Wok Hey! - The flaunting Wok Hei skill in shopping mall

• Operating Hours: 11.30 AM - 9.30 PM
• Operating Days: Daily
• Address: Bugis Junction, 200 Victoria Street, B1-K3, S 188021
• Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/wokheysg
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wokheysg/

Wok Hey, which pronounced same as “Wok Hei”, mean 锅气, directly translates as the gas of the wok. And now you could catch a glimpse of the how zi char stall operate!

Located in the basement of Bugis Junction, it is not difficult to miss the stall from its huge yellow signboard, if you come by train once you come up from the escalator, it's the first stall right in front of your sight.

"Pictures are for illustration purposes only" the pictures shown on the board might look too little but the portion is actually pretty big, enough to totally fill up my hungry stomach!

There are four items to choose from, egg fried rice, Shanghai fried rice, udon, and ramen.

Additional toppings are also available at $1 top-up.

There's a big range of toppings available including Sous Vide Egg, Thai Asparagus, Brussel Sprouts, Tobiko to even "Lap Cheong” Chicken Chinese sausage.

In the front of ordering counter, you could see how green and fresh were the toppings.

Something in my mind while waiting - Usually Wok hei achieved in restaurants and zi char stall under conditions of big intense heat. Can they do this within a small amount of space?

Was told to wait around 30 mins for my dish, so it better be worth it! So once you ordered, you can walk over to the left and look at 3 chefs cooking your dish in clear view.

So while waiting for your order, you can also find entertainment in observing the wok masters doing their simple yet skillful stir-fry tricks.

After a 30mins long wait, "Enjoy your wok hey!"

American-Chinese style box filled to the fullest in the box. It might look too little for you, but trust me it really does fill your stomach to the brim as well.

Something to improve on might be the chili, they only put in the chili, not mixed. I have to mix the chili myself when I am having this fried rice, it would be better if they are able to fry the chili with the fried rice. Let's go to taste, I like how they use Japanese rice to give good bite texture to the fried rice. The rice was seasoned well with generous amount of prawns, spring onions, and eggs.

It's good to say Wok Hey does have Wok Hei taste to their dishes.  

The only cons I have is they are only available for taking away as they do not have seats around.

Simple review for it - Tried, simply love it!

MIA Fast Food Service - Cheapest meal I've in Orchard!

• Operating Hours: 8 AM - 3.30 PM
• Operating Days: Daily
• Address: Far East Shopping Centre, 545 Orchard Road #05-33, S(238882)

Working in Orchard and thinking what to have before your next pay check is in? Happy shopping at Orchard area and not having the extra cash on hand for lunch? Or are you a tourist visiting Singapore would like to try local cuisine in Orchard but friendly to the wallet?

At here, there is a food stall that does not even cost more than $5 with a proper meal plus a canned drink.

I was exploring around this building after I went to a famous game shop. Feeling hungry, I decided to just settle for a meal, thinking that I would end up eating at some venue serving local food with "touristy" price tag. 

I was tempted by so many types of dishes available to choose. I've chosen 1 vegetable, 1 meat, and an egg, and I went to take a canned drink. All these only cost me $4! I was of course happily surprised by the amount I paid. 

During lunch hours, there's a note stated No surfing of internet and reading newspaper as the seats were limited, so you are here just to have your meal and give up seats for others.

The meal was pretty decent, all the dishes were very similar to home cooked meal.

They do offer soup, noodle, and even desserts. What's pretty impressive is that they cook a different kind of desserts daily.

It's not that fantastic which you could get when you are out of town at the same price but I would definitely return here for lunch if I am within Orchard area. It's a place where can you get a proper meal with a drink without paying the usual "touristy" price.

Lai Heng Economical Mixed Vegetable Rice 来兴经济什菜饭 - A Cai png that's cheap and decent meal at just $2!

• Operating Hours: 5 AM - 8 PM
• Operating Days: Daily
• Address: Kim Keat Palm Market and Food Centre, 22 Toa Payoh Lorong 7, #01-07, S 310022

The terms Cai png - 菜饭 is a mixture of vegetable and meat, served with either rice or porridge which can be found in any hawker centres.

Economical Rice as the name stated obviously supposed to be cheap and being able to eat a variety of meats and vegetables with rice or porridge at $4 or less. But what if there is a stall offered $2 Economical rice which comes with meats and vegetables? Would you be even more surprised if I say it was delicious too?

Located in Kim Keat Palm Market, Lai Heng Economical Mixed Vegetable Rice, been serving all economical rice fans for at least 20 years is a must-try, look at the queue!

Although the queue for this stall is always that long, it is moving very fast as there are 1 cashier and 2 staffs helping to put dishes onto the plate.

With a price of $2, you get to choose a vegetable and a meat, additional 20 cents and you could choose another vegetable!

Besides having a price that is as less as $2, the variety here is huge! You will be spoilt for choice. I was still deciding what to have and it was my turn next!

Their dishes are the same every day, but this is the reason why their food was with quality.

Cooked cabbage and sweet & sour pork are normally the dishes to determine how good this cai png stall is, and they did not disappoint me in terms of quantity and quality. Just take note that for the mushroom I have chosen, they consider it as a type of meat. So I was charged $2.50 for this plate.

This plate cost just $2.20 with 2 vegetable (yes their egg consider vegetable) and a meat.

Overall the meal was really cheap and decent. and I would return anytime for it.

Ah Chuan Fried Oyster Omelette 阿泉蠔煎 - One of the Best Orh Luak I've eaten!

• Operating Hours: 1.30 PM to 4 PM
• Operating Days: Closed on Tuesdays
• Address: Kim Keat Palm Market and Food Centre, 22 Toa Payoh Lorong 7, #01-25, S 310022

蚝煎 pronounced as Hao Jian in Chinese, Orh Luak in Hokkien, is a fried gluey based flour mixed with Oysters.

The owner's been selling Fried Oysters in this hawker centre for more than 40 years. I wouldn’t know about this stall until someone tells me about it as they hardly operating for as less as 3 hours a day, starting only after noon lunch period and ending as early as 4 pm. So I'm only able to visit them on my off day.

Why such a short operating hours you ask? They are in retiring phase, just passing time doing what they have been doing - frying oyster omelette. During their operational hours, they were frying non-stop yet the quality was not compromised.

Starch is mixed into the egg, giving it a thick texture. When you bite a big portion of the omelette, the blend of egg spring onions and juicy oyster that burst in your mouth is really good. 

The egg is fried till it's crispy yet fragrant and not too oily to the throat. 

If you prefer it with chilli, the chilli sauce here is well balanced and has the right amount of sourness to cut through the oil. Their chilli is sour enough to cut through the oil without covering the taste of the omelette, and a mild spicy kick that haunts you.

Every oyster is fat and juicy. The oysters are big, juicy and fresh and the texture of the dish is just perfect.

This is the best Fried Oyster Omelette I had. If you have craving for oyster omelette during lunch, this is the one stall that guarantees that calories were not wasted.

Sum Kee Food Zi Char Restaurant 岑记煮炒 - Chicken Wallet like having dumpling

• Operating Hours: 11 AM to 11 PM
• Operating Days: Daily
• Address: Yeo's Building, 2 Telok Blangah Street 31 S108942
• Website: www.sumkee.com.sg

Zi Char - a term commonly known and loved by Singaporean and Malaysian, is a place where the food served is taste very similar to what we grow up with, and a portion of them actually reminds us of our mom's home-cooked meal. 

Sum Kee started at a coffee shop between River Valley Road and Kellock Road, then moved to Zion Road before they settled at the Yeo’s building just a few years ago.

Please do not expect this place to offer good seafood as they are a restaurant specialized in home specialty food, rather than a specialized seafood restaurant. 

There are plenty of free parking spaces around even during the dinner time. The interior and exterior of this place remind me of the many restaurants we see in Malaysia - simple, no frill decoration but functional.  

Fancy some caffeine on your meat? Go for their Coffee Pork Ribs! The sauce they used tasted very much like your average coffee-- it's good but not outstanding. The meat from the pork ribs was however very tender, we felt that it would be good if it is the sweet and sour version.

Curry fish head is one of the recommended dishes at Sum Kee, and we decided to try it. The thick gravy they used - similar to the laksa taste goes very well when served with rice. For the fish, they use red snapper which is commonly used in all zi char restaurants as the meat of the red snapper is smooth and tender. Overall, the curry fish head here is more like an average dish, but do order it if you are craving for some curry to go with your rice. 

This may look like abalone to you but this is just an abalone mushroom. it was full of oyster sauce taste, but what I love about this dish is that that they still preserve the vegetable crunchiness.

The tofu was fragrant and very silky smooth, lightly fried with the sweet and sour gravy, which the sauce is thickened with eggs. Tastewise honestly I would love it more if they have done it using braised sauce.

This is definitely my favorite dish here! Deep fried prawn ball, coated with a generous amount of cereal was fried perfectly till golden yellowish-- topped up with chili padi and curry leaf, is definitely a recommended dish! The fried prawn ball was very crispy on the outside and tender and on the inside, and yet the prawn freshness is preserved.

Ngoh Hiang was the next dish served--  the outside might look crispy but it was not. They were soft on the outside of the meat inside was loosely packed. A very ordinary dish here.

Fu Yong egg was next, well it was just a thin spread of the fried egg, which I could not taste any egg. It was kind of a disappointment to me.

They have a special dish here called wallet chicken. It is a whole deboned chicken (including the wing and drum) stuffed with glutinous rice, diced chicken meat, peanuts, chestnuts and dried mushroom. 

The chicken skin was deep fried till golden brown crispy, but the meat tasted like any other fried chicken you can find anywhere. The stuff glutinous rice inside the chicken reminds me of Bak Chang (dumpling), I would say it's sort of a novelty dish.

Will I return again? Yes, I still would! They have a lot of variety which I have not tried, and I think I've only eaten about 10 percent of what they have on their menu. A plus point of this restaurant is that it is a definitely a good place for family and friends gathering. However, it is highly recommended for you to call for booking prior visiting the restaurant to secure your dining experience!

Shan Braised Duck Noodles And Rice - Chinese it's just a word 山

• Operating Hours: 10.30 AM to 5.30 PM
• Operating Days: Everyday except Sundays
• Address: Bgain 22 Old Street Coffee House, 22 Havelock Road, S160022
• Food I Had: $4 Duck Kway Tiao 卤鸭粿条

It was a rainy afternoon and we chanced upon this small coffee shop along old Havelock Road while we were waiting for the rain to stop. "Shan" duck rice and noodle stall is just located at the corner of the coffeeshop, and you will definitely not miss it when you walk pass.

There were many customers eating duck rice when we were there. Wanting a hearty meal (and needed to wait for the rain to stop), we decided to try this stall after seeing the number of patrons eating their food from this stall.

We ordered the braised duck kway tiao (卤鸭粿条) dried version at $4.00 each. We were actually very amazed by the taste of the braised sauce. Slightly sweet and infused with a slight herb taste, this bowl of duck kway tiao can definitely win any heart over. It was also topped up with a generous amount of fried onion and spring onion which even further enhance the overall taste without overpowering the original taste of the duck and the kway tiao. It was in fact just nice to be a good decent bowl of duck noodle - great portion of braised duck meat given, the amount of sauce given was just nice, and the amount of kway tiao given was also definitely enough for one person . The stall owner also placed the home made Samba chilli at the side of the bowl - you can mix it together as a whole to bring up the spicy level.

Other than duck kway tiao (or duck noodle), "Shan" duck rice and noodle also serve duck rice and duck congee. The rice they serve at this stall is yam rice (black rice), which is also definitely worth a try should you visit the stall. However, do keep in mind that the duck get sold out pretty fast (usually by 5pm), so be sure to visit them early if you want to try!

All in all, "Shan" duck rice and noodle stall is a pretty decent stall that is not unfamiliar to the people staying along Havelock Road area. It is definitely a stall that you may want to visit if you want to have a no frill and a satisfying meal.

Qi Le Boneless Chicken Rice 祺乐起骨鸡饭 - Chicken rice and Soup lover must have!

• Operating Hours: 24/7
• Address: S11 Foodcourt, 51 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, S569922
• Total Cost: $7 for 2 person

Recommended by a few of my friends staying at Ang Mo Kio, we decided to try this stall since we were at this area. Located at the S-11 opposite AMK Hub and besides McDonald's, it is a place you won't miss even if you don't stay around this area.

We were quite surprised to see the queue as it was already 8:30 pm when we reach. 

As mentioned by my friends, this stall is probably the only chicken rice stall that serves a big bowl of soup with every plate of chicken rice purchased; and the type of soup you will get is actually very similar to those boiled soup 炖汤 stall you see at various food centre! 

We paid only $7 for the above. Yes! It's only $7 for two plates of chicken, two bowls of rice and two BIG bowls of chicken feet with peanut soup!

The roasted chicken breast is tender and soft, and personally, it really suits my taste even though I don't really take the chicken breast.

From what I see, most of the patrons bought the steam boiled chicken instead of the roasted ones. For those who fancy chicken with a thick layer of fats underneath the chicken skin, you will definitely like this. Overall a decent dish with the skin that is tender and springy!

Not sure about other customers but for us, this is the main reason why we were here. Very generous with a number of peanuts given, this bowl of soup also includes 2-3 chicken feet and some boiled chicken (which we believe they use them to boil the soup) that you can also eat it on its own. The soup is light and not oily, and the hours of boiling using chicken bone and peanut make the soup flavourful just by its own, without much seasoning / MSG needed.

I also like how they replace the boring cucumber with bean sprouts, especially after the bean sprouts was evenly mixed with the soy sauce and sesame oil. 

Over all, 祺乐起骨鸡饭 is a stall often patronized by people who stay within the area that wanted a decent, comfort meal. With their generous portion of rice, chicken, and soup given, it is definitely one of the key factors for their continuous good business despite there are many good food nearby.

Tiong Bahru Market - Many great food options other than Lor Mee & Wanton Noodle!

• Stall Name: Kampong Carrot Cake (#02-53)
• Operating Hours: 7.30 AM to 3 PM
• Operating Days: Daily
• Address: 2nd Floor of 30 Seng Poh Road, S 168898

The newly renovated Tiong Bahru Market was installed with 4 big fans like what you can see in those outdoor MRT stations nowadays. So today we've come to visit a few of the food offered here. Starting off with Carrot Cake...

Fried Carrot Cake, commonly known as Chai Tow Kway is a food in Singapore which Singaporeans eat throughout the day at breakfast, lunch, dinner or even supper.  Do not confuse yourself with the Western carrot cake eaten as dessert. 

Tiong Bahru Kampong Carrot Cake offers both the black and white version from $2.50 to $5.00. Kampong Carrot Cake is more popular for the black carrot cake, so we decided to get the black version. While we were ordering, we asked for another chopstick but the owner told us if we wanted to get another chopstick, we need to get a bigger portion of carrot cake. So something for you to take note of.

Very rare you will see places serve carrot cake with banana leaf nowadays. Fried with eggs and sprinkled with spring onion, the difference of Kampong Carrot cake compared to any other fried carrot cake stall the radish cake is of bigger pieces.

The style and taste of this black radish cake very much give you the same feeling of eating the same along the road side’s stalls that perhaps can only be found in Malaysia now.

The fried carrot cake was not of the melt in your mouth variety but taste wise was quite ordinary and nothing to shout about.

• Stall Name: Tiong Bahru Tau Suan (#02-55)
• Operating Hours: 7.30 AM to 2.30 PM
• Operating Days: Daily

I used to think that to solve this unbearable heat is a scoop of ice-cream. But I’ve come to the conclusion that a bowl of hot Chinese dessert is the key to making yourself feel cooler on a hot day. I found a stall called Tiong Bahru Tau Suan, selling only 3 desserts, namely Tau Suan, Pulut Hitam and Bubur Terigu.

The beans can be tasted separately and not mashed up like any others.

A bowl of Tau Suan previously only costs $1, but now they are sold at $2 per bowl. The portion isn’t very big but I think that’s what desserts should be like. It shouldn’t be too heavy; something small to close the meal. In my opinion, the Tau Suan was very good. Unlike many bowls of Tau Suan, the sweetness of the thick base did not mask the flavor of the mung beans. Steamed just before added to the base, the mung beans are then further cooked with pandan leaves to give this classic golden dessert the additional aroma. I always love how the You Tiao absorbing all the flavor of the dessert. It not only gives additional texture to the dessert but also goes especially well with the beans that simply crumble in the mouth.

This tau suan has a good consistency, neither diluted nor overly starchy. The beans are nicely steamed beforehand and aren’t mushy or overdone.

I haven’t got a chance to try the Bubur Terigu and Pulut Hitam as they were sold out, but I think that the quality of it can’t be too far off from the other two desserts. Do give it a try if you’re at Tiong Bahru Market in the morning. It can never be too early to have desserts!

Do note these desserts are only available for sale in the morning (till they sell out) so do come early if you want to give it a try.

McCafé Kueh Salat Cake - Nonya inspired delicacies transform into a cake (Ongoing Promo)

As per the previous post on McDonald Nasi Lemak burger, McCafé had pushed out their own desserts - Kueh Salat Cake cost $5 for a piece.

Inspired by the rich culinary stories of Nonya delicacies, Kueh Salat Cake consists of pandan mousse, pandan sponge cake, a layer glutinous rice with frozen coconut cream and topped with coconut flakes. The layer of glutinous rice was frozen ice which makes it difficult to cut a piece out. The cake very much tastes like the real Kueh Salat, the only difference is not oily, unlike the authentic nonya kueh.

Now, this is the first dessert I had at McCafé, and I would return for any special desserts or beverages they had in future.