Zok Noodle House - the name rings a bell yet I couldn't put my finger to it initially; until it finally dawned on me that I tried it once at Genting Highlands, and it didn't impress!
Nevertheless, my family seemed set on having brunch at this branch right here in Singapore, and since taste buds varied across people, even within family; no harm in trying again, and I am also taking the opportunity to officially review this Malaysian-originated eatery.
Top ten recommendations for your reference!
After ordering, please proceed to stock up at the all-you-can-eat-condiment section, with a variety of sauces and dips, including cut green chilli.
For me, it would be the big baskets of coriander and spring onions that shall appeal to me. Unlike many people, I actually have a liking for both, including coriander, especially when they were thrown into soup!
X.O Sauce Stir Fried Turnip Cake - with so much beansprouts covering the turnip cake, this should be renamed stir fried beansprouts with turnip. Nevertheless, the large pieces of turnip cake were overly soft, with a limp texture providing no bite. Overall - disappointing.
BBQ Pork and Fresh Wonton Noodles - my order and I am giving it more prominent coverage.
Noodles were the rubber-band kind popular in Hongkong and despite the dark sauce used, the sweetness was pretty much muted; resulting in a more savory than sweet flavour.
Char siew (also known as BBQ pork) was surprisingly nice; sliced thickly with a good meat over fatty ratio that was satisfying, and a bite that was smoky and bursting with sweet marination!
Unlike wonton in many wonton mee, the ones here were generously sized! Filling was a mix of both pork and prawns, and while the soup had a strong pork flavour; it was still palatable with just a thin line to cross into the undesirable band.
Zok Milky Soup Pork Noodles - key takeaway here; the broth was rich and so comfortable for the tummy! Sadly, the pork belly had that porkiness that my palates reject and the slice I had was too tough for my liking.
Zok Seafood Rice Soup - frankly, this required better plating. With so much water, I can't make out what was in it! p.s. the picture on menu gave a totally different vibe.
Scoop a bit deeper and you get a more complete picture, including clams and prawns. Now, I would best describe the soup was plain white rice soaked in clear soup that had an unadulterated seafood sweetness balanced without any excessive seasoning. More disappointed with the prawns which could have been fresher; at least not fishy though.
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While I am not sure if I would be back to the same branch again (wonton mee is quite easily found all over Singapore and I like the white version); I am sure to consider Zok Noodle House when I am in Malaysia again, where it has ten branches!
It's no secret I relied heavily on Google Maps review before I visit a new dining establishment but sometimes, when the hunger gets to me, I will just freely decide based on simple whims and fancy.
The above explained the reason why I was queuing in front of Xian Ji Seafood Soup @ Alexandra Village Food Centre after realizing Chef Goo Red Sea Prawns Hokkien Mee was closed. What I didn't realize then was that the review score of Xian Ji on Google Maps was a paltry 3.0.
To be fair, most negative comments were about the poor service from the sole employee / employer and I did encounter it, albeit from the customers in front of me. Basically, you need to be concise and and don't ask too many questions. Hygiene wise, the lady obviously didn't use gloves when taking the raw fish out from the bag. Oh well, I guess the bowl of sweets would come in handy for those taken aback.
Anyway, here're our servings of batang sliced fish soup for Alex, and seafood soup for me, plus a bowl of white rice for Alex since soup is all I required as a full meal, in usual circumstances.
Batang Sliced Fish Soup - let's talk about the fish soup first which was more a cabbage soup since I hardly noticed any fish slices as they were all buried, and it bore the sweetness from simmering cabbages; can't say I didn't enjoy the soup.
Seafood Soup - although super light and appeared to be a rushed job from the lady chef, this soup was surprisingly flavourful and not overly salty! Of course not the best I had but legit not bad as I was expecting a lot worse.
Not much fish slices yet they were fresh and meaty! The minced meat patties were tasty and moist; do note they disintegrated pretty quickly in the soup. Prawns were okay; not the freshest and crunchiest.
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A clean bowl said a lot about my verdict for Xian Ji Seafood Soup.
My accommodation in Melaka back in 2023 was ibis Melaka and I did notice a pretty instagrammable cafe then known as Restoran Baba Kaya along Malacca River that appeared to be pretty new.
Fast forward to three years later and we were back again! And this time, we found Restoran Baba Kaya still standing and it appeared to be relatively popular on social media. Given its proximity to our hotel, we decided to check it out for breakfast!
Saturday morning at about 8.45 am; we were glad to have arrived then as any later would mean a nasty wait at the outdoors, and constant prayers that it would not get too humid, and wet.
Despite the cyan exterior, the inside was relatively sparse, with mismatched scratched tables and chairs, on cement screed flooring that had worn out with time. Well, does it matter to me? Not at all since my primary interest has always been food.
Ordering the new-school way; QR code.
Local Nanyang Coffee - starting the morning with coffee is essential and I love the one served to me; richness in the good, old Malayan coffee flavour, without being overly sweet.
BabaKaya Signature Toast - the most iconic dish for Restoran Baba Kaya, and featured heavily in social media whether through postings, reels with its captivating home-made tri-color pandan kaya dips.
Problem was; I literally dislike deconstructed dishes even though in this case, I was glad the toasts were already buttered. Taste wise, the dips were oily, and didn't have that prominent notes of coconut and pandan aroma, with the bright green dip being a tad too bitter.
Some might argue this would be as natural as you can but to me, there's still a need to have some decent pandan kaya flavour, for which many other competitors at Melaka would have done a better job.
Homemade Roti Jalan - another any instagrammable dish with the rolled-up web flatbreads having this beautiful, again-cyan colored sheen! p.s. I presume the coloring is artificial but you can't deny the aesthetic enhancement.
Came with curry chicken which had a milk rich flavour that the tough textured chicken didn't do justice to it. Acar was a bit dry but at least tasty whereas the sambal chilli was hot! I am happy with just the curry chicken and the roti jala.
Apom Balik - indicated as Malaysian's crepe, it was also explicitly mentioned on the menu that once it is ready, you would be informed and would have to proceed outside to pick up your order. First thing, you have to pull a rope nearby so that the basket as above would go up to the second level.
Honestly, this is another play for deconstructed food! I get it if I need to self-collect, self-pick-up, but I would need to do extra work to take my food? However, I do feel this was interesting and if you have family with kids, it would make for some cutesy moments.
I got Jovyn to do it since she is the youngest. Those who are too shy and/or dislike such activity can likely request for the food to be sent right to your table.
Our basket of apom balik.
Wait, weren't these just pancakes?!
Now, I love these kind of pancakes, and we ordered original (sugar with crushed peanuts) and coconut gula melaka (with shredded coconut, palm sugar and crushed peanuts)!
Freshly made, these were thankfully not the biscuit-thin type that many pasar malams in Malaysia were selling. There was some texture although not extremely crisp. The crushed peanuts were so aromatic and between the two, the coconut gula melaka was better tasting; almost like eating nyonya kueh!
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Thanks to the picking up of the apom balik, I finally noticed that there was a second floor and while my family was still finishing their food; I continued my exploration of Baba Kaya.
Upstairs were better! Seemed brighter, cleaner, less crowded and more relaxing. In addition, you do have an opportunity to dine next to the river, albeit with a better, elevated view!
I bet kids nowadays wouldn't believe how TVs look like in the past.
Place where the apom baliks were made! Another benefit of sitting on level two? You get the delicious smell of apom baliks, and I guess you don't have to climb down the stairs and pull up the rope just to get the pancakes that were just made next to you!
