2019 is coming to an end, which means the festivities are just around the corner! Worried about breaking the bank this festive season? Fret not, for ShopBack GO has you covered. ShopBack GO is bringing you a smashing ​Super Season​ – a 3-month-long food feast-ival that runs all the way until  31 December 2019. You can enjoy over a ​hundred 1-for-1 deals, ​exclusive offers, and ​up to 20% Cashback ​in addition to the regular Cashback you earn on every visit to any of their 800+ dining partners! What’s more, if you reach the spending goal at participating restaurants, you can earn exciting loyalty rewards during this Super Season.

To top it all off, the app is FREE to use, with no subscription or membership fees required to unlock the deals! Just download the ShopBack app, link a card to ShopBack GO, and you’re ready to save!

Speaking of steals, here are the TEN best 1-for-1 deals that you definitely want to nab.

Aburiya

Aburiya already serves Wagyu at pocket-friendly prices. With ShopBack GO’s 1-for-1 deal on selected beef dishes, Aburiya will be your one-stop shop for the most bang-for-your-buck wagyu beef cuts. Look forward to the Aburiya Yuke ($18) which is a thinly-sliced wagyu brisket meant to be eaten raw or wrapped in lettuce, and cuts that are meant for grilling, such as the signature Aburiya Kirotoshi Tokumori ($24 per 150g).

Grab your pals and have as much wagyu as you guys want at Aburiya! Find it HERE

Cat & the Fiddle

Opened by award winning patissier, Daniel Tay, Cat & the Fiddle has been synonymous with premium cheesecake in Singapore. Known for their Asian-inspired cheesecakes, Cat & the Fiddle has flavours that will capture the hearts of locals and non-locals alike. The Milo Dinosaur and King Cat of The Mountain (Mao Shan Wang Durian) are huge stars. Now with ShopBack GO’s 1-for-1 deal, you can get two slices of cheesecake ($7.90 each) for the price of one! Get it HERE

Enjoy Eating House & Bar

Enjoy Eating House & Bar captures the local food scene perfectly with its four signature dishes. Think well-loved local favourites such ah fish soup and braised pork elevated several notches. Chef Joel’s BBQ Pork Cheek ($14.80) is extremely popular. It comes with a special sauce that is made with over 20 ingredients! Another signature you won’t want to miss is Chef Joel’s Brandy White Fish Soup ($9.80) — a bowl of milky collagen-rice fish soup that has been boiled for hours. 

Bring your family here and order a feast with ShopBack GO’s 1-for-1 deal on signature main dishes HERE

Grain Traders

As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That’s why it’s imperative that you fill yourself up with a nutritious breakfast to start your day right. At Grain Traders, you have the option of making your own sweet or savoury breakfast (U.P. $10) from a wide range of ingredients. Those with a sweet tooth can choose between 2 different bowls of oatmeal, or go for the available super cup flavours that day. Those who prefer a savoury option can go for 1 base, 1 spread, 2 veggies, 1 sauce, and eggs cooked your way.

Now, there’s no reason not to grab some wholesome goodness before work with ShopBack GO’s 1-for-1 deal on breakfast items! Find it HERE

Jekyll & Hyde

Party it up with Jekyll & Hyde’s fun selection of cocktails! Ever heard of tofu in a cocktail? Their Breakfast at Jekyll ($20) features a Soya-Tofu-Granola blend, Cognac, Orgeat Syrup, Angostura Bitters, Himalayan Pink Salt, and a rice cracker. Another interesting concoction is the Kopi-O Fashioned ($22), which contains Coffee Infused Scotch, Maple Syrup, Cardamom Bitters, Stout Reduction Foam, served with your favourite childhood snack.

Wind down with your kakis using ShopBack GO’s 1-for-1 Signature cocktail deal (U.P. ~$22). Get this great deal HERE

Liang Sandwich Bar

Liang Sandwich Bar is endorsed by Jay Chou, a famous Taiwanese singer-songwriter and Sing! China judge. Their light, flaky, and fragrant scallion pancakes, said to be the Taiwanese version of our local roti prata, are filled with a myriad of delicious ingredients. Eat like a celebrity when you get Jay Chou’s favourite Liang Chicken Sandwich ($5.90), which contains chunks of chicken and a savoury sauce. 

Use ShopBack GO’s 1-for-1 sandwich deal to get two sandwiches for the price of one at the VivoCity, Raffles City and Bugis Junction outlets. Find it HERE

Meat Me Steakhouse

Meat Me Steakhouse is a pretty new steak restaurant that serves beef that has been aged for at least 60 days. The steaks are roasted to perfection for an intense meaty flavour and amazing juiciness. Enjoy the exclusive 1-for-1 Striploin Steak deal ($48) on ShopBack GO with your colleagues or partner-in-crime! Dig in HERE

Muchachos

Opened by two friends who wanted to share their love for Mexican food, Muchachos offers Cali-Mex style burritos, tacos and quesadillas that are bursting with flavours and fresh ingredients. “It’s what’s on the inside that counts, after all,” they say. We certainly agree! Get the Cali burrito, that’s packed with deliciously juicy steak and fries – a combination that tastes even better than it sounds. Hurry, the 1-for-1 burrito or bowl ShopBack GO deal (U.P. ~$15) ends on 30 November. You do not want to miss these hearty and filling rolls! Find it HERE

Sarnies

If you need a nice hot cup of joe to keep you awake every morning, be sure to head to Sarnies and use ShopBack GO’s 1-for-1 deal on the regular hot coffee (U.P. ~$5). Sarnies is a hip cafe located in the CBD and their coffee is awesome! If you’re lucky enough, you can even try the orange mocha, which is an off-menu item that only a select few know of. Find it HERE

tcc – The Connoisseur Concerto

All you dessert lovers out there, this one’s for you. tcc – The Connoisseur Concerto has a 1-for-1 dessert promotion (U.P. ~$13.50) in conjunction with ShopBack GO. Be sure to try the Dark Devotion, which is made of their signature molten dark chocolate cake, fresh berries, berries coulis, topped with vanilla gelato and a chocolate and almond tuile. The cold ice cream pairs perfectly with the warm chocolate cake, while the berries add a refreshing tartness to the decadent dessert. Find it HERE

There are tons of other incredible deals available on the ShopBack GO app! Here are just some of them that we think you absolutely shouldn’t miss!

1. Free half dozen house oysters (U.P. ~$30) with any purchase at Greenwood Fish Market 
2. $9.90 for a 9-inch Classico pizza (U.P. ~$19) at Peperoni Pizzeria
3. Choice of any burger + any Thirst Quencher at $15 (U.P. ~$27) at HANS IM GLÜCK
4. Order any Kaisen Don/Ramen, and get 50% off a second Ramen/Kaisen Don at Sumo Ya
   

Let’s round off 2019 with a huge bang by saving tons of money with ShopBack GO’s Super Season! Festive celebrations don’t have to be costly. You just need ShopBack GO!

Also, just pay as usual using the card you’ve linked to your ShopBack GO. And once your accumulated cashback reaches $10, you can withdraw it to your bank account! SAY WHAT?!

Don’t have the ShopBack app yet? Get it here now : https://app.shopback.com/sbgo-misstamchiak 

This post is brought to you by ShopBack.

The post ShopBack GO’s Super Season – 1-for-1 Deals and Up to 20% Cashback! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Yat Ka Yan Dessert is a new restaurant by the Tang family. They’re the sister restaurant to Ren Ren Desserts, who is opened by another family member.

The older family members were searching for a way to bond the family together, and one day, they found the answer. The chef in the family, Wilson Tang, trained them all until they have the necessary skills to make the desserts. As such, they pride themselves on making everything from scratch.

A popular item at Yat Ka Yan is the Chendol ($3.20), which comprises a small mountain of crushed ice sitting in a generous amount of coconut milk, sweet red beans and green jelly on the side, and a drizzle of Gula Melaka. You’ll be pleased to know that they don’t add random ingredients such as grass jelly. The icy dessert is perfectly sweet and creamy at the same time. I can see why its so popular. The ratio of each ingredient is just right. The bowl is on the smaller side, but each bite is delicious.

The pastes come highly recommended and we decided to try the walnut paste ($4). If you really love the taste of walnuts, this is for you. Rich, creamy and really smooth. It can get jelak after a while, so you may want to consider ordering a mix of walnut and almond paste, to make it easier on the palate.

Another popular item is the steamed egg ($3.20), which has been infused with ginger. I can really taste that distinctive spiciness of ginger. The texture of the egg was really creamy, somewhat like the custard core of an egg tart. It wasn’t too sweet as well. I believe that the older folks, and those who love ginger, will definitely enjoy this creation.

Now, we’ve come to the snacks. The yam cake ($3.50) was solid. It had chunks of yam in it, and the texture was soft, yet not mushy. The sweet, savoury sauce complemented the cubes really well, and the fried shallots added a lovely fragrance and crunch. The portion is definitely snack-sized, so it won’t fill you up, but it is a yummy side to have.

In a bid to expand their menu, Yat Ka Yan Dessert has introduced set menus that comprise a main dish and a dessert or drink. The Stewed Pork Belly Rice ($4.80) was my favourite. It had a very homey taste, a little like how my ah ma does her soya sauce pork.  The reason for that is simple, Yat Ka Yan Dessert doesn’t have any particular recipes for the set menu items yet, so they took home cooked food that they enjoy and brought it to the restaurant. The sauce had a strong soy sauce flavour, and the pork belly was mostly tender. Some of the pieces were tougher than others, but for a new item, it’s not bad.

The Dried Shrimp Fried Beehoon ($3) didn’t have as much of an impact on me. The bee hoon was not dry, and it had the flavour of hei bi. 

The restaurant is very warm and welcoming. The service was good and every family member was really friendly. While the food is what draws in the crowd, the warm atmosphere is what makes people come back again and again. It is great for big family gatherings too. A grandma recently celebrated her birthday here.

Family bond is very important to them, and it shows in the way they handle their restaurant. The signboard 一家人, which means one family, is quite popular with customers, especially families, who will take group pictures in front of it.

You should come here to try their fantastic desserts, and at the same time, catch a glimpse of the tight knit family that started this whole restaurant.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Yat Ka Yan. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post 一家人 Yat Ka Yan Dessert – Homemade Desserts Made By One Family appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Having decided to carry on her father’s legacy of selling Nasi Lemak, Charlene (on the left), 24, opened Tree Coconut with her father. Charlene studied biomedical science in University of Queensland, prior to taking the huge step to becoming a hawker. Yuting (on the right), 26, left her insurance job when Charlene needed help running the stall. The rest, as they say, is history.

At around 5am, the team prepares the marinade and ingredients for the day.

Watching the rice being cooked, chicken being fried, and otah being grilled, I became really hungry. A nasi lemak set($2.50) consists of rice, a fried egg and chicken wing. If you desire ikan bilis and peanuts, you have to add on $0.50. I added another otah ($1) to complete my meal.

The rice was quite fragrant and fluffy. At the same time, it was quite light and refreshing, which is something many other customers have noticed. The sweet sambal gave the rice a nice heat, and great flavours. The ikan bilis was super crispy and had that saltiness that complemented all the components in the dish.

The crispy chicken, which was marinated with five-spice powder, was tender and juicy. I was sad when I finished the chicken wing, all too quickly. I should have gotten another one!

The otah wasn’t grilled over charcoal and was not very fragrant, but it was very soft, and extremely delicious.

The next item we got was the Chicken cutlet set ($3.60), with an additional fishcake ($0.70). Only regulars know about the cutlet ($1.60)!

The breaded chicken cutlet was still really crispy by the time I got to it. It was coated in the same seasoning that was used for the fried chicken wing. The chicken was really juicy too. You can dip it in the runny yolk of the sunny side up if you like.

It’s definitely heartening to see the younger generation taking the road less travelled. The standard of the food here is pretty good to be honest, and I’ll say that Tree Coconut is definitely worth a try.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Tree Coconut. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post Tree Coconut – Nasi Lemak by Next-Gen Hawkers! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Owners Zac and Cassandra first opened their flagship store in Toa Payoh Central Koufu Food Court. Seeing their success there, the couple decided to open a second outlet at golden mile tower. Their original concept of serving set meals changed when they realised that office workers around the area prefer a more cai png style. Hence, they changed the concept to suit the location. 

Both Cassandra and Zac are still quite young, so for them to be serving Peranakan food seems quite unusual. 

Turns out, after Cassandra and Zac got married, Cassandra learnt Peranakan cooking from Zac’s zor zor, a nyonya. The learning process was tough as Peranakan cooking is very strict. To add on the challenge, there are over 10 to 20 herbs and spices in each Peranakan dish. And zor zor always agak agak the ingredients required, making it harder for Cassandra to get the taste she wanted. So, when she was learning from zor zor, Cassandra had to stop her every now and then to measure the exact amount of ingredients she was using.

In the Peranakan culture, the guys normally wouldn’t step into the kitchen. Because both of them decided to venture into the food industry to share zor zor’s recipes, Zac had a chance to experience and learn Peranakan cooking too. Not an easy route as he claimed, especially when he has no background in cooking at all.

Peranakan food is near and dear to my heart, as I grew up eating my grandma’s nyonya food. So, you could say that I had high expectations before coming here. As you know, each family has their own recipes and versions of various nyonya dishes, and we will always say that our own recipes are the best. So, let’s see how Nyonya Flavours fared against this inherent bias. 

We started off with the Blue Pea Nasi Lemak. This is one of their specialties which is exclusively available at the Golden Mile branch. The nasi lemak was savoury, fragrant, and carried a distinct fragrance of coconut. It was definitely good enough to be eaten on its own, and even better when paired with the other dishes. The blue rice is really pretty as well, which makes it very instagrammable.

We got the Assam Pedas, another one of their specialties. They use only two types of fish, ang zhor (John’s snapper), and the ang koli (sea bream), which they get fresh from Jurong Port. The sea bream steak was tender, and the assam gravy had the right amount of acidity and kick. You can order the assam pedas with a bowl of rice as a set as well. 

Next, I tried the Sambal Petai, also known as stink beans. This was my first time trying petai and I was wary of its notorious pungency. However, that was not the case with Nyonya Flavours’s petai. I would say that it was fragrant even. I love its crunch and the distinctive flavours that it added to the mix of vegetables. The sweet sambal that the vegetables were tossed in was just perfect.

The Nyonya Curry Chicken is, of course, not to be missed! Think huge, tender, and juicy cuts of chicken sitting in a rich and smooth curry. They are certainly very generous with the amount of chicken, and I was really amazed at how tender the chicken was! The curry was a little on the sweeter side, so if you’re not such a huge fan of spicy food, this will be ideal for you.

Last but not least, my absolute favourite dish — Ayam Buah Keluak!! It is a must-have when you eat Peranakan food. To eat it, all you have to do is to scoop out the flesh from the inside of the nut using a small teaspoon. 

Nyonya Flavours’s rendition of Ayam Buah Keluah was savoury and a tad sour, making it more appetizing. The gravy was thick and super flavourful. Needless to say, it’s heavenly with just a bowl of white rice. The buah keluak flesh has a very sweet, intense flavour, and just a hint of bitterness. This was absolutely delicious and I relished every bit of it!

And the icing on the cake? It only costs $2.50 to add on buah keluak to your rice. Usually, in restaurants, they would charge a lot more than that. So, this is extremely worth it and a total bang for your buck. 

Nyonya Flavours has nailed the classic Peranakan dishes, and revolutionalize Peranakan cuisine. If you are craving for authentic, yet affordable, Peranakan food, or want to try Peranakan cai png, make a trip here! 

But be sure to be here on weekday lunch as they are opened till 3pm only. We asked them if they would consider extending their operating hours till dinner time or operating over the weekends. They told us they are considering these alternatives. Hopefully they will! 

This post was brought to you by Nyonya Flavours.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Nyonya Flavours. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post Nyonya Flavours – Authentic Nyonya Food at Golden Mile Tower! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Opened in 1955, Shi Xiang Satay has seen generations of customers come and go. Now, it is run by Young, the original owner’s son. He learnt how to make satay from his mother, who learnt the craft from her husband.

Shi Xiang Satay first started out by on the streets. No matter how things changed, the stall always stayed in chinatown. They didn’t have a name back then, so their customers helped them come up with one.

It took us a while to find the stall as it was quite hidden on the second level. Once you go up the escalator, walk straight towards the stalls and turn right. You’ll see a sign on the wall that says “More stalls here”. Follow the sign and you should be able to find Shi Xiang Satay. You should be able to catch a whiff of the satay once you are near enough.

Every satay is marinated for at least 24 hours to ensure that they’re tasty. Usually, a new batch is made every one and a half days. We got 5 sticks of chicken and 5 sticks of pork ($0.60 per stick, 10 sticks minimum). You can also get rice cubes for ($0.60) to make it a more complete meal, but we were quite full that day so we didn’t buy any.

The plate of satay comes with chunks of cucumber and a small bowl of peanut sauce. Usually there are sliced red onions as well, but I think maybe the owner forgot to give us some.

To distinguish between the pork and chicken satay, all you have to do is see which stick has a piece of fat in the middle, and that would be the pork satay. The layer of fat helped to moisten the nicely grilled meat and added a soft crunch. There were some charred bits that give it a sweet smokiness. I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet and savoury morsel.

The chicken was leaner than the pork, so if you want something that’s not too fatty, opt for the chicken satay. It’s still as delicious, but just a tad tougher.

Young told us that the pork satay is the preferred choice for Chinese, while the chicken satay is favoured by tourists.

The key difference between other types of satay and Hainanese satay is the sauce. The peanut sauce usually comes with a small dollop of pineapple puree which adds a slight acidity and sweetness to the peanut sauce.

Because of some medical issues, Young will be running Shi Xiang Satay for another 5 years at most. He isn’t planning on passing the business down to his children, so it might come to an end once he retires.

Come try this famous satay while you still can! I heard it pairs really well with a pint of cold beer.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Shi Xiang Satay. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post Shi Xiang Satay – Oldie but Goodie Chicken and Pork Satay appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

If you live in Clementi, you would have definitely heard of Fong Dee’s Curry Puff, or at least tried it before. It is THE curry puff stall in Clementi.

I’ve been eating them ever since I was a wee child. My grandmother would always buy some after her trips to the market and we’ll have them for tea time. I remember struggling to finish the whole puff because I couldn’t handle the spiciness. I can easily take it on now of course.

The owner learnt how to make the curry puffs from his mother since he was 10. He has since used the same recipe to make his famous pastries. Everything, from the dough, to the curried potatoes and chicken, are all handmade and made fresh daily.

Appearance-wise, it isn’t the prettiest curry puff, but it has a sort of rustic look. It always reminded me of a small rugby ball.

The crust is crispy, yet soft at the same time. It’s less like a biscuit, but more like a pie shell. There’s nothing quite like it. The crust is one of the unique parts of Fong’s Dee curry puff.

Each puff ($1.20) is filled generously with curried potatoes, chicken, and a slice of egg. It’s best eaten 5-10 minutes out of the fryer, when it is still hot. You’ll get that burst of flavour and a spicy kick from the rempah. (Like I said, I can totally handle it now.) When we had it that day, it was a little bland. But, they’re still really addictive. After devouring one, you would feel like having another, and then another.

Fong’s Dee Curry Puff only sells potato curry puffs, among some other fried goodies, such as goreng pisang and spring rolls. I have yet to try them, but I might give them a go if I don’t get tempted by the curry puffs first.

So, if you’re ever around Clementi, make sure you get your hands on these delicious curry puffs!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Fong’s Dee Curry Puff. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post Fong’s Dee Curry Puff – Best Curry Puffs in Clementi! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

The old Serangoon Shopping Centre seems to be frozen in time — in the 70s to be specific. Surprisingly, the ground floor, which is where Fragrant Garden is located, was pretty crowded.

This traditional Teochew restaurant started from a humble zi-char stall in Geylang Serai village in the 1950s. They have withstood the test of time and gained popularity over the years. The restaurant serves authentic Teochew fare so you can expect dishes such as braised duck, steamed pomfret, Oyster Omelette, liver roll, pork trotter jelly, stuffed sea cucumber, Cai Por Kway Teow etc.

We started dinner on a high with the Pork Jelly ($10 / $15) and Combo Roll ($12 / $20). The former is an uncommon dish that requires a few hours of slow cooking. It’s especially appetite-whetting when eaten with the tangy chilli vinegar. The latter is a platter filled with prawn rolls and liver rolls. We don’t often see liver rolls in restaurants now. Deep-fried till perfection, they are full of the fragrance of five-spice powder and creamy liver.

How do you like your oyster omelette? I like mine gooey. Fragrant Garden’s Oyster Omelette ($14 / $20) is on the crispy side. You’ll get a pile of crispy eggs with big and juicy oysters.

Braised Duck in Teochew Style ($15 / $20) is a favourite among locals. Here at Fragrant Garden, each piece of finely-sliced duck is served with authentic Pu Ning tofu and topped with dark sauce and coriander. Look at that layer of skin! The duck was sliced uniformly and the tenderness of the meat was captivating. The braised soy sauce was fragrant as well.

Sea cucumber is a delicacy. It takes about 3 days for Fragrant’s Stuffed Sea Cucumber ($60 onwards) to obtain that slightly crunchy and soft texture. The special meat stuffing adds a textural difference to the sea cucumber.

When we dine at a Teochew restaurant, ordering pomfret is a norm for us. The restaurant handpicks its fish daily at the market so you can be sure that the fish here is always fresh. When steamed well, the fish will be moist and soft. When ordering pomfret, please remember to double confirm the price as it is charged by size. Our plate of pomfret in the picture cost $95.

After all the meat, we ended dinner with Braised Vegetables with Scallop ($12), Fried Kway Teow with Chai Po ($5 / $8 / $12) and Yam Paste ($4 / $20 / $30) served with gingko nuts, pumpkin and shallots. It’s not the best, but I enjoyed the Chye Poh Kway Teow which was full of ingredients such as chopped kai lan, egg, beansprouts and of course chye poh (preserved radish). Stir-fried with pork lard, the kway teow was packed with wok hei. Their orh nee is loaded with lots of shallot oil.

It was an enjoyable dinner because of the company. But I don’t like the pushy service as the waitress kept recommending the expensive stuff on the menu. I caught her rolling her eyes when we rejected her recommendation of Cold Crabs.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

The post Fragrant Garden – Authentic Teochew Dishes in Serangoon appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Yuhua Market and Hawker Centre is home to many delicious food and famous stalls. One of them is Lai Heng Handmade Teochew Kueh. Opened for 18 years, the stall has gained a reputation for making one of the best Teochew kuehs in Singapore.

The owner wakes up at 1 am every day to prepare the ingredients for the day. He will then spend the morning filling and folding the kuehs.

One of the interesting things about the stall is that they sell both steamed and pan-fried kuehs. It takes about 10-15 minutes to steam the kueh, but only a few minutes to fry them.

It intrigued us so much that we bought all four types of kueh, both steamed and pan fried.

The soon kueh ($0.70 for steamed, $0.80 for fried) is a crowd favourite, and also the owner’s personal favourite. Honestly, I can tell why. I actually wasn’t too keen on soon kueh, as my impression of it is this translucent gelatinous blob with stuffing inside. The thick skin always turned me off, and the bang kuang is always not up to par.

But this? The steamed skin was chewy, QQ, and wasn’t too thick. The bang kuang inside was so soft and flavourful. The crisp pan fried skin took it up a notch. I am now a convert.

The png kueh ($0.90 for steamed, $1 for fried), unfortunately, didn’t impress me as much. The glutinous rice inside was a little dry, and it made the kueh difficult to chew and swallow. The fried version tasted a little better, but not by much. Maybe if you added the chilli sauce, it would be easier to eat.

The chives kueh ($0.70 for steamed, $$0.80 for fried) is a hit or miss for most as the taste of chives doesn’t appeal to everyone. Surprisingly, it was a home run for me. The chives were soft, and I couldn’t really taste the light garlicky onion flavour it usually has. It was juicy too. Needless to say, the whole kueh disappeared in a flash. The fried version was gone just as quickly.

To differentiate the cabbage kueh ($0.70 for steamed, $0.80 for fried) from the others, just look for the pink dot on top of the white skin. The cabbage was cooked to a soft texture like the chives, but it was a lot saltier. Maybe it’s because it was made with hei bi. It was flavourful, but you can only have so many at a time.

I was sceptical at first, given my bad history with soon kueh. But, Lai Heng Handmade Teochew Kueh really deserves its reputation for amazing Teochew kuehs. I preferred the pan fried versions compared to the steamed ones, as I really liked the crunchy skin. But hey, that’s just me. Many like the traditional steamed versions more. They’re both delicious and I know I’ll be craving for them in a few days time.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Lai Heng Handmade Teochew Kueh. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post Lai Heng Handmade Teochew Kueh – Yummy QQ Teochew Kueh at Yuhua Market and Hawker Centre! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

I like knowing what goes into my food, and that is why I always love to prepare my own meals, and bring them to work. However, preparing a healthy and nutritious meal can be time-consuming and tedious. More often than not, I end up settling for an artery-clogging fast food meal.

Thankfully, I was introduced to Kemono’s new bento sets which are savers of my waistline. You may have heard of Kemono — they specialise in slow-roasted chicken. Kemono has just launched a range of nutritious, yet great tasting, bento boxes which makes healthy eating fuss-free and great.

Each bento box comes with a main and two sides. And guess what? Kemono allows you to choose the sides! That means that I can customize each bento to my very own liking!

“No Fried Foods” is the name of the game here at Kemono, and their bento boxes reflect that! I was also pleasantly surprised by Kemono’s quirky and attention-grabbing bento packaging. The RPG-style art design of the packaging that envelops each bento set was really fanciful! Even our resident office otaku gave her thumbs up.

I decided to go with Kemono’s signature Roast Chicken Leg ($11.90), a side of Strawberry Lychee and Cucumber Salad for my first bento box. There are a lot of sides for you to choose from. Some of the more interesting ones include Okinawa Duck Stew and Spicy Wagyu Beef.

The chicken leg was simply glorious. It is first seasoned, then slow-roasted in an oven. You can expect thin and crisp skin, and wonderfully juicy meat! I sank my teeth into the tender chicken leg and I was not disappointed. I was met with a torrent of savoury juices that just burst out! The sides were a pleasure to dig into as well. Think crunchy and refreshing cucumber, and sweet lychee with strawberries. What a nutritious and delightful meal! I also added a Keisuke exclusive smoked egg.

With each bento, you have a choice of Braised Soya Sauce or Japanese Curry as your rice gravy. Both are equally great with the fluffy Japanese short grain rice shaped into onigiri.

I knew each of my colleagues’ food preferences, so I decided to customize the bentos to their liking as much as possible. Colleague #1 likes her food to be well balanced, so I went with the Kobe Lamb Stew Bento ($12.90) as a main, and Spicy french beans with chicken luncheon meat and Chilled Tofu with Sesame Dressing for sides. Needless to say, she was delighted!

Meticulously stewed until all the lovely flavours have permeated all the cubes, the tender lamb is sure to make you go “Su goi!”. If the Kobe Lamb Stew is Yin, then the Chilled Tofu with Sesame Dressing must be Yang. The delicate Chilled Tofu with Sesame Dressing is light and aromatic, and is the perfect accompaniment to the stew!

Kemono uses Halal and MSG-free chicken luncheon meat in their dishes. Even though the luncheon meat was completely void of MSG, the light natural taste of it blew me away. If I had not mentioned to my colleague that it is MSG free, she would not have believed it!

Colleague #2 is big on protein and unagi, and I knew the perfect pairing for him. For mains, I chose the Freshly Grilled Unagi Bento ($15.90) with Edamame Salad French Bean Eggs on the side. The unagi promises a great symphony of flavours, and great textures. Each thickly-sliced piece of unagi is delicate and savoury, with a good amount of fat that makes the unagi melt in your mouth. The unagi is succulent and well-seasoned. Have some of the unagi with the organic multigrain rice (additional $1.90). You definitely can’t go wrong with it!

With such customizable nutritious meals at the ready, Kemono is going to receive frequent orders from me! The best part is that Kemono does islandwide delivery until 12 midnight! Whether it’s for a gathering, or just a weekday lunch, Kemono’s healthy and nutritious bento sets are perfect for any occasions!

This post is brought to you by Kemono.

The post Kemono – Healthy & Customizable Bentos For Any Occasion! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Nowadays, handmade fishballs are very rare. Stalls that sell them are treasured finds indeed. Thye Hong Fishball Noodle is one such stall. There is another stall in Ghim Moh that goes by the same name. That’s because the owners of both stalls are siblings. The younger brother is helming the stall here in Bukit Batok.

The fishballs and fishcake are made from yellowtail. The whole family gets the same fish from the same supplier. The results are these little white balls of goodness.

You can choose from a few different types of noodles, and whether you want the dry or soup version. We got the Mee Pok dry ($3.50) and Kway Teow Soup ($3.50). They come with spring onions and a few pieces of lard.

The noodles were eggy, chewy and slightly spicy from the addition of chilli.

Now for the star of the dish, the fishballs. They were incredibly bouncy and supple. If only I could show you. I’ll bet they can bounce a few times if I threw them. They’re soft enough so you can sink your teeth in all the way through. You can taste the yellowtail, but it’s not fishy at all — a testament to how good these are. The sizes are all relatively uniformed too, even though they’re homemade.

Order the kway teow soup if you feel a little under the weather, or if it’s a cold day. A nice, warm, comforting bowl of fishball noodles will chase any blues away. The soup had a light and clean taste. They don’t use MSG in their soup, which must explain why. Be warned that the noodles soak up the soup really quickly.

I preferred the dry version to the soup version. For someone who doesn’t really fancy fishball noodles, the fishballs really blew me away. I guess there really is a difference between handmade fishballs and mass produced ones. If you love fishball noodles, you must give this a go.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Thye Hong Fishball Noodle. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post Thye Hong Fishball Noodle – Handmade Fishballs in Bukit Batok! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Whenever you’re feeling under the weather, the first food you would think of eating would be noodle soup, or a nice bowl of porridge.

One of the stalls in Clementi that everyone recommends is Soon Lee Porridge. This 79-year-old stall has been selling authentic Hainanese porridge in Clementi since 1980. They moved here from their first location in Bukit Timah.

The 3rd-gen owner (on the left) has been learning the craft since he was 9, but officially started working at the stall when he was 20.

Every morning, his father makes a huge pot of plain porridge which they will then make individual portions from. It takes up to one and a half hours to make the porridge. The recipe of the ingredients such as the minced pork, pork balls, and porridge have not changed much since his grandfather’s time. However, some tweaks have been made to cater to the tastebuds of consumers.

Upon receiving each order, they will scoop a portion of plain porridge, and a spoonful of secret sauce into a small pot, before adding the rest of the ingredients.

We got the Pork Porridge, Chicken Porridge, and Fish Porridge. Every bowl is ($3), and you can add $0.30 for an egg.

What sets Hainanese porridge apart from other types of porridges, is that the porridge is thick, but you can still see the broken rice grains. It’s made by using a mixture of old rice and new rice.

The pork porridge comes with pork slices, pork balls, and pork liver. The pork balls were absolutely delicious. They were savoury and meaty. They taste like sausages, but without the casing. It was a comforting bowl of porridge. I can see why this is their signature.

Each bowl is topped with salted vegetables, spring onion, and fried shallot oil. You can also add as much white pepper and soy sauce as you want.

If you add an egg into your porridge like we did, don’t stir the porridge too much as it will get watery. Just stir a few times, then scoop the porridge from the top and work your way down. That way, the surface of the porridge, which is cooler, would be easier to eat.

The chicken porridge was delicious too but the chicken itself didn’t leave much of an impression like the pork did.

The fish porridge comes with fresh slices of batang fish. It came a close second to the pork porridge in my opinion. Taste is subjective, of course, so feel free to try them and tell us what you think.

We tried a bowl of porridge without the egg, and I must say that it had more flavour. Maybe the egg yolk mellows out the flavour of the meat, or it makes the porridge more watery. Nevertheless, Soon Lee Porridge makes a really good, hearty bowl of porridge, and you should definitely give it a try one day.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Soon Lee Porridge. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post Soon Lee Porridge – Warm Bowls of Comforting Hainanese Porridge in 448 Clementi! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Chef Kang is very busy.

Besides managing his one Michelin Star private kitchen, he also has to take care of Chef Kang Noodle House in Toa Payoh. And recently, he opened Chef Kang’s Prawn Noodle House in Toa Payoh.

Coincidentally, both his wanton and prawn noodle outlets are in Toa Payoh. “Toa Payoh is my playground, I grew up here so I am very familiar with this place,” he said.

Chef Kang spends his afternoon at the prawn noodle house while he heads back to the restaurant to cook in the evening.

There are only two dishes on the menu. King Prawn Noodle Soup With Prawn Paste Spare Ribs ($10) is, of course, the signature dish.

The rich prawn broth, which Chef Kang personally makes each day, is boiled with prawn shells and heads, shrimps and chicken feet. Chef Kang starts boiling the broth a day before so that the stock will be full-bodied and robust when they open for lunch the next day. The mere aroma itself is enough to get you salivating.

Each bowl of noodles comes with medium-sized deep-sea king prawns with flesh that comes off the shell easily. Bite into the succulent prawn to uncover a sweetness and pleasant briny taste. Apart from prawns, you’ll also find tender and flavourful prawn paste spare ribs.

Chef Kang said, “During the olden days, we just mix rice with lard oil. That’s tasty enough.” Inspired by that, he came up with the Hot Stone Prawn Paste Spare Ribs Rice ($10). The hot stone pot is heated on the stove till 300°C before Chef Kang adds a generous portion of rice to it, and topped the rice with a prawn paste pork chop, fried lard cubes, spring onions, a raw egg yolk, and dark soy sauce.

The hot stone helps to crisp up some of the rice at the bottom, similar to claypot rice. That generous portion of pork lard won my heart, and the dish was well balanced with the delicious Prawn Paste Spare Ribs. The thin crust sealed in the juices of the pork while the fried shrimp paste batter packed a punch, with a burst of umami when you bite into it.

This is such a humble eatery serving simple yet homey dishes. Chef Kang said he will come up with new dishes in the near future. Word of advice : be prepared to queue.

The post Chef Kang’s Prawn Noodle House – Michelin-Starred Chef Sells Hei Mee in Toa Payoh appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Whenever I ask someone about their top picks for chicken rice in Singapore, I’m always greeted with the name “Xing Yun Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice”. So, I decided to head to Yuhua Market and Hawker Centre to see how good the chicken rice really is.

Here, they serve only white (steamed) chicken. Not a single roasted bird in sight. Doesn’t matter, because I prefer steamed over roasted chicken anyway. We got one regular plate of chicken rice ($2.50), and one with thigh meat ($3.50).

Each plate comes with a slice of tomato and pineapple, and one strip of cucumber hiding beneath the chicken. This plate of the normal chicken rice might look a little drab and plain at first glance, but it was surprisingly good. The chicken was juicy despite it being breast meat, and the rice was savoury, fragrant, but not too oily.

For just an additional dollar,  you can have juicy and succulent thigh meat instead of breast meat.

Xing Yun Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice drizzles a special sauce over their chicken rice. It’s so tasty that I almost wished my whole plate was covered with it. Some dabao their chicken rice just so that the sauce would infuse into the rice even more.

I recommend dipping the chicken in as much of the chilli as possible. Spicy, garlicky, and gingery, the chilli pairs so well with the chicken. Can you see the chicken glistening?

Xing Yun Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice is definitely one of the better chicken rice in Singapore. Considering the price point as well, their chicken rice is definitely worth your money, and the calories.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Xing Yun Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post Xing Yun Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice – You’ll Feel Lucky After Having This Chicken Rice! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Located in Leng Kee Community Centre, The Living Room is a family-run cafe that is perfect for social gatherings and study sessions. I’m not going to lie, my first impression of this simple but pretty cafe was that they were going to offer the standard fare of waffles and pasta. However, I was wrong. They serve up many different local delights at relatively affordable prices! The menu features dishes such as Bee Hoon (from $1.20), Nasi Lemak (from $3.80), and Mee Siam ($4).

The Porkrib Prawn Noodle ($8/$10) is one of their pricier options, but for a good reason. They use premium ingredients to make the broth and the final product. They use fresh Ang Kar prawns that are juicy and perfectly cooked. These prawns are quite substantial in size too. The soup had the rich flavour of prawns, and was a little on the sweeter side. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The pork ribs were tender and fell off the bone easily. The bee hoon and egg noodles were chewy and springy.

I loved the Chicken Chop Curry Rice ($4.80) which came with curry, fried chicken cutlet, cabbage, and a sunny side up. The fried chicken cutlet was so good. It was crispy, despite bring soaked in the curry, and flavourful. I thought it was a tad salty. The curry was rich and creamy. The sunny side up was overcooked, so I couldn’t dip the chicken in the yolk. All in all, the whole plate was so worth it and delicious. I would definitely order it again.

The Signature Mee Sua ($6.50) was quite disappointing, to be honest. For that price, I expected more than just noodles and pork ribs and a bowl of soup. As someone who likes anything with mee sua in it, I have to say that there’s not much flavour or depth to it. I think there was prawn stock thrown into the noodles, but I couldn’t taste it. The pork too, was bland. Maybe it had been boiled for too long, because all the flavours had seeped out of it. It’s unfortunate, seeing how good the previous two dishes were.

They have a few interesting drinks on their menu. One of them is the Black Spider, which is a mix of kopi and milo. Think of it as an Asian mocha. They came up with the name themselves, as they wanted something unique. It tastes exactly like how you would expect it to taste — a chocolatey kopi. If you need a pick-me-up in the morning, this might just be the drink for you.

The Living Room started when a businesswoman (far left) wanted to introduce an F&B outlet to the CC. Now, it has become a family business with a few of her relatives helping out. The recipes come from the family, and the items on the menu are inspired by their favourite dishes.

Whether you need a hangout place, a place to study, or simply somewhere to grab a bite, The Living Room is the perfect place.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the cafe featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to The Living Room Eating House. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post The Living Room Eating House (Leng Kee CC) – Delicious Cafe Food That Won’t Break The Bank! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Our good friend, Paul, has been raving about this popular braised duck stall in Alexandra Village Hawker Centre. I didn’t pay much attention until one day, Paul’s father said to me in all seriousness, “You must eat this duck rice and watch how the uncle slices the meat with precision. It looks exactly like how restaurants would serve. If he wants to accept disciple, I would want to learn from him.”

Mind you, Paul’s father has been cooking for half a century and opens one of the most famous zi-char eateries in Singapore. For such an experienced chef to rave about this braised duck stall, it must be really something.

That intrigued me, and the following week, we arranged for lunch at New Market Teochew Braised Duck Rice (新巴刹潮州卤鸭饭) and met the 60-year-old owner, Mr Chan. I heard the queue starts forming way before the stall opens, so we decided to go for a late lunch. Thankfully, we managed to get the last few plates of braised duck rice (just not a lot of gizzard left).

Most people probably don’t know that this famous duck rice stall was once operating at Ellenborough Market by the Singapore River (near Clarke Quay). It was also called the Teochew Market, because the area was a Teochew enclave. It was also introduced as New Market, which gave the name to New Market Road. After the building was demolished, Mr Chan moved to Alexandra Village Hawker Centre and named the stall “New Market Teochew Braised Duck Rice”.

Mr Chan learnt the art of braising from his relative who started a pushcart stall selling braised duck rice in the 1950s. He has been doing this for 33 years. “The old school braised duck is a lot more savoury, oily and sweet. But now customers prefer something healthier, so we have to fine-tune the recipe to suit everyone’s palate.”

Their braised duck has indeed captivated many foodies’ hearts. The sauce was very fragrant and flavourful, and not starchy. We were still feeling full from our late breakfast when we visited the stall. But to our surprise, we managed to finish a bowl of plain rice, with nothing but the braised sauce, each.

The duck was incredibly tender and would have been awesome on its own, but the braising sauce just made it even more delicious. Mr Chan is a talented hawker with incredible knife skills. Each slice of duck meat is uniformly cut and even when there is a queue, he doesn’t rush through it. He takes a lot of pride in cutting the duck. Watching him prepare your dish is part of the experience.

Be sure to dip each slice of the duck meat into their homemade chilli sauce. It was moderately spicy with a hint of tanginess. We also shared a plate of Mixed Braised Duck platter which comes with intestines, braised tofu, braised egg and pigskin. Mr Chan used to sell kway chap but it was too much work for the couple, so they focus on duck rice. The intestines were clean and tasted great with the braising sauce which had a mild herbal flavour.

I am probably still too young to talk about nostalgia but our meal at New Market Teochew Braised Duck Rice was so satisfying!

The post New Market Teochew Braised Duck Rice – Braise Yourself For Delicious Duck rice in Alexandra appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Uncle Dough might be new, but it has been warmly welcomed by the regulars of Yishun Park hawker centre. Owned by 3 close buddies who love to experiment with food, Uncle Dough offers more than just your typical you tiao (fried breadsticks). Noorman (far right) who is already an owner of another stall in Yishun Park Hawker Centre, recommended Irsyad (middle) to set up a stall when Timbre and National Youth Council (NYC) introduced a 6-month incubation programme offering a $1,300 all-in rental fee per month with no service charge. They are brothers-in-law and Hairul came in as a co-founder of Uncle Dough as well.

Every dish on their menu is handmade daily. When I came at 3pm, some of the items have already been sold out. It was amazing watching the skinny dough expand into thick sticks of you tiao after being deep-fried! I managed to try an original you tiao and boy, the handmade dough really made all the difference! Fried to a perfect golden brown, the you tiao has a light crisp exterior and a fluffy core. I shared the rest with my colleagues and the you tiao was gone in minutes.

Here’s their latest creation, Nutella & Nuts You Tiao ($2.20)! Slathered generously with Nutella and topped with crunchy nutty bits, this new creation will drive your tastebuds crazy. It was both savoury and sweet — what an ingenious combination!

Next up is the MayoTako You Tiao ($2.20). The youtiao was meant to taste like tako balls. Fans of the popular Japanese street snack will enjoy this!

Finally, a you tiao stall that has you tiao for just anybody! Uncle Dough even has Cheesy You Tiao and Milo Dinosaur You Tiao ($2.20 each). The kid in me just screamed”Yippeeeee!”

Another popular dish is the You Tiao Rojak Semarang ($3 / $5). This dish took inspiration from a spicy sauce that originated in Semarang (southern part of Indonesia). When Uncle Dough first introduced this dish, many couldn’t take how spicy it was. Hence, the owners decided to reduce the level of spiciness.

If you’re not into spicy food, you may be interested in the You Tiao Rojak Satay Madura ($3/ $5; not in the picture) which is inspired by a sweet sauce with roots in Madura (eastern part of Indonesia). 

Seeing this dish reminds me of pasar malams in Malaysia. Do you know that appam originated in India? Just as I was ordering this, another patron requested for it too, but was politely rejected as my order was the last one of the day (how lucky!). Seeing his disappointed face, I knew this was going to be good!

The batter is made with rice, coconut and other secret ingredients, before it is left to ferment for about a day. Noorman shared that the original recipe requires longer hours of fermentation but that equates to a stronger sour flavour which many of the customers could not accept. 

Indeed, there was a hint of sourness in the appam. The bright orange sugar and coconut shreds added some sweetness. As everything is made upon order, you should eat it immediately so that it’s still crisp and fluffy. So simple, but so good!

Uncle Dough has created an Onde Onde Appam ($2) too! Surprisingly, this is more sour than the traditional appam. My colleague actually preferred this to the traditional one because it was more sour!

These young owners used up 25kg of rice before successfully producing a decent appam. Kudos to them!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Uncle Dough. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post Uncle Dough – Handmade Youtiao with Unique Toppings appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Hailing from Thailand, Artbox Singapore 2019 is here again for its third year running. From 15-17 November 2019, and 22-24 November 2019, it will be held at the Singapore Turf Club at 3pm – 11 pm daily. Look forward to over 300 different booths.

From art installations, to entertainment acts, to a plethora of food choices for you to choose from. You might be overwhelmed, but we’re here to help. These are 10 noteworthy stalls that you should definitely look out for when you’re at Artbox Singapore 2019: Eden.

Beef Bro

No night out of street food hopping is complete without your dose of beef. Beef Bro has you covered with their Tom Yum Wagyu burger, and Pad Phat Kaphrao beef cubes. However, these two items will only be available at Artbox, so definitely grab them while you can!

Chug to Chugs

Next, we have a new entree to Artbox’s lineup of vendors, Chug to Chugs. They are yet another stall selling photogenic beverages. Their drinks are not only charming, they also have pretty cute names too. Butterfly blossom bubbly lemonade, wild mojito bubbly lemonade (non-alcoholic), lychee bubbly lemonade, passionfruit bubbly lemonade, pink grapefruit bubbly lemonade, and so on and so forth. Definitely another addition to your social media feed.

Dum Dum Thai Drinks

Following along with the Thai theme, is Dum Dum Thai Drinks’ Dirty Temptation Latte Series. Available exclusively at Artbox Singapore 2019 are the Dirty Thai tea latte with Brown Sugar Konjac Balls, and the Dirty Thai green tea latte with Brown Sugar Konjac Balls. You certainly won’t be able to resist trying out these sinfully delicious drinks.

Hot Star Fried Chicken

The ever-popular Hotstar Large Fried Chicken will be serving up hot and juicy cutlets for your snacking pleasure. Be sure to try the Tom Yum flavoured Super Crispy Batter with Juicy Chicken Fillet, available exclusively at Artbox Singapore 2019!

kómma social cafe x Huggs Coffee

kómma social cafe x Huggs Coffee will be serving your coffee to go, but with a twist. For every drink you purchase at kómma social cafe, you will get a token. The gentlemen will receive a colour gel token, while the ladies will receive a multi-image token with different requests on the back side. Find your matching token with the correct gel to reveal the requested image and get free workshop passes at MOX’s container! Sounds super exciting, doesn’t it?

Noodz Origins

Artbox Singapore 2019 introduces another new vendor that will be sure to shake things up at this festival. Specialising in fish balls, Noodz Origins will surprise you with their unique and yummy take on this well-loved local snack. Take their Aburi Mentaiko fish cube/ball for example. Or, the mala fish cube. OR, the salted egg yolk fish cube/ball. Whichever you order, their rendition of the little fishy rounds are sure to impress.

Teabrary

Opened by Mediacorp artiste Vivian Lai, Teabrary (a combination of tea and library), has gained a reputation for selling pretty teas (pret-teas, if you will) in attractive, reusable bottles. They will be introducing two new teas at Artbox, which are their Ananas Tea- a premium assam valley black tea with pineapple fruit jelly, and Lemongrass green tea- a premium high mountain green tea blended with lemongrass. So why don’t you get your hands on these aesthetic bottles of tea and snap one for the gram while you’re at it?

Thailand Street Food

Artbox is known for its unbeatable Thai cuisine, and a simple yet comforting bowl of savoury minced basil pork donburi with an onsen egg from Thailand Street Food, maybe just what you need. Look out for their new Durian Sticky Rice- an Artbox exclusive, along with their famous sticky mango rice!

Tiger Crystal

Crack open a crystal cold one with your friends with Tiger’s newest lager beer, Tiger Crystal. One sip of this super smooth beverage will leave you feeling refreshed and wanting for more! Priced at just $6 per bottle, you may not be able to stop at just one, especially in Singapore’s tropical weather.

Triple C

Yet another new vendor is Triple C, whom, paying homage to Artbox’s Thai origins, will be offering popular Thai dishes. Expect Thai boat noodles, Tom Yum mama noodles, Thai Pork Floss, Candy Floss, and my favourite, Mango Sticky Rice.

Want to bring back something with you as a keepsake for your memorable time in Artbox 2019? Well, in collaboration with Pestle & Mortar Clothing, Artbox will be releasing Official Artbox Singapore 2019: Eden merchandise. Think T-shirts, bowling shirts, tote bags, and stickers, all with exclusive Artbox X PMC designs. As there is only a limited amount of these exclusive merchandises, the first come first serve rule doth apply. Fastest fingers first!

Other than aesthetically pleasing food to fill up your camera roll for the night, Artbox will be featuring different artworks, installations, and backdrops for your photo-taking sessions as well.

As you arrive at Artbox, the first thing you’ll notice is a beautifully decorated 3-levels-high entrance container, beckoning you to whip out your cameras for the first photo of the day.

Once you walk through the entrance of Artbox, you will enter a mesmerising Vine Entrance Arch, made with real plants by City Sprouts.

From 7 pm to 10.30 pm, The Lenticular Artwork- Artbox’s first interactive projection mapping- is a gigantic display on four erected 40 feet vertical containers. There will be a two-minute projection mapping show every 30 minutes. You definitely do not want to miss out on the beautiful moving artwork installation.

Artbox Singapore 2019 is only around for 2 weekends annually, but each year is constantly topping the previous. I can’t wait to see the full scale of what Artbox Singapore 2019: Eden, has to offer this year!

This post was brought to you by Artbox.

You may also wish to check out what was offered at Artbox Singapore 2018!

The post Artbox Singapore 2019: Eden – 10 Noteworthy Food Stalls to Look Out For! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

TungLok Seafood’s third and newest outlet has recently opened at the spanking new Paya Lebar Quarter, PLQ Mall. TungLok Seafood is known for their chilli and white pepper crabs, and a huge array of fresh seafood that will please even the most discerning diners.

Here at the new outlet, TungLok Seafood continues to serve only the best and freshest catch. Are you ready to see what TungLok Seafood at PLQ Mall has to offer and the exclusive dishes available at this outlet?

Kick off your meal by treating yourself and your loved ones to the Steamed Razor Clam with Garlic and Vermicelli($10/piece). The strong and lovely fragrance of garlic, and savoury vermicelli, will whet your appetite and prepare your palate for the tantalizing dishes to come.

Sashimi lovers will fall in love with the TungLok Seafood Platter ($68) which comes with Norwegian salmon, swordfish, yellowtail, crunchy poached prawns, plump oysters, and sliced baby abalone salad. A seafood platter like this would probably burn a hole in your wallet elsewhere, but TungLok’s rendition is incredibly value for money! There’s seriously no reason to not share this seafood platter!

It was lunchtime on a Thursday afternoon, and the restaurant was packed with hungry diners. We noticed that TungLok Seafood’s Signature Chilli Crab($7.80 per 100g) appeared on almost every table. It’s no surprise though, especially when the chilli crab looks, smells, and tastes amazing. If you have tried TungLok Seafood’s chilli crab before, you might have picked up a citrusy hint in the well-balanced sauce. That lovely note comes from the addition of fresh hand-squeezed orange juice! You just can’t miss this incredible creation!

The most popular dish at TungLok Seafood is actually the White Pepper Dungeness Crab with Leek and Fresh Peppercorn ($8.80 per 100g). The white pepper sauce packs a punch and is not made for the faint-hearted. But even those who can’t take spicy food, like me, will enjoy the umami-laden crabs. Biting into the juicy meat hidden in the claw will definitely make you grin from ear to ear. Shiok!

We especially enjoyed the award-winning Deep-fried Prawn with Wasabi-mayo Sauce ($26). Do you know that this dish was originally created by TungLok Seafood in Year 2000? Expect firm and crunchy prawns wrapped in a light batter, and coated with wasabi-mayo sauce. The wasabi flavour is pronounced but it’s not at all overwhelming. I think TungLok Seafood has absolutely nailed the sauce!

The Braised Rice Vermicelli with Seafood ($24) is a flavourful ensemble of clams, prawns, mushroom, and al dente vermicelli. We couldn’t get enough of the tasty and light broth which was extremely comforting. This dish is perfect for any occasion, but even more so on a cold rainy day.

Fans of curry fish head certainly have to give the TungLok Curry Fish Head($38) a go. The fish head comes from a 7-8kg locally-bred barramundi of Australian origin! Tender and firm fish bathed in a fiery and appetizing gravy that’s laced with a touch of tanginess — what’s not to love? Note that this sumptuous dish is only available at PLQ Mall and Arena Country Club

One of the key highlights was undoubtedly the Wok-baked Australian Lobster with Vermicelli (market price). You will be blown away by how meaty the Boston lobster is. Succulent and juicy, the lobster was cooked to perfection and the entire dish was executed flawlessly. There’s no denying that this was one of my favourite dishes of the day, and I’m not ashamed to report that I finished most of it!

Kept hot by burning charcoal, the Grilled Fish (Marble Goby) with Mushroom, Tomato and Vegetables in Hot and Sour Broth ($9 per 100g) will set off an explosion of flavours in your mouth. The remarkably fresh fish was dressed in a really delightful and appetizing broth that will make you reach for more. I have no doubt that you will be hooked.

There’s no better way to round off a fantastic meal than with TungLok Seafood’s Durian Series Desserts. You should most definitely try the trio (Chilled Black Glutinous Rice with Durian Puree and Coconut Ice-cream served in Young Coconut – $12, Durian ‘Mochi’ – $8 (pcs), and Durian Pudding – $8). If your stomach only has enough space for just one dessert, I’ll recommend going for the durian mochi which sees a thin and chewy skin stuffed generously with creamy durian puree. Be warned though, it’s crazy addictive!

TungLok Seafood has been and will always be a great venue for celebrations, family dinners and corporate gatherings. The food is impeccable, and the service is great!

This post is brought to you by TungLok Seafood.

The post TungLok Seafood – Seafood Haven at the New PLQ Mall appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

I often have a long curated list of food places to visit when I visit Johor Bahru (JB), and Kota Zheng Zong Bak Kut Teh is one of them.

The good news is, Singaporeans will get to have a taste of it without having to travel to Johor because Kota Zheng Zong has opened at Holland Village.

While waiting for Singapore’s outlet to open, we decided to drive to JB just to have a taste of it. Kota Zheng Zong is a popular family-run restaurant specializing in claypot herbal bak kut teh since 1980. The owner, Mr Pang Kow, started selling bak kut teh from a roadside pushcart in Kampung Kelantan. He later handed his business over to his son, Mr. Pang Kong Pee, who partnered with local Johorean Dato’ Lai Sing Yai to open the eatery in JB in 2018.

Kota Zheng Zong Bak Kut Teh currently has two outlets in JB – Taman Nusa Bestari and Taman Sentosa. Many Singaporeans who are looking for a bak kut teh fix will head to one of the outlets, which explains the steady flow of regular patrons from early morning. At about 12pm, the place was packed with people.

Bak kut teh was created for Chinese labourers in the early 20th century but it has become a beloved dish for many Chinese businessmen. “I eat bak kut teh. Every week. Sometimes twice a week,” Dato’ Lai announced proudly. He and his friends meet for bak kut teh and spend hours doing pretty much what he was doing at that moment – eating, drinking tea, talking business, welcoming friends and pausing now and then to chat on cell phones.

The second generation Mr Pang is very particular about using only fresh and quality ingredients. He still follows his father’s special recipe and cooking techniques to provide the authentic taste of bak kut teh. Here at Kota Zheng Zong, different chunks of meat are first cooked in a herbal broth over charcoal fire, before they are heated up again upon every order.

We simply couldn’t wait for the hot, bubbling pot of meaty pork ribs. Boiled for at least an hour and a half with 18 Chinese herbs, the signature Claypot Bak Kut Teh (RM14 per pax) comes with beancurd sheets and spring onions. Customers can choose from various types of meat such as pork ribs, pork belly, pork tail or pork trotter.

I love my bak kut teh dark, concentrated and strong. The soup was dark and flavourful, and the taste of herbs was not overpowering. There is just something about this bak kut teh that clears my sinuses and jolts me out of my zombie state.

You can amp up your bak kut teh with premium Spanish Iberico pork (RM 38). Note that it requires 40 minutes to cook. We also ordered the Three Mix Pot (RM12) consisting of pig’s kidneys, liver and intestines. If you want extra flavour, you can request to add a drizzle of Hua Diao wine or Martell cognac to your claypot.

The White Pepper Pig’s Stomach Soup (RM12) is another top seller at Kota Zheng Zong. The white pepper is specially imported from Sarawak and boiled in-house for at least 2 hours with local fresh pig’s stomach. The pig stomach was boiled to the right tenderness. The clear and delicately sweet broth had a distinct peppery flavour which added more depth. It had given me a case of warm soup belly.

Bak kut teh is best enjoyed with a medley of sides that includes salty preserved vegetables, fried dough fritters, Braised Pork Trotter and Otah. Prepared according to a traditional recipe, the pork trotter promises fresh trotters that have been braised for at least 2 hours. Just look at that chewy collagen-rich pig’s skin! We also had a plate of Otah made from Spanish Mackerel Fish.

Kota Zheng Zong has opened its first Singapore outlet at Holland Village. It’s going to be air-conditioned so you can enjoy their herbal bak kut teh in comfort. I am excited about it and hopefully I will get a chance to try the premium Iberico Bak Kut Teh.

Imagine having a piping hot bowl of bak kut teh on a rainy day. So comforting.

The post Famous Johor Kota Zheng Zong Bak Kut Teh Opens in Singapore! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.

Hwa Xing Bak Kut Teh is one of the remaining stalls that still serve tea along with their bak kut teh (delivering the teh in bak kut teh).

There are two versions of bak kut teh — the peppery version, and the herbal version. Hwa Xing Bak Kut Teh serves the former.

Oh, the bak kut teh ($5) was peppery alright. That intense spiciness just hit me and left that tingly sensation at the back of my throat. It will either make you go “SHIOK!” or your face will scrunch up. The soup was robust, and tasted several notches better than other peppery bak kut tehs that I’ve had. I loved that the meat fell off the bone very easily.

The pig’s trotters ($6) were fatty and the meat came apart from the bone quite easily. The gravy was a tad salty in my opinion, so do eat it with rice ($0.50/bowl). If you’re fan of pig’s trotters, you should definitely try this.

You can add on mui cai ($1) if you feel like jazzing up your bak kut teh a little.

You should definitely visit Hwa Xing Bak Kut Teh if you love peppery bak kut teh. It is a gem that still honours the old school way of serving bak kut teh with a pot of tea.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Hwa Xing Bak Kut Teh. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

The post Hwa Xing Bak Kut Teh – Super Shiok Peppery Bak Kut Teh! appeared first on Miss Tam Chiak.