Capitol Bak Chor Mee, Food Opera @ ION Orchard

I've never noticed the name of the bak chor mee at Food Opera (#B4-03/04 ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn) until recently and the first thing that came to mind was wondering if this stall was the same as the one that we've previously had at the Food Republic at Capitol Piazza. One could presumably assume so because it's the same management folks but I'm pretty sure the people cooking aren't the same.

Saucing was definitely different. I don't remember specifically how they were different but I do recall having a better impression of the one back in Capitol Piazza. While this wasn't a bad bowl as bak chor mee went, this was also $9.20 with CNY surcharge. 😳 

A chicken rice & laksa dinner at Food Opera

That would the medium sized serving from Sergeant Hainanese Chicken Rice (#B4-03, Stall 20, ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn) above. The only difference with the regular serving as I was informed by the stall was that it comes with more meat. For a whopping $7.50, it was easily twice (maybe more, depending on where you eat chicken rice) what most places charged. Have to admit that it was pretty good as a whole. The rice was flavoured sufficiently without being overly greasy and the chicken was smooth and tender. Still, it's not cheap for a quick fix or guilty pleasure in town. If I had been famished, the portions would have been inadequate.

Below is a bowl of medium sized laksa from 3rd Generation Laksa & Prawn Noodle also from Food Opera. The broth was quite creamy and it came with usual suspect ingredients of rice noodle, hard boiled egg, shrimp, tau kwa, some fish cake and cockles. Even as it might be not an apple to apple comparison, this looked better, tasted more satisfying and had better quality ingredients than what I had at Laksania. For just 30 cents more. Which also incidentally implied that Laksania was pretty expensive too.

Kam's Roast Express, Food Opera @ ION Orchard

Might have eaten at Kam's Roast Express here (B4-03/04 ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn) once or maybe twice previously. And one time last year at The Food Place. While they have never been considered bad tasting, we have never recalled them with fondness given their reputation. Portions were generally small and they're kinda pricey. Something seemed to have changed recently.

Duck rice had chunkier cuts of breast meat and was surprisingly tender. Love that sesame flavoured sauce they're using for the rice. Note to self: ask for more sauce.

The roast pork's pretty decent too. A good bite in the meat with relative tenderness and adequate crunch in the crackling. Not as impressive as what I remember from their Michelin starred flagship in Hong Kong of course, but I find myself not adversed to coming back another time.

Shou Yi Fried Fritters (手義油条•豆浆), Food Opera @ ION Orchard

I've been looking these glutinous rice buns. Chanced across them at Shou Yi Fried Fritters at Food Opera (B4-03/04 ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn).

The last time I've found these was at Xi De Li. For some reasons, they don't seem to have them anymore since.

Ratio of bun to glutinous rice felt different but the flavour's kinda similar with the five spice saltiness in the buns and sweetness in the tender glutinous rice.

Thye Hong Singapore Fried Prawn Noodles (泰豐), Food Opera @ ION Orchard

One might mistakenly arrive at the conclusion that this plate that I came across from Thye Hong Singapore Fried Prawn Noodles (#B4-03/04 ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn) might be the close to perfect plate of char kuey teow - going by the definition of myriads of retarded parrots out there about what that should be. Parrots that mostly yap about wok hei and haven't a mind sufficiently prehensile to grasp other characteristics of the dish, not to mention articulate them. 

I don't know what might be the perfect plate. This one has charred noodles and was smokey for sure. That smokiness was as much from caramelisation as burnt bits and speckles of carbon. Much more in your face than say Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee. There was much less dark soya sauce flavouring than the appearance suggested. Those guys at the work also looked like hired hands rather than veterans. It didn't taste bad though.

Nasi padang from Food Opera

That above was from the Indonesian cuisine stall at Food Opera. It was a pretty good plate. I liked those kang kong; a bit of garlic with some dried chilli aroma. They were wilted and tender and didn't pack much heat at all. Bean sprouts were just bean sprouts. I supposed as long as they were nicely cooked it's mostly good for me. Mutton/lamb curry was delicious in their flavoursome savoury and spicy manner. Meat was pretty tender. Not shabby at all for nasi padang. I just thought that $9.30 was kinda expensive though.

East Coast Lagoon Prawn Noodle • Laksa, Food Opera @ ION Orchard

I remember eating at this stall at Food Opera (#B4-03/04, ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn) a few times in the past decade but couldn't find any mention of those times except all the way back when I thought the stall was called 3rd Generation Laksa & Prawn Noodle.

Anyways, laksa's pretty damn good here. Gravy was velvety, heart clogging-ly lemak and robust with dried shrimp flavour. Quite Peranakan-ish. Hard boiled eggs, tau pok, some halved prawns and fish cake inside with thick bee hoon. A competent representation in my opinion. 👍🏼

Prawn kuey teow soup was okay-ish. Broth needs a splash of soya sauce.

Ythu Wendy Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine, Food Opera @ ION Orchard

Believe it or not, this was the third or fourth time this year I've been ordering the chicken chop rice from this stall (Stall #5 Food Opera, Basement 4). It all started off with running out of ideas on what to eat in a place filled with food. So I gave them a try and subsequently, their lemongrass and orange marinated chicken that was oven grilled got me hooked. I'm not sure why even though it was a mediocre grill. Maybe it's the whole thing with the marinade, the fish sauce and chilli on the side and the appetizing mango salad with a breath of basil and mint with the crunch of toasted peanuts.

The simplicity of it all resonated with what street food really was. Albeit it was all at premium food court prices. This will not be my last visit.

Lau Dai Hua Minced Pork Noodles, Food Opera @ ION Orchard

I wonder if this has any relations with Tai Hwa down at Crawford Lane. The names sound almost alike and the noodles that both stalls used are remarkably similar in appearances. But then again, Tai Hwa still does claim that they do not have any other branches, don't they?

I think latter place has better texture for the noodles and there was vinegar going on where this one simply presented vinegar as an option you could help yourself with. This bowl wasn't cheap as ba chor mee goes, but it tasted pretty good and the larger sized orders are pretty generous. I liked the bits of dried sole they added to the wantons. And yes, soup with bits of minced meat on the side that I actually do bother to drink.

Riverside Indonesian BBQ, Food Opera @ ION Orchard

Here's a grilled chicken and squid set from the Riverside Indonesian BBQ at Ion's Food Opera (ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn #B4-03/04). It seems that their outlets/franchises hasn't changed very much over the years, consistency not withstanding. Which is actually a good thing. Apart from the price hikes. I'm pretty sure that the coconut laden gravy that they had used back in the old days at Riverside Point was tastier, but that being said, the existing concoction that they do are still delicious over the moist rice. I guess a huge draw for the queues would also be because of that sweet dark sauce that they use to baste the chickens over the grill. And that not so spicy sambal with onions and ikan bilis which comes in handy when the gravy runs out. Speaking of which, are they serving coconut rice these days or was I mistaken?

Pulut bun from the You Tiao stall @ Food Republic in Pavilion KL

Found these at the you tiao stall at Food Republic in the basement of Pavilion (168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur).

These were different from the ones at Shou Yi Fried Fritters at Food Opera at ION Orchard. There's a higher sweet glutinous rice to bread ratio which made this much less bready. Being breadier also gave them a better chew texture. I kinda like both.

Sergeant Chicken Rice, Food Republic @ Breadtalk IHQ

Remember the chicken rice I had at the Food Republic @ Breadtalk IHQ previously? Just found out that they're Sergeant Chicken Rice. A branch of the very same one at Food Opera. Have been back a couple of time since.

They've a Duo Style Chicken Rice which includes both the 白 & 烧 going at $8.50. Eggs cost extra. Not bad but just kinda pricey for an additional serving of protein.

What came across as a better deal was the $7.90 Power Up Chicken Set. Only available at this branch if I'm not mistaken. Extra portion of meat and a choice of either greens or bean sprouts on the side.

Li Xin Teochew Fishball Noodles, Food Opera @ ION

This was probably the most expensive fishball noodles I've ever had. Apart from those large ivory globules of hamachi fishball, it was also the constant queue that piqued my curiosity over the stall. Yeap, it is mentioned that yellowtails are used for the making of those fishballs which were honestly pretty good. Thee texture was both light and bouncy. What I didn't think that much of was their supposedly special blend of chilli sauce which tasted a little sweet and tangy like that of the bottled variety. It was definitely that pork lard that salvaged that chilli sauce for me.

Sergeant Hainanese Chicken Rice, Food Opera @ ION Orchard

I've had chicken rice from Sergeant Hainanese Chicken Rice previously. Like 10 years ago. This was exactly the same order and it's $2 more these days. Still delicious with that pandan infused aromatic rice.