New Generation is Making Sang Heng Teochew Noodle in Johor Bahru Great Again!

Dear fans of Sang Heng Teochew noodle at Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, the shop is re-opened by uncle Ah Seng's nephew, sister-in-law and younger brother. The noodle and Teochew lor meat are faithful to the old taste during uncle Ah Seng's time. In some aspects, I even feel they have raised it to a higher level, in my humble opinion.

Stall name: Kedai Makanan Sang Heng 甡興茶餐室

Address: 7, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru (15 minutes walk from JB CIQ)

Tel: +6016 723 2989 ☎ +6012 787 8010

Hours: 7:00am - 2:00pm

Hidden Gems & Favourite Stalls @ Eunos Crescent Food Centre

Eunos Crescent Market & Food Centre is not big, just some 50 food stalls but some of its stalls are top of my mind for some of my favourite hawker dishes.

Eunos Crescent Market and Food Centre

Address: 4A Eunos Crescent, Singapore 402004

Nearest MRT: At Eunos station

Tok Panjang Singapore · Nyonya House by Rempahs

Attended the tok panjang dinner by Nyonya House by Rempahs yesterday evening. It's a nice spread of Nyonya dishes presented in traditional Peranakan celebratory style and warm hospitality.

Restaurant name: Nyonya House by Rempahs

Address: Balestier Plaza, 400 Balestier Road, #02-01, Singapore 329802

Nearest MRT: 15 minutes walk from Novena station

Tel: 8820 2353

Hours: 8:00am - 5:00pm (tok panjang timing by arrangement)

Seng Kee Bak Chor Mee · Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2 · No Holds Barred Umami Fish Maw Soup

Buddies from Johor jio-ed to meet up in Singapore and as usual I am the one who has to suggest where to eat 😬 Johor buddies wanted bak chor mee. I suggested Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Pork Noodles as I remembered that I quite enjoyed myself when I tasted it in Serangoon Garden hawker centre. But, that was six years ago and I haven't visited them since the founder moved to 5023 Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2, late last year.

Stall name: Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Pork Noodles

Address: 5023 Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2, Singapore 569526 (inside Chop Hong Lik food court)

Nearest MRT: 20 minutes walk from Ang Mo Kio station

Hours: 7:00am - 1pm (Sun off)

Redhill Kway Chap · Shi Le Yuan · The Best Thing is the Bowl of Kway 實叻園

Stalking Redhill Market and Food Centre, I noticed that Shi Le Yuan 實叻園 kway chap is one of the few stalls with a long queue. There is a line of 6 to 10 people the whole time I was at the food centre till the stall closed at 1pm 😲 I joined the queue after trying another stall and was one of their last customers today - lucky me 😄

Stall name: Shi Le Yuan 實叻園

Address: Redhill Market & Hawker Centre, 85 Redhill Lane, stall #01-82, Singapore 150085

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Redhill station

Tel: 9857 7850

Hours: 7:00am - 1:00pm (Mon off)

Best of Taman Jurong Hawker Centre · Three Levels of Good Food! Ol' Sixty Stalls 六十档

This well loved food haven began life in 1972 as Yung Sheng Food Centre - the first food centre built under Singapore's hawker centre building programme. It was known affectionately as "Sixty Stalls 六十档" as it had 60 stalls then. It was later demolished, combined with Taman Jurong Market to become Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre which opened in 2005.

Ol' Sixty Stalls 六十档 image courtesy of National Archives of Singapore

Located in Singapore's far west, Taman Jurong serves the factory workers and residents of Singapore's industrial estate. Though there are fewer factories in Jurong today, the food in Taman Jurong still has the old school, gut filling appeal and affordability of its heyday. I've known ol' Sixty Stalls since my days in Jurong Camp (HQ 3 Div).

Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre

Address: 3 Yung Sheng Road, Singapore 618499

Nearest MRT: 10 - 15 minutes walk from Lakeside station

Nummum Thai Kitchen @ Upper Thomson · Menu & Food Review · Come Here for Crab Meat Omelette! 🦀 🍳

We planned this meet up at Nummum Thai Kitchen near Upper Thomson MRT station some time back as we couldn't resist the pictures of the crab meat omelette Aaron posted on Facebook. Five of us, we had a delicious Thai style lunch and great company. Our total bill came to just under $30 per pax for all the food (with drinks included).

Restaurant name: Nummum Thai Kitchen

Address: 200 Upper Thomson Rd #01-03, Thomson Imperial Court, Singapore 574424

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Upper Thomson station

Tel: 8886 8699

Hours: 11:30am - 3:00pm | 5:30pm - 9:30pm (Mon off)

A'Famosa @ T-Space Tampines · Authentic 50 Year Old Bibi Satay Celup Recipe from Malacca with over 30 Spices in the Sauce

This was the first time I had satay celup in nearly 50 years thanks to A' Famosa stall at Happy Hawkers food court in Tampines T-Space (near IKEA, COURTS and GIANT).

Stall name: A' Famosa · Malacca Satay Celup

Address: 1 Tampines North Dr. 1, #01-34 Happy Hawkers, Singapore 528559

Tel: 9131 0136

Hours: 3:00pm - 10:00pm (Mon off)

Best of KOVAN 209 Food Centre · Heartland Hawker Haven with Kampong Spirit

Folks who live near Kovan 209 Market & Food Centre are blessed with a market with fresh produce and a hawker centre with many food stalls. No national champion stalls here but lots of tasty comfort dishes at reasonable prices. Many of the stalls are decades old brands run by veteran hawkers or their second and third generations. I have been to Kovan 209 food centre many times in the past 30 years and these are the stalls that I have tried and like. Nothing mind blowing but the vibes of the place and comforting food here evoke a certain happiness and contentment of home.

Kovan 209 Market & Food Centre

Address: 209 Hougang Street 21, Singapore 530209

Nearest MRT: Doorstep of Kovan station

Phở Phượng 25 · Vietnamese Beef Noodle for Supper in Ho Chi Minh City

Any trip to Vietnam must, of course, include at least one pho stop. For this trip, we had the beef noodle soup at Phở Phượng 25. (The pho shop is just steps away from the Lunch Lady stall made famous by Anthony Bourdain.)

Stall name: Phở Phượng 25

Address: 25 Hoàng Sa, Đa Kao, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Tel: +842 8 3910 2421

Hours: 4:00pm to 12:00 noon

Famous Lunch Lady of Ho Chi Minh City 2022 · Anthony Bourdain's Hyperlocal Vietnam Food Corner

For this foodie trip to Ho Chi Minh City, I left myself in the good hands of Aaron and family who know the city very well. So, when Aaron brought us to this little corner of old Saigon on a rainy afternoon, I didn't know what to expect, except that it's going to be another interesting hyperlocal experience.

Stall name: The Lunch Lady · Nguyen Thi Thanh

Address: Chung Cư, Lô D, Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Đa Kao, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Tel: +849 3388 7922

Hours: 10:30am - 4:00pm

Quán Hủ Tiếu Mỹ Tho Thanh Xuân in Ho Chi Minh · Taste of Old Saigon @ Fourth Generation Noodle Legend

I was last in Ho Chi Minh City more than a decade and so was eager to join foodie buddy Aaron on his family trip. Our first meal soon after we checked in at the hotel was this saucy, lor mee type noodle dish which I have never tried before.

Stall name: Quán Hủ Tiếu Mỹ Tho Thanh Xuân

Address: 62 Tôn Thất Thiệp, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Hours: 7:00am - 2:00pm (close at 7pm on Sat & Sun)

Nom Banh Jok Preap Sovath · Famous Khmer Noodle Stall in an Alleyway in Phnom Penh

One of my missions for this trip to Phnom Penh is to taste num banh chok, one of Cambodia's national dish. My local hosts, Yuan and Eli showed me their favourite NBC stall - a gem hidden in the alley beside the SBI LY HOUR bank branch at Czech Republic Blvd.

Stall name: No name side lane stall

Address: Near intersection of Czech Republic Blvd (169) and Kampuchea Krom Blvd (128), Phnom Penh

Hours: 8:00 - 5:00pm (closed 12 noon - 2pm)

Famous Sokuntheary Cambodian Snail Soup at Koh Pich Diamond Island Phnom Penh សុគន្ធារី ស៊ុបខ្យង

One of the dishes I wanted to try in Phnom Penh is snails or escargot. The former colonial masters love escargot while snails have been part of traditional Cambodian cuisine long before the French appeared here. There is a famous Cambodian snail soup stall on Koh Pich (Diamond Island) that is raging red hot now.

Stall name: Sokuntheary Snail Soup សុគន្ធារី ស៊ុបខ្យង

Address: Sopheak Mongkol Road, Koh Pich River Side, Diamond Island, Phnom Penh

Hours: 4:00pm - 12:00 midnight

Sok Hok Khmer Coffee · Orussey Market Phnom Penh · Heady Espresso From A Sock

I found out that it is not easy to find traditional Khmer coffee in fast modernising Phnom Penh. Even the street side coffee stands that I came across during my trip, sport espresso machines. So, you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon this side lane coffee stand near the intersection of Charles De Gaulle Blvd (217) and Sok Hok Street (107) at the Orussey Market area.

Stall name: Sok Hok Coffee (side lane coffee stall with no English sign or banner)

Address: Near the intersection of Charles De Gaulle Blvd (217) and Sok Hok Street (107) at Orussey Market area in Phnom Penh

Hours: Breakfast & Lunch

Cambodian Flat Pork Ball Noodles · Srey Neang Noodle · Phnom Penh គុយទាវស្រីនាង ប្រហិតសាច់ជ្រូក កែងផ្សារចាស់

I was going to spend a day at the National Museum of Cambodia, so I went scouting around the area nearby for a power breakfast that will fuel me through two thousand years of Cambodian history.

Restaurant name: Srey Neang Noodle

Address: Intersection of Preah Ang Duong Street (110) and Preah Ang Eng Street (13)

Tel: 085 88 3466

Hours: 5:00am - 1:30pm

Num Banh Chok Wat BoTom · Sophath + Pho in Phnom Penh

Even though nowadays, finding places to eat is literally at our fingertips, I still get my greatest joy from eating by going out foraging blind. There's something about the joy of "ownself" discovery, of unexpected delights. That's how I stumbled upon Nom Banh Chok Wat BoTom.

Stall name: Sophath + Pho

Address: # 78 Street 07 Sangkat Chaktomok, 12207

Tel: 092 250 778

Hours: 7:00am - 8:00pm

Cuisine Wat Damnak · Fine Dining in Phnom Penh · Authentic Cambodian with French Touch

Buddy Irene who is resident in Phnom Penh and is well plugged in in the local F & B scene, brought me to Cuisine Wat Damnak. Opened less than a year ago, Irene said Damnak is a must for any visitor interested in the fine cuisine of Phnom Penh. After last night's amazing dinner at Cuisine Wat Damnak Phnom Penh, I couldn't agree more.

Restaurant name: Cuisine Wat Damnak Phnom Penh

Address: 29 Samdech Mongkol Lem Street (228), Phnom Penh

Tel: 09 935 8520

Hours: 11:30am - 2:30pm | 6:30pm - 11:00pm (Sun off)

Num Banh Chok @ Central Market Phnom Penh

One of the missions I set for myself for this trip to Phnom Penh was to experience num banh chok, one of the dishes often mentioned as Cambodia's national dish. It is a noodle soup staple found along streets, corner coffee shops and markets.

Stall name: Num Banh Chok (cooked food stalls in Central Market got no signboard) 

Address: Central Market, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Hours: 6:00am - 10:00am (Num Banh Chok stall)

Mister Crab Seafood @ Russian Market Phnom Penh · Toul Tom Pong Seafood Street Food

My first dinner in Phnom Penh was not traditional Khmer food but seafood done contemporary Phnom Penh style. It's at the famous Russian Market. There's a row of at least three similar street side seafood stalls and Mister Crab was clearly the most popular.

(Cambodia is now post-pandemic. To enter the country, immigration will ask to see your vaccination status. Otherwise, clearance is the same as pre-Covid.)

Stall name: Toul Tom Pong Seafood

Address: GWR7+2RC, Phnom Penh (@ Russian Market)

Hours: 5:30pm - 10:00pm (opens at 8:30am on Sunday)

History of Cambodian · Khmer Cuisine · Ancient Food from Mekong River & Tonle Sap Lake

Khmer cuisine refer to the food of Khmer people. Cambodian cuisine refer to the food of Cambodia which includes several other ethnicities such as Cham, hill tribesmen, Lao, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. Cambodian cuisine has Indian, Chinese and French influences due to the country's history.

Some well known Khmer dishes include prahok, fish amok, pomelo salad, samlar kako, coconut pineapple curry (samlar k'tis), coconut prahok dip and num banh chok. Most may sound unfamiliar but I shall explain more later in this post.

Tangkak · Muar · JB · Johor 1-Day Getaway · Food Trail Itinerary July 2022

This day trip from Singapore to Tangkak was planned around eating durian at Mt Ophir Durian (a durian shop in Tangkak town with their own durian plantation). We set off from Singapore at 7am and arrived back in Singapore the same day at 10pm.

We had an itinerary but used it only as a reference and was prepared for changes as situation required or according to our whims and fancy (that's the flexibility and fun of a DIY trip).

Super Ngon Vietnamese Noodle Cafe @ 466 Crawford Drive · Awesome Beef Shin Slices

Chicken Pho

It was an impromptu meet up to try out Super Ngon Vietnamese Noodle Cafe, a highly regarded place for pho in Singapore.

Restaurant name: Super Ngon Vietnamese Noodle Cafe 

Address: 466 Crawford Ln, #01-08, Singapore 190466

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Lavender MRT station

Tel: 9152 6622

Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm (Tues off)

Eat What? Seafood Steamboat Hawker Stall @ Serangoon Gardens Food Centre 食什么? 海鲜火锅

Buddy Jason has been going to this new, old school steamboat stall at Serangoon Gardens Food Centre. He liked it, so jio-ed us (rounded us up) to enjoy it with him. It's old school indeed, the way good steamboats were in the 1980s / 1990s. By old school I mean, the steamboat has no gimmicks, relying only on quality ingredients for flavour.

Stall name: Eat What? 食什么?

Address: Stall #43, Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre, 49A Serangoon Garden Way, Singapore 555945

Nearest MRT: 15 minutes way from Lorong Chuan station

Hours: Lunch & Dinner

Like Mee Noodle House @ Mount Austin · Pork Soup Full of Soul & Flavour · 赞麵館 猪肉粉

Janet is a fan of the KL style pork noodle soup at the newly opened Like Mee Noodle House in Taman Mount Austin. We tried it together with Kim and we all liked it too - I especially like its thick cloudy, rich, robustly umami savoury porcine sweet soup.

Stall name: Like Mee Noodle House 赞麵館 猪肉粉

Address: 6, Jalan Austin Heights 8/2, Taman Mount Austin, 81100 Johor Bahru

Tel: +6012 722 4020 ☎ +607 358 0165

Hours: 9:30am - 9:00pm

Beach Road Prawn Noodle House @ East Coast Road vs Blanco Court Prawn Mee @ Beach Road · Which is Better?

Beach Road Prawn Mee

Beach Road Prawn Noodle and Blanco Court Prawn Mee are actually related, and they both have their own legion of long time, die hard fans (like Man City versus Man Utd 😬 ).

Stall name: Beach Road Prawn Noodle House

Address: 370 & 372 East Coast Road, Singapore 428981

Nearest MRT: 20 minutes walk from Eunos MRT

Tel: 63457196

Hours: 7:00am - 4:00pm (Tues off)

Restoran Xin Segar Coffee Shop · Amazing Kaya Butter Toast & Six Six Ice Coffee · Mutiara Rini

Our JB plan was simple - go nice makan (eat), and in between go to nice cafe to chill out before makan again 😬 Kim was raving about this frothy coffee place in Taman Mutiara Rini in Skudai but I couldn't really make out what exactly she said as I was in the back seat of the car. I just assumed it would be a nice Instagram opportunity that would make any influencer proud jealous.

Restaurant name: Restoran Xin Segar 新食客美食阁

Address: 1, Jalan Jasa 64, Rini Hills, 81300 Skudai, Johor

Tel: +6016 712 7993 (Bosh)

Hours: 6:30am - 1:30pm (Mon off)

Nyonya House by Rempahs @ Balestier Plaza · Home Cooked Style, Authentic Peranakan Food @ Coffee Shop Prices

Uncle Bob stumbled upon Nyonya House by Rempahs @ Balestier Plaza and jio-ed (rounded up) the makan kakis (buddies) to try out this little restaurant. All five of us enjoyed ourselves to the home cooked style Peranakan dishes. Thanks Uncle Bob for the good find 🙏

Stall name: Nyonya House by Rempahs @ Balestier Plaza

Address: Balestier Plaza, Balestier Road, #02-01, Singapore S329802

 

Nearest MRT: 15 minutes walk from Novena station

Tel: 8820 2353 ☎ Alice 9834 5569

Hours: Opens 11:00 (lunch only)

History of Laos & Lao Cuisine

Among Southeast Asian countries, Laos has a relatively low profile. Lao cuisine is also relatively unheralded compared to the dishes of its neighbours Thailand and Vietnam. But, the truth of the matter is, many of us tasted Lao cuisine without knowing it. Most Thai restaurants have dishes from the Isaan region of Thailand - 80% of Isaan dishes have Lao roots. Some of these are synonymous with Thai cuisine, e.g., sticky rice, som tum, and larb are derived from Lao dishes.

To understand how this came about, we need to delve a little into the history of Laos.

Blanco Court Prawn Mee @ 243 Beach Road · Since 1928 · Probably the Oldest Prawn Mee in Singapore

I like this no frills, old school prawn mee conveniently located at the heart of town. Founded in 1928, Blanco Court Prawn Mee is in the fourth generation now. The recipe for the soup hasn't changed since the beginning.

Restaurant name: Blanco Court Prawn Mee 白蘭閣街蝦麵

Address: 243 Beach Road, #01-01, Singapore 189754

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Bugis station

Tel: 63968464

Hours: 7:30am - 4:00pm (Tues off)

Da Po Hainanese Chicken Rice · Golden Mile Food Centre · One of the Best in Singapore 大坡海南鸡饭 · 咖哩鸡面

You know....., in Singapore, Hainanese chicken rice stalls are ubiquitous - most every hawker centre will have 1, 2, 3, even up to 8 at Singapore's chicken rice central, Maxwell Food Centre.

Over here at Golden Mile Food Centre, there are only 5 nia nia 😄 😉 (nia nia is Singlish for "only".)

And, the other thing about Singapore Hainanese chicken rice is, the standard is high. It is rather hard to find outright poor quality from the among the literally thousand chicken rice stalls across the island.

Singapore hawkers have unlocked the secret of good Hainanese chicken rice 🔐

Stall name: Da Po Hainanese Chicken Rice & Curry Chicken Noodle 大坡海南鸡饭

Address: 505 Beach Road, stall #B1-53 Golden Mile Food Centre, 199583

Nearest MRT: Lavender station

Tel: 9848 9949

Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm (Mon off)