Ho Tit Coffee Powder Factory Singapore 好的咖啡

In today's Singapore, there are still a few (not many) quaint old shops like Ho Tit Coffee Powder Factory 好的咖啡 - mom and pop type of shop that still does things the old artisanal way.

Coffee beans are still roasted at Ho Tit using the eyes, nose, ears and touch to judge when the coffee beans are just right, without of the help of digital algorithms that did everything perfectly with a few swipes of the touch screen.

Ho Tit 好的咖啡 established in 1953, is the last cottage style coffee roasting shop left surviving from pre-Independence Singapore.



The present owner Dominic was born in 1963, 10 years after Ho Tit started operations. 1963 was the year Singapore briefly merged (for 2 years) with Malaysia.



The quaint sounding name Ho Tit is a transliteration of the Hokkien 好的, which means "Good One".

I thought the brand name, and globe and bulge logo are very appealing.



I lived in nearby Ang Mo Kio town in the 1970s and 80s, and ran pass Ho Tit along upper Paya Lebar road many times during my evening runs.

But, this was the first time I stepped inside Ho Tit.



Inside Ho Tit today, there are still many pieces of equipment and paraphernalia from the shop's early years. Many were actually Singapore made, testament of a time when the island was teeming with cottage industries churning out simple machines for businesses.

I still see some of such "Made in Singapore" machinery in small town Malaysia. The Malaysian owners told me that in the 1950s to 70s, they had to go to Singapore to buy equipment and "Made in Singapore" used to mean quality and reliability. "Made in Singapore" would cost a bit more but was value for money.




Ho Tit still roasts it's coffee blends at this pre-independence shop house. Ho Tit only wholesales and retails coffee powder. But, walk-in customers like to sit at the old marble table at the front of the shop while waiting for their coffee powder packets. Smelling the freshly roasted coffee bean fragrance and feasting the eyes on 1960s paraphernalia transports one temporarily to a much romanticised past.



It has a therapeutic effect. I felt so at home, I actually dozed off under the cool and hypnotic hum of these whirling ceiling fans.



Old school Nanyang coffee is Robusta beans mixed with 50% corn and roasted in margarine and sugar. As Robusta beans are too bitter for most people (despite roasting with corn, margarine and sugar), standard Nanyang kopi is further sweetened with condensed milk.



The movement away from "mixed coffee" towards "white coffee" which is pure coffee beans sans (without) corn, margarine and sugar began some time ago and is the mainstay of Ho Tit today.

Ho Tit's roaster for old school Nanyang coffee had been mothballed for a few years already.



Besides Robusta, Ho Tit has also moved into roasting premium Arabica beans.



This is one of Ho Tit's "white coffee" Robusta and Arabica blend, named 心跳. It is a name coined by Dominic's mother, dedicated to Cynthia, Dominic's wife. The name 心跳 means "heart beat" and when pronounced in Hokkien sounds like Cynthia. 



The 心跳 blend has a light body, typical of "white coffee". The tastes were gently savoury with a mild piquant sweetness. The aromas were mellow notes of floral and spice.

I love enjoying kopi the old way by dunking crispy cream crackers in the brew.



There is no need to go to Malaysia to get Nanyang "white coffee". We can get it here at Ho Tit, but we really don't know for how long more before the shop lot is taken over for "en bloc development".

Restaurant name: Ho Tit Coffee Powder Factory 好的咖啡
Address: 402, Upper Paya Lebar Road, Singapore 
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/PMb4s
GPS: 1.349128,103.880190
Hours: 10:00am to 5:30pm (Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays)
Halal

Date visited: 16 Oct 2014

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Street Food Pro 360 Course 街食专家 360 - How to Use an Online Platform to Showcase and Document the Stories of Hawkers

I am asked to address the Street Food Pro 360 course 街食专家 360 by Makansutra on "How have you used an online platform to showcase and document the stories of hawkers?"

I am sharing what I learned through personal experience.

My aim is to show course participants the basic steps of starting an online platform from scratch and building an audience.



The three broad steps are:

1. Pick a niche
2. Create content
3. Promote.

But, in reality it wasn't so neat and nicely planned. In the case of Johor Kaki, it was mostly trail and error, just do it and, learn and adjust along the way.

Pick a niche

Back in Dec 2011, when I went online to look for what is good to eat in Johor, I couldn't find any systematic guide on Johor food. So, I decided to create such a guide myself which everyone can use.

Looking back, I actually stumbled upon a need and addressed that need by creating Johor Kaki blog. So, without planning it, Johor Kaki was serving directly an unserved niche and was quickly welcomed by readers in Johor, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Create content

Next, I started to write about the good food that I tasted in Johor, one hawker at a time. I asked my friends in Singapore and Johor for suggestions, and started with those. As readers stumbled upon my blog, they began to offer me suggestions.

Then I found and joined forums and Facebook Groups talking about Johor food. I got many tip offs from these groups (not to mention, making many friends too).

I also walked the streets of Johor and try to spot good hawkers myself.

I was thus creating content, post by post on my Johor Kaki blog, starting with my first post published on 20 Dec 2011.

Promote (Push Content out to Readers)

It is not enough to just create content as many millions of web pages are published every hour. The chance of a new website being seen is negligible.



So, it is necessary to promote your content on various channels so that more people can see it. Bloggers have to work with external channels, if they wish to grow their audiences.

Either they contact us (the blogger), or we reach out to them.

As readers found Johor Kaki content useful, it was noticed by other platforms and they contacted me to have my content featured on their websites and magazines. 

My website and magazine partners helped push Johor Kaki content to their readers. With their support, Johor Kaki's reach grew very quickly.

I was happy to let these platforms carry my content because more people will read about the hawkers I write about.

Search Engine Optimization (Pull Readers to Content)

Due to lack of resources, I was unable to invest in any Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services.

So, it's all DIY (do it yourself).

The only SEO I knew was to use keywords. Other than that, all I could do was to write as engaging content as possible.

Fortunately, readers appreciate the stories in Johor Kaki.



Johor Kaki readers are highly engaged. Three out of 4 visitors read 6 pages per visit and stayed 16 minutes per visit.

I am really grateful for the strong support of my readers.

With this level of engagement, Google recongised Johor Kaki as a trusted site on Johor food, and sends search traffic to the blog when people from around the world query about Johor food.

To sum up, start with a genuine intention to serve, and an unserved niche will appear.

Focus on creating engaging content to serve your niche well. Readers and partners who want to channel your content will follow.

Note: Street Food 360 course 街食专家 360 by Makansutra (Singapore) looks at the culture of street food, opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors, new kitchen skills, thinking/approach, recipes, promotions and marketing.

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Penang Kia 仔 Penang Prawn Mee Sengkang Singapore - The Realities facing Novice Hawkers

This is not my usual food review - I am taking the liberty to also share some of my personal observations of Singapore social media, traditional media and aspiring young hawkers.

It all started in May 2014 with a Facebook post by top social media influencer Dr Leslie Tay about Penang Kia 仔 prawn mee stall run by a youthful couple, Gerald and Julyn, who quit their SIA cabin crew jobs to be hawkers.

Leslie's legion of fans descended on Penang Kia 仔 on cue. Traditional media and other bloggers followed in their wake.

I was dragged along by my bloggie friend Ian, the Silver Chef (two months after the initial media hype).



The first taste was underwhelming. The broth was off balance - it was too sweet and the prawny flavour was too meek for my taste buds. The yellow noodles were soggy and limp but that could be blamed on my obsessive photo taking.

I also noted that the energy level at the stall was low, perhaps because this was a rather isolated corner of Sengkang new town, which was itself not exactly at Singapore's heart beat.

The buzz from successive bursts of media clamour came and fizzled out rather quickly like in rushing and receding waves.

(I did not blog about Penang Kia then, as it is my policy not to post about food that I did not enjoy.)

My second visit was about three months later, again with Ian as part of our visits on hawkers participating in the Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014.



The prawn broth suited my taste buds a lot better this time. The balance between sweetness and crustacean savouriness was much better. While I have tasted better broth, Penang Kia's broth was still commendable. The yellow noodles though were still flaccid and lifeless, but that was again because I am incurably obsessive about my photo taking. 

A lot had happened during the six months of Gerald and Julyn's hawker journey.

A few more media personalities and various Media Corp print and television channels swooped in for the scoop and photo opportunity. The story of a SIA cabin crew couple hanging up their kabaya and jacket to become hawkers was still newsworthy.

The media exposure brought customers to this quiet coffee shop in laid back Sengkang.

Penang Kia had the benefit of multiple free nation wide media publicity. They did not have to invest marketing dollars to procure reviews and media coverage. 

Despite the glamour and benefit of several free publicity boosts, Julyn had returned to a salaried job, at least for the time being. Now only Gerald soldiers on at the stall, assisted by two hardworking foreign workers.



Gerald is very down to earth and determined to make Penang Kia 仔 a success. He spoke candidly about the challenges he and Julyn faced as novice hawkers. 

Maintaining consistency in the face of tidal waves of customers with each mass (social or traditional) media mention had been challenging, especially in the beginning when they lacked experience. 



I respect Gerald for looking for ways to cope with uncertainly of supply, as Penang Kia 仔 insists on fresh, wild caught sua lor sea prawns, instead of resorting to pond raised shrimps.

Gerald is still tweaking the recipe from Julyn's father (who used to run a Hokkien mee stall in Tanjung Bungah, Penang) to suit local palates. (Prawn mee is known as Hokkien mee in Penang, where the dish originated.)

We touched upon the high cost of operating even a simple hawker stall in Singapore. Operational cost even in quiet suburban Singapore is more than SGD10,000 a month. Even just breaking-even creates a lot of pressure for budding hawkers.

It had not been an easy ride for Gerald and Julyn, yet that had not stopped Penang Kia 仔 from participating in Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 (an annual charity food fair in support of the 32,000 needy Singaporeans under Touch Community Services).

I take my hat off to Gerald and Julyn for their fighting spirit and still remembering our community's needy people.

If you like to support Gerald and Julyn as well as 20 over other hawker heroes, come to:

Singapore Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 
Venue: SUNTEC Convention Centre & Exhibition Centre Halls 401/ 402 
Date: 22 Nov 2014 (Saturday) 
Time: 11:00am to 5:00pm.

Get your Singapore Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 coupons here.

May I take this opportunity to wish Gerald and Julyn the best.



Restaurant name: Penang Kia 仔
Address: Blk 205D, Compassvale Lane, #01-02, Singapore
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/oCBYF
GPS: 1.385510,103.897914
Hours: 10:00am to 9:00pm 
Non Halal

Date visited: 4 Jul 2014, 14 Oct 2014

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Review of Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh 榕城(新民路)肉骨茶 MOVED to 505 Ang Mo Kio

I have been a regular at Rong Cheng bak kut teh at the old Sin Ming road flats (Blk 22) since years back. This was the first time I visited Rong Cheng's branch at Midview City which is a short (walkable) distance from the parent stall. (Current address is 505 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8, Block 505, Singapore 560505.)

Stall name: Rong Cheng Rou Gu Cha

Address: 505 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8, Block 505, Singapore 560505

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Yio Chu Kang station

Hours: 10:00am - 8:00pm

Hong Ji Claypot Bak Kut Teh Woodlands Singapore 宏记药材肉骨茶

It might surprise you that I am no bak kut teh 肉骨茶 lover. The dish's meatiness meant I seldom indulge in it, and when I occasionally did, the bak kut teh was often not up to par.

Of all the styles of bak kut teh, I least prefer the herbal style. I find the "medicinal" and lingering kam kam 橙橙 aftertaste of some herbal bak kut teh, a big turn off. So, I've never recommended any herbal bak kut teh wholeheartedly, until now.

After hearing so many people suggest I go taste the "Marsiling herbal bak kut teh", I finally gave Hong Ji Claypot Bak Kut Teh 宏记药材肉骨茶 a try today.

I was skeptical about Hong Ji 宏记 or any herbal bak kut teh after eating herbal BKT ad nauseam in Kuala Lumpur (as my former colleagues loved it).



wow! Hong Ji changed my mind about herbal bak kut teh 药材肉骨茶, once and for all.



Hong Ji's bak kut teh broth comes in a claypot steaming and bubbling hot bubbles as they do in Malaysia.

Hong Ji managed to create a perfectly balanced blend of sweet, mildly herbal and savoury in a smooth, full bodied broth. The broth was not greasy and there was none of that kam kam 橙橙 dried orange peel aftertaste which I disliked.

Hong Ji's founder Ah Lim, adopted a Kuala Lumpur recipe and tweaked it, balancing the usually dominant herbal flavour with more sweetness and savouriness. 

Hong Ji's balance was spot on for me.





There were 5, maybe 6 large meaty chunks of tender, succulent, naturally sweet pork ribs in the SGD6, 1 pax serving with rice included.

Hong Ji serves the delicious herbal broth free flow, and I put their generosity to the friendly test :-P



Hong Ji passed with flying colours :-D  They actually filled my empty claypot to 3/4 full!



And, I honoured their commitment by drinking the broth to the last drop (which was easy as the herbal broth was so tasty). 



On my second visit (the next day), I ordered a mixed claypot to try. My tip? Stick to the staple pork rib version. In the mixed version, the pork liver was rubbery and fibrous as it was sliced too thin, making it easy to overcook in the bubbling hot broth. The strips of pork stomach was more or less tasteless.   



I have to highlight this simple chili dip. Hong Ji uses fresh hot chili padi which felt like fiery fire crackers in the mouth. They also use a good quality sweet savoury blend of syrupy soy sauce. This simple dip enhanced my enjoyment of Hong Ji's bak kut teh by at least a notch. 



This stall at Marsiling Blk 19 is Hong Ji's parent stall - from here Hong Ji have expanded island wide with 6 branches run by the founder Ah Lim's son, daughter and relatives:

1. Geylang Lor 21A
2. Ang Mo Kio Blk 6006
3. Ang Mo Kio Blk 107
4. Sin Min Blk 22
5. Hougang Blk 435A 
6. 910 Upper Thomson Road.

Not sure how they compare as I have only tried Hong Ji in Marsiling.

Singapore's far north has one of the island's best, best bak kut teh :D

oh, by the way, Hong Ji's bak kut teh does not come with teh (Chinese tea).




Restaurant name: Hong Ji Claypot Bak Kut Teh 宏记药材肉骨茶
Address: Marsiling Lane, Blk 19 #01-329, Singapore
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/JMnEC
GPS: 1.442803,103.777091
Hours: 7:30am to 9:30pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 12 Oct 2014, 13 Oct 2014

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Woodlands Seafood Soup Yan Ji in Marsiling Mall Singapore 炎记威威食品海鲜汤

Yan Ji Seafood Soup 炎记海鲜汤 started in Woodlands Hawker Centre in 1981 - this "Woodlands seafood soup" is now a nation wide brand with 5 outlets (and several copycats) across the island. Yan Ji moved to Marsiling Mall nearly 2 years ago as the old Woodlands HC was demolished. This was my first visit since Yan Ji moved to the new hawker centre.

Singapore PM Lee's Favourite Redhill Yon Yan 永焱 Fried Chicken Wings

I first heard about this famous Redhill 焱 fried chicken wings through Singapore Prime Minister PM Lee :-P  Not directly, but soon after a photo of PM Lee queueing for this famous chicken wings appeared on social media, a mainstream and social media frenzy ensued, as if on cue.

Though I did nothing afterwards, PM Lee's favourite fried chicken wings was lodged in my mind. But, what really moved me to come to Redhill food centre today was actually Eng Kee's chicken wings 荣记炸鸡翅膀.

Eh..? What's the connection?

I was very impressed with Eng Kee's fried chicken wings (at Commonwealth Crescent). So, when I was told that Mr Aw, the original owner of Eng Kee is now at Redhill food centre, I just had to check it out, fast.



I was at Redhill food centre at 4:30pm to avoid the infamous queue, made longer since PM Lee's visit.



The queue was about 7 to 8 deep when I arrived.  As I was queueing, I was hoping hard that none of the people ahead of me orders 30 or 50 wings in one go (which happens often enough).

Fortunately, today was my lucky day :-D



I got my three wings (yeah 2 wings, not enough lah :D), within 15 minutes.    

So, how were the wings?



Oh man, everything they said about this fried chicken wings is all true.



The golden brown wings were very crispy. The very thin batter on the skin was so crispy, we could hear the crisp crackling sound clearly when we bite into the skin - like biting into fresh, skinny potato chips.  

The crispy skin tasted good too, with a mild savoury flavour that allows some natural chicken flavour to come through. 

The tender white meat underneath was still moist with juice - sweet, tacky, warm, slippery natural fluid. Very mildly savoury and I could still taste the subtle chickeny flavour.

Only the drumlet joint was slightly drier and tougher but it was still sweet.

There was hardly any grease at all leaking from the fried chicken wings, even after it has cooled down.



As I sat alone musing over the bones after I finished my three wings, I wondered: "How did they achieve this level of crispness with regulation piped gas supply? And, with just a pair of regular woks?"    

That of course is a trade secret.    

They had no time for any interview, a long line of customers had formed up.



But, the friendly stall holder was kind enough to pause a moment, let me know that he is Mr Aw and allowed me to snap this picture.

What's the final verdict?



This is my favourite fried chicken wings in Singapore.

It's a no brainer an easy call.

Since Mr Aw already sold off the Eng Kee brand, his 焱 fried chicken wings stall doesn't really have a name that is easy for most people to pronounce. We also can't really call it Redhill chicken wings because there are a few chicken wing stalls in the same food centre. 

I wonder, what if people just call it PM Lee's favourite fried chicken wings?

I think everyone will know which stall we are referring to, right? :-D



Fried chicken wing lovers really shouldn't miss this.   Redhill food centre is just steps across the road from Redhill MRT. This is one of the best things, SGD1.20 can buy in Singapore.

Mai tu liao (don't wait any longer).

Current Address 👇

Restaurant name: Yon Yan 永焱 
Address: West Coast Market Square, Blk 726 Clementi West Street 2 #01-19, Singapore 120726
GPS:  1°18'14.0"N 103°45'53.2"E | 1.303895, 103.764768
Hours: 11:00am – 2:00pm | 5:00pm - 8:30pm (Sun, Mon off)

Old Address 👇



Restaurant name: 焱 Chicken Wings & Fried Bee Hoon
Address: 85 Redhill Lane, #01-09, Redhill Market, Singapore 
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/TF40S 
GPS: 1.287464,103.817903 
Hours: 4:00pm to 10:00pm (Closed on Monday) 

Non Halal  

Date visited: 9 Oct 2014  

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Chin Heng Noodle House in Marsiling Singapore 進興麵家

During the past 2 days, I went exploring and food hunting around the old Marsiling Lane Market & Food Centre near the Woodlands (Singapore) CIQ.

Marsiling Lane market is on the route between the Woodlands CIQ and the factories/ shipyard in Admiralty and Sembawang. Workers from Johor Bahru, stop by for food before going on to a long day of hard labour or the long motorcycle journey back to Johor.



Though it may be over 30 years old, Marsiling Lane Market food centre still has lots of buzz in the morning, looked clean and it was very airy and comfortable.



Today, I tried the herbal pork broth and noodles 肉骨麵 at Chin Heng Noodle House stall 進興麵家 and was very pleased with the find :D

Chin Heng Noodle House stall has rather unusual business hours - 3:00am to 1:00pm (off on Monday). Actually, this caters to the needs of hardworking workers from Johor working in Admiralty and Sembawang.



Chin Heng Noodle House stall 進興麵家 is run now by the second generation. Mr. Goh, now 51, started helping out at his dad's kampung (village) pork bone noodles 肉骨麵 stall in Mandai (Singapore) since he was 10 years old. Chin Heng Noodle House moved here at Marsiling Lane Market since it opened about 30 years ago.



The set of noodles and herbal pork broth 肉骨麵 costs SGD3, 4 or 5 depending on the size.

On my first visit, I opted for the "safe" SGD4 medium sized version. It turned out to be too much a lot of noodles, pork and broth for me. I managed to finish everything but it made me very full :P

The bowl of hot herbal broth was large and filled with generous chunks of lean pork with soft cartilage 軟骨. 




The fresh meat and cartilage were cooked until tender and soft, but not mushy. The meat was sweet, savoury and mildly herbal. The bowl of herbal broth was choked full with many meaty chunks of these.



The herbal broth was round bodied, deep dark brown in colour, sweet tasting with mild savoury and herbal notes. The broth wasn't overly herbal nor medicinal tasting. The broth was also not overly greasy.

I drank up everything :D




Though the mee pok noodles were generic (nearly all Singapore noodles are factory made, anyway), they were well prepared with some spring and bite in them. Mr Goh was also very generous with the amount of noodles given. It was a very filling lunch for SGD4.




During my second visit, I asked for the SGD3 version with kway teow. The portion was still generous and very filling :D



If you love fresh lard crackers like me, remember to ask for more of these goodies.

hmm.... who was it who said that there is nothing nice to eat in Singapore's far north?



Restaurant name: Chin Heng Noodle House 進興麵家
Address:  Unit: #01-26, Blk 20/21 Marsiling Lane Market & Food Centre 
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/zSPlh
GPS: 1.443380,103.776917
Hours: 3:00am to 1:00pm (Closed on Monday)
Non Halal

Date visited: 8 Oct 2014, 9 Oct 2014

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