Tong Fong Fatt Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice (東風發), ABC Brickworks Food Centre

We've avoided Tong Fong Fatt for a number of years because we've had a pretty bad experience with them at this particular outlet (#01-32 ABC Brickworks Food Centre, 6 Jalan Bukit Merah). That experience involved rice that was very undercooked. Unforgivably so. In line with that experience, I've also heard mentions about how they are one of the better chicken rice chains. I gave them a chance seeing that the guys running the stall today aren't the same people who undercooked it the last time.

In retrospect, I'd rate it as a middling average experience. Decent rice, nice chilli and better than average soup.

The chicken bothered me. I'm positive this doesn't bother most people because so many queue at their stall. This was a pretty flattened looking 鸡尾. Not much of a mouthfeel nor bite because the meat's thin. Their sauce was also irritatingly sweet. Wouldn't rule them out if I felt like chicken rice but they won't be the top of the list.

Tonshou, Tras Street

The talk of the town tonkatsu lately is Tonshou (51 Tras Street). They're Korean. You read that right. They do tonkatsu and not donggasu/donkkaseu. I didn't stutter. Also a claimant to the world's first charcoal grilled tonkatu restaurant. What? I know right? Tonkatsus are fried. What charcoal grill is this? 🤔

Well, they're fried like regular tonkatsu and then charcoal grilled.

Place is small. Seats about 20-23.

Chilled corn soup was creamy and sweet. Nice. Think everyone gets one.

I tasted this first so in retrospect, it established both the bar and a bias in me for their tonkatsu. 'This' being their Hokkaido kurobuta special rosu katsu. 30% fat. There's a non-special cut which is 10% fat. Meat's nicely flavoured from the fat and pretty tender. But the fat does get to you towards the end. 

I enjoyed most of it with grain mustard and wasabi which helps cut though some of the richness. As does their not so vinegary tonkatsu sauce and kimchi. As much as these helped set a taste equilibrium by offsetting some of that richness, what they did in equal capacity was mask the natural flavouring.

The combo katsu featured regular hire and rosu cuts along with a fried prawn. While they paled in comparison from the Hokkaido kurobuta, these were also pretty good tasting.

I was quite impressed that the smokiness from the charcoal grill lingered in the fried meat.

Some light and creamy yuzu dressing for their salad.

Char siew rice from Fatty Cheong (肥仔祥)

This was ordered without any specifics or requests at Fatty Cheong. Just 叉烧饭. Char siew's pretty chunky and tender. Sauce was deep and sweet. Am quite impressed. Gotta do this again another time.

Zhen Wei Kitchen (珍味小厨), Bukit Timah Interim Food Centre

Zhen Wei Kitchen (#01-008 Bukit Timah Interim Food Centre, Jalan Jurong Kechil) is apparently another "ex Din Tai Fung story". These shops that are set up by ex DTF chefs always have standards that are close but never the same. Decent fried rice with luncheon meat there. Don't mind coming back if I'm in the vicinity.

Revisiting Murugan Idli Veg. Restaurant

Back for another breakfast at Murugan Idli Veg. Restaurant. Seems like they're flavouring up the traditional varieties of rice flour cakes at the restaurant which weren't available in the past.

The vaunted addictively tasty ghee podi idli has a new variety called... *Junna drumroll*......ghee garlic podi idli. Nice this one. 👍🏼 It's reminiscent of garlic bread. Garlicky and buttery with warm spices.

Ghee uttapam - possibly my first plain uttapam. With ghee 😬. Nice buttery saltiness in this one.

This was a ghee mudakkathan podi dosai. Mudakkathan is balloon vine or cardiospermum halicacabum, a plant/herb used as remedy for various ailments. In this case, the herb was dried, powdered and added into the batter of the dosai. Since there was already the spicy salty podi and delicious ghee, I couldn't tell if the mudakkathan had any particular flavour. Pretty sure I'm not getting measurable health benefits from this one dosai.

First time getting coffee here. Not the deep and robust kind I normally prefer. This one's pretty milky.

Maggie goreng extra mutton from Ya-Mahyuddin Al-Jailani

Back at Ya-Mahyuddin Al-Jailani and having another go at their maggi goreng. This time with extra mutton like I said I wanted to. The obvious difference for this plate today was the fried egg - this wasn't the same fried egg as the last time. This one was better. And the extra mutton did make significant difference in the flavour. This will be the way when I get noodles goreng here the next time.