Lala Claypot & Prawn Claypot at Cheese Story Mookata Buffet

The Claypot trend continues as more & more F&B owners are joining in serving Claypot Steamboat with Lala as well as Prawns. 

Be thrown with surprise that the well known Original Cheese Story Mookata from Golden Mile Complex has already join the fun.

Cheese Story Mookata Buffet

Grab a seat by the side of the pool and enjoy a good meal either with the Mookata or Claypot.

Cheese Story Mookata Buffet

The perks of enjoying our meal in Balestier Home Team NS with this beautiful pool view especially in the night.

Pool View

We had the best of both worlds, enjoying Claypot Lala for just $19.90 or Claypot Prawn for $29.90. The ingredients were brought over to the diners' table which I find that its good as its a transparency to consumers. 

Besides the main ingredients like Prawns & Lala, they include ingredient just as Oil, Fried Garlic, Chinese Wine and Ginger Strips. 

Ingredients for Claypot

Besides the transparency of the ingredients, the preparation process was showcased by their assistant, blowing up a huge fire over the charcoal stove while cooking our Lala & Prawns on the earthen claypot.

Fire over the Claypot

Perhaps its a good reason why we had huge fire beside the pool. Just Kidding.

Preparing Lala Claypot

After doing the basic cooking to the Lala, the broth was then poured in with the claypot lids covered and simmering for minutes.

Broth 

The broth for both Claypot Lala & Prawns are the same.

Adding Fried Garic and Topping Up Broth

While waiting for the bubbling experience from our food beside the pool.

Claypot Lala & Claypot Prawn - $19.90 & $29.90

The aroma from the Chinese Wine of our claypots made us hungrier as the clock ticked. 

Lala Bubbling in the Claypot

Prawns Bubbling in the Claypot

The Prawns are of quality and totally worth the price paid.

Prawns from Claypot

In addition to the claypot, we can order ala carte hot pot items at our preferences. We had additional prawns, scallops, sliced meat and vegetables.

Claypot & Ingredients

We had the plate of minced meat with egg. Thought it is quite interesting as we seldom see this from the hot pot restaurant.

Egg on Minced Meat

Besides the seafood we had, the shabu shabu was something cannot be opted out from hotpot dining.

Shabu Shabu

For those who are missing Cheese Story Mookata from the defunct Golden Mile Complex, you can enjoy your favourite Mookata here too. Grab your widespread of Mookata ingredients items from the buffet counters.

Counters

Seafood Counters

Bamboo Clams

Enjoy this 3 menu in one concept at Cheese Story Mookata Buffet. For those who are craving for Lala Claypot, you can consider theirs as an alternative.

Cheese Story Mookata Buffet
Location: HomeTeamNS Balestier-JOM, 31 Ah Hood Rd, #01-07, Singapore 329979

Bao Er Cafe

We headed down to Balestier Plaza and were horrified by the crowd lining outside Bao Er Cafe with the mall looking deserted on the outside. With limited seating space and long waiting times, we finally got ourselves a sharing table. 

To me, the place did not look ideal as it was poorly ventilated and we reeked of a smokey smell after having our meals. 

We were so excited as the long-awaited Hokkien Mee that was highly raved online finally landed on the table after waiting for more than half an hour. 

The chilli that was tucked at the corner of the plate looked potently spicy while the plate of noodles looked yummy with the delicious 3 Tiger Prawns, fish cakes, pork belly, squid and pork lards on it.  

Tiger Prawn Hokkien Mee - $15 

The first mouthful of the noodles had completely ruined the dish and immediately, I categorized it as a waste of good ingredients for the plate of noodles contained too much of a burnt taste and not "Wok Hei". The velvety look of the noodles had totally deceived us with the burnt broth taste. Sad.

Spoonful of HKM

We trusted the signboard for this recommended dish on their menu and many patrons had this on their table. They were served piping hot and looked well marinated by a reddish brown appearance. 

Prawn Paste Chicken - $10

The chicken wings were good and could have been misinterpreted for Prawn Paste Chicken as the entire bowl of wings lacked the essence of prawn paste. No doubt that it is crispy, they were only as good as ordinary chicken wings.

Chicken Wing

While they could not cope with the hype, they ran out of ice cubes and could only serve canned drinks. To make things worse, the rims of the canned drinks we had were very dirty.

Overall, it's rather disappointing travelling down all the way to Balestier to have such encounters.

Rating: 3 / 5

Bao Er Cafe
Location: Balestier Plaza, 400 Balestier Rd, #02-01, Singapore 329802

Tiong Bee Bah Kuk Teh

Passing by the coffee shop and decided to buy some drinks to quench our thirst after a long sunny day but got attracted by a familiar dialect accent from the stall beside while queuing for a drink. I turned my head towards the stall and observed for a while, taking out my phone to learn that this Bak Kuk Teh has some history and was quite popular. 

Teck Seng Coffee Shop

Despite having so many other popular Bak Kut Teh around in Balestier, I could not resist myself and bought a bowl of Bak Kut Teh from them even though I'm not hungry.

Stall of Tiong Bee Bah Kuk Teh

To be honest, I am never a fan of Teochew Bak Kut Teh for their soups are peppery. Nevertheless, I must agree that this soup has a very well balanced taste without being overly peppery. A handful of vegetables were included too.

Pork Ribs Soup - $7

The meat was tender and succulent, falling off from the bones easily without too much effort. Although I'm ordering this plain without rice, the uncle allows me to refill the soup and asked if that was enough. 

Yummy Pork Ribs

Just like the social media stated, the service rendered is pleasant. I hope to make a return in an empty stomach for their other items in the menu.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Tiong Bee Bak Kut Teh
Location: 588F Balestier Rd, Singapore 329899

Wham Poa Satay Bee Hoon 黄埔沙爹米粉

Satay Bee Hoon is not very common in most hawker centers nowadays. My visits to Whampoa Drive Food Centre usually ended me up with the popular Hoover Rojak. It seems like this Satay Bee Hoon stall is among the popular ones here too. Although signboard is stating Satay Bee Hoon, apparently they are known for their laksa too.

Wham Poa Satay Bee Hoon

Satay Bee Hoon comes in different portions ranging from $4-$8. The Bee Hoon was well accompanied by ingredients such as pork, cuttlefish, prawn, Kang kong and Tau Pok drowned in the fragrant sweet peanut sauce. The sauce was generously spread on the plate covering most surface areas of my food and I was quite happy about it.

Satay Bee Hoon - $5

However, I find that it may be too watery as I prefer thicker ones. Bee Hoon was shortened in its length by cutting and I find it good as it prevents the watery sauce from splashing onto our clothing if these Bee Hoon were not cut.

After Tossing with the Satay Gravy

Some of the Ingredients

Comparing other places that offers such local dish, I find that there are still rooms for improvement. Whampoa Satay Bee Hoon may not be the best but still a nice place to try out.

Rating: 3 / 5

Whampoa Satay Bee Hoon
Location: Whampoa Drive Food Centre, Blk 90 Whampoa Drive, #01-38 Singapore 320090

Bangkok J.N Thai Food

Thai Cuisine seems to be our recent dinning option. With family and friends, we decided to patronize Bangkok J.N Thai Food located along Balestier Road in a coffeeshop. During the evenings of Weekends the place seems to quiet down a lot as compared to the weekdays.

Menu was extensive and all dishes were listed clearly on the signboard. We placed our orders efficiently after settling down.

Bangkok J.N Thai Food

Fluffy egg topped with some oysters and lemon slices. The dish was pretty ordinary, just eggs and oysters.

Oyster Omelette 蛋包炒蚝煎 - $10

The dish had confused my mind with the preset illustration of Fried Basil Minced Pork. Instead of the usual just minced meat and basil leaves, this dish was sweeter in taste with chopped long beans, carrots slices and yellow onions. The style was different, lacking the strong basil taste that one is looking for. On the contrary, its good for someone who do not like the basil taste.

Stirred Fried Basil Pork 九层塔炒猪肉 - $8

Fiery! That's the word to describe this soup not just because of the fire from its pot but also the spicy level of its soup. Although we mentioned the portion to prepared to be lesser in spice, we still felt that burning sensation on our tongue. Nevertheless, the soup was both sour and spicy, generously filled with fresh seafood like prawns and fish slices. Other ingredient like shredded lemon grass and tomato had given the dish an enhancement in taste.

Tom Yum Soup 冬炎海鲜汤 - $6

Fire 

Big portion of rice, simple and generously served. I thought its quite plain with just meat floss, cucumber slices, pineapple chunks and bits of eggs but still I will go for this rather than a plate of plain rice.

Pineapple Fried Rice 黄梨炒饭 - $5

Breaded prawn cakes were bouncy and soft. Good appetizer and finger food to start the meal with.

Prawn Cakes 香脆虾球 - $8

Of all dishes ordered, I like this best as the fish is fresh and the soup was addictive. A handful of garnishing was used and the soury and tangy taste of it was inviting. Carrots, lemon grass, onions,celery, chilli and garlic were used.

Steamed Seabass With Lemon Sauce 清蒸柠檬鱼 - $25

Service was polite even though it was from the coffee shop and I will say that the taste was not too Singaporean Thai Style as their cooking style is rather different. Overall I find the dishes rather decent.

Rating: 3 / 5

Bangkok J.N Thai Food
Location: 567/569 Balestier Road Singapore 329884

Whampoa Keng Fish Head Steamboat 黄埔庆鱼头炉

Friends were mentioning that we should try some Fish Steamboat for the evening and we went through a list of popular eating places and decided that we should explore the shop house in Balestier as its has been popular and long standing in that area.

It was nearing dinner time and for walk-in customers we had to join the snaky long queue as we did not make any reservations.

See the Queue

While waiting for our tables, we were told to look into the menu and decide what to order. There were seats outside the restaurant to let customers rest while waiting, however the number of seats could not accommodate all the people that were waiting. Some of them have to stand on the pavement which is just next to the road and we find it quite dangerous, also blocking the pedestrians who were passing by us.

The Queue

We waited for quite sometimes and while watching both human and the traffic, we managed to catch the beautiful blue hour during that day.

Blue Hour

About an hour of wait, we finally got our table. Order taking was fast and soon, our dishes were up on the table.

Spinach has a well balanced with depth of flavour coming from the mixture of normal, century and salted eggs. I'm the one who usually love to grab some of the vegetable gravy with my rice but not in this case as it is more of diluted and too much water content in the dish.

Sauteed Spinach in Assorted Eggs

Har Cheong kai aka Prawn Paste Chicken's depth of flavour is there and it was marinated long enough with the fermented prawn paste. Wings were plump and crispy at its first bite, letting out its hot juicy flavours.

Prawn Paste Chicken - (Medium)

This was what we were attracted to Whampoa Keng. The steamboat stock was milky and tasted great. Ingredients include the chunks of fish, fried yam, cabbages, seaweed, herbs and hints of fried sole fish taste were spotted. Charcoal as left burning throughout the session in the middle of the pot.

Let's dig in

The entire eating area was cramp and servers have to be extremely careful not to knock over the hot steamboat into others. Not only that, the entire place was smoky with steam rising up from each table's hot pot.

Burning in the Charcoal

Their prices are on a steeper side if we were to compare the same meals to other Fish Head Steamboat. For that time taken for us to queue and grab a table, I would not mind exchange Whampoa Keng Fish Head Steamboat for other eating places. However, taking a look at the crowd, it seems like big families with elderly were enjoy such dinner sessions. Perhaps this traditional name of Fish Head Steamboat already have a group of their die hard fans who love Whampoa Keng's style of preparing the Steamboat.

Rating: 3 / 5

Whampoa Keng Fish Head Steamboat 黄埔庆鱼头炉
Location: 554/556 Balestier Road Singapore 329872

Ah Gao Yun Tun Mian 如切著名亚九云吞面

Popular 1.90 Joo Chiat Yun Tun Mian was being featured in local programs sometimes back under the "Lost & Found" Hawkers and in case you are looking for them, they are actually in Whampoa Makan Place now. It used to be sold at $1.90 per bowl during the old times in Joo Chiat. Unfortunately due to economy inflation, its hard to make ends meet selling at such prices, instead prices were changed to $2.50 for small and $3.00 for the bigger bowl, following the market's practice.

 Ah Gao Yun Tun Mian 如切著名亚九云吞面

Chilli Version of Wanton Mee spelt out the differences between Ah Gao's and the usual bowls I had. The level of spiciness was good enough to give the kick and not overpowering, coating the strands of springy egg noodles.

Wanton Noodle - $3

Char Siew on the other hand was lean and easy to chew on, sliced into good cuts and not too fatty.

Pieces of Char Siew

Wantons were relatively decent with minced meat wrapped, however the skin gave the kind of soggy feel and was not too smooth as expected.

Wanton

Overall, the blend of chilli and the noodles may be the highlight but this style doesn't really fit me. 


Rating: 3 / 5

Ah Gao Yun Tun Mian 如切著名亚九云吞面
Location: Whampoa Makan Place, 90 Whampoa Drive #01-36 Singapore 320090

Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee

My colleagues were talking about the best Hokkien Mee in Singapore and few of them suggested Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee in Whampoa Hawker Centre. From what they said that really stirred the interest in me. Besides having known the place for their fish head steamboat, rojak and chicken rice, I never recalled trying Hokkien Mee in this vicinity, perhaps if I do its like couple of years back where the place was before their upgrading scheme.

Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee Stall Front

With so many Hokkien Mee stall in one place, don't get your attention drift to somewhere else. Business name is easily remember with "Singapore" as the keyword and queues at the stall was ongoing. What I find funny was that instead of serving plates of Hokkien Mee through their main stall entrance, there was this lady who stood at the metal ladder steps from the side of the stall and all orders are to be made and served there.

Mee (Noodles) were cooked in batches and fortunately even though the queue was long, my wait was less than 10 minutes.  At the first look of the plate, presentation looked standard with squid, lime, mixture of yellow and white bee hoon with a scoop of chilli filled with lots of seeds.

Fried Hokkien Mee - $4 (Small)

No doubt the wetness level maybe adequate with a gooey appearance, it lacked the oomph and did not really meet my expectation of this highly raved plate of Hokkien Mee. Seafood flavours were not distinctively enough and it did not really help even by relying on their Sambal Chilli to enhance the taste.

Close Up

Hopefully such thing was a once off thing, perhaps the time of visit was not too right but still we had all taken noted they were one of Singapore's favourite with such long queue.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee
Location: Whampoa Makan Place, 90 Whampoa Drive #01-32 Singapore 320090