This has been a rather long wait.

%Arabica which first announced its opening in Singapore last August 2018, may finally open at 56 Arab Street next week (week of 17th June).

It faced many delays due to construction and interior works.

The chain has also announced locations of its two other Singapore locations – Chip Bee Gardens at Holland Village, and 313@somerset.

% Arabica originally from Hong Kong technically (then Kyoto Japan), is known to be one of the best coffee shops around.

The Arab Street branch will be a small 20-seater, designed in minimalist white similar to many of the other stores world-while.

However, there are plans to serve actual food at the Chip Bee Gardens outlet.

(Impression of the %Arabica Singapore Arab Street Cafe. Photo credit: %Arabica)

There are 16 stores located in Japan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Philippines and China, and is finally setting foot in Singapore.

A bit of its origins: Its founder and owner, Kenneth Shoji, established the brand on March 11, 2011.

His mission is to grow % Arabica across unique land and cultures of the world, so that young baristas can “See The World Through Coffee”.

After moving to Hong Kong, an idea hit him to start a coffee business.

With a bank loan, he bought a coffee firm in Hawaii and started trading green bean from around the world. He became the sole-exporter of a Japanese roasting machine.

For one year, he persuaded Junichi Yamaguchi (a world champion of latte art) to work with him, and succeeded.

The flagship % Arabica store opened in Discovery Bay, Hong Kong in February 2013. As a location, Discovery Bay proved to be quite challenging in attracting customers.

To reach a wider base, the store then moved to Higashiyama, Kyoto in February 2014 and became recognized as a coffee brand.

% Arabica is known as a great place for excellent coffee, somewhere even coffee snobs would be go to.

It takes pride in using beans from its own coffee farm in Hawaii, and from around the world.

The company strives to source all its beans directly from the origins. Kenneth himself, along with his global head barista Junichi, travels to various coffee origins around the world.

Depending on the season and availability, you can find coffees from Japan, Guatemala, Brazil, El Salvador, Ethiopia and Panama.

When I visited Hong Kong’s branch, I remembered that a key feature of %Arabica was that coffee could be roasted to order on the spot.

Select your preference, and I was told to come back in about 30 minutes to collect my bag. (Not difficult as IFC is a shopping haven.)

Let’s hope this facility would be available over here as well. Look out here for updates on Singapore’s outlets.

% Arabica Singapore
56 Arab Street Singapore 199753
(Opening mid June 2019)

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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook and Instagram for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. Daniel’s Food Diary paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre the most popular hawker centres in Singapore, located in the serene neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru, one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore.

Aside from the roast meats and chwee kueh, this hawker place is known for its Lor Mee with two stalls famous for it – Lor Mee 178 (#02-58) and Tiong Bahru Lor Mee (#02-80). Both have equally long queues.

Another interesting thing is there is a “Tiong Bahru Lor Mee” found at Old Airport Road Food Centre.

Lor Mee 178 has been listed in the Singapore’s Michelin Guide with a “Michelin Plate” (not “star”) for quite a number of years, previously also frequently featured in local television food programmes.

If you are a Lor Mee connoisseur, this should be in your radar.

There is usually a moderately long queue though, with about say a 15 – 20 minutes’ wait. The stall often sells outs before its indicated closing time of 2:30pm as well.

Lor Mee 178’s signature Lor Mee ($3.00) is a bowl of thick, flat yellow noodles in viscous gravy (the lor.

Unlike the ones in other Lor Mees, its flavourful gravy is not too starchy and has a good consistency to it. You could finish slurping a bowl without feeling too full.

I personally think that the lor was tasty and balanced, though slightly on the safe side. (Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee at Old Airport Road Food Centre still gets my vote for the lor.)

Some customers may feel that the $3 bowl is too ‘basic’ as it lacks of the usual ingredients such as ngor hiang and very thin-slices of braised pork belly.

I would suggest going for the upgraded version with additional topping of crispy fried shark fritter ($4.00), evidently the winning element in this dish.

Perfectly deep-fried, the battered shark meat was extremely crispy. If you like, you could leave them soaking in your gravy.

Though crisp, the shark meat was rather bland so it is best to let the nuggets absorb all the flavours in the gravy. I was expecting the meat to taste tougher or well more special, but the winning formula was in the batter.

To complement the savoury flavours, add a drizzle of the Chinkiang rice-based black vinegar for some sour notes, some minced garlic, and for spice lovers, a dollop or two of sambal chili.

I would usually add on both the braised egg and fishcakes (60 cents each) as well.

Lor Mee 178 鹵麵178
30 Seng Poh Rd, #02-58 Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre, Singapore 168898
Opening Hours: 7am – 2:30pm (Tue – Sun), Closed Mon

Other Related Entries
Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee (Old Airport Road Food Centre)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Another day, another ulu café for Singaporeans to look out for.

Kura is a new patisserie-café found at The Herencia, co-sharing space with In Bad Company (more on that later).

The Herencia is a commercial development located at Kim Yam Road (near River Valley Road), where Nan Chiau High School used to be situated at.

Thus, you would find the surroundings very school-like, and the space KURA is in now was the former canteen.

As to how to get to The Herencia, it is perhaps a 15 minutes’ walk from Fort Canning MRT thereabouts. For drivers, take note as it is within private property there is parking fee. But nothing can stop food-finders, yah?

This is a place considered central yet obscure. Hidden gem, I suppose.

KURA 蔵 in Japanese stands for a “storehouse”, a place where the owners would ‘store’ treasured pastries for customers.

Some of their signature offerings include the Key Lime Tart ($4, $6), Earl Grey Chocolate Tart ($4, $6), Dark Black Forest ($6.50) and Brown Butter Madeleines ($1.50 per piece).

Prices are considered pretty affordable, as they were given a favourable rental. (The owners are still perhaps adjusting prices I suppose. Some of the tarts used to cost $3.70, which is currently $4. Still inexpensive.)

The Dark Black Forest ($6.50) which is a contemporary twist on nostalgic flavours comes recommended.

While it didn’t look like a black forest cake at all, it kept its ‘cherried’ essence within, and I enjoyed the soft chocolatey mousse-like texture.

The Key Lime contained a combination of tartness and sweetness complimented by the zesty key lime juice. Instead of a firmer curd inside, they café uses French almond cream which provided a softer, smoother texture.

Interesting to note that the café serves up traditional kopi and teh.

However, if you like some food and Dutch Colony coffee, they are available within the same space offered by the neighbour In Bad Company.

I took a double-take when I saw the prices though – Cream Linguine ($6), Prawn Aglio Olio ($6), Japanese Curry Don ($8), and Smoked Duck Salad ($8). These are like polytechnic school canteen prices.

Come during lunch time, and you can add on $2.50 for a latte or cappuccino.

The $6 Linguine came with generous serving of ebiko, floss and prawns hidden underneath the bed of pasta.

While a couple of dishes ordered were hits and misses, I consider this an affordable hidden gem indeed. (Not sure how long they can keep these prices though.)

KURA Singapore
46 Kim Yam Road, The Herencia #01-07 Singapore 239351
Tel: +65 9722 2996
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 5pm (Mon – Fri), 9:30am – 7pm (Sat, Sun)

Other Related Entries
Sugar Thieves (Kreta Ayer Road)
Voyage Patisserie (Outram Road)
Lee’s Confectionery (Jurong East)
Tarte by Cheryl Koh (Shaw Centre)
The Kins’ Specialty Coffee (Pasir Panjang)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Paya Lebar Square is conveniently located right next to Paya Lebar MRT station, and you may be wondering about the restaurants and cafes available there.

Some of the more unique food places there include Charcoal-Grill & Salad Bar Keisuke which features charcoal grill dishes with FREE FLOW salad bar; Chicken Run which specialises in chicken stew hotpots; and Delibowl which specialises in Sichuan casual meals.

The first flagship restaurant of popular vegetarian restaurant Greendot; and the first outlet of Korean sandwich shop Egg Stop can be found at the mall as well.

Hungry for more? Here are 10 restaurants and cafes you can find at Paya Lebar Square:

Ginza Tendon Itsuki
Paya Lebar Square #01-02/03
Tel: +65 6214 3345
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Delightful Japanese Tendon overflowing with fried tempura
Ginza Tendon Itsuki (Paya Lebar) is Ramen Keisuke’s 18th outlet and Keisuke’s Singapore second Tendon Itsuki outlet.

It is also one of the three Keisuke-branded outlets located at Paya Lebar Square, the other two outlets being Tonkotsu King and Charcoal-Grill and Salad Bar Keisuke.

At Ginza Tendon Itsuki, you can look forward to Keisuke’s authentic Japanese tendon creations crafted using the freshest ingredients. Tendon aka Tempura Rice Bowl, is often regarded as delightful one-bowl soul food meals for many Japanese around the world especially during summer.

Filled to the brim, the tendon is overflowing with fried ingredients topped on rice. The ingredients are coated in a light batter and are only deep-fried upon order, so you get them hot and crispy outside and succulent inside.

Try the Vegetable Tendon ($12.90) with a medley of Pumpkin, Shiitake Mushroom, Lotus Root, Eggplant and 4 pieces of vegetable tempura; or go for the Special Tendon ($13.90) which comes with 2 pieces of Chicken, 2 pieces of Prawn, 4 pieces of Vegetables, and Half-Boiled Egg.

For the ultimate tendon bowl which is exclusive to Paya Lebar Square’s outlet, order the Deluxe Tendon ($19.90) featuring more premium ingredients like Snow Crab, Prawn, Conger, Squid, 4 pieces of Vegetable Tempura, and Half-Boiled Egg.

Each tendon set is served with miso soup and Chawanmushi (steamed egg), which is value for your money.

Charcoal-Grill & Salad Bar Keisuke
Paya Lebar Square #B1-16
Tel: +65 6241 8588
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Grilled food concept with all-you-can-eat salad bar
Charcoal-Grill & Salad Bar Kaisuke is a new dining concept by Keisuke Takeda, offering slow-grilled meat items and features an all-you-can-eat salad bar.

What’s special here is the use of sumiyaki (charcoal grill), a cooking method similar to barbecue but more of a slow-grilling over hot charcoals.

The result? Consistently tender and succulent meats. The restaurant uses only Japan-sourced bincho-tan or Japanese white charcoal as it burns cleanly with a high steady heat.

At the core of its menu are traditional fish dishes enjoyed by the Japanese – Mackerel, Salmon, Yellow Tail and Black Cod.

You’ll get to choose from various gozen (Japanese set meal) which comes with the traditional miso soup and onsen egg. For each gozen, there’s also a serving of Japanese rice freshly cooked in a small iron pot.

Some of the signatures include Charcoal Grilled Teriyaki Yellowtail Set ($21.90), Charcoal Grilled Miso Marinated Black Cod Set ($21.90), Charcoal Grilled Dried Atka Mackerel Set ($14.90), Charcoal Grilled Salmon Set ($14.90), Charcoal Grilled Salmon Belly Set ($16.90), and Charcoal Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Set ($10.90).

I will recommend the Miso Marinated Black Cod Set which is wonderfully buttery and fresh, or the Teriyaki Chicken which is a steal at $10.90 for all that you will be getting.

Remember to head for the free-flow salad bar which boasts of more than 30 types of Japanese osousai (side dishes) from potato salad to Keisuke’s famous beansprouts.

Lotus Thai Restaurant
Paya Lebar Square #02-13/14/K1
Tel: +65 6386 7228
Opening Hours: 11am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)

Authentic and affordable Thai fare
Lotus Thai Restaurant is known for its authentic Thai fare cooked up by Thai chefs. Its signature dish is the Fried Seabass or Garouper with “2 faces” – half mango salad and half special Thai chilli sauce.

If you are the type who wants a “sampler” type of meal, this is an excellent choice as you can try 2 flavours in one dish. Plus, this has a range of tasting notes from sweet, mildly salty, sour to spicy.

Recommended dishes include Thai-style Fried Whole Garouper with Thai Chilli Sauce ($28++), with the fish sporting a wonderfully crisp skin and a tender flesh underneath, Steamed Seabass with Lemon Sauce ($28++), Thai-style Stewed Prawn with Vermicelli in Claypot ($18++), Curry Prawns ($12.80++), Thai Stuffed Chicken Wings ($9.80++), and Prawn Roll Lemongrass ($10.80++).

Lotus Thai implements a No Pork and No Lard policy in creating its menu catering to the Malay community. Recognising that its location has a strong presence of vegetarians, you will also find a number of vegetarian options here that are still authentically Thai.

Chicken Run 跑跑鸡
Paya Lebar Square #02-18/19/20/K4
Tel: +65 6702 1373
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Comforting chicken claypot dishes
Chicken Run is a good place for a get-together with family and friends over home-style comfort food.

Why Chicken Run? It’s literally chickens running away from the owners for their lives. During their childhood years living in a kampong, the owners as kids would chase and catch the free-range chickens for their family meal.

It specialises in chicken stew hotpot, including its signature items Chicken Hotpot ($9.90), Chicken Laksa Hotpot ($10.90), the sour and spicy Fish Hotpot ($10.90), and the reasonably portioned Beef Hotpot ($18.90). They also serve a vegetarian Mushroom Hotpot ($9.90) as an alternative to non-meat diners.

Your order comes with a free flow of soup for non-stop hotpot enjoyment.

Add-ons (starts at $1.90) are available such as vegetables, mushrooms, sliced beef, prawns, noodles, etc. Feel free to browse what’s available in their display fridge and hand pick your choices. To maintain quality, chicken, prawns, and vegetables are delivered fresh daily to the restaurant.

The home-grown dish Chicken Hotpot is made using a family recipe handed down through generations. Each pot is prepared individually, and starts with fresh chicken marinated for hours, then stir-fried in garlic, onion, ginger, dry chili, and herbs. It is then stewed in chicken stock and home-made sauces in a claypot over a fire.

The flavourful, thick broth goes well with plain rice. Spiciness level can be adjusted to your liking. Go non-spicy or go extreme and request for the spiciest level.

Other must-try dishes include Egg Fried Rice with Chicken Chop/Pork Chop ($9.80), Homemade Wu Xiang ($6.90), and Laksa Noodle with Prawn ($6.50).

Kei Kaisendon
Paya Lebar Square #01-84
Tel: +65 68449915
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Japanese rice bowls topped with fresh sashimi
In the mood for fresh sashimi? Kei Kaisendon is the place for you, a Kaisendon specialty restaurant serving rice bowls topped with fresh sashimi imported straight from the seas of Japan.

Each bowl of Japanese white rice is brimming with a wide variety of sashimi, and a mixture of toppings and seasonings.

Highly recommended is the Kei Signature Kaisendon ($12.90, $16.90, $19.90) which comes with salad or rice or a mixture of both.

Maximise your Kei Kaisendon dining experience by exploring the 4 different ways of eating the Kei Kaisendon Signature Bowl.

First, savour the taste of signature Kaisendon with fresh sashimi and a little bit of shoyu and wasabi. Next, you can combine a dollop of mayonnaise and chili powder on a sauce and blend the mixture into the rice bowl. Enjoy the spicy creamy rice. Once you finish your Kaisendon halfway, pour the special Sakura chicken soup into the remaining ingredients and enjoy the mixture as a porridge – this is the 3rd way. Finally, the fourth way is to take some nori seaweed to wrap a spoonful of rice and sashimi into hand rolls. Four ways to Kaisendon bliss.

For your main dish, you can also try the Unagi Kaisendon Set ($19.90), Salmon Kaisendon Set ($18.90), or Mentaiyaki Kaisendon Set ($17.90).

Complete your meal by adding $3.00 (salad + soup + hot tea) or $6.00 (salad + soup + 3 pieces salmon slices + hot tea).

Delibowl
Paya Lebar Square #01-77/80
Tel: +65 9382 5685
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Delicious Mapo Tofu found in casual Chinese ‘fast-food’ restaurant
From the same owners of Nuodle, a popular hand-pulled noodle stall, comes Delibowl, an eatery where you can savour traditional Chinese food in a fastfood-like setup.

The concept of Delibowl takes inspiration from the eight culinary traditions of China and presents itself as “One Bowl To Satisfy”. It seeks to reinvent the way Chinese food is created and enjoyed, using only the freshest and finest quality ingredients.

Drop by for lunch or dinner and try their signature dishes, including Stir-Fried Tofu in Hot Sauce ($6.85), a classic Sichuan dish and a top favourite at Delibowl. It has chunks of soft tofu and minced meat, combined with a spicy sauce of fermented bean, chili oil and Sichuan peppercorn. This aromatic and numbingly hot and spicy dish is aching for some steamed rice on the side.

Simply add $3.00 to upgrade your Mapo Tofu to a lunch set, which includes 1 main, a side dish and soup.

Other signature dishes are Double-Cooked Marinated Beef Slices ($7.85), Fried Egg with Green Pepper ($6.85), Stewed Beef Brisket with Tomato ($7.85), Steamed Chicken with Chili Sauce ($7.85), and Spicy Popcorn Chicken ($7.85).

All orders come with a bowl of freshly cooked white rice, a much-needed accompaniment. Depending on the crop quality each year, Delibowl imports high-quality rice grains such as Chinese Wuchang rice, Japanese pearl rice, and Thai fragrant rice.

To cater to the Muslim community, Delibowl offers Muslim-friendly Chinese delicacies. All ingredients are already Halal-compliant but Halal certification is still in progress.

Kay Lee Roast Meat
Paya Lebar Square #B1-10
Tel: +65 6655 0302
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)

For caramelised Char Siew and signature Roast Ruck
Kay Lee is a famous Singapore roast meat stall operating since 1940 and specialises in Guangzhou-style roast meats.

They made a name for themselves through their signature items Dark Char Siew and Roast Chicken. Don’t forget to drench some sauces over your rice or meats.

For this outlet at Paya Lebar Square, they are introducing two new dishes: Braised Duck Rice + Lime Juice ($6.00) and Curry Chicken + Rice + Lime Juice ($6.00). For the month of June, you can get any of these two for the promotional price of $5.00 which is a really good deal.

A couple of their regular food items are also offered for a special price of $5.00 this June, such as the Roast Chicken + Vegetables + Chicken Rice + Water Chestnut Juice ($6.50) and the Dark Char Siew Rice + Ice Lemon Tea ($6.50).

Aside from these, you can still get their standard items like roast pork, roast duck and roast chicken, which comes with either rice or noodles. Choose from bestsellers Roast Pork Rice/Noodle ($4.50/$5.00), Roasted Duck Rice/Noodle ($4.50/$5.00), and Roast Chicken/Noodle ($3.50/$4.00).

The Dark Char Siew Rice/Noodle ($4.50/$5.00) is not to be missed at Kay Lee.

As additional dishes with your rice or noodles, you can add some vegetables, Double-Boiled Soup ($5.00), and Wanton/Dumpling Noodle ($3.50/$5.00).

5 Little Bears
Paya Lebar Square #B1-09
Tel: +65 6702 1098
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)

Reasonably-priced Taiwanese meals and snacks
The genesis of this cuddly named shop is a Taiwanese immigrant who relocated to Singapore with his family. Back then, while the family did find Taiwanese food in Singapore, they still missed the authentic taste of their home. The “Big Bear”, the head of the family with 5 children, began to set up 5 Little Bears to bring authentic Taiwanese street food to Singapore.

Recommended item is the Braised Pork Rice aka Lu Rou Fan ($5.00), made with pork belly cubes simmered in Taiwanese soy sauce and spices.

The pork has a well-balanced ratio of fat and lean meat making this traditional Taiwanese Lu Rou Fan full of flavour but not oily.

Another pork dish to try is the Pork Chop Bento ($7.50), a deep-fried battered boneless pork chop that’s crisp on the edges yet still juicy inside.

Those who prefer chicken meat is in for a treat. They have the extra-large Chicken Chop ($4.80) to soothe your huge crunchy chicken cravings.

5 Little Bears not only offers deep-fried items but also soupy ones to slurp on the side. Try their Taiwanese-style Beef Noodle ($8.50) or the Oyster Mee Sua ($4.50) which comes with fresh, plump pieces of oysters to contrast with crunchy fried items.

CRAVE
Paya Lebar Square #B1-45
Tel: +65 6252 1322
Opening Hours: 10am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)

Famous Nasi Lemak and Teh Tarik
CRAVE brings together two renowned brands in Singapore’s hawker food scene: Selera Rasa’s Nasi Lemak and Rafee’s Corner famous Teh Tarik.

Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak is also known as Adam Road Nasi Lemak because of its location. It is one of the most popular go-to places in Singapore for a good plate of this Malay rice dish, made of long-grained Basmati rice cooked in coconut milk.

Rafee’s Corner, on the other hand, is better known as Amoy Street Teh Tarik.

Visit CRAVE’s latest outlet and don’t miss the Nasi Lemak with Chicken Wing ($5.90). While the Nasi Lemak is the star of this dish, the crunchy chicken wings are just as delicious. What makes the chicken wings really flavourful is marinating them overnight in a specially prepared home-made marinade with traditional Asian spices.

And you cannot not scoop the accompanying dollop of sambal chili on the side, prepared with a mix of Indian and Japanese chilies but more sweet-savoury than it is too spicy.

Upgrade your nasi lemak by getting the Nasi Lemak Royale ($7.90) which includes not only the chicken wing but also a bergedil (Malay fried potato patty), fried fish, and spicy otah.

Add a hot cup of Teh Tarik ($2.00) to complete your dining experience. This fragrant and smooth cup of tea is a unique mixture of different types of tea dust. You get that strong tea taste and distinct floral aroma without being overly bitter not overwhelmingly sweet.

Ah Long Pancake & Popiah
Paya Lebar Square #01-48
Tel: +65 9018 0516
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Freshly made pancakes and popiah
If you are craving for a savoury snack, go to Ah Long’s stall and order any of its pancake and popiah offerings.

They are popular for their specialty Min Chiang Kueh, a traditional snack item using a special in-house dough recipe, which they serve with egg.

All pancakes are freshly made on the spot upon order, so you get them nice and hot. Ah Long has tweaked tradition a bit and innovated by adding different savoury fillings.

The menu features 9 combinations. If you want some heat in the pancake, go for the Sambal Chili + Carrot + Egg ($2.00). For fish fans, try the Tuna + Egg ($2.80) which comes with a generous topping of tuna flakes. If you want something with chicken, they have Chicken Floss + Cheese + Egg ($3.00). Or try the Chicken Hot Dog or Chicken Ham versions ($2.50).

For non-meat options, you may like the Peanut + Corn + Egg ($2.00) combo for it crunchy-creamy textures.

For the popiah side, the Traditional Popiah ($1.80) is a must-try for first-timers, good as a teatime snack. For the “advanced”, order the Chicken Floss Salad Popiah ($2.50), a dressed-up version of the traditional popiah.

Paya Lebar Square F&B Outlets
5 Little Bears (B1-09)
Ah Long Pancake (01-48)
Ah Mah Homemade Cake (B1-46)
Bee Cheng Hiang (B1-07)
Burger King (01-37/38/39/40/41/42/43)
Cantine (B1-51)
Charcoal-Grill & Salad Bar Keisuke (B1-16)
Chicken Run (02-18/19/20/K4)
Crave Nasi Lemak (B1-45)
Crystal Jade My Bread (01-30)
Delibowl (01-77/80)
Duke Bakery (B1-28)
Eatzi Gourmet Bistro (B1-15)
Four Leaves (B1-18)
Fruitbox (B1-47)
Fun Tea (01-01)
Gado & Grill (B1-08)
Ginza Tendon Itsuki (01-02/03)
Greendot (02-15/16/17/K2/K3)
HoneyWorld (01-32)
House of Teochew (B1-06)
iTea (01-50)
J CO Donuts & Coffee (01-78/79/K2)
Jollibee (01-05/06/07)
Ju Hao (B1-29/30/31)
Kajiken (01-86)
Kay Lee Roast Meat Joint (B1-10)
KEI Kaisendon (01-84)
Kraftwich by Swissbake / The Soup Spoon (01-09/10/11)
Lotus Thai (02-13/14/K1)
Madura’s (01-08)
McDonald’s (01-68/69/74/75/76/K3)
MOS Burger (01-72/73/K4/K5)
Mr Youtiao (01-85)
Nine Fresh Desserts Taiwan (01-49)
Old Chang Kee (01-47)
Pezzo/Stuff’d (01-61)
Pontian Wanton Noodles (01-88)
Ramen Keisuke (01-04)
Sakae Sushi (B1-19)
Toast Box (01-89/90/K1)
Tok Tok Indonesian Soup House (01-71/K6/K7)
Wok Hey / Egg Stop (01-62)
Ya Kun Kaya Toast (01-87)

Paya Lebar Square
60 Paya Lebar Road Singapore 409051

* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Paya Lebar Square.

Many of our well-loved Singapore hawker stalls have left us, for various reasons including recipes not passed down, lack of willing younger generation to take over the business, increasing rentals, and labour crunch.

When Kok Kee Wanton Mee Mee 国记云吞面 closed a couple of years back as the old hawkers retired, its fans felt that sense of loss.

When Kok Kee made its return, it is not surprising that it would attract a very long queue once again.

Its new location is within the Bistro 8 coffeeshop at 30 Foch Road, close to the defunct Lavender Food Square where the stall previously used to be.

Checked on the opening hours, Shirley (the lady often seen in front of the stall) said “12pm till sold out”.

(There is another Kok Kee Wanton Mee stall at 505 Jurong West Street 52 #01-14, said to be operated by the niece of the owners.)

There are those who call Kok Kee the “Best Wanton Noodles in Singapore”.

Some say it is “overrated”, and used to taste much better in the past. I am just happy to have it back.

If this is the very first time you have these noodles, you may not understand the fuss. However, Kok Kee has been part of my growing up years – had it since secondary school days (and I think this applies to many regulars as well.)

The line extended all the way till outside the coffeeshop, with customers holding umbrellas due to the pouring rain.

My wait was about 90 minutes or so, even though I gone down during an off-peak timing.

It has been cut shorter as some of the disappointed people in front of me left, though it is hard to gauge as there are customers who would ta-bao for the entire village.

A plate of Wanton Noodles is now priced at $5, and there are other items such as Dumpling Noodles ($5, $6), Dumpling Soup ($5, $6), Vegetables ($6, $8), Fried Wanton (price not indicated).

Kok Kee’s winning element is probably the special secret recipe sauce, poured all over the springy noodles with an agreeable bite.

It was almost the same as how I remembered it to be. That sauce is everything.

The noodles were springy yet with a soft bite, and didn’t have that strong alkaline taste.

To be honest, the thin char siew (that sometimes borders on tasting card-boardy) and pretty-average wantons were nothing to shout about.

BUT the overall combination was sumptuously addictive, and can keep fans coming back again and again.

The other typical order are the Vegetables. Somehow, Kok Kee cooks them till they are quite soft yet retained the crunch, and without the usual bitter taste associated with many vegetables.

I enjoyed the Dumpling Soup as well, somehow not as salty as I remembered it to be – which to me is a good thing.

Kok Kee Wanton Mee 国记云吞面
30 Foch Road Singapore 209276
Opening Hours: 12pm till sold out

Other Related Entries
Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist 基记面家 (Kreta Ayer)
Eng’s Char Siew Wantan Mee (Tanjong Katong Road)
ENG’s Wantan Noodle (Tanjong Katong Road)
Wanton Fu (Jalan Besar)
Tanjong Rhu Wanton Mee (North Bridge Road)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Call this the “Man Man” effect, but people are paying more attention to Japanese sea eels aka unagi, compared to say a couple of years ago.

Other than the Michelin-listed Man Man Japanese Unagi Restaurant, other more prominent restaurants here include Unagiya Ichinoji Dining and Uya at Wheelock Place.

I was curious enough to try Unaemon, which is newly opened at GOCHI, Capital Square.

GOCHI has six food concepts in location with four new-to-market brands: Chojiro, Pronto, Unaemon and Paletas.

It has two shops for sweets – Morozoff and Paletas; and one takeaway counter Suage Express.

Established in Japan in 1950, Unaemon was co-founded in Japan by the owner of Taga, a 147-year old Unagi specialty restaurant, and the third owner of Kiyoizumi, a historical Unagi restaurant in Hinode-cho, Yokohama.

Unaemon serves up Unaju ($32, $36), Hitsumabushi ($28.50, $33, $46), Unagi Bento ($19.50) and other ala carte dishes such as Grilled Egg with Sauce ($29.50), Smoked Eel ($15), Fried Eel ($18), and Eel Egg Roll.

There are plans to serve the popular original dish Unagi Shabu-shabu in the future.

Two chefs are based in Singapore to oversee things in the kitchen.

As for the preparation process, the unagi is slit and butterflied before being grilled over hot charcoal for the first time.

It is then steamed, seasoned with its premium sweet sauce, then grilled for three times.

Some of the special features include the rice which is sourced from the famous Nanatsuboshi brand in Hokkaido, and sweet barbecue sauce which has been continuously replenished since the restaurant was founded close to 150 years ago.

I ordered the Hitsumabushi ($33), served with chopped up eel over Hokkaido rice, broth, soup, pickles and savoury egg custard.

The unagi came paler than expected, as we are accustomed to darker brown-sauced ones.

On one hand, you can savour the more natural taste of the unagi which has sufficient thickness and fluffiness; but you may miss that sweet-sticky glaze.

Comparatively, the pieces were not as crisp, and what I didn’t fancy as much was that there were several small bones (too many) within which affected the overall eating experience.

The broth was delicious though, brewed with Shizuoka Yaitsu bonito, and made the overall combination a lot more flavourful when poured in.

Unaemon @ GOCHI
Capital Square, 23 Church Street, #01-02/08, Singapore 049481
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)

Other Related Entries
Man Man Japanese Unagi Restaurant (Keong Saik Road)
Man Man Japanese Unagi Restaurant (Duo Gallery)
Unagiya Ichinoji Dining (Suntec City)
Uya (Wheelock Place)
Unagiya Ichinoji (Robertson Quay)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Imagine my joy when I got the last plate of Kway Chap at about 2 plus pm. Customers behind me were turned away, or informed ”Only tau pok left!”

Fans of Kway Chap often troop to Blanco Court Food Centre (3rd Storey) at the sprawling Old Airport Road Food Centre to get their fix of this 2-part Teochew dish.

Let’s clear some of the confusion first.

This stall has several names, from “Blanco Court Food Centre (3rd Storey)”, “Blanco Court Kway Chap” (unofficial name) to “To-Ricos Guo Shi”, so it may get a bit confusing for newbies or tourists.

The stall in Old Airport Road is the original shop, and it used to have a branch at Ci Yuan Hawker Centre but that has just closed.

There are two other “Blanco Court” Kway Chaps – Blanco Court Kueh Chap at Holland Drive (44 Holland Drive, 02-02) and Blanco Court Garden Street Kway Chap at Serangoon Gardens (49A Serangoon Garden Way 01-21). They are all NOT related.

Queuing may take more than 20 minutes before you can allow the silky smooth kway to glide over tongue and sink your teeth into the traditionally braised pig offal.

They have sets for or 1 or 2 persons, and you can order an add-on if you like additional ingredients or innards.

Ingredients that can be bought separately include pig trotters ($5), big intestines ($4), pig’s stomach ($4), pork belly ($4), pig skin ($1, $2), tau kwa (80cents), to braised eggs (60 cents)

The favourite part in the entire plate was the intestines, cut in large bite-size pieces, are spongy tender yet not springy. Interesting to note that the stall does not offer small intestines.

Some of the other components were more to the average side, which I wished had a more braised taste. The pork slices were slightly leaner and blander than I wished.

The other highlight was the kway itself, broad yet thin and slippery smooth.

The fragrant soy sauce broth was mildly sweet and herbal, complemented by the aroma of fried shallots.

What makes people come back to Blanco Court is that its serving size was substantial for the price.

They also prepare and cook their intestines properly, making sure they leave no stench nor bitterness in them.

Blanco Court Food Centre Kwap Chap (3rd Storey) 多丽哥粿汁
51 Old Airport Road, #01-135 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm (Wed – Fri, Sun), 10:30am – 3pm (Sat), Closed Mon, Tues

Other Related Entries
10 Must Try Stalls At Old Airport Road Food Centre
Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow (Old Airport Road Food Centre)
Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee (Old Airport Road Food Centre)
Whitley Road Prawn Noodles (Old Airport Road Food Centre)
Hua Kee Hougang Famous Wanton Mee (Old Airport Road Food Centre)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Changi Airport is now known to be more than just the best airport in the world – it was voted World’s Best Airport by travellers from across the world during the Skytrax 2019 World Airport Survey.

The airport is a top-notch food destination in itself, with loads of dining choices – especially when you need a quick bite or meal before you fly or when you arrive back to Singapore.

Ease your way through more than 200 dining establishments listed in Changi Airport’s website, with the list growing as more food outlets and restaurants open.

Over at T3, not many know that there is a NEW Tai Cheong Bakery serving your favourite Pandan Egg Tarts. Also just launched is the first Canton Paradise Noodle & Congee and Le Shrimp Ramen dual-concept that satisfies your ramen, congee and Hong Kong noodles craving.

If you are craving for Japanese snacks and Baked Japanese Sweet Potato, the NEW Sweet Potato Factory by Don Don Donki is opened 24/7.

Other food concepts to expect at T3 include 4Fingers Crispy Chicken, Beard Papa’s, Bikanervala (Indian vegetarian food), O’ Coffee Club, Paradise Dynasty, Paris Baguette, Old Town White Coffee, Xin Wang Hong Kong Café and Yakun Family Café.

A well-hidden food secret is that one of Singapore’s best Bak Chor Mee can be found at T3’s Kopitiam food court.

Here are 12 recommended food places that can satisfy your hunger at Changi Airport Terminal 3:

Colonial Club
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #03-33
Tel: +65 6214 0268
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Explore and appreciate Singapore’s rich culinary heritage even more when you dine in at Colonial Club. The Halal-certified restaurant revolves around serving dishes most representative of the colonial era.

To do this, Colonial Club’s chefs have travelled to different parts of Singapore and Malaysia to curate the dishes that fit the criteria.

The result is a menu from an array of heritage cuisines, including Hainanese-style Western delights, Nyonya dishes, and local favourites with British-Colonial influence such as the Signature Nasi Lemak Tower ($16.90) and Signature Colonial Club Garlic Roast Chicken ($22.90).

If you are looking for fish-based dishes, they have the Deep-Fried Dory Fish with Curry Nasi Lemak ($15.90) and the Superior Promfret Fish & Scallop Soup ($18.90).

In the mood for some crunchy fried chicken? The Indomee Goreng Crispy Chicken Rendang ($13.90) and Hainanese Chicken Chop ($15.90) are both recommended choices.

Signature Nasi Lemak Tower ($16.90)
The Signature Nasi Lemak Tower is a ‘good-looker’ (aka Instagram-worthy), which combines a fragrant blue pea coconut rice topped with a layer of spicy otak otak, sunny side up egg, and the Indo-Malay beef rendang.

Order this dish and enjoy the accompaniments too: crunchy acar, sambal chilli, anchovies and peanuts.

Colonial Club Promotion:
Get 1 FREE Chendol with $30++ minimum spending. Readers will just have to flash this article to redeem the free Chendol.
– Valid till end of 31 Jul 2019
– Limited to 1 redemption per table

So Pho
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #03-30/31
Tel: +65 6242 2023
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 11pm (Mon – Sun)

So Pho at Level 3 is a Vietnamese street food joint that offers authentic dishes at reasonable prices in a casual, contemporary setting. This outlet is also Halal-certified.

As an appetiser, the Summer Rolls with Prawns should be deal dish to whet your appetite. Then proceed with either their Grilled Chicken & Chicken Ham ($4.80 for 2 pieces) or the Prawn Cakes with Sugar Cane ($7.50).

Another must-try dish is the Baguette with Grilled Beef and Chicken Ham ($7.50). The banh mi (Vietnamese for bread) is filled with slices of savoury meats and fresh veggies.

Perfect for take-away as you rush back to the boarding area (hopefully not missing your flight).

Vietnamese “Pho” of Sliced Beef, Brisket & Beef Balls Noodle Soup ($10.80)
There’s nothing more soothing that a steaming bowl of Pho (pronounced ‘fur’), the iconic and staple Vietnamese noodle dish with slippery rice noodles, beef broth and vegetables.

Your So Pho experience is just not complete without trying their rendition of Vietnamese “Pho” of Sliced Beef, Brisket & Beef Balls Noodle Soup ($10.80), served with beansprouts, lime wedges, chili fish sauce, sliced onions, coriander, Vietnamese basil, and mint.

The deep flavour of the broth comes from long hours of simmering.

COLLIN’S®
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #03-21
Tel: +65 6242 3601
Opening Hours: 10am – 11pm (Sun – Thurs), 10am – 12am (Fri, Sat, Eve of PH)

Founded by Chef Collin Ho, COLLIN’S® is a Singapore-bred food brand known for Western cuisine, at price points that are value-for-money.

COLLIN’S® Restaurant’s ambiance is warm and relaxing, while the food is prepared with quality ingredients in a healthy manner.

Some of the popular choices include Signature Grilled Chicken Chop ($13.00), but if you prefer a combination of meats, the COLLIN’S® Mixed Grill ($20.00) should be a good pick even for sharing.

Pair up your grilled meats with some carbs on the side, like the Duo of Mushroom Potato Au Gratin ($8.00).

For dessert, finish off by indulging in a Chocolate Lava Fondant ($10.00) that comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Then wash up those happily worked up taste buds with a refreshing glass of Lemon & Orange Premium Iced Earl Grey Tea ($4.50).

Signature Roasted BBQ Pork Ribs ($17 for ½ slab)
If you could only have just one dish, go for The Signature Roasted BBQ Pork Ribs ($17 for 1/2 Slab), a favourite among COLLIN’S® customers for many years.

The smoky-delicious tender ribs are accompanied with Skinny Cajun Fries, Corn Cob, Mesclun Salad and Coleslaw.

A-One Signature
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #03-42/43
Tel: +65 6283 0905
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)

A-One Signature offers Singapore’s favourite home-cooked food prepared with traditional claypot recipes.

The menu is all about piping hot claypots and sizzling hotplates. Its T3 outlet has that modern Chinese interior that makes you comfy and feel at home.

A signature dish is the Claypot Dried Chilli Frog’s Meat ($19.90), perhaps an acquired taste for some but an appealing delicacy for others. The Handmade Bean Curd ($14.90) served with Chai Po in a Hong Kong-Style Sauce is also highly recommended.

Those who continue to be hooked in the salted egg flavour hype should go for the Deep-Fried Pumpkin with Creamy Salted Egg Sauce ($14.90).

Signature Dried Scallop Porridge with Minced Meat, Century Egg, Salted Egg and Egg ($12.90)
Experience comforting warmth with their signature Dried Scallop Porridge with Minced Meat, Century Egg, Salted Egg and Egg that comes with a topping of minced meat and 3 kinds of egg – century egg, salted egg, and a regular egg.

If you find yourself chilly in T3, this warm and hearty dish is for you.

Some of us just want our food served and eaten at the right temperature. You’ll love how A-One has adopted the most traditional claypot-cooking techniques to make sure your dish is kept at optimum temperature. This also helps the ingredients stay rich and flavourful.

Sweet Potato Factory by Don Don Donki
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #02-97
Tel: +65 6281 1711
Opening Hours: 24 hours

Sweet Potato Factory is a spin off concept store of Don Don Donki, the popular discount store that many Singaporeans love which specialising in Japan-made products and everything else Japanese.

What you will love here is the variety of goods you can find at affordable, hard-to-beat prices.

Among all its stores, the Sweet Potato Factory is quite different as it specialises in Japanese mobile food. It is also Don Don Donki’s first ever location in an international airport operating 24 hours.

Signature Baked Sweet Potato ($2.80)
As the store’s name suggests, the signature dish to try here is the Signature Baked Sweet Potato aka Yakiimo (Japanese for baked Japanese sweet potatoes), a traditional and healthy treat.

Don Don Donki uses the Japanese sweet potato variety Beni Haruka, giving it a soft, creamy texture and a honey-like taste. Beni Haruka is known for its naturally high level of sweetness and its creamy texture.

Other snack items to try are the Caramelised Sweet Potato Sticks ($3.90), which could be addicting if you’re into sweet stuff, and Goma Pote ($3.90) made of sweet potato cubes sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Pair any of these snacks with the trending Brown Sugar Milk with Pearls ($3.90) or the Sweet Potato Milk ($4.90) using Hokkaido milk.

Ramen Champion & Hokkaido Paradise
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #B2-58
Tel: +65 6214 2958
Opening Hours: 11am – 10:30pm (Mon – Fri), 10:30am – 10:30pm (Sat, Sun, PH)

Ramen Champion’s spanking new outlet at Changi Airport Terminal 3 is refreshed, revamped, and ready to dole out new dishes.

Known for housing the best Japanese ramen of different origin and base, Ramen Champion has won the hearts of many for the last seven years. And now it’s back to win more hearts with its new offerings inspired by popular dishes in Hokkaido, hence the “Hokkaido Paradise” extension in its name.

The spotlight is on the new Hokkaido-themed dishes, such as Ishikari Nabe ramen, Seafood Donburi, Curry, Asahikawa ramen, Sapporo ramen and Hakodate ramen.

Stamina Miso Ramen ($16.80)
Among the Hokkaido-themed dishes at Ramen Champion is the Stamina Miso Ramen with white miso tonkotsu cooked with Hokkaido milk for a rich and smooth texture.

Inspired by Hokkaido’s Mt Fuji – Yotei Mountain, this bowl of jiro-kei ramen is topped with heap of fresh vegetables including Hokkaido corn, sukiyaki meat, butter, torched pork belly char shu, and ajitama egg (marinated soft-boiled egg a.k.a. ramen egg) with yolk that flows freely when opened.

Other recommended items include the Sapporo Special Miso Ramen ($16.80), Special Tonkotsu Ramen ($16.80), Tamagoyaki ($7.80), Philadelphia Roll ($15.80), Special Curry Rice ($19.80), and Hojicha Kakigori ($12.80).

Canton Paradise Noodle & Congee
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #B2-49
Opening Hours: 8am – 11pm daily, Last order 10.15pm (Mon – Sun)

This is the Paradise Group’s first dual-concept outlet that houses Canton Paradise Noodle & Congee and Le Shrimp Ramen under the same roof, to offer diners more variety and options.

Local and international travellers looking for a taste of Hong Kong in between flights will find lots of choices here at the bustling Canton Paradise.

It offers Cantonese cuisine, particularly different versions of traditional noodles and congee.

Go for these must-tries: Canton Jumbo Prawn Wanton Noodle ($9.00) available with or without soup (dry), and Spicy Minced Meat Noodle ($7.90) which is a dry-type of tossed noodle dish.

For the noodles, cooking time is precisely controlled, monitoring the temperature to ensure the noodles come out perfectly cooked with a springy bite.

‘Ting Zai’ Style Congee ($8.90)
The congee served here are made with two kinds of rice grains – jasmine white rice and pearl rice.

Aside from the right blend of rice grains, what makes their congees silky and rich is how they are prepared.

The long, continuous boiling of rice grains helps achieve that desired silkiness, giving you that smooth mouthfeel for each spoonful you take.

Le Shrimp Ramen
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #B2-49
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 11pm, Last order 10:15pm (Mon – Sun)

Le Shrimp Ramen serves up a blend of Chinese and Japanese cultures, combining its two iconic food item: Chinese la mian and Japanese ramen broth.

It is the first of its kind creation. The ingredients used are simple yet the flavours are rich and elaborate, trademarks of Asian cuisines.

For the broths, they offer two specialties – shrimp broth and the Japanese-inspired tonkotsu broth.

Le Signature Trio Shrimp Ramen ($19.90)
If you prefer the shrimp broth, go for the Le Signature Trio Shrimp Ramen ($19.90), a piping hot bowl of shrimp extravaganza featuring the intensely prawn-flavoured broth.

The shrimp broth is specially prepared using big, fresh prawns, pork bones and Chinese spices. You can see in its tangerine-orange-ness how intensely flavourful the broth is.

Otherwise, the Red Garoupa with Picked Vegetable Tonkotsu Ramen ($19.90) should soothe you with its creamy, comforting tonkotsu broth.

The tonkotsu broth is a creamy, milk-whitish collagen-rich broth. It is the result of long hours of simmering with pork bones giving it that distinctly Japanese flavour.

For those who like a little bit of heat, order the Ebiko Prawn Paste with Chilli Vinaigrette Ramen ($12.90), a unique combination of Japanese ebiko and chilies and Chinese la mian noodles – may remind you of mala noodles.

Saap Saap Thai
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #B2-33
Tel: +65 9366 0622
Opening Hours: 10am – 10:15pm (Sun – Thurs), 10am – 12:30am (Fri, Sat, Eve of PH)

This self-service Halal-certified restaurant features all-time favourite Thai dishes that global foodies will be familiar with.

They use fresh local produce and all their sauces, herbs and spices are genuinely imported from Thailand to create the true essence of Thai cuisine – sweet, sour & spicy.

Signature Beef Boat Noodle ($7.90)
Recommended dish is their Signature Beef Boat Noodle with noodles served in an aromatic thick broth with that distinct Thai flavour, along with tender slices of beef and succulent beef balls.

The menu also offers the quintessential Spicy Thai Salad, a selection of stir-fried rice dishes, and Thai noodles. For the main dish, you can have a filling Kra-pao Basil Chicken with Rice ($7.90).

Another classic Thai fare you shouldn’t miss is the Tomyam ($9.90), the spicy seafood soup which comes with either noodles or rice.

Refresh with an Iced Thai Milk Tea ($3.00) after satisfying your sweet tooth with their fruity Mango Tango Classic ($5.50) and Sawasdee CUP Sticky Rice Mango.

Tai Cheong Bakery
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #B2-40/40A
Tel: +65 6214 9762
Opening Hours: 7am – 11pm (Mon – Sun)

Drop by Tai Cheong Bakery at T3 and indulge in 1 or 2 (or 3!) of their special egg tarts – dubbed by then Hong Kong British governor, Chris Patten as “the best egg tart in the world”.

For over 6 decades, Tai Cheong Bakery has captured the hearts of Hong Kong-ers across generations with their Signature Egg Tart. It is ranked No. 1 in Hong Kong and in global media.

The signature quality and taste remained consistent through the years, so they continue to attract both locals and tourists.

Signature Egg Tart and Pandan Egg Tart ($2.40 each)
What makes the Signature Egg Tart really famous is the winning combination of its crispy cookie crust and sweet egg custard.

As the pioneer of cookie-crust egg tarts, Tai Cheong’s crust is radically unique from other bakeries.

Aside from the Signature Egg Tart, you must try the Singapore-exclusive Pandan Egg Tart ($2.40), a twist to the classic recipe by adding the local flavour of pandan leaf infusion. This is a must-get, especially for overseas friends a short-trip away.

To simplify, Tai Cheong also serves pastry sets. Go for the Tai Cheong Pastry Set B ($8.80) which puts together 1 piece of the Signature Egg Tart, 1 Bolo Bun, and a serving of Hot Milk Tea.

If you’re looking for something savoury, go for house-special noodles – Tai Cheong HK Dry Noodle ($13.10) or the Cheese Baked Rice ($20.85) served with Beef Truffle & Mushroom.

Tai Cheong Bakery Promotion:
Buy 6 pieces of Signature Egg Tart and get 2 pieces of Signature Egg Tart FREE. While stocks last.

Coffee Boy
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #B2-34
Tel: +65 6241 7461
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)

Had a crazy flight schedule? How about hitting the pause button and get a cup of local coffee at Coffee Boy.

Okay, despite its name, Coffee Boy is not limited to just coffee. Here you can get your fill of tea and a range of delectable croissants, traditional porridges, and tasty toasts.

Tide your hunger with Coffee Boy’s Peanut Butter Toast ($2.40) or get it as a Set Meal with 2 half-boiled eggs and a drink ($4.80). Another option for toast is the Kaya Butter French Toast ($3.90) that’s also available as a Set ($5.30).

For something fancier, go for the Crab Salad Croissant ($5.90/$7.00 with drink) with its refreshingly chilled and creamy filling of shredded crabmeat in a crisp flaky croissant bun.

Curry Chicken Noodle ($5.50/$6.80 with drink)
For something more soothingly warm to the tummy, get the Congee with Century Egg & Shredded Chicken ($5.80/$6.90 with drink) or the mildly spicy Curry Chicken Noodle ($5.50/$6.80 with drink) with yellow noodles, boneless chicken thigh, chunks of potato, and taupok (fried bean curd).

Mee Rebus ($4.90/$6.20 with drink), which literally means “boiled noodles” with yellow noodles, prawns, and a spicy sweet-potato based gravy, is also available at Coffee Boy to help fill you up before your next stop.

Terminal M
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #B2-32
Tel: +65 63823550
Opening Hour: 10.30am – 10pm Last order 9:15pm (Sun – Thurs & PH), 10.30am – 10:30pm Last order 9:45pm (Fri, Sat, Eve of PH)

Terminal M is Singapore’s first aviation-themed gourmet food hall featuring a mix of Asian fare from 5 stalls all under one roof.

And the good news is, Terminal M is Halal certified.

You may find the names of the stalls familiar, as these are spin-offs of the best brands under Ministry of Food (MOF), such as Yu Long Quan (Ju Hao), Hanssik (Ssiksin), Café Papa (Café Mama), Ten-ya (Tensho) and Kaisen-ya (Kaisen-Tei).

With prices that start from $3.50 with no service charge, expect restaurant quality and quick meals at affordable food court prices.

Signature Xiao Long Bao (From $8.50 for 6, or $11.50 for 10 pieces)
One of the favourites is the Signature Xiao Long Bao aka steamed soup dumplings from Yu Long Quan, handmade and made fresh.

Yu Long Quan’s version is filled with chicken and comes in a variety of uniquely Singaporean flavours: Salted Egg, Chilli Crab and Original.

Get 6 pieces of the original Chicken Xiao Long Bao for $8.50, and $11.50 for 10 pieces. It may get some getting used to for the chicken meat, otherwise the broth was sweet and skin still suitably thin.

* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Changi Airport Group.

After a 3 month’s wait, Crystal Jade Group has finally relaunched its flagship fine dining restaurant Crystal Jade Palace, located at Level 4 of Takashimaya Shopping Centre.

Do you know that this Crystal Jade Palace has been at Ngee Ann City since its beginning days, first opened in 1993.

It has been regarded as one of Singapore’s leading Chinese restaurants for an authentic and refined Chinese dining experience.

You may remember the interior to be darker and more luxe-looking, but it has been refreshed with a brand-new look.

Check out the brighter-lit communal dining hall with plush seating, under the iconic chandelier lights; and an elegant Chinese palace garden style courtyard dotted with greenery beyond marble arches.

This is where you can dine in style in the 318-capacity sophisticated modern space.

The menu is also revamped with fresh and exciting offerings.

Group Executive Chef Martin Foo himself has steered the redesign of the menu, with support from his team of chefs.

You will see in their dishes how they innovate and push boundaries while maintaining a deep respect for the rich traditions of Chinese cuisine.

Expect to find a repertoire of familiar favourites but if you want something beyond the usual, go for the Chef’s Table Customised Menu by Chef Foo. It comes in either 6-course or 8-course and strictly by reservations only, at least 2 weeks in advance.

Here are 10 of the must-try Crystal Jade Palace dishes that will welcome you back from their hiatus:

Roasted Irish Duck with Black Truffle ($26 for regular, $48 for half, $95 for whole)
This is one of the signature classic roast items: Roasted Irish Duck with Black Truffle.

The name itself is enough to make your mouth water. This specialty duck, with its succulent meat and paper-thin crisp skin, is served in a dark soy sauce that evokes the aroma of truffle oil.

Talking about the sauce, you may just find yourself ‘sweeping’ it away with the duck meat. It is created by the jus collected from the duck after roasting, essentially the essence.

They also updated the Palace signature Peking Duck ($48 for half, $92 for whole) by adding a black pepper foie gras pate for extra richness, a tangy house-made red wine pear, and fresh romaine lettuce.

The Roasted Honey BBQ Iberico Pork ($30 for regular portion) also levelled up as it is now prepared with prime pork shoulder meat.

Braised Sea Cucumber with Grandma’s Braised Pork Belly ($36)
Another chef-special you shouldn’t miss is the Braised Sea Cucumber with Grandma’s Braised Pork Belly which reminds me of the Hangzhou iconic dish of Dong Po Rou.

This is a rustic, home-style dish served in a claypot featuring Australia-sourced sea cucumbers and Crystal Jade’s signature braised pork belly.

Because the choice cuts of pork belly are slow cooked in quality soy sauce, rock sugar and spices, they end up tasty, sticky, and uber tender.

What I particularly enjoyed was that the meats were melt-in-your-mouth soft (oh, the fats), yet they do not feel that greasy. Best paired with a warm bowl of rice, or the Fried Crispy Rice and Orzo Pasta.

Sautéed Beef Cube with Shishito Peppers in Black Pepper Sauce ($36)
This dish is prepared with premium beef short-rib cubes expertly flash-fried to achieve that desirable wok hei.

Complementing the beef are sweet and mildly-spicy Shishito peppers, which are first dry-roasted in a wok. Typically you would find say capsicum in such a dish, but the finger-sized Shishito peppers provided quite a distinctive flavour with light crunch and hint of smokiness.

A special black pepper blends everything together as a well-balanced savoury main dish.

Fried Crispy Rice and Orzo Pasta with Prawn & Shrimp ($26)
If you have been a fan of the Palace signature fried rice for the longest time, it’s time to try another specialty rice dish: Fried Crispy Rice and Orzo Pasta with Prawn and Shrimps.

Orzo Pasta?

Orzo resemble larger-grains of rice but are really pasta, which delivers more protein and fibre as they are made with whole wheat. They have a firmer, more al dente texture when compared to rice.

So this looks like fried rice, but it is not.

Expertly wok-fried over high heat for that maximum wok hei, this dish is made with orzo pasta grains stir-fried with fresh prawns, diced red & green bell peppers, and flavourful bits of char siew.

It is served with a sprinkling of crispy Sakura ebi and deep-fried rice grains, so you get that bit of crunch every spoonful.

Double-boiled Chicken Soup with Peruvian Ginseng and Sea Whelk ($26 per person)
A traditional Cantonese meal is not complete without some piping-hot soup.

If you must order a soup, try this chef special – an energizing concoction made with “maca” (a medicinal plant from Peru known for its aphrodisiac properties aka Peruvian ginseng) and sea whelk.

The earthy and nutty flavour of ginseng enhances this double-boiled chicken soup, while the sea whelk adds some umami notes.

Deep-fried Chive Stem Pancake ($14.80)
Another highly-recommended appetiser or snack is this savoury pancake made with sheets of spring roll skin.

In between the sheets is a filling combining sweet chive stems aka qing long cai, minced fresh prawns, and bits of lap cheong – the Chinese sausages may come in small bits but they make a big difference taste-wise.

Together, these are deep-fried until the spring roll skin turns golden brown and crispy curled on the edges. Very addictive.

Steamed XO Scallop Dumpling wrapped in ‘marbled’ skin ($8.80 for 3 pieces)
If you want quality dim sum, Crystal Jade Palace is a top contender.

This new dumpling creation highlights its ‘marbled’ skin with white and grey gradient tones, and a special robust homemade XO sauce.

The unique and delicate dark dumpling skin wraps a scallop and prawn, along with some celery for a bit or crunch.

Crystal Jade’s Assorted Mushroom Dumpling ($6.80 for 3 pieces)
This assorted mushroom dumpling makes a fine choice for vegetarians, but even non-vegetarians will appreciate the earthy mix of fresh button, shitake and hon shimeji (brown beech) mushrooms.

The minced fungi are sautéed with finely diced carrots and celery, then encased in a delicately soft skin. A recommended signature dumpling for dim sum lovers!

Crispy Tiger Prawn Fritters Wrapped in Red Glutinous Rice Cheong Fun ($8.80)
A unique dish that combines the crispy and the sticky. It takes a juicy Tiger prawn and mixes it with salted egg yolk, then made into a deep-fried fritter.

This elaborate red-tinged prawn is then wrapped in a red glutinous rice cheong or thin rice noodle roll skin.

The beauty is really in its centre, where the grainy salted egg yolk adds that element of surprise.

Chendol with Coconut Ice Cream ($12.80)
Finally, wind down after a satisfying meal with a familiar dessert with modern interpretation – the Chendol with Coconut Ice Cream.

Enjoy a serving of aromatic coconut-flavoured sorbet with Chendol and grass jelly cubes.

This dessert is finished and decorated with feuilletine crumbled into shards for that sweet, buttery flavour and unique crisp texture.

One special feature of Crystal Jade Palace’s interior is the commissioned mixed-media artworks by local artist Sam Auditeur.

The wall depicts the four seasons in which the birds are migrating from season to season, also a reflection of how Crystal Jade Palace is the place for celebrations throughout the year.

Walk near the back of the restaurant, and you would find a “courtyard” depicting a palace’s moongate, which is a more casual setting from the main dining hall.

There is also an intimate tea room where you can partake in artisanal teas before or after your meal.

Seven private dining rooms are available, and there is also a large event space that can accommodate up to 120 guests – perfect for a wedding reception, a corporate event, or a lavish birthday celebration.

Crystal Jade Palace
391 Orchard Road, #04-19, Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Singapore 238872
Tel: +65 6735 2388
Opening Hours 11:30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10:30pm (Mon – Fri)
11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10:30pm (Sat), 10am – 3pm, 6pm – 10:30pm (Sun, PH)

* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Crystal Jade Group.

The bubble tea trend in Singapore is not showing signs of stopping, yet.

If you are a bubble tea fan who have been to Taiwan, the brand “Milkshop” 迷客夏 shouldn’t be unfamiliar.

It has over 230 outlets in Taiwan (20 in China and 3 in Hong Kong), voted the No.1 brand by Taiwanese university students. So “Milkshop” is finally opening up in Singapore, at Suntec City Mall and Funan.

Marketed as “Milksha” in international markets, its first flagship outlet at Suntec City Mall will be officially launched 22 June (Sat, location above Uniqlo), followed by the second outlet at Funan on 28 June (Fri).

I tried the Milksha in both Taiwan and Hong Kong, and loved it for the natural tasting and smooth milk.

You may be feeling sort of a bubble tea fatigue now, and wondering what’s the difference between Milksha and all other brands.

There is some intention to move away from the mainstream brown sugar milk trend, and instead they would like to emphasize on the freshness and pureness of their signature drinks.

Good to know that there are no preservatives, chemical ingredients or artificial colourings used in the beverages.

100% natural fresh milk, no creamer, using sugar from sugar cane.

With no addition of colourings, you may find that the pearls or bubbles are therefore clearer in colour instead of the usual brownish-black. This is also because the pearls are sweetened with honey.

Milksha will first launch four series in Singapore: Fresh Milk Series, Fresh Milk Tea Latte Series, Premium Tea Series and Special Concoctions; and you can include toppings such as honey pearls, grass jelly and pudding.

If you are unsure what to order, here are the signature Milksha drinks:

Azuki Matcha Milk ($5.60)
The Azuki Matcha Milk features matcha specially imported from Izumo Tousuien (桃翠園) which is a century-old matcha specialty brand from Japan.

The matcha is first chilled, then directly air-flown to Singapore, assure that you get your ‘legit’ tasting matcha latte.

If you like your distinct matcha flavour, you would get it in this delish drink. Also quite pleasantly light, with nice balance of the slight bitter matcha and moderate sweetness coming from the red beans.

(Just a note: If you want to drink this, look out for “Izaumo Matcha Milk” or “Azuki Matcha Milk” which comes with red beans on the menu. There is also “Green Tea Latte” which is a different thing all together.)

Fresh Taro Milk ($5.60)
Real taro is used here – impressive. The taro are chopped, steamed, then mashed by hands with a metal masher. After which, the taro mash is scooped up into circular shapes, then blended with milk upon order.

This differs from some stalls which use taro flavours or just powder.

The taro is also specially imported from Dajia (大甲) in Taichung, Taiwan. The district is specially known for its high-quality taro, taro cakes and “purple jade” desserts and the likes.

The blended Fresh Taro Milk was expectedly rich and creamy, just mildly sweet, and may make you feel like you have having an orh nee drink – except that it is relatively smooth and not that thick.

If you love munching some of those taro bits after sipping, you are in luck as they can be found providing that extra textural sensation. Yammy.

Valrhona 100% Cocoa Milk ($4.80)
Expect a pure and intense cocoa taste, as the drink uses premium Valrhona cocoa from France. (Valrhona is known for producing the world’s finest chocolate in the small village of Tain L’Hermitage, with complex, balanced and consistent flavours.)

I would recommend either a 0% sugar (if you want that rich-bitter chocolate flavour) or 30% for that slight sweetness.

Earl Grey Latte ($3.80, additional $1.00 for honey pearls)
The Sri Lankan earl grey leaves used are actually freshly brewed in-house, which gives that tea fragrance with bright, clean and invigorating taste.

After mixing with the milk, this drink is part creamy and part comforting.

Refreshing Orange Green Tea ($4.20, $5.00)
You can already imagine that orange should provide that vibrant taste which transforms green tea to a more ‘lively’ and revitalising drink – great for the hot Singapore weather.

What’s noteworthy is that whole oranges which are imported from Taiwan are juiced. That includes the orange zest which provides an aromatic punch to the drink. (I think this reads better in Chinese… 橙皮的香氣完全釋放，喝起來帶有橙香氣卻不酸又順口)

Taiwanese oranges are used here because they are sweeter, juicier, with distinct sharp flavour.

Roasted Wheat Tea ($2.60, $3.40)
This is a roasted wheat and cassia seed tea, somewhat like coffee in terms of the aroma and bitter-sweet taste, yet without the caffeine.

For those who enjoys the toasty and earthy flavour, with slight bitter undertones.

You can drink it kosong (sans sugar), or added with milk and grass jelly.

Brown Sugar Milk ($4.60, additional $1.00 for honey pearls)
This currently trending drink has a different take here.

Firstly, the brown sugar is prepared from scratch, ie the brown suagr imported from Taiwan is mixed, heated and stirred thoroughly till it becomes the molten liquid form. No pre-mixes or syrups are used.

The boba or bubbles are the bottom are honey pearls. They are freshly cooked, then frozen before being air-flown directly to Singapore. Instead of using dried pearls, Milksha invests in quick freeze technology to maintain the texture and taste consistency of each pearl.

Thus, you would find that the pearls have this honeyed-sweetness and are more chewy than usual. Also the brown sugar taste doesn’t overwhelm the whole cup.

Black Sesame Milk ($4.80)
Even though this is not one of appointed signature drinks and is ‘hidden’ near the bottom of the menu, I would think this Black Sesame Milk has got what it takes to be popular among Singaporeans.

If you love your Goma drinks or zhi ma hu aka grounded black sesame seeds dessert, you should give the Black Sesame Milk a go for the delicious nutty and mellow taste.

Tip: Add some red bean for the ultimate sweet-earthy pleasure.

So this is my personal recommendation: Azuki Matcha Milk, Black Sesame Milk, and Fresh Taro Milk. Hmm… happens to be all the milk drinks. I guess they are called Milksha for a reason.

Milksha Opening Promotion
Milksha will be opening its first flagship outlet at Suntec City Mall on 22 June 2019 (Sat), followed by its second outlet at Funan on 28 June 1019 (Fri).

Get your hands on Milksha’s uniquely designed cup sleeves with every purchase of drinks. Suntec City outlet will offer two, while Funan outlet will offer one of their own store-exclusive cup sleeves designs.

In celebration of Milksha’s Funan outlet opening, purchase any 4 drinks and get a Milksha tumbler for free. Promotion is valid from 28th June 2019 onwards. While stocks last for both exclusive items.

Milksha – Suntec City Mall
3 Temasek Boulevard #02-375/376 Suntec City Mall Singapore 038983 (Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre side, above Uniqlo)
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
https://www.facebook.com/milkshasingapore

Milksha – Funan
107 North Bridge Road #02-K07 Funan, Singapore 179105
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Milksha.

From Osaka to Singapore, Asian Rad Afters is one distinctive shop, in terms of its cyan-green colour and offering of Bubble Waffle. You can call them an “egglet”.

Even the origins of the name “Asian Rad Afters” is unique, and is one of the most frequently asked questions from the customers.

According to the Japanese owners who had shifted to Singapore, the word “Asian” refers to the fusion of local Singaporean flavours into Hong Kong Egglet.

As for “Rad”, it is a slang for “radical” which means “awesome”, while “after” represents having awesome Asian desserts after meal. Sodesu-ne.

Located right next to Stateland Cafe and Brother Bird along tourist-centric Bali Lane, the double- storey bright cyan green (some see it as Tiffany blue) exterior stood out from far.

Note that the cafe area is only limited to the first floor, with 10 counter seats.

The menu includes offerings of Bubble Waffle ($12 – $13), Iced Asian Tea ($4.80), Fruit Cup ($8.50) and Ice Cream (Single scoop $4.50/ Double Scoops $6.50).

The Bubble Waffle is prepared ala minute upon order, with multiple flavours of fanciful names.

The Singapore exclusives are called Peranakan Road ($12.50) and Little SouQ ($13).

Other flavours include Nutty Caramel ($12), Blue City Chocolate ($12) and Japanese Garden ($12).

Each Bubble Waffle comes with a floral, green (that same shade) paper cone wrapped with a sheet of plastic to prevent the melted ice cream from spilling all over our hands.

#ForTheGram With a scoop of ice cream placed within the hot bubble waffle, the plastic wrap comes in really handy in such instances.

The Little SouQ ($13) exclusive to Singapore, comes with a chocolate Bubble Waffle and a scoop of Thai Milk Tea Ice Cream and various toppings such as cream cheese, dried fig, coconut flakes, dates, pumpkin seeds and pretzel.

I was half-expecting for it to be only instagrammable, but the combination turned out to be quite oishii.

Unlike the usual Hong Kong style egglet, the Bubble Waffle is crispy on the edges, with moist and fluffy texture on the inside. You can say the mouthfeel is almost similar to a cake.

Appearance-wise, the Bubble Wrap may look sweet, but the toppings of dried fig and dates are actually mildly salted which add that savoury touch.

At the bottom layer of the Bubble Waffle, I was surprised to find a familiar taste of pandan in the green sauce.

To create a local taste, the owners have added kaya to all their Bubble Waffle instead of custard used in their outlet in Japan.

The thirst-quencher which comes in the form of the Iced Asian Tea ($4.80), created with striking colours of different layers.

A total of 4 different flavours ($4.80) are available which include Princess Yang Kweifei (lychee, oolong), Arabian Nights (spicy lemonade), Kuta Beach Sunset (orange, roselle) and Bonsai Citrus (lime, matcha).

The Arabian Nights came with beautiful layers of blue (butterfly pea tea), red (cinnamon) and yellow (honey) and bits of yuzu.

Typically the butterfly pea tea doesn’t have an obvious taste on its own. Adding cinnamon here gives that spiced kick towards the back.

A refreshing twist to the usual drinks.

Asian Rad Afters offers quite an interesting selection of desserts in a pretty setting.

Note: the shop is pending Halal-certification.

Asian Rad Afters
33 Bali Lane, Singapore 189869
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 7pm (Wed – Sun), Closed Mon, Tue, Opened on PH

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* Written by Nicholas Tan @stormscape who loves all things [NEW]. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

So Chinatown Complex Food Centre has made its return after a few months’ renovation (though as an outsider, we don’t see much noticeable differences other than the nets), and the one stall that many look forward to is Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao 中国拉面小笼包.

The humble stall offers a great value for your money with delicious handmade Xiao Long Bao ($6.50), Szechuan Spicy Wanton ($5), and hand-pulled noodles such as Sour & Spicy Noodle, Beef Noodles, Dumpling Noodles and Sour & Spicy Noodles (each bowl priced at $3.50 – $4).

It gained more recognition after it was awarded a “Michelin Plate” in the Singapore Michelin Guide.

For first timers, navigating around the food centre especially in the hot weather may be daunting, so I always first look out for Hawker Chan Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle (#02-126). The stall is kind of nearby (#02-135).

Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao 中国拉面小笼包 was first established by Mr Li Feng Cai and his wife who were originally from Anhui, China. He learnt the art of noodle making from Beijing and Shenzhen.

Who doesn’t love a good steamed dumpling?

The Xiao Long Bao are freshly made on the spot by hand, considered affordable at $6.50 for 2 baskets of 5 (increased from $6 before renovations).

Digging into that smooth skin, to find steamy and belly warming soup and juicy filling awaiting you, can be a blissful experience.

The broth to said to be cooked for 12 hours before being frozen and wrapped in the minced pork dumpling.

Many would compare this to the offering of the other famous chain. I would say while it lacked the finesse in terms of consistency and thickness of skin, the fillings were moist and meaty, while broth was to the sweeter side.

Add some vinegar and chilli for a better experience.

The Pan-Fried Dumplings aka Guo Tie ($6.50 for 10 pieces) certainly looked promising with its crisp outer layer, and almost golden-brown exterior. Such beautiful pieces.

Alas, the inside wasn’t as juicy as I would have expected, though it was similar rather meaty. So im comparison, not my favourite thing here.

If you need to choose, then I would rather go for the Szechuan Spicy Wanton aka Hong You Chao Shou ($5 for 10 pieces) with almost slurp-worthy vinegary sauce with tingling of spiciness.

Between the Xiao Long Bao and La Mian, surprisingly the La Mian with Fried Bean Sauce ($3.50) impressed me more.

There was a certain pleasant and doughy bite to the long strands of thin noodles.

The bean sauce was generous in portion, and wasn’t over in terms of that fermented bean taste.

The stall does get rather crowded during peak meal times, as more tourists are getting aware of their existence, especially when they have got a fair bit of publicity from the Singapore Michelin Street Food Festival. Come slightly before the typical dinner times if you can.

Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao 中国拉面小笼包
335 Smith Street, Chinatown Complex Food Centre #02-135, Singapore 050335
Tel: +65 9743 5287
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 3pm, 5pm – 8:30pm (Wed – Sun), Closed Mon, Tues

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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Despite Singaporeans’ love for desserts, we actually don’t get that many Hong Kong style dessert shops around.

The most prominent and authentic ones are probably Ah Chew Desserts, Mei Heong Yuen Dessert, Ji De Chi, and Dessert First.

When I learnt about Jin Yu Man Tang Dessert Shop 金玉满堂甜品 at East Coast, I think it has the potential to be a hit with families.

Perhaps its location, lack of marketing and visibility cause it to be off-the-radar, but this should pick up really soon.

The dessert shop does remind of Ah Chew Desserts in a certain way, and I do hope they can one day extend hours later to cater to the night owls.

(Photo credit: Nicholas Tan @stormscape)

Some of its specialties include the Ginger Milk Pudding 姜撞奶 ($4.00), Shun De Double Layer Milk 顺德双皮奶 ($3.60), Peach Gum with Milk 桃胶鲜牛奶 ($4.50), Mango with Mini Rice Ball 芒果小丸子 ($5.00), and Deep Fried Milk 炸牛奶 ($5.50).

(Photo credit: Nicholas Tan @stormscape)

The Ginger Milk Pudding ($4.00) is probably their hero product, made on the spot only after ordering.

First you get a bowl of ginger mixture, after which milk would be poured into it. Wait for about 4 minutes or so, then the milk would turn into smooth-wobbly pudding.

Just like how it is traditionally done. Note that no takeaways will be available for this due to the steps needed to make it properly.

The signature Shun De Double Layer Milk ($3.60) originated from Shunde in Foshan China. You can also choose other toppings such as red bean, mango, lotus seeds, walnut, almond, and papaya.

The milk pudding was incredibly soft, and melt-in-your-mouth.

It does remind me of Hong Kong’s Yee Shun Milk Company, except that this may in fact be even softer.

It is fair enough to say that Mango Sago Pomelo ($5.00) aka ”Yang Zhi Gan Lu” is one of Singapore’s favourite Chinese-style dessert.

Their version came with grapefruit pulp, which provides that slightly-bitter and tart taste which complemented the sweet, fresh mangoes.

I also enjoyed that the desserts here, are generally not too sweet.

The next time I come, I am likely to try the Deep-Fried Milk ($5.50) which requires quite an extensive making process.

A special milk mixture has to be harden, wrapped up, then deep fried carefully upon ordering.

You would get that crunchy feeling on the outside, and soft-melty inside.

Jin Yu Man Tang Dessert Shop金玉满堂甜品
66 East Coast Road, The Flow #01-03 Singapore 428778
Tel: +65 6214 3380
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10:30pm (Mon – Sun)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Ask where the best Chilli Crab is in Singapore, and you may probably get a debate with varying supporters of Roland, Red House, No Signboard, Long Beach, to Jumbo.

I would say Mellben at Ang Mo Kio is a popular and safe choice for finger-licking-good Chilli Crabs and Claypot Crab Bee Hoon.

From a humble stall along Commonwealth Avenue in 1979, the family-run Mellben Seafood has established itself as a well-known seafood destination in Singapore.

In 1985, founder Melvin Soon partnered with Benson to launch Mellben Seafood Catering Service. Today, their network has a total of 8 outlets, including Uncle Leong’s Seafood (Yeah, they are related).

The restaurant is also listed in the Singapore Michelin Guide with a “Michelin Plate”.

The open-air crab shell-adorned restaurant in Ang Mo Kio is located quite distance away from the nearest MRT station, at a kopitiam in one of the HDB estates.

Some people brave the distance for a taste of their heavenly crab dishes, but it is best to call ahead to make a reservation.

Otherwise you will face with a long wait, especially during the weekends.

Almost everybody comes here for the crabs.

Choose from any of the 15 ways their in-house chef freshly prepares the star crustacean, from the classic Chili Crab to Black Pepper Crab, Butter Crab, Curry Sauce Crab, Salted Egg Yolk Crab, Shimmering Sands Crab, Claypot Crab Vermicelli Soup, Laksa Crab, and many more. (The Laksa Crab is exclusively available at their Opal and Pasir Ris Branches.)

Mellben’s Chili Crab is arguably one of the best in Singapore, served using large crabs in a thick, spicy and slightly sweet chili sauce. Level of spice can be adjusted according to your preference.

It is understandable that preference for Chilli Crabs can leave people divided: some may prefer spicier sauce, while others would like more of that sweet-ketchup taste.

Mellben’s style is very starchy, eggy and gooey, ie a lot of sauce that you have more than enough to sweep your mantou.

I won’t say it was spicy, but had more sweet-savoury notes and quite well-balanced. I actually still liked the sauce very much.

Crabs were thankfully fleshy and succulently-sweet, more substantial than some of the recent ones I tried.

However, a medium sized portion could cost you about $100 or even more, and this would be seen as ‘touristy-pricey’, especially when it is at a non-airconditioned space.

The other thing is, the fried mantou were sent much earlier than the crabs, and therefore it lost much of the crispiness by the time the star arrived.

The Claypot Crab Bee Hoon Soup aka Claypot Crab Vermicelli Soup is also a must-try. You may have to wait for 45 minutes, depending on the time you come.

Served piping hot, the milky broth is rich and aromatic with its inherently sweet crabs and smooth glass noodles.

If you are lucky, the crab meat in your crab is “solid”. As they say “Not 100% Guaranteed Solid Crab”.

They also offer live seafood and a variety of zi char dishes.

Average check per person is $50 – $60. Prices are not listed in the menu, so you may want to check before ordering before you end up with a shock.

Mellben Seafood 龙海鲜螃蟹王
232 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, St 22, #01-1222, Singapore 560232
Tel: +65 6285 6762
Opening Hours: 5pm – 10:30pm (Mon – Sun)

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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Pides (pronounced as “pea-dae”) are Turkish flatbread which are typically combined with various toppings, traditionally prepared during Ramadan.

Trust the Koreans to ‘hipster-fy’ it.

I chanced upon What’s Pide at China Square Central, which is a South Korean brand with 11 outlets in Seoul.

It operates like a fast-casual restaurant concept, offering 5 types of Pide – Hey! Lu Lu ($6.50), Sofia’s Meatballs ($7.50), Prawn Star ($8.50), Mrs Park ($9.00), and Eda-san ($7.50). (Who comes up with these names?)

Good to know that the pides are hand-kneaded using a specially formulated flour from Korea which are created with a secret mix of dry ingredients, and baked fresh every day.

The recipe and technique combined is said to give the traditionally firmer flatbread a spongier texture.

I asked the cashier to pick a Pide for me, and she went with Mrs Park which contains seasoned bulgogi beef, pickled jalapenos and caramelised onion. Good as this is probably the most Korean of all the offerings.

Considering that I just came back from the Middle East for a trip and eaten loads of flat bread, I found the Korean pide familiar yet different.

I enjoyed the feeling of holding it with the hands, feeling that soft texture before chomping down. There was this lovely crust on the outer, and the bread was indeed like cushion.

The beef bulgogi used in Singapore is said to use 50% less sugar – no wonder it wasn’t as rich as I have expected.

I enjoyed the sweet-savoury marinate but wished that it was overall juicier.

Perhaps this was done so as to not create a mess while eating for the CBD workers.

What’s Pide also offers its own coffee, a Pide’s Brew ($5.50) brewed fresh with a splash of coconut water.

It was rich, chocolatey and quite intense, but the balance seemed marginally off such that you get quite strong-bitter notes towards the end. Perhaps it needed more coconut water for that slight sweetness.

Promising, and I think it will make a suitable take-away meal. Good alternative to the boring sandwiches.

What’s Pide
22 Cross Street #01-63, China Square Central, Singapore 048421
Tel: +65 9389 0863
Opening Hours: 8am – 9pm (Mon – Fri), Closed Sun

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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Talk about some of Singaporean’s favourite indie gelato cafes in Singapore, they include Creamier, Birds Of Paradise and Dopa Dopa.

Butterknife Folk at River Valley Road has been slowly building its fanbase through its wacky, creative flavours.

And great to know that they will soon be opening at Funan when the mall launches on the 28th of June.

The café actually started selling cakes, but switched to gelato after it gained traction with customers.

If you find the name slightly peculiar, the owner felt that starting a café in a competitive market at this young age, was akin to fighting a battle with a butter knife.

”While other chefs have impressive tools and knives from their bags, I hope to show the world what we can do with our butter knife.”

The one unique thing is the gelato shop changes its flavours ALL THE TIME.

So if you really enjoy something, better get a tub back or come back the next day, or you may never get to try it again. It happened to me before (Thankfully, they reintroduced the Thai Milk Tea gelato a year later.)

This is one of those gelato shops I would head back once in a while, just to be surprised. And my recommendation is, be very open in trying out new things and not just stick to the tried-and-tested.

You never know.

Butterknife Folk at Funan will also feature a “no menu” concept.

Instead of a fixed menu board selection of flavours, customers will be greeted with a large 2.2m mirror hung above the gelato cabinet reflecting the 16 flavours of the day.

The gelato is made in-house from scratch, with a strong emphasis placed on the selection of raw ingredients.

Everything is made only one pan at a time. When that flavour runs out, you will never know what comes next. So that is truly artisanal.

Scoops are priced at $5 single and $9 for double.

For Funan’s outlet, some of the opening flavours you can look forward to include Ondeh Ondeh, Goma, Citrus Bitters, Blueberry Lavender, Dulce & Banana, Jasmine Tea Amarena, Madagascan Vanilla, Roasted Pistachio, and Brown Butter Pecan.

I saw a couple of my favourites, including the rich and creamy Ondeh Ondeh, and Goma with the distinct and aromatic roasted black sesame taste.

Fans who remember their intriguing Chicken Rice flavour launched last National Day, will be happy to know it is making a comeback (after some persuasion from regulars who missed to have it).

Chicken Rice Gelato?

Yes, complete with rice bits, black sauce and chilli. Friends who had it told me it actually worked, and one of those gelato flavours that “rocked their socks”.

Butterknife Folk
Funan #02-02, 107 North Bridge Road Singapore 179105
Opening 28th of June at Funan

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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Authentic German restaurants are few and far between in Singapore, but if you are craving for some Pork Knuckle, German sausages and Schnitzel, here’s where you can go to.

Located in the City Hall area at the posh Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski, Frieda German restaurant and bar offers German and Austrian fare.

Named after Frieda, the only daughter of Berthold Kempinksi (founder of Kempinski hotels) and wife Helene, the restaurant embodies her spirit of warmth and service.

Expect your food with large servings of homely hospitality, much like how this hotelier made guests feel at home.

Let’s start with the interiors.

You should feel this comforting warmth throughout the restaurant’s uniquely-designed pastel green, wood and floral themed sections: Frieda’s Day Bar, Frieda’s Dining Room and Frieda’s Garden.

If you are an art geek, you’d probably recognize the design depicts traditional German restaurant architecture of the late 19th century.

The Day Bar, inspired by Berlin’s urban style, is where you enjoy an abendbrot (a casual evening meal), preferably with an ice-cold German beer on tap or the hotel-exclusive Frieda Lager.

The elegant wood-paneled Dining Room with dramatic lighting is best for a cosy, intimate dinner. And the botanical-themed Garden is simply enchanting and romantic.

Helmed by (the gut aussehend) German chef Jan Mulik, Frieda offers menus for a la carte, desserts & bar snacks, lunch set, and a seasonal menu.

Check out the must-try hearty dishes at this fairly new concept, possibly among the best rendition of modern German cuisine you can find in Singapore:

Oven Roasted Pork Knuckle ($39)
Founded on the oldest recipes of Germany, this house special is prepared using a whole free-range Australian pork hind leg knuckle.

The meat is washed in an ice-bath for no less than two hours, then slow-cooked in a pork stock. What makes the stock so aromatic are the juniper berries, cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic and onion added to it.

For three hours, the pork knuckle is simmered ‘til fork tender in this flavourful stock. The long process continues with its skin removed and oven-roasted until it turns crispy.

This dish (good for 2-3 or even more) take 30 minutes prep time. Meanwhile, enjoy some table bite or starters while waiting.

You will be rewarded with a succulent yet crispy pork knuckle, served with pretzel dumplings, house-made sauerkraut and beerjus.

Platter of Grilled Sausages and Meatloaf ($54 for 2 pax, $105 for 4 pax)
Dining as a small group? The sharing platters for 2 and 4 are recommended.

A serving includes 4 types of sausages that are grilled to smoky goodness, including a smoked beef sausage.

The moderately spicy Nuremberg sausage, one of Germany’s most significant contribution to European cuisine, is also part of the selection. If you love cheese, you will enjoy the savoury but mild taste of Emmental in the cheese sausage.

As a rule, eat these bangers with the accompanying Dijon mustard or horseradish. Your platter also comes with mashed potato, pretzel dumpling, and sauerkraut that has been fermented for two weeks with salt and vinegar.

Completing the platter is the equally delicious meatloaf – steamed then flavoured with assorted spices and home-made butter.

Veal Wiener Schnitzel ($37)
Wiener Schnitzel is German for Viennese cutlet. While this is also prepared pork or chicken, Chef Mulik uses the traditional veal to create this dish.

The veal cutlet is pounded thinly and evenly to tenderize it, then breaded with flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.

With a property heated oil in pan and flipping at the time, the schnitzel creates a light and crisp golden-brown skin and a tender, moist center.

This light and delicate main course is served with the customary potato salad.

A serving comes with home-made cranberry sauce and traditional gurkensalat, a salad of thinly sliced cucumber, dill, sour cream and parsley. Your Austrian-inspired meal is not complete without this.

Beef Consommé ($15)
Start off your meal warming your tummy with the deeply savory Beef Consommé with semolina dumplings aka Griessnockerlsupper, a signature at Frieda.

The consommé, heartier than a basic beef broth, is prepared from slow-cooking baked oxtail in a big pot to extract the essence of beef.

The stock is clarified of fat and particles to yield a pure, clear liquid, as how a consommé should be. Taste how it carries the earthy notes of the root vegetables and chives, and the couple of egg-shaped Austrian-style semolina quenelles further enriching its flavour.

A variation of this beef consommé (also $15) comes with thin-sliced herbal pancake instead of semolina dumplings.

Poached Wagyu Beef Brisket ($35)
Another signature main course is the Poached Wagyu Beef Brisket, made extra tender by cooking it at 72 degrees for over 24 hours.

If you have serious meat-lovin’ side, this dish will please you.

You’ll appreciate this even more with the accompanying horseradish cream sauce, parsley potatoes and beetroot salad.

Pretzel Dumplings ($26)
If you’re looking for a vegetarian main course, or a comfort dish at that, this is it.

These pretzel dumplings are served with rich and creamy mushroom ragout and scallions. The pretzels come from Berthold Delikatessen, the classy deli next door selling German-style breads, rolls, and pastries.

These dumplings take a long process to prepare these, adding milk, eggs, herbs, parsley, chives, paprika powder, then cooked via steaming.

Semolina Pudding ($12)
Semolina makes its appearance in the dessert menu as a Semolina Pudding, aka Griessflammerie, Frieda’s signature meal-ender.

This porridge-type of dish is cooked with milk and topped with a sour cherry compote and sprinkled with pastry dough crumble.

By baking this with semolina, the consistency becomes like rice pudding or maize-based grits.

Pancake Bismarck ($12)
A Bismarck is a German pancake that’s also called a Dutch baby pancake or a Dutch puff.

Unlike the typical pancake cooked in a pan (hence the name pan + cake), a Bismarck is baked in an oven.

Enjoy Frieda’s version of the Bismarck, a fluffy, crispy pancake served with a drizzle of maple syrup, icing sugar and mixed berries compote.

If you head over Frieda during lunch time, check out their value-for-money lunch sets. A 2-course meal is going at $15, while a 3-course meal is priced at $19. The mains (rotational) can include Grilled German Sausage, Baked Chicken or Swabian Noodles.

Frieda restaurant and bar
Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski, Unit 01-87, 01-K1-K2, 15 Stamford Road, Singapore 178906
Tel: +65 6715 6873
Email: frieda.singapore@kempinski.com
Opening hours: Lunch 12pm – 3pm, Dinner 6pm – 10:30pm Last order 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)

* This entry is brought to you in partnership with The Capitol Kempinski.

If you haven’t heard, a part of Orchard has been transformed into a retail and F&B “wonderland”.

From now till 30th June 2019 (Sun, not much time left), 11am to 10pm daily, there will be retail and F&B stalls for you to explore at the GREAT Singapore Street (GSS) Pop-Up.

The venue is right at the Grange Road Carpark, next to 313@somerset and opposite Orchard Cineleisure.

Other than retail stalls offering fashion apparel and accessories, vintage collectibles and lifestyle specialty gifts, you can look forward to food, food, and more food.

Some of the highlights include American burgers from the famed 25 Degrees, Jen Tanglin’s Seafood Thermidor, Keisuke’s Black Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, Assam Laksa from Indocafe, and Salted Egg Rosti from The 6ixes.

Here are 11 GSS food container stalls you can look forward to:

Ayam Shiok Burger – Burgers & Fries with Special Local Flavours
This is a gourmet Modsin fast food concept created by the team behind The Quarters, which aims to celebrate Singapore’s progressive heritage through food.

With a crisp oat battered Chicken patty as a base, get a soft burger with a range of sauces available.

Pick from options of the Ayam Legend ($8) with salted egg sauce, Ayam Hot ($8) with heirloom curry sauce, and Ayam Bibik ($8) included with a Peranakan inspired buah keluak sauce – the “Truffle of Asia” with earthy and nutty flavours.

Vegetarians can also enjoy a Brinjal patty as an alternative.

For something to nibble on, the shoe-string fries come topped with salted egg, chilli crab and truffle sauce, that can be paired with Kombynation Co’s Kombucha.

Jen Tanglin’s Favourites – The Famed Chilli Crab & Local Delights
Jen Tanglin’s Favourites features bite-sized signature dishes at their restaurants, Ah Hoi’s Kitchen and J65 – the all-day dining buffet restaurant.

Ah Hoi’s Kitchen has made a name for itself for its local classic dishes including the signature Chili Crab.

Well, you can take a taste of the Chilli Crab right here at the GSS Pop-Up with the Chilli Crab Sauce with Mantou ($10).

The Seafood Thermidor ($10) being one of the popular dishes in the J65 buffet line up, can also be found here. With succulent seafood doused in a creamy sauce and blow-torched to melted perfection, every bite could leave you wanting more.

Also look forward to the Lamb Shank with Couscous, Pulled Beef Sandwich, Lobster Bisque, and other craft beers and juices (all $10 each).

25 Degrees – Gourmet Burgers, Wine & Liquor Bar
25 Degrees is authentic American burger and milkshake joint (located near Bugis) that originated from Los Angeles, and has been endorsed by A-List celebrities as their go-to burger joint.

Look out for their “Number One” ($10), the signature burger with 200g USA Angus beef, creamy crescenza, gorgonzola, strips of smoky bacon, topped with slowly caramelised onions and finished with… Thousand Island.

Exclusive to the GSS Pop-Up, there is an even special of Turkey Cheese Burger ($10) included with turkey patty, caramelised onion, swiss cheese and ketchup.

Bodacious – Bistro & Bar
Bodacious is known for its unpretentious and hearty food. If you require something substantial, look out for the Bodacious Beef Burger of juicy angus beef served with caramelised onion, orange cheddar, tomatoes, along with a side of fries.

Other favourites include the Ultimate Whole Roasted Cauliflower ($7) – okay, this is really good yummy; Chilli Dog with New Zealand beef served topped with sumptuous bolognese sauce; and beer-battered snapper Fish & Chips with Cajun spices.

The White Clam Bucket ($9) of clams deglazed in white wine cream and tossed with garlic butter and baguette should get your hungry for more.

Kebabs Faktory
Kebabs Faktory brings about a range of no-frills, healthy kebab items made with fresh ingredients, inspired by Turkish, Lebanese, Indian, and Greek cuisines.

The fuss-free kiosk offers different options such as Chicken Sharwarma ($9.90), Chicken Tikka Kebab Roll ($9.90), Mexican Spicy Chicken Roll ($9.90), Rice Bowl with Chicken ($9.90) and Butter Chicken Rice Bowl ($9.90).

For vegetarians, worry not as you can also have your share of Paneer Roll, Falafel Roll, Falafel Rice Bowl, and Paneer Masala Rice Bowl (each $9.90).

Make the kebab a meal by adding $4 to include hummus/fries and a drink.

Streetfeed.SG – Street Food & Snacks such as Angus Ribeye, Black Pepper Smoked Duck and Truffle Mash
Streetfeed.SG which last made its appearance at the Shilin Singapore Food Festival, is back with more tempting treats.

Start with appetisers of Beef Chilli Fries with onsen egg and cheese ($8.90), Truffle Fries with Parmesan Cheese ($6.90), Scrambled Eggs with Sautéed Mushrooms or Turkey Bacon ($6.90).

Love BOTH salted egg and truffle?

Their most popular street food item happens to be the Salted Egg Crispy Chicken with Truffle Mash ($8.90); while the Black Pepper Smoked Chicken Breast ($10.90) and Australian Angus Ribeye ($12.90) also come with the ‘hit’ side of Truffle Mash.

The 6ixes – Specially-crafted Rostis
The 6ixs reinvents the classic Swiss Rosti by putting a Southeast Asian twist on it – crispy on the outside, yet slightly mushy on the inside.

Choose from classic, cheesy or salted egg flavours with different toppings such as chicken bratwurst, smoked salmon, smoked duck and beef tenderloin. The basic Classic Rosti costs $6, and the recommended is the Spicy Cheese Rosti ($7) with Beef tenderloin add-on ($6).

All variations are served with a generous dollop of sour cream.

Other than the Rosti live station, The 6ixes has expanded to serve up marinated Chicken and Beef Kebabs ($6, $7), alongside Chicken and Beef Arayes Wraps ($10, $12).

The Connoisseur Concerto – Gourmet Food featuring Western, Peranakan and International delights
The Catering Concerto by TCC offers choices of Western, Peranakan or International delights to suit all tastes.

Over at the Western side, other than Flavoured Crispy Fries and Crispy Shimeji with Golden Crumb, there are recommended pasta dishes of Prawn Spaghetti Aglio Olio ($12), Bolognese Cheese Spaghetti ($12), and Wild Forest Mushroom Spaghetti Aglio Olio ($12).

Also featuring modern Peranakan cuisine from Indocafe – The White House, the Nyonya Kueh Pie ($8 for 6 pieces) is a favourite, with crispy ‘top hat’ pastry cups filled with shredded turnip, prawns and homemade chilli dip.

For something to whet up your appetite, get the Assam Laksa ($10) of noodles in tangy spicy fish soup, served with traditional accompaniments.

If you come in a group, then it could be worth-it to try out the Combo Set ($13), a more complete set comprising of Assam Laksa, Homemade Crispy Prawn Fritters, and Crispy Spring Roll.

The Flying Squirrel – Sashimi & Sushi
The modern Japanese restaurant is known for its Japanese favourites such as fresh cuts of sashimi, handmade sushi and lunch bento sets; to more modern interpretations such Japanese Tacos filled with Tuna & Avocado and Crab Mayo.

Get your hands on some of their Maki. The sushi hand rolls (available in $6 and $12 versions) comes wrapped with various fillings from spicy salmon, spicy salmon, California to ebi fry.

Small bites of Chicken Karaage ($10), Chicken Gyoza ($5), Pumpkin Croquette ($5) and Truffled Ebi Fry ($10) are also available, best paired with some drinks.

The highlighted item would be the TFS Premium Chirashi ($25, U.P $36++), containing generous portion of fresh ingredients – salmon, tuna, octopus, sweet shrimp, scallop, salmon roe, sea eel, Japanese omelette, all on a bed of fluffy salmon and roe rice.

Wawa SG – Fresh Lala Clams & Noodles
Having their food is said to make you go excited with “Wa, Wa, Wa”, thus this name.

Founded by a group of friends for their love for seafood and zi char dishes, Wawa serves up items with paired with interesting sauces from garlic butter to homemade garlic seafood broth.

If you need a comforting treat, have some Fresh Lala ($8) cooked in garlic seafood broth, Fresh Lala in rich and creamy garlic butter sauce ($8), or Fresh Lala Pasta ($12).

Also, they are rated 3 stars on FoodKing by Night Owl Cinamatics, and so they are surely “Food King Good”!

Ramen Keisuke – Tonkotsu Ramen & Gyoza
To local ramen fans, Ramen Keisuke needs little introduction.

Chef-owner Keisuke Takeda is known to take inspiration from the French culinary style, and incorporate into his ramen creations.

To create that creamy texture and unique depth in flavour in the broths used for the ramen, the stock brewing takes several hours.

A special Tonkotsu is available during the GSS Pop-Up at only $8 per portion. Also available at the Spicy, and Black Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen ($9).

Alley SG – The All-Time-Favourite Bubble Tea and Mini Pancakes
If you need your thirst quencher, The Alley SG (not to be confused with other bubble tea brand The Alley) is serving up drinks from Brown Sugar Fresh Milk ($3.90, $4.90), Brown Sugar Coca Latte ($4.50, $5.50), Brown Sugar Crème Brûlée, ($5.30, $6.30), to Brown Sugar Milk Tea ($3.90,. $4.90).

The one item to look out for are the “Pufferties”, of Dutch Baby Pancakes ($6) with your choice of topping and sauce ranging from milk chocolate, white chocolate, raspberry mash and peanut butter.

Asia Pacific Breweries – Beers & Ciders
Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore is the home of the world-acclaimed Tiger Beer – a Singapore icon born and brewed on local soil since 1932. Tiger Beer is now available in more than 75 markets around the world.

In addition to Tiger Beer, APB Singapore’s portfolio of beers includes ABC Stout, Anchor Beer, Baron’s Strong Brew, Guinness, Heineken and the range of Archipelago craft beers.

On the bar menu includes Draft Beer for $8 (330 ml), or $20 for bundle of 3.

Other than the food and retail, you can also chill out at the air sofa and picnic benches at Grange Road Carpark.

There will be jazz bands and screenings of short films produced by students from Temasek Polytechnic.

Performances lined up every evening include Zi Jie, Andrew Chen, Y & Z, 53A, The Big Break, Jack and Rai, Frydauz, Harith and Marian.

On 29th of June (Sat), there will be screening of Pete’s Dragon at 7pm which is a collaboration with Singapore Film Commission).

If you have spent a minimum of $100 (same-day combined receipts), remember to redeem your GoSpree tote bag to hold all your great buys when you spend a minimum of $100 at any pop-up stores at The GREAT Singapore Street Pop Up.

The Great Singapore Street Pop-Up
Venue: Grange Road Carpark (near Somerset MRT Station)
Opening Hours: 21 to 30 Jun, 11am – 10pm (Most food stalls opens around 4pm.)

* This entry is brought to you in partnership with The GREAT Singapore Street Pop-Up.

Happy to see more and more noodle hawker stalls expand with their own physical shop space.

Some of the more recent ones include Ah Ter Teochew Fishball Noodle Bar,Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist 基记面家 and Hai Kee Brothers.

Wong Kee Wanton Noodles has also done well enough (they had quite a bit of media coverage), and has set up a shop at Funan Centre basement.

While the focus has always been on the Japanese import Afuri Ramen, I thought this local noodle eatery deserves its spotlight as well.

Founded in 1998, I remember being charmed by Wong Kee Wanton Noodles first at Maxwell Food Centre, though it subsequently shifted to Timbre+.

The founder Mr Wong Wai Keung, is a Hong Konger who specialises in Cantonese cuisine, and has worked in the F&B industry since he was eight.

To me, there are two highlights of Wong Kee: everything is made in-house including the noodles, skin, chilli, all the way to the char siew. Thus, you would find that all the ingredients somehow gel better, whereas it is always said to be difficult to find the ‘perfect’ wanton mee.

Other than the traditional egg noodles, they also offer tomato and spinach noodles at a dollar extra, made using all-natural real ingredients with no preservatives.

As I visited during the opening weekend, I think Wong Kee was still trying to get the system in place.

Nobody really knew where and how to queue (leading to some confusion), and orders took a while to arrive (say about 20 minutes after ordering). They could have flashing electronic numbers, instead of relying on the server to call out loudly.

Signature items include Char Siew Wanton Noodles ($5.80), Char Siew Dumpling Tomato Noodles ($7.80), Beef Brisket Spinach Noodles ($8.80), and Chicken Cutlet Noodles ($7.80).

$5.80 for noodles in a shopping mall is such a good find.

The Wanton Noodles had springy whole egg noodles, relatively thick (at least thicker than the usual ones) char siew, and (to me hard to find) two stalks of soft kailan.

It was a cross between local (the sauces) and Hong Kong style Wanton Noodles (the springiness and vegetables).

Some people may find this on the saltier and saucier side, compared to all the usual wanton mee.

If I needed to nit-pick, I thought that the soup could have been tastier. On another note, due to the air-conditioned environment, the food also got colder much faster.

Once in a while, I would go for the Tomato Noodles which is made using real ingredients drenched with homemade tomato sauce, served with in house roasted char siew and handmade plump dumplings.

If you want to have a local noodles X Italian pasta-like experience, then go for this.

The Beef Brisket Spinach Noodles ($8.80) included beef stewed with a secret recipe for hours.

There were one or two pieces that were on the tougher side, but overall still robust and flavourful. Again, this is not like your typical beef brisket noodles.

While I couldn’t decipher what spinach would taste like in noodles, the texture reminded me of softer mee pok, which somehow worked especially when tossed with the brisket sauce.

Fried Wanton ($5.80) were surprisingly crisp and meaty. With mayonnaise as a dip (I suspect condensed milk was also added), this side dish was very addictive.

Wong Kee Wanton Noodles
Funan B1-28 107 North Bridge Road Singapore 179105
Opening Hours: 8am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Other Related Entries
Chef Kang’s Noodle House (Toa Payoh)
Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist 基记面家 (Kreta Ayer)
Eng’s Char Siew Wantan Mee (Tanjong Katong Road)
Wanton Fu (Jalan Besar)
ENG’s Wantan Noodle (Tanjong Katong)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

You may soon see boomerang or videos of gravity-defying soft serves appearing on your Instagram feed.

These soft serves are from Emma, which has set up its first-ever overseas branch right in Singapore.

Emma?

This could have been your name (or your friend’s), but it came from the Japanese words “絵馬” (ema) which are the small wooden plaques used to write well wishes. Emma aspires to be the place to make wishes come true. So eat your soft serve and make a wish?

The popular brand which specialises in soft serve and tea, has already 7 outlets in Japan despite being relatively new.

The Singapore outlet is located at basement 2 of Plaza Singapura, right next to Taiwanese street food kiosk Snackz It! Ke Kou Wei.

Two products are exclusive to the Singapore market – the Boba Taco Softie (of course we love our boba pearls), and Charcoal Cheese-flavoured Soft Serve.

Boba Taco Softie ($6.80)
A wafer base with milk soft serve topped with bubbles, sprinkled with crushed nuts.

The wafer taco shell is made in-house, which are airy, crisp, light and almost paper-thin.

You get a choice between milk or mix (milk and charcoal cheese) soft serve, and I would say go for the mix for that interplay of flavours.

Since boba is in trend now, this is further topped with “Okinawa brown sugar pearls” – made with a combination of Okinawa brown sugar and kuromitsu which is Japanese black sugar syrup.

I thought that the pearls were decent, with the distinct caramelised sweetness and were soft and chewy. (In fact, I think they should just R&D to sell Brown Sugar Milk since they are already strong in both milk and pearls.)

Note: The pearls come served moderately warm. They make an interesting warm-cold contrast with the soft serve; on the flip-side, the dessert would melt faster so go easy on taking photos.

Emma Soft Milk with Dips ($5.30)
There has been a couple of Japanese soft serve shops opening in Singapore (typically offering matcha flavoured ones), but Emma should be the first that specialises in just milk and charcoal cheese flavours.

There is something about milk soft serve – that pure, smooth, unadulterated mouth-feel.

Emma’s Original Soft Serve uses premium Japanese milk which gives that an extra-rich and thick yet slide-down-your-throat texture.

The Soft Serve is said to be so firm that you can even hold the ice cream upside down, and it will not fall out.

Some may think twice about trying as it puts their $5.30 at risk.

I have put the cones to the test, and it is indeed true, even after some shaking. (However, don’t wait for too long to try it in Singapore’s heat and humidity as they do melt after a while.)

There are four choices of dips – chocolate, strawberry, caramel and matcha, which are also imported from Japan.

The dip coatings add that additional layer of flavour, colour and crunch. Some said reminded them of Pocky Sticks, ”chocolate and sutoroberī”. Come to think of it, yes.

Charcoal Cheese in Charcoal Cone ($5.50)
This was actually my favourite of the lot, as it was somehow not that sweet as the milk version.

The cheese provided just a light touch of savouriness, with a firmer mouthfeel compared to the more delicate milk.

The dark greyish soft serve looked satisfyingly-attractive on black charcoal cones which are also specially imported from Japan.

For the best of both worlds, get the Emma Soft Mix ($5.20).

Emma Bubble Signatures ($5.80)
If you haven’t got enough of bubbles, these are cups of soft serve with pearls topped with different powders or sauces.

Available are Brown Sugar Bubble Soft, Brown Sugar Matcha Bubble Soft, Brown Sugar Kinako Bubble Soft, Brown Sugar Caramel Bubble Soft.

The Kinako Bubble Soft comes recommended the Japanese kinako (roasted soybean flour) powder lends a fragrant, nutty note.

All in all, I would say get the Charcoal Cheese in Charcoal Cone, take a quick pic of it upside down, and go on with the eating.

FINDING EMMA
By the way, for those of you whose names are EMMA, you get to purchase any item on the Emma Singapore menu at 50% OFF for the month of July 2019.

Just need to show your ID or Name Card to the service staff prior to ordering, limited to 01 discounted item per Emma.

Emma
Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road, #B2-45, Singapore 238839
Opening Hours: 11am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)

* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Emma.