Sichuan Mala Noodles With Prawn Gyoza & Sliced Roasted Chicken

My visit to Kim Gary normally is solely restricted to their curry rice as their curry is uniquely different and I'm unable to emulate. But I'm amused that there are patrons order their noodles dishes as they are generally concocted from instant noodle. Today is cold rainy second day of F1 2010, I intend to cook up instant noodle dish - Sichuan Mala Noodles for dinner that is comparable to those serve in Kim Gary.


Sichuan Mala Noodles With Prawn Gyoza & sliced Roasted Chicken

• Sichuan Spicy Seaweed Instant Noodle (currently on offer at $3.15 in NTUC)
• 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon of Chongqing Mala Paste
• 2 Frozen Prawn/Pork Gyoza
• 5 slices of Roasted Chicken (available in major supermart)

Boil the sufficient water in a pot and add in the instant noodle seasonings and Chongqing Mala paste. Next add in the frozen gyoza and cook it for 10mins then remove it from the broth and place it in a bowl together with the roasted chicken slices. Add in the instant noodle into the boiling broth. The trick to having an el dente instant noodle is removed the noodles from the boiling broth before it fully soften and set it aside in the serving bowl. After that, let the broth boil until it bubbles and pour it into the serving bowl. The residual heat in the broth will cook the noodles further to the texture of your liking.

Handmade Soba That Never Fail To Amaze Me - Shimbashi Soba Raffles City

The sweltering heat bathing Lion City for the past few weeks doesn't seem to abate. Hot food no longer seem tempting to my palate. Nothing beat having soba during hot hot Singapore summer. Normally, I cook dry soba bought from supermarket or Daiso. Irregardless whatever brand of dry soba I purchased, nothing beat freshly made soba kneaded by human hand. Today my craving for quality cold soba prompt me to tried the Shimbashi soba outlet opened in Raffles City Basement. It been 3 years since I last tried the handmade soba at the newly open Shimbashi Soba at Paragon until now I still reminisce the el dente fresh buckwheat taste that deeply imprint in my brain.  

 I went down to the Raffles City outlet with my usual makan kaki, I tempted to take the Soba Serio $12.20 (simply just plain cold soba with soba dipping sauce and nothing else) but my makan kaki as usual indicated Soba serio although you can enjoy a full plate of soba if you calculate based on BOM (bill of material) might not be that valued for money. For value for money, it is best to go for the value set meal that is available in the Shimbashi's menu.

 
I settle for Teriyaki Don Value set that come with complimentary warm or cold soba while my makan kaki ordered the Tempura Don Value set. I ordered cold soba so that I can savor the handmade soba true el dente-ness. If serve warm, the soba will lose its el dente if left to soak in the soap too long. It took about 15 to 20 minutes, before the value sets were served to us.

The cold soba is served in ceramic dish topped with fresh wakame drenched with soba dipping sauce. Unable to hold back any further, I decide to assault the cold soba as its is the primary reason & mission. As I slurped in the cold soba and took my first bite, the memory when I had my first hand made soba in Shimbashi Soba came flooding back. The soba is still as el dente as I remembered with a fresh taste of buckwheat without any floury aftertaste you get from commercial dried soba. The citrus shoyu dipping sauce and fresh wakame is like the the woodwinds & strings in orchestra, compliment the soba very well without overwhelming your palate. You can taste the soba, shoyu & wakame indivdual taste distinctly.

The chicken teriyaki is not too shabby with very crispy chicken karaage drenched lightly with teriyaki sauce. The whole don ensemble is balanced, the teriyaki sauce not overpowering sweet which is good so you can still taste your chicken karaage and it goes well with the japanese rice. I would conclude that Shimbashi Soba's handmade soba never fails to amaze me as rarely I can visit another outlet and still get to savor the same taste & feel as its flagship during its initial opening. 

Franchise Viet Food - Pho Phoa

My introduction to vietnamese food started in Pho Phoa, a franchise viet restaurant focus primarily on Viet Beef Noodle with numerous outlets open across US, Canada and Asia. Normally, I don't really like oversea franchise restaurant operating in Singapore as the food served by such franchise rarely live up to its origin. Pho Phoa is the only one so far manage to change my perception.

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Pho Phoa Singapore is conveniently located in a inconspicuous corner at Suntec Mall Level 3, you might miss the restaurant entirely if you do not look for it closely. It is my 3rd visit to Pho Phoa with first visit alone and the second with my makan kaki. I'm pretty famish today as I got long day (AFA 2009 Concert) ahead of me so I decide to order a Phở Tái, Chín Nạc $8.95 (Viet Beef Noodle Soup with Beef Steak and Brisket Slice) and Bánh Mì /Phở Bò Kho $8.95 (Viet Carrot Beef Stew served with Bread) to help tide me off.

The Phở Tái, Chín Nạc was serve first with toppings of fresh chili flakes, bean sprouts, thai basil leaves and not least Pho Phoa's concocted dry lemongrass sweet chili paste. For starters in Viet Pho, add in the toppings that you prefer bean sprouts, thai basil and fresh chili to adjust the Pho to suit to your taste. For my case, add in everything except for the dry lemongrass sweet chili as I would like to savour it individual with the Pho and so as not to taint the beef soup. Before I add in the toppings, I took a sip of Pho beef soup and its strike me the beefy taste is more distinct than those Hainanese style.

Unlike the Hainanese Beef Noodle, the soup is clear as consomme which made it more superior as additional process of removing the scum (coagulation soluble albumin in raw meat during cooking) from the broth enhancing it richness. The Viet Pho (rice noodles) really goes well with the soup but the same cannot be say for the beef steak & brisket slice as it was overcook and tough. Some slices have tendon which make it even more difficult to chew.

If you have more flexible budget, I would suggest you order Phở Tái, Nạm, Gầu $11.95 (Viet Beef Noodle soup with eye round steak, flank and fatty flank) and ask for special request that you just want fatty flank. Fatty flank doesn't get over cook that easily in the hot Pho soup while maintain its tenderness. If you not too fussy about the overcook beef, Pho Phoa is a strong contender to Hainanese style beef noodles like Hock Lam, Zheng Yi or Hong Heng with a more upmarket price after you include in the service charge & GST.  

Bánh Mì /Phở Bò Kho was serve next after I start feasting on the  Phở Tái, Nạm, Gầu. I couldn't wait till I finish the Pho Tai and start on Banh Mi. When I took a sip of the beef stew, it is the richest beef stew I ever tasted and it make Pho Tai's Beef soup pale in comparison. But the underside of the stew it is too salty for my palate and you can only enjoy it with bread, noodle or rice. Eating it without any side is suicidal to your general health. For same price, Banh Mi seem to be a better offer as Ban Mi have generous serving of stew beef chunks while Pho Tai only have few thin slice of beef. The stew beef chunks are pretty well stew to tenderness despite a few beef chunks miss the mark. In conclusion for my third visit to Pho Phoa, Ban Mi had left me a deeper impression than the rest.  

Tender Me Hearty Beef Noodle - Hong Heng Beef Noodle Soup & Katong Laksa

I'm meeting my long time friend who staying near Ang Mo Kio for brief get together at the same time to taste the self proclaimed "Beef Noodle King"(Link) Hong Heng Beef Noodle Soup & Katong Laksa. I met my friend at the AMK Hub - CitiBank ATM and proceed to walk to Hong Heng. The journey took us about 20 minutes as it located at deeper part of Ang Mo Kio Ave 3. 

Upon reaching the coffee shop at Block 233, we are quite surprise it is bustling with customer chowing down bowls of beef noodles. We are fortunately to find tables not fully occupied and I proceed to queue and order 1 dry beef kway tiao and 1 beef ball soup with rice ($9.50 for both) while my friend chop the table. The queue isn't that long as the stall attendant work fast in cooking the beef noodles.

 

The wait isn't long before my order came. I'm having Dry Beef Kway Tiao that comes with a bowl of beef soup and chinchalok chili. First, I tried the beef soup and it is on par with Hock Lum & Zheng Yi in the degree of beefiness. The only difference is the herbs used in making the soup. Hong Heng's beef soup is the best I drank so far as it isn't too salty or overladen with soya sauce and you can go for second and third if you stomach allows you.

The same cannot apply to the dry beef kway tiao gravy as it is too starchy and you can't even taste the beefy goodness in it at all. However, the serving is very generous as the owner clearly doesn't believe in profit from skimping on the essential ingredient that make up a good bowl of beef noodle - soup that pack a punch & generous amount of tender beef slices. The beef slices were cooked just right and tender me hearty kudos to the stall attendant. It will be money worth if not for the starchy gravy that spoil it. The chinchalok chili doesn't amaze me much if compared to Zheng Yi. Avoid the dry version at all cost, go for the wet version if you happen to drop by there.

I took a photo of the beef balls soup that I ordered for him. From his standpoint, he agreed with me Hong Heng's beef soup do pack more punch among those he tried. The beef balls doesn't have the overpowering gamey taste that is inherent to others he had tried. Although I do not eat beef balls that much other than those sold in supermarket, I agreed with him on this after he offered to one for me to try. This trip is worthwhile if not for the gooey beef gravy.

Famous Lor Mee??? - Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee

After Maxwell Ham Jin Pang, it time to move to the next destination in the Foodie Trek is Amoy Food Centre that is located behind Maxwell Market. There are quite a few notable hawkers in Amoy Food Centre. I already set my target on the Amoy Street Lor Mee that was widely reported in the papers and TV. As it is our first time going to Amoy Food Centre, it took quite a while to reach there as we got lost when we took a wrong turn.

When we reached Amoy Food Centre at 2pm, a lot of stalls had already closed. However, lady luck is smiling in my favor as Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee is still open for business. As I notice they are about to close judging there is not much Lor Mee toppings left on the counter, I quickly proceed to order a small bowl of Lor Mee ($2.50).

Yuan Chun's Lor Mee is traditional style Lor Mee served with stewed pork belly, steam fish and fried crispy flour. However, it didn't hit me as the ideal Lor Mee I used to have when I was just a kid as the noodle isn't cook thoroughly as I can still taste the rawness. The stew pork belly and steam fish is rather dry maybe due to long exposure to atmosphere. Overall, it is a major disappointment (partly maybe because I came late during their closing) if compared to the Lor Mee I had previously in Tiong Bahru Market(Link). However, I will give the benefit of doubt to foodies that swear by Yuan Chun Lor Mee and reassess Yuan Chun Lor Mee at a later date.    

Hock Lam Street Beef Kway Teow

Today, I was "coerced" by my ex-colleague to join her for beef noodle dinner after work as it been quite a long while since we meet and she want to see my fruit of labor (the 9Kg I sheded in just 2 months without any special dieting or exercise). She manage to locate me in the crowd after much difficulty as she surprised how much weight I had shed. As it's pretty late, we cut short the greeting and proceed to the intended destination that is beef noodle.

I had no idea I will be having Hock Lam Street Beef Kway Teow along Purvis Street for dinner until my friend point it out to me. I had read quite a few positive review on Hock Lam Street Beef Kway Teow but I had yet taste it personally. So, I proceed to order $5 Dry Beef Kway Teow with the service staff. When the Dry Beef Kway Teow serve to me, I was quite surpise how "big" the serving is as I can get bigger portion at famous Scott Road Dry Beef Kway Teow at Orchard ION at comparable price. Portions aside, I decide to dig in and see how it fare against my favourite Zheng Yi Hainanese Beef Noodle.

Unfortunately, Hock Lam Beef Kway Teow dry version fail to impress me as similar to Scott Road the gravy have strong dark soya sauce aftertaste with just 3 beef slices. Much to my dismay, the beef slice is overcook and pretty tough. The only saving grace is the beef soup that accompanied the dry beef kway teow as the beef soup is comparable to Zheng Yi's beef soup in the herbs and beefy taste. However, Hock Lam's beef soup is more salty for those sodium intake conscious individual. For those going Hock Lam for their beef kway teow should forget about trying their dry version and order the wet version instead.

Old Tiong Bahru Market Reminsce

I went early to Tiong Bahru Plaza to finalize my course payment. Since it has been 13 years since my last visit to Tiong Bahru Market, I decided to walk down to take a look at the new Tiong Bahru market that reopened in 13 November 2006. As I walk idly down Tiong Bahru Road enjoying the view of Tiong Bahru old building that lined up both side of Tiong Bahru.

I wondering those Tiong Bahru Market delicacies that I had enjoyed past 13 years whether they still be there after the major renovation. As it is a common that previous hawkers due to high rental after renovation, they will choose to move to other food centres. It took me about 15mins walk till I reached the new Tiong Bahru Market. I was suprised it is 2 storey and the food stalls is located at the second storey.


I always like the Tiong Bahru Lor Mee as I remembered correctly one particular Lor Mee store they serve steam fish as opposed to just with normal ngoh hiang and braised pork belly. I finally found the store Lor Mee 178, unfortunately they no longer serve Lor Mee with steam fish but Fried Shark Meat. I decided to give the evolved Lor Mee a try to see if it is better than the predecessor.

The Lor Mee thick soup is thick in the right constituency with hint of cinnamon that is missing in other Lor Mee that only taste of soy and nothing else. But the soup is not as robust in taste as compared to previous. Nevertheless, it is still superior to other Lor Mee soup base out there as other Lor Mee soup base become watery as you eat further. The usual Lor Mee condiment still there shred of pork belly and fried crispy flour bits. I decide to start on the fried shark meat and found it to be quite nice without the oily aftertaste. You can taste the shark meat is marinate well with ginger yet not too overpowering.

In conclusion, I still prefer if they still serve steam fish over fried shark meat as too much fried stuff don't really compliment the Lor Mee well and it is the steam fish that draw me to this Lor Mee. For those that like fried food, this is probably a welcome change they have been waiting to happen.