Nasi padang from Mr Rawon

Very delicious selection of rice and dishes there (Block 291, Yishun St. 22) just minutes of walk from Darul Makmur mosque. It kinda helped that this was over a rainy afternoon where all the spices and gravy made the food so comforting. This was my first time trying the dark keluak gravy over rice. I did like it but I also couldn't fathom what I liked about it. There were some nice chewy paru goreng, tempeh, begedil and cauliflower/broccoli that formed a mixture of savoury, spicy and sweet flavours (mound of brown shredded coconut on the side). I have this place marked for returns.

Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice, Tekka Food Centre

This stall down in Tekka food centre (665 Buffalo Road, #01-335 Tekka Market & Food Centre) is apparently an institution for Teochew styled braised duck and has been in operation for decades. I had previously never been one for braised ducks until the recent induction to these Teochew styled rendition which had made me reevaluate my preferences. Another reason why this place captured my interest was probably because of the fact that they had goose which is altogether relatively uncommon here.

So, there went a half and half mix of duck and geese along with my usual works of hard boiled eggs, liver and tau kwa accompanied with their vinegar based chilli sauce which spiced the spot, in a manner of speaking. In retrospect, I couldn't really tell what was the difference between their duck and goose. The bottom line however was that I liked what they did for their generous portions of tender sliced meat and a greasy dark sauce which added a dimension of fragrance when eaten with the rice. I would have to say that Tai Dong had a much flavourful sauce, but I couldn't really decide which one was the better stall since they were both very nicely done. I'm gonna have to file these two up as equals in terms of preference.

$1 soy sauce chicken from Canton-i

Get them before they're history!

But I digress.... this soy sauce chicken from Canton-i was honestly not too bad coming from someone who normally doesn't really fancy them. I would have to say that in the department of meat tenderness, I would have to give it to the Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken place down in Chinatown which I felt, was a little better on the overall. The was definitely a better balance of sweet and savory and the skin felt like they were more delicate. Still, a dollar for a whole chicken these days in a restaurant is a deal not to be passed up.

Cocotte, Dickson Road

It was heartening to discover that another rustic bistro styled French restaurant (2 Dickson Road, Wanderlust Hotel, tel : +65 6298 1188) has opened, even more so that the food was actually enjoyably hearty. In line with the communal theme of the restaurant, we ordered a bunch of stuff for sharing so that we could taste a variety. Still, we were spoilt for choice because many things looked good.

We started things off with some appetizers which included a very tasty slow cooked and subsequently deep fried tripe. I've had tripe in various forms but these breaded and deep fried ones were a first. Thought they were pretty good. We ordered pork rillettes were pretty decent. I discovered today that French mustard with butter on baguettes were delicious. The pissaladière as I have learnt is a sort of onion paste tart. The soft and flaky pastry was nicely done though I had expected more in the way of anchovies. It was described as an onion and anchovy tart after all.

pork rillettes

pissaladière

fried tripe

Moving on to the mains, both Cocotte's roasted pork collar and boeuf à la ficelle were outstanding in their own different ways. 

The former was a nicely done pork dish with delicious fatty bits slathered in a creamy Dijon mustard sauce. On the side, buttered Brussels sprouts that came with expertly toasted almonds which were impressively fragrant. 

At another end of the spectrum was their boeuf à la ficelle which was a simple beef broth poached tenderloin with baby vegetables on the side. Flavoured by some crystals of salt. So much of the natural sweetness remained. Oh yes, I liked the accompanying gruyère on toast too. 

The steak tartare didn't quite look as minced as I thought. It was all good after the condiments went it with a mix. I was thinking that this would benefit from some capers and more chopped onions.

roasted pork collar in creamy Dijon mustard sauce

boeuf à la ficelle

steak tartare

After meals were a citron tart and a small selection of cheeses. We finished the tart before moving on to the cheeses. On hindsight, I thought that the sourish and fruity lemon tart would have been good with the cheeses. It had a buttery base with fillings that packed a nice lemony punch. Lucky me got the section with the candied orange peel.

citron tart

fromage

Gyudons from Yoshinoya

Yoshinoya has come up with a few variations to their beef bowl lately. Here's a look at their tamago and rutan beef bowls which features a half boiled egg and a hard boiled version respectively. The egg from the latter was only briefly stewed in sauce.  Not much of the brown was on the surface.

While I'm not a fan of these guys I've to admit that there aren't anyone place else I know of that makes a savoury gyudon. Without sweetness in the sauce. With the egg in the bowl, I might just start dropping by again.

Maggi goreng from Jalan Kayu Prata Cafe

This wasn't bad at all. I wasn't too sure of what to make out of a "Jalan Kayu" branded stall right smack in town (60B Orchard Road, #01-16A The Atrium @ Orchard, tel : +65 9237 9005) but it looked like it attracted it's fair share of clientele. Beside having better dressed cooks, the place looked and smelled the part of a Indian coffee shop/eatery. What I liked about the maggi goreng with mutton was that it wasn't too wet. There was a spiciness that was respectable. Nice enough that I would definitely consider this again if I'm around town.