Chik's Crib

29 April 2016

Chikuwa Tei @ Mohamed Sultan Rd

Singapore April 29, 2016 0

Whenever I think about good affordable Japanese food, I think of Chikuwa. Chikuwa Tei was started by the former chef of Wasabi Tei at Far East Plaza.

Located along Mohamad Sultan Road amidst the bar/pubs, it makes this place perfect for a chill night with friends.

We ordered the Chirashi Don ($25) which comes in a set meal including miso soup and watermelon. Generous fresh thick cuts of sashimi served with warm japanese rice is the real deal. We enjoyed this very much. (4.3/5)

We also tried the Beef Sukiyaki set ($26) which also comes in a set. The Beef was tender and enoki mushrooms when soaked in the soup base was a perfect combination with the accompanying rice. (4/5)

This is the place to go for if you are looking for good quality japanese food without burning a hole in your pocket. Try it if you haven't.

Chikuwa Tei Japanese Restaurant
Address: 9 Mohamed Sultan Rd, 238959
Phone:6738 9395

26 April 2016

Ya Kun

Singaporean food April 26, 2016 0

I'm not sure how many people have seen the belly button test: reach for your navel across your back. the closer your hand gets to your navel, the trimmer you are. Well, I was having lunch at NUH's Ya Kun with Miss XS when I came across this meme, and we both dropped everything and gave it a go. I tried my best, but I gave up when the table beside ours started shooting us strange looks. I don't think they were fooled when I pretended to be stretching my arms.

J's

Singapore April 23, 2016 0

J's is a Mexican joint along Purvis Street that Miss XS's friend frequently patronises.

The Quesadilla ($22-chicken, $24-beef) was delicious - flat, hot and with a slightly crisp tortilla edge. I like the abundance of cheese stuffed between the tortilla that melded with the meat.

One reason why I tire of Burritos ($23-chicken, $25-beef) quickly is because the ones I usually have were stuffed with too much beans. (Miss XS loved beans with a passion, but I didn't enjoy their texture, or their monotonous taste.) But the ones here were delightful (minimal beans!), and was instead loaded with cilantro rice and meat. The jalapenos weren't spicy enough - I didn't even register their presence.

The portions for the Quesadilla and Burrito was a little on the small side for the price. If you would like something larger, the Fajitas ($29), grilled meat served with tortillas, as well as the Adobo Chicken ($31) were recommended by her friend. Something to try next time.

20 April 2016

Smith Street Food Center (Chinatown)

Singaporean food April 20, 2016 0

I just figured out where my dad always disappear to during lunch time: this place. It's about 10 minutes walk from Hong Lim, and has an over-abundance of renowned stores - if you can navigate your way through the maze-like interior. It's a bit of work to get around to the stall that you're looking for, but the food here are some of the best you can find around Singapore. And the presence of all the tourists that appear by the bus-loads are here to prove this.

Protip!: To get to this wonderland, find the CK department store along Smith Street. Next to CK, there's a kinda dodgy looking elevator, which you should totally get on. The hawker centre is one floor up from ground floor.

(Liao Fan) Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodles
#02-126

I was first clued in on Smith Street Food Centre when my dad brought home the biggest, juiciest slabs of char siew (BBQ pork) I have ever eaten in my life. Yes, slabs. Who knew? They're so juicy, spurts of delicious delicious fats burst into my mouth with every bite.

The store doesn't give out packets of char siew sauce with their meat because they know you don't need it. And they're right. As we feasted, I thought that slathering sauce on their heavenly roasted meat will be a sin. Hands down, the best char siew I have ever eaten in my life. Yet I didn't even had it fresh from the store. My dad bought it during lunch, and left it in the office fridge until he brought it home for dinner.

Old Airport Road Food Centre

Singaporean food April 15, 2016 0

You eat a lot for your size, my friend told me. Hmmmph. Yes, the two of us ate everything listed here in one go. No need to be mean.

After a previous unsuccessful attempt to come here, we returned to try our luck and we were rewarded with bustling stores.

We came on a weekday lunch, and I was surprised to see no queues. Maybe it's because of Its ulu location? It's a residential district, so the queues will probably be intimidating during the weekends and holidays. This hawker stall list is a work-in-progress, just like the ones I have for Hong Lim Food Centre, Maxwell and Ghim Moh. I haven't even been to half of the famous stalls here... yet.

Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Tiao

Opens around 11.15am, and not one minute earlier. They take their rest time seriously. When I approached them at 11.10am, I was told to walk around and come back after 5 minutes to order. I suggested that I could tell them my order first and they can start cooking 5 minutes from now when they're ready, but they wouldn't hear a word of it.

I had the Dark Fried Kway Tiao ($4). It was ... pretty disappointing, a far cry from Outram Park Char Kway Tiao at Hong Lim Food Centre. This was too sweet, too spicy, and no wok hei.

Lao Fu Zi did try setting up a stall at Hong Lim Food Centre, as it turned out when I told my parents about my experience here, but they closed shop after a few months. I'm guessing other people compared their skills with Outram Park's too, and found the former wanting.

Poor food, sucky attitude. I wouldn't be back.

Freshly made Chee Chun Fun

I couldn't find their store-name: maybe they won too many accolades, they couldn't fit the store-name in too. The Chun Fun here is $2 a roll, and the owner makes them everyday to ensure their freshness.

I had the Char Siew chun fun, which is decent, but we agreed that it's better not to get your hopes up about it. I wouldn't think it's anything special if not for all the blog hype about it.

Toa Payoh Rojak

The one stall during my visit that's worth the media attention. We had the rojak (duh) ($3). We asked for additional you tiao ($1). The you tiao and tao pok was awesome, courtesy of their charcoal grilling. They were crispy, the crispiest I had from a rojak hands-down. We asked for a little chilli, but it still turned out too spicy for us. But the rojak was so good, we braved the chilli just to get the every last bite. Best. Rojak. Ever.

Xiang Ji Lor Mee

Disclaimer! I didn't try enough of this to make a judgement. There are three famous lor mee stores here, all of which has their own fan-base. The gravy at this stall isn't as starchy and thick as the traditional kind; it's something I can appreciate, but my friend prefers another stall.

Albert Street Prawn Noodles (亚峇街大虾面)
I bought Miss XS a bowl ($5, add 20c for takeaway). The portion size for noodles was impressive, but the prawns were mushy. Sounds like a bad deal...

Wish-list: Things I haven't tried, but wish I did
Nam Sing Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee
Chuan Kee Satay