Yan Kee aka BK Eating House

When people talk about BK Eating House, they refer to this fishball noodles stall. It's like Yan Kee and BK Eating House are synonymous. They have no identity outside of each other.

Go around and ask "eh you know the Yan Kee fishball noodles?" I promise you, most people will say "don't know." If, however, you ask "eh you know the BK Eating House fishball noodles?" Chances are people will go "yar yar yar, that one." Try it!

Well, Sharon and I are a bit queer. We know it as the "Circular Road fishball noodles." We first went there to try their dry mee sua. I love mee sua. But that's a different story. Anyhow, we weren't very impressed by it. I prefer the authentic mee sua in soup. What struck us though, was the fishball. The fishball here is quite 'tok-kong'.

Bak Chor Mee (mee pok tar). The pork was tender but no way as tender as Meng Kitchen. It also came with only ONE slice of mushroom. ONE. And ONE mandatory leaf. Might as well don't give right?

Another thing about this place is that I think they think vinegar is very expensive. You can hardly taste any vinegar in this at all. I like my mee pok to be laced with a tinge of vinegar, that baffling acetous twang that whets your appetite and keeps you wanting more and more.

That said, the sauce was still commendable. Definitely above average. Just not shiokalicious.

The noodles were slightly limp, but as usual, because we let it sit for too long. Nonetheless, this bak chor mee is definitely better than Singapore's average bowl.


I had the fishball noodles (mee kia) The mee kia was very good. I liked it a lot. It was 'hou-Q-ah', springy with a bite. Loved it.

The fishballs were as usual, fantastic. This was what we came here for anyway. The fishballs are, according to the stall, "special handmade fishballs". Very very springy, with a high fish:flour ratio. Only thing is that they are very big and I don't really like big fishballs. I like them bite-sized, don't know why.

I remember liking the East Coast 132 mee poh kueh teow mee fishballs very much. I should go back and try them again, to see which fishball I prefer, that or the Yan Kee one.

Yan Kee

Boat Quay BK Eating House

21 South Bridge Road

THE legendary zhen zhen porridge

There was a time when I thought that I had no fate with Zhen Zhen Porridge. I have gone to Maxwell SO many times, specially to try the porridge famed as Singapore's best. Unfortunately, they're always either closed or sold out.

But my luck has changed for the better. I have managed to try THE porridge. No more Tuesday boo-boos for me, going after lunch or going at lunch or going on days with only an hour to spare.(They're closed on Tuesdays and they sell out quick on other days and you almost always have to queue) Today, before 8am, I was savouring the legendary Zhen Zhen Porridge. I feel privileged.

This bowl of porridge is not Singapore's most famous bowl of porridge without a reason. The porridge is supposed to be the Hainanese type, which means in between the Teochew grainy version and the Cantonese creamy gruel. It is definitely not as creamy as the Cantonese chok I'm used to (can't find those around anymore, you have to cook it yourself for a full day to get it right); but close enough. The rice grains in Zhen Zhen's porridge are not totally dissolved to form a thick velvet paste but cooked long enough for the grains to partially disintegrate into a smooth consistency. It is definitely more Cantonese than Teochew. For sure.

I like congee so I liked this one. I think it might be a bit too smooth for some people, they may think it's like drinking soup rather than eating porridge. But I think true blue porridge-lovers will like this. Because porridge is not water + rice. Porridge is a completely different substance altogether. It takes on a different dimension. Cooking porridge is an art.

I like my porridge to be really really thick and smooth, the really old school chok that my grandmother used to cook. First you have to soak the rice in sesame oil. Then she would boil it for a full day till the grains have dissolved completely into a thick paste. Throw in some pork (or whatever ingredient you fancy, ) a dash of pepper, a lot of sesame oil, a raw egg.. Her porridge was good enough to beat any top restaurants. But proper chok requires so much work I can't imagine anyone willing to put in that effort. Only dear old grandmothers who love you so much would go to such extent for you.

So anyway, Zhen Zhen's porridge is really smooth and nice, the way I think porridge-lovers will like it. Look at that consistency! It's really quite hard to find a place that sells it this thick.

They are also very generous with their ingredients so its very good.

The fish was a bit overcooked but it can't really be helped since the fish will continue to cook in the steaming-hot porridge, after the initial douse in hot water. I don't understand why they gave so much ginger too, it almost felt like I was eating ginger porridge than fish porridge. I like my porridge to be infused with the fragrance of sesame oil and there was not enough sesame oil so my porridge wasn't very pang initially. Luckily, the stall offers you extra sesame oil in a saucer if you request for it. Other than that, no complaints. Zhen Zhen's Porridge is really quite a formidable bowl of porridge and I fully understand why it's hailed as Singapore's best.

Zhen Zhen Porridge

Maxwell Food Centre

Stall 54

meng kitchen

I live in the North and I find it so unfair that all the good food is anywhere but in the North. Everytime I want to find something to eat, there's nothing spectacular I will crave in the North. There is an absolute dearth of good food in the North. Hear me restauranteurs/food stalleurs.. Come save us Northies. Petrol is expensive, I don't want to travel half of Singapore to get a good fix.

Meng Kitchen is one of the best places in the North I would say. Their bak chor mee is extremely popular. Come here on a Sunday afternoon and expect to wait up till about an hour. It's not cheap too, at $4 a bowl. It is the Tai Hwa of the North. It's actually a far cry from Tai Hwa, but nonetheless, I think it is really quite good.

We decided to check out their fish soup and fishball noodles.

Their fish soup is very very peppery. They added so much pepper when you scrutinize the fish slices, you can see spots of pepper settled on them. I like pepper so I liked this. However, I do think that most people will find it too peppery.

The fish soup is also saltier and more savoury than most other fish soups. This is probably because they used a lot of MSG. (I couldn't stop drinking water when I got home.)

The fish was much too overcooked. It was tough and just bad. They added a lot of ginger in the soup to mask the fishy smell to no avail.

It is tasty, but only because of the abundance of MSG and pepper. This is merely average.

This is the fishball noodles. Sharon prefers the bak chor mee over the fishball meepok. The fishballs were not springy enough and a bit limp. I've had it before and I'm not sure if this is just an off-night. They are normally quite springy.

The chilli here is quite shiok. The balance of the vinegar to sauce was immaculate. You can still taste the vinegar but it was not overpowering. I found this very agreeable. Sharon only likes her noodles with vinegar here and at Tai Hwa. She thinks that the proportions at Tai Hwa and Meng Kitchen are just right. (Hence reaffirming my point that Meng Kitchen is Tai Hwa of the North)

The noodles were a bit overcooked for some reason. They were a bit soggy. They are normally perfectly Q. I guess the standard really differs from day to day. Catch them on a good day, and the noodles are perfect. Catch them on a not-so-good day and the standard dips dramatically. "dramatically, it's really dramatically lor" says Sharon.

I still think these noodles are good, just that we had it on a bad day. And the bak chor mee is a lot better than the fishball noodles so try that if you come to Meng Kitchen.

Meng Kitchen

246B Upper Thomson Road

the canteen - but hardly canteen prices

I've always wanted to check out The Canteen. The crab mee pok always looks so inviting whenever I pass it. Today we finally made the effort to go down.

This canteen is anything but school canteen standard. They sell simple "canteen" food at very not canteen prices. Toast is a whopping $8.50.

You can tell it is upmarket just from the place itself. The decor is chic, clean and very tasteful. I particularly like this shot.

Even the ladles are lacquered beautifully. Their cutlery is top-quality, heavy and thick. Their spoons and their chopsticks are according to Sharon, "for giants". So this is Les Amis' canteens' standards, for those with "giant" wallets to match as well.Their serviettes are the thickest I've come across. It's like a napkin! It's even the size of a proper napkin. I almost wanted to ask them for the napkin dish to put the serviette on it. Yes, that IS paper. Atas is like that la. The kiamsiap gui in me wanted to bring some home.

XO sauce lao shu fen aka mee tai mak. I HATE mee tai mak. I have never ever ever liked it. But I decided to try it for the XO sauce.

It turned out really well. The mee tai mak is extremely smooth and not the inferior powdery type I used to eat in pre-primary. It literally glides down your throat. The texture was fabulous. Prepared to perfection I say.

The sauce was great. I thought that this dish was very unique. Extremely savoury and packed with a full-bodied punch. It was very satiating, the meat sauce was very fragrant, and the chilli was gratifying. The only thing is that towards the end, it got very oily and that took away from the pleasure of eating it, but as Sharon said, "without the oil how to make it pang?"

The crab mee pok. I was quite disappointed when it came because it looked so average.
It tasted average too, I actually think I prefer my $2.50 bak-chor-mee. Somehow crab doesn't do it for me when it comes to meepok. Only meat can. The soft-shell crab was aight. It was freshly-fried so when we bit into it, the oil spurted into our mouths. That was good. But other than that, aiiighhtttt..

I thought that the noodles were a bit soggy (but Sharon insists that it is because we let it sit for too long cos we were busy taking pictures). Aye, but whatever the case, it's really no big deal. Without the bak chor, the mee pok just doesn't hit home, it's just not shiok enough. Crab is just too... genteel for this.

I must add however, that as we got to the end of the meal, the mee pok started to grow on us. There was a lot more crab at the bottom and more sauce too. (But I sompa we mixed in the sauce evenly. We are both very particular about proper mixing when it comes to noodles.) Does it mean that they should be more generous with the sauce and the crab?

The meal came up to about $40 for 2 small mains (guys should not eat here). The most expensive "hawker" food I have had. I don't think I will be coming back here anytime soon, unless I 'zhong' 4d or something.

The Canteen by Les Amis

Shaw Centre

1 Scotts Rd

#02-10

Singapore 228208

hock lam beef

Hock Lam Beef Kway Teow is arguably the most famous beef kway teow in Singapore. Every respectable beef kway teow lover will have at least heard of this old name. It has also made news multiple times because the owner, Tina, used to be a banker who gave up a five-figure monthly salary to continue her family business.

Hock Lam has been around for 4 generations and dates back to 1921. So this my friend, is as old-school as it gets.

There are many different Hock Lams around and sometimes I get really confused. There's the Purvis Street one, Empress Place one, someday I really need to sort out this whole beef kway teow history. But as far as I am concerned, Hock Lam is this one. The one with the crazy long queues at lunch hours.

I'm not a huge fan of beef kway teow but this is one bowl that I will crave from time to time. Look at how smooth and silky the noodles are! They are literally glistening, beckoning to be eaten.

I don't like how other places give you SO much gravy that your noodles are literally drowning in starch. It reminds me too much of lor-mee. This place is good because they don't give you a lot of gravy which I like. However, they gave TOO little gravy today and it was a tad bit dry, Sharon had to go back and ask for extra gravy.

They gave a bit too much gravy and the kway teow was just positively drowning, engulfed in the gravy.

They gave me vegetables today and they have never given me vegetables. I wonder if this was to make up for their drastic cut in the amount of beef they serve with the kway teow. My beef slices and beef ball kway teow came with 2 miserable beef balls and maybe 3,4 slices of beef max. The beef slices were very tender though.

The noodles were a bit soggy, probably because we let it sit in the gravy for a tad bit too long while we were taking pictures. They are not like this normally.

I like chilli A LOT so I was a little heavy-handed with the chilli. (Not telling you how much I added.) I really like Hock Lam's chilli. The taste is excellent; faultless balance of fiery and sweet. Mmm.

I did regret putting so much chilli though. Not because it was too spicy, but because I tried Sharon's unblemished version and it was so much better. The gravy's hearty sapor really shone through. The chilli was good but it shrouded the gravy's glory a little.

A minor grouse was that the gravy was not as thick as it used to be and lacked the beefy oomph it used to have.

Sharon likes the soup here. However, today's was a bit watered down and tasted too briney and not beefy enough. You can still see the beef sediments here but it used to be a lot more concentrated. Instead, it seemed that they tried to compensate for it by adding more soya sauce.

We still like this place. It's just a pity that rising costs have resulted in dips in both quality and quantity. A good bowl of beef kway teow, nonetheless.

Hock Lam Beef

Far East Square

22 China Street

#01-01

wah lok blah.

I've always wanted to try Wah Lok for their dimsum. I've heard so many raving reviews about it that it has always been on my MUST-TRY list. So today, we chose to go to Wah Lok over Peach Garden at OCBC.

The first dish that was served, the eefu noodles. Sharon's a great fan of this dish and to be honest it was ok. It didn't blow us away but it was decent. But that's the problem you see. Decent doesn't cut it here. I was expecting more than just decent from such an established old-school brand like Wah Lok. You can probably get the same standard at any other Cantonese restaurant for slightly lower prices. Nonetheless, it was decent. A bit oily and too salty for my liking but pass.

The next up was the charsiew baos. This is Sharon's "test" of a good dimsum place. The charsiew baos here are not bad at all. The bun part was soft and sweet, the way we liked it. The filling was quite nice too. It wasn't extremely fatty the way some restaurants make theirs so it scored a point with me there. However, there still was some fat and the charsiew sauce was juicy enough so that the bao was still oozing with flavour. Check out the photos below if you don't believe me!

Look at how nicely the filling falls from the bun.

See the delicious fat? My only gripe about the bun is that they weren't very generous with the filling. I like my charsiew to "overflow" the bun so to speak. Like the magic porridge pot that wouldn't stop cooking delicious creamy porridge. But I'm being picky here.

Sharon on the other hand, felt that the meat was not pork! Horror of horrors! What's a charsiew bao without pork? She said that it was made with chicken?! I don't think an established brand like Wah Lok would cheat and compromise on their charsiew baos so I think her tastebuds are just off-tangent (by a mile!) today.

Their charsiew baos were what we came for and I have to say it was not bad. Although again, it didn't blow me away. I've had better. ;)


If Sharon's test subject is the charsiew bao, mine is the hargows. The ideal hargow has nice thin translucent skin. The kind where you get a glimpse of the tiger tinge that lies beneath. Like this.

It is important to get the skin to be thin so that the hargow doesn't taste like chee cheong fun instead of hargow. There's nothing worse than thick white oversteamed skin on a hargow. The result is just a nasty paste-like substance.

We had such an experience at Xing Wang Hongkong Cafe at Heartland Mall. Up till today, I curse why I didn't listen to Sharon when she warned me that it was bad. I mean, so it's not great but what do you expect from a Hongkong Cafe right? But trust me, it was SO BAD. I have never, never, NEVER had such HORRIBLE hargows in my life. I literally had to force myself to eat one of it. NEVER, I repeat, NEVER order that. It's life-threateningly bad.

The next worse thing than thick oversteamed skin is oversteamed hargows which fall apart. See, the trick is to get the hargow's skin thin enough to see the orange but thick enough so that it remains a hargow when you pick it up instead of just prawn and skin that sticks to your chopsticks. Like this.

Sorry man Wah Lok, ultimate failure. I did not expect this from Wah Lok at all. It was a rude shock. It was also oversteamed and pasty. You can get much better hargows from any dimsum restaurant. I'm still reeling from displeasure. I love hargows and this ruined my lunch.

(to be fair, it did look promising. Pity.)

We also had the steamed carrot cake. Did not make it with me as well. It lacked that oomph of carrot cake. It was not aromatic enough and frankly, tasted more like gelatine. I like my carrot cake to be smooth with just a teeny bit of roughness around the edge. This was just too smooth and severely lacking in 'pang-ness'.

The chee cheong fun wasn't fabulous. To be fair, it was very smooth and nice. And the soy sauce was not bad at all.

But they were stingy with the scallops so that did not hit home with me. To make things worse, the scallops were not very fresh. They were a little fishy and soft. Scallops should be firm to the bite. Not hard, mind you, but should retain that bouncy bite.



Next up, siewmai. Ok this was not too bad. Again, it wasn't wow, but so much better than their hargows. It did not look polished and instead resembled something you would get off a coffeeshop. But oh well, a little roughness can be good right? It definitely was not delicate like normal top-end dimsum restaurants. But it still tasted good. It was actually the way I expect authentic old school restaurants to serve siew mai. Shiok old-school goodness.

Again, it was good but did not hit the oomph spot. Sharon felt that the prawns were overcooked and hard, just like the hargows. I thought the prawns were fine though. So either she's fussy or I'm not discerning.

By now, we were so full and the egg tarts were taking forever to arrive. By the time the egg tarts arrived we had already resorted to bargaining with each other to finish up the food. We did not touch the hargows and the carrot cake because honestly, it is such a waste of calories.

Now, apart from the charsiew baos, we've also heard a lot of good stuff about the egg tarts.

It was quite good, the filling was done just right so that the filling wobbled when you bit into it. The crust was buttery and flaky, the way authentic egg tarts are. I'm not a fan of such pastry but I expect people who are to really like the egg tarts here.

My only grouse? The texture was good but the taste wasn't really there. It lacked the overwhelming eggy edge and was not sweet enough. I tasted more crust than filling, which I do not like. But other than that, I understand why most people like this egg tart. But then again, the egg tarts may have tasted good in comparison to all the other blah dishes.

The food at Wah Lok really was not as fabulous as I had expected. It is at best, average. I have no idea why people are so crazy about this place. As it stands, Lei Garden and Peach Garden are way way way better than Wah Lok.

Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant

Carlton Hotel Level 2

76 Bras Basah Road

Singapore 189558

p/s: now Sharon says that the last bit of pau we had confirmed that it was pork not chicken. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was trying to cover her ass.