Soi 19 Thai Wanton Mee @ Ang Mo Kio Block 151 [Singapore]

It's no secret I miss travelling to Thailand and I believe many people right here in Singapore feel the same way too although the general consensus is that we just yearn to get out of the country.

Nevertheless, the lack of travelling means that when people crave for overseas food; they would have no choice but to search within the little red dot on equivalent alternatives. That's the reason why we were craving for Thai wanton mee at Ang Mo Kio last Saturday! 

As the stall also handled pre-orders and deliveries, it can be quite a wait. In our case, despite a queue of less than ten persons, we queued for about 30 minutes before we got our food. It's long considering that the prep and cooking time for wanton mee isn't known to be long. 

Here's our food; a bowl of jumbo Thai wanton mee, with extra noodles and ingredients, and a serving of homemade Thai fried pork. Note; they were to be shared between my sister and I.

Homemade Thai Fried Pork - not that huge a serving and it cost S$7.00. They were crispy alright with a light saltiness; honestly, not that fantastic as it seemed that the deep frying was too long and it had resulted in the pork turning too dry with a lack of juiciness. 

Thai Wanton Mee - you know what's the least appealing thing about this bowl of noodles? It's the parched look of the noodles and I had to admit; I didn't have a good impression and wonder if I should have just eaten at Zhou Ji Wanton Noodle at AMK central instead. 

I was so wrong! Each strand of noodle was covered with what appeared to be lard oil and the moment the bundle of noodles touched my taste buds; my brain zapped. They were super duper delicious and even though I was supposed to be sharing with my sister; I guess I ingested way more than the 50% that would have been allocated in a fair manner. 

Ingredient-wise, the pork lard didn't disappoint with its crispiness and the size they came in, and the char siew were pretty good, exhibiting juicy tenderness and a smoky, lightly sweet marination. The one that absolutely took the cake were the pieces of Thai fish sausage; although hard, they were like a cross between Cantonese lap cheong and Taiwan sausage! Needless to say, I love them and would likely order a separate serving for them in the future! 

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Address

151 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5, Stall 5, 

Singapore 560151

Map

As above.

Opening Hours

7.00 am to 3.30 pm

(Closed on Mondays)

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Thai Wanton Mee (Jumbo) - S$6.00

Homemade Thai Fried Pork - S$7.00

The Roti John (Beef) & Pisang Goreng Cheese Chocolate from Nasi Lemak Kukus from Walaku Express @ Yishun Block 101 [Opposite the Famous Singapore Pools Branch in Chong Pang] #walaku #nasilemakkukus

I didn't have the mood for nasi lemak when I joined the queue for Nasi Lemak Kukus, which I blogged about more than a year ago! Back then, two items on the menu caught my attention and I finally had the craving kicking in! 

Things I was craving then; under "other menu".

Got both the roti john (I chose beef) and pisang goreng cheese chocolate after a wait that lasted more than 10 minutes after ordering. Good things need to wait as they were only freshly made after my order.

Roti John (Beef) - this is a sandwich dish said to originate from Singapore but it didn't command the popularity and outreach compared to roti prata or even murtabak. For me, my most memorable roti john is from the staff canteen at Changi Airport Terminal 1 and I will be extremely grateful if anyone can tell me where it moves to! 

As you can see, roti john is literally a baguette, sliced into half and stuffed with filling. It's like an Asian version of subway although preparation wise, it's way more cumbersome and I believe the calorie-count is also a lot higher.

There are different ways to making a roti john but the basics are eggs mixed with ingredients like onions and minced meat. At Nasi Lemak Kukus,  black pepper sauce, chilli sauce and mayonnaise were slathered in the middle of the baguette; at some places, the sauces (usually chilli / ketchup) were dispensed in separate saucers

I especially love it when they pan fried the outer layer of the baguette as this resulted in a nice crisp! However, it would be strongly recommended that you eat it on the spot, at least minutes after you collect the roti john as the crispness doesn't last. 

The roti john from Nasi Lemak Kukus was enjoyable but the black pepper sauce overwhelmed the palates after a while; my tongue was burning and it didn't help that I was sweating profusely! Honestly, it was disappointing as the initial feeling was good.

Pisang Goreng Cheese Chocolate - the first time I had it, it was in Bandung at a restaurant known as Stone Cafe. It was delicious and although Roti John was already very filling; I can't resist not ordering this too, as dessert (my argument).

Version here was deep fried banana with shredded cheese, chocolate rice and sprinkled with what appeared to be sugar water. Basically, I can replicate it easily at the comfort of my own home, and I would likely torched the cheese. For the bananas, I would just buy from Mr Teh Tarik at Yishun bus interchange. High expectation; great disappointment.

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Address

Block 101, Yishun Avenue 5, 

Swee Sian Yuen Eating House, 

Singapore 760101

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

9.00 am till 9.30 pm

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Roti John (Beef) - S$5.00

Pisang Goreng Cheese Chocolate - S$4.00 

Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay - 2-Course Weekday Set Lunch @ Marina Bay Sands [Singapore]

Like most foodies, I know who Gordon Ramsay is although I have never watched the profanity-laden reality shows he is reportedly infamous for. Whatever the case, this didn't stop me to check out his Bread Street Kitchen that's located at Marina Bay Sands. 

Reason being I wanted to try some place near as I was at Marina Bay Sands for a staycation, and Alex had a reward card that would result in a 20% rebate. Since I was craving for western food and had already checked out Yardbird Southern Table and Bar, Bread Street Kitchen would be a suitable choice. 

Old, classic interior design in the restaurant; this was on the second floor of the two-floor restaurant, which was opened for diners. There are pros and cons to be on this level; it gave you a great view alongside the marina promenade, with the Singapore's business district skyline right in front of you. 

Problem came shortly as the sun made its way to the west; the bright sun rays had likely made my left arm a shade darker after the meal, and the greenhouse effect made the environment a bit too warm for my liking. Greatly appreciate the friendly staff for passing us a bottle of iced water (refillable), at no additional charge! 

A basket of artisanal bread was placed on our table shortly even though I had ordered only set lunch for myself; Alex was too full due to an in-room breakfast ordered a few hours before. I checked the receipt later and it was complimentary! Well, it was called Bread Street for a reason, I guess.

Bread was warm but the texture, as a whole, was too hard as I prefer softer, fluffier insides, like the one from Table65!  My bet is that such bread would likely appeal better to my mom, who is more a bread lover than me. 

Iberico Pork Chop - there were choices for pork chop, seared fish bream and pasta for set lunch and it's obvious I would go with the first one! It might just be one chop but trust me, it was sufficient after all the bread.

Another mouthwatering picture; that white stuff behind the chop was mashed potato. Smooth with curves, I begged Alex to take a bite to give his "professional" review since I don't enjoy mashed potato. His response? A one worded "normal". 

Despite being a relatively thick cut, the meat was juicy and pan fried at an optimal duration with a thin layer of crisp that brought out much flavor of the pork, peppered with occasional bursts of utter delectable fats!  

Don't discount the sauce; the charred jalapeno sauce was interestingly nice and went well with the chop. I was totally enjoying every bite and if not for the setting, I would have picked up the chop and relish the meat off the bone! 

Bailey's Custard - served cold, I was thinking this would likely be similar to panna cotta but shall be the better choice compared to trifle with tiramisu cream and boring soft serve ice cream. 

Didn't regret as it was amazing! Coupled with the light aroma that's unmistakably baileys, yet without the alcohol, was the dense, thick and delicious custard cream! Perfect combination when each bite was ingested with the chocolate crumbs!  

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Address

10 Bayfront Avenue, L1-81, 

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

Singapore 018956

Website

https://www.marinabaysands.com/restaurants/bread-street-kitchen.html

Menus

As above. Do check out the website here for other menus ranging from dairy free, kids, weekend, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, Sunday roast to beverage. 

Pricing

2-Course Set Lunch - S$39.00

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)

Putu Piring Ang Mo Kio, with Kuih Lopis @ Mr Teh Tarik Eating House (Ang Mo Kio Central) [Singapore]

I can't help noticing the putu piring stall every time I patronized Mr Teh Tarik Eating House (Ang Mo Kio Central) for its fried banana and cempedak goreng. Since it's my monthly visit to the area, I decided to give it a try yesterday! 

Sadly, the operator had just started heating up the cooking device for putu piring and I didn't have the luxury of time to wait till 10.00 am, given that my hair treatment appointment would be around the same time.

I did, however, notice the display of Kuih Lopis. Frankly, I didn't know what they were and assumed they were similar to kuih kosui; albeit much larger, in a triangular shape. Nevertheless, I requested for two pieces! 

Watery, gula melaka sauce was poured onto the kuih lopis before serving. It's supposed to be a lot more sauce as the makcik asked, hesitantly, if what she had dispensed thus far was enough. My answer; nodding my head fervently.

The insides were filled with glutinous rice and the kuih tasted like kee zhang (alkaline dumpling); the kind we eat with kaya or even with plain sugar! Now, I am not a fan of rice so early in the morning, especially when my intention was to have a carbo meal for lunch a few hours later! 

But, I don't waste food and it's hard to resist the combination of both the sweet gula melaka and the aroma from the grated coconut. Now, I know what to have next time I have a craving for kee zhang! 

I returned two hours later to try the Putu Piring! 

One pack cost S$2.50 and there were five pieces. The mother of all putu piring hails from Haig Road and while there's a branch currently located at Northpoint City Mall (near where I live); its pricing was comparatively way higher than its original Haig Road outlet.

Hence, I was hoping this could be a good alternative.

Alternative it could definitely be; issue was that Haig Road Putu Piring was way, way ahead in terms of everything; texture of the cooked flour, the unforgettable sweetness from the gula melaka filling and the addictive, freshly grated coconut that came with a light, salty tinge! 

S$3.50 for four pieces versus S$2.50 for five pieces; price differential is huge although I would likely stick with Haig Road Putu Piring at its Northpoint branch since I don't take such snacks often and might as well go for the best in expensing my limited calories.

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Address

728 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6, #01-4200,  

Mr Teh Tarik Eating House,

Singapore 560728

Map

As above.

Pricing

Kuih Lopis - S$1.50 apiece

Putu Piring - S$2.50 for 5 pieces.