Joy Kitchen - Mini Laksa @ Berseh Food Centre [Jalan Besar, Singapore] #BersehFoodCentre

Even though my primary objective was the ice kacang from the Hot & Cold Dessert stall; my stomach needed something substantial to quieten down its growling. I walked around the hawker centre and chanced upon Joy Kitchen. 

I don't have any affection for lor mee and it's the mini laksa that attracted my attention. Now, I only like the famous laksa from Yishun block 928 and was keen to try the one from Joy Kitchen simply because a small serving appeals to me, especially with a risk that it might not be worth the calories.

S$2.50 a bowl isn't that cheap, to be honest, and the above photograph was taken to reflect the comparison next to my iPhone pro max. It's indeed a scaled down version and the lakas came with taupok, fish cake, egg and thick bee hoon (the type of noodle I prefer for laksa).

Another picture for your viewing pleasure.

Time to dig in although my first move was to take a sip of the soup. Gravy had a surprisingly thick texture with a noticeable coconut milk flavour that had the double effect of dispersing a nice aroma and making the gravy addictive! 

Honestly, it can give the laksa from Yishun a run for their money, specifically if you hate queueing and don't mind paying about 25% more for the laksa at Joy Kitchen. My only regret was not ordering their original laksa that came in a larger bowl. 

Simply put, the mini version can't satisfy me!

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Address

166 Jalan Besar Road, 

Berseh Hawker Centre, #02-36, 

Singapore 208877

Map

As above.

Pricing

Mini Laksa - S$2.50

The Ice Kacang from the Hot & Cold Dessert Stall @ Berseh Food Centre [Jalan Besar, Singapore] #BersehFoodCentre

When it comes to dining at hawker centres, customers are usually spoilt with choices and even for a greedy person like me; I am well aware of my "limitations" and do not dare to over-order as I dislike wasting food!

Hence, I purposely made a trip down to Berseh Food Centre again when I heard of a terribly good ice kacang from the Great Kon! It wasn't in my radar when I was last there and that's surprising given that my tummy could always make room for desserts after a meal.

Found the stall on the second level of the hawker centre; I did notice it on my first visit but for reasons I can't remember, I didn't opt for desserts. Maybe it was a lack of queue, even though there was a short line this time in my latest visit. 

Those who couldn't seem to find the stall, given the similar signboards filled with mouthwatering pictures of local desserts, can just look for the above signboard stating a simple "Hot & Cold Dessert".

Two bowls of ice kacang - one normal and the other was coconut; there were other flavours like durian, mango, chocolate, strawberry, honeydew, kiwi etc! On second thought, I should have opted for cheng tng; my favourite local dessert.

Left - coconut ice kacang

Right - normal ice kacang

The Great Kon was all praises for the smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the ice kacang and it sure didn't disappoint! I thought they were using a different ice shaving machine but it's the common kind you see at many local dessert stalls! How the hell did the operator manage to make it so good? Furthermore, the sweetness was surprisingly quite muted; beneficial for older people. 

Anyway, the ingredients inside didn't differ from the usual red beans, grass jelly, two pieces of attap chee. Nevertheless, the dessert was incredibly satisfying on a hot day and to me, the normal ice kacang was good enough! 

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Address

166 Jalan Besar, #02-58, 

Berseh Food Centre,

Singapore 208877

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Normal Ice Kacang - S$1.80

Coconut Ice Kacang - S$2.00

Fu Zhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake (福州寶華蠔饼) @ Berseh Food Centre [Jalan Besar, Singapore] #BersehFoodCentre

When it comes to oyster cake, you can't blame me for being fixated on the Teochew Meat Puff (that now has a permanent location in Woodlands) as I am just not keen on the oysters. Furthermore, I had tried the famous one at Maxwell Hawker Centre and it turned out to be a letdown! 

By all means, I typically wouldn't want to try the oyster cake from this Fu Zhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake stall at Berseh Hawker Centre but many stalls were closed on the day of my visit and while the queue was non-existent, the wait was at least 30-45 minutes; precious time I didn't want to waste, especially when there's a likely chance it might be a disappointment. 

I actually returned for a second visit to the hawker centre as I was in the vicinity and since it was about 5.00pm, the wait was a lot more bearable. Luck was on my side too as the stall was down to its final tub of batter. 

The pager started beeping about 8 minutes later.

Collecting the oyster cake that was placed in a paper bag; was expecting a plate actually for ease of eating since I would prefer to eat it right away; piping hot from the boiling oil! 

Unlike Teochew Meat Puff, there's only one type available for sale; the authentic oyster cake and at S$2.30 apiece, it's also much cheaper than my favourite stall. The toppings can vary between silverfish and peanuts but don't think too much; the filling would be the same.

One bite down and the immediate thought was how thin and crispy the outer layer was! I was glad I didn't take a larger bite as I would have accidentally eaten the oyster! Don't judge me but I don't enjoy oyster; although I did think it's more edible compared to cockles. 

Oyster was rather big but it shall be given to my mom who was with me. 

She appreciates it much better than I do.

Aside from the oyster, there were also prawn, minced pork and chinese parsley. Surprisingly, the combination was delicious even though I wish there were a thicker layer of the palatable pork. Next time, maybe I would try my luck to ask if they can replace the oyster with more of the marinated pork! 

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Address

166 Jalan Besar, #02-34, 

Berseh Food Centre,

Singapore 208877

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

10.00 am to 6.00 pm

(Closed on Tuesdays)

Pricing

Oyster Cake - S$2.30

Hock Kee Fried Kway Teow (福记鲜蛤炒粿条) @ Berseh Food Centre [Jalan Besar, Singapore] #BersehFoodCentre

Berseh Food Centre is one of those places that i passed by a few times while on public transportation yet never quite got around to trying the food stalls there. Things are now different with COVID-19 and i actually specially made a trip down last Sunday just to check it out. 

With stalls spread over two levels, i had already researched on what i should try for lunch but given the limited stomach capacity, i zeroed in to char kway teow, fried oyster and oyster cake. A pity that fried oyster stall is opened only in the evening  and the oyster cake commanded a wait of more than 30 minutes! 

Guess i would only be able to indulge in the noodles from Hock Kee Fried Kway Teow (福记鲜蛤炒粿条). If i had known that the oyster cake has such a long wait; i would have ordered it before i queued up at the char kway teow stall.

My plate of char kway teow (with an extra egg) after about 10 minutes. The aroma was enticing and i couldn't wait to dig in! Note that i didn't ask for extra sauce but from the look of it; maybe i should! 

As expected, it wasn't as sweet as i would have wanted it and the wok hei, while in existence, wasn't impressive. What i did like was that the operator would take quite a bit of water from the container of fresh cockles and mix it into the noodles; resulting in a nice, cockle-rich flavour infused into the noodles. 

There appeared to be more of the eggs; when i usually ask for an extra egg, it didn't feel that ther was much more. hm.... perhaps the operator didn't mix in the eggs thoroughly in the wok? Well, i shouldn't be complaining.

Cleaned up except for the 3 cockles at the side. Pity it didn't quite warm the cockles of my heart. For those wondering if there was any pork lard; i didn't find any.

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Address

166 Jalan Berseh, #01-16,

Berseh Food Centre,

Singapore 208877

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/FuJiFriedKwayTeow/ 

Pricing

Char Kway Teow - S$3.00

Extra Egg - S$0.50