Ayam Penyat Ria @ Lucky Plaza

Heard of Ayam Penyat Ria through friends and their facebook posts that the food there is nice. Queue can be formed during the meal time. Decided to head there for lunch while shopping in Orchard. 

There are 2 outlets located at Lucky Plaza and we headed to the shop at level 1. At 11.30am, there is no queue and we were showed to our table promptly. Ordering of food is self-service - We were given a picture menu to help us decide on the food, complete the order paper and proceed to pay at the cashier. The service was prompt and drinks were served within minutes.

Left: Lava Boy (Blueberry mocktail with logan and  jelly
Right: Teh Botol Sosro (Indonesian Iced Tea)

Nothing special much about the drinks though. Within 5 minutes, the food were served. First up is the Tauhu Telur. A dish of crispy fried egg and beancurd with peanut sauce. The peanut sauce is sweet and nice and it reminds me of satay sauce. It really complements the beancurd well. The dish is not oily and it went well with rice. I even finished the shredded cucumber and carrot with the sauce. Look at the 'rooster' plate, so old school.

Tauhu Telur

Next up is the Ayam Penyet which I have came specially for. The dish comprised of a fried chicken with fritters, fried taukwa (beancurd), fried tempeh (fermented soybeans)and kangkung. Look at the scoop of sambal belacan. This is really spicy and a little of it was enough to make me sweat. The chicken is not served hot and I guess it could be due to them preparing it before hand. The chicken was small and the meat was quite dry. Was quite disappointed as I had eaten better ayam penyey before. 

Ayam Penyet

However, the special item on the menu - Ikan gurame penyet (if I remember the name correctly). The fish is piping hot and the meat is very nice. The first bite reminds me of fish and chips. The skin is crispy and the dish is not greasy at all. Totally prefer this to the chicken and it went well with the sambal belacan as well. Same as the ayam penyet, this dish came with the sides but was totally covered by the big fish. Should try if this is still the special item on the menu. Or maybe the shop can consider making it their permanent dish.

Ikan Gurame Penyet

We spent about S$30 for the whole meal. If you love fried spicy food or if you love to eat fish, this will be the place you got to visit. But be early as the crowd starts to swim in when it is lunch time, and the place was almost packed when we left.

Lucky Plaza #01-45 

(11.00am to 10pm daily)

They also have some other outlets in Singapore: 

Lucky Plaza #04-25 (12.00pm to 9pm daily) 

Far East Plaza #05-22 (11.30am to 10.00pm daily) 

Jurong Point #B1-06 (11.30am to 9.30pm daily) 

Bedok Point #01-05 (11.30pm to 1.00am daily)

Soft Shell Chilli Crab @ Japanese Gourmet Town

As mentioned in a previous blog article, Japanese Gourmet Town is a restaurant made up of 3 brands - Ajisen Ramen, Aji-Tei and Botejyu. Thus, you can enjoy a large variety of Japanese food there.

Went to try the Soft Shell Chilli Crab set ($15.90), which consists of Soft Shell Chilli Crab, a rice, a soup and Gyoza (Japanese dumpling).

Unfortunately, I have to say that I was disappointed with the Soft Shell Chilli Crab. The chilli sauce tastes sweet and sour, more like Thai style. The taste is nothing like our famous Singapore chilli crab. Forget this dish, just go for authentic chilli crab at one of the famous seafood places.   

Japanese Gourmet Town: 

1 HarbourFront Walk, #01-157/158, VivoCity, Singapore 098585 

  

板面干 @ 旺角手工面 (Wang Jiao Handmade Noodle)

Normally, when I think of eating 手工面 (handmade noodle), I will always link it to some soupy noodle dish. Does not know that the dry version of the 板面 brings out a new kind of taste to the noodle. 

Was at West Coast Market Square, craving for 板面 (a type of handmade noodle), I noticed 板面干 (dry handmade noodle) on the signboard of this stall -  旺角手工面. With this hot weather now in Singapore, I decided to go for the dry version. Also, the dry version is not very common in Singapore (yet). 

板面干 (S$3)

This 板面干 tastes really unique once you stirred up the whole dish. The special dark sauce added more flavour to the dish, making it sweet and yet not too salty. The sambal chili is good but I find it too spicy for my liking. Those who like spicy food will love it. They can definitely improve on their anchovies which is not very cripsy. The soup at the side is also yummy. I guess, if I'm around the area, I might go back for the soup 板面. Overall, I find it filling and nice for a lunch meal.

Oh, do remember to return your own tray at the designated drop-off point after you had your meal - a campaign by the government.

West Coast Market Square: 

Blk 726 Clementi West Street 2 #01-193

Grub (Bishan Park)

"A dinner date away from town" was a request from a friend. Thus, we decided to head to Grub (Bishan Park) which is recently opened on 1 May 2013.

We reached at around 7pm and the place was already crowded. They do not take reservations at Grub and thus, we were lucky that a table of four had just finished their meal.

I ordered the Slow Roasted Pork Belly with mango sauce, mash, cherry tomato salsa. This dish is good. It is not oily and the pork belly gives me the "melt-in-the-mouth" feeling. The mango sauce is refreshing and it goes well with the mash potato. The portion is just nice, saving the stomach for the desserts.

Slow Roasted Pork Belly (S$15)

My friends ordered the Grilled Chicken Thigh Burger with peanut butter aioli and fried enoki, Grilled Chicken Leg with honey feta, roasted peppers, mash, and rocket & corn salsa and Pork Steak Burger with apples and cashew chimichurri (Optional add-on of a fried egg). The burger set comes with a cup of fries.

I did not try their food except the fries, but their overall comment on their food was good but some found the portion a little too small for their stomach. I find the fries normal though.

1. Grilled Chicken Thigh Burger (S$10.50)
2. Grilled Chicken Leg (S$15)
3. Pork Steak Burger (S$12) with fried egg (S$2)

Desserts is a must must for a dinner date -

We ordered the Belgium waffle with grilled banana, salty caramel and dark chocolate sauce. As one of my friend does not like caramel, we asked for the caramel to be served separately. The waffle was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The combination of chocolate sauce and salty caramel really goes well with the waffle. With the grilled banana (not just plain fresh banana), it just tasted great. The serving is just nice for 4-pax sharing as we went on to order the next dessert.

Belgium waffle with grilled banana, salty caramel and dark chocolate sauce (S$9)

Next on the table was Churros with dark chocolate and tangy creme anglaise. Not many places in Singapore serve churros. We waited quite a while for this. Not sure if they missed our order or they fried freshly upon order. The churros came piping hot and fresh. Like the waffle, the churros were soft and fluffy on the inside, yet cripsy on the outer layer. It came with 2 dips, the dark chocolate and tangy creme anglaise. Personally, I prefer the tangy creme anglaise sauce. It brings out a refreshing taste but the dark chocolate was my friend's love.

Churros with dark chocolate and tangy creme anglaise (S$8)

Hand crafted beers are also in their menu and they are priced at S$10 per bottle. Quite a reasonable price for people who likes to try out the different type of beers like Pear Cider, Ginger beer etc from various countries.

All in all, it was a nice chill-out dinner place at Grub and I'm sure I'll be back again, to try out the Brunch Menu.

As mentioned earlier, they do not take reservations at Grub, so you should probably go earlier to grab a table before the dinner crowd starts streaming in. Oh, did I mention, they allow pets in their outdoor sitting area. But be mindful that they are located in a park. My friends got bitten by mosquitoes within the short waiting time while they prepared for our table.

510 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 (Bishan Park 1) Singapore 569983 

Open: 5:30pm-10:30pm (Tues-Fri); 9:00am - 2.30pm, 5.30pm - 10.30pm (Sat - Sun) Closed on Mondays and the last Tuesday of every month

Korean Minced Meat Sauce Noodle (Jajangmyeon) @ Song of The Prince Korean Cuisine

The most delicious bowl of Korean Minced Meat Sauce Noodle (Jajangmyeon) I ever had was in Lotte World Theme Park in Seoul, when I was a tourist there a few years back. Now, when I watch Korean dramas and see those people in the show eating jajangmyeon, my mouth waters and I feel like flying to Korea just for those delicious noodle. Unfortunately, I'm not that rich. Thus I have been looking around for good jajangmyeon in Singapore. Unfortunately, I have yet to do so. Thus I decided to give the jajangmyeon in Song of The Prince, a popular Korean eatery in Bukit Merah Central, a try. 

The jajangmyeon here cost $5.50 and comes with a Korean seaweed soup and 2 banchan (side dishes), kimchi and spicy anchovy. The soup and the banchan are mediocre. As for the jajangmyeon, horrible. It tastes nothing like the jajangmyeon I had in Lotte World Theme Park. The sauce is watery and bland, unlike the thick and savory sauce I had in Korea. The chef was stingy with the minced meat, I could hardly find any in the sauce. This dish should be taken off the menu, just saying.  

Song of The Prince Korean Cuisine: 

Blk 164 Bukit Merah Central, Singapore 150164

Day Night Fried Kway Teow @ Bukit Merah Central Food Centre

Day Night Fried Kway Teow is a popular stall in Bukit Merah Central, and said to be one of the best fried kway teow stall in Singapore. I went down specially for it a few weeks ago on a Thursday, and it was closed. That's when I found out that it closes on alternate Thursdays. Went again today and finally got to try the famous fried kway teow ($2.50).   

The fried kway teow came with half a lime, and I squeezed its juice into the dish. I have never eaten fried kway teow like this before. However, I could hardly taste the juice as the sweetness and spiciness (I asked for chili) of the fried kway teow overwhelmed the sourness.  

Recently, there have been some discussion about how the authentic taste of hawker food in Singapore is disappearing. Well, here is one fried kway teow that tastes deliciously authentic.

Personally, I prefer Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow at Old Airport Road Food Centre, which I blogged about previously. However, Day Night Fried Kway Teow is definitely still worth a try.  

Day Night Fried Kway Teow: 

Blk 163 Bukit Merah Central, #02-29, Singapore 150163

Thunder Ramen & Gyokai Cha Shu Ramen @ Japanese Gourmet Town

Japanese Gourmet Town is a restaurant made up of 3 brands - Ajisen Ramen, Aji-Tei and Botejyu. Thus, you can enjoy a large variety of Japanese food there. It is selling a Thunder Ramen now, and as a spicy food lover, I had to give it a try. The Thunder Ramen is $12 a bowl while the set which comes with 1 ala carte and a drink (green tea or iced lemon tea) cost $15.90.

The Thunder Ramen does not taste as hot as its name suggests, which is disappointing. Apart from that, it is a decent bowl of ramen, and the noodle has a nice springy texture.

For the set, you get to choose 1 from 13 basic ala carte items - Fried Prawn, Fried Tofu, Cuttlefish, Grilled Chicken Wing, California Maki, White Fish, Edamame, Butter Corn, Fried Ika (squid), Fried Chicken, Chuka Hotate (scallop), Baby Octopus, and Chicken Cutlet. I ordered the Baby Octopus, which tastes a bit salty. I didn't really like it.

I also tried the Gyokai Cha Shu Ramen set. Gyokai Ramen is ramen with fish or seafood broth. The ramen itself is $13 a bowl while the set which comes with 1 ala carte and a drink (green tea or iced lemon tea) cost $16.90. The noodle in this restaurant has a nice springy texture (as mentioned before) and I rather like the sweet taste of the gyokai soup. The cha shu (braised pork belly) is nicely marinated, but the texture is not tender enough.      

As mentioned before, you get to choose 1 from 13 basic ala carte items for the set. I chose the Fried Tofu (bean curd). The tofu has a smooth texture, and as tofu itself tastes bland, it goes well with the slightly salty sauce.

Overall, I find the taste of the ramen in Japanese Gourmet Town average. For ramen, I will go somewhere else next time. However, I spotted an item on the menu which looks interesting - Soft Shell Chilli Crab. I may be back to try that next time.

Japanese Gourmet Town: 

1 HarbourFront Walk, #01-157/158, VivoCity, Singapore 098585