Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodle Soup 槟城福建虾面湯 is a staple in Penang (Malaysia), more so than Penang White Curry Mee. Penangites eat Hokkien prawn mee soup from breakfast, lunch, through to dinner and supper. I should mention tea breaks also, before I forget.
MyKuali, the creators of Penang White Curry Instant Noodles which took Malaysia and then the instant noodle world by storm in 2013-4, have done it again - this time with Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodle Soup, a dish close to the hearts of Penangites.
People in Singapore can finally taste this instant noodle - it's now available at supermarkets here. I got mine in the goodie bag at the inaugural Food Socialikes Conference held on 23 May 2015 (in Singapore) ;-D
Inside the packet is a noodle block and sachets of seasoning powder, chili paste and crispy fried shallots.
The crispy fried shallots and chili paste released familiar, pleasant aromas when we cut open the sachets.
My steaming hot bowl of instant MyKuali Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodles was ready to eat within 5 minutes. First impressions was it looked fiery and quite slick (with grease clinging to the insides of the bowl). The distinctive dried prawn chili paste aroma (hae bee hiam) was floating in the air.
I added the crispy fried shallots into the noodle soup just before eating (as per the instructions on the packet).
The noodles were generic. They have a nice soft gentle bounce. The noodles have a very slight wheat flavour (which was mostly masked by the flavourful broth).
I like this instant broth as it is very tasty and flavourful with the savoury crustacean taste balanced by mild spiciness (for my tolerance level). Though the broth only had limited watery body, it is packed with flavours that approximate what we can get from street hawkers in Malaysia and Singapore. The broth releases the delightful aroma of dried prawns (hae bee) that reminds us who are raised here in Singapore and Malaysia, of home.
The ingredients are limited to just crispy fried shallots. Adding freeze dried prawns might take this instant Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodles to the next level ;-D
And now, the signature Johor Kaki dipstick test.
The broth turned out to be quite greasy.
Still, because the broth was so delicious, I drank it all up. Fortunately, I did not feel any discomfort or MSG thirst afterwards.
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Rating according to Johor Kaki standardised instant noodle grading system - 6.5/10.
Malaysians and Singaporeans living far from home and missing the flavours and smells of home - this is one of your instant life savers.
MyKuali Penang Hokkien Prawn Instant Noodle is certified Halal.
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Click on photo above to read about the Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodles sold in the streets of Penang.
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Restaurant name: The Rockin' Diner (formerly The Mustard Incident)
Address: 11 Club Street, Singapore 069405
GPS: 1.281615, 103.845533
Hours: 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight (last order for food at 10:30pm), closed on Sundays
Tel: 6223 3647
Non Halal
I feel good just walking down this free spirited street, in purportedly uptight, straight laced Singapore.
The Rockin' Diner occupies 2 pre-War shop lots in this prime watering hole in Singapore's Central Business District. Music, laughter and banter overflowed onto the streets outside.
Inside Rockin' Diner, it's simply laid out and furnished, but it has everything you need for a rockin' good time.
The bar is a strategic perch to people watch.
If you think you've met this sexy lady before, you probably did. In it's past life, The Rockin' Diner was The Mustard Incident, a popular hot dog kiosk at Tangs Basement, Orchard Road.
Owner Kelly Koh was smitten by American style food - hefty, meaty and robustly flavoured - while living in San Francisco and Hawaii.
The flavours at Rockin' Diner are bold and made me feel I needed lots of sloshy liquid to flush it down. The West Coast style hot dogs were so robustly flavoured, it makes the New York City dirty water dogs taste, well....., watered down. Fortunately, Rockin' Diner stocks a good range of beers and ciders to wash the sodium off your tongue and mouth before they get pickled.
I exaggerate lah... good excuse to drink more beer.... you get the idea... ;-p
Rockin' Diner serves a wide range of Americana staples from burgers to sandwiches and hot dogs.
Thick cut Bacon Fries SGD12.99 and Spam Fries SGD9.90. Served with tangy aioli sauce.
Philadelphia Cheese Steak SGD15.99.
Steak cut in strips blanketed with caramelised onion, sautéed chilli pepper and 3 types of melty cheeses sandwiched between ciabatta bread.
Foie Gras Hot Dog.
Single pork sausage topped with foie gras and dressed with purple mustard.
Beanless Chili Sauce SGD7.99.
This same chili (American style, not the spicy hot kind) is used in several of Rockin' Diner's other dishes.
Little Italy’s Killa’ Lasagna SGD15.99.
Topped with beanless chilli sauce and smothered with melted cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
The Frankenstein is a half beef, half pork beast SGD11.99. The half cut wieners topped with beanless chilli, Hawt sauce and caramelised onions.
If there is anything more American than apple pie, it could be this Reeses Peanut Butter Oreo Pie.
Nutella-misu SGD6.99.
Need a place to drink beer and food to work up a thirst at wallet friendly prices in Singapore's CBD? Rockin' Diner could be the place for you.
Disclosure: As this is a media invite, the food is not reviewed.
Date visited: 16 Apr 2015
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Braised pork offal has always been one of my favourite street food. It is affordable and packed with flavours and interesting textures. I always marvel at how something so humble can be turned into such delectable food. I appreciate that preparing pork offal is very hard, time consuming work.
Recently, Singapore foodie circles are abuzz with news about the popular Jiale (H.K.) Roasted Food 嘉乐(香港)烧腊.
Most Hong Kong roast enthusiasts in Singapore would know that Jiale (H.K.) Roasted Food stall had been ruling the roast meat roost at Marina South, Marina Square and MBS Rasapura for the past decade. Weeks ago, Jiale moved out of upmarket MBS Rasapura and moved into a heartland coffee shop along Upper Aljunid Road. This is good news to me as now more people have a chance to taste Jiale's famous fine roasts.
Mr Charles Tan, the Chef-owner of Jia Le is a roast meat veteran for over 3 decades. Jiale's roasts are in the distinct Hong Kong style as Charles apprenticed under HK masters for several years. All of Jiale's roasts are grilled with charcoal fire.
We visited Jiale in a group of 12 so we have a chance to sample more of their food ;-D
A little slab of Japanese kurobuta (Berkshire boar) char siew 日本黒猪叉烧 on the display shelf.
Jiale occasionally offers Japanese kurobuta char siew rice at SGD8 a serving. Charles uses Japanese kurobuta which is prized for it's streaky marbling and more flavourful meat and fats. Charles also accepts special orders for Japanese kurobuta char siew. Just call him at +65 9765 3779 to arrange.
The flavourful kurobuta char siew was indeed tasty. More tender, more juicy and richer in flavour than regular char siew. But, it costs 3 times more.
Jiale's regular char siew 招牌肥婆叉烧 is actually good enough for me as compared with the premium kurobuta ;-p Reason is Jiale uses jowl meat around the neck/ collar (colloquially known in Cantonese as 肥婆 or the "fat lady") which is tender and well lined with fat.
With the fat lady, I am happy enough. The fat lady was soft and succulent. The savoury sweet flavour was robust and intense on the surface and also in the juicy fibres (though milder). Compared to the kurobuta, the fat lady char siew relied more on the savoury sweet marinate for flavours. The charred and drier bits around the fat lady's edges tasted like bak kwa 肉干 (pork jerky).
The siew yok 黄金烧肉 (crispy roast pork belly) suited my taste buds as Charles was more light handed with the seasoning than most Hong Kong roasts places in Singapore.
The golden brown skin was crackling though I wished it was thicker and closer to puffy rice crackers in texture.
The 菜园贵妃鸡 Free Range Imperial Concubine Chicken is one of the memorable dishes at Jiale.
The chicken was poached in a broth of dried scallops, herbs and Chinese wines etc (instead of just plain water). The smooth chicken flesh was tender but still had a soft chewy bite. A translucent jelly layer of fat was sandwiched between the smooth skin and juicy meat. The flesh was infused with a slight savoury and herbal flavour which did not overpower the natural "chickeny" taste (which I like). There was also a subtle floral flavour and aroma from the Chinese rose wine 玫瑰露.
Served at room temperature and without sauce, we can really appreciate the free range chicken's natural flavours. 菜园贵妃鸡 is a Must Order at Jiale.
Jiale's roast duck.
The glistening reddish maroon duck skin floated off the flesh like a loose coat.
With every bite, the thin crispy skin released lovely savoury sweet juices with slight ducky (gamey) flavour. The meat was tender and succulent with deeply infused savouriness balanced with the duck's natural sweetness and gaminess.
A duck lovers' favourite. I love this.
Jiale also serves roast suckling pig, though I didn't try this. Next time :-D
12 of us shared the bill which came to SGD9 per person (SGD110 for all the food).
I feel Jiale is a welcoming place with a Master roast chef in the house, where families can gather regularly to enjoy quality roasts and chicken at reasonable prices.
Look out for Teck Huat Eating House - Jiele is inside.
Credit: Screen grab from Google Map
Restaurant name: Jiale (H.K.) Roasted Food 嘉乐(香港)烧腊 (inside Teck Huat Eating House)
Address: 383 Upper Aljunied Road, Singapore 367868 (beside Esso Petrol Station)
GPS: 1.332885, 103.878774
Hours: 10:30am to 9:00pm daily
Tel: +65 9765 3779 (Charles Tan)
Non Halal
Date visited: 20 May 2015
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I met Melvin, the owner of Kanshoku Ramen recently at the World Street Food Congress in Singapore.
Melvin invited me to visit his ramen shop at The Metropolis at Buona Vista MRT in Singapore.
Believe it or not, I am a ramen enthusiast; a recent convert. (You think I am a mee pok only man, meh?) I caught the ramen bug in, of all places, New York City.
You see, after a month of NYC's famous pizzas, bagels, hotdogs, burgers, steaks and corned beef, fanciful cakes and pastries, wonderful as they were my cells cried out pined for rice and noodles. Then I stumbled upon NYC's ramenyas and had my ramen epiphany moment.
Since then, I have been on the lookout for good ramen everywhere.
I gladly accepted Melvin's invitation to visit his newly opened ramen shop ;-D
I started with the Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen at SGD14.90.
The pork and chicken broth was medium bodied with savoury and sweet flavours in good balance.
The splash of house made aromatic black garlic oil/ gravy tipped the balance to more savoury when mixed into the broth.
The house made noodles were cooked al dente with a nice interesting bite. Since not many ramen shops in Singapore make their own noodles, as they say in Singapore "win already loh (贏了 loh)". Seriously, fresh house made noodles does give such ramen shops an edge over the majority that use generic factory supplied noodles.
The ramen come with two slices of braised chashu. The tender chashu was savoury sweet from the marination and relatively lean. I appreciate that the newer generations like their chashu this way. Personally, I like my chashu uncle style - thicker, juicier (i.e. more fatty ;-p) with more of the natural porcine sweetness (have porky taste lah ;-p). Want to eat chashu must 敢敢 (bravely) go the whole hog mah ;-p
At Kanshoku Ramen, the Japanese style marinated soft boiled egg or Ajitsuke Tamago has a richer eggy taste and aroma than the usual at other ramen shops. When I asked Melvin, my suspicion was confirmed - Kanshoku Ramen uses air flown premium Japanese eggs for their Ajitsuke Tamago.
I enjoyed Kanshoku's Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen so much that I wanted to fill up the remaining space in my stomach with more ramen. You know... like when in Johor Bahru, I like to fully fill up my stomach and gas tank before going back to Singapore.... ;-p
Fortunately, Kanshoku Ramen has "tea break" size servings that fit snugly in my 1/4 stomach tank.
The tea break sized Signature Tonkotsu Ramen at SGD6.90.
The medium bodied pork and chicken broth was well balanced between savoury and sweet. No MSG or synthetic flavour enhancers were used. Just good old bone broth with flavours extracted by simple boiling and stirring in the pot for hours. I drank this and the earlier Black Garlic Tonkotsu broth to the last drop, the good old Japanese way by holding the bowl up with both palms and tipping the broth straight into my mouth ;-D
By the way, Kanshoku means "finish eating every last bit of your food" in Japanese ;-D
The same al dente house made noodles.
The tea break sized ramen comes with one slice of braised chashu.
Kanshoku's Black Truffle Edamame is very popular with new generation customers (who think that anything with truffle oil is nice ;-p ).
I have still not tried many ramenyas in Singapore but Kanshoku Ramen would be among the top of my mind now for good ramen in Singapore.
Kanshoku Ramen is at the ground level at The Metropolis.
It is highly accessible as it's right at the doorstep of Buona Vista MRT station.
Screen grab of Google map
Restaurant name: Kanshoku Ramen
Address: 9 North Buona Vista Drive #01-18, The Metropolis, Singapore 138588
GPS: 1.305939, 103.791125
Hours: 11:00 am to 9:00 pm
Phone: +65 6684 4033
Non Halal
Date visited: 19 May 2015
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