Jia Li Seafood Soup – Yummy Seafood Soup [MEDIA INVITE]

Jia Li Seafood Soup, formally known as Sin Kee Seafood Soup started off in Singapore’s North area. Armed with an established secret recipe that is passed down to the founder, Jia Li Seafood Soup (“Jia Li”) is known for its addictive and umami-rich seafood broth.

The secret of the signature seafood broth is the premium Japanese dried scallop. It is slow-cooked over several hours together with other ingredients such as chicken and pork ribs. To deliver that irresistible flavour in the MSG-free broth, the secret sauce is added to every order.

For this tasting, we went to their Upper Serangoon Road outlet.

Jia Li served three types of fish for their seafood soup: Dory Fish, Batang Fish and Red Grouper. They also served three types of seafood soup: regular Seafood Soup, Seafood Soup with Crayfish, and Seafood Soup with Crayfish and Prawns.

Seafood Soup with Crayfish and Prawns with Red Grouper

We started with their Seafood Soup with Crayfish and Prawns with Red Grouper ($23). The bowl of soup is packed to the brim, while the mountainous ingredients just whet your appetite. The broth is cloudy and a bit reddish from the prawns and crayfish. Once we sip the broth, it feels like we are inhaling the essence of the seafood, packed with umami, a touch of brininess and sweetness from the bone essence.

The Crayfish

The prawns are big and crunchy, while the crayfish are juicy and easily peeled off from the exoskeleton. The red grouper is fresh, but it seems that it was a bit overcooked as the flesh easily fall apart. The surprise flavour bomb here comes from the meatballs. Made fresh daily, it is packed with minced pork, mushroom and secret ingredients.

The Prawn

The Awesome Meatball

Red Grouper

The second soup that we choose is the Seafood Soup with Batang Fish ($11.50 for big). Our first impression, it looks almost the same as the crayfish version. However, once we sip it, we realise this version is sweeter and less briny compared to the one with the crayfish. Unlike the red grouper, the batang fish flesh is firmer, sweet, moist and silky. It was just delicious. Not forgetting the super yummy rustic-looking meatballs.

Seafood Soup with Batang Fish 

Seafood Soup with Batang Fish 

Overall, LD and I feel both of Seafood Soup are equally good, however, if we have to choose, we will go for the Batang Fish Seafood Soup. The broth is less briny, robust and loaded with umami flavour. If you like crayfish, the Seafood Soup with Crayfish and Prawns will be the perfect choice for you. Cheers!!

Thank you very much Protegie and Jia Li Seafood Soup for the media invite.

Food & Drink: 7.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: N/A (Media Invite)

Ambiance: Coffee Shop

Budget per Person: $0 - $10; $11 - $25

Jia Li Seafood Soup @Upper Serangoon Road

941 Upper Serangoon Road

Singapore 534709

F: https://www.facebook.com/jialiseafoodsoup

IG: @jialiseafoodsoup

OH:

Fri – Wed: 11.00 – 23.00

Thu: 11.00 – 22.00

Other Location:

21 Woodlands Close, #01-23/24 Prim Bizhub, Singapore 737854

3 Gateway Drive, #B1-28/29 Food Republic @ Westgate, Singapore 608532

33 Lor Liput, Singapore 277744

26 Upper Changi Road, New Gem Coffeehouse, Singapore 462026

(Operating hours differ for each branch).

Hokkien Man – A Refine Hokkien Mee

Hokkien Mee with Fried Egg

Our first encounter of Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee (“HKHM”) was about a year ago. LD got a craving and decided to give this place a try. We reach there around 2 PM, however, they are sold out and almost finish cleaning and washing for the day. At the end, we ate the wanton mee from the stall beside it.

Fast forward this year, we went down to Toa Payoh for an unplanned visit around 11.30am. We decided to give them a call, the lady boss took our order 2 medium Hokkien Mee ($6; $5 for S & $7 for L) and told us it will be ready in 35 minutes.

The Stall

Since it was Saturday, parking there was so horrible as there were lots of people visiting the wet market and 2 hawker centres. I had to drop LD first to chop table and proceeding to other nearby car parks to find a parking lot. Thus, we only need to wait for another 10 mins, after checking-in with HKHM for a buzzer to confirm the order.

LD order my HKM with extra fried egg ($0.50). The HKM come loaded with ingredients and extra gravy on the plate. Some might call it “wet version”. I give the gravy a sip and I like the sweet, robust and umami flavour. I also feel certain that there is no MSG in it.

Hokkien Mee with Fried Egg

The noodle is al-dente, while the white noodle is crunchy, it absorbs the stock nicely. The prawns, sotong and sliced pork belly are evenly spread, making in an enjoyable meal. Two things that we notice missing are the strong “Wok Hei” flavour and the crispy pork lard bits.

Hokkien Mee with Fried Egg

The Noodles

For the chilli, LD feels it lacks the Power (Spiciness), that she give up eating the chilli. Meanwhile, the crispy fried egg is a must order here. Not only it gives a different texture to the plate, I find it very comforting and yummy on its own. I will probably order 2 fried egg next time to top up my Hokkien Mee. LD told me they also have abalone topping for an additional of $5 for 3-4 mini abalones.

Sliced Pork Belly

CBK Verdict: It is a delicious HKM, however, it is unlike your traditional version of HKM. Although the ingredients are the same, the taste is gentler, like it is assembled with a fine-dining touch instead of zhi char flair. Let’s just call this Hokkien Man signature Hokkien Mee. Cheers!!

Food & Drinks: 7.25/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: N/A (Self Service)

Ambiance: N/A (Food Centre)

Budget per Person: $0-$10

Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee

Blk 19 Lor 7 Toa Payoh

#01-264 Kim Keat Palm

(19 Brewcoffee Coffeeshop)

Singapore 310019

T: +65 8798 1525 (For Ordering)

F: https://www.facebook.com/Singaporehokkienman

IG: @Hokkienman.hokkienmee

OH:

Thu – Tue: 10.00 – 14.30 (or When “The STOCK” run out)

Closed on Wednesday.

Soon Huat Pig’s Organ Soup

Pig Organ Soup

Pig Organ Soup is not easily found around the hawkers centre in Singapore. It is even harder to find a good one. This simple looking dish is very hard to master, finding the right balance between the sweetness extracted from the pork with the bold flavour of the salted vegetables. 

The Stall

Soon Huat Pig’s Organ Soup is one of the oldest stalls in Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre. It opens for brunch and it is usually close before afternoon tea time. 

My Meal

The Pig’s Organ Soup here come in 3 different sizes, $4 / $5 / $6. The one that I ordered is the $5 version. The portion is big enough for me. You can expect to see pork belly, liver, lean meat, small intestines, big intestines, pig stomach and salted vegetables. 

Pork Belly & Lean Meat

The broth is just bursting with flavour. I can taste the sweetness of the pork, followed with what of tanginess from the salted vegetables and tomato. If this is your first meal of the day, you can expect a wake-up call for your palate. I find the flavours here are bolder, due to generous portions of the salted vegetables in comparison to the famous stalls in Jalan Besar which I often frequented. 

Salted Vegetables

The pork belly and lean meat are tender and juicy, while the big intestines, small intestines and pig stomach are nicely clean, absent of any foul taste. Expect a touch of redness in pork liver, represent the right doneness for the liver. 

Small Intestine and Big Intestine

Pork Liver

Pig Stomach

I also ordered the braised big intestines and fishcake ($6). The braising liquid is robust, while the big intestines are bouncy, succulent and absorb the braising sauce. The fishcake is springy and tasty. 

Braised Big Intestines

Fish cake

Of course, you need your rice ($0.50) to accompanied these two dishes. The lady boss will usually ask you if you want some braising sauce on top of your rice or not and you better be ready with your answer. 

CBK Verdict: A delicious pig organ soup for those who appreciate the traditional taste. It is a satisfying and comforting meal. I’ve been back a few times already. 

Food & Drinks: 7.75/10 

Value: 8/10 

Service: N/A (Self Service) 

Ambiance: N/A (Food Centre) 

Budget per Person: $0-$10 

Soon Huat Pig’s Organ Soup 

49A Serangoon Garden Way 

Stall 42. S555945 

OH: 

Tue – Sun: 10.00 – 16.00 

Closed on Monday

Ah Seng Braised Duck Rice – Enjoyable Braised Duck

Ah Seng Braised Duck Rice

One of the places to go for my quick meal is Serangoon Garden Market. Reasons being that parking is a breeze and the standards of the stalls here is just above average.

Recently, I keep returning to Ah Seng Braised Duck Rice ('Ah Seng'), the one near the Bakery for lunch. It is also one of the stall that always have a queue. A quick research before writing this review, divulge that Ah Seng has been around from more than 20 years. So some of the regulars have been eating the braised duck since their childhood (including my wife). Amazing.

The Braised Duck

So what is good here. Of course the braised duck (One person serving with rice from $3.50). Braised in superior soya sauce, the braising gravy has a water consistency instead of thick gooey version. In short, Ah Seng follow the Teochew style of braised duck. The duck is well braised as you can feel the soya sauce infused in the meat. It is also lean and meaty, almost absent of any fats. Those who like their duck plump and juicy, this might not be the version for you.

Serving for One plus Pig's Ear and Tongue

Normally, I will order the braised pork belly ($2/3/4) with my duck. Like the duck, the pork belly can be consider lean however it remain tender and succulent. For me, the braised pork belly is to offset the duck meat that is devoid of fats.

Serving for One plus Braised Pork Belly

Seng Kee Bak Kut Teh – Yummy Bak Kut Teh

Seng Kee Bak Kut Teh @ AMK

Having tasted most of the popular Bak Kut Teh('BKT') in Singapore, I will hardly have a Bak Kut Teh in a Hawker Centre or Food Centre. Reason being, I don't like to be disappointed with bland soup plus dry and chewy pork ribs. I like my BKT to be peppery, slightly cloudy white broth and robust with a sweetness derived from the pork. When eating BKT, LD and I will always try to order the prime ribs, so we can enjoy the perfect bite of ribs.

The Menu

Surprisingly, I always want to give Seng Kee Bak Kut Teh in Chong Boon Food Centre, Ang Mo Kio a try. On the weekend, this section of the food centre will be packed and about 20 plus table there will definitely order something from Seng Kee. Not sure what to have for breakfast, I decided to give it a try.

Spare Ribs ($6), Bean Curd Skin ($2) and Rice ($0.50). The broth is peppery, sweet and robust. The pepper is strong but just enough to warm your stomach not to offset. The sweetness come from the pork that is just appetizing. The spare ribs is just juicy and succulent. It has the right balance of meat and fats yum yum.

My Breakfast

The beancurd skin is stewed until it is soft, yet still retain the slight crunchiness to it. The dark sauce is slightly watery, however it is salty enough to flavour the beancurd skin and even producing a touch umami flavour.

Spare Ribs - Soup

Spare Ribs - Up Close

Like the traditional version of BKT, Seng Kee only served white rice with its BKT. Not youtiao here. They have two other signature dishes which are pig trotters and steamed fish. Unfortunately, I have not manage to try both this time around.

This stall is not a self service stall. So you just place your order, let them know your table number and your food will be delivered to you.

Overall, Seng Kee served a good Bak Kut Teh. In my personal opinion, their BKT is even comparable to some of the popular BKT store in Singapore. So if you are around Ang Mo Kio area give Seng Kee Bak Kut Teh a try. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 7.75/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 6.5/10

Ambiance: N/A (Food Centre)

Budget per Person: $0 - $10

Seng Kee Bak Kut Teh

Blk 453A Ang Mo Kio Ave 10

#01-06, Chong Boon Food Centre

Singapore 561453

OH:

Tue – Sun: 07.30 – 20.30

Closed on Mon

Washoku GOEN – Introducing Sumubiyaki [MEDIA INVITE]

Washoku Goen @ VivoCity

Washoku Goen ('WG') is a Japanese stall located in Food Republic Outlet in VivoCity and Wisma Atria. Established itself in Singapore since January 2015, Washoku Goen has a reputation for serving gigantic katsu portion and delicious Japanese Curry Rice.

The Menu

Since their opening, they have consistently adding variety to their menu. WG have just introduced Sumibiyaki - Japanese charcoal grill. After you placed your order, the grill master will do the hard work for you and grill the meat to perfection. There are two type of sauce you can choose from Japanese BBQ (using eel sauce) or Singa BBQ (using local flavour).

Sumibiyaki - Japanese Charcoal Grill - Chicken

[CLOSED] Chinatown Food Street [MEDIA INVITE]

Chinatown Food Street is a conceptual dining project undertaken by Select Group to revive the heritage food street in Singapore's Chinatown. Located at the end of Smith Street Chinatown (towards South Bridge Road), it's rejuvenation and facelift was completed in 2014. While maintaining the traditional look, it also create a comfortable environment to enjoy Singapore Street Food.

Animal Lanterns at North Bridge Road

As part of Singapore tradition, it is common for us to visit Chinatown in preparation to celebrate Chinese New Year festival. Street vendors will set up their stalls in Temple street, selling Chinese New Year items from snacks, biscuits, peanuts, flowers, decorations and etc. Along North Bridge road, you can see decorative Chinese Zodiac, and this year the Goat take the centre stage. Most of the stalls open until very late, so everyone can take their time to shop or just to experience the atmosphere.

Tiong Bahru Lor Mee – Delicious But Not My Kind of Food

Tiong Bahru Lor Mee

Singapore Lor Mee originated from South Chinese Hokkien Dish. A bowl of thick yellow noodle, covered in thickened seafood soup. Normal toppings will include braised pork belly, ngoh hiang, fried fish, grated garlic and a dash of black vinegar.

[CLOSED] Da Jie Famous Wanton Mee – The Famous Chicken Feet

Da Jie Famous Wanton Mee

I got to know this place from the recent Facebook Posting from Singapore Makan Guru KF Seetoh. Looking at the yummylicious chicken feet, I just can't say no.

Iskina Cebu – Lechon de Cebu

Iskina Cebu

Lechon is a whole roasted pig dish originated from Spain. This dish was introduced to the people of Philippines during the colonial time and become one of their national dishes. Though I never been to the Philippines and I am not sure how their food taste like, I just can't say no to whole roasted pig (thanks to Tony Johor Kaki website).

Tai Wah Pork Noodle – Hong Lim Food Centre: Very Good Bak Chor Mee

The Stall

Tai Wah / Tai Hwa Pork Noodle are well known for foodies in Singapore. The conflict between these two stalls made the headline a while back, until today it seems the bad blood are still there. Each of these stall have there own staunch supporters, so its all come down to personal preference.

No.1 Adam's Nasi Lemak – Supposedly One of The Best Nasi Lemak In Singapore

Adam Spread Nasi Lemak

Have you been to Adam Road Food Centre around lunch time? If you have, then you definitely seen this stall or even tried it before. The queue from this shop and the rival next door are just tremendous, basically nobody wants to seat at the tables near their stalls.

Chubby Botak Koala & The Little Devil survived 60 minutes wait here to get the taste of the ever popular nasi lemak here. We have heard of these notorious nasi lemak place, but this is our first ever visit and it was unplanned as well.

While I was waiting for my turn, I was listening to other customers on the phone checking with their office or family if they want any takeaway for their lunch. Apparently the sight of customers ordering between 10 to 15 packets each are normal here. When it is almost my turn, I heard that they are actually preparing order for 100 packs. No wonder the line is moving at turtle speed.

I ordered the Adam Spread ($5) consist of mutton rendang, chicken wing, fried egg, bergedel, ikan bilis & nuts, acar and of course the coconut rice. LD ordered Sutra Special ($4.50) consist of otah, fish cake, chicken wing, ikan bilis & nuts. While LD requested for extra chilli, I asked for extra rice and the lady just build rice mountain on my place and with no extra charges.

Adam Spread Nasi Lemak

So after 1 hour in line, how is the Nasi Lemak? The rice is very fragrant and unique. They use basmanti rice, which is more healthy than normal long grain rice resulted in more al dante version of rice. Ikan bilis and nuts is crispy and crunchy. The chicken wings are pipping hot, crispy and juicy. However the marination is only skin deep, while the meat is tender but tasted bland.

For my mutton rendang, the gravy is thick and sweet. The mutton is tender, but more on the dry side due to the lean meat used. Begedil is very tasty. LD's otah is huge in size, creamy and very flavourful. The fish cake is springy (qq) and in her opinion, the sambal (chilli) is the top notch and star attraction here. It is sweet, not to spicy, with multiple layer of flavour and very appetizing. No wonder people willing to line up, like bees going for their honey.

Sutra Nasi Lemak

The service here is very friendly but your patience will be tested while waiting. Normally there will be two lady serving, however today she is flying solo. Also, the popular stall next door was on holiday, so their customers went there to overcome their cravings for nasi lemak. The positive side of the slow service, is that the kitchen can keep up with demand and churn out pipping hot food.

As we ordered the two most expensive set, the rest on the menu are chicken set and fish set ($3.50 each). Consist of chicken wings / fried fish, fried egg, coconut rice, sambal, ikan bilis & nuts. There are some other dish you can add to your set, unfortunately you can't order extra chicken wings.

Overall, we can now say we tried No.1 Adam's Nasi Lemak. The pricing here is very reasonable. However, if you ask me to wait for another 1 hour for a grub of Nasi Lemak here, I will say NO! But if I am around the area before or after the peak hours, I might try my luck and eat here again. Cheers!

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 9/10

Ambiance: 6/10

No.1 Adam's Nasi Lemak

2 Adam Road

Stall 1 Adam Road Food Centre

Singapore 289876

Op Hours: 08.30 – 15.00

Closed on Tuesday.

Ah Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee – Legendary Bak Chor Mee

Mince Meat Noodle - Bak Chor Mee

Ah Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee (Bak Chor Mee - “BCM”) is one of the first hawkers that was awarded Singapore Hawker Legends by Makansutra in collaboration with Singapore Tourism Board to acknowledge the contributions and dedications of Hawkers to their craft and perfection of their dishes.

Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow – Fulfilling the Cravings

During the recent food cravings episode by Little Devil ('LD'), Char Kway Teow ('CKT') is one of the dish that she really really want to eat.

Seriously, if you are to ask me on where to go for a nice plate of CKT, I will definitely tell you Hill Street CKT @ Hong Lim. However, we are not prepared to queue for at least 30 minutes. So this time around, we decided to ask “Uncle GOOGLE”, Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow was well-recommended by ieatishootipost blog.

For LD & I, a good CKT must have the a solid “Wok Hei” (Breath of the Wok), slightly sweet taste dark soy sauce, smooth coating of the eggs, perfectly cooked cockles and chilli (for LD). To find a perfect plate of CKT in Singapore nowadays is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Located in the corner of Wei Xuan Eating House, Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow is helmed by a 30-ish female Chef. Apparently she is the second generation who inherited the skill from her father, the founder of Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow.

We went on late Saturday morning, there is no queue and we waited less than 10 minutes. The CKT has a good equal portion of rice noodle and yellow noodle. The egg coated the noodles to give a nice smoothness all round. The lap cheong (Chinese sausages), green vegetables and perfectly cooked cockles hiding in between the noodles. The CKT has a solid wok hei, with a subtle hint of sweetness from dark soy sauce. A really good CKT. Yummyyy.

The Star of the Show, Char Kway Teow

LD's version come with the chilli in it. The chilli is not very spicy, quite gentle in the spiciness level where it does not blow your head off.

For $4, the portion is quite good. Although we prefer more cockles, I guess we need to go for the $5 version next time. In their menu, they also have beansprouts with cockles, but we have not try it yet.

The eating house seems to be renovated recently. It is very clean and there are a lot of tables and chairs around. Overall, it is not the best tasted CKT that we would like, but overall it is very good plate of CKT indeed. We actually went back for 2^nd round before publishing this review. So do I need to say more, Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 8.5/10

Value: N/A

Service: N/A

Ambiance: N/A

Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow
22 Havelock Road
#01-669. Wei Xuan Eating House
Singapore 160022


Op Hours:
Mon- Sat: 10.30 – 19.00
Sun: 10.30 – 16.00