Beef bone broth ramen from Tampopo

This was a a beef bone broth ramen that Tampopo (391 Orchard Road, B2-33 Takashimaya Shopping Centre, tel : +65 6235 2318) is currently having on a limited run.

Curiously, the original broth had the inclusion of sesame oil which kinda detracted the mild beefy flavour while the wasabi version didn't have the faintest hint of wasabi. It was instead cleaner tasting because of the lack of sesame oil. I'm not too sure what to make out of this new ramen but I suppose I wouldn't mind having them if they made it to the regular menu. They should probably do away with the sweet and spicy marinate for the slice of overcooked yakiniku which really didn't do much.

Chin Mee Chin Confectionary, East Coast Road

Wouldn't say that the coffee here (204 East Coast Road) was exceptional. In fact it was quite ordinary. But the place held a kind of charm created by a time capsule. The kind of charm that included the cacophonous din of vehicle traffic, clinks off the ceramic cups and saucers, raising voices of various Chinese dialects, thunks of metal flask, cool breezy draft from the age stained ceiling fans and the eggy aroma wafting from the back of freshly whisked kaya.

This place was the type of local coffee shop that was common decades back. It's now serving old time regulars and attracting the attention of people like me who didn't remember them much from the time when I was really young. Just coffee and confectionary and a cool shady place from the heat with home made kaya on toasted buns that are baked just right in the back.

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.