Korat Thai Cafe

I have not been updating this blog for quite a while as I've been really busy.  So, to my friends who kept asking "where is that chicken skin place?", here it is...

I don't usually go to Orchard Towers but I must say you must try out the food here.  A good friend recommended an authentic Thai cafe with Thai chef and all.  So, I thought, why not?  Actually, I had dinner but my friend insisted that I had a taste :P

We started with the crispy chicken skin.  LOVE it!  It is deep fried till it is crispy like "keropok" (crackers).  It was awesome! 

Next is the Garlic Beef.  It has the fab taste of black pepper and garlic.  It is superbly tasty and morish!

The Fish dish (Cu Ci Pla, if I am not mistaken) was also delicious.  The sauce was slightly spicy, but full of flavour.  I think I could detect galangal, chilli, turmeric, lime leaves, lemongrass and a hint of coconut milk.    This is also a "must-order".

This is just an ordinary cafe but I must say the food is excellent!  They are open only after 6pm onwards.  After dinner, we went to Naughty Girl on the 2nd level to listen to a Singaporean band, who plays every Sunday, from 10.30pm onwards.  I must say, it was a different experience but I thoroughly enjoyed my evening... chicken skin and all... :D

Chicken Skin: 9.5/10
Garlic Beef: 9/10
Fish dish: 9/10

3rd Floor,
Orchard Towers

Haig Road Putu Piring

This is a traditional Malay kuih (cake) that is rather difficult to find nowadays.  I think as it has to be made fresh on the spot.

My good friend been raving about it and since my daughter never tried it before,  we decided to head to the one in Haig Road.  They are located in a coffeeshop just beside the Haig Road Market.  When we got there, there was a long queue, which reminded me of people buying 4D! Lol.

Putu Piring

This kuih is made from rice flour that has been roasted with pandan leaves.  It is served with desiccated coconut that has been seasoned with a little salt.  The Putu Piring is filled with palm sugar.  When it is steamed, the rice flour feels soft and slightly powdery.  The palm sugar inside melts just to the right texture.  The fragrant of the pandan leaves (most times also shredded with the coconut) permeates the air when you unfold the banana leave that serves as a packaging to the Putu Piring.  When you sink your teeth in one, it is simply yummy!

Long queue

The one here is simply delicious.  You can have at least 6-9 pcs, no problem.  Be prepared for a long queue.  It goes for $1 for 3 small pieces.  Must try!

Putu Piring
Coffeeshop, beside Haig Road Market

Rating:  9.5/10

Nakhon Kitchen

Every time I passed this place, I could see it is always full of customers.  One lunchtime, I dragged a girlfriend of mine to try it out.

We were there at about 1pm and most of the tables were taken.  We decided to order the usual thai fare that we are familiar with.  There were some confusion on the two white steamed rice that we ordered.  The Thai girl by the cashier was almost shouting across the tables when she was talking to us, not that she understood us in the first place.  Most of the staff are Thai, so this looks promising.

Seafood To Yam

When the food came, it was piping hot.  The clear Seafood Tom Yam was excellent.  It is not at all like the normal version I usually find in Singapore.  This is authentic and extremely tasty.  This version is the sort that I could have for breakfast everyday, which I did when I was in Thailand before.  It is not too spicy and the sour taste came from the squeezed fresh lime.  The squid and other bits were nicely cooked and not chewy.  It only came with one prawn though...

Thai style mince beef

The mince beef was good as well.  A tad spicy but it is meant to be spicy.  The herbs flavour was also just right.  Only that, we find that the beef is not tender enough, it was slightly chewy.  Again, authentic and tasty.

Pandan Chicken

The Pandan Chicken was fabulously hot when it came...  We were struggling to take it out of the pandan casings to take a shot :) but it was really good too.  The chicken was tender and flavourful.  I must say it was done just right.

We finished everything that we ordered and we would go there again.  All the three dishes cost us about $24.  However, don't expect too much from the service.

Tom Yam Seafood (clear): 8.5/10
Mince Beef: 8/10
Pandan Chicken: 8/10

Blk 136 Bedok North Avenue 3
#01-166
Singapore

Tel: +65 6245 5548

Satay Warisan Wak Dargo

Delish Chicken Satay

I was in that area one afternoon and felt like having a snack.  A friend had told me that the satays here are worth a try.  When we got there, the man himself and his wife was busy preparing the satays themselves (for those who are not aware, most shops get their satays from the factory).  So it was really interesting to see that there are still shops making their own satays!

Only the chicken satay was ready when I got there at around 4pm, so we ordered 10 sticks.  The old man himself was barbecuing the satays to perfection.  I was observing as his hands moved swiftly grilling the satays, obviously an expert.  There's an art to it and to me, it is a wonderful sight :)

Expert hands

When I sank my teeth into one, it was really fabulous!  It was succulent, moist, tender and just the right taste of spices.  It wasn't too sweet nor too salty.  The chicken chunks were substantial and absolutely delish!  The sauce that came with it was nice too but I could taste a hint of dried prawns.  My friend likes it but I would have prefer without it.  The satays were good enough on its' own that we ordered another 10 sticks and we just had a huge lunch prior to this!

I think you can place an order if you can see the number

The ice lemon tea that I ordered was fresh and homemade.  It was really refreshing. I would suggest you try that too.

Must try ice lemon tea

It's quite difficult to park around that area.  There are coupon parking lots along the street but they can be full.  Alternatively, you can park at Kembangan Plaza and take a short walk.  FYI, it is on a one way street and you will pass the coffee shop with Mon An Vietnamese noodles from my one of my July postings first.  This one is located right at the the T junction after the first coffee shop.

Ratings:

Chicken Satay: 9/10
Ice Lemon Tea: 9/10

Along Jalan Masjid (not sure of the address)
Near Kembangan Plaza

Mon An Vietnamese Muslim Corner

My friends were talking and posting about this Vietnamese noodles on Facebook and they were saying how wonderful it is.  I decided to try it for myself...

I rushed there on a Monday afternoon at 3.30pm as they close at around 4pm.  I was lucky.

When the piping hot beef noodles came, I quickly had a taste of the soup.  It was extremely tasty and delicious.  The soup tasted of the beef broth and full of flavour.  I think it's being brewed with lemongrass and galangal as I could smell the subtle fragrance.  They were loads of beef pieces and it was tender. 

The Vietnamese spring rolls were good and the prawns were fresh.  It was packed with vegetables and herbs and extremely refreshing.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I enjoyed it very much and I will definitely be back...:)

Jalan Masjid (Kembangan Area)
first coffee shop on the left.

*Please note they have moved to another coffeeshop in Jalan Masjid, now located at the last coffeeshop on the left since around May 2012

Ratings:
Beef Noodles: 8.5/10
Spring Rolls: 8.5/10

Monday -Saturday till 4pm

Tanjong Katong Cafe

My girlfriend and I was attending an event and since my English girlfriend does not own a kebaya (understandably so), we decided to head to Tanjong Katong Complex to find a nice piece for her.  To be honest, initially I was not sure where to go but another girlfriend told me there's one shop which could probably be worth a visit.

After we had a look at a couple of shops, we decided to head downstairs to the coffee shop to have a drink and think about it.

I heard from some friends that the food here is ok, although I've never tried.  This cafe had been here since the complex opened many many years ago.  Hence, the ultra retro deco :)... I decided to order myself a plate of Hong Kong noodles as a snack as I had my lunch earlier.  It was freshly fried although initially I thought it was the "gravy" kind.  There were loads of vegetables and it was crispy, just how I like it.  It was decent and rather tasty, very Chinese style.  I think the chefs are from China.  I noticed the the servers are still wearing the same "SQ-like" uniform and somehow, I find that quite funny...

Rating:  6.5/10

Service: 5.5/10

Tanjong Katong Cafe
Ground floor
Tanjong Katong Complex

Hasan Rabit & Hawa, Simpang Bedok

I fancied having a Nasi Briyani (again :)) and was told by my JJCM kaki that Hasan Rabit has a new outlet in Simpang Bedok.

We head there and ordered Briyani.  They served it in a huge plate for four people ($22).  I must say it's excellent.  The rice wasn't oily and the spices with the lamb was super tasty.  It was good enough to have it on it's own.  The Dalca gravy that came with it was a disappointment though.  It was very average even bordering on being tasteless.  Fortunately, the rice was fabulous so there was no need for the Dalca.  The lamb was tender and fell off the bone.  It was delicious!  I do think it's more of a Nasi Minyak than Nasi Briyani.  Regardless, I thought it was worth my visit here.  To be honest, I am not very big on Simpang Bedok as I find it chaotic and seems to have loads of men around.

Hasan Rabit Dalca

Hasan Rabit Lamb Briyani

We also ordered the You Tiao ($8) from Hawa.  It was oily and there was hardly any squid filling in it.  It was almost hollow inside.  I will definitely not have this here ever.

You Tiao from Hawa

Ratings: 
Hasan Rabit Lamb Briyani 9/10
Dalca: 3/10
Hawa You Tiao  3/10

Hasan Rabit
Simpang Bedok

Hawa
Simpang Bedok

Alfiah

I was too busy to cook dinner one day and after picking up my daughter from school, I decided to buy some food. I drove pass a coffee shop and it looked crowded so I decided to give it a try.

There were so many choices here from lontong to prata to seafood. I felt like having the Mee Hoon Goreng (Fried Bee Hoon) and the Sop Tulang (direct translation Bone Soup :) You can only find this red indian style mee hoon in Singapore. My sister tried to find this dish in KL years back, with no success.

When I got my food, I found that the Mee Hoon Goreng was slightly wet, which was a bit strange for this dish. Taste wise it was just ok. Let's just say I had tasted many better ones.

The Sop Tulang looks slightly curry-ish. I suspect that they accidentally put too much star anise and cardamom as it tasted really strong of these two spices. The meat was tender and the marrow was ample, shame the gravy was not really up to mark...

*Halal

Rating:
Sop Tulang 5.5/10

Mee Hoon Goreng 6/10

Alfiah
Blk 89
Bedok North Road
opposite Bedok Police Station

Tahu Goreng (Fried Beancurd)

This dish literally means fried beancurd. However, it is drenched with spicy peanut sauce, loads of beansprouts and finely sliced cucumber. It is a fantastic vegetarian dish. I decided to try the one at Mukmin.

The Tahu Goreng came piping hot. The beancurd was crispy on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside. The peanut sauce was sweet, sour and spicy, though not too hot. I like it when the peanut is not blended too finely as it is much better with some crunch, like this one. Yums!

I relished every bit of my Tahu Goreng and went home happily.

*Halal

Rating: 8/10

Mukmin
Block 129 Bedok North St 2.
opp Bedok Stadium
Tel : 6443 2724

Rumah Makan Minang

I was delighted when one of my "makan kakis" suggested that we go for Nasi Padang for lunch one Sunday. He told me there's this family run well-known place and I should try it.

We got there about 12.30pm and I was shocked to see such a looong queue. There were many Chinese, Malays, Peranakans and tourists. My friend joined the line and after I told him what I wanted, I "chopped" a table. I was also told that there's an air-conditioning area upstairs but it would be a pain if we were going to ask for seconds :P

After what seemed like a long wait, the food arrived. I tried the Asam Pedas Tenggiri. It was good, not too spicy and I love the daun kesum (thai basil). However, I suspected that there's a bit of tomato in this dish and that is more Malay than Padang. The Beef Rendang was tender and sauce was delicious, although slightly spicy for me. The Chilli Chicken dish was hot but tolerable, the chicken was fried and the pounded green and red chilli paste was spread all over the chicken. Drool material. The Sambal Paru (beef lungs) was standard and we had two plates of it because we generally like paru. Sambal Goreng (long beans and fried tofu) was average.

All in all, we enjoyed our meal as we polished off two plates of rice each :D. I think it's very good Nasi Padang for Singapore. Of course, you can't compare to the ones in Jakarta as those are unbeatable. I will definitely come again.

After the meal, we walked around feeling like tourists as my friend was snapping away with his new camera, capturing the sights of the charming Arab Street.

*Halal

Ratings:
Rendang: 9/10
Asam Pedas: 8/10
Chilli Chicken: 8.5/10
Sambal Paru: 7.5/10
Sambal Goreng: 6/10

Rumah Makan Minang
18 & 18A Kandahar Street
Near Arab Street, behind Sultan Mosque
Tel: 6294-4805

Sop Kambing/ Mutton Soup

I love Soup Kambing... So far, I've tried a number of places and I think this one is worth your visit.

I was in Geylang market to do some spices shopping and decided to have something for breakfast. As there were soooo many choices there, I didn't know what to have and decided to try out the Soup Kambing instead.

It arrived at my table piping hot and the aroma of the spices told me that this could be good. It was served with a few pieces of bread but I decided to have a taste of just the soup to start with. The flavourful spices burst in my mouth immediately. The meat was tender and tasty as the herbs and spices had penetrated into the meat. It was not too oily. The consistency of the soup was also just right, not too runny or too thick. I obviously enjoyed it as I polished off the whole bowl... :)

*Halal

Rating: 8/10

Hanifa Soup Kambing

Geylang Serai Market

2nd Level

Cheng Teng

This refreshing dessert is a fab suggestion when the weather is scorching hot. One of my foodie friends dragged me to try out this particular Cheng Teng venue.

It is indeed delish and the gingko nuts were boiled just right (I love Gingko :) The Cheng Teng is not too sweet and you can smell the longan even before you sink your teeth into one.... It is good :)

Rating: 8.5/10

Bedok Corner
Singapore

Chicken Rice at Five Star

We were out furniture shopping one afternoon and my "makan kakis" (eating buddies) suggested having chicken rice to appease our growling stomachs. They decided to bring me to Five Star Chicken Rice.

We ordered chicken rice (half roast and half steam), kailan and you tiao, my fave :P...The steam chicken was silky smooth and the roast chicken was tasty and tender. The rice was fragrant and tasted fablicious. My you tiao was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. That tasted good too. The chicken rice chilli was excellent and enhanced our flavourful rice.

Next time if you around East Coast, head there. You won't regret it.. :)

Chicken Rice Rating: 9/10
You Tiao Rating: 9/10
Kailan Rating: 8.5/10
Five Star
191/193 East Coast Road
http://www.fivestarchickenrice.com/

Nasi Lemak Adam Road

Heard from everyone that this Nasi Lemak is one of the best in Singapore but I decided to try it out for myself. There was a looooong queue when I got there so I was anxiously waiting to try out what is so special about it.

The food was piping hot when it arrived, so that was good. The basmati rice was cooked just right. However, I find it a bit lacking in the taste department. The sambal was too sweet for me (bear in mind that I don't have a sweet tooth, so probably ANYTHING is too sweet for me :) The fried chicken came out from the frying pan straight to the plate, so it was juicy and fresh. The otak-otak was spicy and the fish was rather substantial.

On the whole, it's acceptable but I was expecting it to blow my mind ...

*Halal

Rating: 6.5/10

Adam Road Food Court

Zam Zam Murtabak

The other day, my friend who is now living in KL, was chatting with me on FB and she was mentioning how she missed Zam Zam murtabak. Immediately, I had a craving as I have not had it for nearly a year. I was on a mission on one Saturday afternoon and I was not disappointed. The meat was tasty, the dough was crispy and it wasn't too oily.

We also ordered the Soup Kambing. It looks strange and does not look like the normal Soup Kambing. I decided not to put the photo up as it actually looks rather unappetising. It tasted different too. It was spicy, like chilli spicy and I could even see bits of red chillies floating in it which was strange. Although it doesn't look great, it actually taste ok but let me warn you it does not taste like the normal Soup Kambing.

This "old-school" eating place also serves Lamb, Chicken and Venison Briyani.

*Halal

Murtabak rating: 9/10
Soup Kambing rating: 5.5/10

Zam Zam Restaurant is located at:
697/699 North Bridge Road
Singapore