For Cold Rainy Days

Super pleased about our timely late lunch decision at HDL today especially with that crazy pour! Haven’t been back for quite a bit and though a little disappointed with the lacking service today, the steamboat was still shiok. Forgot to take a picture of it, but I was obsessed with the spicy mushrooms that’s available at the condiments table. They had just the right amount of heat, so addictive!

Rainy day comfort! I’m not really a fan of pork ribs, so always happy when there’s the option to get pork slices instead in my bak kut teh - plus it’s just so much more convenient to eat! Song Fa’s pork tenderloin soup has very tender pork and comes in a pretty generous portion. Servers were friendly and came by to top up their hot peppery soup for us regularly.

Still my favourite kway chap to go for even though I need to travel across the island and brave the (at least 30 min) queue 😂 Have been here many times and it’s always consistently good. Love how thoroughly braised all their ingredients are - they have found this perfect balance of rich herbal flavour with sweet and savoury notes. Super flavourful, even the kway!

Haven’t been back in a while and though prices have increased slightly, it’s still as good! Love how their noodles are always done so springy and q, even if you get it in the soup version. We slurped down every drop of the umami broth that’s distinctly flavoured with dried sole fish. Got to be prepared to wait in line here!

I like Gong Yuan’s mala tang for their flavourful and slightly creamy pork-based broth! Apart from the signature ma la, they also have other broths like mushroom, sour vegetables and a new dry mala option. It can come up to a rather pricey bowl due to the fixed rate by weight, but the ingredients are generally pretty fresh. It’s my first time here at their Suntec brunch, and I prefer it to the Orchard one for the comfortable dining space as well as the wider variety of ingredients to pick from!

Nong Su is newly opened by the same people behind Mi Casa, just a few doors down the same road! While Mi Casa is focused on Spanish cuisine, here they serve ala carte steamboat with Hainanese influence. The menu is simple with 2 bases you can choose from or opt for a dual pot ($6) - 100% Natural Chicken Stock and Home-made Spicy Broth. Nong Su prides themselves for using simple and natural ingredients with no MSG, and that shows through the light broths that feels very homey. While you shouldn’t come expecting the usual strong and heavy flavours, you can get their complimentary condiments to match. They even put up special recipes on how to mix certain sauces.

We went for their Pork & Chicken Set ($34) that came along with prawns, fishballs, cabbage, tofu, tomatoes, yam, golden mushrooms and sliced fish. It was pretty worth it for its portion! Although I wasn’t a fan of the fishballs, the meats were particularly fresh. The Nongsu Prawn Paste ($10) was good as well. It’s not the kind with a bouncy texture like those you get in HDL, theirs was more meaty and the prawns used had a light sweetness.

We also ordered a Har Cheong Gai ($12) which was marinated and fried well. Space was small but clean, service was warm and friendly!

📍Nong Su Steamboat 我家火锅
100 Jalan Jurong Kechil
🕔 5pm to 9.30pm Tuesdays to Sundays

I know I know, this bowl looks mega spicy but it actually wasn’t! Think the mlxg stall here in Food Junction changed after their previous renovation as the taste seems kinda different. Got the soup version for lunch cause it was pouring outside! Ingredients were pretty fresh but though it was still a comforting spicy broth for the cold weather, it wasn’t as flavourful. Remember to use your Passion Card to get a 10% discount during certain timings.

📍Xiao Man Niu Mala Xiang Guo
Food Junction, Nex

My family has been a regular of Westmall’s and Grandstand’s Nam Kee for their handmade mee hoon kway - glad to see them up at Plaza Sing too! Went for ban mian as they don’t serve mee hoon kway here. The broth was a little different from what we are familiar with (our fav is at Grandstand), perhaps due to the lard and marinated minced meat, but it was still a pretty hearty and comforting bowl. Their ban mian is thinner but thicker, cooked just nice to retain a good chewy bite. It also comes with ikan bilis, minced meat, braised mushrooms, veg and an egg - a good affordable meal in town!

📍Nam Kee JB Handmade Pau
Plaza Singapura B2-25

Back at Brothers Ramen wanting to get their Shoyu Men ($12.90), but it was sold out. 😔 Went for the Chicken Ramen this time for a full sous vide chicken chashu + dumpling topping, as I wasn’t too big a fan of the pork chashu that came with their signature Brothers Ramen ($12.90) I had the first time. It was a little too dry and tough, but the chicken slices were tender and flavourful!

I’ve never really used to like chicken based ramen, but Brothers Ramen really brought it up a notch! Love how creamy yet drinkable the broth is and the al dente homemade ramen didn’t soften through the meal. It’s a super value for money quality bowl (no additional taxes) that’s extremely comforting!

Arrived when the stall just opened and they had a queue even before they could switch on the lights for their signboard. 😂 I went with their Sliced Fish Soup and topped up fish eggs ($1) along with their handmade minced pork balls ($1 for 2).

Not the most affordable, but it was impressive! The cloudy broth was flavourful without any need for evaporated milk. It was a little too peppery at first try, but better balanced after a thorough mix. I love Chinese parsley and it was a pleasant surprise that they add quite a bit in this (so rmb to opt out if you’re not a fan)! The thick fish slices were fresh and chunky, tender with a good bite. Fish eggs were super fresh too, while the handmade minced pork balls were huge and well seasoned.

Queue was short but it was still quite a long wait. Probably not for a quick lunch option but I’d definitely have this again!

📍Slice Fish Fish Head Seafood Soup 魚片 魚頭 海鮮湯
726 West Coast Market Square #01-138

Came back again after the previous pleasant experience! Got the pork Pho again and though it wasn’t as impressively flavourful as the first time, it was still a comforting bowl to slurp down. Pork slices could be more tender.

Nadai Fujisoba’s celebrating their 2nd year anniversary with a whole list of 1 for 1 soba dishes, available only till 29th Nov!!! We went for this Hot NI-HACHI Tempura Soba and it was very worth it. We paid just $11+ each! It had a bowl of hot soba with snap peas and a plate of freshly fried tempura - okra, pumpkin, snow crab stick, shiitake mushroom, baby corn, chicken and two shrimps. We’ve been back to Nadai Fujisoba a couple of times and the quality has remained well. Soba has a good bite and the dashi broth is comforting without being too salty. The plate of tempura were pretty impressive too, ingredients were fresh and the batter was crispy yet light. My favs were the tender chicken and crunchy shrimps!