hooked II

Did we not say previoulsy that we were hooked on Hooked?

For a number of reasons, Sheryl and I found ourselves back at Hooked for lunch last weekend. Well, truth be told, we didn't plan on coming back here quite so soon. Neither was this place our first choice for lunch.

Reason 1: We both had a busy morning and could only do lunch at 2. By this time, all the places we had intended to visit were just about rounding up their lunchtime orders.
Reason 2: We were near the area and didn't want to travel too far for lunch.
Reason 3: We had originally wanted to go to Sushi Tei at Thomson Plaza but were instantly repelled from the shopping centre by the LONG line of cars waiting to enter the carpark. (Why is there ALWAYS a queue to enter the carpark on weekends? Always. No matter what time in the day you go, there's a queue. And when it's raining outside? Oh man, don't even get me started on that) Being at the mercy of the few good restaurants located in the area, Hooked thus presented itself as a viable alternative.
Reason 4: We didn't want something too heavy as a late lunch would mean we would still probably be filled by dinner and, being the foodies that we are, we weren't about to let anything mess with our dinner. (Yes, we make it a point to have 3 meals a day, no matter wat. Having more is always welcomed. But 3 at the minimun. No two ways about it)
Reason 5 (and perhaps the most poignant one): We were hungry and needed to fill our stomachs. Pronto.

So Hooked it was to be again.

As with our previous visit, the restautant was quite empty when we got there. Worryingly so actually. Save for two other tables and us, there were no other patrons for the entire time we were there. Then again, it could also be because it was rather late to be having lunch. Quite a few groups of people walked past the restaurant though, but they merely gleamed through the menu, and left.Why people? Why? Does the menu not interest you?! Come on! it has over 100 items! Surely you can find something that catches your eye? Hell, I don't even like fish and I already know what I'm having my next visit there. Aye, next time, just go in. I promise you you won't be disappointed.

Again, we had a tough time deciding what to order. Everything on the menu looked so good, we wanted to try everything. That was when I had an epiphany (or rather when I just got greedy). Why not order a combo? That way, we would get to sample a little of everything. Closest thing to ordering everything on the menu we could get, I say. And so we did just that. Lover's platter for two. Steamed snapper with asaparagus, grilled half-shell scallops, baked squid, grilled prawns, fries. Call me greedy but I had expected the plate to come teeming with glorious seafood. But by golly, look at the white expense of the platter! (Think the seafood platter for two at Fish & Co and this serving seems like it was meant for 1. Ok, 1.5 people at most.)

No I'm serious about this. Someone (else) should tell them to increase the size of their portions.

The baked squid was adequately prepared. Slightly firm to the bite but not overbaked till the point where it became rubbery. It came with a mayo-like dressing which I thought added a pleasant dimension of flavor to an otherwise uninspiring dish. Maybe it's because I prefer my squid grilled, slightly charred around around the edges and boasting of smokey flavor. Sheryl didn't take to this dish as readily though as she's never been a "mayo-groupie".

Next was the steamed snapper. The steamed snapper was served steaming hot. It was a bit tough but snappers are tougher fish. I quite liked this dish, the broth(?) was delightfully tasty. Infused with the succulence of seafood and laced with a tinge of lemon, this broth was light and invigorating and reminiscent of homemade goodness. The taste was clean and brisk, keenly sapid yet not overbearing. This went particularly well with the rice pilaf that we ordered, although the rice pilaf is a far far far cry from the one at Canopy.

The prawns were, in my opinion, the best offering on the platter (I think Sheryl would contend this though. I have a feeling she prefered the fish). Albeit being a little on the small side, the prawns were firm to the bite and blanketed in a delicious creamy sauce. The sauce actually tasted like ba-hu to me, a mixture of savoury and sweet. The combination was strikingly successful and was a bit reminiscent of lobster mentai for me, except with the added taste of pork floss.

The baked scallops were a let-down. For starters, they were overbaked. As a result, the shellfish had atrophied and became really tough to the bite. Sheryl literally had to pry the scallop from its shell. The butter sauce used to flavor this dish teetered on the overbearing side which I felt took away from the natural sweetness of the shellfish. They offer this as a starter too but my vote would be to give this a miss and try the salmon wonder rolls instead.

Hooked! Leaving second time satisfied and awaiting our 3rd visit there. Hmm, sometime next week perhaps, Sheryl? Anyone wanna join us? !

Hooked!
203 Upper Thomson Road

hooked on hooked!

ok people. I eat my words. I said that there was no good food in the North. I said that when right across Meng Kitchen, there was Hooked!

This is not their flagship outlet, the original is at Upper Bukit Timah but I've never tried that. To be honest, it would never have crossed my mind to even consider this place. We wanted to try the Vietnamese place along Upp Thomson Road but it closed down. It was late, we had just gone to the gym and I was starving. I'm positive Sharon heard my stomach growl.

I must say they have a very extensive menu. I think there were 700 plus items in their menu! I deduced this because the last item on their menu had a number 700-something. Although I must admit that their first item started on 100-something. (Ee. Play cheat) But really, in all honesty, their menu is very interesting and very extensive. I was quite blown away by the variety.

After we ordered, we waited a long time for our food to come. I fell asleep at the table. Yes, I did, like Goldilocks.

We ordered Salmon Wonder rolls. Thin slices of Salmon fillet spread with Medelov sauce, wrapped with asparagus carrots, topped with fish roe and slow-baked till just under-cooked. 3 for $10.90. (Kill people set fire)

But, it was good. Boy did they deliver. Wonder rolls they say? Wonder rolls they are. It was not fishy at all and salmon normally is. The crunch of the asparagus complemented the salmon's molten texture perfectly. The sauce was brilliant and the fish was done just undercooked, just like they promised. I enjoyed this thoroughly.

Roasted Cod in Lemongrass Miso. This is how they described it: Generous portion of Cod steak roasted till the full aroma of the lemongrass miso comes through.

When this first came, I thought to myself. This dish is not going to be good. I've never been so wrong. It is ohmygawdicantbelieveit-good. If I thought the wonder rolls were good, these were magnificent. I have nothing but glowing reviews for it. This cod is truly ambrosial. It was remarkably fresh and the miso sauce was sensational.

I think the service staff thought we were weird. We kept stuffing fish into our mouths all the time muttering "wahlaueh this is damn good". (Eh. When I say wahlaueh, its really wahlaueh.) Utter disbelief at how good this tasted.

The texture was faultless. It was so tender you can't pick it up with a fork. That's not all. Despite the fish being so gloriously tender, the skin was astoundingly crispy. As I chewed on it, I literally heard the crackling of the skin. And that magnificent collagen-providing fat under the skin was so succulent so soft. "Oh. my, gawdddd...." (like Janice from Friends)

Seriously, this is possibly the BEST cod I have had. The texture was so good it was surreal. This fish died a martyr. It was a monumental moment for me there. Other fish I have had were good, they were fresh and sweet and succulent. But none gave me texture like this. This beats the like of Fish and Co. hands down. Hands down baby, hands down. Oh what the heck, feets down too if there's such a thing.

The only thing I can say is that the portion is pathetic. Look at that anorexic slice of fish and tell me is it a generous portion like they said it would be? I left the place still hungry. Otherwise, I'm coming back here. For sure. I love fish and seafood, and the food here is relatively healthy. Steamed, baked, roasted, grilled.. My daddy's going to love this place.

Thank you Hooked for giving us Northies hope!

Hooked!
203 Upper Thomson Road

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