许兄弟猪什汤 Koh Brother's Pig Organ Soup ...... Not their organ soup this time but the Glutinous Rice in Pig Intestines

Koh Brother's Pig Organ Soup 许兄弟猪什汤 is a popular stall in the Tiong Bahru food centre for what their stall name suggests. However, I was here only for one of their more interesting dish that looked llike a Weisswurst.

Have you seen Weisswurst or German white sausages sold in the display chiller of the meat section in the super market? If you do, you may have seen a similar food in Tiong Bahru Food Centre. The Pork and Chestnut Glutinous Rice wrapped in Pig's Intestines, served at the stall and looks like a scaled up version of the Weisswurst. When it's sliced up it looked just like this.

Like the sausage, the outer layer is the pig's intestine (actually only a layer of the intestine that consist of naturally occuring collagen) which is used to stuff with steamed  glutinous rice that is mixed with chestnuts and pork. If you like to eat pig's intestines and pig organs and Teochew rice kueh, you'll like this. It taste like a fragrant Teochew glutinous rice kueh impregnated with flavors and aroma of the pig intestines like you have in pig's organ soup. The chestnut gave the dish some nutty sweetness.

I liked it drizzled with the sweet sauce and chilli that was provided as the standard condiments for the dish.

30 Seng Poh Road
#02-29 Tiong Bahru Food Centre
Singapore 168898

Introducing some established brand names with our breakfast at Tiong Bahru Food Centre

Tiong Bahru Food Centre is one of the top food centre to find a galore of good local hawker food in one place. I can say it's a better food centre to visit for breakfast than the one at Old Airport. For the visit this morning, I shall introduced three of the established brand names in the food centre. HY has been living in the area most parts of her life. Ever since, Tiong Bahru food centre was a single storey hawker centre, we have eaten from these stalls.This morning we had the Peanut Cake (min jiang kueh we called in Hokkien) from Tiong Bahru Mian Jian Kueh stall #02-34. We liked the way the dough was made crispy on the outside like they have done it. They grind and roast their peanuts in the machine at the stall. HarriAnn's Glutinous Rice #02-25 is a popular choice other than the other nonya  kuehs available. It was fragrant and is vegetarian. No dried shrimps were added. They have the sweet version if you would like to mixed the savory and sweet together. It's quite a unique taste in a nice way. Jian Bo Chwee Kueh #02-05 is another popular stall  that you may think have outlets in other food centres near you. According to them there's only one stall. Their chwee kueh, rice flour cakes, is topped with greasy stir fried preserved turnips. If it's not greasy, it's not Jian Bo's style. Even with the hip F&B that's encroaching into Tiong Bahru, we will still endear these established heritage Tiong Bahru Market brand names that had hold their own against time.

Tiong Bahru Food Centre
30 Seng Poh Road
Singapore

Tau Sar Pau from Forty Hands ...... Best Tau Sar Pau in Singapore?

This the 'Best Tau Sar Pau in Singapore' as claimed by the 8 Days magazine. 40 Hands Tau Sar Pau is made flatter than the typical Tau Sar Pau. It's S$2.50 a piece. I missed having this bun the last time and I'm glad that I got the last one in the shop this time.

This Tau Sar Pau has a very soft bun and fine tau sar (red bean paste).  An American friend once asked me a question, "Would you eat SH!! that smells good and taste delicious or food that smell and taste like SH!!?". I didn't know how to answer him then. I was someone who disliked eating tau sar and would associate tau sar to ..... If I would have eaten Forty Hands Tau Sar Pau then, I would have answered him immediately, "If SH!! tasted this good, I'll rather eat SH!!". 


By the way, I've learnt to like tau sar, rather, Azuki, the hard way. While I was in Japan the last few years, no matter which pastry or bun that I chose from the shelves, I was lucky enough to choose Azuki filled ones. Urgh! So many times that I've become a convert ever since.

*Photos with my iPhone 3GS


My previous post on Forty Hands.

華豐麵家Hua Feng Noodle House ...... Wanton Noodles bagus!

I always thought that 華豐麵家 Hua Feng cooks a good Wanton Noodle and they are definitely one of the places in the neighbourhood that I would eat wanton noodle. Their noodles tangy and the wantons are tasty. I can't say the about the cha siew though. I always like the dried version with the chilli. Their chilli makes it more delicious. Be patient in the queue if you would like to try them. The queue is long but can be quite fast sometimes. Although I cannot say that I've eaten a wanton noodle soup as good as the ones I had in Hong Kong but I can still find good the dried version wanton noodle in Singapore, like here in Hua Feng, as I still prefer the chilli sauce for wanton noodles made in Singapore than in Hong Kong.


For the dried version wanton noodle order, the wantons were provided in a separate bowl. At S$3, there were about 5~6 wantons.


Address : 30 Seng Poh Road, Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre #02-24

德盛豆花水 Teck Seng Soya Bean Milk ....... this stall has been around with Tiong Bahru

 

I have been trying my luck despite the long queue to grab a bowl of the soya bean curd from Teck Seng. Luck has not been on my side so far. Their soya bean curd are always sold out. I end up having their cold soya bean milk with grass jelly mix. I'll be back for their soya bean curd!

Soya Bean Milk with Grass Jelly(S$0.90)

The nutritious soya bean milk and "cool" grass jelly

is a really nice mix to beat the Singapore heat.

Address : 30 Seng Poh Road, Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre, #02-692

Country : Singapore

Deli and Grill ...... Western Food with a little difference

During a lunch out at Tiong Bahru Food Center, I saw this Western Food Stall that has a small queue. You can see from the menu pasted all over the stall front showing the variety of Western Food sets. I decided to try the pork chop set.  Really glad that I had not settled into my comfort zone to eat from the stalls I'm most familiar with. Deli & Grill's food turns out quite good!

Here's the pork chop set for S$6 which comes sizzling in a hot plate. You can see that they give pretty good portion.



A close up of the pork chop ........



What I find most sincere and different about their western food is the vegetable sides that they provide. There's baby corn, cherry tomato, pineapple, celery, carrots, mushroom ..... etc. In most other Western food, its mostly just coldslaw.



With the set is a separate bowl of fries and you have a choice of an extra cheese sauce over the fries. Deli & Grill knows best not to add their fries with the pork chop and vegetable sides, or else the fries will turn soggy when soaked with the sauce that is meant primarily to add taste to the pork chop.

Apart from the pork chop set I had, there are many other sets that you can choose from and I'm sure they give good portions!

Address : 30 Seng Poh Road, Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre, #02-42

Country : Singapore

Tiong Bahru Fried Kway Tiao .......... been frying for a long time since the old market

Tiong Bahru Fried Kway Tiao may not be your best Fried Kway Tiao stall but they are one of the best in the Tiong Bahru area. They've been frying since the old Tiong Bahru Food centre days. You may need to wait a while especially during lunch time. When you are in Tiong Bahru Food Centre and craving for Fried Kway Tiao, seek no more. This is the stall. They still sell a plateful for S$2 if you are "health consciousness" and yet still craving for this local food.

The plate of Fried Kway Tiao ..........

A close up of the cockles ..........

Cost : S$2/3/4 per plate

Address : 30 Seng Poh Road, Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre, #02-11

Country : Singapore

卤面 178 .......... Lor Mee Expert in Tiong Bahru

178 is actually the stall number of the stall. This Lor Mee is popular in the food centre. There's always a queue during lunch time. They are still selling food priced at S$2. Vinegar, garlic and chilli is self service. 

Standard prices. S$2 food is rarity nowadays ........

S$3 portion of Lor Mee ............

Cost : S$3 per bowl

Address : 30 Seng Poh Road, Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre, #02-178

Country : Singapore

Cheng Delicacies - Authentic Hainanese Curry Rice 正宗海南咖哩饭 ............ Good Fried Pork Chop with Hainanese curry

Cheng Delicacies is tucked in a "secluded" area in Tiong Bahru. When you reach the restaurant, you'll find that the place seems quite "laid back". The big sign board that says "Authentic Hainanese Curry Rice" sticks out prominently from one of the shophouse pillars.

The chi char style restaurant at the corner of Yong Siak street ..........

You can order the a serving chicken chop curry rice at S$4.80. My lunch buddies and I ordered a little spread to share. The following's what we had and I find them good.

The little spread that we had for 4 person ....................

The Hainanese pork chop that comes with a separate serving of curry so that you can eat it with or without curry. This is very crispy and the pork is tender inside ...........



The Hainanese curry chicken is a nicely cooked chicken in thick curry. This curry is a bit different from the one that comes with the pork chop ..........



Fried tofu with mince meat ..........



Cost : About S$12 per person

Address : 27 Yong Siak Street

Tel: 6223-7883

Opening hours: 8.30am to 8pm (weekdays), 8.30am to 3pm (weekends)

Country : Singapore

Tiong Bahru Mian Jian Kueh 中岜鲁面煎糕 .................. No Peanut Allergy allowed!

I liked this local delight since I'm young kid but until I'm going out with my wife 9 years ago was I introduced to what I considered a pinnacle for making this Peanut Cake 面煎糕. Tiong Bahru Mian Jian Kueh Stall 中岜鲁面煎糕 have been making this local snack since I knew Tiong Bahru Food Centre as a single storey congested food haven. The following are the characteristics of their good peanut cake;

1) the outer crust is crispy, especially the edge.
2) the texture of the pancake is tangy on the inside.
3) the generous serving of peanut between the pancake.

If you look inside the stall, they have a customised machine to grind and roast their own peanut. Maybe that's why this peanut pancake that they make is so fragrant.

Like many other peanut cake stall, they have coconut and red bean paste other than the peanut. After the years, they've also tried mixing all three into a pancake (3-in-1). It's a really unique taste.

............... 3-in-1 combo

I still like the original peanut cake best and will always ask to have slices that have the crispy edges.

There's another good peanut pancake stall in Tanglin Halt  (Tanglin Halt Original Peanut Pancake).

Cost : S$0.70 per slice/piece

Address : 30 Seng Poh Road, Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre, #02-34

Country : Singapore