denise tan blogs

Kwee Heng Duck Rice/ Noodles
I realise the irony of playing a duck (amongst others) in Animal Farm AND eating duck for lunch, but oh boy, the food at this Newton Hawker centre stall is POWER!!!

Kwee Heng
#01-13
Newton Circus Food Centre
This is a famous stall is just facing the carpark so you can’t miss it. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it or tried the food from there before. This stall has everything from duck rice, duck noodles, to kway chap. I must mention the Crispy Boneless Duck (tastes like braised duck, but it deep fried) and all their braised meat, which is very tender, comes with stewed egg, taupok (beancurd) and is smothered in a tasty, silky sauce.
The broth that comes with the rice & noodles is also heavenly – very herbal, very thick and very delicious.
But my favourite from Kwee Heng comes highly recommended, thanks to my theatre friend, actress Pam Oei who pointed out this dish to me – their dry duck macaroni! It’s pure comfort food, each little piece of macaroni has little grooves to which the silky sauce clings, so it’s especially flavourful, with a deep, ducky essence, enhanced by the vinegary sauce & spicy kick from the chili. Topped with shredded braised duck meat and beansprouts for crunchy texture. Perfect for a quick lunch, my portion was gone in 60 seconds!
Bonus: this stall is next to another popular one – Bee Heng Poh Piah, which while pricier than most other places, is delicious and leaves you wanting more. $1.80 each, minimum order of 2 rolls.

Thunder Tea Rice

Thunder Tea Rice or Lei Cha Fun is one of those dishes that you either love or hate – a delicacy of the Hakkas, this unusual dish is an acquired taste, but apparently very good for your health. Its makers claim that it can lower cholesterol, detoxify the body, relieve stress, aid digestion, combat flu, boost the immune system, etc!
I’d describe it as medicinal, bitter, astringent – so it feels antiseptic and good for you.
Thunder Tea Rice is called Thunder Tea Rice because of the bowl of “tea” which comes with the rice. The Tea is actually a savoury, complex broth made from green tea leaves, coriander, basil, mint, Chinese parsley, sesame seeds, ginger, mugwort and other herbs I can’t pronounce! These are all ground up in a special bowl and then made into a tea which is to be added into your rice. Other goodies like pickled radishes, long beans, peanuts, dried shrimps, ikan billis, fried tofu are then heaped on top of the rice. You usually have a choice between white or brown rice.
Try Thunder Tea Rice at these places:

IVAN’S PORRIDGE
This porridge stall is run by a husband and wife team and used to be located in the Empress Road Food Centre, off Farrer Road. Many people have recommended this one – praising the smooth, tasty texture, the thickness and the freshness of the porridge ingredients. Choose from chicken, pork, internal organs versions.
Must-mentions are the century egg porridge with lots of century egg and the yummy fish porridge. Paired with the plates of raw fish, comfort food in a steaming hot bowl! The raw fish is really fresh and prepared daily by the boss, who’s very particular. He’s been known not to sell any fish to customers if its not fresh enough!The sliced fish served freshly sliced with lots of fried onions. Prices are reasonable, serving size generous.
Ivan’s Porridge
Blk 22A/B Havelock Road
6 Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre (Beo Crescent)

COMFORT FOOD – SHEPHERD’S PIE

One of my favourite foods is the simple combination of meat and potato in Shepherd’s Pie. This traditional English dish is simple, satisfying and also available to buy in single-snack or family versions, thanks to THE SHEPHERD’S PIE in Bedok.
Here’s a sampling of their menu:
• Lamb Special – Richly flavoured ground lamb, mixed vegetables, topped with cheese & mash potatoes.
• Black Pepper Beef *spicy* – with ground beef, mixed vegetables, topped with cheese & mash potatoes.
• Black Pepper Chicken *spicy* – with chicken chunks, mixed vegetables, topped with cheese & mash potatoes.
• Classic Beef – with ground beef, mixed vegetables, topped with cheese & mash potatoes. Traditional taste.
• Classic Chicken – with chicken chunks, mixed vegetables, topped with cheese & mash potatoes. Traditional taste.
• Veggie Lovers
Most 9×9 inch family size pies go for under $25, pretty reasonable for 4-6 people. And if you live in the area, I hear they do deliveries. Happy noshing!

The Shepherd’s Pie
Blk 3015 Bedok North St 5
#06-05 (Take Passenger Lift Lobby B)
Shimei East Kitchen
Open 11am to 9pm
Call 6789 0707

Uno Beef House

Tucked away in Toa Payoh Lorong 5 is this Western food stall, where the food is good, prices are reasonable and portions are generous. Uno’s signature dish is the black pepper sirloin steak & black pepper chicken chop – the fresh black pepper flavour comes through but is not overpowering. Served with a wonderful mashed potato ball with a thin but crisp biscuit-crumb coating. Other must-tries are the fish and chips and ultra-crispy chicken wings.
There are more than 20 items available on the menu and everything, including the gravy that goes with the sirloin steak, chicken and pork chop, is made from scratch. Nothing is pre-cooked and left sitting around.
That is why each order takes at least 20 minutes, but the food is so worth the wait!
UNO BEEF HOUSE
Block 51 Toa Payoh Lorong 5, #01-60
Tel: 9677-6007
Open: 12 – 11pm, closed on alternate Wednesdays.

Hainanese-Style Mutton Mee Suah
(recommended by Gold 90FM listener Adam)
This unusual dish boasts a pungent, herbal broth that packs a punch. Perfect comfort food for a rainy day, but be warned the mutton will give your jaws a chew-tastic workout!
186 Toa Payoh Central
#01-402 Nam Chuan Toa Payoh Restaurant
Tel: 6253 7673
Operating Hours: 12.30pm – 9.30pm (Closed on Thursdays)

Cheok Kee at East Coast Lagoon Food Village

Many people know Cheok Kee for its famous duck rice, but they also serve up a mean curry fish head and curry chicken noodles at their East Coast Lagoon Food Village branch, just diagonally across from the duck rice stall.
The Assam Curry Fish Head ($18) is thick, rich, tangy, spicy, sweet and comes bubbling hot in a claypot big anough for 4 adults. Red snapper head is used and cooked to tender, not mushy perfection, as are the vegetables in the slurpelicious gravy.
As for the curry chicken noodles ($3-$4), what makes it unique is the hint of pandan and lemongrass you get together with the curry flavour – Mouth-watering! Choose also between the yellow noodles, beehoon or kway teow and dig in! And while you’re there, you might as well order up some of their famous braised duck rice too, for a truly hearty meal.
CHEOK KEE (assam curry fish head and curry chicken noodles)
Stall 27
East Coast Lagoon Food Village
Open daily 11am – 10pm

DELICIOUS BONELESS CHICKEN RICE

A recommendation by several Gold 90FM listeners, including Hema, who SMSed to tell me all about this popular makan place. The stall, run by Goh Boon Hua and his wife at the same location for the past 20 years, is unique mainly for its chicken. It comes sprinkled liberally with crunchy deep fried garlic bits, raw onions, and sliced red chillis which makes for a tasty, pungent textural contrast with the tender meat. Every order also comes with a plate of cucumber and pineapple achar and a bowl of stewed wintermelon-carrots-chicken-soup. Costs about $4 per portion, $10 for 2. One thing to note, though: despite the name of this stall, the chicken DOESN’T come boneless unless you request for it. Read the sign!
Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice
865 Mountbatten Road, #B1-85/87 Katong Shopping Centre
Open 9am to 8pm daily

EPOK EPOK CENTRAL

Are you craving something deep fried and tasty?
How bout some fresh, hot, spicy potato and sardine curry puffs?!
This is a very popular stall for Malay-style curry puffs (epok epok), going at only $1 for 3 the last time I was there. Good value for money! And super scrumptious, with a thin crispy crust, hard boiled egg and buttery curry potatoes inside.
Go at lunch time, order some epok epok as an appetiser, then have their Nasi Lemak. Fragrant coconut rice, sweet sambal belacan, and choose from ikan bilis, egg, ikan kuning and chicken wings (when freshly fired, oh my goodness – crisp and highly spiced with ginder and tumeric).
Epok Epok Crescent
Blk 4A Eunos Crescent
#01-09 Eunos Crescent Market and Food Centre

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