Beef sang meen (生面) from Xing Long Food Stall (興隆菜社)

Possibly the first time at Xing Long Food Stall where the food was outright disappointing. This was supposed to be black bean sauce sang meen with beef. The sauce didn't taste like black bean sauce. At all. Beef was bicarbonated to death. Just on the threshold of morphing into an unidentifiable protein matter with blurry textures.

A note on the fried shallots at Shi Le Yuan (實叻園)

Revisiting Shi Le Yuan. Delicious like the last time. Note to self: their fried shallot in oil is really good with their kueh.

Revisiting 参香肉脞面 (San Xiang Bak Chor Mee)

Have been meaning to come back to San Xiang Bak Chor Mee for some time and that hasn't happened until recently. I hadn't realised that the stall has garnered a fandom. There were a lot more people in the queue than the last time. I wonder how much the loss of Mr Meepok contributed to it. 😬

Ended up with mee pok like the last time because it's been a while and the basic bowl was what I wanted to get back into what I remember enjoying about their noodles. The toppings were not in a separate bowl of soup like they were previously. Will try a noodle variation the next time. 

$15.50 chicken chop from Coffee Bee @ Singapore Science Centre

Coffee Bee seems to be the only eatery inside Singapore Science Centre (15 Science Centre Road), a place I haven't been to since I was a student. Think many would agree that $15.50 was pretty expensive for a black pepper chicken chop. One could easily get another elsewhere for half the price and more sides. Sauce was decent. Chicken wasn't exceptional but there also wasn't anything I had gripes over. Portions were kinda small. I wouldn't pay for this again.

Rustica, Crawford Lane

Came across Rustica (#01-65, 462 Crawford Lane, tel : +65 9030 8803) recently right next door to Tolido's Espresso Nook. They're a locavore restaurant using ingredients sourced from local producers and #localssupportlocal.

What drew our attention to them was a picture of their kaya toast which I had initially mistaken for something with avocado. Their rendition included house made whipped kaya and ricotta on top of a deliciously buttery brioche drizzled with gula melaka. I liked how it tasted and how each ingredient stood out. 👍🏼 

Bandung latte - which was rose flavoured coffee. Single shot. Not bad tasting. That said, I would have enjoyed it more if the coffee packed a bit more punch. Like with another shot.

Pandan latte which came with double shot as a default. Not bad.

These were iced on the menu but we could get the hot versions. Their menu looked like it had interesting takes of local influences. Don't mind coming back to try those.

Aziz Jaffar Muslim Food, Smith Street Food Centre

Came across this stall (Green Zone, #02-070 Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre, 335 Smith Street) recently. We saw people getting their lontong which I thought looked good. Came over for a weekend breakfast. Not bad tasting lontong. It's less lemak than what I normally prefer but also tasty enough that I wouldn't mind coming back. Unexpected find in Chinatown. Too bad their ketupat's not fragrant. 

Revisiting Curry Craft

Back at Curry Craft. The bowl I got today was curry mutton bee tai bak/rat's tail noodles/老鼠粉 with extra mutton. The raft of beans has been replaced by eggplant with fish paste.

More stuff from Koo Kee (高記)

I like Koo Kee's yong tau foo with chee cheong fun. Like them "白" so to speak with just sesame oil and light soya sauce so that I can taste those rice rolls. Portions are kinda tiny though which leaves you wanting more. It's like getting a double cheeseburger from McD. 😬

The other thing that's worth considering was the steamed meat patty with rice - said steamed meat patty was pretty similar to the one from Steamed Society. There's a combo which comes with soup. Sichuan mustard green (四川菜) soup's not bad. Vegetables were pretty tender but with none of the spiciness.

Re-revisiting Merci Marcel @ Eng Hoon Street

Been some years since we were last at Merci Marcel at Tiong Bahru.

Got the sweet potatoes & lentils hummus thinking it might be sweet. They weren't. 😬 Tasted like regular hummus packed with cumin flavour and a different texture. There's supposed to be coconut milk in the hummus which I never detected.

Love the roasted feta with the pears, both poached and fresh.

Pleasantly surprised by their beef burger. Meat's nicely caramelised, still moist on the inside and not destroyed by marinates/herbs. Good saltiness coming from the Parmesan cheese and crispy Bayonne ham. Those toasted sesame on top of the buns were nice!

Cauliflower trilogy - had these at Club Street previously. Still so delicious.

Not bad orange confit & cardamom cake.

Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim (惹蘭大公老林), Tanjong Katong Road

There's a number of Jalan Tua Kong, some with associated 'Lim' noodles around. Did I even make sense? 😂 Of the limited ones I've tried, I'm ranking this one (248 Tanjong Katong Road) as the best.

This bowl appears to be what I understand as Teochew noodles, not bak chor mee even though they're pretty similar and lines get blurred over the years. Pretty generous amount ingredients and I love those Teochew meatballs - which are a mixture of minced pork and fish paste if you didn't know. Would have been great if there wasn't some of those kansui taste in the mee pok. That being said, it's not a deal breaker.

There's a bunch of other "local delights" which looked pretty decent. Got ourselves some butter sugar toast. Will definitely consider coming back.

Revisiting Pizza Studio Tamaki

Been meaning to come back to PST for a while.

Today's soup is mushroom. They're also not chilled like the previous time. Flavour's pretty intense. 👍🏼

Menu mentioned spinach with marinade anchovies, red chicory and pine nuts. I was imagining baby spinach and slivers of anchovies but it's stir fried Chinese spinach I think and the anchovies have kinda melted into it. Pretty umami. Also, the salad's chilled. Actually kinda nice for the weather.

Ended up with a couple of their monthly special pizzas.

This, their Tokyo Odyssey: Singapore Edition, is I quote "Crafted exclusively for our first international home, this pizza blends the spirit of Tokyo with flavors made to celebrate Singapore’s vibrant food culture." It's nice but I couldn't reconcile the name, the theme and the flavour. If you asked me, this tasted much like tom kha gai. I like it but I don't feel the Singapore in it. 😂

One has got to love kani miso to enjoy their zuwaigani miso pizza. While the crab miso bechamel was understandably not as intense as regular kani miso, it's definitely there. Pretty good tasting also with a squeeze of lemon.

Their house made tiramisu's nice and well soaked inside.

Katsuya, Tanjong Katong Road

This (258 Tanjong Katong Road, tel : +65 9656 8183) was the same Katsuya as Kodawari Katsuya which was previously located at East Coast Road. The primary appeal of Katsuya, at least for me, is their lamb katsu. Don't think it's available anywhere else on this island.

Like a bunch of other stuff that they do, that lamb katsu is not part of their regular menu. 

One can make reservations for those via Whatsapp.

Seating is limited in this new space. Lesser than their older spot at East Coast Road if my memory serves.

Rare salmon katsu's nice. It's not on the regular menu.

The one with wasabi was great with just salt.

Hotate katsu's also delicious. Not on the regular menu as well. One can taste the natural flavour of those scallops under the crusty panko.

Today's lamb was pretty fatty. Salt and mustard or just salt rocks.

Haji Lane Food Corner, Haji Lane X North Bridge Road

Came across Haji Lane Food Corner (674 North Bridge Road) recently.

There's an outpost of Haig Road Putu Piring here. There seem to be more flavours these days. We got ourselves an order of the one with gula melaka for nostalgia; that and because it's probably the best tasting flavour anyway.

There's a Bon Bon Matcha with something called iced coconut matcha cold foam. Refreshing. So good that we got seconds. Also because the cup was kinda small.