Bak Chor Mee Fish Ball Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

It has been a while since my last visit to Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre and it is high time that I return in search of new stalls to try out.

I must say this trip is rather fruitful as there are indeed a number of newly opened stalls (and some closures).

The first stall to catch my eye has a very straightforward name with a clear indication of what they sell - Bak Chor Mee Fishball Noodle.

If it is of any interest to you, this noodle stall occupies the vacanted unit of Tian Tian Porridge, the Cantonese porridge stall with a history of seventy-years. Run by five elderly siblings, they ceased operations last October due to old age.

Cheongfun Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Update: Cheongfun Noodle has permanently closed.

Located at the yellow section of Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, Cheongfun Noodle is one of the newly opened stalls offering Hong Kong-style rice rolls (cheong fun) and ban mian (handmade noodle).

If my intel is correct, the six-months old stall is run by a Mr and Mrs Wong. The husband, a Hong Konger handmade the cheong fun while the wife, a Malaysian, prepares the noodle.

I chanced upon a photo of their chili ban mian dry ($5.30) on social media when they had just opened. It looked so darn good that I decided it is what I will have but you know what they say procrastination did to men?

So, I finally got my ass off the couch and head down to Chinatown. The stall is not hard to find in the maze-liked food centre if you come up by the myCK Department store escalator.

It is the first stall on your left which used to be Lao Ren Jia Roasted.

Shandong Dong Ji La Mian Xiao Long Bao @ Blk 134 Jurong Gateway Road

Among the four coffee shops in the area, Fu Chan Food Paradise at blk 134 Jurong Gateway Road has got to be the one with the lowest footfall. Or at least that is how it appears to be when I visited at around 10am on a weekday.

I intentionally walk past the other three coffee shops to make a comparison and observed that the environment here is the most conducive for my mental well-being. 

Boisterous activities such as rowdy beer-drinking uncles and kopi auntie shouting drink orders across the coffee shop drains my energy. #introvertwoes

Although there are plenty of indoor and outdoor seats available, patrons are few and seated far from one another with ample personal space.

I thrive in the calming vibes this air-conditioned coffee shop offer that I could sit here all day to recharge myself.

Keow Teow Kia - Wine Fragrance Noodle Soup @ Blk 132 Jurong Gateway Road

Foodclique and Happy Hawker are two longtime coffee shops at blk 132 Jurong Gateway Road. Located side by side, both have been there for as long as I can remember.

A week ago, after having my Hakka yong tau foo at Foodclique, I went over next door to check out Happy Hawker which has changed hands earlier this year. It is currently known as 咖啡仔来了.

Other than the popular braised duck stall at the corner, the remaining stalls at this coffee shop are all new.

Among them is this stall named Keow Teow Kia which specializes in Malaysian-style noodles.

Keow teow refers to kway teow but I wonder why is it spelled as such instead of koay teow like they usually do in Malaysia?

Anyway, on the menu are:

• keow teow soup ($4.50),
• dry noodle soup ($4.50),
• wine fragrance noodle soup ($4.80),
• bitter gourd minced meat soup with rice/noodle ($5.50),
• signature soup with rice/noodle ($5.50),
• salted fish mee tai mak soup ($5), and
• fish ball soup ($3.80)

Hakka Yong Tau Foo @ Blk 132 Jurong Gateway Road

Each time I accompany my folks to the nearby bank or CPF Building, we would end up having a meal in this coffee shop at blk 132 Jurong Gateway Road.

Although there are a variety of food options to choose from, they will bypass all the other stalls and head straight for the Hakka yong tau foo stall.

I have been here with them a couple of times but yet to try it. I wonder why they only have eyes for this stall?

I decided to make a lone trip here to try it for myself.

Gu Zao Wei Big Prawn Noodle @ Alexandra Village Food Centre

Wei Zhong Qi Prawn Noodle (#01-87) and The Old Stall Hokkien Street Prawn Noodle (#01-58) are two pretty well-known prawn noodle stalls at Alexandra Village Food Centre.

I am not sure if this is a new stall or has it always been there but it was only during a recent visit that I discovered the presence of this third prawn noodle stall at the food centre.

Well, fourth actually, if you consider Ming's Prawn Noodle (#01-01) which has relocated to Tan Boon Liat Building.

It had a very generic name though with just the words "古早味" and "big prawn noodle" on the signboard. (refer to the last photo at the bottom of this post)

I am unable to find any information with regards to this stall online therefore, I took it upon myself and submitted it to Google map as Gu Zao Wei Big Prawn Noodle.

It is located along the same row as Dover Road Kai Kee Wanton Noodles (#01-09) and Tiong Bahru Lien Fa Shui Jing Pau (#01-10) facing the car park. 

Zi Jing Cheng Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice @ Alexandra Village Food Centre

Whenever I visit Alexandra Village Food Centre, I will bypass Zi Jing Cheng Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice for some other stalls. 

Come to think of it, I wonder why the thought of trying their chicken rice has never cross my mind?

I guess I did not see the need to as chicken rice stalls are a dime a dozen in Singapore. 

However, today is the day that the spell will be broken. I have come to the food centre with no concrete plans to try any food in particular and my feet brought me to the front of this stall. 

I like how the pricing is clearly spelled out on the signboard with a whole bird priced at $24 while a serving for one pax is $3.50.