I have a thing for grilled eggplant that extends beyond cai png. Every Izakaya should have kio (茄子) on the menu! It’s bang for bucks and you get a good sized one to boot 🤭. The miso paste could have been sharper to cut through the layers of booze I was having (this is an Izakaya after all). Otherwise this is the vegan Izakaya experience all in.
Their okonomiyaki menu is extensive! :D with the tonkatsu sauce, Mayo and bonito flakes, this really was an umami bomb. Let the grease in this dish sponge up your alcohol and serve as a stepping stone to your whisky/shochu highball binge. As an Izakaya goes this place is crowded yet cosy! You’ve GOT to reserve seats on Fri/Sat to avoid the wait.
Some say this is the OG. There are 2 日日红stalls within People’s Park Center FC. Both have similar standards IMO. Cheaper than your food court 麻辣香锅. $23 of food could feed nearly 3 pax! The level of spiciness has probably been toned down. 中辣is a good point to start for most of us!
The same umami bomb of fried shallots and dried shrimp that goes into the dry version of the 牛腩面tops of this carrot cake. This is surely one dish that doesn’t dapao well. It’s meant to be enjoyed a la minute when the exterior is still pan-crispy! Carrot cake can be bland or too oily but this does it. Carbo-load on this and have some bira with Sum Dim Sum :D
When this comes out piping hot, you can smell the pandan essence wafting on the waves of steam! The exterior is light and crispy, not oily like some 菠萝包are some times. I wish there was more char siew inside tho! Don’t worry this is not 流沙包so you won’t get lava burns. Something different!
Besides the Tiffany-blue-ish (Tiffany blue is Protected IP wor) Interior, this dish is probably the Equaliser against its more established competitor (Swee Choon) across the street! Go for the dry version. It’s just so umami and full of prawn-y bits, almost reminiscent of some XO prawn mee. Pro-tip to save money eating dim sum, everyone get a “main” like congee or noodles so you’ll load up less on the smaller dishes. But if you just want a bit of this and that then up to you lor.
The pork ribs here are tender and bone-less! Not the usual blackbean sauce also. Which means this is not /: as salty as most 排骨! The tau kee foundation has probably sopped up the pork juices so eat that too. Some people might mistake for garnish 😅.
5 pieces of 红油抄手. Spice-level is 小辣. Leaves you wanting more! The parcels of meat are dainty...barely a bite’s worth. Taste-wise it’s quite standard Szechuan. Still something to have in the table! 2 pax can demolish this easy so order more if 3’s the crowd.
Sum Dim Sum’s giving Swee Choon a run for its money! Just a street away from its more well known competitor some more. Get this if you want something different from the bbq pork rice roll (叉烧肠粉)! The contrasting textures of silky rice roll and crispy prawn make this an interesting dish to have. Best of both worlds IMO.
My mom loves beef noodles. She’s a beef ball person tho, that being easier to chew and all. This place is steeped in tradition! The Coffeeshop housing the stall itself has been around since I was schooling in St. Andrew’s Junior School. That’s a good 26 years back boy! Most people pick the dry version because it’s more flavourful. The peanuts give interesting texture and add a nutty profile to the gravy. You won’t find undissolved starch in this gravy. The soup version is comforting for a rainy day- I can taste the depth of flavour (radish!) and it’s not the least salty or MSG-y. $7 seems pricy but IMO it’s #worth.
The Signature Fried Pork Belly ($15 medium) (招牌南乳花肉) was a fixture on every table so we had to order it. It was not greasy at all. The omelette （芙蓉蛋- $8) was forgettable so we regretted not getting prawn paste chicken wings. Get 3-4 dishes together with your fishboat and that feeds 5pax. The servings aren’t the largest. Overall decent tze char fair. Call in advance to reserve.
This place prides itself as being the oldest fish head steamboat restaurant in Singapore. They have Garoupa and Pomfret as more expensive options. The $50 pot feeds 4-5 pax. Order all your veg (Napa cabbage and Tang-O) including the must-have fried yam (pro-tip: smash it in the pot to thicken the stock!) the stock is rich with a 酸菜tang. This place is crowded even on a Wednesday night so you’d better call in early to reserve. On weekends there’s always a throng. Food is served fast a-la-tze char style. Fish is fresh, but some people may feel that this Is some expensive fish soup. Get the side character dishes and even out the cost! Came to about $23/ pax with 3 other dishes.
