Bebek Betutu Iconic Bali Smoked Duck • Four Famous Restaurants • Which was our Favourite?

Bebek betutu is a unique, iconic duck dish you must try when you are in Bali (another is babi guling, a non halal dish).

Review of Hock Lai Seng Bak Chor Mee by Grandson of Ah Ter @ Maxwell Food Centre ● Apple Didn't Fall Far From Tree 福来成

Social media is recently abuzz with a new bak chor mee stall at Maxwell Food Centre. The 22 year old culinary school trained grandson of famous Ah Ter bak chor mee of Amoy Street Food Centre has just set up his own outpost at nearby Maxwell Food Centre.

(Maxwell Food Centre, ground zero of the Singapore chicken rice war zone is slowly emerging as a bak chor mee battleground as well but that's a story for another post 😬 )

Stall name: Hock Lai Seng Teochew Fishball Bak Chor Mee 福来成

Address: 1 Kadayanallur Street, stall #01 26, Singapore 069184 (Maxwell Food Centre)

Nearest MRT: Doorstep of Maxwell station

Hours: 7:00am - 5:00pm (Thurs off)

Bak Kut Teh was Created for Singapore River Chinese Coolies

When Stamford Raffles opened the British East India Company trading post in 1819 at Singapore River, he needed a lot of labourers.

Review of Yummy Palace Hougang Singapore 品珍宫

Justin rounded us up for makan (eating) fest at Yummy Palace @ Defu Lane 10 to celebrate his weekly day off (just any excuse for a feast 🤭😬🤷 ). First time here at Yummy Palace, I enjoyed most of the dishes today and added it to my list of nice restaurants for group makan outings.

Stall name: Yummy Palace

Address: 87 Defu Lane 10, #02-01, Singapore 539219

Nearest MRT: 20 minutes walk from Kovan station - too far to walk for most people 😄

Tel: 6343 1818

Hours: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm | 6:00pm - 10:00 pm

Origin of Herbal Bak Kut Teh in Singapore & Thousand Year Old Chinese Tonic Soup

Hokkien style bak kut teh which has not changed much from the time it was created for coolies in Singapore looks dark and tastes herbal.

Review of Kacang Pool Special @ Eunos Crescent Food Centre ● Egyptian National Dish in Singapore Hawker Centre

Looking for something light and relatively healthful in a Singapore hawker centre? If you are near Eunos Crescent Food Centre, you can try out Kacang Pool Special.

There are very few kacang pool stalls in Singapore and not many more in Johor Bahru. There's one known as Kacang Pool Mustafa at Geylang Serai Food Centre.

Stall name: Kacang Pool Special

Address: 4A Eunos Crescent, stall #01-03, Singapore 402004 (Eunos Market & Food Centre)

Nearest MRT: 3 minutes walk from Eunos station

Hours: 8:00am - 7:00pm (Weds off)

Review of Ah Hua Fishball Noodle @ Pandan Gardens With Unique Must Try Prawn Roll

Supposed to join buddies at Ah Hua Fishball Noodle in Pandan Gardens a few times before but timing always buay gam (not suitable) for me 😢 Today, I finally managed to swing by for lunch 😬 It's a good Teochew fishball noodle and there's a surprise dish too! (which you must not miss).

Stall name: Ah Hua Teochew Fishball Noodles

Address: 415 Pandan Gardens, #01-117, Singapore 600415

Tel: 8815 0716

Hours: 8:00am - 3:00pm (Sun off)

Review of Pang's Satay @ Chinatown Complex Food Centre ● Hainanese Satay in Singapore

I am always on the lookout for places that make their own satay as most stalls now use factory made satay that taste uniformly flat 🤷‍♂️ So, I am grateful to buddy Ben who alerted me to Pang's Satay in Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Ben even ordered some for his parties and I liked them. I finally made a trip to Chinatown last evening to taste Pang's satay, smoking hot off the charcoal grill at the stall.

Stall name: Pang's Satay

Address: 335 Smith Street, stall #02-213 (Blue Zone) Chinatown Complex Food Centre, Singapore 050335

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Maxwell station and Chinatown station

Tel: 9663 8015

Hours: 5:00pm - 9:00pm (Thurs off)

Review of Sharon Auntie Foochow Maternity Dishes @ Six Star Food Court in Mount Austin 雪人阿姨 星美食中心

Bumped into Sharon who runs a little stall in Six Star Food Court in Mount Austin. I was having beef noodles at the Tangkak beef noodle stall and so had to come back another day to try her Foochow style maternity dishes.

Stall name: 雪人阿姨

Address: 69, Jalan Mutiara Emas 5/1, Taman Mount Austin, 81100 Johor Bahru 六星美食中心

Tel: +6011 1148 8641

 

Hours: 9:00am - 4:00pm (no fixed off day. Call to confirm.)

Review of Restoran Bariani Desa in Kluang Johor

I love this nasi byriani place even though it may not be for everyone 😬

Restaurant name: Restoran Bariani Desa

Address: 11, Jalan Desa 1, Taman Desa, 86000 Kluang, Johor

Tel: +6012 758 2946

Hours: 11:00am - 4:00pm (Sat off)

History of Ng Ah Sio who Put Singapore Teochew Bak Kut Teh on the World Map

Bak kut teh 肉骨茶 (literally pork bone tea in Hokkien & Teochew) started as a cheap herbal tonic for overworked coolies in Singapore and Klang which were major ports of British Malaya. The original concoction was dark from dark soy sauce, spices and Chinese medicinal herbs.

Review of Ah Liang Ipoh Hor Fun @ CapitaSpring Market Street Food Centre 亚良怡保沙河粉

Ah Liang Ipoh hor fun stall is without doubt the most popular stall at Market Street Food Centre at CapitaSpring. It always sports the longest queue in the two-level hawker centre right at the heart of the Central Business District. I was here at least two, if not three times but failed to try it because the lunch time queue was just too long 😬

Stall name: Ah Liang Ipoh Hor Fun 亚良怡保沙河粉

Address: Market Street Hawker Centre, 86 Market Street, stall #02-04, Singapore 048947

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Raffles station (Exit B)

Hours: 10:00am - 7:00pm

History of Bak Cheng ● King of Malaysia Bak Kut Teh ● Legend of Johor Bahru 木清肉骨茶歷史

In 2006, Bak Cheng Bak Kut Teh 木清肉骨茶 was awarded the title of King of Bak Kut Teh in Malaysia.

HWA Seafood Zhi Char • Tagore Lane off Upper Thomson Road • Long Term Review ☎ 6452 0918

✍ 28 Feb 2026. Returned to HWA Seafood after nearly 3 years. This time, we tried more dishes, including live seafood.

History of Teochew Porridge 潮州糜 Chaoshan Singapore Malaysia Thailand

Teochew style porridge with side dishes is popular in Singapore and found in hawker centres, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and for a while, even served on SIA (Singapore Airlines) flights.

Singapore Bak Kut Teh Culture ● Yip Yew Chong Mural

Bak kut teh or literally pork bone tea is a soup dish common in Singapore and the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia, but can also be found in Batam and Bintan in the Riaus of Indonesia.

Review TGK Fatty Cow @ Six Star Food Court in Mount Austin Johor Bahru 東甲小肥牛 @ 六星美食中心

Came to Six Star Food Court in Mount Austin to check out a newly opened beef noodle stall in Johor Bahru.

Stall name: TGK Fatty Cow 東甲小肥牛

Address: Six Star Food Court 六星美食中心 69, Jalan Mutiara Emas 5/1, Taman Mount Austin, 81100 Johor Bahru (Ample street side parking)

Hours: 9:00am - 2:00pm (Friday off)

Review Wok Hei Fried Kway Teow @ Liang's Hokkien Prawn Noodle ● 260 Kim Keat Avenue

Facebook buddy Robin had been telling me about Liang's fried kway teow in Toa Payoh since last year. But I forgot 🫢

Then, I bumped into him in JB and he reminded me about it 😬

Stall name: Liang's Fried Hokkien Noodles

Address: 260 Kim Keat Avenue, Singapore 310260 (stall inside Kim Keat Food & Drinks Centre)

Nearest MRT: 15 minutes walk from Toa Payoh station

Hours: 10:00am - 7:00pm (Weds off, Mon & Fri close at 2pm) 

Peppery Teochew Soups That Inspired Singapore Teochew Bak Kut Teh

Singapore bak kut teh was originally herbal as it was concocted as a tonic for coolies. Around the 1950s, the peppery type of bak kut teh synonymous with Singapore bak kut teh emerged.

Geylang Serai Cendol Since 1910 ● Oldest Cendol in Singapore

Geylang Serai Cendol is the oldest operating cendol stall in Singapore. It is run by the third generation now and hasn't changed much since the 1910s.

Stall name: Geylang Serai Cendol

Address: 1 Geylang Serai, stall #02-107, Singapore 402001 (stall inside Geylang Serai Market & Food Centre)

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Paya Lebar station

Tel: 9090 605

Hours: 9:00am - 6:00pm

Zhong Xing Foochow Fishball Noodle & Lor Mee @ Silat Ave Nan Heong Ho Kee Coffeeshop • Closed Since Aug 2024

✍ 28 Aug 2024. Sadly, this heritage fishball noodle stall founded in 1942 has just shut down due to monthly rental doubling to more to $6000.

✍ 19 Feb 2023. Was feeling a little famished after a three hour guided history tour of Telok Blangah (more about that in a future post). So, I went to look for lunch at the Silat Ave area. Stumbled upon the quiet Nan Heong Ho Kee kopitiam and Zhong Xing Foochow Fishball & Lor Mee stall.

A quick peek at the stall and it ticked all the boxes for me - handmade fishball, sambal, and pork lard (furthermore it was Foochow style fishball, which is not so common in Singapore).

Stall name: Zhong Xing Foochow Fish Balls & Lor Mee

Address: 148 Silat Ave, Singapore 160148 (stall inside Nan Heong Ho Kee Coffeeshop)

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Outram Park station

Hours: 9:00am - 3:00pm (Tues off)

Hot Spot Cafe Fish Soup @ Burlington Square Beside Sim Lim Square

Was running errands at Sim Lim Square when I spotted this long queue while looking for lunch.

Stall name: Hot Spot Cafe Restaurant

Address: 175 Bencoolen St, Singapore 189649 (inside Burlington Square)

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Rochor station

Tel: 6334 2535

Hours: 11:00am - 4:00pm (Sat off)

Food Legacy & History of Chinese Coolies of Singapore ● Rickshaw Noodle & Bak Kut Teh 苦力歷史

Coolies, both Indian and Chinese were the backbone of early Singapore’s labour force.

The hundred years between 1830 and 1930, saw hundreds of thousands of Chinese immigrant labourers or coolies sojourned to Nanyang (British Malaya and Dutch East Indies) to feed the booming ports, plantations and mines hungry for cheap manpower. 

Niu Dian Beef Noodles @ VIIO Balestier Singapore

Ben jio-ed (invited) me to try out the newly opened Niu Dian Taiwan Beef Noodles at VIIO Balestier.

Restaurant name: Niu Dian Beef Noodles

Address: 520 Balestier Rd, #01-01/02 VIIO @ Balestier, Singapore 329853

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Novena station

Hours: 11:00 am - 3:45 pm | 5:30pm - 9:30 pm

Chocoelf Specialty Chocolate Cafe South Bridge ● Zero Sugar Added

I am on the lookout for alternatives to ubiquitous cookie cutter cafes in Singapore that serve same old, same old coffee, pastries, and bread. So when Ben asked if I would like to try Chocoelf at South Bridge Road "next week or this afternoon also can", I jumped at it "let's go now" 😬

One more thing helped in my quick decision - Ben said Chocoelf also has "bak kut teh chocolate" which was why I could not wait any longer 😬

Restaurant name: CHOCOELF Specialty Chocolate Cafe (South Bridge Rd)

Address: 232 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058781

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Chinatown and Maxwell stations 

Tel: 6223 3380

Hours: 10:00am - 7:30pm (closes at 9:30pm on Fri, Sat, Sun)

History of Ice, Ice Ball and Ice Kacang in Singapore ● Tropical Ice Paradise

People enjoy iced drinks and cold desserts during hot weather since ancient times.

Don Lechon Philippines Restaurant @ Grandlink Plaza Singapore

Always a roast pork fan, I went looking for Don Lechon near Paya Lebar MRT station after a few friends mentioned it to me.

It's in Grandlink Plaza, an old, well weathered kind of shopping mall. It's the type of place I like to explore for hidden gems (which is getting really harder to find in Singapore and Johor Bahru).

Restaurant name: Don Lechón

Address: 511 Guillemard Rd, #01-52, Singapore 399849 (inside Grandlink Square)

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Paya Lebar station

Tel: 97789737

Hours: 12:00 noon - 9:30pm

Coffee & Tea with Fresh Cow Milk in Singapore @ Madras Coffee House's Kerbau Road

Milton has been telling us about this road side cafe that serves coffee and tea with fresh cow's milk at Kerbau Road in Little India. Six of us dropped by after a scrumptious biryani lunch at Mr Biryani steps away around the corner at Chander Road. (More about Mr Biryani in a future post - it is highly recommended 👍)

Stall name: Madras Coffee House's

Address: 54 Kerbau Road, #01-06, Singapore 218179

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Little India station (exit E)

Tel: 9499 9945

Hours: 5:30am - 9:30pm (timings need confirmation)

History of Palm Sugar ● Difference Between Gula Melaka, Gula Jawa, Gula Apong

Palm sugar is enjoyed throughout Southeast Asia, southern China (Hainan), Sri Lanka, and India. There are many different types of palm sugar depending on the palm sap it is made from. There are, for example, palmyra, date, nipah, and coconut palms.

There may be different palms but the production process is ancient and the same.

From Kut Teh to Bak Kut Teh ● Did Meat Bone Tea Came from Bone Tea? 藥茶

The origin and meaning of the teh in the popular bak kut teh (meat bone tea) dish is still a riddle today. No one is sure how the teh in bak kut teh came about or even what it really means.

It is clearly a thng (soup) then why is it called a teh (tea)? 明明是汤为什么叫茶?

Fatt Kee Shou Shi Traditional Cantonese Breakfast @ Albert Centre

Office today at Albert Food Centre. Fatt Kee was one of the few stalls already opened at this early hour and there was a queue of hungry customers getting their breakfast before setting off for work.

There weren't too many items on Fatt Kee's menu - simple humble fare like chee cheong fun, fried noodles, rice dumplings, porridge and yam cake. Old school, comfort food. That's all.

Stall name: Fatt Kee Shou Shi

Address: 270 Queen Street, stall #01-68, Singapore 180270 (stall inside Albert Food Centre)

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Bugis station

Hours: 7:00am - 11:00am (Sun & Mon off)