Ah Zhong Mian Xian

When we speak about Ah Zhong Mian Xian, many will relate to the Ay Chung Mian Xian in Taiwan Xi Men Ding for their pronunciation is similar. However, this Taiwanese Restaurant located in South Bridge Road has no affiliation to the one in Taiwan.

Ah Zhong Mian Xian

Their menu was quite extensive and had a good variety of items. What's more, there is no service charge involved.

Menu

We were ushered to the 2nd floor and were kind of zoomed into the typical Taiwanese eatery environment. casual and basic without much elaborate furnishing.

Level 2 

Just too bad they ran out of pearls for the day and we had our sugar dose from their Brown Sugar Caramel Milk Tea & Taiwanese Black Sugar Winter Melon cold beverages.

Brown Sugar Caramel Milk Tea & Taiwanese Black Sugar Winter Melon (Cold) - $3

The Signature Mee Sua is a must-order dish from the menu for the restaurant's namesake. Mee Sua was well braised with braised pig intestines soaking up with the smooth and thick soup. Comparing this Taiwanese Classic to the bustling night market Ah Zhong Mian Xian of Xi Men Ding, I would say that the taste was somehow lacking the punch. I felt that it could be better with a stronger flavour. 

Signature Mee Sua 大肠面线 - $8.80

The Braised Intestine was well handled and prepared without any bitter taste. Besides featuring this Signature Mee Sua, there are also offering Rou Geng Mee Sua, SHrimps Mee Sua, Combo Mee Sua and even clear broth Mee Sua!

Braised Big Intestine

While we have a good benchmark of how a bowl of 3 cups of chicken should taste like, theirs was quite disappointing.

3 Cups Chicken 三杯鸡腿肉 - $17.90

No doubt that the chicken was marinated nicely with tenderness, but the condiments like ginger as well as basil leaves had not fully “exploded” their flavour in the dish. It lacked the touch of savoury and strong aroma.

Chicken Thigh Meat

A side combo where you get to enjoy a combination of Tempura and their Hakka Style Golden Fried Chicken.

Feng Food Gold Fried Duo 豐味炸双拼 -  $12.50 

Another Chef Recommended Item on the menu will be their Fluffy Fried Rice starring that cut slab of marinated pork chop that literally steals my appetite away. The rice looks good in its colour without being too greasy. It was a pity that it lacked the fragrance and taste to complement the delicious Pork Chop. In fact, we find that the presentation looked similar to one of the chained hawker stalls and could be done better with more flavour in it. In comparison, the chained hawker stall tasted even better.

Fried Rice with Marinated Pork 招牌猪扒蛋炒饭 - $12.30

All in all, the meal we had was reasonable and definitely, dishes could have done better. Perhaps this is only their first week of operation and they could be just overwhelmed by the crowd with their manpower. We will be back again in months' time for other items on their menu hoping that they fine-tune their food to suit the local taste buds.

No doubt that the queue, ordering and numbering system were overwhelming, but the kitchen and staff got our orders placed on our table in a steadfast manner.

Rating: 3 / 5

Ah Zhong Mian Xian
Location: 283 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058832

Ikan Bakar Sin Kee

Ikan Bakar Sin Kee has been our place to go for Barbeque Seafood dinners whenever we are in Johor Bahru. In fact, I have been patronising this stall for almost 20 years.

Ikan Bakar Sin Kee

The standard of the BBQ seafood has never disappointed us over the years. They are fresh and sambal chilli on the seafood with cincalok is always the best. 

Sambal Lala

When nobody loves Petai, I can have the opportunity to enjoy the whole plate of it. Yummy!

Petai

It was enjoyable to have petai with a mixture of sweet and spicy sambal. 

Petai

While they do not have Crayfish during our visit, we ordered the usual dishes and stingray is still our default item to order. 

Stingray

This is not the first and also not the last visit. We will definitely be back again even though there are a lot of eateries we have yet to explore in Johor Bahru.

Ikan Bakar Sin Kee
Location: 2-16, Jalan Musang Bulan, Taman Century, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Ji Tuo Hong Kong Style Tim Sum 寄託港式点心

I haven't been back to the coffeeshop where Ji Tuo Dim Sum 寄托港式点心 was previously ever since the covid period. Until recently, my upline told me to visit this industrial canteen for their Dim Sum then I realised that Ji Tuo Dim Sum has been relocated and reopened here. The stall is still manned by the elderly couple and the similar signboard can be seen.

Stall of Ji Tuo Dim Sum 寄托港式点心

For the last message that they mentioned that they were unable to keep up with the high inflation of their low food cost, I'm surprised to see that their pricing of the Dim Sum items has remained unchanged.

Their Century Egg Pork Porridge still warm the stomach with shredded meat, century egg chunks, fried crackers and spring onions. Simple and homely.

Century Egg Pork Porridge 皮蛋瘦肉粥 - $2.50

Their carrot cake may not be as charred as before but still simply good with its springy texture.

Fried Carrot Cake 腊味萝卜糕 - $3

Marinated Chicken Feet were not too peppery, and totally suits my tastebuds while the Steamed Shrimp dumplings were soft on their skin and the prawn's texture was bouncy. 

Marinated Chicken Feet 凤爪 - $2.50, Steamed Shrimp Dumpling 虾饺- $3.50

The Siew Mai was pleasant without any gamey taste. It was not too oily and the texture of the meat was bouncy too.

Siew Mai 烧卖- $2.50 (3 Pcs)

Custard Buns come in a tray of 3 and was not overly sweet. The fillings were decent and tasted not too bad.

Custard Buns 奶皇包 - $3 （3 Pcs)

It looks like some of the items were no longer on the menu. I hope that they do can sustain the business and bring back the old items in the menu. 

Rating: 3 / 5

Ji Tuo Hong Kong Style Tim Sum 寄託港式点心
Location: 2 Bukit Batok Street 24, #09-18, Singapore 659480

Synthesis 食拿酒稳

 While we thought this looks like the facade of the Traditional Chinese Medical Hall but as soon as the sliding door slides open. Everything behind this TCM Hall started to unveil.

Traditional Chinese Medical Hall

We get to walk through a high ceiling and traditional passageway decorated with lanterns and some Chinese quotes by the side of the pillar.

Passage Way

Perhaps those who had scrolled through the feeds on social media would have already known about such hip dining places with inconspicuous entrances. After all, the concept is kind of similar to Mama Diam, a popular speakeasy bar as all are helmed by Sebestian Ang.

Passage Way

The dining environment looked classy under the shades of lights and reflective decorations.

Interior

A chef's recommendation. The Kueh Pie Tee Cups were filled with turmeric chicken, onion sambal and topped with pandan coconut foam, finished off by some ikan billis sprinkling. The bed of Mung beans cannot be eaten as they are just for decoration purposes only.

Nasi Lemak Kueh Pie Tee - $15

Giam Sng Tee Highball is a Sour Plum Infused Vodka, pink guava, lime, soda. 

Blue Plum was refreshing made up of Soursop Juice, Lime Juice and Blue Pea Water.

Giam Sng Tee Highball and Blue Plum - $22 & $14

These flounder nuggets were served in a brown paper bag and the strong Dang Gui Spiced smell lingered in the air when it was served. However, the spice diffused quickly as soon as we opened the bag. After all, these golden brown nuggets bites were soft in their coating and good for bar bites.

Dang Gui Spiced Shaker Fish Bites - $16

This is one of the mains recommended by the Chef. The Australian Wagyu was served in Medium doneness as requested by us with Homemade Mash, Broccolini and White Pepper Cream Sauce. The beef was charred on the outside and definitely juicy.

Australian Wagyu Beef Striploin (200-250g) - $38

The Herbal fragrance Pao Fan was fantastic. With Herbal Pork Collagen Broth,Unami Rice, Puffed Rice , egg floss and herb fritters.

Sakura Chicken Herbal "Pao Fan" Poached Rice - $24

As a herbal lover, I'm satisfied with such delicacy and it totally fits my style.

A spoonful of "Pao Fan"

Before leaving the place, it will be good to take some pictures for memories in this Traditional Chinese Medical Hall.

Grab your herbs here

My overall experience at Synthesis was pleasant and fun. I love the cool vibes as well as the accessibility, not forgetting the unique theme of the restaurant. I will definitely want to be back again for get-togethers and meetups.

Rating: 4 / 5

Synthesis 食拿酒稳
Location:  Suntec City, 3 Temasek Blvd, #01-643 Suntec City Tower 4, Singapore 038983

Tokyo Soba

 Tokyo Soba is an eatery that originated in the capital of Japan and is known for serving fresh soba.

Tokyo Soba

The eatery is small and may have limited seating, especially during the lunch hours rush for it is located in CBD area. 

Interior

Near to the kitchen

We ordered the Seasonal Menu item and it was something new to me with bittermelon and corn kakiage decked up by a bottom layer of pork.

Pork, Bittermelon & Corn Kakiage Soba - $16.50 

Initially, I did not read in detail about the mixture of the kakiage till I tasted something bitter I took a look into the ingredients. It was my first time to have bittermelon from a Japanese Cuisine. 

Have you tried this before?

The buckwheat noodles are of consistent texture with quality. The soup has an umami taste from ingredients like kelp (kombu) and simmering bonito flakes. The combination of soup and noodles was already good enough for me without additional sides. On a side note, there are no MSG involved in their food.

Soba

The braised Nishin with Japanese sweet sauce tasted somewhat familiar to sardine to me. Anyway, the classification of fish belongs to the same type. We added the dish with sides like  Watercrest Tempura (Kureson Ten) at $3 and Prawn Tempura (Ebi-Ten) at $6. To my surprise, Watercrest tasted so different and did not have the usual strong taste that I had expected. Prawn Tempura on the other hand was pretty ordinary. Their prawn size may vary due to season. Sometimes they do serve 3 pcs for smaller prawn size instead of 2 big pieces.

Herring Soba (Nishin Soba) - $16

We ordered the Bamboo Shoots as a side and it was topped with roasted sesame.

Bamboo Shoots (Menma) - $1.50

This is the known Best Seller in Tokyo. The meal was upgraded to large-size noodles at an additional $2 and a half-boiled egg at $1.

Mix Vegetables Tempura Soba (Kakiage Soba) - $13.50 + $2 + 1

The vegetables were tasty and to my liking as it was not oily.

Mix Vegetables Tempura (Kakiage) - $3

Next up, we also ordered the Sand Borer fish meat set.

Sand Borer Fish Tempura Soba (Kisu Ten Soba) - $15.50

The Sand Borer fish meat tasted fine and the light tempura batter gave additional crispiness to the textural bite.

Sand Borer Fish Tempura 

With all-natural ingredients make up this original Japanese Traditional Nooodle "Soba" From Tokyo. Its light to slurp them down.

Soba

Between the hot and cold versions of soba, my preference will be the warm broth as I felt its more stomach-comforting and flavourful. For those who prefer to have rice, they do have some menu items with rice too.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Tokyo Soba
Location: Icon Village, 12 Gopeng St, #01-12/13/14, Singapore 078877

Hao Hao Mala Tang [Media Invite]

Hao Hao Mala Tang has just recently opened its eating place in Bukit Timah Plaza, just a few doors away from the popular Nonya Delicatessen. If you are a fan of Mala Tang do visit the place.

Hao Hao Mala Tang

Interior furnishing gave us a homely and comfortable feel. 

Decorations

All items were priced at $2.99 / 100g. There are a few soup bases for patrons to choose from, namely

1) Hao Hao Mala Tang 麻辣烫

2) Tomato Soup 番茄汤

3) Sour Spicy Soup 酸辣汤

4) Pork Bone Soup 猪骨汤

5) Pickled Vegetable Soup 酸菜汤

6) Mushroom Soup 香菇汤

Each soup base is priced at $1. Like any other Mala Tang place, we are free to pick our preferred items from the fridge. 

My order with Spinach Noodles

I ordered the tomato-based soup with my selected items while my friend got a bigger portion with Mala. There are 4 Spicy levels to choose from, Small Spicy, Medium Spicy, Big Spicy and Extra Spicy.

Big and Small Bowl

While the non-Mala Fan like me can get a Tomato Soup base. The Tomato Soup base was thick and not overcloying. Tangy and delicious to pair my spinach noodles and the items I picked. It also went well with the handful of Coriander as garnishing to my meal.

Tomato Soup Base

Spinach Noodle

Besides serving Mala Tang, you can also order their Boiled Dumplings, Xiao Long Bao or even Sour Spicy Dumplings as sides. The owner of Hao Hao Mala Tang is friendly and of course, we will be back again.

Thank you Hao Hao Mala Tang for having us and Alamakgirl for extending the invitation.

Head down to this humble stall to enjoy 10% discount on all ingredients when ordering before 30th September 2023 when you show them this post.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Hao Hao Mala Tang
Location: Bukit Timah Plaza, 1 Jln Anak Bukit, B1-43 Singapore 588996