Pizz Please ~

Had been going around the Central Business District and got to learn about the opening of a new dining establishment named 聚飽堂 that is located around Nankin Row near 18 Cross — these folks can be found right beside MASHI NO MASHI. 聚飽堂 does look more like a mom-and-pop establishment as compared to most of the other dining establishments that are located along the same stretch and for good reason too — these folks do serve up fuss-free local Chinese fare which sets them apart from most of the other tenants in the area as well. 聚飽堂 has both indoor and outdoor dining areas — there is quite a good number of seating that allows even those whom are visiting the establishment in larger groups to dine together comfortably as well by combining some of the dining tables together. Focusing on noodle dishes, 聚飽堂 serves up variants of Lor Mee, Laksa and Spinach Soup; all of which are favourites for office workers in the Central Business District. They also do serve up Kaya Butter Toast for those whom are looking for a light traditional breakfast item to munch on as well.

The Chicken Cutlet Laksa is one of the variants of Laksa that 聚飽堂 serves up; whilst there is no description available on the elements that are being served up with the Laksa, it can be observed from our order that the Chicken Cutlet Laksa comes with the chicken cutlet being separate from the Laksa — the bowl of Laksa also features elements such as blood cockles, beancurd puff and fish cakes. One thing worth noting about the Laksa at 聚飽堂 is how they do allow patrons to opt for either thick rice noodles or thin rice noodles for their order; we went with the thick rice noodles for our order of the Chicken Cutlet Laksa. The Laksa gravy here is one of the more creamier ones that we have come across in a while; while the hint of rempah spices is definitely noticeable, we did enjoy the richness of the gravy that gave a pretty full-on flavour from the addition of coconut milk. The thick rice noodles also came with a smooth and silky texture that was easy to slurp up, while the blood cockles were pretty fresh and added a briny note to the laksa gravy; the beancurd puffs also soaked up the laksa gravy like a sponge and provided a burst of flavours when one bites into them. The chicken cutlet was pretty decent though nothing much to shout about here; a good-to-have for those whom are not particularly into prawns that is usually found in a typical bowl of Laksa.

There has been quite a number of dining establishments opening of the late that has been emulating the dining experience that Yuen Kee Dumplings had brought to our F&B scene especially considering the success that Yuen Kee Dumplings had been enjoying with the swift expansion of its business all across the island. Jiang Kee has been an early contender to this trend — the brand has already made its presence in the local F&B scene here very early on having run kiosks within Scarlett Supermarket; their first known location being within the outlet at Paya Lebar Square. With that being said, Jiang Kee had recently opened its very first standalone eatery in Singapore; they are situated within the Food Alley at Toa Payoh Central where one can find other notable F&B tenants such as that of Sing Hi Noodle and the outlet of Hiang Ji Roasted Meat & Noodle House there. The menu at Jiang Kee is split into categories such as Dumplings, Wonton, Pan-Fried Items, Steamed Bun and Noodle & Rice Noodles.

As with our typical orders at such establishments, we found ourselves going for the ala-carte dumplings; namely the Pork & Prawn Dumplings with Crab Roe. Jiang Kee also allows its patrons to opt between different sauces and soups to go with their order of the dumplings — we went with the Mala Dry Mix which is also mentioned to come with Sesame Paste for our order of the Pork & Prawn Dumplings with Crab Roe. One thing that caught our attention very early on when we were collecting our order from the counter was the consistency of the Mala Dry Mix; despite the addition of sesame paste here, the end product is a pretty thick sauce that seems to suggest that the sesame paste had been mixed into the Mala paste rather than just being two different sauces drenched onto the dumplings. Going for the sauce itself, the sauce has a pretty gloopy consistency — the sauce has a sandier consistency with quite an emphasis on the fragrance of Sichuan peppers; all that whilst the addition of sesame paste trying to add an earthier note in its finish to end everything off. Whilst being immensely flavourful, we do think that the sauce would like get fairly overwhelming quickly for a single pax having all 8 to 10 pieces of the dumplings to themselves. The Pork & Prawn Dumplings with Crab Roe were pretty decent with smooth and thin wrapper enclosing the fillings within; the pork filling does give the dumplings a firm bite, with the prawn being fresh and adds a crustacean sweetness that gives it a complimenting contrast of flavours as well.

It does seem like there has been quite a number of new dining establishments that can be found all across the Central Business District of the late — located at the lobby of 61 Robinson Road right across from the side if the building where an outlet of The Cupping Room is situated would be Moni Ika; these folks had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Murger Han that has closed down some time back. Moni Ika is a concept by the same folks behind Cut Butchery — whilst being a butchery that operates several outlets across the island, Cut Butchery also operates other F&B concepts such as that of Grill by Cut and Gyushi as well. Moni Ika is a concept that focuses heavily on its salmon offerings — the dishes on its menu centres around the use of King Salmon and Scottish Salmon sourced from its harvest partners Regal and Loch Duart respectively; the menu features sections dedicated to Rice Bowl, Soba Bowl, and Salad Bowl, while they also do have an assortment of sushi kept in the display chiller that is available for both dine-in and takeaway as well.

The Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl is an item that features the Scottish Salmon from Loch Duart; other elements that are served in the same bowl being mentioned in the men’s description includes teriyaki sauce and an assortment of vegetables that are available for the day — the latter being edamame, cauliflower and pumpkin. The highlight of the Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl from Moni Ika is undoubtedly the salmon — the Loch Duart salmon is said to be used in some of the top Michelin-starred restaurants all around the world and is delivered chilled (i.e. not frozen). Despite being a cooked dish, the salmon does carry a medium rare consistency that comes with a soft centre — the fish being especially smooth inside but with the flesh being firm with a melt-in-the-mouth texture; it also does carry a mild sweetness of the fish which makes it quite different from the usual Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl one can get from a typical Japanese / grain bowl establishment. The salmon also does come with a crisp skin as well. The rice here does get drenched with a bit of the Teriyaki sauce as well; the Teriyaki sauce also does feel a little different from the typical Teriyaki sauce with a stronger emphasis on the savoury and earthier notes rather than the sweetness of the sauce, while the accompanying vegetables of the day adds varying dimensions of chew, bite and crunch to the Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl for a contrast of textures — all that whilst giving it a wholesome feel to balance things out as well.

It does seem like the massive expansion of Yuen Kee Dumplings around the island has pretty much set off a flurry of new establishments serving up fresh handmade dumplings and wantons all over the island. Whilst Jia He Xing Dumpling had entered the Singaporean market relatively early with their very first outlet at Marina Square being in existence before Yuen Kee Dumpling’s debut in Singapore. Jia He Xing Dumpling is a brand that hails from Shanghai, China — these folks had recently opened their second outlet in Singapore in The Poiz Centre that is in the Potong Pasir neighbourhood. Occupying a smaller shop unit than that of its Marina Square location, its location in The Poiz Centre is around where one can find the outlet of Heritage Tanglin Puff there — one would also get to see the variety of wantons and dumplings that they have to offer with the display case situated at the store’s facade. Jia He Xing Dumpling’s menu at their The Poiz Centre location varies a little from their Marina Square location; the menu is segmented into sections dedicated to Dumplings, Wontons, Noodles, Pan-fried and Appetisers.

The Fresh Shrimps and Fish Roe Dumplings is one of the dumplings that Jia He Xing Dumpling has to offer in the Dumpling section of the menu — these folks do offer their dumplings in a style similar to what Yuen Kee Dumplings has been doing where each serving comes with options of 8pcs, 10pcs or 12pcs per serving, whilst also coming with a choice of sauces / soups to go along; we went with the 8pcs option with the dumplings coming Dry Tossed with Chilli Oil. Whilst not stated in the menu, it is interesting to note that there is the inclusion of a little bit of sesame sauce with the version of the dry tossed dumplings served with chili oil; with that being said, there is certainly more emphasis on the chili oil here which carries a hint of spiciness that should be manageable for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness as well as a note similar to that of Sichuan peppers without the numbness. The addition of that little bit of sesame paste does give the chili oil that added hint of nuttiness and creaminess without truly stealing the limelight away from the chili oil. The dumplings here does come with a wrapper that doesn’t feel particularly thick; whilst we did enjoy the natural hint of sweetness that the fresh shrimp gives, we did feel that the Fresh Shrimps and Fish Roe Dumplings lacked the bite that most pork dumplings would come with given how loosely packed most of the other elements are within the dumpling.

Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre does seem like one of those hawker centres that sees some periodic movement of the tenants operating within from time-to-time — the hawker centre has most recently seen yet another round of new tenants occupying the stall units that had vacated the hawker centre. One of such stalls would be 九意咖喱鸡饭 Curry Chicken Rice that occupies one of the stall units located at the middle row of the hawker centre closer towards Woodlands Stadium. As one would have expected from the namesake of the stall, 九意咖喱鸡饭 Curry Chicken Rice isn’t exactly a typical stall serving up Hainanese Chicken Rice — instead, it does seem to be a little bit of a fusion concept that brings the likes of curry with the all-familiar Hainanese chicken rice. Apart from serving up their Beansprout Curry Chicken Rice, 九意咖喱鸡饭 Curry Chicken Rice also jumps onto the bandwagon of establishments serving up poached chicken with Nasi Briyani, whilst those looking for items less adventurous can settle for their Curry Chicken Noodle, Shredded Chicken Bee Hoon Soup and Thai Style Chicken Cutlet with Rice.

The Beansprout Curry Chicken Rice is observed to come default with elements such as beansprouts, beancurd puffs, poached chicken and potatoes being drenched in a curry gravy on a separate plate away from the rice — this plate is also topped off with coriander; we were also asked if we wanted to add a braised egg to our order which we ended up going for. Meanwhile, the rice that is served on the side would be the same as that of the rice of Hainanese chicken rice that typical chicken rice stalls tend to serve — patrons do get a choice to drench the rice with a little bit of the same curry gravy as well. Going straight for the poached chicken, we did feel that the poached chicken here is done pretty well; juicy and tender with the flesh being especially smooth — nothing too dry nor streaky from the fibres of the meat. Being drenched in a curry gravy, the curry gravy here does seem to be on the lighter side in terms of both flavour and consistency; this does seem to be deliberate though considering how the dish does come with the “oily rice” that is typically served with Hainanese chicken rice — the flavours of the curry does get a little richer when had together with the rice without becoming particularly jelak. Speaking of the rice here; the rice does come pretty fragrant having absorbed the flavours of the chicken stock — not too gingery, and did carry sufficient flavour on its own. The dish does come with a generous load of beansprouts that comes with a crunch, while the potato does come stewed in the curry for a soft, melt-in-the-mouth consistency that doesn’t require much bite.

Telok Blangah Rise Food Centre is probably one of those food centres that is less frequented by most considering the size of the food centre and the location where it is at — not quite the most convenient spot, nor one that has much reason for one to make a visit. With that being said, Peppers is a fairly new addition to the food centre which has been mentioned quite a bit on social media a while back. Being a Muslim-owned establishment, Peppers is an establishment serving up western cuisine that is also one of the rare few stalls that opens till late past the evening in the hawker centre. Peppers keeps its menu fairly simple for a stall serving up western cuisine; the menu revolves around fried chicken and fried fish fillet dishes served with rice or fries — there is also an option for patrons to opt for the choice to have soup alongside their orders for the mains as well.

The Fish & Chips Set is described on the menu to come with elements such as 2 Pcs Fried Fish, Coleslaw, choice of Fries or Rice, and Cream of Mushroom; all of which at the wallet-friendly price point of $7.50 — it is interesting to note that the 1 Pc Fried Fish Set that comes without the Cream of Mushroom is priced at $5. For our order of the Fish & Chips Set, we went with the Fries. The highlight here is undeniably the fried fish fillet — we are pretty impressed that Peppers actually serves up a fried fish fillet that is closer to the style of proper English-style fish and chips given the way that the dish is being priced; most establishments serving similar dishes at such prices would likely serve up fish and chips with batter featuring panko crumbs instead. We liked how the fried fish fillet here comes crisp with a batter that is not too thick; the fish still manages to have its moisture locked in and the flesh still being flaky, soft and smooth — we also found the fried fish fillet to be not particularly greasy as well. The accompanying fries were decent, though we did notice that there is a temperature difference between the fried fish fillet and the fries that may suggest the fries being prepared slightly beforehand — it does come seasoned in salt for some flavour without being overly salty, while the coleslaw on the side does deliver a refreshing crunch. The Cream of Mushroom does come with an emphasis of the earthiness of mushrooms though is more on the peppery side of things; does also come with cubes of diced shiitake mushrooms for a bouncy bite for a variance of textures.

There has been quite a fair bit of talk around social media about the opening of the new Shu Bakery at Space@Kovan in the past week — these folks had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Bakeopedia there; this also makes them neighbours with the outlet of Soi 19 Thai Wanton Mee that has long been in the area. For those whom have not yet heard, Shu Bakery is a concept by the same folks behind CHŪ & CO. at 15 Lichfield Road — an establishment best known for their freshly-baked breads and pastries. Shu Bakery can be described as an extension of what CHŪ & CO. is; this is the very first time that these folks are operating with a full-service cafe set-up with proper dine-in space for their patrons. Interestingly, Shu Bakery does offer a line-up of pastries that is offered only as takeaway items at a separate counter that is located right behind the entrance; otherwise, the menu at Shu Bakery is split into sections dedicated to the breakfast / brunch items that they have to offer, as well as Plates that can be shared on the side. There are also a line-up of cakes and desserts that one can go for that are displayed in the counter tucked at the back of the cafe.

Priced at $26, the Uni Scrambled Eggs is the most priciest breakfast / brunch dish that Shu Bakery has to offer. Shu Bakery describes the Uni Scrambled Eggs to be an item to come with elements such as Uni Scramble, Bafun Uni, Tzatziki, Chives and Toast. Somewhat of a a luxurious breakfast plate here, the scrambled eggs itself does come with Bafun Uni coming on the top — the scrambled egg itself being well-executed considering how it comes with soft and fluffy consistency with an eggy note that wasn’t too creamy. The addition of Uni also adds a briny note to the scrambled eggs, giving it another dimension of savouriness as well. The best way to enjoy this dish is to have the scrambled eggs and Uni above the sourdough toast — the sourdough toast at Shu Bakery does seem like one that is being baked fresh in-house here. The sourdough toast carries a firm bite and a bit of a tang — the latter coming from the fermentation process that is part of the process of the making of the sourdough toast. The inclusion of tzatziki here was interesting where it provided a creamy yet refreshing element with a slight crunch from the diced cucumbers within that works especially well with the celery and snow peas which comes on the side.

Daily Green might be a name that comes pretty familiar to most — not being a stranger to the local F&B scene here, these folks are actually a brand under the SF Group umbrella; SF Group also runs other notable names such as the likes of COLLIN’S which also operates Common Grill by COLLIN’S. Whilst being a brand that is more commonly found in coffeeshops and food court stalls around the island, Daily Green had recently launched its first Daily Green Vegetarian Cafe concept at Shaw Plaza — this concept is located right beside an outlet of COLLIN’S and takes over the former premises of the now-defunct Ontama Don. The space has been pretty much left unchanged since its days at Ontama Don with the interior being much optimised for the seating of individual patrons; those whom are visiting in larger groups can opt for the outdoor seating area instead. The menu at Daily Green Vegetarian Cafe is split into sections dedicated to Rice, Noodles and Snacks.

The Salted Egg Abalone Mushroom with Rice is a dish that is being listed in the Rice section of the menu — though the menu does not describe the elements that are served in the dish, it can be observed from our order that the dish does come with fried abalone mushrooms that is wok-fried with chili padi and curry leaves whilst being drenched in a salted egg yolk sauce; all that whilst coming with a serving of white rice on the side and accompanied by a sunny side-up as well. It is undeniable that the Salted Egg Abalone Mushroom with Rice is a dish that replicates the typical Salted Egg Chicken / Pork Ribs with Rice dish that one would find at zichar / mini wok stalls at hawker centres, coffeeshops and food courts all around the island — the Salted Egg Abalone Mushroom with Rice being adapted by Daily Green Vegetarian Cafe to suit the dietary requirements of vegetarians. Thought the Abalone Mushrooms were well-fried here considering how they still had some moisture being locked in; all that whilst coming with a crispy batter that was not particularly greasy. The salted egg sauce here hits the spot for us; slightly saltish and sweet with a creamy consistency similar to that of buttermilk sauce found in Buttermilk Chicken / Pork Ribs dishes found at other zichar / mini wok establishments around. The folks at Daily Green had also added quite a good amount of chili padi and curry leaves that gave a good kick of spiciness to cut through the creaminess and also a dimension of crispness to the dish. Coming with a sunny side-up, the sunny side-up does come with a fully-cooked yolk — those whom do not consume eggs can inform the staff at the counter accordingly.

The BGAIN 463 Eating House coffeeshop at Blk 463 Sembawang Drive had recently gone through a revamp which had also seen a number of new tenants move into the coffeeshop after its relaunch. We got to learn about the opening of Hot Chick Co. in the said coffeeshop via social media — these folks had only moved into the coffeeshop subsequent to the revamp of the coffeeshop. Occupying only half the space of a typical stall unit within the coffeeshop, Hot Chick Co. can be found in the same spot in which was where the previous western cuisine stall used to be located — just look out for the stall with a bright red facade and signage there. Hot Chick Co. joins the bandwagon of stalls specialising in fried chicken offerings that seemed to have slowly sprouted up all across the island — the offerings at Hot Chick Co. being fried chicken that is served with rice or fries; the former being served with wings while the latter coming with different chicken parts (i.e. chicken thigh, chicken drumstick, chicken breast etc.). They also do serve a number of side dishes, while also offering Fried Shao Mai and Fried Bean Curd Roll on skewer as well.

Visiting Hot Chick Co. in the evening on a weekday for dinner, we went for the 2 Pcs Chicken Wing + Rice — this also does come with a serving of coleslaw on the side apart from two (2) pieces of fried chicken wings and butter rice. It is undeniable that the star of the show here would be the fried chicken wings — these does come served up just like the fried chicken wings that we are used to having from western cuisine stalls in the neighbourhood coffeeshop in the past. The chicken wings here are brined and seasoned before being deep-fried; the wings are fried till golden-brown perfection with a crisp exterior — the batter not being overly thick, whilst the meat has its juices locked in and is especially tender whilst flavourful. Both chicken wings are also did not feel particularly greasy, and there is definitely an old-school flavour here that really resonated with us. The butter rice also comes with a whiff of buttery fragrance without being particularly jelak not greasy, though we did wish that the rice does come a little warmer for more satisfaction. The accompanying coleslaw is served chilled just like the way it should; slightly milky to provide a creamy feel alongside with a refreshing crunch to refresh the tastebuds.

Mon Chinese Beef Roti might have entered the Singaporean F&B scene for a while when they had first opened their Food Republic VivoCity location not too long ago; whilst they had just opened a second outlet at the Food Junction food court at Westgate not too long ago, it does seem that there are establishments that are jumping onto the bandwagon to serve something similar as well. Enter Krispi Chinese Roti • Dumplings; these folks had recently opened its doors at the newly-revamped Bagus Food Hall at Northpoint City which also sees other interesting tenants such as that of Cha Mulan X joining up the line-up of stalls that are operating there. Whilst the namesake of the stall does suggest that there are dumpling offerings, it seems that Krispi Chinese Roti • Dumplings is solely putting its efforts into their Chinese Roti items — they do claim that their Chinese Roti offerings are handmade daily by Chinese Muslims, promising authenticity and heritage with their Chinese Roti which has also garnered quite a fair bit of attention on social media as well.

Krispi Chinese Roti • Dumplings only offers their Chinese Roti in two (2) variants; the Beef and the Chicken Chinese Roti — we went for the latter during our visit made on a weekday dinner service. One can observe the chef preparing the Chinese Roti by hand behind the counter; the surge of demand caused by social media hype also meant that a waiting time of up to around an hour was required for our order as well. We collected our order slightly before the one-hour mark from the time that we made our order; whilst the stall does use electronic buzzers to page its patrons when the order is ready for collection, they had also ran out of electronic buzzers to issue on the day of our visit — as such, we are unable to ascertain the exact time our order was made and sitting at the counter for us to collect, though we did note that the Chicken Chinese Roti was still pretty hot when we collected our order. Sinking our teeth into the Chicken Roti, the pastry did feel crispy in some parts though it wasn’t quite light and flaky like it should have been — there are also some areas in which it did feel a little wet and also a little doughy as well. With that being said, the chicken filling within was patty-like and was tender and juicy; seasoned with a bit of pepper for a slight fragrance whilst coming with a level of spiciness that should do just fine for those whom are tolerable to lower than moderate levels of spiciness. There are also bits of red onions found within the Chicken Roti that helps to keep things refreshing whilst adding a dimension of crunch for a variance of textures as well.

If anything, it does seem like the folks patronising Hong Lim Food Centre does have quite some options for post-meal desserts or tea-time treats to go for when at the hawker centre — taking over the former premises of the now-defunct Sabah Sandakan UFO tart at the second level of Hong Lim Food Centre is the new Vic’s Mini Lava Cheesecake; for those whom are not familiar with the previous tenant of the space, the stall can be found beside the unit of Hiong Kee Dumplings at the second floor of the food centre which is also diagonally opposite the outlet of SLII Muffin there. As the namesake of the stall suggests, Vic’s Mini Lava Cheesecake focuses pretty much on their mini lava cheesecake offerings (more about it later), though they also do serve up Portuguese Egg Tarts as well for those whom prefer something a little warm and without the cheese for a tea-time treat.

Vic’s Mini Lava Cheesecake offers their mini lava cheesecake in four (4) different flavours — matcha, chocolate, taro and original; we found ourselves opting for the Taro Lava Cheesecake. One thing that are being told about is how the Lava Cheesecakes are intentionally served chilled; posters of the item that can be found at the store also mentions the lack of use of cake flour, as well as a molten lava texture for the mini cheesecake. The mini lava cheesecakes are also intentionally made less sweet to cater to the modern, health-conscious palate as well. Digging into the Taro Lava Cheesecake, it is undeniable that the texture of the cake here is molten to the point that it is incredibly runny; one thing we did note about the Taro Lava Cheesecake is how it does seem to carry a good balance of flavours — amidst the savouriness that one would expect out of a cheesecake, one can also feel the subtle notes of taro providing an added hint of earthiness that also concurrently runs at the back of the tongue. We also saw how the Taro Lava Cheesecake was kept with sweetness on the lower side just like how Vic’s Mini Lava Cheesecake promises their mini lava cheesecakes to be on the posters; a flavour that was pretty much clean and makes the cheesecake easy to have since it was not particularly overwhelming either.

It does seem that dining establishments with a focus on serving French cuisine have been getting rather trendy of the late — whilst we had written about the opening of Bouillon Gavroche at Mandarin Gallery, there is also a new establishment named Frenchy Deli that had Reddit opened its doors at the basement of The Sail. These folks had taken over the former premises of Al-Marche which had moved on and expanded to multiple outlets within the Central Business District; this also makes them neighbours with establishments like Salad Story there. Frenchy Deli does come decked with some true French vibes here with the use of a solid tone of blue for its facade; the use of several paintings hung on its walls also very especially apt with the vibe; all that with dining chairs and tables that helps to replicate at patio-esque dining vibe. Focusing on simple offerings, the food menu at Frenchy Deli is segmented into sections dedicated to Soup & Salads, Lettuce Wraps, Mama’s Pizzas, Sandwiches, Toasties and Paninis. Pastries that are available for the day are also prominently displayed in the display case at the entrance of the cafe.

The Frenchy Croque Toastie is one of the items that are being listed in the Toasties section of the menu. One thing that is worth noting about the offerings at Frenchy Deli is how the food items being served up here do seem to have been pre-prepared in advance — perhaps to better cope with the grab-and-go nature of the establishment considering the demographics of the diners in the area. Frenchy Deli does not describe the elements that are featured in the Frenchy Croque Toastie, though it can be observed from our order that the item does seem to come with cheese, sourdough toast and pork ham — we also noticed a mustard spread with mustard seeds on the inner sides of the sourdough as well. One thing that really bothered us about the Frenchy Croque Toastie was the thin layer of cheese over the sourdough which seemed to have been slightly overdone; this made the Frenchy Croque Toastie felt particularly dry, and coupled with the use of sourdough also meant that the bread Toastie felt especially tough to chew through. With that being said, the use of soft cheese within the Toastie does add a bit of a chewy texture and adds a savoury note to the tender pork ham which wasn’t overly salty; the use of the mustard spread also adds an earthy note that provides a contrast of flavours as well.