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Tag Archives: Coffeeshop

Founder’s Bak Kut Teh 发起人肉骨茶餐馆 @Rangoon Road (Singapore)

December 30, 2013
#Meat, @Farrer Park, @Singapore, Bak Kut Teh, Singaporean, Soup
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Stroll down Bak Kut Teh Lane.

imageI only had been to the shop on Balestier before but tonight looking for a quick meal I went to Rangoon Road for my pork rib dinner.

I was positively surprised to find my preferred leaner version of ribs on the menu which I knew from ‘Ng Ah Sio‘ but had never recognised at ‘Founder’s’ before, so this was what I was going to have. The meat was nice and tender with quite big chunks of pork that were easily nibbled off the bones. The soup was rich and had a good flavour, just wasn’t as peppery I would have wished for.

So this branch is actually quite nice place with some outdoor seating, a big menu of tasty dishes to chose from and is less crowded than their original shop. However I like my ‘Bak Kut Teh‘ as pepper loaded as possible so I might be walking a couple of houses down the road for my next round of pork tea.

Founder’s Bak Kut Teh Cafeteria 发起人肉骨茶餐馆
154 Rangoon Road
Singapore 218431
Tel: +84 6292 0938

Hang Zhou Xiao Long Bao 杭州小籠湯包 @Da’an (Taipei, Taiwan)

December 30, 2013
#Dumplings, @Da'an, @Taipei, @Taiwan (RoC), Beijing / Peking Duck, Chinese, Dim Sum, Xiao Long Bao
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Ballsy Xiao Long Bao in Da’an.

imageMy food fanatic friend A. recommended this place to me that he found during his last Taiwan trip and tonight a colleague helped me hunt it down just across the street from the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in Da’an. ‘Hang Zhou’s’ is quite a rustic place with low tables and tiny chairs and still had many customers enjoying their dinner here, despite the late hour we arrived.

We started up with the signature dish, the ‘Xiao Long Bao‘ (小籠湯包). These  were gigantic huge dumplings but tasted quite nice; the dough was a bit thick though and I had better soups as well but overall pretty good and dirt cheap too and I especially liked the big help-yourself-bucket of finely chopped ginger which I loaded up on heavily. The second basket were the ‘Shrimp Shiaomai‘ (蝦仁燒賣) and these were even bigger, maybe even too big and again this fusion of soupy xiao long bao topped with a shrimp which suits me much better than the  shao mai dim sum versions I had before.

imageAs little contrast to all those enormous dumplings we ordered the ‘Marinated Beef Rolls‘ (大餅卷牛肉) which reminded me of a creative adaption of peking duck. They were delicious, slightly dry tenderloin rolled in crispy pancakes, together with some crunchy cucumbers and onions and glazed with a sweetish plum sauce. Actually it was exactly like peking duck, just with beef, ‘Peking Beef‘ so to speak?

Even though I found it quite ballsy of these guys to call the website of their shop “thebestxiaolongbao.com“, I still kinda liked the place – unpretentious, a bit dirty and service along the bare minimum but none in an overly bothering way and most importantly the food was tasty and cheap as well. Thanks for the recommendation dude.

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Hang Zhou Xiao Long Bao 杭州小籠湯包
No.17, Section 2, Hángzhōu South Road
Da’an District
Taipei 106
Taiwan
Tel: +886 2 2393 1757
http://www.thebestxiaolongbao.com

Ah Wang Bak Kut Teh 亞旺肉骨茶 @ Seputeh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

November 14, 2013
@Kuala Lumpur, @Malaysia, @Seputeh, Bak Kut Teh, Claypot Bak Kut Teh, Soup
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Under the bridge.

imageFinally it was ‘Bak Kut Teh‘ night since I had heard so much about the fantastic K.L. herbal pork ribs that I always neglected to try because I was a very patriotic supporter of the peppery version that’s so popular in Singapore. Anywho, my old colleague friend, who lives down here now, picked me up and we took a little ride to ‘Ah Wang Bak Kut Teh’ in a picturesque location at a roadside, under a bridge. A bit f@#&ed up but in a “don’t judge the book by its’ cover” kind of way, still comfortable, not yet repellent.

That dish they served was brilliant, even that I could’ve lived without the thin layer of beancurd skin, the broth was amazing with a dense and strong herbal pork taste. The ribs were lean, soft and satisfyingly meaty and we also ordered some enoki mushrooms aside which made a fantastic add-on to the soup that I haven’t had before. I loved this stuff and all in all it was a lovely evening at a lovely dodgy place. Off to dessert.

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Ah Wang Bak Kut Teh 亞旺肉骨茶
No. 32, Batu 4 1/2
Jalan Klang Lama
53320 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel: +60 13 2282 288

Sister Wah 華姐清湯腩 @Tin Hau (Hong Kong, China)

November 5, 2013
#Noodles, @China (PRC), @Hong Kong, @Tin Hau
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Dan Dan surprise from Sister Wah.

imageI’m always up for some brisket noodles and since the ladies felt a bit sick today I ventured a couple of MTR stops out east to pickup some ‘Brisket Noodles‘ from ‘Sister Wah’s’ at Tin Hau. When there, I realized they also had some ‘Dan Dan Mian‘ on the menu, so in the cart with it and back home.

The ‘Brisket Noodles‘ were okay but a bit watery so nothing too exciting. The brisket was tender though and not too fatty and I appreciated the many chives they had sprinkled over it but the winner of this takeout clearly was the ‘Dan Dan Mian‘. The noodles were the same but as this was a dryer version they had a much better bite and texture and the thick gravy had a mild heat and was wonderfully rich in sesame flavour, delicious. The beef shank wasn’t too bad either but could’ve been leaner. The shop was pretty basic and oldish but the people at the counter were super helpful and the food was decent. Great stuff.

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Sister Wah 華姐清湯腩
G/F 13A Electric Road 天后電氣道13號A地下
Tin Hau
Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
Tel: +852 2807 0181

Waroeng Bule @Gili Trawangan (Lombok, Indonesia)

October 27, 2013
#Fusion, #Meat, @Gili Trawangan, @Indonesia, @Lombok
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Waroeng Bule boleh!

imageJust behind the beach strip and semi-attached to our hotel was a small shop called ‘Waroeng Bule’, which despite its’ rather strange name turned out to be a fairly nice and cheap lunch option during our stay. Obviously the food here was also tuned to suit the mainstream tourist’s taste but brought out some delicious options nevertheless.

We had the the ‘Coconut Crumbed Chicken‘ which was absolutely amazing. Covered by a crunchy but not too special tasting apple salad, the chicken breast was still juicy and coated with a comparably light and well drained coconut curry crust that was crunchy and crispy and made this a super satisfying dish. I’m just a fool for everything coconut.

A simple place but with good food to reasonable prices and so close it was our most frequented place for beach day lunching. They also screened two movies each night at the beach here for just a few bucks and people were hanging out on the lying chairs enjoying the breeze and cold beers. Well done but maybe think about a different name.

Waroeng Bule
Hotel Villa Ombak
Kabupaten Lombok Utara 83355
Gili Trawangan, Lombok
Indonesia
http://www.vilaombakhotel.com/waroeng.html

Taoyuan Street Beef Noodles 桃源街牛肉麵 @Zhongzheng (Taipei, Taiwan)

October 9, 2013
#Noodles, @Taipei, @Taiwan (RoC), @Ximending, @Zhongzheng, Taiwanese, Taiwanese Beef Noodles
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This is “Se One”!

imageThis was the shop I had my first ever Taiwanese beef noodles in – truly an eye opening experience as you might imagine – and it’s also one of the, let’s say older and original places, which easily can be mixed up with dodgy and sticky. No really, the place is clean, just has it’s shining days of glory behind it, what obviously doesn’t impact it’s popularity as it has always been pretty busy around here when I came by.

They didn’t have small or big portions here, just one size, which I reckon came closer to the larger bowls I had. Sure enough I ordered the ‘Spicy Beef Noodles‘ or ‘Hong Shao’ (红烧牛肉麵) and for a change I actually got what I asked for. It wasn’t overly hot but I absolutely loved it, that much that I didn’t even care that the added chilli oil hyped up the calories even more than usual. The noodles here were wicked, long and firm with a great taste to them, that, together with the loads of tender brisket bits made this my favourite bowl of beef noodles in Taipei to date. So good.

Again no polished facade, not even a signboard but friendly enough people, absolutely outstanding simple food and for NT$150 a bowl a total steal as well. How fantastic that our corporate hotel is just down the road from here so I have the chance to come back even if the days at the office get longer.

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Taoyuan Street Beef Noodles 桃源街牛肉麵 / (Old Wang Beef Noodles 桃源街牛肉麵/老王)
No.15 TaoYuan Street / 台北市桃源街十五號
Zhongzheng District (Jhongjheng)
Taipei City
Taiwan / Republic of China
Tel: +886 2 2375 8973

Yong Kang Beef Noodle 永康牛肉麺館 @Da’an (Taipei, Taiwan)

October 6, 2013
#Noodles, @Da'an, @Taipei, @Taiwan (RoC), Taiwanese, Taiwanese Beef Noodles
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Is Yong Kang really the best?

imageIt wasn’t long until my ‘Beef Noodle‘ marathon began and this time I had to have ‘Yong Kang’s’ noodles which are ranked as the best in Taipei by many local food bloggers. The last trip we couldn’t nail this place down walking the alleys of Da’an around Yongkang street up and down but just couldn’t find it. Even this time together with my Taiwanese colleague it took us some extra rounds to get here and then there was a queue in front despite the rain but thankfully it wasn’t too long ’til we got in.

My spicy version of the ‘Beef Noodles‘ was great even though as usual not spicy at all. The broth was dark and tasted slightly like goulash with a sour touch. The noodles were plenty and shaped like edged thicker spaghetti. The meat was fantastic, it fell apart and the fat just disappeared into nowhere but I didn’t like the free flow preserved veggies here; they were maybe a just a bit too well preserved and tasted bitterish. They also had those awesome little plates you pick from the counter and I particularly liked the garlic loaded snappy cucumbers and roots and for it’s positively weird taste the seemingly caramel soaked sweet tofu.

‘Yongkang’ is like most beef noodle shops in Taipei, oldish, a bit dodgy and ran down, service isn’t really of the heartwarming kind but the food is in focus and here they actually did a pretty good job with it. I’m not sure if it is really the best beef noodle shop in Taipei but it’s definitely up there in my personal top five.

imageYong Kang Beef Noodle 永康牛肉麺館
No.17 Lane 31 Section 2 Jinshan South Road
Taipei City
Taiwan / Republic of China
Tel: +886 2 2351 1051
http://www.beefnoodle-master.com/

Master Crab 螃蟹师傅 @Ghim Moh Road (Singapore)

September 30, 2013
#Seafood, @Buena Vista, @Ghim Moh, @Holland, @Singapore, Chinese, Crab, Singaporean
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Double crabs per flavour is only half the fun.

imageMy lovely friend from Vietnam was paying her old home a visit and craved for some good old Singaporean seafood. As the usual choices were getting boring some of our friends suggested to go to ‘Master Crab’ down Ghim Moh Road. I came here before and remembered there was something I didn’t like about this place but couldn’t make out what it was.

We were quite a few people so we wanted to order four different crabs and we already had made our choice of flavours when the waitress reminded me what it was that I had forgotten, ‘Master Crab’ only allows you a minimum of two crabs per flavour. So instead of the four flavours we ended up with only two – ‘Black Pepper‘ and ‘Vermicelli Crab‘ – Boo! Besides that one pretty annoying detail there was not much bad to say about the food. The ‘Vermicelli Crab‘ maybe was neither too special nor very strong in it’s flavours but the ‘Pepper Crab‘ was simply outstanding. The gravy was extremely thick and stuck nicely to the crab which made it all pretty messy but finger licking good and the quality of the crabs was also top notch; packed with meat, fresh, sweet, amazing. They also know there veggies here as the ‘Sambal Kangkong‘ as well as the super long ‘Green Beans with Minced Pork‘ tasted great.

‘Master Crab’ sure is one of the good places for crab – well, at least for ‘Black Pepper‘ – but the impatient and mediocre service and especially the rule about the minimum crabs per flavour will probably make me opt for alternatives next time I want to go for crabs out of the usual.

Master Crab Seafood Restaurant 螃蟹师傅
#01-229
19 Ghim Moh Road
Singapore 270019 ‎
Tel: +65 6314 1868

No Signboard Seafood 無招牌海鮮 @Geylang Road (Singapore)

August 28, 2013
#Seafood, @Geylang, @Singapore, Crab, Singaporean
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My Fountain of Crab

imageOne of my good old Singapore friends had the extremely annoying idea to leave and move to Hong Kong so to give her a small send off, a group of friends including me took her out for some good old Singapore style seafood at her favorite place , the coffeeshop branch of ‘No Signboard Seafood’ in Geylang.

The main reason to come here of course were the crabs. The ‘Chili Crab‘ looked delicious and had a great punch of heat to it but as weird as it sounds was a bit too crabby on the gravy for me and I also wished for it to have been fruitier but then I am not the biggest fan of this version of crab anyway.

imageThis was the bugger I was waiting for, their ‘Black Pepper Crab‘ my favorite crustacean by a long shot. The gravy was thick and so loaded with crushed pepper that I claimed the major share for myself and simply started eating directly from the serving plate. The crab was sweet and fresh and easily peeled out the shell. Only problem was we only ordered one.

imageOne dish I usually get as well is the ‘Stir Fry Crocodile‘ that did get mixed ratings from my friends especially because if it’s texture some said was chewy. I disagreed as I found this to be just nice and firm with a tendency to slight bounciness. The meat itself had not a very particular taste of its own but together with the super thin fried ginger strips, the other spices and especially the chilis it became very fragrant and subliminal spicy. Something different than your standard seafood.

I always liked this place, it was where I had these famous Singaporean crabs for the first time five over years ago and I appreciate the much more relaxed atmosphere compared to the other way fancier locations within a vibrant bustling neighborhood.

No Signboard Seafood 無招牌海鮮
414 Geylang Road
Singapore 389392
Tel: +65 6842 3415
http://www.nosignboardseafood.com/

Wee Nam Kee 威难记鸡饭 @United Square (Singapore)

August 17, 2013
@Novena, @Singapore, Chicken Rice, Chinese, Singaporean
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Mr. Wee is back!

imageIt’s been now a couple of weeks since my beloved ‘Wee Nam Kee’ has moved from the recently torn down Novena Ville down to United Square about a kilometer south. I had a good workout today and needed some proper protein and carbs to fill up so I headed into exact this direction.

Obviously I ordered their ‘Chicken Rice‘ from roasted chicken and simply replaced the oily yet delicious signature rice with the steamed version not to chuck all my morning efforts out the window. First up came their chicken soup which had a strong taste and was a great kick start that made me even hungrier. When the main arrived the meat was super tender and juicy and as so unusual for chicken breast actually tasted like chicken. Delicious. The kicker of this was the chopped coriander on top and the wonderful chicken stock underneath which was even richer in taste and had a light soy touch so that I munched up all the cucumber slices that soaked in it. For my rice I used a lot of their signature chili and grated ginger which made it all a flavor party and with every spoon I played around and changed the ratio of the ingredients.

I still love this place, familiar faces, great down to earth food and even that it lost a bit of it’s coffee shop charm, the longneck bottles of beer and the outdoor seating, it still managed to retain some of the old atmosphere and definitely it’s popularity. This is one of my favorites and not only because I can walk here. I have been here a million times before and there’s a high chance I’ll be back already next week.

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice Restaurant 威难记鸡饭
101 Thomson Road
#01-08 United Square
Singapore 307591
Tel: +65 6255 6396
http://www.wnk.com.sg/

Burger Office @Goldhill Plaza (Singapore)

July 5, 2013
@Novena, @Singapore, Burger, Western/International/American
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Closeness ≠ Goodness

imageWhere to go when you don’t have much time? Close! That’s right, and that’s exactly what friend’s and I thought yesterday and made our way to ‘Pigsfly Kitchen & Bar’ at Goldhill Plaza.

Not really feeling like anything else I ordered ‘The Pervert‘ from the ‘Burger Office’, pretty much their bacon cheese burger. I didn’t hold my hopes up too high as I had their burgers before and wasn’t too impressed. I asked for a spicy sauce when ordering but this request got lost somewhere in the process which wasn’t too bad as the standard bbq sauce is quite tasty and sweet. The toppings in general were okay, the veggies were fresh with a bite, the extra grilled onions were nicely soft and the bacon had a good salty taste but definitely could’ve been way crispier. The bun was soft and too sweet but the biggest letdown really was the beef patty. Even though much firmer than the last time, it actually was pretty lame, under seasoned and tasted like nothing much. The peppered fries were alright but nothing to rave about either.

It seemed to have become quite a popular place in the meantime but if I should come back here then only for the Thai stall which has some pretty tasty dishes to offer. Sorry ‘Burger Office’ just not my thing.

http://www.pigsflykitchenbar.com/

Pigsfly Kitchen & Bar (Burger Office)
1 Goldhill Plaza
#01-05
Singapore 308899
Tel: +65 6352 7484

De Burg @Bukit Merah (Singapore)

June 29, 2013
@Alexandra, @Singapore, Burger, Western/International/American
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Porky Pork with Porkish Pork

imageAfter a nice sunny day at the beach we were craving some juicy burgers from and made a little detour ‘De Burg’ in Bukit Merah before heading home. Business was already going well which pushed the waiting time up to thirty minutes but being in Asia for some time now I don’t really mind waiting if it’s for some great grub.

I ordered the ‘Singhjector‘ which was next in line of my to try burgers even that it was quite difficult for me not to have their fantastic ‘Choco Lamb‘ burger again. The ‘Singhjector‘ truly was pork galore with a super juicy and well seasoned pork patty, some wonderful crispy and salty Canadian bacon and Iberico chorizo which I couldn’t really work out from all the other ingredients. The smoky cheese and the sweet bbq sauce gave it all a nice finish and the only thing I missed was maybe a little bit of lettuce. At the same time my friend had ordered a ‘Pork Knuckle‘ from neighboring ‘Stew Küche‘ – from which I took some crackling and slipped it into my burger. The birth of the ‘Singhjector – Heart Attack Edition‘.

If you like pork, this is your burger; juicy, salty goodness with great quality ingredients. It didn’t really need any modifications but when I saw my three pork ingredients burger next to the pork knuckle it just came naturally. Thanks again for keeping up a constant high level of quality burgers. Still the best on the island I reckon.

De Burg Food and Drink Private Limited
119 Bukit Merah Lane
#01-40
Singapore 151119

Pontian Wanton Noodles House @United Square (Singapore)

April 21, 2013
#Noodles, @Novena, @Singapore, Chinese, Wanton Mee
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Wanton Mee: Local Fastfood No.1!

imageI had a lot of things to do for my trip today so I needed a quick dinner fix urgently. I was running some errands over at United Square in Novena and on my way out I passed one of the ‘Pontian Wanton Noodles House’ branches. Traditionally I have these noodles late at night and quite frequently in their 24h branch at Cuppage Plaza but it seemed like a good choice and a break from all the burgers recently.

As I was in a hurry and did takeaway I only realized at home that it didn’t come with the usual ‘Dumpling Soup‘ and worse, I forgot to ask them to use the really spicy chili, my bad. A big plus tough was that my takout box was loaded with extra pickled chilis which I found brilliant as they gave the rest of the ingredients a nice sour and spicy sidekick. The char siew was lean and good but not to intensely sweet and bbq-y. The wantons weren’t too thrilling either but their crunchiness nicely added another layer of texture to the whole thing. I wished I wouldn’t have forgotten to ask for the extra hot chili sauce but it was still good and spicy enough to start up a light sweat and the one thing I liked the most was the hardness of the noodles, nice bite.

The ‘Wanton Mee‘ was nothing too exciting or deluxe but still filled me up just nice and with it’s unremarkable looks, diverse textures and flavors it left me more satisfied than most other fastfoods would have.

Pontian Wanton Noodles House                                                                                                                      101 Thomson Road                                                                                                                                          #B1-20 United Square                                                                                                                            Singapore 307591

De Burg @Bukit Merah (Singapore)

April 19, 2013
@Alexandra, @Singapore, Burger, Western/International/American
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Choco Loco!

imageFinally some errands brought me back to Queensway and as it was so conveniently located I decided to return to ‘De Burg’ to finally try that mystical ‘Choco Lamb Burger‘ which I couldn’t get out of my head since I first saw it on the menu.

To be honest until I had my first bite I was not really sure if this was going to be totally disgusting or weirdly good. For a while I looked at the mayonaise and Nutella with slight disbelief but finally my curiosity won and I anxiously took a big mouthful. Now this was absolutely amazing. It worked so much better together than I ever would have thought. At first it felt like biting into a toasted Nutella roll from my childhood until I tasted that delicious lamb patty and it transformed into a burger. The meat was nicely charred on the outside but juicy and full of flavour on the inside, not too lamby as well. The juices and the chocolate mixing was a real eye opener. I couldn’t believe how fantastic that actually came together and that no one (at least that I know) has ever tried this before. The only ingredient that I reckoned was a bit odd was the tomato. The whole burger disappeared in no time and left me nicely filled and super content.

I was really happy I gave this burger a shot and can’t wait to introduce it to friends but thanks to the guys from ‘De Burg’ I already have another newly introduced burger lined up that wants to be “grubbed on”- ‘The Singhjector‘. Well done guys, you made my day.

De Burg Food and Drink Private Limited
119 Bukit Mera Lane
Singapore 151119
Tel: +65 6732 3235

Ng Ah Sio 黄亚细肉骨茶 @Rangoon Road (Singapore)

March 27, 2013
Bak Kut Teh, Singaporean
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Rangoon’s The Place For Pepper & Ribs!

imageAfter work today I felt a sudden crave for ‘Bak Kut Teh‘. It has been a while that I had it so I went to the best I remembered – ‘Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup Eating House’ – and invited a friend to join me since he is living just around the corner. This shop has been around for a while and every time I pass it, no matter the time, it’s always busy.

They have three different types of ‘Bak Kut Teh‘; I went for their ‘Signature Pork Ribs‘ and the other types are the longer ‘Spare Ribs‘ or  a mix of both. As sides we ordered ‘Braised Peanuts‘, ‘Fried You Tiao‘, ‘Blanched Lettuce‘ and the ‘Preserved Vegetables‘.

This is the peppery Teochew kind and the broth was very rich and thick and full of pork and obviously pepper flavour. Best was when the auntie brought the refill which was extremely hot and made it taste even better. As for the ribs I absolutely loved them. They had big chunks of lean meat on them that were easily nibbled off the bones. Since it was so lean the bigger bits tended to be a bit dry but I didn’t mind it with the soup. Of the sides I liked the ‘Blanched Lettuce‘ the best as it actually managed to surprise me. It still had its’ light green color and was lying in a delicious light soy infused sauce sprinkled with roasted garlic, simple but great. This shop also gave us freshly chopped red chilis with sweet dark sauce which fitted perfectly to the rice as hot and sweet punched each other in the face.

I was glad to have come back here and surely will next time do exactly the same all over again.

Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup Eating House 黄亚细肉骨茶
208 Rangoon Road
Singapore 218453
Tel: +65 6291 4537
http://www.ngahsiobkt.com/                                                                                                                    Singapore 218453

De Burg @Bukit Merah (Singapore)

March 22, 2013
@Alexandra, Burger, Western/International/American
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Burgasm In A Box!

imageIt was the last day in the office for one of my colleagues and since we always wanted but never managed to all go together to ‘De Burg’ one other colleague who actually had a day off kindly went and got us all a nice takeout lunch. I often told my colleagues about this place and how nice their burgers are so everybody had pretty high expectations which is why I was a bit concerned as I never tried to takeaway.

We all ordered the same classic 200gr ‘Bacon Cheese Burger‘ with ‘Tater Tots‘. I knew the burgers are good but I was surprised how good they still were after a 30 minute car ride. The beef, which they ground themselves was perfectly medium well, still juicy and with a natural and strong beef taste too it. One of my favorite bits was the bacon which was nice and salty and super crispy, not too much, just right. BACON! The bun was fluffy and held up properly not making eating this huge burger a huge mess and even the ‘Tater Tots‘ were still crunchy and potaolicious.

I’m not sure how they did it but even takeaway this is still my favorite burger in town after trying loads and loads. I hope my motorbike needs servicing again soon so I can come back to Bukit Merah to finally try their ‘Choco Lamb Burger‘. Burgasm approaching.

De Burg Food and Drink Private Limited                                                                                                         119 Bukit Merah Lane                                                                                                                                       #01-40                                                                                                                                                       Singapore 151119

Twoface Pizza & Taproom @Eng Hoon Street (Singapore)

March 21, 2013
@Tiong Bahru, Italian, Pizza
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Day & Night – Coffeeshop & Pizza Hangout

imageI went for a run tonight with some friends around Tiong Bahru. Feeling overwhelmingly confident about our tremendous calorie burn we decided to celebrate this the right way, with pizza. As it happened they live just around the corner of ‘Twoface Pizza & Taproom’, this place which is a coffeeshop over the day and turns into a hip pizza hangout in the afternoon. We ordered the pizzas on our way in, took a shower and they were so kind to give us a call when the first one came out of the oven and also reserved us a breezy table. When we arrived all pizzas came out and we dug in.

We had four pizzas altogether – please excuse, I don’t have all the correct menu names – the ‘Smoked Duck & Truffle Mayo‘, the ‘Buffalo Mozzarella‘, the ‘Meatlovers‘ and the ‘Bacon Mushroom Egg‘ pizza (this one definitely has a different name). All of the pizzas had a nicely thin dough with a crunch on the edges, the tomato sauce was herby and well seasoned and the cheese gave it all a lovely saltiness. I prefer the tomato-cheese-ratio to be more tomato-y but it tasted delicious anyways. Surprisingly the pizza with the duck was the most blend of the four. The duck was nicely rose and also moist but didn’t taste too special to me.

wpid-1363785638062.jpgThe mozzarella one was like a Margherita  but with extra slices of cold buffalo mozza and cherry tomatoes on them. Nice and simple. The change from warm to cold was good as you could really taste the mozzarella and the longer it sat there the cheese started melting. The pie with the bacon and mushrooms had the best looks of them all and the most extravagant taste. Bacon and mushrooms I could wrap my head around but the thought of the egg put me off at first but when I tried it the whole thing worked surprisingly well. The base of the pizza and then the runny yolk on top tasted great together. And at last the meaty version. I would have not ordered it as meatlover pizzas in Singapore are normally way to overloaded with stuff but this one had just a few slices of salami and juicy ham and a brilliant sausage that tasted delicious. Aside the pizzas one thing to mention is their signature ‘Twoface Drink’ a green and super refreshing blend of pineapple, sour plum and cai xin, a local vegetable. Sweet & sour but not too much of either.

The concept and vibe of the place, the good food, the nice selection of drinks, the ‘Pork Belly on Fries‘ that I didn’t try yet and not at last the super friendly owners and service make this a great hangout place and I’ll be coming hanging again soon.

I try to keep this page lean but will post the other pizza pictures on twitter.

Two Face Pizza & Taproom                                                                                                                                 56 Eng Hoon Street                                                                                                                                          #01-46                                                                                                                                                       Singapore 160056

Mellben Seafood @Toa Payoh (Singapore)

February 20, 2013
#Seafood, @Toa Payoh, Crab, Singaporean
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Bored of Chili Crab? Try The Bee Hoon!

imageThis popular coffeshop was introduced to me by some friends as until then my first stop for seafood had always been No Signboard Seafood in Geylang. Their main location is in Ang Mo Kio but we have always been going to Toa Payoh as it was a bit easier to reach.

I was really excited to come back here as the last time I had a proper crab feast was a few months ago and since we were a group of six we could order several different types of these delicious crustaceans.

We started off with some ‘Guiness Stout Ribs‘ that were sweet and sticky and so tender they fell off the bone. I remembered having them before but this time they really made an impression on me.

On came the main attractions. First their signature ‘Bee Hoon Crab‘ (pic) which comes in a claypot and seems like it is drowning in the thin buttery sauce infused by the taste of the crab and hiding springy bee hoon noodles under the surface. The crab we had was the meatiest I’ve ever had in my hands and even the legs were full of sweet soft delicious flesh. Second on stage was the ‘Chili Crab‘ which was sure tasty but a pinch to sweet for my taste. Nevertheless all buns were gone at the end of the meal dipped in chili gravy. The closer and my favorite of the night was their ‘Black Pepper Crab‘. It wasn’t love at first sight with crabs and me mainly because of the messy eating process but once I discovered my love for this Singaporean favorite I quickly made the pepper crab my first choice. And I must say this one must have been the gold medalist among all the ones I had before. The tick pepper gravy sticking to the crab was so intense in taste and so good that I ate it to the last bit together with rice and all the onions inside. Literally finger-licking-good!

I wasn’t disappointed before and haven’t been disappointed this time. What the shop lacks in atmosphere and location it sure makes up for in quality food and the friendliness of the staff who were always smiling and utmost polite. Recommended.

Mellben Seafood                                                                                                                                                   Blk 211 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh                                                                                                                           #01-11/15                                                                                                                                                 Singapore 310211