On the onset, this looks like a very normal plate of hor fun (it is in fact a plate of hua dan hor fun – …
Has the standard of Zi Char in Singapore dropped?
Local Hawker Fare
Yishun 925 Hainanese Chicken Rice – Best Chicken Rice in Singapore?
As mentioned in the best chicken rice in Singapore post, we did mention the Yishun outlet as one of the contenders for the best chicken rice in Singapore.
The Long Queue
Long queues at Yishun 925 Hainanese Chicken Rice
Well, long queues always form the basis of whether a chicken rice stall is worth trying and at Yishun 925, the queue does not stop!
We joined the queue of 10 people (after lunch hours), sat down, ate and the queue was still there!!
Taste Test
As mentioned previously, the rice here was worth a try. However, when we tried it again this day, the standard sort of dropped.
Chicken rice at Yishun 925 Hainanese Chicken Rice
The rice did not seem to be as flavourful as before. The chicken was still good but could be easily taken out by Tiong Bahru or Mei Ling Street.
Close up of the chicken at Yishun 925 Hainanese Chicken Rice
The saving grace for our outing this time was the chilli. Flavourful, solid chilli that packs a slight punch. The cost of our meal for 2 person was $7.60 which is considered quite expensive for kopitiam price.
Verdict
After another round at this chicken rice stall, it seems to us that it has dropped out of contention for the best chicken rice stall in Singapore. Mei Ling Street, Tiong Bahru and Wee Nam Kee at Thomson Road still have the upper hand in this epic battle.
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Afterthoughts on Fatty Cheong’s Roast Pork, Roast Duck and Char Siew @ ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre
After watching Fatty Cheong’s roast duck, roast pork and char siew on meat and greed, Kate and I finally decided to give it a try to see if it was really worth all the hype. There’s no pictures taken this time round as there are already tonnes of these pictures on all other foodie sites.
Fatty Cheong is located at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre (along Jalan Bukit Merah). Fatty Cheong itself is located opposite KFC beside a small bakery within the food centre. It is really quite hard to miss the long queue. Kate and I waited for half an hour before it was our turn! So without further ado, we shall go through these 3 foods that are recommended at Fatty Cheong, in order of preference…
Roast Duck at Fatty Cheong aka 烧鸭
We ranked the roast duck right up there because the taste was really impeccable! It was once said that Fatty Cheong himself worked at a hotel before (do correct us if we’re wrong) and that was where he picked up his skills in meat roasting.
Back to the duck, the roasted duck at Fatty Cheong can easily be placed in the realms of roasted ducks served in hotels and chinese restaurants (See Peking Duck @ Prima Tower). This is because of the flavourful taste of the duck and not to mention THE CRISPY SKIN!! Taken together, the skin and the meat compliment each other to perfection. Hear the crispy skin crackle in your mouth while the flavours of the meat bursts forth. Yum!
Char Siew at Fatty Cheong aka 叉烧
The 不见天 (direct translation : no see sky) portion of the meat is used for the char siew at Fatty Cheong. The reason why the portion of the pork is called 不见天 is simply because this is the portion at the belly of the pig and literally does not see the sky. This portion is said to be the creme de la creme for char siew roasting because of the bits of fat that makes the char siew oh so flavourful and tender.
This is the disclaimer part. We were served with the portion of the char siew without much fatty parts. This made the overall texture a little on the tough side. This could be why we’re placing it after the roast duck eventhough many have raved about the char siew at Fatty Cheong.
Well, we must say that the sauce used was one of the best we’ve tasted. It was not too artificially sweetened and really brought out the taste of the char siew. The colour was also enticing as compared to some that are too orangy and does not appeal to the palates.
The moral of the story is this – Always ask for the portion with some fatty bits for your char siew!
Roast Pork at Fatty Cheong aka 烧肉
Coming in 3rd does not mean that the roast pork at Fatty Cheong is not good. It is just that relative to the roast duck and char siew, the roast pork did have its downside. The skin of course was crispy but the meat itself was very thinly sliced. In addition, we felt that the taste was a little bit salty.
Overall, it was a good roast pork, no doubt about that. If the cut was a little bit thicker, it would definitely have been much better!
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Fatty Cheong’s at ABC Brickworks Revisited (February 2021)
We revisited Fatty Cheong’s at ABC Market and are happy to share that they have actually opened another stall right at the back of the food centre!
The stall seemed smaller but the main highlights of roast pork and char siew are still available here. We’ve also noticed the boss doing his inspections to ensure that everything was in good order. This time, we ordered the wanton noodles…
Still as good as ever. Priced at $4, you’ll get generous servings of its famous char siew, complete with slightly charred bits around the edges. Fatty yet firm to the bite. Love it!
If you’re visiting ABC Market and still wondering what to eat, check out our post of “What to eat at ABC Market (aka ABC Brickworks Food Centre)” as well!
Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice Restaurant : Best Chicken Rice in Singapore?
When you think about the best or most popular chicken rice in Singapore, which chicken rice stall do you think of? Yishun? Tiong Bahru? Mei Ling Street? Or Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice at Thomson Road?
Kate and I wanted to check out what all this buzz is about and paid a visit to Wee Nam Kee Hainese Chicken Rice Restaurant located at 275 Thomson Road #01-05 Novena Ville (opposite Novena Church)
Wee Nam Kee Hainese Chicken Rice Restaurant @ Thomson Road
There was certainly no lack of a crowd at this popular chicken rice joint. We thought the queue was long when we first arrived (we could even find a seat) but when we left, there was even a queue JUST to get into the seating area! To add to the celebrity factor, we also saw Huang Bi Ren and her family within the short time we spent at the restaurant! (Nope, no pictures here as we do not want to intrude into the lives of our celebrities yah?)
Let us side track a little. There is also a nice little soya bean joint at the corner of this stretch. They sell soya bean milk, soya beancurd and even durian soya beancurd! The thing is these 2 stalls try not to “intrude” into each other’s territory and they adhere very stringently to the “yellow lines” that border their boundaries. Therefore, DO NOT ask the aunty at Wee Nam Kee for soya bean, she may give you an ugly stare before telling you courteously to get your drink from that stall. This we faced, so DO NOT repeat our mistake!
In order to fully maximise our trip to Wee Nam Kee, we ordered both the roasted and steamed chicken from the stall. We ordered a quarter chicken for each type of cooking and they cost $10.80 for a quarter of a chicken. The price was quite steep but it was soon compensated by the taste…
Chicken rice at Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant
Taste
Let’s talk about the roasted chicken first
Roasted Chicken at Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant
The chicken was well roasted yet not too oily. The flavour was fully infused into the skin and the chicken which went really well with the rice. The spices were distinctly flavourful and is arguably one of the best roasted chicken around.
Steamed Chicken at Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant
The steamed chicken was good. No doubt about it. However, not to find fault or anything, we’ve tasted juicier and more tender skin that slaps unto your lips leaving you wanting for more.
The rice was good but also not the best that we’ve tasted. In order to have the best chicken rice in Singapore OR the “dream chicken rice” we recommend…
1. The Chicken Rice from Yishun
2. Roasted chicken from Thomson (Wee Nam Kee)
3. Steamed Chicken from Mei Ling Street or Tiong Bahru
Do you know any other best chicken rice in Singapore that you would like to recommend? Why not share it with our readers through our comments section below?
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Local Hawker Fare – Chai Tow Kway aka Fried Carrot Cake
There are so many local hawker fare in Singapore. To the locals, hawker food is still the best. In the olden days, hawkers used to ply the streets selling their foods. However, in the 1960s, the hawkers were re-located into hawkers centres where many stalls are gathered in one place. Today, these hawker centres are called food centres and the hawker food is also found in food courts everywhere in Singapore.
One of the local favourites is the Chai Tow Kway aka Fried Carrot Cake
Fried Carrot Cake aka Chai Tow Kway
How it is made
In this dish, there isnt any real carrots per se. Instead, white radish or “white carrots” are mixed together with flour and steamed to create the “body” or the carrot cake itself.
The fried part comes in when this steamed carrot cake is divided into squarish portions and fried together with sweet and dark soy sauce, eggs and chai poh (preserved radish).
The Taste
There are basically 2 types of fried carrot cake commonly found in Singapore. It is the white version (fried without sweet/dark soy sauce) and the dark (or black) version. Most of my foreign friends prefer the white version as it is very much palatable and the taste of fried eggs is very much acceptable. On the other hand, the dark version, slightly on the sweeter side has its own followers as well.
When you are in Singapore, do take time to try both and see if you belong to the white or the dark side… Enjoy!
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Local Hawker Fare – Char Kway Teow aka Fried Kway Teow (Flat noodles)
There are so many local hawker fare in Singapore. To the locals, hawker food is still the best. In the olden days, hawkers used to ply the streets selling their foods. However, in the 1960s, the hawkers were re-located into hawkers centres where many stalls are gathered in one place. Today, these hawker centres are called food centres and the hawker food is also found in food courts everywhere in Singapore.
One of the local favourites is the Char Kway Teow aka Fried Kway Teow…
Char Kway Teow
Kway Teow actually refers to white flat noodles. However, in char kway teow or fried kway teow (by now you would have known char is fried right?), yellow noodles are often used.
How it is made
It is really simple to make this local hawker fare. Garlic is first fried till its golden brown while beansprouts,lap cheong (chinese sausage), eggs, chives and sometimes prawn or squid is fried together. Next the flat white rice noodles (kway teow) and yellow noodles are thrown in to be fried together again. Light / Dark and a little bit of sweet soy sauce is added to taste.
Once this is done, the fried noodles is laid over fresh cockles for it to be cooked under the heat of the noodles.
The Taste
There are commonly two varieties of char kway teow (much like the fried hokkien prawn noodles), the wet version or the dry version. Personally, I like mine a little bit wetter. The moisture is usually derived from water or stock.
The char kway teow in Singapore is commonly a little bit on the sweet side (though it is still pretty much a savoury dish), the fried beansprouts together with eggs and chives brings out a local flavour that is both aromatic and savoury. You’ve got to try it to experience it!
Local Hawker Fare – Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles
There are so many local hawker fare in Singapore. To the locals, hawker food is still the best. In the olden days, hawkers used to ply the streets selling their foods. However, in the 1960s, the hawkers were re-located into hawkers centres where many stalls are gathered in one place. Today, these hawker centres are called food centres and the hawker food is also found in food courts everywhere in Singapore.
One of my favourite hawker food is the Hokkien Mee…
Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles
How it is made
In order to create this local delight, kilograms of prawn head and shell are boiled together for hours with pork bones or ribs. The stock is then kept to fry the noodles. Thereafter, egg, noodles (both white and yellow), garlic and the stock is fried together, simmered again with more of the stock, to allow the noodles to be infused with the flavour of the stock.
When this is done, pre-cooked sotong (squid), prawn and sometimes slices of pork are thrown in and fried for a short while before serving. The hokkien mee is usually served with chilli on the side.
In recent days, the hokkien mee may also be wrapped in Opeh leave (some kind of bamboo leave I believe) so that the fragrance can also be imparted to the noodles.
The Taste
There are many varieties of this same dish. Some like it dry and sticky, some like it moist and wet. I like mine infused with the flavour, no matter dry or wet. Primarily, the hokkien mee has a seafood taste with a prawny slant. It is generally savoury sweet (not the dessert sweet) with a hint of bitterness from the yellow noodles. The taste of the noodles will really depend on the stock (i.e. the ingredients used to prepare the stock) and should be rich. The time taken to simmer the noodles and infuse the stock will determine its final taste.
Just writing this post makes me want to eat hokkien mee! Enjoy!
