Singapore Old School Food with Angie 与贪吃一号体验新加坡传统美食

Foodie friend Angie has been craving for the old school Hakka yong tau foo in Kai Juan Coffeeshop @ Balestier Road. One night, she messaged me to meet her for breakfast at the stall the following day.

I arrived very early for our breakfast meeting, the elderly stall owner who is in her 70s, chatted with me while I waited for Angie. Business has slowed down for this pioneer hawker as many foreign workers who used to patronise her stall have returned to their own country due to retrenchment and lack of jobs.

We were interrupted several times as her regular customers stopped by for takeaways or breakfast, some would greet her as they passed by her stall. These regulars just help themselves to the sauces and self-serve while she is busy cooking. I  noticed that she would give the men more noodles.

We had a long chat because Angie was late, I waited for an hour. I enjoy chatting with the elderly stall owner who gave me a glimpse of her life as a working mother with five children.

Because we came early, there were lots of choice ingredients to select from. We had a hearty and yummy breakfast for only S$7!    

Hakka yong tau foo 德志客家酿豆腐
Kai Juan Coffeeshop
395 Balestier Road

After our meal, we adjourned to Loy Kee Chicken Rice for teh si (tea with evaporated milk, S$1.80) while waiting for my hubby. We sat in the air-conditioned eatery for more than an hour, sipping Hainanese teh si. Hubby was only able to stay for a few minutes before he bade farewell. Naturally, Angie was not letting him off for keeping her waiting .... as usual the two started poking fun of each other. LOL

Angie and I went to Chinatown to collect her traditional Foo Chow sticky cakes (传统福州年糕). These Chinese traditional cakes with yam strips is a rare delicacy, it is the first time I am seeing one. Angie promises to let me have a taste of it later.

Angie brought me on a little tour of Keong Siak Road, pointing out the yummy food along both rows of shops. She started to crave for her coffee when we saw Tong Ah Eating House.

As it was lunch hour, the staff wanted us to sit on the sidewalk but the weather was too hot outside. We were allowed to sit in the air-con eatery only when we decided to walk out. We assured them we would just have our drinks and go. We ordered coffee, teh si and toasted bread (S$4.30). Coffee was still alright, we were disappointed with the other two items.  

黎记鸡饭粥品
342 Balestier Rd, Singapore.

As we were walking towards Chinatown Complex, we stumbled upon Kim Hock Seng Seng Kee that sells traditional barbecue bak kwa (BBQ pork slices, S$52 per kg). The humourous boss Mr Ong Geok Hoo offered us a piece of bak kwa for tasting. Angie likes this bak kwa in its original flavour.

I was browsing through the photos and news clippings on a wall in the shop when I noticed a photo of a handsome man receiving an award from then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

When I asked if the "handsome man" was the boss himself, he proudly acknowledged it and jokingly said many people comment that he looks like a certain Hong Kong movie star. We were tickled and immediately took a liking to this affable man. Angie bought some BBQ pork slices for our tasting session.

Kim Hock Seng (Seng Kee) 金福成切片肉干.肉丝
Address: 34 Keong Saik Road 恭锡路, Singapore 089141.

Angie recommended an old school crispy cuttlefish snack manufacturer in Chinatown Complex before we parted our ways. I went in search of it and found it in a corner of the hawker centre. It was doing a brisk business. I bought a small packet of their popular cuttlefish snack (S$9).

On the way out, I went to Pan Ji Cooked Food for its delicious traditional Chinese snack - Sar Kay Mah (sweet egg block), and found them busy making peanut puffs. I forego the vanishing traditional snack, bought some jars of peanut puffs (small jar S$18 each, large jar S$35 each) and melt-in-the-mouth tapioca coconut cookies (S$14) to support them. Business hasn't been good for this traditional snack shop, I want to show my appreciation for their dedication to keeping our traditional snacks alive.

What a day! It was an awesome day meeting and chatting with my fellow Singaporeans.

Chai Wee Cuttlefish
02-59/65 Chinatown Complex Food Centre, Blk 335 Smith Street, Singapore

Pan Ji Cooked Food 潘记刹骑马
#02-78 Block 335 Smith Street Chinatown Complex Food Centre Singapore


与贪吃一号吃吃喝喝, 介绍新加坡传统美食 ~~

1)    德志客家酿豆腐

传统的客家酿豆腐, 汤是由黄豆和江鱼仔熬成的, 很鲜甜。今天早到, 有好多配料供选择。我们两个人, 选了好多配料, 才付S$7! 阿嬷, 你赚什么喔?

早上到下午2 点, 星期一休息

2)    黎记鸡饭粥品    
       等老公的时候, 点了好喝的海南茶稀 (S$1.80)。

3)    传统福州年糕

我第一次看到这福州年糕, 有芋头丝还有花生 。。。 想吃。年糕是过年必备的年货，就算不吃，也要买一块摆在家里，图个 “好意头”。

4)    无意间发现这有40年历史的金福成切片肉干还有肉丝。风趣的老板年轻时很时髦, 长得又帅。他还说很多人说他长得像电影明星邓光荣。原味厚片猪肉干, 札实的口感吃在嘴里越嚼越香。这手工制作传统肉干的价格是每公斤52元。

5)    Chai Wee 香脆的鱿鱼干 (S$9 小的, S$18 大的 )

6)    潘记刹骑马

现在卖新年饼干, 只做一些刹骑马。我买了甜脆花生角 (S$18小罐的, S$35 大罐的) 和入口即化的万吉糕 (S$14小罐的)，马来语叫Kuih Bangkit。

"Year of the Rooster" Chinatown Festive Street Bazaar 2017 年牛车水农历新年庆祝活动

Made a detour to Chinatown to buy some egg tarts for my elders and noticed that Chinatown is gearing up to usher in the Year of the Rooster. The colourful Chinese New Year lantern decorations are up!

Adore the pretty and cute lanterns of the chicken family ..... I will come back one evening to snap their photos  .... they probably look better in the night.  :D

Needless to say, there are lots of rooster-designed decorations besides the usual festive goodies being sold at the Chinatown shops and street bazaar.

I couldn't resist buying some waxed meats and ingredients for my Lunar New Year Eve Reunion Dinner already. haha....

Ahhhhh..... the must-have for Chinese New Year! Nian Gao (sweet sticky rice cake 年糕 ) to seal the mouth of the Kitchen God so he couldn't badmouth the family when he reports to the Jade Emperor (ruler of Heaven). haha.....

I think I am going to steam my own sticky glutinous rice cake this year. mmm......

Met several artists doing some water colour paintings of the festive street. Despite the number of people milling around them, they kept calm and paint on. hehe....

I will be back to check out the street bazaar after the official light-up on Jan 7 by President Tony Tan Keng Yam. The street bazaar and celebrations will run from Jan 7 to Feb 25.

Official Light-Up and Opening Ceremony 开幕典礼与亮灯仪式
Time   ： 7 January 2017, 6 pm - 10 pm 
Venue ： New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street 新桥路和余东旋街

Chinatown CNY Countdown Party 牛车水春节倒计时晚会
Time   ：27 January 2017，9.30 pm－12.30 pm
Venue ：New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street 新桥路和余东旋街

10th International Lion Dance Competition 第十届国际醒狮大赛
Time   ：14 January and 15 January，6.30 pm －10.30 pm
Venue ：Carpark at Banda Street (off Sago Lane) Banda Street 停车场

Chingay 2017 Night Fiesta @ Chinatown 妆艺大游行
Time   ：12 February 2017，7.30 pm－ 9.30 pm
Venue ：New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street 新桥路和余东旋街

牛车水农历新年2017庆祝活动
牛车水迎接鸡年 (2017年) 的到来 。。。大街小巷都挂满各种公鸡、母鸡，还有可爱小鸡的手工彩灯。

我喜欢逛牛车水的年货市场, 每年都不会错过。除了买一些新年佳肴和喜庆装饰品, 还可以边吃边逛, 感染新年气氛。

World's First Michelin-starred Street Food Stall Serving the Cheapest Michelin-starred Meal 世界最便宜的米其林星级美食街摊位

In the first Singapore Michelin Guide, two Singapore hawker stalls have been awarded the one-star rating by Michelin. Singaporean chef Chan Hon Meng was one of the two hawkers who was awarded a Michelin star on 21st Jul 2016.

I have eaten at his Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle stall at Chinatown Food Complex before he won the award. His stall already has a long queue daily. I had to queue for 45 minutes for a plate of his soya sauce chicken rice then.

Mr Chan serves a delicious plate of Cantonese soya sauce chicken rice for S$2 (USD1.50). Now his stall is the first Michelin-starred street food stall in the world serving the cheapest Michelin-starred meal!

These days, customers start queuing an hour before his stall opens in the morning. There is easily 100 people in the long, snaking queue starting from the front of his stall. Customers wait patiently for their turn.

A friend from KL came with her family last week and they queued for 3 hours for his soya sauce chicken rice and char siew (BBQ pork). She said it was worth queuing for it. haha....

Overseas friends who visit Singapore have been asking to eat at Mr Chan's stall. I have brought a couple of them there but it was too exhausting for me. The food centre is not air-conditioned, it is very humid and stuffy. Standing in the queue for two hours is a torture for me. The longest I have queued is two hours.

It's hard to find a delicious meal for only S$2 in Singapore. I like his soya sauce chicken which is tender and juicy, a whole chicken costs only S$14. His braising gravy is flavourful, I could just eat a plate of steamed white rice with the gravy spoon over it.

第一本《新加坡米其林指南》里, 陈翰铭师傅是第一个被授予米其林星的街头小贩, 也是世界最便宜的米其林星级美食街摊位。

陈师傅卖了30几年油鸡, 8年前在牛车水大厦熟食中心开档。他的香港油鸡饭每盘只要$2（1.50美元）,  油鸡面S$2.50（2美元）。。。是世界上最便宜的星级美食。

他的档口每天吸引好多人排长龙等开档。我带外国朋友去吃, 远远就看到长长的队伍。我排队最长时间是两小时。

上个星期有个吉隆坡朋友带了一家大小慕名而来, 排了三个小时, 就为了吃世界上最便宜的星级美食。好夸张喔! 老实说, 陈师傅油亮油亮的鸡肉再淋上他的独特酱汁, 好美味! 他的粤式油鸡和叉烧, 配饭或配面都好吃!

Bangkok Chinatown Local Market 曼谷唐人街菜市场

Having been to Bangkok many times, the thought of going to Bangkok's Chinatown has never crossed my mind. On one particular trip, I was told to meet an elder for breakfast in Yaowarat Road early one morning.

Fearing that I would be late should there be traffic congestion, I went very early to Chinatown. Turned out I had more than 80 minutes to while away before my morning appointment.  -_-

Since I was in Yaowarat Road, I decided to take a look at its local market.

I was ecstatic to see many familiar Teochew food that are not easily available in Singapore. I wanted to buy some preserved food but was apprehensive about the smell. Plus I didn't want to look like a housewife who has just returned from marketing. haha.....

This local market looked clean, it was not wet and smelly like some of our wet markets in Singapore. It wasn't crowded, probably because it was a weekday.

There were many stalls selling ready cooked food. Seeing the plump steamed fish.... made me think of a steaming bowl of porridge to go with them. *Drools*

My favourite Teochew png kueh (Teochew glutinous rice cakes)!

Besides the usual savoury glutinous rice filling, they also have fillings of yam paste or red bean paste. Each piece costs 20 baht. *drools*

This dry goods store is stocked with lots of fish maw. What a waste! I couldn't shop for anything. The thought of me lugging bags of dried goods to business meetings was a good reason not to buy them.

It really upsets me whenever I think of this market because I didn't have a chance to go back to shop for my foodstuff during that trip.

Since I could not shop, I decided to take a stroll to my meeting venue. I passed by this traditional Chinese pastry shop Tae Loa Chin Seng Bakery which has been around for more than 70 years. Trays of freshly baked tau sar piah (flaky cakes with red bean filling) were being brought out. My stomach started growling......



曼谷唐人街菜市场在耀华力路 (Yaowarat Rd) 跟查龙恭路 (Charoen Krung Rd) 中間。有一次, 我在曼谷会议之前, 逛逛当地菜市場。

菜市场干净，不湿无异味, 里面卖的东西都大同小异, 看起来无异于新加坡的。这里的小贩多数说潮州话。看了一下这里的小吃，都跟潮州人的一样, 做法都一样。这里卖好些熟食, 看到这个潮州饭粿有2种口味 - 豆沙跟芋头, 1个卖20铢。

这家卖干货的商店出售鱼肚。下次有到曼谷旅遊的旅客应该到唐人街走走逛逛。老饕们記得晚上再來喔!

Tong Heng Confectionery's Egg Tarts 东兴饼家蛋挞

One of my overseas friends from the United States who has never eaten an egg tart, is curious to know how our Singapore egg tart looks like.

Presenting my favourite egg tart in Singapore - Tong Heng's signature diamond shaped egg tarts. Tong Heng Confectionery (est. 1920s), a traditional Chinese bakery specialising in Cantonese pastries, is renown for its egg tarts. They have two variations of egg tarts, the original and the coconut egg tarts (which I love).
Fabulous not so sweet eggy filling with coconut strips in flaky pastry. Yumsss...

Located in the heart of Chinatown, it is popular not only with Singaporeans but tourists from all over the world, especially from Japan and South Korea. Whenever I bring my overseas friends to buy egg tarts, we would see cute Japanese or Korean ladies posing for pictures with the egg tarts. haha....

Tong Heng has a wide range of traditional Chinese pastries all prepared manually by hand and freshly baked daily. My elders like their flaky pastry filled with green bean paste, melon paste or lotus paste and almond biscuits. The younger generations in my family prefer the savoury items like char siew sou (shortcrust pastry stuffed with barbecued pork) and gai zhai peng (savoury cookies).

There is limited seating available, but whenever we can find a table, we prefer to eat the egg tarts when they are fresh out of the oven. Their old styled French toast with kaya (not much promoted since it is difficult to mass made them in advance) is simply delightful. Each piece is freshly cooked to order and despite having to wait more than twenty minutes sometimes, I would wait patiently for it. 

During Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival, steamed sticky rice cakes and moon cakes will be sold on top of the standard pastry items.

Tong Heng participated in the Singapore Heritage Fest 2016 this April. I visited the event and was happy for them when a non-stop, long queue formed in front of their stall. 

I was told they had to return to their shop to replenish the pastries several times. I didn't manage to get my egg tarts because of the long queue. 

For my good friend, watch this video to view the lovely people behind the delectable egg tarts and how the delicious desserts are made. 

位于牛车水的东兴饼家是新加坡传统老字号饼店, 起源于1920年，蛋挞颇有名气。其他受欢迎的美味中式点心还有老婆饼、莲蓉饼、鸡仔饼、合桃酥、皮蛋酥、叉烧酥等等。所有的糕点都是每天新鲜出炉而且是纯手工制作，店门口不时排长队。

蛋挞有原味鸡蛋和椰丝鸡蛋挞, 其蛋挞呈菱形, 我较喜欢他们的椰丝鸡蛋挞。我不时介紹外国朋友来这里品尝和买蛋挞。

Tong Heng Confectionery 东兴饼家
285 South Bridge Road Singapore 058833

Chinese New Year Bazaar 2015 in Chinatown Singapore - WW

After dinner last evening, my husband and I brought a couple of elderly neighbours to Chinatown to soak in the Lunar New Year festivities and snap photos of the pretty decorations of the Street Light-Up.

Many traditional goodies from cookies, decorative items, waxed meats and preserved fruits to potted plants and clothing were on sale. My neighbours bought some Chinese New Year delicacies.

As my family is still in mourning, we are not celebrating Chinese New Year this year.... but we bought 20 jars of cookies to distribute to some of the elderly residents in our neighbourhood.

These preserved fruits are a must-have in our Chinese New Year shopping due to their auspicious names and meanings.

There was a stall selling a modernised version of wooden clogs. Customers could request to custom make a pair of clogs.

Although it was a weekday night, there were lots of people shopping at the bazaar. We had a light supper before going home with or purchases.  

Singapore Celebrates Chinese New Year 2013 - PhotoHunt

PhotoHunt theme : Celebrate/City where I live

We will be celebrating one of the longest and most important Chinese festivals in Singapore in a few weeks' time. Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, used to be one of the most eagerly anticipated occasions each year when I was a kid. :D

The streets of Chinatown comes alive in bright colours with gorgeous decorations during this festive season. There will be thrilling dragon and lion dance performances, a night bazaar hawking local goods and delicacies, stage shows and, of course, the ever-popular firecrackers and fireworks to usher in the Year of The Snake.

There is the annual street light-up in Chinatown from 19 January to 11 March 2013. The official light-up ceremony is on 19 January 2013 and there will be performances by a variety of local and international artistes.

From 18 January to 9 February 2013, check out the festive street bazaar which allows one to shop at more than 500 stalls. You can pick up goodies such as waxed duck, barbecued sweet meats, cookies, fresh flowers, Chinese calligraphy prints, opera masks, and traditional new year decorations at the bazaar.

There are also entertaining nightly cultural performances at Kreta Ayer Square from 19 January to 9 February 2013, such as Chinese opera shows and the annual international lion dance competition on 26 and 27 January 2013 which will showcase top talents from around the region such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, China and the Philippines

Mid Autumn Festival@Clark Quay 2012

We brought 2 mainland Chinese families to Clark Quay for the Mid Autumn Festival celebrations. We had dinner in Chinatown first. My guests were delighted to see the whole stretch of Chinatown enlivened with bright vibrant lanterns designed in line with the colours of mid-Autumn.

After dinner, we strolled to Clarke Quay where giant lanterns lined the promenade in this Mid-Autumn Festival by the River celebrations. My excited friends joined the crowds, queuing to pose for pictures with lanterns modelled after the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.

We were so engrossed with the photo-taking that the kids missed the mass lantern walk. Oops.

Since we had already purchased several adorable lanterns, we lit them up and let the kids led the way with the lanterns.

Lantern of Dumpling Festival, also known as Dragonboat Festival

lantern depicting Chinese New Year

All the beautiful lanterns were created by master craftsmen from Guizhou, China. Giant lanterns depicting the main Chinese festivals were floating on the river.

Giants lanterns in Chinatown

The adults had fun participating in activities such as guessing the riddles  They won many prizes because the riddles were too easy for them!

There was a festive bazaar with many food stalls selling delicacies from Guizhou. We didn't join the queues because we were not hungry. We bought mooncakes with unique flavours for our friends who couldn't wait to enjoy them by the river.

The moon was unusually beautiful that night ......

Operation's Fish!? What the Fish!?- WW

I was at the newly refurbished wet market in Chinatown and saw this :


It's the Common Snakehead. haha..... We Chinese valued it for its medicinal value when eaten. It is highly recommended for post-operation patients because it is good for healing wounds.

If you're feeling tired and stressed, you might want to have a double-boiled snakehead fish soup with American ginseng to help boost your energy. Some traditional Chinese recipes using the snakehead are popular with mothers as they are believed to help nursing mothers improve their milk flow as well as volume.

Don't ask me if men would have milk flowing out after they drink too much. I haven't tried that on my guys. hehe.......

The man in the picture bought 5 Operation's Fish.

3rd generation stall-owner, Mrs Evon Wong is more than happy to share recipes with her customers. I was very impressed when I overheard her telling a male customer how to boil soup for his wife who was hospitalised for a surgery. She even gave her handphone number for him to call should he encounter problems. How sweet of her!

For health-conscious wives, you may want to check this stall out for some good advice on nutritious soups for your family. Mrs Wong has some great recipes.

ugly bullfrogs, yummy delicacy

cleaned and gutted, ready to cook

She sells live fish and frogs. After the customer has selected them, she would clean and gut them. She sells fresh crocodile meat (good for asthmatic patients) too. All these are wonderful ingredients in traditional Chinese recipes for nutritious or healing dishes.

Block 335 B1-61/62 Smith Street, Chinatown Complex, Singapore 050335.

Champion - Chicken Rice Eating Contest 2008

Wordless Wednesday

Singapore Food Festival - Chinese Dialect Food WS #32

From 4 to 27 July, Singapore's local delights take the spotlight. It's our 15th Annual Food Festival!! Visitors can immerse themselves in our food loving culture, learn about the heritage of our local food through themed events and most importantly, treat your tastebuds to the unique blend of Singapore Food.

I was at the Chinese Dialect Food Showcase (Kreta Ayer Square and Chinatown Food Street) this morning.

8 different dialect restaurants showcased signature foods of their heritage, including the three main dialects (Cantonese, Teochew, Hokkien) and other dialects such as Hakka, Hainanese, Shanghainese, and Henghua.

The other half of my heritage, my hubby is a Hainanese

eastcoastlife interviewing Chef Lee on his Teochew dishes

The Hakka's famous Abacus Dish

Hokkien dishes

Annual Chicken Rice Eating Contest

Chicken Rice, Singaporean’s most commonly eaten and favourite local dish is the highlight at this event. This year the top 3 Finalists, with the Most Number of bowls of Chicken Rice eaten in 10 minutes, will take home with them cash prizes of up to $3500!

Highlights of Singapore Food Festival :
Opening Celebrations at Lau Pa Sat (4 - 6 July)
Ethnic Precincts at Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam and Joo Chiat (12 - 13 July)
Uniquely Singapore Seafood Event at East Coast (18 - 20 July)
Great Sentosa BBQ at Sentosa (26 - 27 July)

Visit Singapore for a Unique Experience!!

weekend-snapshot