Five Guys - Hand-cut French Fries, Hand-formed Burgers and Milkshakes with Multiple Toppings! @ Plaza Singapura [Singapore]

It seems like there are many burger joints in Singapore nowadays; aside from the famous Shake Shack, another international burger brand that hits the shores of our little red dot would be Five Guys! 

Its first branch at Plaza Singapura was opened for business in late 2019 and as expected, the queue was insane; to the point I decided to wait till the hype dies down before I were to check it out. 

One year of wait it took me and even then, I played safe by turning up just when it started its daily operations at 11.00 am. There was just three tables that were taken when we stepped in but it wasn't significantly crowded anyway when we left an hour later.

Accolades proudly displayed on the walls although I wasn't that acquainted with foreign newspaper and magazines. Oh well, different countries, different taste buds and with over 1,500 branches worldwide; I think it would be worth a try.

Self-dispenser for soft drinks; due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you would need to get the help of the friendly service staff on standby to help to dispense your drink. The key draw, however, is that you get free refills! This would be one major pull factor if I were a teenager!

Free peanuts were said to be given before the pandemic; sadly, it's suspended till further notice. Maybe it's best for the store to remove the stickers or at least put a "not available at the moment" to avoid any disappointment.

The eye-catching counter that comprised of cashiers and kitchen! As you can see, it's a fast food restaurant rather than a restaurant; similar to Shake Shack, pricing was more at the restaurant level though. 

Expecting a simple menu, I was confused with section under "all toppings free"! While you can opt for 'all the way' for the basic mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, pickles, grilled onions and grilled mushrooms, there were six other options that you are free to pick and while I know how hard it is to hard a burger with too many toppings, the kiasu Singaporean soul in me would want as many as possible! 

Five Guys Shake - Same goes for their milkshake where you can free to choose any from ten toppings like vanilla, strawberries, oreo, chocolate, banana, salted caramel, cherries, coffee, peanut butter and malted milk. Faced with a dilemma on what I wanted, I sought the help from the service staff instead.

She recommended no more than four toppings as anything more might result in an overly sweet milkshake. Like a student listening attentively to a teacher, I eventually decided on strawberry, peanut butter, salted caramel, no whipped cream and to include complimentary bacon bits; an interesting twist I was looking forward to trying! 

From the top of the milkshake, it didn't look like it has all the toppings; I was anticipating a beautifully crafted milkshake adorned with strawberries drizzled with peanut butter and topped with salted caramel and bacon.

Turned out it was quite delicious even though the deal-breaker was the crunch of savoury bacon bits; never know it would be such a perfect combination! Do note that it's sinful and towards the end of the beverage (as you can see above), the generous amount of bacon bits might just turn you off. 

Our burgers and French fries were packed in a paper bag; quite eco-unfriendly as I have no intention to bring the food home. And I do prefer a tray for ease of photography and tidiness. 

Large Fries - at S$11, it's expensive French fries alright but there were a few things to note; they were hand-cut from raw, natural potatoes, not your typical frozen and processed fries, and they were all cooked using "pure, no-cholesterol, 100% peanut oil"! 

While I am not a potato fan, I do enjoy French fries! Jovyn loves the fries (five guys style) whereas I am a cheapo at heart as I prefer the processed, unhealthier ones from McDonald's as they are much crunchier. And one thing, Five Guys doesn't serve chilli sauce; I shall bring my own kimball Thai chilli sauce if I ever revist. 

In case you are interested to know, the potatoes were from Bourman, Poortvliet, Netherlands. Well, since I don't eat much potatoes, I wouldn't know which place grows the best potatoes suitable for frying! 

Five Guys Burgers - as far as burgers are concerned, it's a straightforward four basic options; hamburger, cheeseburger, baconburger and bacon-cheeseburger. All the basic options come with two beef patties; hence, if you prefer a single patty, go for the "little" options like little hamburger.

Jovyn went with the hamburger! Not that she insisted on the two beef patties but her mom prefers not to eat carbohydrates and just wanted one patty on her own. In the event you are like my sister, you can also opt for bun-less option; not my cup of tea though as one of the main reasons for craving a burger was the taste of the bun! 

Remember the toppings?! I had a hard time deciding and for my own little baconburger, I requested for only mayo, onion, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions and grilled mushrooms. Low risk taker, definitely. 

Pictures of my little baconburger; to be honest, I enjoyed it very much. Ingredients were all fresh and hand-formed beef patty was juicy and so delightfully tasty with a bit of crunchy, almost burnt bits on the edges! 

The price of S$13 (or S$11 if you go with the little hamburger) might be too high, especially when you can get  a gourmet burger for just about the same price or slightly higher. To me though, it's always worth a try and I must say the Five Guys did an amazing job with the basic, unassuming hamburger. *pocket is burning*

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Jovyn really loves the fries! 

Address

68 Orchard Rd, Plaza Singapura,

#01-32/33/34C/35, Singapore 238839

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

11.00 am to 10.00 pm

Website

https://www.fiveguys.sg/

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Hamburger - S$13.00

Little Cheeseburger - S$13.00

Little Baconburger - S$13.00

Large Fries - S$11.00

Milk Shake - S$10.00

(Inclusive of GST)

Thai Dynasty @ Level Five Cookhouse by Koufu in JEM Shopping Mall [Singapore]

Any eatery with the word "dynasty" in their name would conjure an image of a pretty large establishment decked out with furniture and interior design that scream of opulence! 

Which, by the way, isn't the case for this Thai Dynasty stall that's located within a food court in JEM. It's not my first patronage although I was all prepared to order more this time as I had two more friends with me this time to share the dishes, and calories.

Less than fifteen minutes after placing our order, the table was literally full. It didn't feel that much until we saw it with our eyes although I think the iced desserts did kind of seal the deal of just way too much to digest for the three of us. Anyway, here's my review:

Green Curry Chicken - gravy with a thick consistency and so flavourful; this was easily one of the better ones in the whole of Singapore! Okay, maybe I exaggerate a little even though it's indeed delicious and a perfect companion with the plain, white jasmine rice! Only issue, which is the case with most green curry chicken in Singapore, is that the pieces of chicken had that frozen taste that left a relatively bad aftertaste in the mouth. 

Thai Omelette with Prawn - loyal readers of this blog would be aware I super love thai omelette with its puffy look, crisp edges and fluffy insides! The above looked authentically like the one I had in Thailand; taste wise, it was more our local furong egg and that's a disappointment despite the fact that it would have fared pretty well as a furong egg dish in a local, tze char stall. 

Pad Thai with Seafood - I am apprehensive to request for another carbohydrate dish but not being able to travel to Bangkok for my favourite thipsamai means I have been craving for pad thai for quite a while now! 

This was flavourful with a smoky aroma; not as good as thipsamai yet I greatly appreciate that it's nicely fried and managed to retain moisture without being all dried and clumped up like some pad thai I had in Singapore. 

Steamed Seabass with Lime - it's super rare to find me ordering fish as I find them way too pricey and I am not exactly a huge fan for fish, unlike my mom! However, the discount of S$11 (30%) was irresistible! 

Took a bite of the meat; okay lor, not much bones and tasted like any other normal steamed fish. Key action was to eat the meat with a spoonful of the lime-infused broth! Spicy, sour with a tinge of warm, comforting sweetness! 

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In summary, the food was above average and definitely decent for the price we paid for the meal in an air-conditioned food court. If the promotion for the steamed fish continues, I would jio my mom to check it out since she seldom steps into the western side of Singapore, and she loves her fishes, as food. 

Address

50 Jurong Gateway Rd, #05-01,

Cookhouse by Koufu, JEM, 

Singapore 608549

Menu

As above

Pricing

Green Curry Chicken - S$5.90

Thai Omelette with Prawn - S$6.90

Pad Thai with Seafood - S$6.90

Steamed Seabass with Lime - S$18.90

Jasmine Rice - S$1.00

(NETT)

AMK Curry Puff - Childhood Memory from Ang Mo Kio @ Toa Payoh's Super 28 Coffee Shop [Singapore] #currypuff

Back in the 1980s, the public transportation system in Singapore wasn't as advanced and one of the "hot" spots we frequented often was the nearby Ang Mo Kio town with its wider range of amenities. As kids, we were darn excited whenever we got to go out and aside from the chance of having a mug of root beer float from A&W; my mom would also buy for us curry puffs from a corner coffee shop near the now Jubilee building. 

It remained a good memory and while it was a bit fuzzy, it did ring a bell when my elder sister informed us that the same old curry puff stall had relocated to Toa Payoh (TPY)! As there were just too many food options in TPY, I finally managed to leave a bit of stomach space to recollect my childhood curry puff moments. 

Newspaper articles, blog reviews proudly framed up at a corner beside the stall. For those who are unaware, the original stall at Ang Mo Kio is still around but it's tagged as a second branch as the original company was sold off and rebranded as Tip Top which currently has seven branches across Singapore. 

Got my hands on the original (chicken) curry puff! 

At S$1.60 each, it's a rush of good, old memory as I took my first bite; thin, buttery crust and the mashed up potatoes mixed with pieces of chicken that featured the memorable punch of spicy curry! To be frank, it tasted somewhat like my favorite Swees curry puff from Batam; less sweet, spicier and a lot more expensive. 

However, with the current travel restrictions, I think AMK Curry Puff would be my favourite for the time being! There were other options like Sardine and Yam, similar to Swees Curry Puff and I would definitely be back to check them out soon!

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Address

184 Toa Payoh Central, 

Super 28 Coffee Shop

Singapore 310184 

Map

As above.

Pricing

Chicken Curry Puff - S$1.60 each

The Five Flavour Claypot from 848 Claypot Chicken Rice. Stew Soup @ Yishun Block 848 (Opposite Khatib Sheng Siong Supermarket) [Singapore] #claypotrice

Whenever I patronized Sembawang Traditional Claypot Rice (三巴旺原味煲仔饭) and shared the photographs with my elder sister, she would mention that the one from Khatib (Yishun) would better at much cheaper pricing. 

Hence, I finally decided to take her advice and arranged to meet up with her family and my mom for brunch at 848 Claypot Chicken Rice. Stew Soup last Saturday! I have no idea what this coffee shop is called but it's easy to find as it's the only one right opposite Sheng Siong Supermarket near Khatib MRT station.

As our family doesn't take a lot of rice, we ordered just two portions to be shared amongst four persons. Instead of their claypot chicken rice, Joyce opted for the Five Flavour Claypot which included Cantonese waxed meat like pork belly and sausage.

After an expected wait of about 20 minutes, of which we had already cleaned up a plate of Char Kway Teow from 海南仔, the two burning hot claypots were finally placed in front of us! 

Can't wait to dig in but before then; it's a necessity to mix up everything! If not, all the rice hidden below would be burnt; can just imagine unwitting foreigners not knowing what to do and thinking this must be a terrible dish from Singapore! 

One plus point from this particular stall; all the oil and black sauce were already added and you don't have to grapple with the dilemma if you have put in enough oil / black sauce. I super hate making the decision as my tendency is to throw in more black sauce! 

All mixed up and ready to take a bite! Taste was surprisingly good and I think the sweetness was just right. Key highlight was the chicken; the stall was generous with the portion and trust me, they were so tender although I think Yuan Yuan Claypot Rice at ABC market was still a notch tastier. Frankly, I didn't quite fancy the waxed meat and think I would just go for the cheaper Claypot Chicken Rice (at only S$5.50) next time. 

Strongly recommended for sharing! 

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Address 

848 Yishun Ring Road, 

Coffee Shop Opposite Sheng Siong Supermarket, 

Khatib, Yishun,

Singapore 768688 

Menu 

As above. 

Pricing 

Five Flavour Claypot Rice - S$7.50 a pot

海南仔 Char Kway Teow @ Yishun Block 848 (Opposite Sheng Siong Supermarket) [Singapore] #charkwayteow

海南仔 might ring a bell in the head of some of you as it was less than a week that I blogged about the hokkien mee! But this particular stall came from another coffee shop near Khatib MRT station; turned out there are at least three branches of 海南仔 in Yishun!

Since I was tempted to try the char kway teow at its Kim San Leng branch; I thought I might as well order from the khatib branch as I was looking for brunch anyway! p.s. photograph taken from iPhone Pro Max and it didn't escape my eyes that it looked a bit funny! 

Much better version of the same plate of char kway teow; my DSLR was sadly sent for servicing although the main reason for buying an iPhone Pro Max was its supposed superb photo quality. Maybe I should check out the user guide to ensure I am using the correct settings. 

So how did this plate of char kway teow (with an extra egg) fare? Honestly, decent tasting with pieces of crispy pork lard that were stir-fried together with the noodles, just like the hokkien mee. The wok hei was there; just not as intense and I personally would enjoy the noodle better with more sweet, black sauce. 

Whatever the case, I still managed to devour everything! To be frank, I shared with my mom and elder sister as we were also having claypot rice in the same coffee shop. As the saying goes, sharing is caring; bullshit by the way as our family philosophy is to share the calories so that we can eat other things.

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Address 

848 Yishun Ring Road, 

Coffee Shop Opposite Sheng Siong Supermarket,

Singapore 768688

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Char Kway Teow - S$3.50

Add Egg - S$0.50