The Beef House: Hakka Yong Tau Foo & Hakka Beef Ball Soup @ Gar Lock Eating House (Jalan Besar) [Singapore]

One amazing thing about Singapore is that people are passionate about food and that results in a high concentration of eateries; many of which are located in areas that some Singaporeans might not even have been to their entire life.

If not for my staycation at Hotel NuVe Urbane, and the suggestion by the Great Kon, I don't think I would ever check out the nearby Gar Lock Eating House. 

With a continuous stream of customers, it's interesting to note that two separate, side by side stalls were helmed by just one gentleman who toggled between serving its authentic Hakka yong tau foo and beef ball / slice / tendon soup. 

Even the signboard was a combination, with mentions of signature dishes. 

We were lucky; with just one guy in front of me, I managed to secure the food in less than five minutes and I think my order should be sufficient to cover a majority of its signatures! Let's review.

Hakka Abacus Seeds - named simply because of its similarity to the abacus beads, they had a soft texture and were full of flavors from the yam and mushroom! Only thing is that I am accustomed to having chilli stir fried into the dish but hey, I am not Hakka and presume this version I had at Gar Lock is the authentic one.

 

Hakka Beef Ball Soup - with an appearance like plain water, the soup was blessed with a meaty sweetness that paired perfectly with the beef balls that had to be one of the best I have ever eaten; although texture was on the rough side, that was compensated by the rich, delicious taste of beef! 

Hakka Yong Tau Foo - clear, sweet broth that was soybean based, this was nice yet lacked the robustness to make me crave for it whenever I think of yong tau foo. The homemade ingredients were good and I particularly enjoyed the dumpling and the mushroom with a generous amount of meat! 

Noodle - topped with minced meat and looking somewhat like a thinner version of my favorite mee pok, it didn't have any kind of sauce; e.g. chilli, ketchup. 

The lack of sauce meant there wasn't much of a flavor, apart from those you get from the minced meat. Texture wise, it was a tad too dry for my liking. 

However, people order noodle with yong tau foo and the taste was very much enhanced once you throw the noodles into the soup! Not sure if that's the authentic way though but I am not really much into authenticity in the first place. 

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Address

217 Syed Alwi Rd, 

Singapore 207776 

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

8.00 am to 5.00 pm

Closed on Fridays

p.s. heard that Yong Tau Foo is usually sold out by noon. 

Pricing

Total - S$10.00

Myung Ga (명가) II Korea Family Restaurant @ Bukit Timah Plaza (Near Beauty World MRT Station) [Singapore]

When was the last time you stepped into Bukit Timah Plaza? Completed in 1979, I think my last visit was more than 10 years ago, when it still housed Waffletown, which had since moved over to Balmoral Plaza, and subsequently pulled down its shutters for good in the middle of last year.

Back to happier things (I didn't manage to eat at Waffletown for the last time as the queue was just insanely long); I dropped by Bukit Timah Plaza and our objective was to check out Myung Ga (명가) II Korea Family Restaurant! 

Operating hour starts from 11.30am but don't be surprised to find a queue outside the restaurant even before then! So glad the Great Kon had advised that we should arrive slightly earlier to secure a table. p.s. picture taken as we were the first few groups to be seated. 

Split dining areas as the original shop space obviously wasn't big enough to meet the demand! Simple interior design; wooden furniture with large photos of Korean food plastered on the walls.

Loving the placement of tissue pack and complimentary bottle of Korean tea on every table! Shouldn't all these be the norm in all restaurants that impose service charge?! 

Let's start the meal with free side dishes (known as banchan)! Generally decent tasting; nothing quite exceptional for me to comment further. Let's proceed to the main dishes!

Soft Tofu Stew with Seafood - non-spicy to cater to Alex, this had ingredients like octopus, mussels, clams etc submerged in the boiling broth, together with a generous amount of silky smooth tofu. Taste was on the light side and although not as memorable as the ones we had at SBCD Korean Tofu House; it would still result in a heartwarming sensation on cool days like today.

Kimchi Pancake - a fantastic representation of Korean kimchi pancake and when compared to the epic one we had at Wang Dae Bak; this lost by just a little bit simply because of a reduced satisfaction from biting into a thinner layer of crispness.  

Cooked Noodles in Chilled Broth - this would never appeal to my mom who always believes that soup should be served hot, and not cold! But like Japanese cold soba, this would be the perfect meal on hot, sunny days, for which Singapore is like for most part of the year! 

The clear broth had that iconic sour, vinegarish sweetness that excited the taste buds and it was refreshing to bite into the slices of cucumbers, radishes and pears! The noodles were clumped up; maybe for display purpose as they loosened once you mix them into the broth. 

Pork Cutlet - a few episodes of Running Man featured pork cutlet and I finally managed to try it as it's not commonly served in Singapore's Korean restaurants; boy was the cutlet huge! 

Initially assumed to be curry, the gravy turned out to be ketchup based, without spiciness and with a nice flavor I found familiar. It's like a non-spicy version of mee siam gravy yet with something else that made up the unique taste! Went well with the pork cutlet that had a crispy batter that didn't taste heavy, despite its thickness.

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Before and after. Food was good, with a pretty wide variety and I frankly thought we would be paying a lot more. Overall damage for the four of us was below S$80! Guess here's another eatery to pencil into my bring-my-parents-to-eat list. 

Address

1 Jalan Anak Bukit, #B1-55, 

Bukit Timah Plaza, Singapore 588996

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

11.30 am to 3.45 pm

5.30 pm to 8.45 pm

(Closed on Mondays)

Pricing

Soft Tofu Stew with Seafood - S$16.00

Kimchi Pancake - S$19.00

Cooked Noodles in Chilled Broth - $16.00

Pork Cutlet - S$18.00

(Subject to Service Charge only)

IstanBlue Meze & Grill @ Baghdad Street near Haji Lane & Sultan Mosque in Singapore

The area surrounding Sultan Mosque in Singapore is renowned for its high concentration of halal restaurants and it's not limited to just Muslim food; there are cuisines from Hong Kong, Sweden, Japan and specific to the topic today, Turkey.

Strongly recommended by my cousin, it's quite easy to spot IstanBlue Meze & Grill. Just look out for the corner shop with wall that was painted blue and dotted with the symbol of nazar; said to ward off the evil eye.  

Even though it was decorated with beautiful Turkish mosaic lights and traditionally designed crockery, the first level was in reality nothing to scream of. 

Second level, where the washroom was co-located, would be the better representation of my expectations on the interior design for most houses in Turkey! Let's go up! 

Prettier right? I absolutely love the Turkish mosaic chandelier and even had the intention to procure similar lights, but as lamps for my house a few years ago. Pity I have very practical purpose for my lights; it's solely for illumination. 

Scene outside from level two. Heavy rain, or was it a light thunderstorm? Haha, anyway, it's time for food. I don't really know what's recommended and deferred to my cousin's suggestions.

Creamy Mushroom Soup - this was a "want" by Alex and since he was the paymaster that night, we had absolutely no objection to his request for this chef-recommended soup, said to be "a mixture of mushrooms and milk".

We didn't like it. Like a thickened form of the canned Campbell mushroom soup with a saltier taste and mixed in with some Middle Eastern spices, my cousin described it succinctly in a few words; it was like eating baby food.  

Hummus - a classic Turkish starter and eaten together with bread, my first thought when it was placed on my table was its similarity to the complimentary appetizer I had at Miznon, an Israeli eatery in Singapore.

Tahini is in fact one of the ingredients for Hummus, together with chickpeas, lemon juice and olive oil. Texture wise, it was more a paste than a dip. 

With the pita bread that was served piping hot from the oven,  this was incredibly shiok under the cold, rainy weather. The dip was creamy, nutty and zesty; I bet this would be a good replacement for mayonnaise! 

Mixed Grilled Platter for Two - said to be "a selection of slowly grilled lamb and chicken shish, adana kebab, lamp chop served with rice and vegetables".  

I had to google for the meaning of adana kebab; it's seasoned minced lamb skewer and shish simply means a "meal of skewered and grilled cubes of meat". Scratching my head here since I wouldn't consider chicken wings as "cubes of meat"..

Took out some portion and placed them on my plate for ease of eating, and for hygiene reasons. Didn't remember much about the rice so I guess it's forgettable. I did enjoy the seasoned onions; they often perked up the flavor! 

Lamb chop was utmost delicious; moist on the insides and blessed with light, crisp edges. Other meats were alright; loaded with spices yet pretty bland on the palate. Good thing was that the meat didn't taste very gamey, given the use of lamb.

Baklava - are you a fan of this "layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey"? 

Despite having a sweet tooth, I don't like this popular saccharine pastry for a few reasons; usually, they would be overly oily, too sweet and tasted overpoweringly milky. The only thing I enjoy, frankly, would be the chopped up pistachios. 

Turkish Coffee - I love watching travelogues on television and whenever the country is Turkey; Turkish coffee would likely be introduced. To me, coffee is subjective and the best coffee in my opinion is our local coffee which has a comfortable, hardly discernable, level of acidic sourness. 

This famous coffee from Turkey was too strong for me but it's the aftermath that captivated me whenever I caught those televised travelogues. See that thick coffee sediment at the bottom of the tiny guy? It's fortune telling time! 

According to instructions (refer to menu): turned the cup upside down on the saucer, pick both up and make three circles with the cup in a clockwise position, place them back on the table and wait for between five to ten minutes. 

I have no idea what to make out of this. 

It's supposed to show a pattern.

Who can help? Guidance as above.  

Honestly, mine looked like a witch! 

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Address

17 Baghdad Street, 

Singapore 199656

Map 

As above.

Pricing

Creamy Mushroom Soup - S$10.30

Hummus - S$9.80

Mixed Grilled Platter for Two - S$64.80

Baklava - S$12.80

Turkish Coffee - S$4.30

(Subject to Service Charge Only)