Traditional Local Singaporean Breakfast @ An Old School Coffee Shop - Heap Seng Leong 協勝隆 (Near Lavender MRT Station) [Singapore]

Singapore's real estate has always been hot property and with the country being a free economy; many shops that existed in the past are now taken over by businesses with greater consumer demand and /or ability to generate a higher profit yield. 

One of the victims is those traditional coffee shops; some were renovated to be air-conditioned with specially curated interior design in order to justify a significantly higher price on their menu whereas many others had been converted to restaurants / cafes etc. 

Heap Seng Leong is one of those that continued to survive in the cut-throat food and beverage industry. And it's amazing how the operator manages to keep the decoration unchanged throughout the years! In my childhood memories, coffee shops generally had the same messy look as Heap Seng Leong! 

Step in to see how time had apparently stopped at the coffee shop; the use of glass containers to keep biscuits and snacks. And who uses abacus nowadays?! Did you also notice the coin-operated payphone on the left?

Seeing how old school it was; I guess it's appropriate for me to order a traditional, local Singaporean breakfast that comprised firstly of a cup of kopi gao and soft boiled eggs. Latter was a bin too thin for my liking although Alex loved the coffee aroma from his kopi. Soft boiled eggs turned out fine; no complaint about them.

I am more excited to try the toasted bread which didn't look like the conventional ones we get nowadays which would be thinner with a crispier crust. 

For someone who always love his toasted bread with a crunchier texture, I was surprised to find myself liking this thicker yet fluffier version! The crisp was really just a thin layer and the insides remained warm and soft. 

Of course, both the delicious brown kaya and butter played an equally important role and you would notice an unmistakable aroma that could only have come from toasting the bread on a charcoal grill.  

Generally satisfied, even though I still had misgiving over my coffee. I read from the web that the coffee shop is renowned for its butter coffee (Kopi Gu You); guess I would have to check it out on my next visit! 

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Address

10 North Bridge Road, 

#01-5109, Singapore 190010

Map

As above.

Pricing

Two Kopis, soft-boiled eggs & toast - S$4.40

Char Siew Rice from Yong Kee H.K Roasted Duck Stall (鏞记香港烧腊) @ Redhill Food Centre [Singapore] #redhillhawkercentre

My mind was set; I am going to have the roasted chicken rice from Rong Ji Traditional Hainanese Chicken Rice stall. However, my eyes kept veering towards the above stall near our table; Yong Kee H.K Roasted Duck, and it's not roasted duck that attracted our attention.

I was captivated by the strings of gooey red char siew and the temptation eventually caved in! Right after chicken rice and pancakes from Granny's Pancake, I got myself a plate of char siew rice, with half the rice portion that would shared with my mom! 

The dark colored rice surprised me and I was expecting this would be some unusual carbohydrates that would make me regret making the decision to reduce my rice. Turned out the grains were dry and it didn't have any special taste to it; I still need the sauce to enhance the palatability. 

Char siew had a nice charred exterior but it's the lean kind that diners with a healthier palate might enjoy. I found the texture to be a bit on the hard side and while they were not gross tasting; it's unfortunately not something I would return for. 

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Address 

Block 85, Redhill Lane, #01-44, 

Redhill Food Centre, 

Singapore 150085

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Char Siew Rice - S$3.00 a plate 

Rong Ji Traditional Hainanese Chicken Rice (荣记传统海南鸡饭) @ Redhill Food Centre [Singapore] #redhillhawkercentre

I accompanied my mom to redhill today for her dental appointment today and since it's an area quite far from Yishun and not frequented by us; we decided to pay a visit to the nearby redhill hawker centre that's also conveniently within walking distance from the MRT station! 

A search on the web for good food in the hawker centre revealed a Hua Kee Chicken Rice. Coincidentally, I was craving for a sinful meal and chicken rice seemed like a good fit! However, I decided to circle round the food centre and come to realize that Rong Ji Traditional Hainanese Chicken Rice had a way longer queue! 

The wait was fifteen minutes before I collected my roasted chicken rice that cost just S$3.00. It came with separate chicken and rice, and a bowl of chicken soup infused with the sweetness from red dates.

Compared to steamed chicken, I am more in favor of roasted chicken, especially the skin! The chicken here didn't disappoint; juicy, tender with a not to fatty skin; flavor enhancer was definitely the sauce used to drench the chicken meat and cucumbers! With that sauce, I bet I could easily finish two bowls of chicken rice.

Please do not forget to help yourself to the chilli at the counter! While I can normally do without the chicken rice chilli; I was glad to have gotten an extra saucer after getting one for my mom.

It was your typical, garlicky chicken rice chilli, with an added spicy kick! Furthermore, there's a sweet undertone that I personally found irresistible, especially when mixing the chilli into the oily and fragrant rice! 

I don't think it's an exaggeration if I tell everyone I literally licked clean the plate! Even at this moment as I am typing out my review, I am reminiscing the roasted chicken rice I had earlier this afternoon. Should I go over and have it again this Tuesday, when I am on leave?!

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Address

Block 85, Redhill Lane, 

#01-42, Redhill Food Centre,

Singapore 150085

Map

As above.

Menu 

As above.

Pricing

Roasted Chicken Rice - S$3.00 

Huluruk Myeon House @ Bishan Junction 8 [Singapore] #koreanfood

I walked past Huluruk Myeon House when I had dinner at the neighboring Canton Paradise (Bishan Junction 8) and did remember that despite the eye-catching façade; there wasn't a queue outside the restaurant serving Korean cuisine.

Don't be too quick to judge; an observant person would have noticed that the eatery was full of customers and that the entrance was at the other side, within the shopping mall. And there was a snaking queue! It cleared pretty fast though and we were brought to a table after a wait of less than 25 minutes. 

There were so many dishes on the menu; I wouldn't be able to decide what to have if not for the Great Kon who had patronized the restaurant before and knew who to order, and what not to. 

Some would judge a Korean eatery with the kind of side dishes served. I don't but I would be darn impressed when many side dishes were placed on my table! At Huluruk, it's a simple affair comprising of just kimchi and pickled radishes. Guess we would have to place more hope on the dishes we would be paying for! 

Stir Fried Bulgogi Pork (Non Spicy) - quite nice, yet unexceptional. We opted for non-spicy since Alex is a weakling against chilli; hence, there's a chance our review might differ if this was served in the original, spicy format. 

Grilled Pork Jowl - jowl is actually the pig's cheeks and the first time I had it was at Ramen Santouka more than 10 years ago! The last time I had it was at the now-closed Jeju Kitchen (Northpoint).

The ones from Huluruk Myeon House were comparatively taster; they were all grilled to a crisp with the insides still retaining the tender juiciness! The deal-breaker was the drizzles of sweet teriyaki sauce topped with sesame seeds! 

Original Dumplings - the famous Din Tai Fung was just next door even though I am not such a huge fan of their signature xiaolongbao, which looked a bit like these original dumplings that also came in two other flavours; kimchi and chilli crab. 

Unlike the Chinese style dumplings, these Korean ones were meatier with an intense ginger-infused punch! To a person who loves to eat Din Tai Fung xiaolongbao with tons of sliced ginger, the above was a delicious nugget of satisfaction! 

Jjajang Myeon - I am fan of Running Man and it's no secret that Jjajang Myeon (noodles with blackbean sauce) is the favourite food of the main host, Yoo Jae-suk! Every time I saw him slurping the noodles on the show, I would tell myself I must continue to try those from other stalls as my virgin experience wasn't that great. 

And with huge anticipation, came disappointment. Yoo Jae-suk always had Jjajang Myeon with a happy expression and I just couldn't relate to that! The yellow noodle tasted weird and the black sauce didn't manage to result in a delicious combination. I guess I wouldn't be trying at Jjajang Myeon in the future unless I have some strong endorsements from friends. 

Cold Buck Wheat Noodle - ask around and you would know I am hardly an adventurous person when it comes to food. I usually need people like Kon to 'force' me to try something new and in this case, I was actually introduced to this cold noodle from a colleague. 

The first time I had it; I was dumbfounded, just like that time I had cold soba on a plane flying from Hokkaido to Bangkok. This cold buck wheat noodle is best eaten on a hot day, for obvious reasons, and I absolutely love how the vinegarish broth tingles with my taste buds! In spite of my well-documented love for meat, it was the least of my priority when it comes to this bowl of cold Korean noodle soup.

Grilled Pork Belly with Signature Noodle - to be honest, the grilled pork belly would be secondary as it's quite normal but we decided not to go with the Chef's Choices' mixed seafood or signature 3 treasures as Alex didn't want seafood and some of the things like original dumplings would be ordered in larger amount. 

Knife noodle, similar to guan miao noodle, didn't impress but the extremely flavourful broth was the star here! Infused with the tasty flavours from the sea, this would make a marvelous stock for ramen but in my case, I am just wondering if I could just have the soup, without any carbohydrates like noodles / rice... 

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Hits and misses; overall, still a satisfying meal with great company and almost everything wiped out! Like Jeju Kitchen, it's said that the volcano fried rice is delicious; guess I shall give it a try the next time I am there.

Address 

9 Bishan Pl, 

#01-40, Junction 8, 

Singapore 579837

Website

https://huluruk.com/

Order List

As above.

Pricing

Stir Fried Bulgogi Pork (Non Spicy) - S$9.80

Grilled Pork Jowl - S$8.80

Original Dumplings (10 pieces) - S$9.50

Jjajang Myeon - S$10.80 

Cold Buck Wheat Noodle - S$13.80

Grilled Pork Belly with Signature Noodle - S$12.80

(Subject to GST and Service Charge)

Chai Chee Noodle Village - Dry Bak Chor Mee @ Ang Mo Kio Central Block 727 [Singapore]

I was just looking around for a place to have a decent breakfast after snacking the sardine and yam + ginkgo nut puffs from AMK Curry Puff. Came upon a coffee shop renowned for its pancake king stall and my tired legs decided this would be it even though I had no idea what I would have.

This lady, in red, sharing our table strongly recommended the bak chor mee from Chai Chee Noodle Village! She was so insistent; I was persuaded to give it a try despite the fact that minced pork noodle isn't my preferred local noodle. 

The header "where to get the best minced pork noodle" was surely encouraging. Interestingly, I didn't capture the part where it was mentioned that the "soup has 18 ingredients"! Damn, I should have taken a customary sip! Wait, maybe I did but since I didn't write it down; guess it didn't quite make an impression.

My bowl of bak chor mee; forgot to inform the lady to substitute the liver for something else! It's okay since my elder sister was with me and she would gladly take the liver! She balances my life as she would indulge in things I don't eat; for example, cockles and oysters! 

Now, the reason why I don't particularly like bak chor mee is because it tends to leverage on way too much vinegar. This bowl from Chai Chee Noodle Village was vinegarish but most importantly; it's not overpowering! The vinegar did work out an appetite and it so complemented the super smooth mee pok noodle, with a little bit of chilli.

It seems quite the norm nowadays to provide such meatballs with minced meat within. They tasted not bad; just that I am actually happy with just normal fishball and meatball. 

Rest of the ingredients tasted not bad; from the tender sliced pork, well-braised fragrant mushroom to the crispy pork lard. Needless to say, I am collating pieces of all the good stuff into this last spoonful that would eventually end up in my mouth! 

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Address

727 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6, 

Singapore 560727

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Bak Chor Mee - S$4.00