Kiam Chye Ark Salted Vegetable Duck Soup @ Blk 22 Bgain Eating House Sin Ming Road

One of my favourite old working lunch haunts from years ago was the couple of coffee shops at Blk 22 Sin Ming Road. There were many interesting food stalls here, so there's something for everyone. In particular, there were three soup stalls - a bak kut teh stall, a braised duck stall with duck soup, and a "earth jar" soup stall. I've had them all, many times. Of the three, till today I still have a craving for the humble, comforting duck soup or kiam chay ark 咸菜鸭 from Hup Seng Duck Rice stall.

Stall name: Hup Seng Duck Rice

Address: 22 Sin Ming Road, Singapore 570022 (stall inside 22 Bgain Eating House coffee shop)

Nearest MRT: 15 minutes walk from Upper Thomson station

Tel: 6454 3810

Hours: 9:00am - 1:00pm (Thurs off)

Don Don Prawn Mee @ Circuit Road Food Centre 咚咚虾面

Johor Kaki reader Leonard recommended me to visit Don Don Prawn Mee at Circuit Road Food Centre. It is his favourite prawn noodle stall.

Stall name: Don Don Prawn Mee 咚咚虾面

Address: 79 Circuit Road, stall #01-42, Singapore 370079 (Circuit Road Food Centre)

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Mattar station

Tel: 8642 8641

Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm (Weds off)

Lai Heng · Shunfu Fried Kway Teow with Otah · Ex Lakeview Shopping Centre 来兴炒粿条

Lai Heng Fried Kuay Teow stall is one of the favourites of regulars at Shunfu Market & Food Centre. It has a loyal following from its Lakeview food centre days since the 1970s.

Stall name: Lai Heng Fried Kuay Teow & Cooked Food 来兴炒粿条

Address: 320 Shunfu Rd, stall #02-20, Singapore 570320 (Shunfu Market & Food Centre)

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Upper Thomson station or Marymount station

Tel: 91831684

Hours: 9:30am - 7:30am (Mon off)

Katong Dreaming · Musical Tour by Betel Box · Get Insight Katong beyond Clichéd Facades

Betel Box The Real Singapore Tours did it again, taking Singapore walking tours to the next level with Katong Dreaming. Telling the stories of Katong through original songs, verse and dance ably presented by host Mark Tan and movement artist Valerie Lim.

Mind Blown by Grilled Milkfish @ Raffles City · Menu & Review 虱目鱼

Makan kaki Eva originally from Taipei misses the taste of milkfish and was excited when she heard about Milkfish restaurant at Raffles City. We had our makan session there today and were all blown away by the grilled milkfish belly. Milkfish restaurant have other pretty delicious dishes too.

Restaurant name: Milkfish Raffles City 虱目鱼

Address: Raffles City Shopping Centre, #B1-44F, Singapore 179103

Nearest MRT: At City Hall station

Tel: +65 6254 4946

Hours: 11:30am - 9:00pm

KPT Coffeeshop Popular No Signboard Fish Soup · Pork Organ Soup @ 127 Bukit Merah Lane 1

Chef Benny Se Teo told me about this no signboard fish soup · pork organ soup stall at Bukit Merah in the same coffeeshop as Poh Cheu Teochew kueh stall. "Can fight with Mui Siong" the most famous stall for pork liver in Singapore 😮 That's a very serious claim that must be investigated as soon as possible 😂

Stall name: No Name Fish Soup Stall

Address: 127 Bukit Merah Lane 1, Block 127, Singapore 150127 (stall inside KPT kopitiam)

Nearest MRT: 15 minutes walk from Queenstown station

Hours: 7:00am - 2:00pm (break time 10:15 - 10:45, Sat & Sun off)

Rong Fa (Mui Siong) Pork Liver @ Bukit Merah · Same Sans the Queue of Veerasamy Road 榮發(梅松)肉脞面

I am a fan of Mui Siong Minced Meat Noodle stall's thick soft-crunchy pork liver but I haven't been there for a very long time, put off by the hour long queue at Veerasamy Road. So, when I heard about a branch in Bukit Merah Central known as Rong Fa, I quickly went there to calm my liver craving. The two stalls are almost the same in taste.

Stall name: Rong Fa (Mui Siong) Minced Meat Noodle 榮發(梅松)肉脞面

Address: 3752 Bukit Merah Central, Singapore 159848

Nearest MRT: 20 minutes walk from Redhill station

Hours: 7:30am - 2:00pm (Sun off)

Double Happy Bak Kut Teh @ Zion Riverside Food Centre · Taste of Old Singapore Bak Kut Teh 雙喜肉骨茶

This is one of the oldest names in Singapore bak kut teh supported by a loyal following, yet it is has a very low media profile. The first time I tried to eat here, everything was sold out by 10:30am. Today, we got here at 9am to experience Double Happy Bak Kut Teh. I said experience because Double Happy is not only about the taste but also the entire experience.

Stall name: Double Happy Bak Kut Teh 雙喜肉骨茶

Address: 70 Zion Road, stall #01-27, Singapore 247792 (Zion Riverside Food Centre)

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Havelock station | 15 minutes walk from Tiong Bahru station

Tel: 6836 0816

Hours: 7:30am - 2:00pm (Mon 0ff)

Traditional Teochew Kueh @ Yoon's Social Kitchen · Powered by Women Ex-drug Offenders

Buddy Timothy suggested we meet up at Yoon's Social Kitchen to try out Teochew kueh by Yoon's Traditional Teochew Kueh. When I got here, I realised that Yoon's Social Kitchen is a social enterprise with a mission to empower women ex-drug offenders "to lead a dignified life free from the bondage of drugs through sustainable employment... ". Besides artisanal traditional Teochew kueh, Yoon's Social Kitchen also serve local delights like mee siam, lontong, Hokkien mee, fried rice, etc.

Stall name: Yoon's Social Kitchen by Yoon's Traditional Teochew Kueh

Address: 401 Macpherson Road, Ground Level, #01-07 Macpherson Mall, Singapore 368125

Nearest MRT: 15 minutes walk from Mattar station

Hours: 8:30am - 3:00pm (Sun off | No kueh on Mon)

Sea Cucumber Trade & the Rise of Islam in Indonesia in the 13th Century

Sea cucumbers have long been highly prized in Chinese cuisine for their health benefits. Chinese traders have since the first century come to the Malay archipelago to source for sea cucumbers. The wealth from the sea cucumber trade likely helped established the kingdom of Samudera Pasai which became the first Islamic sultanate in the Malay world. From Samudera Pasai, Islam spread across the Malay peninsula and archipelago. Today, Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world with 207 million adherents.