If you're a lover of fries, this one's for you! The Social Outcast serves up a mean portion of tempura fries which I have loved & raves about ever since they started at Simpang Bedok's Bedok Marketplace.
The crispy light batter, soft fluffy potatoes on the inside-the perfect balance & combination of fries.
While it's unusual to have a tempura exterior, it does add a light & airy crunch to it, & being lightly seasoned, it is flavourful enough on its own!
Easily a bowl of fries that I can whack & finish on my own, so no sharing please (kidding, ask nicely & I will).
If you're a fan of curry chicken noodles, you'd have tried / known / eaten at Heng Kee Curry Chicken at Hong Lim Market before.
This old-school curry noodles store still gets long queues during the peak periods which is really encouraging as they've downsized and now only owns 1 storefront.
Having not gone back for a long time, I felt that the curry noodles were a tad bit underwhelming as compared to what I remembered it to be. The broth was thinner than usual & seemed to be lacking in flavour. Even after adding in the extra load of chilli, it didn't bring back the kick that I once raved about. Ingredients wise seemed to have shrunk too, likely due to the shortage of chickens & the rising costs of ingredients as well. Prices have also climbed to a minimum of $6 instead.
Nonetheless, it is still something to try if you're in the area for some nostalgia.
A must-order whenever I visit a dim sum store to judge their chilli quality, wonton skin & wrapping skills.
The skin was slightly thicker than usual, but still silky smooth when you bite & slurp it up. The fillings were meaty, with small chunks of prawns available in each bite. The sauce mixture though was slightly lacking. We had to add in more vinegar & chilli to oomph up the kick. Then again, if you're not a fan of anything too sour or spicy, this would be just right for you.
When you serve this in your menu, you know you're up against tough competition with the likes of DTF & KOFR. Seeing that it's one of the staples, we had to give it a try.
Alas, the dish wasn't as good as we expected it to be. First, let's talk about the rice-while it looks perfectly fried with each grain being separated from the other, it was dry & slightly under seasoned, making it rather underwhelming. However, the pork chop wasn't too bad. The crispy panko-crusted batter helped to retain some moisture within the meat, but still didn't help to bring out the flavours of the dish.
The team might be having a rough day, but I'd skip this the next time round.
Ding Tele ιΌηΉζ₯½ has always been on my to-visit list having walked past the outlet & seeing long queues. So when I got the chance, I finally made it without having to join the queues to see what the hype was all about.
We ordered some signature items such as the crispy pork soup buns. There are 3 variations - 1 mixed platter, one with prawns & the original (as featured). We got the original version just to see what it's about.
The bun comes with a thick skin & is steamed before the bottom half being pan-fried, giving you that half and half bite of soft yet crispy mouthfeel.
While the skin is slightly thicker in texture, it does hold the soup & meat pretty well, allowing you to slurp down the soup as you bite into it. The meat is juicy & tender while the soup is slightly salty, but balanced out well when eaten all together.
If you're a fan of squid & all things squid, this is probably the dish for you.
This plate simply shouts SQUID all over with their squid ink pasta + slab of grilled squid that's served with grated parmesan and charred stick of broccolini.
If you split the dish apart & have it by itself, each individual component does really well! The squid ink pasta is al dante & slightly salty from the squid ink which is fine by me while the grilled squid was fork-tender with grilled marks all over for that extra crunch. However, it felt a lil' much having them together and the parmesan made the dish much heavier & saltier than it should be.
Having shifted from Simpang Bedok to The Grandstand, The Social Outcast (TSO) has expanded in size--not just as an outlet, but its menu as well.
Serving up main plates such as the Moluccas Beef Ribs, it's no wonder they need such a big space to accommodate the influx of people visiting the spot.
The New Zealand premium beef ribs are being charcoal grilled after being smoked & glazed with Moluccas, a distinctive blend of spices which packs a whole punch. The fall off the bone tender meat didn't need much agitation to be pulled apart which was great & the charred bits at the corner with the slight hint of sweetness were the best parts. On the side, it came with a portion of Mexican style elote & cold mash, which felt a lil' weird next to all the warm meat & corn, but could be easily forgotten as the main star was the beef ribs afterall.
The Yuzu Cruffin ($5.50) was naturally my top choice as I love cruffins! The perfect combination of a croissant in a muffin shape gives you the layers you enjoy from a buttery croissant in a convenient shape of a muffin. Each layer was filled with yuzu jam & topped with pistachio bits, giving you that nutty crunch.
Next, the Yuzu Royal Milk Tea Loaf ($5.80) came in gorgeous rolls which I felt that I wouldn't be able to finish, but alas, the greedy side of me was triumphant π the rolls were soft & fluffy, with bits of yuzu in it, giving you that tangy burst of surprise as you bite into it.
The classic Karuizawa Yuzu Summer ($3.50) was a lighter alternative which could be eaten by itself, or paired with slices of creamy avocado. The subtle hint of yuzu added a nice aroma & tanginess to each bite without overpowering the ingredients that we topped it with.
Lastly, the Yuzu Cream Cheese Danish ($5.00) was the savoury option of the lot with cream cheese. While it seemed puzzling, the flavours balanced out pretty well after giving it a light toast in the oven. The Yuzu jam that sat on top helped to cut through the creaminess.
Recently visited Lumbre located at CHIJMES. This cosy little restaurant space has an open kitchen concept with little seating nooks all around. We had a table of 9, so we were seated right smack in the middle of the restaurant, which felt like a private meal for our table.
For desserts, we got the Caramelised French Toast which was the perfect eggy toast you'd want, paired with a side of crumble, Rum & Raisin ice cream & a tart coulis (didn't catch the fruit). Albeit simple, every component paired well with each other, making it a light sweet ending to the meal.
Spotted a new store that opened at Beauty World Food Centre & decided to give it a try! Serving up only wonton mee, we ordered their Signature version which comes with both fried & boiled wontons, with a side of braised mushrooms & minced meat (kinda like ε€θ) as well as thinly sliced char siew.
It does give a nostalgic kinda vibe with those thinly sliced char siew, but flavour wise, it was slightly sweet but well-balanced nonetheless.
For the wonton fillings, it was packed with minced pork & slightly peppery, but tastes great when paired with everything together.
Which camp are you on? Team Crispy or Team Doughy?
Personally, I love crispy prata & my go-to is Sin Ming Prata! Located within the industrial estate & tucked within a coffee shop of an old HDB, expect snaking long queues when you visit this little store.
However, your queueing will be worth the wait as piping hot, freshly flipped crispy prata will be served to you, alongside hot, spicy, flavourful curry of your choice! We usually go for the fish or vegetable curry, which are both of the lighter / less oily side, giving you that extra kick that you need without overpowering any flavour.
As simple as it goes, having the kosong (aka plain prata) by itself is all you need to test if the prata's good π
If you're in the area, I urge you to give this a go! It trumps the one that's situated along the main road #iykyk
π΄From Our Pockets
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π24 Sin Ming Road, #01-51, Gim Huat Coffeeshop
π Marymount / Thomson
Having coffee over hearty conversations by the river are a great way to spend your weekend!
Coffee at Raw Kitchen Bar is pretty great & I love the fact that many are providing milk alternatives these days.
Flavour profile wise, their coffee is chocolatey fruity notes which was elevated through the cocoa powder that was topped over the espresso. I didn't see what beans they used but it was well-balanced & pulled decently!
