Char Casual Dining - The Best Char Siew in Singapore? @ 393 Guillemard Road [Geylang Singapore]

Knowing my deep affection for Char Siew, the Great Kon recently shared with me two establishments said to serve better fork roasts than Kay Lee; one of which was Char Restaurant.

Dinner operating hours started from 6pm and although we were there only 15 minutes past 6, the entire restaurant was already filled with hungry diners! Reservation would be strongly encouraged!

We promised to leave before 7pm and a reserved table was released for the three of us. Many thanks to the accommodating waitress! As you could see from the above photo, the decor departed from the usual Chinese style and in my opinion, more aligned to the feel of a western cafe! 

Without further ado, let's start with food. I am anxious to start given the excitement that this could be another well-deserving place for me to gain some weight for the sake of yummy char siew rumoured to melt in your mouth! 

Triple Roast

There was a minimum order of at least 300 grams for their signature roasts (roast pork and char siew) and we figured the triple roast (150 grams each) would be a better use of our hard earned salary. 

Roast Duck

Except for the tender meat, this didn't leave any memorable impression. I would be better off with the nearby Sia Kee Braised Duck; speaking of the latter, i really miss their unbeatable braised duck rice! 

Roast Pork

Rich in flavour with a soft texture that spoke lengths of the perfectly timed roasting! I kind of like this even though i would prefer a thicker layer of crust. 

Char Siew

Higher expectation often comes with greater disappointment; the char siew tasted like kong ba (braised pork) / dong po rou smothered by a lusciously sticky black sauce. The sauce was overwhelming savoury without the increased sweetness associated with typical char siew.

I am a lover of fatty char siew but this was way too fattening for my liking! For kong ba, this might be a mean competitor; for char siew, just give me Kay Lee /  You Kee! 

Butter Chicken

Honestly, this was the best of the lot and to think i was about to disagree with Kon's suggestion as we had way too much food that day (think No Signboard, Maple & Market and Brawns and Brains within three hours)! 

Anyway, the use of chicken thighs resulted in a supple, well received texture. However, the coating consisting of evaporated milk, curry leaves, chilli, butter bore some similarity to salted egg yolk batter and without a question, we devoured the pieces of butter chicken in record time! 

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Location

393 Guillemard Road

Map

As Above

Reservation

Call +6568427759

Operating Hours

Lunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm

Dinner: 6pm to 10pm

[Closed on Mondays]

Website (with Menu)

http://char.com.sg/

Prices

Triple Roast - S$25.00

Butter Chicken - S$14.00

White Rice - S$1.50

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]

Wasting the Vacation - Day Five of Maldives Trip

<< Day Four

I kid you not; the pack of panadol pills was my best company the entire night. It was obvious i had a nasty fever with cold shudders, blurry eyes and a somewhat unclear mind. 

Poor Alex had to endure the entire night with no air conditioning, a ceiling fan at its lowest speed and a breakfast all alone at Kaani Beach Hotel. By 1.30 pm, i knew a visit to the island's clinic was inevitable and literally dragged myself out of bed.

Despite the lack of strength, i cycled to the local clinic and made a fuss-free registration. Unlike Singapore's polyclinics which were usually filled with patients, the place was quiet and i was next in queue! Everyone must be darn healthy! 

My complaints, the doctor's observations and his prescribed drugs; my fever was close to forty degrees celcius and i knew it was much higher in the early morning when a touch to my neck and forehead felt much hotter.

Medicine dispensed to me was the usual except for the voltaren suppository; something i had to squeeze up my asshole! Trust me, it was a mental challenge putting it in. 

Since i required food in order to take the medication, we popped by the restaurant at Beachwood Hotel. According to a group of Taiwanese tourists we bumped into two nights ago, the food here was said to be pretty good.

One of the few hotels in Maafushi that had a swimming pool. The other being Kaani Village Hotel which was the sibling hotel for Kaani Beach. 

I was famished although i didn't have the appetite. While waiting for the food to arrive, i noticed cuts on my skin; must be all the snorkeling in the water. 

First up - a basket of soft, warm bread. Definitely a suitable thing to have when one is sick. 

Banana Split was alright; it's rare to find a good banana split i think. I would be better off having sundaes. Whatever the case, don't ask me why i ordered this. The mind wasn't working well that day.

Alex's chicken rice wasn't the chicken rice Singaporeans are accustomed to. Tasted alright and definitely not comparable to the chicken rice we have in Singapore. Not even close.

Pizza looked delicious with thick chunks of meat; taste wise, not my cup of tea. 

Best purchase so far (the bread was free by the way), the watermelon juice was a soothing remedy for the parched throat and brought a trickle of much wanted sweetness. 

Our bill in US$. 

That banana split hardly satisfied me and the simmering heat from cycling back to the hotel under the hot sun encouraged me to buy another ice cream; this time, a Magnum! After popping in the medicine and shoving that suppository up my ass, it's time to take a rest. Alarm was set for 6.30pm as we needed to arrange for transport back to the airport the next day. 

Scrambled like mad to get dressed and asked the hotel's reception if anyone would be sharing with us the cost of the speedboat. I don't think my body can bear the longer journey via the ferry. Popped by iCom as well; rate was cheaper at US$150 but as with Kaani Beach, no one has requested for speedboat back to Male / airport. 

Decided to hold back the purchase until the last moment as it was seriously too much money to spend just to cut down the travelling time! Was going through the souvenirs at Arena (across Kaani Beach) when the young shopkeeper commented i could get speedboat tickets at just US$20 a person! 

Those departing from Maafushi should note the name of the shop; Aachaa! Aside from speedboat tickets, you could also purchase the ferry tickets here. Location wise, it was near to the football field along main street. 

Maybe to make it easier for you to navigate and remember, it's opposite the Hard Rocket Cafe, which had a logo similar to the Hard Rock Cafe we were familiar with. 

At the insides, Aachaa was just a normal supermarket! Who the heck would know it offers more than just instant noodles, bunches of bananas or bottles of chilli sauce?! 

It's really true; speedboat at only US$20 a person! 

Many thanks to the young chap at Arena! 

>> Last Day

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For the summarised Maldives

itinerary, click here.

No Signboard Geylang (无招牌芽笼) - White Pepper and Chilli Crabs [Singapore]

If i had my way, today's review should have been "Cajun Kings". Due to exhaustive, non violent duress from Alex, the Gang of Four (minus SaNeVa) didn't have much choice but to follow the little boy's suggestion to his utmost favourite seafood restaurant; No Signboard Geylang.

 

Read it right; he insisted it must be the branch at Singapore's infamous red light district! A place that was also well known for its massive amount of good food and insanely difficult to find parking lots. 

Anyway, we were early and managed to secure a lot within the restaurant's premise. The first thing i noticed when i drove in were the two face sculptures of No Signboard's founders. Gosh, i would have thought its history went back a hundred years ago although it was no earlier than the 1970s. 

This has been reported countless times even though i guess there must be people who still don't know / can't remember how the name, No Signboard, was conceived. 

No one can deny the reputation of this dining establishment and it was featured extensively in the mass media, including newspapers, televisions and magazines. 

You have seen the outdoor seating in the second photograph; indoor, air conditioned seating was available but limited. Do make it a point to be early if you could not stand the sweat dripping down your forehead while you enjoy the crabs. 

Fresh Boiled Prawns

I really don't understand Alex; why paid so much for boiled prawns when my mum could easily whip them up at a much cheaper price!?! Granted they were very fresh and sweet with a touch of Chinese wine. 

Seafood Horfun w Gravy

Normal tasting despite a positive review on HungryGoWhere; either we have misread the type of horfun the reviewer was referring to or the Great Kon shall blacklist that particular reviewer. For S$10, i also found it to be rather expensive even though there were more 'liao' like chicken and fish. 

Chilli Crab

No Signboard was famous for its crabs and i have always thought it would be Singapore's national dish, the chilli crab. Turned out it wasn't and this was apparent when both Kon and i took a sip of the gravy. Something was obviously lacking and Kon hit the spot by answering it was crab roe! 

Spiciness was just right for me although the saving grace was really the amazingly solid crab meat that packed in the delectable seafood sweetness! The fried buns were forgettable. 

White Pepper Crab

Surprisingly, No Signboard's signature dish wasn't even the black pepper crab; it was white pepper crab! I am about to turn 35 years old yet i have never tried white pepper crab before! 

Extremely aromatic would be my initial impression and once my teeth sank into the meat, it was pure bliss; the pepperiness was strong but manageable (left a tingling sensation on my lips though). As a whole, it was tasty and a style i personally prefer over the popular chilli version! 

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Location

412 / 414 / 416 Geylang Road

[Next to Lai Ming Hotel]

Map 

As above

For Reservation

Call +6568423415

Addresses of Other Branches

As above (includes operation hours)

Price

Fresh Boiled Prawns - S$30

Seafood Horfun w Gravy - S$10

Chilli & White Pepper Crabs - S$68 a kilogram

Buns - S$2.50

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]

Addition Information for Motorists

Could not find a parking lot? 

Make your life easier and pay that S$4 for valet service.

Day Four of the Maldives Trip; The Foul Luck Continues

<< Day Three

This would be a very short entry since a big portion of the day was spent at Rihiveli Beach Resort, yet again an arena of exclusivity with not one but three small isles! 

Boarded the speedboat at about 9.00 am even though i wasn't in my best form. The body continued to feel hot and i sure hoped the sun could provide a natural cure to my ailment. Apparently not. 

For my review on Rihiveli Maldives Resort, click here. In a nutshell, it was the place to take postcard-quality pictures but it ranked low on my favourite beach activity; snorkeling. My mood was also kinda dampened by the surprise water seepage of my new underwater camera! 

Nevertheless, it ended quite charmingly with a spectacular sunset.

I always think that sunset and sunrise shouldn't differ much whichever country you are in; it's the same sun anyway! Maybe it is the vacation mood that makes people view things from a different perspective. We do have beautiful sunset and sunrise in Singapore; it's just a matter of time, season and luck. 

Dinnertime with two Singaporean gals! Went for the US$10 buffet again although this time, it was at White Shell Inn which was coincidentally next to Arena Beach Hotel.

You can move the tables and chairs around to suite your preferences and we chose to have them super nearer to the water where we can enjoy the strong sea breeze and the therapeutic pounding of the Maldivian waves. 

Main serving table for the buffet which was shaped like a boat. Don't be deceived by the length of it; there were plenty to eat and i enjoyed the food much more than Arena.

If you are the type who goes for variety, maybe Arena would serve you better. Desserts, for one, were not as extensive and i didn't manage to try much as i was feeling colder by the second! 

BBQ was a mainstay for buffets; once again, i would very much prefer our Singapore style BBQ which was way more flavourful. Think aromatic satay, sambal stingray, spicy sotong! 

You don't normally see me with a jacket but this would be the rare occasion when i could feel the chill everywhere and it's not related to a paranormal experience. Well, it didn't stop me from cleaning up three servings of the incredibly tasting tuna spaghetti; definitely the best food i had in Maldives! 

Took a nap and woke up again to meet up with the two ladies to the beachfront where we might be lucky to catch the glowing plankton! As the subject title suggests, i just didn't have the luck to see a whole stretch of bioluminescent phytoplankton. There were just speckles of them. :(

>> Day Five

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Click here for my 

Maldives travelogue