Sago Cooking Competition in Daik, Lingga Regency, Riau, Indonesia

I was invited to judge a sago cooking competition on 25 Nov 2019 in Daik in Lingga Regency of Indonesia's Riau province (which include the long chain of islands south of Singapore).

Heng Heng Hainanese Chicken Rice. Worthy Alternative to Tian Tian @ Maxwell Road Food Centre 興興海南鸡饭

If you are looking for the actual Tian Tian Chicken Rice it's here 👈 click

Maxwell Road Food Centre is the chicken rice central of Singapore with 8 different stalls all offering Singapore's unofficial national dish. Recently, I spent a month combing the hawker stalls in Maxwell Road Food Centre to prepare a Tanjong Pagar food trail.

Tanjong Pagar Road History Walk & Heritage Food Trail

This food trail starts at Maxwell Food Centre, followed by a walk down south along Tanjong Pagar Road, stopping at Tanjong Pagar Plaza before continuing further south and ending at PSA Tanjong Pagar Complex.

Which is the Most Popular Fish Soup Stall @ Maxwell Food Centre? Yi Jia Fish Soup, if you Go by how People Vote with their Feet

You know right, when I go food hunting, I prefer to go in "blind" and find things out for myself from scratch (without doing online "research" beforehand).

Stall name: Yi Jia Teochew Fish Porridge Fish Soup 一家潮州魚粥.魚湯

Address: 1 Kadayanallur St, stall #01-66, Singapore 069184 (stall in Maxwell Food Centre)

Hours: 11:00am - 3:00pm (Sun off)

Butterfly Cookie (French Palmier Cookie) @ FINE FOODS by The Royal Garden Hong Kong 帝苑餅店.蝴蝶酥

Hong Kong buddy Joyce gifted me a box of butterfly cookies from FINE FOODS by The Royal Garden when she visited Singapore recently.

Sunflower Cafe in Johor Jaya in JB. A Modern Malaysian Kopitiam

If there is a "Malaysian cafe", to me it's those contemporary kopitiam (coffee shop) of sorts that serve Nanyang coffee with an extensive multicultural menu from kaya butter toasts to nasi lemak, mee siam, roti canai, laksa, Hainanese chicken rice, char kway teow to spaghetti, chicken chops as well as burgers and more. Familiar brands are Old Town White Coffee, Secret Recipe, and Papparich etc. Johor Bahru homegrown brands include Moonlight, Tea Garden, One Two Eat, The Toast etc. There are also many up and coming Johor brands. Today, makan buddy Keng Chong introduced me to Sunflower Bakery & Restaurant in Johor Jaya. We love it.

Istanbul Restaurant in Johor Bahru. Fine Ottoman Turkish Cuisine

Istanbul Restaurant serving fine Ottoman Turkish cuisine just opened in Horizon Hills, Johor Bahru. We greatly enjoyed the flavours, aromas and whole experience at Istanbul Restaurant.

Maxwell Food Centre Fuzhou Oyster Cake in Tanjong Pagar Singapore 洪家福州蠔饼

Fuzhou Oyster Cake is a traditional street food rarely seen in Singapore nowadays. If you are in Maxwell Road Food Centre, you can try one of Singapore's last few Fuzhou oyster cake stalls.

Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha @ Keppel Road. Best Singapore Bak Kut Teh List 欧南园亚华肉骨茶

Finally tasted Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha 欧南园亚华肉骨茶 one of Singapore's top bak kut teh brands. I like it 😋 It's one of my top of the mind Singapore BKT now.

Restaurant name: Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha

Address: 7 Keppel Rd, #01-05/07 PSA, Singapore 089053

Tel: +65 6222 9610

Hours: 7:00am - 11:30pm (Mon off)

China Street Cooked Food Rickshaw Noodles @ Maxwell Market Food Centre Singapore 拉車麵

China Street Cooked Food Rickshaw Noodle is one of the last places in Singapore to taste this humble but historic heritage dish. It is the cheap sustenance that once powered the human drawn rickshaws that plied Tanjong Pagar and Kreta Ayer. The rickshaws were long gone but rickshaw noodles 拉車麵 and the nearby rickshaw depot building remain as reminders that early Singapore was founded on the bare, sweaty backs of our hardy pioneers.

Heng Heng Ondeh Ondeh & Tapioca Cake @ Maxwell Hawker Food Centre Singapore 中国街興興

So often in those moments of food longings, it's not those past fanciful meals that unexpectedly intrude into my consciousness but much humbler childhood delights. For me, often it's just sweets - ondeh ondeh and tapioca cakes to be precise. What about you?

Affordable You Shop We Cook for You Restaurant @ Harrison Butcher in Bangkok 🐄

Our local friend brought us to this new concept butcher in Bangkok 🐄 Harrison Butcher which sells locally raised beef and also have a restaurant to cook it for you at small additional charge.

Upper Cross Street Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle Rice @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre 海山街油鸡面.饭

Exploring Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre, I spotted Upper Cross Street Soya Chicken Noodle & Rice stall.

A Pioneer Singapore Teochew Satay Bee Hoon Stall in Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre 潮洲沙爹米粉

Teochew Satay Bee Hoon is not a pretty dish but it is uniquely Singapore and sadly is part of our disappearing Nanyang food heritage. One of the oldest Teochew satay bee hoon stalls still operate at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre.

Siam Namnueng Thai & Vietnamese Family Restaurant @ ICON SIAM in Bangkok

We went to Siam Namnueng at the newly opened Icon Siam shopping centre by the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok. Siam Namnueng is a family oriented restaurant serving both traditional Vietnamese and Thai cuisine.