what is one to do if you want to have a bowl? Well, you jolly wake up and leave the house when the skies is still dark which is what I did!

There is already a snaking line when I reached the stall Woo Ji Cooked Food at 7am. I cannot decide whether to have laksa or prawn noodle so I ordered both!

Jia Ji Mei Shi @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

After an intensive three-months renovations, Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre has finally reopened much to the relief of the stall owners (no income for three months!) and the nearby office workers who had to venture further for their lunches.

Honestly, I do not see any difference with the newly renovated food centre. Illumination within is still as bad as before, throwing people into a dreary mood. Furthermore, seemingly cleaned tables still have stains on them, suggesting half-hearted jobs from the cleaning crew.

The only evident thing I see are the nets put up to keep out the birds.

The very first stall that I cannot wait to revisit is Jia Ji Mei Shi which serves all-day breakfast like chee cheong fun (rice rolls), orh kueh (yam cake), porridge, fried bee hoon and rice dumplings, etc.

This particular stall is one of the more popular ones hence a perpetual queue is to be expected although it is not as terrible as Liao Fan's (Hawker Chan) which is just perpendicular in front to their stall.

Leong Wei Roasted Delights - $2 Char Siew Rice @ Holland Drive Market & Food Centre

To be honest, I was drawn to Leong Wei Roasted Delights by its low price. Their char siew rice, roasted pork rice and roasted chicken rice starts from $2. In this economy when everyone is struggling to cope amid rising costs, such affordability is truly a god send.

Kudos to the stall owners for keeping prices affordable to the lower income group.

I guess I am not the only one to feel the crunch; thirty minutes before the stall is due to open at 11.30am, a snaking queue made up mainly of retirees, has already formed.

Da Chang Jin Handmade Chee Cheong Fun @ Holland Drive Market & Food Centre

Update: Da Chang Jin Handmade Chee Cheong Fun has permanently closed.

Da Chang Jin Chee Cheong Fun at Holland Drive Market & Food Centre serves the Hong Kong-styled rice roll. You can pick an assortment of fillings to have inside your rice roll ranging from the usual char siew to the more exotic flying fish roe and salmon.

Since it is my first time at this stall, I decided to go for the original ($2.50) without fillings so I could better appreciate the rice roll in its simplicity.

Unlike the Singapore-styled chee cheong fun which is factory supplied, the Hong Kong version is made from scratch at the stall upon ordering. The rice-flour batter is first poured on a piece of white cloth over a steamer. Once the rice sheet forms, the entire cloth is lifted and transferred to a oiled metal tray by the side where the rice sheet is separated from the cloth. Your desired filling is then added and rolled into shape before a special concoction of soy sauce is ladled on.

Hakka Noodle @ Holland Drive Market & Food Centre

Hakka Noodle is one of the crowd favorite at Holland Drive Market & Food Centre.

Google about them and their specialty, the Hakka noodle, will turn up as one of the top results in the search engine.

If you are scratching your head over what Hakka noodle is, you might be more familiar with its other name - yong tau foo. It come in two sizes ($3/$4) and I ordered the big serving.

The ingredients are fixed so there is no choosing here.

My order come with a plate of noodle and a bowl of soup.

Yap Kee Wanton Noodle @ Holland Drive Market & Food Centre

Yap Kee Wanton Noodle at Holland Drive Market & Food Centre is managed by the Koo family - a husband and wife team hailing from Batu Pahat in Johor, Malaysia.

According to Tony, you might be interested to know that Uncle Koo's brother is the man behind the famous "flying wanton noodle" at Permas Jaya. Unsurprisingly, the brother uses the same noodle supplier and yes, his stall is called "Yap Kee" as well.

I wonder why are they not called Koo Kee since they are, you know, the Koos?

Anyway, Auntie Koo was there alone in the stall on the day of my visit. She was all smiles and I ordered the large serving of the wanton noodle ($3.50/$4.50).

Cheng Heng Kway Chap And Braised Duck Rice @ Holland Drive Market & Food Centre

In my opinion, Cai Shu Kway Chap at my neighborhood serves one of the best braised pig's offal there is and I especially enjoy slurping up their slippery kway in the delicious broth which I could easily have three bowls of.

I have to admit that I have not eaten that many kway chaps to come to a fair conclusion; there are many other kway chap stalls like Lao San and To-Ricos which are all very famous but until I have the chance to give them a try, Cai Shu shall remain crowned at the top of my list.

Kway chap is something that you can customize according to your liking by picking your favorite ingredients or simply have a little of everything. For me, I only like the big intestines, pork belly and pig's skin. As for the braised egg, fish cake, tau kwa and taupok, not so much.

This week, I visited Cheng Heng Kway Chap And Braised Duck Rice at Holland Drive Market & Food Centre for their kway chap which seems to be quite popular.

A one person serving here costs $3.50.

Soh Food - Stewed Duck @ Empress Road Market & Food Centre

Update: Soh Food has permanently closed.

I just realized that the stalls at Empress Road Market & Food Centre which I have featured on this blog are all located along the same row just next to each other.

The third stall that I wanted to introduce at this food centre is called Soh Food. From its name alone, it might be hard to guess what they sell but their specialty is actually stewed duck.

Do not confuse stewed duck with braised duck because they are not the same even though they may look similar. In fact, I have not heard of stewed duck before and this is definitely my first time having it!

I ordered a stewed duck leg which came with a portion of spinach and two pieces of Chinese mushrooms. You can make it into a meal by having it served with either kway teow or rice.

I opted for rice and my set (see photo above) costs $6.

Happy World Roast @ Empress Road Market & Food Centre

Happy World Roast at Empress Road Market & Food Centre specializes in Cantonese roast meats. Other than the usual roasts like char siew (bbq pork), siew yoke (roasted pork) and roasted chicken, they also serve Hainanese chicken.

After studying the menu, I decided to go for their char siew and siew yoke set for one person ($6). The set includes a plate of rice drizzled with dark soy, a single portion of char siew and siew yoke served separately, a bowl of stewed cabbage and a bowl of peanut soup.

The reason I chose to have this is because I like stewed cabbage and it is quite unheard of to have a roast stall offering this. Thus, I wanted to check out how this one person char siew and siew yoke set is like.

Ah Wing Wanton Mee @ Empress Road Market & Food Centre

When I was previously looking up Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre on Google map, I discovered that Empress Road Market & Food Centre (also known as Farrer Road Food Centre) is just a little further up.

I did not realize that Farrer Road is actually so close to the Queenstown and Commonwealth area. I have wanted to check out Empress Road Market & Food Centre since a few years back but shelved the plans as I thought it is rather out of the way.

Now that I know how easy it is to get there from my place, I decided to pay a visit to the food centre even though if it meant I had to take three buses to reach my destination (but it's okay, I love bus rides especially when it's raining and with my ear pods plugged in).

So, what makes me want to come Empress Road Market & Food Centre all these years? It is all because of Ah Wing Wanton Mee!

I once saw a photo of their wanton mee and I was fascinated by their plump wantons and charred char siew that I promised myself I would have a plate of it one of these days. The "one of these days" took a little longer than expected but better late than never, right?

Bee Yee Teochew Famous Fish Ball Kuay Teow Mee @ Blk 117 Commonwealth Drive

I am done with reviewing the food at Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre but I thought I will give Google photos a final browse just in case I missed out on anything.

And I am glad I did because the photo of a beautiful bowl of Teochew mee pok (flat noodle) caught my attention. It did not look like it came from Huang Da Fu or Hao Hao Noodle House.

I clicked on the photo and it brought me to a Straits Times article about this noodle stall called Bee Yee Teochew Famous Fish Ball Kuay Teow Mee at block 117. Then, it dawned upon me that I have seen that article a long time ago.

That bowl of mee pok with prawn, fish cake, bak chor and pork lard seemed alluring enough for me to want to have a bowl but at that point of time, I still have not figured out how to get to the location thus, the matter was soon forgotten.

Eng Kee Fried Bee Hoon And Chicken Wings @ Blk 117 Commonwealth Crescent

Eng Kee is a typical economical breakfast stall serving the usual staples like fried bee hoon, fried noodle and fried kway teow with an assortment of sides like fried chicken wings, otah, luncheon meat, ngor hiang, fish cake, fried long beans and stewed cabbages among other things.

Unlike other such economical stalls which closes by noon, Eng Kee starts business from noon onwards till late at night.

I have tried Eng Kee at their Redhill market outlet before and I am now at their main outlet - the birthplace of the fried chicken wings which they are famous for.

I arrived at around 11.30am so I ordered a drink, intending to wait for the stall to open for business at noon. However, I noticed that by 11.40am, they have already started operations.

By then, a short queue have formed but I did not join in until the queue starts moving.

Henry's Chicken Rice @ Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre

I have read numerous reviews about Henry's Chicken Rice at Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre just across from Hao Hao Noodle House and I decided to check them out.

I am particularly intrigued by two of the reviews which mentioned about a certain black-faced auntie. Why is she black-faced? I reminded myself not to blindly believe everything that was posted online. Who knows, it might have been a disgruntled customer bad mouthing her?

On the day of my visit, I approached the stall with an open mind. Surely, the auntie will not be black-faced for no rhyme or reason? Her back was facing me when I stood in front of the stall. It was still early so a queue have not build up yet. When she turned around, I have to say, I was taken aback by her expression. Her face was, like they said - black.

Auntie:  要什么？(what you want? what is your order?) 
Me: 烧鸡腿饭，这里吃。(roasted chicken drumstick rice, having here)

She proceeded to prepare my order, placed them on the tray and collected payment without another word, a smile or thank you.

But I did not do anything to make her angry what. Why is she mad at me? I eventually came to this conclusion: perhaps auntie is naturally poker face lah. Not that she is angry or anything.

Cannot expect people to keep smiling right? Siao meh?

Hao Hao Noodle House Wanton Noodle @ Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre

Hao Hao Noodle House is another popular noodle stall at Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre.

The stall sells a variety of noodles like wanton noodle, sui kow noodle, Ipoh hor fun, mushroom & chicken feet noodle, and laksa.

Being a fan of wanton noodle ($3), I have to order a plate of my favorite noodle. It is self-service here so you order, make your payment and wait to collect your food.

I was watching the chef blanch my noodles when he suddenly toss them high into the air and catching it deftly in his ladle with precision. That was totally unanticipated! I thought such flying acts could only be found in Malaysia.

Huang Da Fu Minced Meat Noodle @ Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre

Huang Da Fu is one of the more popular noodle stall at Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre. 

Run by a young couple, the stall serves minced meat noodle (bak chor mee) that come in three sizes ($2.70/$3.50/$4.50).

Their cheapest bowl, at $2.70, is the most affordable I have ever seen. I think bak chor mee at most places starts from $3. I decided to go for the medium bowl and the lady who took my order suggests adding on their delicious fish dumplings (4 pieces for $1).

After collecting payment, the guy immediately gets to work; blanching the noodles and putting the bowl together.

牛車水阿婆鹵鴨 @ Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre

I am not a duck person but I am a convert after discovering Cai Ji's braised duck from Seah Im Food Centre a couple of years ago. Now, whenever I come across a braised duck stall at any food centre, I would be most willing to give it a try.

During my first visit to Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre, I noticed there is a braised duck stall called 牛車水阿婆鹵鴨 located near the escalator. Although there is a perpetual queue in front of the stall, it gets cleared pretty fast. I made a mental note to give it a try during my next visit.

On my second visit, I came up from the escalator and was elated to see no one in the queue. The stall owner was sitting outside the stall, taking a break.

I immediately walk up to her and ordered a plate of braised duck rice ($3).

Hong Kee Porridge @ Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre

In my previous post, I was at Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre for the fried chicken burger from Hammee's. Because there are other orders before mine, I was told to pick up my burger in ten minutes time.

Instead of whiling away that ten minutes, I decided to order a bowl of pork porridge from Hong Kee Porridge as there is no queue.

The plan was to leisurely sip on, and savor my porridge while waiting for my burger. However, plans often do not work out the way you intended. The lack of a physical queue does not mean there is no queue at all. You place your order, let the uncle know where you are sitting and the auntie will bring the porridge to your table.

So now you know, the queue here is actually invisible. It took quite a while but when my pork porridge finally reached me, there is just mere minutes left to collect my burger. I gulped through my bowl of hot porridge with no leisure to speak of and needless to say, I did not get to enjoy or savor its flavor.

By the time I am done with the porridge, I am still late for my burger by five minutes. As such, I decided to make a return trip for the pork porridge again, to give it a fair review.

Hammee's Fried Chicken Burger @ Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre

This week, I decided to check out Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre because there is a new hipster burger joint that I wanted to try. I like hipster joints like this because they offer artisanal burgers at food centre prices. What's not to like?

I believe you should have seen them on social media by now. Yes, I am talking about Hammee's who opened their stall at the food centre above the market six months ago.

Previously selling seafood white bee hoon, the young couple made a complete switch-over to selling handcrafted burgers. There are currently three offerings on their menu: Premium Beef Cheeseburger ($8), Classic Beef Cheeseburger ($6) and Fried Chicken Burger ($5.50).

All the burgers come included with shoestring fries. I decided to go for the fried chicken burger which is available in either original or spicy. As the burgers are only made upon order, I was told to pick mine up in ten minutes.

Guan Kee Wanton Noodle @ Geylang East Market & Food Centre

By the time I am done with my fried Hokkien mee at Geylang East Market & Food Centre, the rain has eased a little but still showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Now, what do you do when you are stuck at the food centre? Well, you eat some more!

According to my compiled list of the must-eats here, the wanton noodle from Guan Kee Wanton Noodle is another popular choice with the foodies. Being an ardent fan of wanton noodle, I had to order a plate ($3) to try.

Ming Yun Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle @ Geylang East Market & Food Centre

After a visit to Certis Cisco Centre at Paya Lebar, I decided to check out the nearby Geylang East Market & Food Centre for my late breakfast.

Due to it being my first time in this area, I had a bit of trouble locating it.

It doesn't help that I was caught in a heavy downpour that morning. Even though I had with me an umbrella, I was completely drenched.

With the wind threatening to wrench the umbrella out of my hands, I tightened my grip on it with one hand while the other held on to my phone for directions from google map.

I eventually found the food centre behind some shop houses which is almost impossible to spot from the main road. Feeling cold and uncomfortable with wet clothes sticking to my skin, I make a beeline for the shelter, grateful for the respite from the rain.

I have done my due diligence the night before and had a rough idea of what the food centre has to offer. I have my eyes set on the hokkien mee ($4/$5/$6) from Ming Yun Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle. 

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.