Hainanese Curry Rice, Pasir Panjang Food Centre

Hmmm....this was pretty good stuff there (Stall 41, Pasir Panjang Food Centre, 121 Pasir Panjang Road). Judging from the variety of food from the stall, these guys seem to be one of those that didn't offer much in terms of options, but do whatever they did well enough that the lunch crowd from the neighbouring areas seem to flock to the queue here. 

I don't know how they rank amongst the Hainanese curry rice stalls but their dishes on the sides were decently done. From the assam mackerel to the braised cabbage or pork belly in dark soy sauce. What I particularly enjoyed was the expertly done pork chops which were freshly fried with a thin and crispy breaded surface which didn't feel the least greasy. The meat was also not overly thin to the point that most of the texture only came from the crusty surface. That definitely reminded me of the days back when I was a kid having them in the old Maxwell market. The real deal compared to the oil laden and soggy types that one tends to come across these days.

7107 Flavours, Marina Square

This place (6 Raffles Boulevard, #02-02 Marina Square tel : +65 6334 7107) was not bad. Sure things were a little pricey and service could be a little spotty, but I thought that the food more than made up for it. 

We might have gotten a little overboard here with all these dishes. Wasn't aware that the portions were so large. The flavours were definitely rich as well from the vibrant tangy tamarind of sinigang (there were 9 prawns in that soup!) to the artery clogging Taba ng Talangka which came across like a nutty and crabby gravy with consistency similar to satay sauces. That was actually described as sautéed crab fat in olive oil, garlic and calamansi juice. Adding to the heart burn was the kare kare stew in a thick peanut sauce which was relatively tasty but not as fragrant as I was hoping for. Pretty much everything we got today was telling me to chug along with extra portions of rice. Not forgetting the nicely done grilled squids stuffed with a tomato onion salsa with an enjoyable char. 

What did I not like so much about this place? I wished there were more than just one piece of oxtail in the kare kare as it was mostly tripe in the stew. The leche flan did reminded me of gulab jamun. Too damned sweet. I sure hoped that the generous amounts of freshly cooked vegetables and green mango juice helped offset some of that richness and cholesterol. But who am I kidding here......

Taba ng Talangka sa olive oil

sinigang

kare kare

Inihaw na pusit

leche flan

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