Clucka Chicken Wings - Muslim Owner, Halal Friendly @ Yishun Night Market (Temporary) next to Yishun MRT Station [Singapore]

The night market has returned to the empty space next to Yishun MRT station and that's bad news for me since I have to walk past it in order to go home! Bad news simply because there were too many temptations along the way, from stinky tofu to teochew meat puffs and even muah chee! 

And just today, as I was exploring the night market, my nose caught a whiff of familiarity; one that brought me back to Peixin Primary School, where I was queuing in front of a Malay stall, for their signature chicken wings! 

That aroma came from Clucka, a muslim owned, Halal friendly stall. Selling just chicken wings and boneless chickens, I contemplated whether I should buy, given that I just had kunyit durians and guavas from Xiao Hei! 

I couldn't resist and ordered the smallest serving available; the two-piece chicken wings at S$6.50. Not exactly cheap but this is night market fare, and unlike night markets in other countries, it's MUCH pricier to dine at Singapore's night markets! 

Brought the wings back home to enjoy since the night market was only about a five-minute walk away, and I wanted to rest and relax in front of my computer, in an air-conditioned room, after a long day at Paya Lebar and Orchard. 

First bite and the beloved memory of the turmeric marinated chicken wings from my primary school rushed back to me; it was so rich of that iconic flavour even though the meat was a tad mushy. Thankfully, it wasn't dry.  

Batter was nice but do eat it quickly as the crispiness turned soft pretty quickly. Oh well, everything tastes better when they are fresh out from the cooking mode! 

Key question; was it the same as what I had in primary school? Except for the turmeric, I remember the chicken wing was juicier and the batter was thinner. Having said that, it was more than 30 years ago, and recollection of memory can be a fuzzy affair. 

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Location

Temporary Night Market

Next to Yishun MRT Station

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Chicken Wings - 2 for S$6.50

Phở 29 @ Lotte Mart in Danang [Vietnam]

Without researching in advance, we were at a fix on what to have for lunch at Lotte Mart Danang. The only way was to switch on Google Maps and look for restaurants with a decent review score.

A review score of 4.7 from over a hundred reviewers, we figured Pho 29 would be a safe bet, and it's always preferred to have local food over international brands like KFC, McDonald's etc! With my mom on the trip, it's also easier to persuade Alex, who loves international food brands, specifically the fast food kind.

Vietnamese Fried Spring Roll - a deserving appetiser for any Vietnamese cuisine, the spring rolls were served piping hot, with filling that tasted similar to my mom's famous hei zho; albeit a tad peppery. Quite different from the spring rolls I had in Vietnam!

Fried Noodle - honestly, I thought I had ordered wrongly as the above appeared to be more like a stir fried beef dish with a ton of vegetables! Not that I am complaining as I would love to have less carbohydrates! 

Turned out the noodles were hidden underneath! And they were appetising, and I would describe it as beef pho that was stir fried. Frankly, I prefer this version over the usually soupy ones.

Pho Ga - more for mom as she loves soup! After so many times trying chicken pho, my verdict is that the they cannot match up to the flavor of beef pho, and I don't understand why the chicken pho had such a strong chickeny taste that kind of taste off-putting! 

Bun Cha - I absolutely can't resist this Vietnamese dish whenever I see it on the menu! Soup was steaming hot with a nice, sweet shallot flavour that gelled well with the vermicelli. Issue I had was with the proteins; pork slices were tough and the pork balls were porky! 

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Hits and misses but I would recommend the spring rolls and the fried noodles if you are too sick of having the soupy pho. 

Address

Lotte Mart/2 Nại Nam, Hoà Cường Bắc, 

Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng 550000, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Vietnamese Fried Spring Roll - 110,000 dong

Fried Noodle - 110,000 dong

Pho Ga - 69,000 dong

Bun Cha - 89,000 dong

Durian Lah! - Black Gold Mao Shan Wang @ Yishun Block 744 [Singapore]

My to-go durian stall is Xiao Hei which is next to Northpoint Shopping Mall and although prices are on the higher side; it's rare for me to get average-tasting durians.

However, the allure of lower pricing durians of the same species proved too hard to resist, especially with Durian Lah! The temporary stall was located on the route back home and I can't help noticing that the per kilo pricing was at least 20-30% cheaper than Xiao Hei! 

Based on the durian species on display, nothing was above S$20 a kilogram and even a old tree mao shan wang durian was at just S$13 a kilogram! So, the cheapo in me decided to give it a try.

With just the basic criterion that the durians must be bitter-sweet (albeit more bitter than sweet), the young chap recommended the Black Gold Mao Shan Wang and chose three durians; costing me just S$63! 

Manned by two youngsters, their youth was no barrier to their durian handling; deftly cracking open the durians skillfully, and carefully placing the seeds with pulp into the styrofoam boxes. p.s. I should bring my own reusable lock and lock boxes in the future. 

Of course sharing the boxes of durians with my parents! From the look of them, I must say they looked fabulous and I can't wait to have them in my mouth, although my last durian was less than a week ago! 

First bite was heavenly; texture was dry on the outside yet creamy rich within, the taste featured the iconically intense richness of mao shan wang, veering towards the bitter spectrum. Sadly, I can feel the vast difference with the second and third fruit.

They were average tasting but more bland than expected. Even though 28 seeds for S$63 are worth in terms of quantity over price, I prefer quality when it comes to durians, especially given their high calorie! Xiao Hei, you are still the "man" for my durian craving! 

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Address

744 Yishun Street 72, 

#01-187, Singapore 760744

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

12pm to 11pm

Call before going

Pricing

Black Gold Mao Shan Wang Durian - S$15 a kilogram

Prime Burger Central Park - Stockholm Double Burger @ Bangkok in Thailand

The new Central Park Bangkok attracted visitors with numerous instagrammable spots, including the above criss-crossing escalators! As our hotel was pretty near, I visited like three times in my most recent visit to the capital of Thailand.

On our last day, we finally decided to have a meal in the shopping mall and you know what I was craving for?! Burgers! And Prime Burger caught my attention with its Google Maps review score of 4.7 from over 200 reviewers! 

Table amenities that consisted of serviettes, pepper, salt, ketchup, mustard, tabasco sauce and even toothpicks. Something else is missing; chilli sauce! And in Thailand, we should expect no less than Thai chilli sauce... 

Eight types of burgers to choose from and named after cities; they were new york, bangkok, paris, dubai, stockholm, phuket, san francisco, and buffalo. Even though I was in Bangkok, my selection fell back onto the supposed best seller; the Stockholm! 

Made of "100% Australian beef, freshly ground every day", you can opt for either single, double or triple patty! Recommended would be the double which was two pieces of 95g beef patty.

Stockholm had cheese, pickled red onions, pickles, tomato, lettuce and prime sauce, and for 295 baht, without any drinks / sides like fries; I was honestly expecting much more in terms of ingredients, although it was mentioned on the menu that prime burger was "fast food made with premium ingredients"! 

Took a few bites; burger bun was so soft! I had assumed that smashed burger patties would be crisp but it sure wasn't the case here; the insides were moist and juicy with a subtle pepperiness and a little salty. More flavor came from the pickles and I couldn't discern any uniqueness from the prime sauce.

To me, Stockholm was a good representation of a classic burger. 

However, I wouldn't pay the equivalence of almost S$12 to try it again. 

Downing everything with plain, simple bottled water! 

On second thoughts, should have gone with a beer. 

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Address

946 Rama IV Rd, Ground Floor,

Central Park Bangkok, Si Lom, 

Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand

Map

As above. 

Website

https://primeburger.co.th/

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Water - 50 Baht

Stockholm Double Burger - 295 Baht

(Subject to Tax)

Anping Handmade Egg Roll (安平手工蛋捲) @ Tainan in Taiwan

As the indisputable food capital in Taiwan, I was already prepared to be bombarded by many traditional food and snacks in Tainan, and told myself I had to be disciplined so that I wouldn't gain more weight! 

But the above store towards the tail end of Anping Old Street enticed me with the irresistible aroma of freshly made egg roll! Purely out of curiosity, I stepped closer for a better look.

Freshly made was a fact and what was more amazing was that they had two flattening machines right on the street to demonstrate how it was made! Literally poured the batter, flattened, rolled with a metal rolling pin, left the stick on one side to cool down, before removal.  

For your viewing pleasure.

Sold in a pack for NT$60, I wasn't ready to indulge in so many sticks as I don't think such freshly made snacks can keep well. In addition, I am known for being clumsiness and wouldn't have to return back to the hotel with crumbled bits instead. 

Happy to see the traditional store did sell single stick!

One stick for NT$15, only about 62 cents! Buy! 

Holding it like a gigantic version of the egg rolls we often have in Singapore during lunar new year, I did feel that the batter was thicker, with an uneven surface. 

Taste wise, it was satisfyingly thick, flaky and so full of the signature eggy flavor! Only bad thing; it wasn't crispy! Good to have it as a snack with a cup of hot tea in a cafe! 

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Address

No. 25, Yanping St, 

Anping District, 

Tainan City, Taiwan 

Map

As above.

Pricing

One Stick - NT$15

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)