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

[CLOSED] ChokChai Mookata – A Better Experience [MEDIA INVITE]

ChokChai Mookata

Mookata, the renowned combination of BBQ and shabu-shabu originated from Thailand which has gathered decent followers in Singapore. A google search to check for the mookata places in Singapore, the list can be considered very extensive.

ChokChai Mookata Shop

I had my virgin experience with mookata a few years back and I have been avoiding it since. The reason being it is slow to cook and I “hate” it when you bbq the meat / sausage or balls, the food just take a tumble into the shabu-shabu section.

First thing that I noticed in ChokChai Mookata is the bbq pan. There is a mini gate surrounding the bbq section, so the bbq food will not roll to the soup. Wohoo!! Something to look forward.

ChokChai Mookata pan

[CLOSED} Murphy's – One of The Best in Singapore Heartland

Murphy's

Fish & Chips ('F&C') brought me back to my memories during my high school in Melbourne. A good plate of fish and chips always have three characteristics: Light and crisp batter; Fresh, flaky and juicy fish; Of course mountains of fries. It is kind of difficult to get a pretty decent F&C here, they either use lower quality fish to maintain the cost down or charged pretty high.

I can't remember when I saw Murphy's in the media post featuring F&C shop in the heartland. A quick google, I found the location. Apparently it is not that far from my office. So I decided to drop by for my usual after 2 pm late lunch.

Part of the dining area, order counter and drinks

Gim Tim Pte Ltd – Great Taste Dining Experience Since 1975

Gim Tim Pte Ltd is a popular neighbourhood restaurant that serve Hokkien and Cantonese Cuisine in Ang Mo Kio area. They first open their door in 1975, and through the years they have been serving quality food and service to its customers. Their signature Buddha Jumps Over the Wall has won much acclaims amongst foodies. Sticking to their root, their main restaurant can be located at Blk 157 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4. On Saturday and Sunday, don't expect to get a seat without reservations.

Kinsa Sushi – Good Japanese food in the Heartland [CLOSING Final Day 09 May 2015]

I heard about this place from a friend in F&B business telling us how good was his Omasake dining experience in a Japanese restaurant. When he told us, it was in Jubilee, Ang Mo Kio, it was to my disbelief. So when the opportunity arises, I decided to give this place a try.

Located on the 2^nd floor of Jubilee Square, we thought the place will be packed on a Friday night, to our surprise, it was the opposite. It seems the closure of the cinema on the upper floor, depleted the human traffic going to the building except to the Popular book store.

We arrived at the restaurant on time for our reservations and was seated immediately. This time around we (group of 4) decided to order from the menu instead of Omasake.

Appetizer of Grilled Stingray Fin ($8.8), Tatami Iwashi (Tatami Style Slices of White Bait) and Ika Mentaiko Ae (Squid with spicy cod roe – $4.80). The squid is fresh and combined nicely with the spicy cod roe. The white bait is crispy and appetizing, can be considered as white bait crackers. While the grill stingray fin has a slightly chewy texture which was nice to bite on but not fishy. Similar taste to dried sotong, but without the fishy smell. It is actually a good dish to have when you are drinking sake or beer.

Grilled Stingray Fin

Ika Mentaiko Ae (Squid with spicy cod roe) 

Tatami Iwashi (Tatami Style Slices of White Bait)

Our sashimi adventure begin with half of Aji (House mackerel), 3 kinds of sashimi (salmon, swordfish and sweet prawns – $15.80), and Sake to Shiromi no Karupatcho (Salmon and white Fish carpaccio – 13.80). This is our first experience with Aji. As it come from a smaller fish, the cuts are smaller and it has a clean, firm and resilient texture. Unlike swordfish, where it is more firm and taste buttery. The salmon sashimi and swordfish cuts are thick and generous. The carpaccio combines the soft texture of the sashimi, with the crispiness of the vegetables and well balance sauce. Yummy.

Aji (House mackerel)

3 kinds of sashimi (salmon, swordfish and sweet prawns 

Sake to Shiromi no Karupatcho
(Salmon and white Fish carpaccio) 

Moving to the maki, we had Sanshoku Dragon Roll (Fried King Prawn Rolled topped with Avocado, Mango and flying fish roe - $12.80) and Soft Shell Crab Roll (fried soft shell crab roll topped with flying fish roe – $7.80). The prawns and soft shell crab are well fried. However it was let down with the sushi rice which was slightly loose, a little under cooked and not well season with the rice vinegar.

Sanshoku Dragon Roll

Soft Shell Crab Roll

From the debacle of the maki, we proceed to the perfectly executed tepanyaki dishes. Kinoko Sarada (Assorted Mushroom salad – $5.80), Wakadori Teriyaki (Grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce), Gyu Tataki (Thinly sliced surfaced grilled beef – $12.80), Saba Shio Yaki (Grilled mackerel with salt) and Ebi Mentai Mayo Yaki (Grilled Prawn with cod roe mayonnaise). The mushroom salad are crunchy and refreshing. The chicken teriyaki has a slight crispiness texture on the outside, with well marinated, juicy, tender and succulent.

Kinoko Sarada (Assorted Mushroom salad)

Wakadori Teriyaki (Grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce)

The beef tataki is done medium rare, where you can see the pinkish side of the beef in the centre. Combine well with the tangy dipping sauce. The saba fish has firm but juicy meat on it. While the grilled prawn is immaculate with a well balance cod roe mayonnaise. It was flawless.

Gyu Tataki (Thinly sliced surfaced grilled beef )

Saba Shio Yaki (Grilled mackerel with salt)

Ebi Mentai Mayo Yaki (Grilled Prawn with cod roe mayonnaise)

To end the meal we had zaru soba and su udon (plain udon). The texture of both are al dente.

Zaru Soba

Su Udon (Plain Udon)

The service here is very attentive and caring. However, the food come out from the kitchen is in an irregular order. Such as maki – grill – sashimi – appetizer – grill, so it kind of become slightly confusing for the palate. For the décor, it is very Zen like, but more towards modern Japanese restaurant. Can't really comment much on the inside, as we are seated on the facing the escalator and can't see the activity in the sushi counter.

Overall, it is not very common you can find a good quality Japanese food in the heartland other than the bigger Japanese Restaurant operator. The best part of the restaurant is that they have different range of pricing in their menu to accommodate different range of customers. We hope they continue to thrive and we should be back for more. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 7.5/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: 7.5/10

Ambiance: 7.5/10.

Kinsa Sushi

61 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8
#02-03/3A Jubilee Square
Singapore 569814


Tel: 6452 1798
Website: http://www.kinsasushi.com/
Op Hours: Daily 11.30 – 22.00
For Menu, click here: http://bit.ly/13K0I2l


Note: Apologies for some missing price, as we lost the actual bill and we can only rely on our photos.

Xin Mei Congee – Comfort Food Anyday

It seems that after the CNY food extravagant, the Little Devil had cravings from something soft, smooth and comforting. Basically we have been looking for Cantonese Congee that open for dinner and near to our home.

So after some research, I found Xin Mei Congee and we drop by this place on one evening after work. One thing that we like about Cantonese Congee is that it is smooth and full of flavour. On our recent visit to HongKong, our foodie friend there, Platypus teach us how it's normally done (See below, for the know how)

Xin Mei Congee

I ordered the mixed pork porridge and my other half ordered the Century Egg congee. Each bowl come with half portion of the You Tiao (Fried Dough Stick). The congee is thick, smooth, velvety and full of flavour. As per normal practice, the congee come from a big central pot, upon order they then add your ingredients in a different pot and bring to the boil. Ingredients are generous, and the portion in enough for one person.

Pork Congee

The you tiao is fried freshly in the shop, so when you get on your bowl, it is still nice and crispy. Other than the congee, they also offered Yu Seng, Fried Tofu and Macaroni, which we did not have a chance to try.

Service wise, they might not have the most friendliest staff. They hardly smile, and they don't like you to touch any of the utensils. Just tell them what you want and they will pass it to you. It is a self service, but for a few tables close to their shop, the staff will deliver to you (base on his discretion).

Overall, a good Cantonese Congee but we have tried better one in Singapore. However, if you need something light and comfortable and you are in Ang Mo Kio, this is a place to go.

Congee: 7.5/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: n/a

Ambiance: n/a

Xin Mei Congee @ BLK 724 AMK FC

Block 724 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6

#01-32. Block 724 Ang Mo Kio Food Centre

Singapore 560724

Op Hours: Daily 07.30 – 21.30

How to cook Cantonese Congee

After washing the rice (long grained), add some oil to coat the grains and let it marinate for 30min or so. Add water or stock if available. Base on the following ratio, water should double the grains and can not be more than 1/2 of the depth of the pot. Do not add any other ingredients to the pot, as this will block the grains from circulating during cooking and stick to the pot. Use high fire for over 45 mins or so, where you can start seeing the rice grain exploded and broken. You should be able to get a nice congee with the rice grains nicely broken up afterwards. Use another pot to add the ingredients and cook to your liking.

Disclaimer: I have not tried this yet. In case it does not work, let me know and I will hold the Platypus accountable next time I am in Hong Kong!!!

[CLOSED] Kare Express Grill (KEG) – Simple and Delicious Japanese Curry

The Stall

Found this place by accident when I went out for lunch with my colleagues. The coffee shop is located behind Ang Mo Kio bus interchange, just beside Courts. Kare Express Grill (K.E.G) actually specialise more on Western and Japanese Curry.

It has been a while since I have a decent plate of Japanese Curry, so I decided to order Chicken Katsu Curry ($4.50). The chicken fillet is nicely fried, coated with batter and bread crumbs. The meat is tender and succulent. The portion of the rice is fulfilling, and so does the Japanese curry. They even provide you with a small portion of Japanese pickles.

Chicken Katsu Curry

Anyway, I am so happy with this meal, I even packed one for my colleague in the office that have not eaten. Additional $0.20 for take away. Based on the quality, I am sure they will not disappoint me on their other Western Menu. Check out their Facebook page photos for menu. Cheers :)

Food & Drink: 7.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: N/A

Ambiance: N/A

K.E.G. - Kare Express Grill

Block 727 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6

#01-4236.

Singapore 560727

(Next to Courts)

Tel: 8100 0659 – Raj (Indian Dude)

9835 3149 – Fred (Chinese Guy)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KareExpressGrill

Op Hours: 10.30 am – 10pm Daily

Menu available on the photos in the Facebook page