Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture · History

Adventurous Culinary Traveler's Blog with 65 million+ reads 📧 johorkaki@gmail.com

133 Mian Fen Guo Ban Mian @ 216 Bedok 💵 Best $2 Mee Hoon Kueh, Hard to Beat at Any Price

133_Mian_Fen_Guo_Ban_Mian_Mee_Hoon_Kueh

Humble, simple dish yet so satisfying. Just $2 a serving but if time is money, this dish is not cheap - waiting time is more than 30 minutes 😄 But, worth every minute.

Stall name: 133 Mian Fen Guo Ban Mian 133 面粉粿


Address: Stall #01-68,  216 Bedok North Street 1, Singapore 460216 (Pasar 216 Bedok Central Hawker Centre)


Hours: 6:00am - 10:00am (Tues off)

Hon Ni Kitchen Nasi Lemak @ 216 Bedok Hawker Centre. Good in Every Department & a Surprise 红泥小厨

Hon_Ni_Kitchen_Nasi_Lemak_红泥小厨

Hon Ni Kitchen is not a big fame, high media profile stall but their nasi lemak ticks all the right boxes for an excellent rendition of the dish. Prices are very wallet friendly too.


Stall name: Hon Ni Kitchen 红泥小厨


Address: Stall #01-07, 216 Bedok North Street 1, Singapore 460216 (Pasar 216 Bedok Central)


Tel: +65 9655 8675


Hours: 6:00am - 1:00pm (Sun & Mon off)

Pasar 216 Bedok Central. Underrated Hawker Centre with Many Best Food Stalls

216_Bedok_Central_Hawker_Centre

Pasar 216 Bedok Central hawker centre is off the tourist belt in a mature public housing area but it has many excellent food stalls - more than many famous, higher media profile hawker centres. It is highly accessible as it is just 5 minutes walk from Bedok MRT station. These are the most popular stalls.

Pasar 216 Bedok Central


Address: 216 Bedok North Street 1, Singapore 460216


Nearest MRT station: Bedok

Duke of Congee @ 704 Bedok Reservoir Rd. The Kosong Congee is Already Tasty Enough for Me 粥公

Duke_of_Congee_粥公

This new little congee stall in Bedok Reservoir Road BLK 704 coffee shop is quickly gathering a following for their flavour packed porridge. It's easy to see why, once we tasted it - delicious and good value for money.

Stall name: Duke of Congee 粥公


Address: 704 Bedok Reservoir Road, Singapore 470704 (C & T Cafe kopitiam)


Nearest MRT: 5 minute walk from Bedok North station


Hours: 7:30am - 3:00pm (Tues off)

Chai Chee Kway Chap. One of Two Tigers in the Kway Chap Mountain of 216 Bedok North

Chai_Chee_Kway_Chap

There are two kway chap tigers in the mountain of 216 Bedok North but both co-exist and thrive with their own fans. Some are diehard loyal while others switch depending on the day - like me lah 😄 This post is about Chai Chee Kway Chap - it tastes great and is excellent value 👍

Stall name: Chai Chee Kway Chap 菜市粿汁


Address: 216 Bedok North Street 1, stall #01-67, Singapore 460216 (Pasar 216 Bedok Central)


Hours: 6:00am - sold out around 1:00pm (Mon & Thurs off)

Chinatown Fried Rice 🥢 One mouthful.... and boomz

Chinatown_Fried_Rice

This humble fried rice stall is a hidden gem in Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Doesn't look like much but the fried rice is flavour packed, aromatic and has that coveted wok hei.

Stall name: Chinatown Fried Rice (formerly Chinatown Special Yang Chow Fried Rice)


Address: Stall #02-010, 335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335 (Chinatown Complex Food Centre)


Hours: 10:00am - 1:00pm (unspecified off days but weekends and public holidays definitely closed 😅 )

Adam Road Food Centre 🍽️ Good Hawker Stalls that Keep Bringing the Crowds Back

Adam_Food_Centre

Adam Food Centre is a relatively small hawker centre with just some 40 stalls but it is famous and popular. Strategically located near the Singapore Botanic Gardens, MacRitchie Reservoir, National University of Singapore etc., Adam Food Centre is always packed. Here are the good food stalls that keep bringing the crowds back to Adam Road.

Adam Food Centre


Address: 2 Adam Road, Singapore 289877


Nearest MRT station: Three minute walk from Botanic Gardens (walk across a long pedestrian bridge over Bukit Timah Road & Dunearn Road)

Selamat Datang Warong Pak Sapari @ Adam Road Food Centre 🐔 As Good as Any Soto Ayam I've Tasted

Selamat Datang_Warong_Pak_Sapari_Adam_Road_Food_Centre

I am a fan of soto ayam, so I am always on the look out for good places to get this quintessentially Indonesian style spicy chicken soup. Selamat Datang Warong Pak Sapari stall at Adam Road Food Centre serves a very good one.

Stall name: Selamat Datang Warong Pak Sapari 


Address: Stall #01-09, 2 Adam Road, Singapore 289876 (Adam Road Food Centre)


Hours: 7:45am - 9:00pm (Mon off)

No.1 Adam's Nasi Lemak vs Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak

No.1_Adam's_Nasi_Lemak_Selera_Rasa_Nasi_Lemak

The two side by side nasi lemak stalls at Adam Food Centre are among the most famous and popular in Singapore. No.1 Adam's Nasi Lemak and Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak both enjoy long queues throughout the day. Thirty minute waits are normal. Both stalls have been around for decades - Selera Rasa count Sultan Bolkiah of Brunei and Prime Minister Lee of Singapore among their fans. How do their nasi lemak taste today (in 2021)?

Stall name: No.1 Adam's Nasi Lemak


Stall name: Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak


Address: 2 Adam Rd, Singapore 289877 (Adam Road Food Centre)


Hours:  No.1 Adam's Nasi Lemak 🕐 8am - 10pm (Mon off)


Hours: Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak 🕥 7am - 3pm (Fri off)

Introduction to what is Jiangsu Cuisine. One of the Eight Great Cuisines of China

Jiangsu_Cuisine_Eight_Great_Cuisines_China

During my week long visit to Jiangsu, my eyes were opened to the breathtaking beauty, rich history and fascinating cuisine of the Chinese province. Jiangsu cuisine is one of the Eight Great Culinary Traditions of China.

Majapahit Gold. Gold Armlet & Earring of Fort Canning Hill



This is the Majapahit Gold, a gold armlet excavated from Fort Canning Hill. It is one of the most fascinating exhibits at the National Museum of Singapore. It tells us a lot about Singapore's past, 700 years ago.

Mystery of the Headless Horseman in Singapore Museum

Headless_Horseman_Singapore

National Museum of Singapore is one of my favourite hangouts since childhood and this 700 year old headless horseman is one of its most fascinating exhibits. This little statuette connects our megapolis of today with the heyday of Singapura, the ancient Lion City of the 14th century.

National Museum of Singapore


Address: 93 Stamford Road, Singapore 178897


Nearest MRT station: 10 minutes walk from Dhoby Ghaut & Bencoolen stations


Tel: +65 6332 3659


Hours: 10:00am - 7:00pm

Canned Fried Dace Fish 🐟 Humble Global Cantonese Food Icon 豆豉鯪魚

Canned_Fried_Dace_Fish_豆豉鯪魚

I first tasted canned fried dace fish in the 1980s. Canned fried dace fish in that iconic long oval tin is something I picked up from my Hong Kong schoolmates in Canada besides cooking HK soya sauce chicken.

History of Hakka Poon Choi · Pen Cai from Village Feast to Global Chinese New Year Dish 客家盆菜

Hakka_Poon_Choi

Poon Choi 盆菜 literally "basin dish" is a Hakka Chinese custom that is now a well established Chinese New Year celebration tradition in Chinese communities around the world. (It is known as Pen Cai in Mandarin Chinese.)

History of Chopsticks 🥢 10 Things Most People Don't Know About Them

History_of_Chopsticks

Like fork, spoon and knife, chopsticks are everyday things we take for granted. Two simple sticks, chopsticks have a long and rich history loaded with symbolism and meaning in Chinese culture.

Chenpi Cantonese Dried Tangerine Peel Worth More than Gold 🍊 新会陈皮

Chenpi_Dried_Tangerine_Peel_新会陈皮

Dried tangerine peel or chenpi 陈皮 is an important ingredient in Cantonese Chinese cuisine and traditional medicine. It is ubiquitous in Cantonese recipes. Because of its wide applications, Chenpi are often gifted among Cantonese as an expression of love and care. Chenpi thus have a special place among Cantonese Chinese beyond food and medicine.

Nanyang Sauce Brewery. One of Singapore's Last Traditional Soy Sauce Makers

Nanyang_Sauce_Brewery_Singapore

When chef Daniel Tay said we are visiting a soy sauce factory, I expected it to be interesting but it turned out to be totally mind blowing fascinating for me. You see, I expected to see gleaming tanks, shiny plumbing and white coats but never thought I'll see artisanal soy sauce brewing in modern Singapore.

Nanyang Sauce Brewery


Address: 18 Chin Bee Avenue, Singapore 619940


Tel: +65 6289 9288


Hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm (Sat & Sun closed)

There is No Rice in Fish Rice (Chaoshan Yufan) 🐟 Disappearing Teochew Cuisine in Singapore 潮汕鱼饭

Cooked_Fish_Chaoshan_Teochew_Cuisine_Singapore 潮汕鱼饭

Chaoshan Fish Rice 潮汕鱼饭 is a quintessentially Teochew staple dish of fish but non Teochew people may be surprised to hear that there is no rice in Fish Rice (herr png in Teochew) 🤔 😄

Albert Centre Market & Food Centre @ Bugis > 💯 Hawker Stalls Johor Kaki Pick the Most Popular for You

Albert_Centre_Market_Food_Centre

When I need to go to Sim Lim Tower for computer or camera gear, Albert Centre food centre is one of the options for a good hawker breakfast or lunch. Albert Centre is a popular choice for folks who come to the Bugis - Rochor area for shopping. The food centre is also a magnet for worshippers from the Kuan Im & Sri Krishnan temples, mosque and churches near by. The age profile of diners here tend to be older as the younger set understandably gravitate towards the trendy F & B concepts over at the Bugis side. There are some 100 food stalls at Albert Centre. These are some of the popular stalls.

Albert Centre Market & Food Centre


Address: 270 Queen Street, Singapore 180270


Nearest MRT: Between Bugis & Rochor stations

Albert Centre Hock Lee Fishball Noodle 🐟 "Handmade, tenderly springy, pops to gentle bites, bursts soft sweetness of fresh fish" 福利鱼圆面

Albert_Centre_Hock_Lee_Fishball_Noodle

Hock Lee Fishball Noodle is one of the most popular food stalls at Albert Centre Market & Food Centre. I like everything about Hock Lee's fishball noodles - tender chewy noodles, robust lardy spicy sauce, handmade fishballs and tasty soup.


Stall name: Hock Lee Fishball Noodle 福利鱼圆面


Address: 270 Queen Street, #01-102 Albert Centre Market and Food Centre, Singapore 180270


Hours: 6:30am - 12:00 noon (often sold out by 10am) Mondays off

Singapore Water Sommelier Sam Wu Taught Me that I am Drinking Water Wrong All My Life 🤔

Singapore_Water_Sommelier_Sam_Wu

Today (Feb 2021), I attended a water seminar by Sam Wu, Singapore's only water sommelier which changed my way of drinking water forever. I had to change because I was drinking water wrong since I was born 😮

NEW Makansutra Gluttons Bay $29 Buffet with Chili Crab 🦀 Pepper Crab Every Weds ☏ 8710 0511


Makansutra Gluttons Bay recently launched a hugely successful $19 nett all-you-can-eat zhi char buffet. Now, they have outdone themselves with a new $29 nett ten dish buffet menu that includes chili crab or pepper crab, "guitar" chicken, Hong Kong steamed sea bass, white boiled prawns, and more.

Restaurant name: Makansutra Gluttons Bay


Address: #01-15, 8 Raffles Avenue (next to The Esplanade), Singapore 039802


Tel: ☏ 8710 0511 (need to call to reserve)


Hours: Afternoon slot 5:00pm - 7:00pm 🦀 Night slot 8:00pm - 10:30pm

Honest Review & Menu of Unaemon Unagi @ Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen

Unaemon_Unagi_Gochi_Church_Street_Japan_Kitchen

Unaemon, a little unagiya tucked in a quiet nook of Capital Square in the heart of Singapore's Central Business District is a good hangout for traditional Japanese eel dishes.

Restaurant name: Unaemon うな衛門 (part of Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen)


Address: Capital Square, 23 Church Street, #01-08, Singapore 049481 (5 minutes walk from Raffles MRT or Telok Ayer MRT)


Tel: +65 6226 1296


Hours: 11:30am - 3:00pm | 6:00pm - 10:00pm (Thurs & Sun off)

Koh Grill & Sushi Bar Shiok Maki 🍣 Orchard Road's Most Popular Kushiyaki & Sushi Joint

Koh_Grill_Sushi_Bar_Orchard_Wisma_Atria

Koh Grill & Sushi Bar needs no introduction especially for Japanese food fans in Singapore. It's a fun and cheerful place to enjoy delicious sushi and Japanese style grills at wallet friendly (not cheap) prices. They are most famous for their Shiok Maki.


Restaurant name: Koh Grill & Sushi Bar


Address: 435 Orchard Road, #04-21 Wisma Atria Shopping Centre, Singapore 238877


Tel: +65 9180 3805


Hours: 11:30am - 10:00pm

Huat Kee Teochew Cuisine from Push Cart Stall to Premier Restaurant & Retort Gourmet Meals

Teochew_Restaurant_Huat_Kee

Anyone who is a fan of Teochew cuisine in Singapore would know Teochew Restaurant Huat Kee in RELC building (beside Shangri-La Hotel). Huat Kee is one of the top Teochew restaurants in Singapore. Huat Kee is also an innovator and major producer of ready-to-eat Teochew food. One of the brightest stars of Singapore F & B industry, Huat Kee came from very humble roots.

Yum Cha-Cum-Tea @ The English House by Marco Pierre White 🥟 Hong Kong Dim Sum Menu & Review

The_English_House_Marco_Pierre_White

Hong Kong Dim Sum at The English House by Marco Pierre White? 🤔 Yeah..., I was wondering too but after tasting the exquisite dim sum, I think it is a great idea to hang out here over drinks and delicious dainty dishes. The dim sum is an additional service that we can enjoy with our favourite English classics during our yum cha-cum-tea sessions. Yeah... yum cha-cum-tea @ The English House. So cool 
🥟

Restaurant name: The English House by Marco Pierre White


Address: 28 Mohamed Sultan Road, Singapore 238972


Tel: +65 6545 4055


Dim Sum Hours: 11:30am - 8:30pm (Mon - Thurs) | 11:30am - 5:00pm (Fri) | 9:00am - 5:00pm (Sat) | (Sun off) 

The Singapore Treaty Banquet of 6 Feb 1819. What Might be on Sultan Hussein's Menu for Raffles & Farquhar?

The Singapore Treaty between the British East India Company and the Johor Sultanate on 6 Feb 1819 marked the beginning of Singapore's transformation from a fishing village to a metropolis. (Image courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.)