Thursday, November 29, 2012
An unfortunate turn of events
I received some unfortunate news some time last week. Hence, I think I might not be able to finish reviewing all the stalls at Bukit Merah Food Centre. Nevertheless, I'll carry on food blogging and look around for places to eat and review them whenever possible!
Lai Hin Fish Ball Kway Teow Mee *potential favourite*
Lai Hin Fish Ball Kway Teow Mee
#02-11
Bukit Merah Central Food Centre
Blk 163 Bukit Merah Road
S(150163)
- Fish ball noodles
I was super looking forward to review this stall! Why? Because I tried it before I thought of reviewing the whole food centre, and I really really really really liked it!
I reviewed 2 other fish ball noodles stalls prior to re-trying this again, and I have mentioned before the stalls that I like, so I'm not gonna re-mention those again.
But this stall is definitely a potential favourite!! I was really glad to have found this stall!
I think the stall owner either has superbly dry skin or may have some skin conditions; her skin was a little flaking. But I have no issues with that. In fact, the successor of my favourite satay bee hoon stall has some skin problems too if i recall correctly.
Oh, the first time I visited this stall was about 11.30am. I think they just opened, I was 2nd in queue, but I was not the 2nd to be served. Why? Because apparently, there were like 6 people who were queuing even before this stall opened!! That really made me curious about it. And boy, I wasn't disappointed!!!
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Yes, from the picture, because of the minced meat, you might mistaken it as bak chor mee. But no. It is fishball noodles. And it tastes like the type that I love.
If my food is served with soup, I do have a habit of tasting the soup first before eating the dish.
So, the soup for this is great! It was super tasty! A little oily for my liking, but I'm not complaining! There were bits of fried onion in the soup too! Nice!!
Traditionally, fishball noodles were served with the sauce below the noodles, and you have to flip/mix the noodles yourself. I don't remember who or when it started where the cook will help you flip/mix the noodles with the sauce, but regardless, I still do it myself. Not only to create a more even mix, but also to separate the noodles.
And for this stall, the vinegar smell rose up when I was flipping the noodles. And was it fragrant!! Ok, I do detest stalls that have excessive vinegar, but this was ok!
The mee kia was excellent too!! Dry and cooked well!! So much so that it even reminded me of the Joo Seng Fish ball noodles that I grew up eating!
The chilli wasn't that spicy, and was good. So goes for the minced meat. That I thought I could even enjoy a bowl of minced meat on its own!
The fish ravioli even tasted similar to the one at joo seng!!! I always thought the one at joo seng was hand made though, so for all I know, both might be getting from the same supplier haha!
Finally, the only disappointing part about this meal was that I felt that the fishball was a little bland. Not tasty enough.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall, this stall is definitely a potential favourite. I would highly recommend this to people who love fish ball noodles!!
And if my favourite stalls start retiring one by one, this might well become my favourite fish ball noodles stall!!
#02-11
Bukit Merah Central Food Centre
Blk 163 Bukit Merah Road
S(150163)
- Fish ball noodles
I was super looking forward to review this stall! Why? Because I tried it before I thought of reviewing the whole food centre, and I really really really really liked it!
I reviewed 2 other fish ball noodles stalls prior to re-trying this again, and I have mentioned before the stalls that I like, so I'm not gonna re-mention those again.
But this stall is definitely a potential favourite!! I was really glad to have found this stall!
I think the stall owner either has superbly dry skin or may have some skin conditions; her skin was a little flaking. But I have no issues with that. In fact, the successor of my favourite satay bee hoon stall has some skin problems too if i recall correctly.
Oh, the first time I visited this stall was about 11.30am. I think they just opened, I was 2nd in queue, but I was not the 2nd to be served. Why? Because apparently, there were like 6 people who were queuing even before this stall opened!! That really made me curious about it. And boy, I wasn't disappointed!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.jpeg)
Yes, from the picture, because of the minced meat, you might mistaken it as bak chor mee. But no. It is fishball noodles. And it tastes like the type that I love.
If my food is served with soup, I do have a habit of tasting the soup first before eating the dish.
So, the soup for this is great! It was super tasty! A little oily for my liking, but I'm not complaining! There were bits of fried onion in the soup too! Nice!!
Traditionally, fishball noodles were served with the sauce below the noodles, and you have to flip/mix the noodles yourself. I don't remember who or when it started where the cook will help you flip/mix the noodles with the sauce, but regardless, I still do it myself. Not only to create a more even mix, but also to separate the noodles.
And for this stall, the vinegar smell rose up when I was flipping the noodles. And was it fragrant!! Ok, I do detest stalls that have excessive vinegar, but this was ok!
The mee kia was excellent too!! Dry and cooked well!! So much so that it even reminded me of the Joo Seng Fish ball noodles that I grew up eating!
The chilli wasn't that spicy, and was good. So goes for the minced meat. That I thought I could even enjoy a bowl of minced meat on its own!
The fish ravioli even tasted similar to the one at joo seng!!! I always thought the one at joo seng was hand made though, so for all I know, both might be getting from the same supplier haha!
Finally, the only disappointing part about this meal was that I felt that the fishball was a little bland. Not tasty enough.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall, this stall is definitely a potential favourite. I would highly recommend this to people who love fish ball noodles!!
And if my favourite stalls start retiring one by one, this might well become my favourite fish ball noodles stall!!
Lim Soon Li *not bad*
Lim Soon Li
Bukit Merah Central Food Centre
Blk 163 Bukit Merah Road
S(150163)
#02-31
- Nasi Lemak
- Laksa
- Prawn Noodle
- Mee Siam
I think it's pretty obvious to us Singaporeans that Nasi Lemak in Singapore is divided into three types.
1. Traditional, banana leaf wrapped nasi lemak.
2. Chinese style nasi lemak.
3. Malay nasi lemak.
I'm not going to explain too much into the difference; I'm assuming people reading this are Singaporeans.
And as a reference: I've never been into the traditional type. Yes, it does remind me of the good ol days, but that's about it.
As for Chinese style, I do like Chong Pang Nasi Lemak for the ingredients that they serve, especially the chicken wings. Also, I do like Punggol Nasi Lemak for the fragrant rice and their chilli. Finally, a special mention to Hong Ni Kitchen. I like that place, though I've only been once. And would definitely want to go back again for more!.
As for Malay style, there are two places I like. The Adam Road, stall no. 2 Nasi Lemak, for its rice! Also, Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak, not because it is good or what, but because it accompanied me for a good 6 months.
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This stall, well, I'd say there's nothing much to rave about. The rice is ok, as it has the coconut taste, though I found it abit bland.
The chilli had a more after-taste type of feel. A little spicy initially, but felt more and more spicy after awhile. A little like wasabi, where you don't taste much initially, but after awhile it gets to you.
The ngoh hiang was acceptable by my standards.
No comments on the fried chicken though. Seemed like it was seasoned with the yellow thing, I'm not sure what it is called. But I'm sure people will understand when I mention that the seasoning is the same as that being used for the fried fish in the traditional banan leaf wrapped nasi lemak.
Finally, the luncheon meat was surprisingly nice!! It may have looked dry, but it was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside!
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For now, I'd rate this a not bad. Of course, I'd review it again once I have tried the other foods that this stall offers.
Bukit Merah Central Food Centre
Blk 163 Bukit Merah Road
S(150163)
#02-31
- Nasi Lemak
- Laksa
- Prawn Noodle
- Mee Siam
I think it's pretty obvious to us Singaporeans that Nasi Lemak in Singapore is divided into three types.
1. Traditional, banana leaf wrapped nasi lemak.
2. Chinese style nasi lemak.
3. Malay nasi lemak.
I'm not going to explain too much into the difference; I'm assuming people reading this are Singaporeans.
And as a reference: I've never been into the traditional type. Yes, it does remind me of the good ol days, but that's about it.
As for Chinese style, I do like Chong Pang Nasi Lemak for the ingredients that they serve, especially the chicken wings. Also, I do like Punggol Nasi Lemak for the fragrant rice and their chilli. Finally, a special mention to Hong Ni Kitchen. I like that place, though I've only been once. And would definitely want to go back again for more!.
As for Malay style, there are two places I like. The Adam Road, stall no. 2 Nasi Lemak, for its rice! Also, Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak, not because it is good or what, but because it accompanied me for a good 6 months.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.jpeg)
This stall, well, I'd say there's nothing much to rave about. The rice is ok, as it has the coconut taste, though I found it abit bland.
The chilli had a more after-taste type of feel. A little spicy initially, but felt more and more spicy after awhile. A little like wasabi, where you don't taste much initially, but after awhile it gets to you.
The ngoh hiang was acceptable by my standards.
No comments on the fried chicken though. Seemed like it was seasoned with the yellow thing, I'm not sure what it is called. But I'm sure people will understand when I mention that the seasoning is the same as that being used for the fried fish in the traditional banan leaf wrapped nasi lemak.
Finally, the luncheon meat was surprisingly nice!! It may have looked dry, but it was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For now, I'd rate this a not bad. Of course, I'd review it again once I have tried the other foods that this stall offers.
Hehehe
Obviously, personal friends know that I'm enjoying my time with my special someone now. That's why I'm not posting much nowadays hehehehehe.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Lim Kee Part 2 *WTF IS THIS SH*T"
Lim Kee Part 2
Click here for the original post, and the address for Lim Kee
I usually don't blog immediately after trying out a stall.
But today, I have to.
I tried Lim Kee white version chai tao kway some 2 weeks ago, and decided to publish the post on how much I liked it. And while typing, I thought, why not go for the black version tomorrow?
And so I did.
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This is the black version.
And a repost of the white version.
WTF IS THIS SH*T????
I was shocked. I totally did not expect this...I would say, lack of effort.
To the extent that I even asked "Is this the black one?" when I was served.
If anyone did read what I posted previously, I have said that the black should be sweet, while the white should be salty.
And obviously, it was because both are cooked differently!
But look at this piece of "sh*t! I don't know what to say!
It's so obvious that it was fried the white version way, and then added with a few drops of sweet sauce, and ta da.
Fail. Epic fail.
And there wasn't even the need to write how it tasted like. Because it tasted exactly like the white version. With some sweet sauce. Period. End of story.
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Yes. The black version is graded as WTF IS THIS SH*T.
And I'll downgrade this stall to not bad. I still like the white version. But that's about it.
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On a side note, there's something that I'm wondering. About looks vs taste vs how it is supposed to be. I'm biased. I like things in a certain way. But that does not mean that I am not acceptable to new stuff, new taste, and new style of presentation. But that's worth another post altogether, and I'm not going to dwell on it anytime soon.
Click here for the original post, and the address for Lim Kee
I usually don't blog immediately after trying out a stall.
But today, I have to.
I tried Lim Kee white version chai tao kway some 2 weeks ago, and decided to publish the post on how much I liked it. And while typing, I thought, why not go for the black version tomorrow?
And so I did.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the black version.
And a repost of the white version.
WTF IS THIS SH*T????
I was shocked. I totally did not expect this...I would say, lack of effort.
To the extent that I even asked "Is this the black one?" when I was served.
If anyone did read what I posted previously, I have said that the black should be sweet, while the white should be salty.
And obviously, it was because both are cooked differently!
But look at this piece of "sh*t! I don't know what to say!
It's so obvious that it was fried the white version way, and then added with a few drops of sweet sauce, and ta da.
Fail. Epic fail.
And there wasn't even the need to write how it tasted like. Because it tasted exactly like the white version. With some sweet sauce. Period. End of story.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes. The black version is graded as WTF IS THIS SH*T.
And I'll downgrade this stall to not bad. I still like the white version. But that's about it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a side note, there's something that I'm wondering. About looks vs taste vs how it is supposed to be. I'm biased. I like things in a certain way. But that does not mean that I am not acceptable to new stuff, new taste, and new style of presentation. But that's worth another post altogether, and I'm not going to dwell on it anytime soon.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Traditional Hainanese Chicken Rice Balls *not bad*
Traditional Hainanese Chicken Rice Balls
Bukit Merah Central Food Centre
Blk 163 Bukit Merah Road
S(150163)
#02-06
- Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Hainanese Chicken Rice Balls
- Hainanese Mutton Soup
I won't say I have always loved chicken rice. Well, I do remember when I was young, my family would always have sunday brunch at a particular chicken rice stall at Lim Ah Pin Road.
And during the days when I exploded, I would have half a chicken plus a packet of rice. Just for dinner.
Anyways, chicken rice to me was something I do like, but not love. And I have ever tried searching for the "best chicken rice" in Singapore, leading me to Far East Plaza, where there were two stalls, to Lucky Plaza, where I thought it was the best for awhile, then to Peace Centre, where I thought Sing Ho chicken rice was second to none, and finally settling at the Kovan Food Centre one, where I just ate and ate and ate.
Looking back, there definitely wasn't a best. It was just my preference. And my preferences shifted as I grew.
And that's another story altogether.
The first time I tried chicken rice balls was in Malacca, one of the two famous stalls. I do remember liking the balls, but the chicken wasn't like Singapore-style, so I thought it was just ok.
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I had originally intended to order chicken rice balls along with chicken meat and innards. But the moment I realised that they sold mutton soup, I couldn't resist the temptation.
I thought the mutton soup was nice. It had the herbal flavour, no smelly mutton smell. Plus the wolfberries did not cover the taste of the soup! Meat tasted a bit braised, and was a little too touch for my liking. Had to chew a little harder for the taste to come out.
The issue with this though, was that I thought it lacked in the after taste department. Flavourful, yes. But when I finished it I really did wonder where had the soup gone to.
I thought the rice balls tasted just nice. It was served abit cold though - the rice balls were prepared and kept at room temperature instead of being served in those rice buckets. It was not too strong in the garlic and ginger department.
The dark soy sauce (yes, it's extremely important to me. More important than the chilli LOL) was too salty for my liking. I prefer it thicker and sweeter.
Finally, the sauce of the chicken had some sesame oil taste, and I can't exactly say I like this combination despite my preference for sesame oil in some of my food. Meat texture was pretty much standard. Otherwise, I'd say that the sauce was quite bland, and was definitely the weakest of the meal.
Personally, I have always thought that the chicken meat is usually bland, and it is the soy sauce/oil/whatever combination aka sauce of the chicken rice that gives it the taste, hence my emphasis on the sauces.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This stall is definitely interesting. The soup's good, the rice balls were nice, but it was at room temperature, hence a little cold. Perhaps the normal rice would fare much better since it was stored in the rice buckets.
Overall, I'd say its not bad.
Bukit Merah Central Food Centre
Blk 163 Bukit Merah Road
S(150163)
#02-06
- Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Hainanese Chicken Rice Balls
- Hainanese Mutton Soup
I won't say I have always loved chicken rice. Well, I do remember when I was young, my family would always have sunday brunch at a particular chicken rice stall at Lim Ah Pin Road.
And during the days when I exploded, I would have half a chicken plus a packet of rice. Just for dinner.
Anyways, chicken rice to me was something I do like, but not love. And I have ever tried searching for the "best chicken rice" in Singapore, leading me to Far East Plaza, where there were two stalls, to Lucky Plaza, where I thought it was the best for awhile, then to Peace Centre, where I thought Sing Ho chicken rice was second to none, and finally settling at the Kovan Food Centre one, where I just ate and ate and ate.
Looking back, there definitely wasn't a best. It was just my preference. And my preferences shifted as I grew.
And that's another story altogether.
The first time I tried chicken rice balls was in Malacca, one of the two famous stalls. I do remember liking the balls, but the chicken wasn't like Singapore-style, so I thought it was just ok.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had originally intended to order chicken rice balls along with chicken meat and innards. But the moment I realised that they sold mutton soup, I couldn't resist the temptation.
I thought the mutton soup was nice. It had the herbal flavour, no smelly mutton smell. Plus the wolfberries did not cover the taste of the soup! Meat tasted a bit braised, and was a little too touch for my liking. Had to chew a little harder for the taste to come out.
The issue with this though, was that I thought it lacked in the after taste department. Flavourful, yes. But when I finished it I really did wonder where had the soup gone to.
I thought the rice balls tasted just nice. It was served abit cold though - the rice balls were prepared and kept at room temperature instead of being served in those rice buckets. It was not too strong in the garlic and ginger department.
The dark soy sauce (yes, it's extremely important to me. More important than the chilli LOL) was too salty for my liking. I prefer it thicker and sweeter.
Finally, the sauce of the chicken had some sesame oil taste, and I can't exactly say I like this combination despite my preference for sesame oil in some of my food. Meat texture was pretty much standard. Otherwise, I'd say that the sauce was quite bland, and was definitely the weakest of the meal.
Personally, I have always thought that the chicken meat is usually bland, and it is the soy sauce/oil/whatever combination aka sauce of the chicken rice that gives it the taste, hence my emphasis on the sauces.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This stall is definitely interesting. The soup's good, the rice balls were nice, but it was at room temperature, hence a little cold. Perhaps the normal rice would fare much better since it was stored in the rice buckets.
Overall, I'd say its not bad.
Lim Kee *not bad* EDITED
Lim Kee
Bukit Merah Food Centre
Blk 163 Bukit Merah Road S(150163)
#02-49
- fried carrot cake (white)
- fried carrot cake (black)
- chwee kuey
- soon kuey
- Char kway teow
- I think this stall closes after lunch time.
Long time ago, I had a conversation regarding fried carrot cake with my father. I don't exactly remember how and what, but I remember back then (and it was a long..long...time ago), I preferred the black version while my dad preferred the white. And I do vaguely remember why the conversation begun was because we had a plate of chai tou kway that looked like the black version yet tasted a little salty.
And it was then I concluded that IMO, black chai tao kway should be sweet, and white chai tao kway should be salty.
Fast forward years to now, I'm a convert. Given a choice, I'd choose the white one any day. Having said that, I guess I can partly blame the Bukit Timah Chai Tao Kway for popularising the white version . Plus its really quite hard to find a good black version.
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So, Lim Kee Chai Tao Kway. Touted as 10 best Chai Tao Kway, as displayed by some certificate at the stall.
.JPG)
The moment I saw it I was impressed. It totally differed from the contemporary chai tao kway! Contemporary chai tao kway somehow is cooked like omelette style, where its chopped kway fried with stirred eggs into big chunks.
But this isn't!!! And I thought this is how chai tao kway should traditionally look like!!! Win!
.JPG)
Take a closer look! Win!
I like the taste. It just feels traditional.
For the first time too, I could really taste how the carrot cake felt like. But then again I rarely attempt to take note of the taste LOL. And *disclaimer* I meant I could really taste how the white chunks of carrot cake tasted like. Not how the whole plate tasted like. Argh I'm not making sense, am I?
The cake tasted nice, it felt a little tough and wasn't soggy. Full of flavour that is!
The overall combination was just good. I have no idea what the green vegetables used was, but I felt that it blended well! Probably that was why I thought it felt traditional!
As I said, this wasn't the contemporary type, where it was omelette style and where the egg was fried till crispy.
My first bite, I first tasted the chilli, which wasn't too spicy. Then the fried egg. Then the texture of the egg. Then the chye poh that was used. And finally, the flavour of the cake.
With a tinge of after taste making you crave for more.
Personally, I've never really liked to eat the cake chunks without the eggs. But for this, I was actually looking forward to consuming the cake chunks alone. Just so I can get to experience the taste again!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall, I'd say this would be a potential favourite for the white version.
Not only because of the fact that it was more traditional, but also the overall taste.
I'll definitely try the black version soon!
*edited. I have downgraded this stall to an overall *not bad*.
Click here for the reason why I downgraded it.
Bukit Merah Food Centre
Blk 163 Bukit Merah Road S(150163)
#02-49
- fried carrot cake (white)
- fried carrot cake (black)
- chwee kuey
- soon kuey
- Char kway teow
- I think this stall closes after lunch time.
Long time ago, I had a conversation regarding fried carrot cake with my father. I don't exactly remember how and what, but I remember back then (and it was a long..long...time ago), I preferred the black version while my dad preferred the white. And I do vaguely remember why the conversation begun was because we had a plate of chai tou kway that looked like the black version yet tasted a little salty.
And it was then I concluded that IMO, black chai tao kway should be sweet, and white chai tao kway should be salty.
Fast forward years to now, I'm a convert. Given a choice, I'd choose the white one any day. Having said that, I guess I can partly blame the Bukit Timah Chai Tao Kway for popularising the white version . Plus its really quite hard to find a good black version.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, Lim Kee Chai Tao Kway. Touted as 10 best Chai Tao Kway, as displayed by some certificate at the stall.
.JPG)
The moment I saw it I was impressed. It totally differed from the contemporary chai tao kway! Contemporary chai tao kway somehow is cooked like omelette style, where its chopped kway fried with stirred eggs into big chunks.
But this isn't!!! And I thought this is how chai tao kway should traditionally look like!!! Win!
.JPG)
Take a closer look! Win!
I like the taste. It just feels traditional.
For the first time too, I could really taste how the carrot cake felt like. But then again I rarely attempt to take note of the taste LOL. And *disclaimer* I meant I could really taste how the white chunks of carrot cake tasted like. Not how the whole plate tasted like. Argh I'm not making sense, am I?
The cake tasted nice, it felt a little tough and wasn't soggy. Full of flavour that is!
The overall combination was just good. I have no idea what the green vegetables used was, but I felt that it blended well! Probably that was why I thought it felt traditional!
As I said, this wasn't the contemporary type, where it was omelette style and where the egg was fried till crispy.
My first bite, I first tasted the chilli, which wasn't too spicy. Then the fried egg. Then the texture of the egg. Then the chye poh that was used. And finally, the flavour of the cake.
With a tinge of after taste making you crave for more.
Personally, I've never really liked to eat the cake chunks without the eggs. But for this, I was actually looking forward to consuming the cake chunks alone. Just so I can get to experience the taste again!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall, I'd say this would be a potential favourite for the white version.
Not only because of the fact that it was more traditional, but also the overall taste.
I'll definitely try the black version soon!
*edited. I have downgraded this stall to an overall *not bad*.
Click here for the reason why I downgraded it.
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