Beanstro

Beanstro was our alternative choice for chilling out after we learn that the planned location was closed suddenly for the night. I then realised that Beanstro is actually part of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

We managed to get a table surrounding the Canal of MBS with the Rain Oculus in the middle.

Beanstro

For the first time ever I had an Ice blended Chocolate drink pairing with Chinese New Year Cashew Nuts Cookies. The Caramel flavours were not overpowering and goes well with the drink. Cookies were placed on a separated tray that can be decked up from the usual coffee bean cup. 

Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Ice Blended with Cashew Nuts Cookies - $10.50

With Chinese New Year in the Month of January - February this year, Coffeebean comes up with cakes associated with the new year. The ultimate Chocolate Cake was riched in taste with hints of orangy flavours. Alternating Sponge cake and chocolate cream layers make up the entire cake. The cake was adorned with a Fish that Symbolised Nian Nian You Yu, "Abundance Through the Year".

Ultimate Chocolate Cake - $8.90

Comparing both cakes, I will prefer the Osmanthus & Peach Cake for its light and savoury taste. The cake has osmanthus flowered sprinkled on the top later. We get to enjoy some little peach cubes out of the cream layers. The red portion indicates Gong Xi Fa Cai which means "Wishing you enlarge your wealth".

Osmanthus & Peach Cake - $8.90

The environment and ambience score especially when we get to sit around the Rain Oculus, however, it seems like there is a fixed timing to dine in to enjoy such a wonderful view. Though such view is man-made it still gives us a good feeling here, letting us unwind ourselves after a hard day.

Rating: 3 / 5

Beanstro
Location: The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue #B2-20 / 20A , Singapore 018972

Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Original Popiah & Kueh Pie Tee

Revisiting this reputable Joo Chiat Popiah after a good 9 years. The impression of that rundown and rustic flooring was still in my mind since last visit. Obviously, the shop has been renovated to a more modern and eye pleasing environment. 

Stall of Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Popiah

It's kind of interesting to see the art on their wall depicting a man painstrikingly working on the popiah skin using his hands while little kids were watching.

Mural on Wall

Another mural has well-illustrated that a Peranakan Lady was preparing the Popiahs. It also indicated that Kway Guan Huat business started since 1938.

Since 1938

A look deeper into the shop to observe this lady preparing every order while the patrons were standing outside the shop waiting patiently for their Popiah and Kueh Pie Tee.

Into the Shop

Popiahs are ready to be eaten and served Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 2pm.

Watching over the orders

No doubt that price per popiah had risen tremendously, one fold up the previous price, I will still say that their popiahs are still one of the better ones in the market with in house making their own popiah skins.

Popiah Per Roll - $4

The fillings are abundance, matching the price paid for at $4 a roll. Ingredients include prawns, egg, crispy cracker, Chinese parsely, carrot, trunips, peanuts etc 

Abundance of Fillings

Popiah - $4 

Have you tried them?

Thickness of Popiah

---

Posted 04 August 2013

We chanced upon an old shop selling handmade popiah and Kueh Pie Tee after running our weekend errand in Joo Chiat. You may be surprised that this traditional and run-down shop still has its support with its well known Poh Piah Skin history since 1938 in Joo Chiat.

Located just by the side of the Road

Take a look into the shop and you will find no tables or chairs but many tubs of ready made Poh Piah and Kueh Pie Tee ingredients. You will also get to see a number of traditional stoves that are used for Poh Piah Skin Making sitting on traditional ancient looking tiles.

 Run down Shop

Kway Guan Huat is also featured as one of Dr Leslie Tay's picks for its best Poh Piah.

Dr Leslie Tay's Feature

  
Like any other poh piah stall, the food is prepared on the spot upon ordering, you may choose to dine in by there is only 1 table available, which is beside the Poh Piah Lady.

 

Kueh Pie Tee

Besides its long Poh Piah History, what are the additional buying points? Let's check them out!

This poh piah is legendary! It's skin was indeed very thin and immediately bought me over. Good stuff I thought! *Slurps*

Ingredients like the turnips were scooped up from the cooker, bubbling hot while the rest like Tau Gay (Beansprouts), crispy bits and vegetables were added later on, separately. Although the layer of poh piah skin is seemingly thin but dont judge a book by its cover, it holds every piece of the ingredients so firmly that nothing actually ooze out from this thin layer, moreover the fillings are moist! I have opted for its non spicy version as the my friend cannot take the spice.

Cross Section of Popiah

Kueh Pie Tee on the other hands was equally good. Ingredients are similar to Poh Piah's, turnip carrot, fresh lettuce, beansprouts and ground nuts. With a crispy crust outside and its juicy ingredients filled in, and boy what a perfect match!

Popiah

Kueh Pie Tee Cost: S$2.00 for 3
Poh Piah : S$2.00 each

Something that one might want to know is that the place was rather congested (one-way traffic) and parking space is limited.

For those who have not try this yet. I will highly recommend this! Die Die must try!

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Original Popiah & Kueh Pie Tee
Location:  95 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427389

Long Phung

I begin to start recollecting my memories on the last visit to Long Phung when our meetup calls for Vietnamese Food in Joo Chiat. My last visit was about 7 years ago when pandemics haven't started and we used to get a full packed place.

Long Phung

The place is of course more spread out than before due to the pandemic restrictions. The Interior has no major changes. They still have dishes from the menu plastered on the wall.

Interior

Surprisingly after so many years, the price of the rolls still remain the same. These rice paper rolls of salad with shrimp & pork are my favourite order whenever I visit the Vietnamese eating place. Having said that, dipping these tightly wrapped rolls into the sweet peanut sauce perfect the taste.

Goi Cuon (4 Cuon) (Rolled Salad with Shrimps and Pork) - $7

If you prefer something fried for appetizers or sharing, these Fried Vietnamese Spring Rolls are not bad.

Cha Gio (Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Small) - $10

The soft and crispy exterior of the rice paper were deep-fried with ground meat in it. The appetizer is made perfect with sweet and sour chilli sauce.

Individual Roll

This is my first time having Vietnamese Mini Savory Pancakes. It is crispy outside while rich and creamy in the centre with a prawn. I'm not so much of a coconut milk person in food like this thus I will give this a miss.

Banh Khot 8 cai (Khot Cakes 8 Pcs) - $10

A look into the bowl of Pho and I have already spotted the difference. Where have those leafy basils gone to? Special Noodle Soup has all kinds of special beef variations such as raw sliced steak, beef briskets, tendons and meatballs. The soup still tastes great and this dish comes with a raw egg too.

Pho Dac Biet (Special Noodle Soup)- $9.90

For something simpler, the classic beef noodle soup, Pho Nam is stomach comforting. It comes with slices of beef flank in the light yet sweet tasting soup with yellow onions.

Pho Nam (Well-done beef noodle soup) - $8.50 

Coffee Lovers who have yet to try the popular dripping Vietnamese coffee will want to give this a try. The cup of milk was served separately.

Cafe Sua Nong (Hot Milk Coffee)

Take a look at the coffee

While beverage is a must order to accompany our food. We have some ice milk coffee and ice milk tea.

Cafe Sua Da (Milk Coffee with Ice) - $4
Tra Sua Da (Ice Milk Tea) - $3.50

With the air travel restrictions, this Vietnamese food serves as an alternative to fix the craving for the cuisine.

---

Posted 2nd September 2015

And the search of best authentic Pho continues... It was to my surprise that there are a number of Vietnamese eating places in Joo Chiat. As usual we patronized the one that has more crowd, the restaurant settings was more towards a family environment with spacious walkways, comfortable and big tables for groups.

Counter

Perhaps it was a sunday evening , servers were slow yet steady in their serving.

Menu

Place was simple and well kept with illustrated food dishes plastered on their walls. Though there were a handful of vietnamese around in the restaurant, these pictures aid patrons and gave them a better view of particular dish.

Interior

Of all juices and drinks, I had decided to opt for the Thai coconut for its refreshing taste. Meat was soft and easily scrapped out from its husk. Sweet and thirst quenching under the heat.

Thai Coconut - $3.70

Jackfruit Smoothie was not a bad idea too. Simply love the sweet fragrant from the fruit itself and when everything was blended into smoothie, it is actually very soothing too for a hot day like this.

Sinh To Mit - $4.30

My all time favourite again from the Vietnamese Cuisine! It comes in small or big portion where the small consists of 4 rolls at $7 while the bigger portion has got 6 rolls at $10.50. They termed it as their rolled salad with shrimp and pork rice nicely by the translucent moist rice paper. The dipping sauce played a big role in this dish usually, however the sauce over here in Long Phung was kind of let down as it reminds me of our local "Chee Cheong Fun" sweet sauce, not the kind of style I like.

Goi Cuon (4 Cuon) - $7

Pho Nam ~ Well-done beef's brisket noodle soup gave me the refreshing taste from its broth. It was light, however, I find that the brisket were rather hard and at some part, the noodle has kind of funny smell which was not too pleasing.

Pho Nam - $7

Looks like we are always stuck between these two familiar dishes and that is none other than their special noodle soup again. As compared to my previous bowl, the light tasting broth was delighting in its beef combination, herbs, eggs as well as garnishing.

Pho Dac Biet - $8

Close up

Beef ball over here was not too spectacular and taste run-of-the-mill, something that you can get off the shelves perhaps.

Beef Ball

For two consecutive meal with Vietnamese Cuisine, even though Long Phung is considered as authentic, my vote will still goes to Mrs Pho for its environment and Pho. Do note that only CASH is accepted here.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Long Phung
Location: 159 Joo Chiat Road Singapore 427436

Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken

Our cravings for Soya Sauce Chicken is back. While we all knew that the Famed Singaporean Soya Chicken Sauce loses its Michelin Star sometimes back, we did not bother much as we have our stomachs set to different Soya Sauce Chicken Stalls in Chinatown.

Stall of Ma Li Ya

While the hunger level in us has spiked, it gave us no control but to order a whole chicken and share among ourselves.

Our Orders

Ma Li Ya's consistency in braising their chicken never lies. The chicken is still beautifully glazed to perfect brown and not oily at all. The parts of the meat were flavourful and succulent with umami flavours exploding in our mouths. The braised sauce has permeated well enough giving the natural flavours of the chicken a lift.

Hong Kong Style Soya Sauce Chicken - $16  (Whole)

If you are adding sides to your meal, having their Signature Braised Beancurd is not a bad choice too. This silky beancurd was well braised and generously drenched in the sweet dark sauce.

Signature Braised Beancurd - $1.50

Don't let those flavourful braised sauce go to waste, you can have them pair up with their white rice too.

Rice 

---

Posted 01 July 2017

So much of Liao Fan Soy Chicken that has stolen the limelight these while as they got featured in top 50 Michelin Recommended food. However, there is also another Chicken Rice Stall that is worth visiting in the vicinity! Upon seeing at the signboard, it will give me a good smile if you think of the translation.

Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken

Good Dept of Flavour with Soya Sauce infused into the meat and this is good enough to give a significant difference from the usual Soy Chicken we had from Chicken Rice Stall. Not only was the sauce fragrant, but the skin of the chicken was also excellently done.

Signature Soya Soy Chicken - $10 (Half)

Meat was juicy with skin tone uniformly coated in its glistering brown suit. Tender and springy in each bite. How heavenly!

Additional Shot on the Signature Dish

A healthier version of Chicken Rice with lesser oil thus not as glossy as one might have seen. However, there is no noodle option found from their stall.

Rice

The taste as overall is quite unique and I don't mind spending some calories on these yummy chicken.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken
Location: Chinatown Food Centre #02-189, Singapore 050335