Yi Qian Hong Kong Cafe

 There are many new eateries along the shop houses of rail mall and recently, we had explored this Hong Kong Cafe for a number of times, knowing that their standard and taste of food suit our tastebuds.

Dining Environment of Yi Qian Hong Kong Cafe

Ordering the Cantonese or Cha Chang Teng Style of Congee can never go wrong. Love the smooth consistency of the congee sprinkled with some chopped green onions.

Pork & Century Egg Congee 皮蛋瘦肉粥 - $8

The use of diced century egg with a shred of pork and crispy slices of fried fritters made the meal so comforting.

Shred of Pork

The Cantonese Style of Steamed Rice Roll cradling the chopped pieces of savoury and sweet char siew has been my favourite item to order from the menu too. Drenching them with the giving soy sauce makes the dish delectable too. 

Steamed Rice Roll with BBQ Pork 蜜汁叉烧肠 - $6.20

For roasted meat lovers, how about getting the Trio Combination? We picked the roasted pork belly, Char Siew and Roast Duck. 

Trio Combination 烧味三拼 - $28

The Char Siew was fatty and was Barbecued well with the caramelised layer. Savoury and packed with charred flavours. 

Char Siew

The Crackling top with distinctive layer of meat and fats underneath. Who doesn't like the crispy layer with the soft meat texture?

Pork Belly

Love the top layer of fragrant crispy duck skin and the moist meat from the roast duck.

Roast Duck

We also enjoyed this bowl of Shrimp Dumplings. The plump and succulent shrimp fillings were addictive. I also cannot deny that their soup tasted good too.

Shrimp Dumpling Soup 港式水饺汤

The twin BBQ combination with rice or noodles is a good choice if you want to have some meat pairing with noodles or rice. In this case, we chose the Char Siew and Roast Duck with Noodles.

Twin BBQ Combination Noodle 烧味双拼- $13.80

The noodles were springy and chewy. Not to mention that the BBQ Combination were above average standard too.

Twin BBQ Combination 烧味双拼面 - $13.80

For the dim sum series, we had the deep-fried shrimp dumpling with delicious salad sauce. Look at the beautifully fried shape of the dumpling, isn't it pretty?

Deep Fried Shrimp Dumpling with Salad Sauce 沙律明虾角 (3 Pc）- $6.80

Washing down our meal with their Homemade Barley and Ice Lemon Tea.

Homemade Barley & Ice Lemon Tea 自制薏米水和柠檬水 - $2

For all the food items we ordered, we were satisfied with the taste and standard as they meet the criteria of what a Hong Kong Cafe should offer. Authentic flavours and go try it if you are in Bukit Timah Area. 

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Yi Qian Hong Kong Cafe
Location: The Rail Mall, 438 Upper Bukit Timah Rd,  Singapore 678063

DaXi

 Have been passing by DaXi several times everytime I'm in VivoCity but have never set a time to eat at this Asian fusion restaurant. By going through their menu, I realised that they offer several Taiwanese-style items such as Braised Pork Rice and Egg Crepe.

DaXi

I guess these Signature Dumplings were quite popular as many tables do have them ordered. They are handmade daily and come in 3 variations, Original Pork, Salted Egg Pork and Japanese Mushroom, served in 5 pieces per plate. They are cooked in different styles too, chicken broth, boiled or pan-fried. 

We had the Pan Fried version and the serving looked unique with its promising circular crispy base, sheltering the 5 pieces of Dumplings.

Pork Pan Fried Dumplings - $10.80

The dumplings were plump and encased with juicy minced meat fillings. They don't look very greasy and I'm glad that they tasted good.

Dumplings

Another Taiwanese Staple that we could not help but order was their Lu Rou Fan aka Braised Pork Belly Rice. We topped the bowl of rice with a braised egg at an additional dollar. The consistency of the braised sauce used for the pork belly was great. The meat and fats ratio from the pork belly was good too.

Taiwanese Lu Rou Fan 飘风卤肉饭 - $5.80 + $1

The Egg Roll is another item not to be missed. We had the Ham Cheese flavour and it was yummy. The roll was thin, wrapping up slice of ham and cheese together. Savoury taste with the sweet-tasting sauce drizzled on it.

Ham Cheese Egg Roll 火腿起司蛋饼 - $6.80

I was expecting Taro Taste but was quite shock as it tasted of sweet potato with grass jelly instead. Nevertheless, the drink still tasted good with Grass Jelly, refreshing and cooling.

Taro Milk with Grass Jelly 紫薯撞奶烧仙草 - $5.80

The Grilled Teriyaki Chicken was crispy and succulent. It was served in a long place with some pickles, rice and salad drizzled with roasted sesame sauce.

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken 日式照烧鸡排 - $12.80

With DaXi seen in quite a number of malls, I think it will not be my last time visiting them for we are a fan of Taiwanese Cuisine too.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

DaXi
Location: VivoCity, 1 HarbourFront Walk, #02-83/83A/84 Singapore 098585
Website

Muted.

 Another Gelato Cafe has opened recently. It is located along the Jalan Besar Area. The interior features a minimalist design with a plain and straightforward color scheme hitting shades of peach and apricot colors. Despite being "empty", this theme has provided a relaxing and inviting setting, giving us a great mood enjoying our scoops of gelato.

Muted.

They pride themselves with real, freshly made gelato with ingredients directly from their green grocer, having 0 artificial flavoring, preservatives and coloring. This allows us to taste the difference of natural ingredients in every scoop, giving us authentic flavours.

We ordered a double scoop comprising of Hokkaido Vanilla and Sicilian Pistachio. The texture are velvety and addictive, without being too sweet. They use Hokkaido Milk from Japan, infused with the Finest Vanilla Beans from Madagascar.

Sicilian Pistachio cradles a good natural nutty fragrance from the Pistachio Nuts.

Hokkaido Vanilla & Sicilian Pistachio - $9 (Double Scoop) + $1

A good combination of Tea for a double scoop. The Uji Matcha was rich in flavours. They use Ceremonial Grade Match and was extremely unami. While they use the finest Earl Grey and in combination with the floral Sakura , achieving a delightful and light dessert.

Uji Matcha & Earl Grey Sakura - $9 (Double Scoop) + $1

Only a few cafes would offer Dirty Matcha on their menu. Compared to the usual Matcha drink, Dirty Matcha has a different flavour profile, there are three main components to the cup of Dirty Matcha,  namely, Matcha, Milk and Coffee. The lightly sweetened Matcha forms the base while the milk allows a smooth transition in flavour between the Matcha and roasted notes of Coffee.

Dirty Matcha - $8

While many Gelato spots would have closed around 9pm, Muted. is an ideal spot for night lovers as they are opened till 12am daily.

Rating:  3.25 / 5

Muted Gelato
Location: 221 Lavender Street, Singapore 338774
Website

Roast Paradise

The last visit to Old Air Port Road Hawker Center had left me a deep impression for I saw steaming hot air rising up fiercely from the stall Roast Paradise with a sudden aroma into the air of the hawker center. Well, they were busy preparing for their operations which left my appetite hanging there as they were still not yet opened for the day. 

While I had kept them in my "To Eat" list for quite sometime, I'm quite happy they have a stall in the West now. They had relocated from New Upper Changi Road (Bedok) after facing some rising cost challenges.

Roast Paradise in Jurong

While their location may have changed, they are still committed in delivering quality meals to the patrons. 

Let's Try It

Let's dive into the platter of meats and the carbs to pair along. We choose to have a bowl of Hakka Noodle and a bowl rice. 

Roast Duck, Noodles and Rice 

If you prefer Noodles to rice, do try out their bowl of Hakka Mee that is topped with seasoned minced meat with cucumber slices, coriander and a dallop of chilli paste. 

Hakka Mee 客家面 - $3.50

The glistering skin and crispy skin gave us a promising crunch. The deep golden brown hue and the texture speaks volume that they have given meticulous care and attention to the cooking process. While some places had their roast duck being so tough on the bite, Roast Paradise had it well executed.  It worth noting that achieving the perfect roast duck require skill, patience and attention to detail. 

The Roast Duck was not only juicy but also boast a rich and distinctive smokey flavour. While the meat often carries a subtle gaminess, I'm glad that it did not exist here at all. This bite of roast duck sure leave you a lasting impression.

Roast Herbal Duck 药材烧鸭拼盘

How about ordering the Char Siew & Roast Pork Platter?

Char Siew Platter (200g) & Roast Pork (200g)  叉烧烧肉拼盘 - $12 Each 

Delicious crispy skin complemented by a fatty layer and tender meat. Dab the Roast Pork into the given mustard sauce to elevate its taste. We also love the texture as well as the taste.

Roast Pork

The Premium Pork Meat is definitely worth the mention. With a thin crispy top caramelised layer and a melt in your mouth fats meat and tender pork. Likewise for the Char Siew, it had a right balance of smokiness and sweetness. 

Premium Char Siew

With its stall nearer to us now, its a perfect reason to head to Roast Paradise in Jurong East to fix the craving of Roast Delights.

Thank you Roast Paradise for having us.

Roast Paradise
Location: 132 Jurong Gateway Road, Singapore 600132

Chin Mee Chin Confectionery

I have wanted to visit Chin Mee Chin Confectionery after it made its comeback in 2021 after announcing its closure on 2018. For your information, Chin Mee Chin has been around since 1925, with their humble shop remaining a nostalgic fixture in the Katong community.

Chin Mee Chin

Now that Chin Mee Chin is managed together by the original family with Ebb & Flow Group, adding fresh items to the menu. 

Despite being there on an early morning, we were still required to queue for about half an hour. 

Dining Area

While queueing up, one can take a look at the menu on the wall too.

Menu on the Wall

If you are here, do not miss out on their Kaya Toast Set which comes with 2 eggs and a hot drink. Bread was toasted over a charcoal fire with charred edges and was pillowy soft. Their delicious homely Kaya deserved some mention too. It was aromatic and not overly sweet with a little creaminess. 

Kaya Toast Set - $5.4

A combination of Cheesecake and chocolate brownie at the bottom. The small piece of Pastries was rich in taste.

Cheesecake Brownie - $2.60

Their Gula Melaka Coffee Chiffon Cake was fluffy and airy soft, carrying a light aromatic smell from the use of Gula Melaka as weel as coffee. 

Gula Melaka Coffee Chiffon Cake - $2.40

The cream horn has its cream piped to the brim and the pastry was flaky. It was not overly oily and yes, what am old school pastry we had.

Cream Horn - $2.20

The luncheon meat bun had an old school flavour and other than having an old school shape of bun. It's pretty ordinary.

Luncheon Meat Bun - $2.20

The laksa bun looks different with a long laksa leaf on top of the bun while the Otah Bun had some "windows" through the bun. The texture of the bun was soft and buttery without being too oily.

Laksa Bun & Otah Bun - $2.60 & $2.40

The Hae Bee Hiam Bun did give a good homely and nostalgic taste. As I Sank my teeth into the buttery bun, I enjoyed the flavourful bursts of umami and spice from the fillings. 

Hae Bee Hiam Bun - $2.40

Even the cup of Yuan Yang was contained in such an old school cup with saucer. The Yuan Yang is the combination of Coffee & Tea with both condensed and evaporated milk with sugar.

Yuan Yang - $1.70

I'm in love with the drink. What a great taste by combining Sour Plum + Lemon Juice + Sugar. 

Sng Buay (Sour Plum) Lemon - $2

I must agree that it's not the same vibes anymore but still the history of this Confectionery remains. You still can at least get some guaranteed delicious taste of nostalgia from Chin Mee Chin.

Rating: 3 / 5

Chin Mee Chin Confectionery
Location: 204 East Coast Rd, Singapore 428903
Website

Joo Chiat Ah Huat Wanton Noodle

We arrived at Duman Food Centre for our 2nd round of breakfast as we were not very satisfied with the first round. With this Food Centre popular for its Wanton Noodle, we decided to take a leap and queue up for it. The stall is big and managed by a pair, with the guy preparing the noodles and the aunty taking the order.

Joo Chiat Ah Huat Wanton Noodle

The noodles had a very strong alkaline taste and did not suit our liking. We are not a fan of it. The type of Char Siew was lean without sights of fatty meat. What could have make the plate of Char Siew so popular? Perhaps the use of scallion oil gives a better fragrance to the noodle other than that, in terms of the ingredients items like Char Siew and Vegetables, its pretty ordinary to me.

Wanton Mee - $4

The Wantons, on the other hand, did carry the strong alkaline taste too and had nothing much to shout about.

Wanton

Rating: 3 / 5

Joo Chiat Ah Huat Wanton Noodle
Location: Dunman Food Centre, 271 Onan Rd, #01-04, Singapore 424768

8 Degrees (Jalan Besar) 8度空間

With the increasing number of Taiwanese Cafe in Singapore, 8 Degrees is one of the popular ones among us to go to for authentic Taiwanese Food. The place is easily located as they are just located beside the popular Cheng Mun Chee Kee Pig Organ Soup.

8 Degrees (Jalan Besar) 

Interior was rather simple without much decorations.

Dining Interior

While on their menu, it mentioned that their Pork Belly Rice has New Improved Taste using Premium Taiwanese Soya Sauce. Looking at the picture, it's hard to not order that boiwl of Pork Belly Rice.

New Improved Taste

In the mood for Milk Tea and we had Grass Jelly and Pearl Milk Tea to pair with our Taiwanese Food.

Milk Tea with Pearl & Grass Jelly Milk Tea 招牌珍珠奶茶，仙草冻奶茶 - $5.90 & $6.90

Ta-da! Here's what we had ordered!

Our Orders

It's not only the Signature Dish on the menu but also a real crowd-pleaser. This Snack carries a good flavour of their secret spice mix. The chunks of chicken thigh were tender and deep fried. 

Salted Chicken 招牌盐酥鸡 - $7

Best of all, it's not too oily.

Individual Tender Chicken Chunk

I almost wanted to give this side a miss when I looked into the menu for I thought its the starchy Omelette we had in Taiwanese. Luckily it was not what I had thought. I was deep-fried in a round pancake shape topped with coriander and drenched in okonomiyaki sauce encasing oysters and lettuce within.

Oyster omelette 八度蚵仔煎 - $8.80

The bowl of Signature Pork Belly Rice is their Best Seller. It has a new improved taste, using premium Taiwanese Soya Sauce. It has a unique homemade flavour complementing the pearl rice with the slow-simmered braised pork.

Signature Pork Belly Rice 招牌八度卤肉饭 - $6

Another Bestseller on their menu!. Their Red Mee Sua is imported from Taiwan, and served with fresh oysters and braised chitterlings. The stock of the Mee Sua has a subtle taste of Bonito Flavours. The meal was topped with condiments like Coriander and fried onion. Love the fact that the oysters as well as the Chitterling were very clean and freshly prepared.

Chitterling & Oyster Mee Sua 综合面线 - $7

There is also Chicken Mee Sua on the menu besides Chittering or Oyster Mee Sua.

Oysters

Before leaving a place, let's have a bowl of dessert. The dessert has grass jelly, peanuts, yamballs and red beans. The dessert was not too sweet and not very cold. It will be perfect who those who do not take so much sweet food.

Grass Jelly w Yamball 招牌仙草芋圓 - $6

Besides having this outlet in Jalan Besar, there are another 2 more outlets in Kovan and Sembawang.

Thank You Scale Micro Influencer for the invitation.

8 Degrees
Location: 20 foch Road Singapore 209261