Showing posts with label hawker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hawker. Show all posts
The Lobby Lounge @ Shangri La Hotel does The Local Spin-off at their semi-buffet lunch
Labels:
buffets,
business lunch,
hawker,
hotel,
local food,
orchard,
shangri la hotel,
will return
·
For the first time ever, 7 legendary hawker dishes come together at the luxe Shangri La Hotel's Lobby Lounge at lunch. It's as easy as choosing one main from the range before digging into the plethora of local delights on the rather extensive line-up which feature Popiah, Kueh Pie Tee, Braised Pork Belly, Ayam Buah Keluah, Cheng Tng, and finally concluding the debauchery with nonya kuehs from HarriAnns.
I applaud the hotel's ability to recalibrate something as easily accessible as Bak Chor Mee and make diners see it with fresh eyes; albeit for the convenience of choosing from the best representations in the land without the long sufferance of queueing nor enduring the outdoor elements. As a bonus, each monthly edition of new Heritage Weekend popups features a live station headlining a beloved hawker classic - Prata from Springleaf Prata Place in March and the much lauded Chendol from The Coconut Club in April (happening today!).
Monday Light Bites: Roxy Laksa EST 1952 @ Timbre+
Labels:
affordable,
hawker,
hidden finds,
laksa,
local food,
noodle,
onenorth
·
Not to be confused with the original Roxy Square laksa, Roxy Laksa EST 1952 was borne out of humble push cart origins. Started by Mr Lim Kiok Seng who used to station his cart outside the Roxy Theatre, the recipe has since then been passed down to its current 3rd generation runner, and endearingly, his grandson, Mr. Mike Lim.
With a short stint at East Coast Lagoon Food Village, the stall has now relocated to Timbre+, this brazen move in collaboration with lawyer-turned-chef Willin Low of famed Wild Rocket. It's long heritage a tad aloof to the new-ish facade of the shipping container composed grounds. Still, food standards here are kept on a tight ship and artisanal integrity is preserved, right down to the itty gritty details. Mind you, Mike still takes to squeezing his own coconut milk by hand, daily.
Ordering is kept fuss-free at the stall, and unlike the usual where you get a choice of noodles and the decorative sides of egg and cockles. Roxy Laksa only does theirs one way - the Roxy Laksa ($4.50) comes served with slices of fishcake, prawns and beansprouts. All splayed out over thick rich gravy with hand chopped spices for a touch of Perenankan nostalgia. To be perfectly honest, I've not quite savoured a broth like this, chock full of prawn bits and thick with nyona influences, this will have you slurping till the bottom of the bowl.
So if you're around the area and looking for a quick laksa fix, visit Roxy Laksa EST 1952 and show your support! Last I've heard Chef Willin and Mike are working out plans to create a production kitchen that will make hawker food on a more scalable level without compromising on flavors!
Roxy Laksa EST 1952
Timbre+
73A Ayer Rajah Crescent
S(139957)
Operating Hours:
Mon - Sat: 9am - 6pm
Sun: Closed
Yunnan Bridge Crossing Rice Noodles: Vivocity Food Republic's latest addition
Labels:
chinese food,
family friendly,
food court,
harborfront,
hawker,
vivocity
·
The air-conditioning was blasting with immense ferocity causing an involuntary shiver to travel down my spine; my squishy footsteps accompanied by the periodic drippings of my pitiful looking umbrella which had taken a beating from the looming storm outdoors; were all that one could hear as I paced through the grounds.
It was 11 00am and the crowds were nowhere to be seen in the usually packed Food Republic in VivoCity. Brushing past the various stores, each one peddling their goods in aromas and sweat over furrowed brows - the anticipation for a good lunch crowd is real and the vibe in the room, a contained sort of electrifying.
My [One-North Eats List]: Timbre+ and More!
Labels:
affordable,
cafe,
circle line,
coffee,
hawker,
hidden finds,
large groups,
local food,
one north,
will return
·
With the recent opening of hipster enclave Timbre+ in One North, the once dire foodie landscape has seen massive limelight in the recent weeks from both the media and the locals alike. On hindsight, it's strange to see how the vendors arriving with feeding buckets to nourish the hive of activities generated by the melting pot of talent, ideas and business opportunities, are so late to the game. Still, better late than never, right?
Traversing the area looking for lunch options can be a slightly daunting affair given the minimal foliage coverage and soaring temperatures in the industrial fixture. So to cut you some slack, here are some of my 'tried-and-tested' joints in and about the region.
Truly Test Kitchen: Gen-Y hawker daredevils
Labels:
all-day-breakfast,
curry,
curry rice,
hawker,
hidden finds,
large groups,
lunch,
macpherson,
must go,
taiseng,
will return
·
This review is going to be short and sweet. Mainly because most of you who have dined there have called it as it is. Truly Test Kitchen, set up by the two tenacious owners of Truly Curry Rice formally located at Telok Blangah Drive Food Centre have since moved to 'greener pastures',which in retrospect appear to be devastatingly dreary circumstances - stranded right in the middle of Taiseng industrial estate. Located on the level 7 of Jun Jie industrial building, chills run through my spine as we rode up the passenger lifts with a peculiar long pole straddling the entrance way to prevent delivery men from their hooligan ways. Let's be honest, to say that Truly Test Kitchen serves up 'budget cuisine' wouldn't be doing it justice since I've had personal experience working in the central kitchens of Taiseng before, my only form of sustenance in the afternoons being $2 economy rice from nearby staff canteens, which proved to be beyond satisfactory on your meagre breaks. Then again, what the owners have done right is to harvest customers from both sides of the spectrum. Using attractive pricing to lock down the 'locals' and using their hipster image, touting a gansta name and riding on waves of social media to draw in the unsuspecting victims who want a slice of the provincial pie. For that, I salut the steadfast efforts of the two Gen-Y hawker daredevils.
Newton Roast: Pork belly galore
Labels:
hawker,
newton,
no frills,
pork belly
·
This, my friends is the answer to all Roast Pork cravings. Though not as good as Mr Crackles back in Sydney. It comes fairly close.
Housed in Newton Circus Food Centre, Newton Roasts is a no-frills joint, my new go-to destination for those pesky pork crackling cravings, with the luxury of having your beers at no additional service charge! Committed to producing fresh roast, upon demand, a quick glance into their display case (almost empty) shows clear proof that they have stuck to that mantra. Their state of the art combi oven reveals another hidden stash of meat, it's skin blistering in the dry heat. Our order of The Loose Ones ($15 for a large plate) is a feast for two, decadent moist flesh studded with frisky bits of crackling all over. Dayum.
Things to note, Newton Roasts actually has an online ordering system which ensures fresh and crispy pork just in time for pick-up. NO more soggy skin and cold unrendered white fats! Check them out here.
Newton Roast
#01-51
Newton Circus Food Centre
500 Clemenceau Avenue,
S( 229495)
Open daily.
The Fat Cat Bistro: It's a sticky situation
Labels:
beer,
food tasting,
hawker,
hidden finds,
Indian food,
jalan riang,
western food
·
The night at Fat Cat Bistro unfolded in usual fashion, starting with a pint of Stella Artois draft for me. The proceedings of the nights' food tasting bearing its optimistic light on my fairly empty stomach and growing hunger pangs.
throughout the night, drinks flowed freely as did the light-hearted conversations around the table. With settings similar to that of a coffee shop albeit with the mojitos, draft beers and other cocktails doing it's merry rounds, this encouraged a communal and very intimate setting. Very suitable for small group gatherings or even family meals. Just be mindful that the place is open-air meaning that things can get a little sticky around here so dress appropriately for the occasion, dress light. Guys, don't bring your dates here should she be decked out in a thick sheath of make-up unless you're hoping to end the night with a big fight of sorts. Don't say I didn't warn you.
From the start, service was efficient, friendly; and given that our food was coming from 3 separate kitchens, the dishes soon piled up at our table. No amount of speedy eating could have dealt with the problem. Starters consisted of Crispy Pork Ribs ($12 for 5 pieces) and Thai Mango Salad ($10) from the Thai kitchen; the former was very well received by the group of us, crispy yet deliciously juicy on the inside, this was a delight to eat even sans the chili dressing. The mango salad on the other hand was average, the balance of sour, sweet, salty and spicy could have been better fine tuned.
The Goat's Cheese Salad ($10), representative of the Western kitchen (The French Onion) was a surprising winner as well with it's generous serving of lightly grilled cheese with mixed leaves tossed in a light coating of french dressing.
But the clear winner in the starters category were the Mantra Wings ($8 for 6 pieces) from Masala Mantra. Fried to perfection, these golden wings were perfect snacks to go along with the multitude of drinks available at the bar. The light use of Indian spices in the marination adding a bit of kick to the overall addictive experience. Note, the many pairs of eyes around the table that trailed the disappearance of the wings at lightning speeds. *sweats*
With respect to mains, I honestly lost track at some point of time with the flurry of dishes greeting our tables. Gaping mouths and gregarious laughter filling the empty spaces between the endless feastings. A few of my personal favourites were the Saag Paneer ($12) and the Mutton Vindaloo Curry ($12), pity that the naans we used to mop up the curries lacked fluffiness and the authenticity of those that have come out straight from the tandoor. Constraints of a coffee shop kitchen.. Another would be the green curry (perhaps which was still passable), my take on the Thai food served from Thai Yai (the thai food stall) seemed to lean more on the sweet side, a strange trend that spreads across all its representative items for the night.
Offerings from the Western kitchen that night included the Australian Tenderloin and Seas Bass. Not too suitable for sharing, I was a tad biased against these dishes for that reason alone. That aside, flavors were faultless and portion sizes were decently priced. However, I just didn't find the surroundings suitable for the service of such foods.
The desserts made their mini parades soon after everyone made a declaration to have been stuffed to the brim. I chose the Mango Sticky Rice over the rest since that again seemed to be the most suitable for sharing. Served with dried shards of coconut, that added a refreshing sweet bite to the otherwise monotonous dish with only soft and chewy left to describe it. This rendition was well executed with the glutinous rice cooked to a nice doneness and that sweetened coconut milk drizzled generously over. The Chocolate lava cake possessed a very unnatural sweet flavor probably hailing from the use of cheap compound chocolate within but I'm sure the less finicky would happily settle for this dish.
The Fat Cat is definitely a hidden find, a casual bistro set up in the tranquil settings of the Jalan Riang stretch. Winged by a throng of great eateries of diverse representations, The Fat Cat does serve its purpose of delivering food to groups of people with conflicting needs at decent prices. Not bad indeed for a gathering of indecisive people.
15 Jalan Riang
Tel: 62855178
Website: http://www.thefatcat.com.sg/
Big D's Gril
Big D's Grill: I pouted, I smiled, I whimpered, I swooned
Pout, was what I did to get my boyfriend to accompany me down to the latest assest in Blk 46's foodcourt which beared host to a darn good fish soup noodles and an ayam penyat stall. Big D's Grill, which probably is representative of the in-house chef Damien De Silva certainly made a statement as I caught sight of a towering statue of a man hidden behind the counter.
*Eyes popping*
Smile, was what I did when I pictured tucking into a plate of their famous crabmeat linguine. The spicy red sauce staining my lips and a a surge of raw emotions running thru me as pasta, chunky crabmeat and chilli flakes came together in perfect unison.
*Heart pulsating*
"I'm sorry ma'am but we're out of Crabmeat Linguine today," touted the sales staff as I directed my gaze to it's elusive name on the menu.
*My heart sinks to the bottom of the torrent sea of emotions*
Whimper was what I did after I got hold of the news. Poor boyfriend.
Soon, the food we ordered were laid across the table tops. Distracting me from the cloud of smoke that had arisen from the next table. Darn smokers!
Swoon, was the tiny mutters of ectasy that escaped my lips as I stuck a fork through the mountain of cheese and eggplant in my eggplant parmigiana. Almost like a vegeterian lasagne, the eggplant parmigiana was a constructive meal built from foundations of fresh tomato paste, eggplants and cheese (a mixture of parmesan and mozeralla) layered on top of one another.Comfort food at its best they say. The bf had his grilled chicken leg which in my opinion was one of the most suculent pieces of grilled chicken I had in my life. But of course I had many atrocious versions. This was tantalizing with aromas of thick rich smoke perforating the meat during the cooking process. It was tender and juicy.
Overall, this place may seem to offer fare at non coffee-shop prices. But with the amount of customers it was reciving on a monday night, I guess it would probably stick around for a long time.
~3 days later~
I was standing over the same greasy floor. Seating on the bright red stools, this time with a placement card with the number 01 embossed on it.
A plate of crabmeat linguine in all it's red-hooded glory met my eyes. My salivatory glands were immediately working at full force.
*reminices about the la cantina's version.. swoons*
Big D's Grill (Holland Drive)
Blk 46 Holland Drive, #01-359 , Singapore
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