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

Fish Noodle

 An impromptu meet-up for grocery shopping at the huge super market nearby and we ended ourselves with a quick fix meal in Koufu Food Court with bowls of Chinese Noodle from the Stall of Fish Noodle.

Fish Noodle

The stall name was quite misleading till the extent that I had mistaken that the noodles were made from fish. Nonetheless, we went ahead to order our preferred options from their menu.

What would you like to have?

For the safest choice, we went ahead with a bowl of Orignal Broth base, their Signature Fat Beef Fish Noodles. Every serving of noodles was big and stomach-filling. The original soup base was non-spicy as well, packed full of flavours with thin slices of Beef. Ingredients include lettuce and  Fried Chick Pea was added. 

Signature Fat Beef Fish Noodle + Braised Intesstines - $8.50 + $4

Topping up the bowl of noodles with their Braised Fat Intestine at an additional $4. As it described, the intestines were fat and braised. It did not carry any gamey taste.

Braised Fat Intestine

Another non-spicy option would be the Tomato Broth Base. We had The Tomato Fat Beef Fish Noodles. The broth was tangy and on a sweet side. Most importantly, its flavourful and addictive.

Tomato Fat Beef Fish Noodles - $8.50

Every bowl of noodles comprised a mixture of 3 types of noodles comprising Black noodles, White Noodle and Corn Noodles as indicated on their signage. 

Noodles

Those who can take spiciness can go for their Golden Soup which is of little spiciness or their sour & spicy soup with 1 level chilli as the indicator of the spicy level. If you are more adventurous, you can try their mala soup base illustrated by 2 chilli on the menu.

Golden Soup Meat Ball Fish Noodle - $6.50

All in all, there are 5 types of soup bases:

(1) Signature / Original

(2) Tomato

(3) Golden Soup 

(4) Sour & Spicy🌶️
(5) Mala 🌶️🌶️

with Permutations of 

(1) Luncheon Meat

(2) Meat Ball

(4) Sliced Fish

(5) Dory Fish

(6) Fat Beef

(7) Beef Shank

(8) Prawn Paste

However, if you do not prefer noodles dishes, they have rice dishes with soup for single as well as double set meals. 

Sour & Spicy Fat Beef Fish Noodle - $8.50

We also ordered their crispy pork as a side dish to share among ourselves. The deep-fried pieces of pork are deep fried to its golden brown colour and then sprinkled with chilli powder.

Crispy Pork - $6

The bowl of noodles soup is stomach-filling and comforting. I would not mind going back again for more.

Rating: 3 / 5

Fish Noodle @ Koufu
Location: 88 Tanglin Halt Road #01-08 Singapore 141088
Nearest Station: Commonwealth (EW20)

Hao Lai Wu Steamboat BBQ 好来屋火锅烧烤

Hao Lai Wu has a special concept that incorporates both Steamboat & BBQ over the dining table, letting patrons enjoy the best of both worlds. It is located in Burlington Square, just a walking distance from Sim Lim Square. 

Hao Lai Wu Hot Pot BBQ

I was thrown with surprise by the extensivity of the decor as I stepped into the restaurant. The whole place was elaborated with a good modern outlook supported by some nostalgic details of the olden Chinese palace. Besides being detailed in their furnishing that catches attention, diners get a chance to drama by putting on the ancient costume. 

Have you spotted the Wardrobe?

The vibrant environment was definitely a plus point to me for a spacious and comfortable setting to dine in. They provide each table with a 3-decker movable trolley to place the items too.

Dining Area

Like many Buffet Restaurants, there is always a counter for condiments as well as some pre-cooked food for diners to enjoy.

Counter for Condiments & Finger Food

With more than 80 ingredients on the menu, be sure that you will be spoilt for choices be it for BBQ or hotpotting. Do try them out. We had Mala and Pork Bone broth as soup bases.

Our table

Meats are well marinated and served generously too.

Generous plate of marinated meat

Marinated Meat

Seafood lovers, you will love this tray of Seafood with Bamboo Clams, Lala, dory fish, Squid, Cuttlefish, FLower Crabm Mussels, fish, octopus etc.

Which Seafood do you like?

The seafood is fresh tasting and items are good for sweetening up the soup base at times.

Seafood Tray

Also, prawns are not to be missed, they are served upright in a pot with some decorations. While having an assortment of meat, it's always good to strike a good balance by having vegetables in the meal. Similar to the prawns, the vegetables were served upright with sweet corn on a wooden stick.

Vegetables

Do not worry about the food for the steamboat, they served them in tray of 9 sections too. We have Quail Eggs, Cheese Tofu, Hot Dog, Crab sticks, Luncheon Meat, Meat Balls etc.

Steamboat Series Items

Look at our spread! We are getting ready for our meal!

Over at the dining table

They have marinated meat too with Black pepper, spicy as well as tomato. 

Marinated Meat

You get to choose sliced pork belly, USA sliced beef, pork collar, big sliced pork loin, pork liver and marinated chicken from their meat list.

Meatball

Meatball

Braised Meat Lovers, they do also have braised offals and other items too.

BRaised Items

The steamboat definitely cannot go without thin slices of meat like this.

Sliced Pork Collar

Sliced Pork Belly

They made an effort to make up the presentation of every disk.

Liver

Besides the charming environment, the wide variety of ingredients for the two cooking methods had already spoilt us. For those who love steamboat and BBQ, this is a good place to indulge.

Pork Belly

Not only that, it's pocket-friendly and instaworthy too. If you are thinking of steamboat and BBQ, Hao Lai Wu is a perfect choice.

Thank You Shewyn for the extended invitation.

Hao Lai Wu Steamboat BBQ 好来屋火锅烧烤
Location: Burlington Square, #01-57 Burlington Square, 175 Bencoolen St, 189649
Nearest Station: Rochor (DT13)

Madam Tyrant Handmade Noodles 霸婆手工面

In search of good handmade noodles, after our favourite stall in Clementi closed down during our school days, there are only one to two stalls of my preferred choices but they are located far away from my residence.

Stall of the Ba Po Handmade Noodles

The stall is run by a group of millennial hawkers who are old-time friends.

Handmade Noodles

Let's look into the menu and choose a dish before heading down.

Menu

If you want a side dish from their menu, their Hakka Pork Belly is recommended. It beat a lot of places' Hakka Pork Belly Hands down with its distinct taste of the marinade. The Pork Belly was flattened and deep fried with an outer thin layer of crispiness cradling the succulent and fragrant tender meat within.

Hakka Pork Belly - $5 

What caught our eyes from social media was the bowl of Mee Hoon Kueh name, Happy Bowl, comprised of special colours. There are 4 colours: yellow, purple, green and red. These are no artificial colourings and come from pumpkin, sweet potato, spinach and beetroot respectively. 

Happy Bowl - $6.50

Having such outstanding colours, it helps to ensure that children will be able to enjoy the dish as much as the adults do. Mee Hoon Kueh is topped with fried anchovies and cut spring onions in a bowl of egg drop soup. The soup base tasted flavourful and we enjoyed this delighting bowl of Happy Bowl.

Mee Hoon Kueh

The bowl of Ban Mian Dry was cooked to perfection with noodles having the right texture to a good sauce ratio. The ramen egg was a nice touch to the noodles and the soup broth was lip-smackingly collagen-liked like what we had from the Ramen soup.

Ban Mian Dry - $5.30

I'm glad to see that group of millennials reinventing the classic dish and coming together as a team to build the business up using the grandma's recipe, giving it a twist. Why not head down there to enjoy a bowl of comforting Handmade Noodles.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Madam Tyrant Handmade Noodles 霸婆手工面

Location: 153 Tyrwhitt Road, Singapore, Singapore

Kebabchi Biryani [Media Invite]

If you are craving for good Biryani, here's an introduction to the Halal Pakistani Biryani at Bedok Mall. It is located on level 1 of the mall beside McDonald's. 

Kebabchi Biryani

Kebabchi is known for serving plates of Authentic Pakistani Dum Biryanis. Ever heard of Pakistani Dum Biryani? What's so different from the usual ones we had? 

On the wall

Kebabchi Biryani is a perfect spot for takeout or even a good dine-in with friends. The environment is both comfortable and inviting. The design of the place are colorful with their cultural art pieces which add a little charm to the entire ambiance. On top of that, the Staff over the counter were friendly and accommodating.

Atmosphere

Mango Lassi hits the right spot. It was not too sweet and to my liking while Bundung Basil is a combination of Basil and our bundung drink. Roohafza Sharbat, is a popular thirst-quenching and energizing drink with cooling effects on a hot day.

Mango Lassi, Bundung Basil & Roohafza Sharbat - $5, $4, $3

Mutton Dum Biryani was packed with fragrance. The rice was steamed perfectly with aromatic spices and further enhanced with chopped celery and fried onions. The chunks of Mutton were perfectly seasoned, succulent and flavourful in every bite.

Mutton Dum Biryani - $14

Mutton does not have any gamey taste and is definitely worth ordering.

Mutton

Besides incorporating the usual spices like star anise and herbs, there was also dried prune among them, making up the unique biryani flavours with the medley of spices and adding a distinct tangy element to the dish. The lamb shank is a recommended dish on their menu and definitely deserves a mention. It was served on the fluffy rice bed and was delicious. The fork-tender and effortless pull of the lamb meat enhanced our dining experience, making us want more. 

Lamb Shank Biryani - $22

Creamy and luscious Butter Chicken had got our appetite too. It was tasty with generous chunks of chicken within. It paired best with the plain whole-meal Chapati.

Chapati & Butter Chicken - $2 + $18

Must Try!

Before bidding goodbye for the day, we had all 3 dessert items on the menu. The Gulab Jamun is a popular and sweet dessert made of fried dough balls soaked in flavoured syrup.

We had Kheer, a pudding or porridge popular in the Indian Subcontinent. It's topped and flavoured with nuts. Texture wise it is soft and reminds me of the oats.

While the cold dessert, Kulfi is a frozen dairy dessert often described as the Traditional Indian Ice Cream. They are part of the national cuisine of Pakistan too.

Gulab Jaman, Kulfi, Kheer - $2.50, $6, $5

Thank you Kebachi, Waqas & Zarrar for the Invitation and hospitality.

Kebabchi Biryani
Location: Bedok Mall, 311 New Upper Changi Rd, #01-12, Singapore 467360
Website