Chinese Charmers

However, if you feel the need for rice instead, Sin Chao also offers Fragrant Pork Lard Fried Egg Rice for just two bucks flat. I’m not sure why there’s been a sudden onset of various local eateries putting plain rice garnished with pork lard & an egg, but I certainly ain’t complaining. Currently Sin Chao have a little promo going on to get to get a free fragrant egg & pork lard pearl rice with any purchase, with the completion of a few easy tasks:⠀
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1. Follow @sin_chao_culinary on Insta⠀
2. Follow @laoniangagency on Instagram too!⠀
3. Follow me (@okwhotookmyusername ) & tag 2 friends⠀
4. Flash the follow pages when patronising Sin Chao Culinary!⠀
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Thank you for the invite, @laoniangagency & @eatwithkeat, and thanks for letting us sample your food, @sin_chao_culinary!⠀

Besides rice, @sin_chao_culinary also serves claypot Seafood Bee Hoon. Each claypot is loaded with rice vermicelli that’s been cooked in a savoury seafood stock, along with a plentiful plethora of fresh seafood like clams, prawns & squid. Besides the seafood, Sin Chao adds some egg and vegetables into the bee hoon, turning it into a complete & wholesome meal on its own. ⠀
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Truthfully, the bee hoon is not the most scintillating of seafood bee hoon out there, but this bee hoon was superbly satisfying. Consuming this claypot of noodles definitely gets you feeling like your very soul just got nourished. It’s sufficiently savoury, it’s light, it’s comforting, and you’ll crave it both in sickness & in health.⠀
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Thank you for the invite, @laoniangagency & @eatwithkeat, and thanks for letting us sample your food, @sin_chao_culinary!

Even though parts of Punggol are incredibly inaccessible, the residents there are amply provided for by the multitude of food options conveniently situated close by. One of these options is @sin_chao_culinary, which offers all kinds of homely Chinese classics. The bulk of their focus is on zichar staples served in little claypots, but they do 菜贩 (rice with a variety of meat/veg), double boiled soups which greatly pleases my Cantonese sensibilities, and distinctly Taiwanese inspired bentos.⠀
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Their soups range in price from $6.50-$8.00 nett, and all come with a bowl of rice. I was smitten by the Double Boiled Salted Vegetable Duck Soup ($7.50) with its salty & sour flavour profile, as well as the simple yet satisfying Double Boiled Peanut Lotus Root Soup. It’s a shame that Singapore doesn’t have snowy winters, as these soups are just perfect to savour during cold weather.⠀
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Thank you for having us @sin_chao_culinary & thank you to @eatwithkeat & @laoniangagency for the invite!

Even though parts of Punggol are incredibly inaccessible, the residents there are amply provided for by the multitude of food options conveniently situated close by. One of these options is @sin_chao_culinary, which offers all kinds of homely Chinese classics. The bulk of their focus is on zichar staples served in little claypots, but they do 菜贩 (rice with a variety of meat/veg), double boiled soups which greatly pleases my Cantonese sensibilities, and distinctly Taiwanese inspired bentos.⠀
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Sin Chao Culinary has a tasty trio of bentos served in a nostalgic tin lunchbox, and they’re all priced quite reasonably at $6.50 nett. The only thing that differentiates these bentos from each other is the main meat option, all come with a whole lotta rice, a whole braised egg, some stir fried cabbage & carrots, and a couple of slices of Taiwanese sausage. The Braised Pork Belly Bento has a sizeable slab of savoury braised pork belly aa the centrepiece, while the Crispy Fermented Beancurd Pork Belly starred sliced up deep fried pork belly, marinated with fermented beancurd paste for an extra deep umami. The sauciest selection is a Singapore staple: curry chicken. Curry chicken on rice is elite, I tell you what.
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Thank you for having us @sin_chao_culinary & thank you to @eatwithkeat & @laoniangagency for the invite!

@canteenbyenjoy are starch savants, as both of the carb dishes we sampled were our favourites of the meal. The Canteen Rice was a sinful but sensational starch source, and this Hokkien Mee ($15.80 for the small) was less hedonistic but no less fantastic. It comes in strong tooting its own horn, proclaiming itself as the ‘most epic Hokkien Mee in Singapore’.⠀
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While I can’t confirm that claim, I can confirm that it’s pretty high up there in the Hokkien Mee rankings. The wok hei here isn’t particularly pronounced, allowing the broth the noodles are cooked in to take centrestage with good reason. The broth is stunningly sapid, and if I had to guess, I would say that Canteen has incorporated some pork bone broth into the prawn broth, as the broth is exceptionally flavourful & weighty.⠀
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The breathtaking broth amply flavours all the other elements of the dish, and even the abundance of ingredients that Canteen has thrown into the mix aren’t enough to dampen the deliciousness of the broth. The prawns were pretty fresh & plump, while the squid was equally fresh & delightfully snappy. The usual recipes for Hokkien Mee call for sliced pork shoulder, but Canteen ups the ante with the inclusion of roast pork belly. The roast pork belly adds a little extra savouriness & fat to the plate of noodles, but unfortunately the delicious broth had softened the crispy skin. Still damn delicious though.⠀
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Thank you so much for the invite, @canteenbyenjoy!

@canteenbyenjoy exclusive signature dish is the White Pepper Crab ($38.80++), which sees chunks of crab fried with a white pepper sauce and served with four slices of deep fried mantou. While you won’t get a whole crab for under forty bucks, there is certainly more than enough crab to satisfy most reasonable men.⠀
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The last time I had a a seafood dish at Enjoy (the one on Stevens Road) I was truly thrilled by the freshness & quality of the jumbo prawns, but was less than impressed with the sauce. With the White Pepper Crabs however, it was the exact opposite. I’m normally not a fan of pepper sauces as they tend to trigger my cough, but Canteen has done it sensationally here. The sauce is piquantly peppery, yet it’s smooth & rich, and loaded with deliciously savoury flavours. The mantous are definitely an excellent vehicle to savour the sauce with, and you’ll find yourself getting mildly addicted.⠀
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The crab meat, however, was not the freshest, but it certainly wasn’t bad at all. The crab meat is a little too soft, but it is free from any fishy odours, and its mild umami is elevated by the wonderful white pepper sauce. Canteen By Enjoy’s crab isn’t the most conventional, but it’s definitely expertly executed.⠀
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Thank you for having us @canteenbyenjoy!

Another one of @canteenbyenjoy signature dishes that fits in perfectly with their ‘Singapore of yesteryear’ theme is the Te Kah (Hokkien for pig trotter, $16.80++). A classic Chinese dish, the recipe is reportedly from head chef & owner Joel’s grandma, and he’s definitely made Grandma proud here with this bowl of tender trotters, braised tofu & half boiled egg.⠀
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The pig trotters have been stewed till the meat has turned tremendously tender, and all the excess fat under the skin has been rendered out with the braising process. The low & slow braising has thoroughly injected every morsel of meat & gelatinous skin with the fragrance & umami of the soya sauce & spices used to braise the pig’s leg, and each bite is delectably delicious & eminently enjoyable. The braise is notably sweet, which is an oddity for braised pig’s trotters, but it is most definitely not a bad thing.⠀
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The egg & jiggly tofu greatly benefitted from the sapid soy sauce mix, and I was sorely tempted to order a bowl of white rice just to fully appreciate that delicious braise with the tender trotters, slightly jammy egg & surprisingly soft tofu. Grandma would be pretty proud of this for sure.⠀
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Thank you for having us, @canteenbyenjoy!

Enjoy Eating House’s original location at Jalan Besar has rebranded to @canteenbyenjoy, and their menu is slightly different now.

As devilishly delish as the Canteen Rice is, its richness does get overpowering quickly. Balance that out with an order of otah ($11.80++) to light up your meal with some spicy heat. This otah is most certainly handmade by Enjoy and stars chunks of mackerel inside, and the entire otah is superbly spiced to perfection. The only drawback is that this otah is most definitely the boniest otah in Singapore, and I was consistently picking out bones. Proceed with caution indeed. Also, don’t forget an order of coleslaw ($5.80++), which comes in clutch to cleanse your palate with its crunchy, sweet & slightly sour tanginess from all the sinfully delicious dishes Canteen by Enjoy has to offer.⠀
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Thank you so much for the invite, @canteenbyenjoy!

Enjoy Eating House’s original location at Jalan Besar has rebranded to @canteenbyenjoy, and their menu is slightly different now. Canteen’s eponymous Canteen Rice ($4.80++) is deceptively simple in name, but it is the most sinful & heart stopping dish in Canteen’s lineup by a clear margin. Plain ol’ steamed white rice is sauced up with the same braising sauce that another of Canteen’s signature dish is braised in, and turned utterly sinful by adding fried pork lard cubes & a fried egg on top.⠀
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Canteen has masterfully deep fried the lard cubes, rendering most of the fat out & leaving behind a cube of crisp, airy gluttonous goodness. Tack on the savoury & slightly sweet soya sauce based braising sauce and the oozy fried egg, along with lashes of dark soya sauce, and you have a cardiologist’s worst nightmare in a bowl. Oh it tastes so good to be bad, my greed was screaming yes while my heart was screaming for mercy. There’s no way you can solo a bowl of Canteen Rice, so spread the heart attack with a friend or family member.⠀
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Thank you so much for the invite, @canteenbyenjoy!

Mala can be an exorbitantly expensive dining option if you’re not careful, but it can be worth your resources. Jiehuanxi Malatang is a brand new mala diner on the ground floor of Lazada One, and a google search reveals absolutely nothing. No social media page, and not even a business registration result. Very odd in this day & age.⠀
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What is most certainly not odd is their terrific tomato mala soup. The soup is incredibly flavourful & tangy thanks to the tomatoes getting boiled with what I assume are pork bones to give it that deeply flavourful broth, and I was sorely tempted to savour every last drop. Jiehuanxi does the standard sketchy practice of a lot of mala merchants by not clearly stating how their prices work, so buyer beware. I don’t remember any prices, but I do know for a fact that this tomato mala soup with 540 grams of ingredients cost me $18.25 nett.⠀
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The ingredients presented were flawlessly fresh and of decent quality, but the price tags were nowhere to be found. Still, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy this tangy & tasty bowl of tomato mala with a beautiful bevy of meats, vegetables & seafood available, and they’ve just earned themselves a repeat, albeit irregular diner.

And now for @enjoyeatinghouse star attraction, please give it up for their Singapore Style Chili Prawns ($28++)! Five titanic, mercifully de-shelled prawns with the heads still on arrive fresh from the market. These jumbo prawns are then stir-fried with Enjoy’s execution of the familiar & beloved Singaporean chili crab sauce. The five prawns are fantastically fresh, as evidenced by their supple & snappy textures.⠀
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The flavour comes exclusively from the egg-stravagantly eggy chili gravy, which is sweet & salty in equal measure. Lots of egg bits are floating around in this mildly spicy gravy for a little additional texture, but the charming combination of savoury & sweet is what compels you to give more pleasure to your palate. Better yet, squeeze out as much of the flavour lurking in the prawn heads into the gravy, mix it up and, well, enjoy the taste. Enjoy knows how gloriously gratifying their gravy is, as they offer you the opportunity to try & mop up as much of this delicious chili prawn gravy with their deep fried mantous ($2++ for 4).⠀
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Enjoy Eating House’s Chili prawns are good, but what’s holding them back from greatness is the viscosity of the gravy. Or rather, the lack thereof. The chili gravy was rather runny & thin, and putting any of it on the prawns or the mantous resulted in the gravy just flowing right off. All that’s needed now is for Enjoy to thicken the gravy, and its rating would get bumped up to legendary status.

@victorskitchensg has always had a reputation as a modest & highly affordable dim sum shop. However, the years have flown by, and the GST has gone up, and Victor may not have a reputation for being insanely affordable anymore. First I’ll start off with the most value for money item I ordered: the Queen Size Siew Mai ($5.80 nett).⠀
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The Queen Size does live up to its billing, they are larger than usual, and each piece of siew mai is surprisingly delicious. The superbly seasoned minced pork is moulded into a cylinder, wrapped in a delicate skin, and steamed in the bamboo basket. The siew mai has a delightful density to it, and chomping down on each bouncy siew mai yields an addictive springiness. These siew mais are certainly fit for royalty, and they are fit for you too.⠀
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The Deep Fried Shrimp Dumpling ($6.20++) was the most expensive item I ordered, and although I appreciated the crunchy golden exterior and the bouncy shrimp filling within, other places do it for cheaper with comparable or better quality. The same could be said about the Steamed Pork Rib Rice ($5.50), which features fatty, juicy & tender pork on a bed of white rice. The pork ribs were adequately seasoned and tremendously tender, but the portion is kind of on the small side.⠀
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Although Victor’s Kitchen is still decently priced, the years have passed us by and it is certainly no longer the most value for money dim sum joint in town.