Be transported to the streets of 1950s Malaysia!

Happy news for Malaysian street food lovers! Now you no longer need to drive 5 hours to Kuala Lumpur or take a plane to Penang to satisfy your craving for KL Hokkien mee or Penang char kway teow. Just hop over to Malaysian Food Street at Resorts World Sentosa!

Dine outside shophouses!

Officially opened on 12 January 2012, Malaysian Food Street at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) is a spacious foodcourt with 17 food stalls offering iconic Malaysian street food.

From RWS’ press release:

Standing at 22,000 square feet, the Malaysian Food Street seats up to 516 guests comfortably. Fully-air-conditioned, it is designed to evoke the look and feel of the streets in Malaysia, with facades of old shophouses, true-to-detail street stalls, and replicas of 1950s-style coffeeshop furniture and street fixtures to set the mood.

Old-school trishaw!

Nearly half of the 17 food stalls are among some of the best hawkers in Malaysia. They were specially selected by RWS after a stringent and time-consuming process.

At a recent media preview (before its official opening), we were given a first taste of what to look forward to when this exciting new F&B destination opens!

Note: Dishes pictured are tasting portions, hence not representative of actual portions that are sold.

Penang Ah Long Lor Bak

Penang lor bak is similar to Singapore ngoh hiang. The main item — lor bak — is braised pork rolled in beancurd sheet, then deep-fried and served with braising sauce and chilli sauce. Other items like crispy fritters are usually offered alongside.

Lor bak from Penang Ah Long Lor Bak

This was our sampling platter. It was polished off in minutes, testament to how tasty it was! A must-try when you visit Malaysian Food Street!

Penang Ah Mei Hokkien Prawn Mee

Another dish that we were very impressed with was Penang Hokkien prawn mee.

Penang-style Hokkien prawn noodles

The best part of this dish was the intensely flavored broth. Boiled for three hours with stir-fried crushed prawn shell, pork bones and ground dried chilli, this spicy umami-rich broth was mind-blowing awesome!

Penang Lim Brothers' Char Koay Teow

And how could we leave out Penang’s iconic char koay teow?

Penang char koay teow!

Unlike Singapore fried kway teow which is sweeter and wetter, Penang char koay teow is saltier and lighter in color. This tasted really authentic, and would taste even better with more chilli and a stronger charred flavor.

Claypot rice cooked on coals in traditional clay stoves

Another famous Malaysian hawker stall is Huen Kee Claypot Rice from Kuala Lumpur. They still insist on using traditional stoves and charcoal to cook their claypot chicken rice.

See the burning charcoal on top of the pots? That’s to lock in moisture and retain the flavors of the rice and ingredients.

Chicken clay pot rice

When the lids were lifted, our noses were greeted with a heady aroma of marinated chicken and Chinese sausage. The rice grains were moist and flavorful because they were cooked in chicken broth.

Adding even more fragrance and flavor was a drizzle of sesame oil, shallot oil, Chinese rice wine, ginger sauce, and dark soy sauce just before the rice was mixed and served.

Penang Hai Beng Hainan Lor Mee

If you still have tummy space, here are other famous stalls to try. The lor mee was quite flavorful but the gravy was a little too starchy for my liking.

Famous Jalan Alor KL Hokkien Mee

The sweet-salty KL Hokkien mee features thick udon-like noodles that’s QQ bouncy to the bite. I’ve never tasted the authentic version before, so no yardstick to compare.

Petaling Street Famous Porridge

This congee uses three kinds of rice grains, and slowly simmered for 2 hours in chicken and pork broth. The congee has a wonderfully velvety consistency. Love the crispy deep-fried intestines that came with this pork porridge!

Raw fish porridge is also available in addition to pork porridge.

Penang chendol

The Penang chendol is another must-try! Usually, I steer clear of chendol in Singapore food courts. Often, they use neon-colored factory-made green jelly and substandard gula melaka.

But this one is different. The soft green jelly has a lovely home-made quality to it. It’s not overpowered by coconut milk, and has a very smooth and fragrant gula melaka and palm sugar sweetness.

Fung Wong Confectionery

Don’t leave without getting some Chinese pastries from the famous Fung Wong Confectionery in Kuala Lumpur.

Delicious Chinese baked pastries

There’s baked goodies like walnut cookies and crispy water chestnut pastries 马蹄酥.

Fung Wong's legendary kaya puff, baked char siew bun, and egg tart

We sampled their signature egg tart, baked char siew bun, and kaya puff. OMG, they are really delish! Even hubby was mighty impressed. Will definitely get these again the next time I go to RWS.

Besides these famous “imported” Malaysian hawkers, there are other delicious Malaysian street food dishes like nasi lemak, Klang bak kut teh, and Malacca chicken rice ball available.

Here’s the full list of all the stalls at Malaysian Food Street:

1. Famous Jalan Alor KL Hokkien Mee
2. Fung Wong Confectionery
3. Petaling Street Famous Porridge since 1949
4. Huen Kee Claypot Chicken Rice
5. Ah Mei Hokkien Prawn Mee
6. Penang Hai Beng Hainan Lor Mee
7. Penang Ah Long Lor Bak
8. Penang Lim Brothers’ Char Koay Teow
9. Roti Canai & Nasi Biryani
10. Kampung Nasi Lemak
11. Malacca Chicken Rice Ball
12. Petaling Jaya Dim Sum and Drinks
13. Ampang Yong Tau Foo
14. Klang Bak Kut Teh
15. KL Wanton Mee
16. Penang Cuttlefish Kang Kong
17. Desserts/Fruits

*Roti Canai & Nasi Biryani and Kampung Nasi Lemak are halal-certified stalls.

Malaysian Food Street @ Resorts World Sentosa is located at The Bull Ring (next to Universal Studios) in Resorts World Sentosa.

Opening hours:
Mon to Thu: 11am – 10pm
Fri to Sat: 9am – midnight
Sun: 9am – 10pm

The images in this post were shot with Sony NEX-C3 with SEL1855 lens (on loan from Sony Singapore).

After taking 4 months off to have my baby, I’m back writing for inSing.com’s wildly popular Tried & Tested column.

This time, we re-visit ramen, a Japanese phenomenon that our noodle-loving nation can’t seem to get enough of. Which new player is the current champion of Japanese ramen in Singapore? Click here to find out!

Fresh salads section

Having moved from International Business Park, the ever popular Penang Place buffet restaurant is still packing the crowds in. Despite its cavernous interior, the restaurant was full house when we came here for Saturday lunch. Thank goodness we had made reservations in advance, otherwise we might not have scored a table.

Warning: Plenty of photos ahead! Descriptions will be short and sweet to avoid being long-winded.

The buffet is sectioned into: fresh salads (including Penang fruit rojak), hot starters, hot mains, noodle stations, cold desserts and kuehs.

Nasi lemak condiments

The nasi lemak was just ok. Didn’t find the rice particularly fragrant. The condiments were average. Rather unusual to find hae bee hiam (spicy dried shrimp floss) and boiled lady’s fingers as part of the condiments. But I liked the hae bee hiam very much.

Noodle station

Here’s the noodle station. Items are sometimes rotated, but I think the iconic Penang assam laksa is a permanent fixture.

Condiments for Penang laksa

Penang assam laksa is DIY. Printed instructions are provided (in English) for the clueless.

Condiments for prawn noodles

DIY rojak station

DIY ice kachang & chendol station

Fried stuff

We started with some fried stuff.  Oh, how I miss lor bak! The version here was almost as good as what we had in Penang. Thickly filled, the Choon Piah (spring roll) was pretty satisfying too. A pity there were no prawn fritters.

Chicken satay, otak otak, steamed siew mai, and fried prawn wanton.

The chicken satay is simply awesome! The well-marinated meat was very fragrant, tender and juicy!

Unlike our local version, the spice paste for this otah tastes more like Thai green curry. It wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t our cup of tea.

Penang fruit rojak

It’s so fun DIY-ing your own rojak because you can choose to put whatever ingredients you like into it! I used everything that’s available: cucumber, jicama, pineapple, guava, starfruit, and green mango. It’s very appetising!

Penang fried kway teow

Here’s probably the most popular dish in the house. It’s fried in small batches to maintain freshness. And when it arrives at the buffet table, waiting vultures diners descend upon it. In moments, it’s gone!

I only managed to score a plate towards the end of our meal. Tasty and well-seared, this is a definite must-try!

Penang laksa (foreground) & prawn noodles (background)

Much as we love Penang food, hubby and I have never really taken to assam laksa. If you enjoy laksa assam, you’ll be pretty satisfied with this version. I much prefer the Penang Hokkien mee, which is similar to our Singapore prawn noodle soup.

Chicken curry

The curry chicken is adequately rich and spicy. Baguette slices are provided for soaking up all that delicious curry gravy.

Nasi lemak with beef rendang and braised duck with sea cucumber

Intensely flavored and fork-tender, the beef rendang was delish! The braised duck with sea cucumber was also quite nice.

Kuehs, fresh fruit, and fried cempedak

By this time, hubby and I were already very full, but we just couldn’t resist the colorful kuehs.

See that golden fritter on the right? Grab it if you see it! This cempedak fritter is another hot item, and it’s really really scrumptious!

Pulut tai tai with kaya

This steamed glutinous rice kueh is also worth a try, especially with the fragrant home-made kaya.

We also tried other cold desserts like mango pudding and gui ling gao but I think you can afford to skip those.

Chendol

By now we were nearly bursting at the seams, so we passed on ice kachang but managed to squeeze in one final chendol. It was worth it!

The next time we come here, these will be the items we will attack first:

1. Fried kway teow
2. Chicken satay
3. Lor bak
4. Rojak
5. Beef rendang
6. Fried cempedak
7. Chendol
8. Pulut tai tai

Full house!

Dishes are regularly rotated, but popular items like fried kway teow, rojak, assam laksa, and chendol are probably available daily.

What we enjoyed about this buffet is that the items tasted very fresh, and most of them were decently executed. Seating is spacious, and the wait staff were efficient in clearing away our plates. I’d highly recommend this place to anyone who’s looking for a decent and reasonably priced Penang cuisine buffet.

But we won’t be coming back in the near future, because this building has no baby changing rooms. Yes, now that I have a baby in tow, we prefer destinations with baby-friendly amenities. It’s a real hassle to change baby’s diapers without proper facilities!

Given the fact that there are a few enrichment centres for young children in Fusionopolis — which means there will be families with young children who come here — shouldn’t the management incorporate more child-friendly amenities in the building?

We paid S$26.90++ per adult (for Saturday lunch price). A detailed price list is available on their website (see below).

Penang Place
1 Fusionopolis Way
Connexis #B1-20/24
Singapore 138632
Tel: +65 6467 7003
URL: www.penangplace.com

Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 9.30pm

The images in this post were shot with Sony NEX-C3 with SEL1855 lens (on loan from Sony Singapore).

Hungry for Indonesian-style smashed chicken? Here are some of the best ayam penyet in Singapore, tried and tested!

In Singapore, it’s commonly referred to as otah, but this spicy fish cake is also known as otak-otak. Read the latest installment of Tried & Tested to find out where you can get some of the best otah / otak-otak in Singapore!

Thumbs up for Thai food!

I was very honored to be invited back for another YES 93.3FM 美食鉴定团 outing. This week, 4 lucky winners (from last week’s live radio contest) and their classmates made up the rest of the tasting panel. Together with DJs Jiafa and Weibin, we gathered for another gastronomic adventure at Tawandang Microbrewery in the tranquil Dempsey enclave.

Beer is freshly brewed on the premises.

Tawandang was established in 1999 as the first microbrewery-themed restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. The Dempsey outlet in Singapore is their first overseas outlet. They have since opened a second outlet in East Coast Seafood Centre.

Tawandang Lager Beer

The main attraction at Tawandang is their signature fresh German-style beer — Lager, Weizen, and Dunkel.

Crispy Salted Shrimp

Besides beer, Tawandang also serves modern Thai cuisine. This starter of tiny crispy salted shrimp, served with chilli dip, was an immensely more-ish snack and the perfect accompaniment to beer.

Green papaya salad with prawn

This piquant salad is conventionally Thai. Spicy, sour, and crunchy, it really shook our tastebuds up!

Tawandang-style Sauteed Morning Glory

This lightly stir-fried veggie dish looked like shredded stems of kangkong.

Chilli Crab

I didn’t try the crabs cos I was too lazy to shell them crabs, heh. But the spicy tomato sauce was deliciously rich without being too heavy.

Steamed Squid with Chilli & Lime Juice

Oh, I loved this dish of steamed squid for its refreshingly tangy soup. It looks innocently clear, but there’s a potent kick of heat provided by chopped chilli padi. Those sneaky fellows sure are deceptive!

Grilled Seabass with Salt

This was a whole seabass wrapped in banana leaf and foil, then grilled. The result was succulent, tender flesh. Served with coriander-based dip, this method allowed us to appreciate the natural sweet flavors of the fish.

Deep-Fried Pork Knuckle

Another item that’s the perfect beer food — German-style pork knuckle! The skin was superbly crunchy, but the meat was a bit dry in some parts.

Tom yum soup with prawn

And of course, which Thai meal is complete without tom yum soup?

Our hearty meal rounded off with a dessert of sticky rice with mango and a refreshing platter of cut fruit.

Live band

The same night we were there (it was a Sunday evening), the restaurant was packed with both families and groups of friends. The spacious premises and live band helped to create a laidback but lively party atmosphere.

Cheers for beers!

Do tune in to Y.E.S. 93.3FM (live radio also available on the web) on Wednesday, 15 September 2010 from 6pm onwards to hear our reviews on Tawandang Microbrewery. You could also win a chance to join the next 美食鉴定团 outing!

Many thanks to YES 93.3FM for the invite, as well as the staff of Tawandang for the warm hospitality.

Tawandang Microbrewery
Block 26 Dempsey Road
#01-01
Singapore 249686
Tel: +65 6476 6742
URL: www.tawandang.com

Open daily: 11.30am – 1am

MIL hinted that she’d like Indonesian food, so we made reservations at Tambuah Mas. This was our first time at the Paragon outlet; previously, we used to go to Tanglin Shopping Centre, which we remember as being good and consistent.

Tahu Telor, S$8.00

First to arrive, the dish that everyone orders at Tambuah Mas: their signature tahu telor. It didn’t disappoint.

Tahu=beancurd, telor=egg. Very simple ingredients indeed, but in the hands of a master, they can be transformed into a magical dish.

Some places have a tendency to over-fry or make this dish too oily, but Tambuah Mas’s version was relatively light. The egg batter was crispy and airy, while the large tofu cubes remained warm and soft. A light drizzle of kecap manis (dark sweet soy) added sweetness without being too cloying.

Sate Ayam (1/2 dozen), S$10.90

Another crowd-pleaser was the chicken satay. Loved the tender meat (they used chicken leg) and the spice marinade that was aromatic without being overwhelming. The accompanying peanut dip was deliciously rich and nutty.

Kepala Ikan Istimewa (1/2 fish head), S$22.90

I never fail to order this at Tambuah Mas — fish head simmered in sweet-spicy-tangy assam gravy. The gravy is very distinctive, with exceedingly well-balanced flavors. Somehow, that piquantly wicked gravy just whets your appetite for more. The fish head was fresh and meaty with no hint of fishiness.

Perkadel Ayam, S$6.00 (2 pieces)

So far, the main stars were impressive. What about the supporting cast?

Perkadel aka bergedil aka potato croquette with minced chicken. Nice, but not particularly memorable. Rather pricey too, but then, each croquette was nearly as big as a fist!

Sayur Lodeh, S$6.00

The sayur lodeh (cabbage, long bean, and beancurd simmered in coconut gravy) got the thumbs up from MIL for its gentle scent and mildness. The aromatics were warm and fragrant, while the gravy wasn’t too lemak (coconutty), resulting in a light and pleasant vegetable curry.

Kailan in oyster sauce, S$8.00

Another vegetable dish, cos it’s good to eat more greens! This stir-fry is actually more Chinese than Indonesian.

Ayam Goreng (1/2 chicken), S$10.90

Hmm, we really regretted ordering the ayam goreng (fried chicken). The meat was SO dry and tough! It was a very small serving, but even then, we couldn’t finish it. So hard to chew!

Soto Ayam, S$5.00

Because the soto ayam (chicken soup) arrived barely warm, it got cold really fast. The broth was fairly tasty, with a mini perkadel and generous amounts of shredded chicken and glass noodle. But once again, the shredded chicken was tough and chewy.

Sweets for my sweetie!

Time for mouthwash! Hehe, that’s what “pencuci mulut” literally means. In Bahasa Indonesian, the term for dessert is “pencuci mulut”, or literally, “mouthwash”. What a colorful saying!

Actually, we were already stuffed, but we couldn’t resist dessert, so we ordered 3 items to share. Can you spot Melissa, our niece, in the background? That was one of the rare moments during the meal when she was very well-behaved. LOL

From left: Es Kachang Cendol, Es Teler, Es Apokat (S$4.90 each)

Thank goodness we didn’t pass on desserts, for they were absolutely fabulous! All three items we tried were all rich without being overly sweet or heavy. The Apokat (avocado shake), which can get rather cloying, was creamy but refreshing.

Restaurant entrance

Our unanimous conclusion: Hits and misses for the main courses, but on the whole, they were decent. I haven’t been back to the Tanglin branch for some years, but I remember standards there were higher.

On the other hand, desserts were awesome. We wanna come back just for the desserts!

Each person was charged S$1.00 for plain rice. Together with miscellaneous charges and taxes, total bill was $125.70 for 5 adults and 1 child.

Tambuah Mas Indonesian Restaurant (Paragon)
290 Orchard Road
#B1-44 Paragon
Singapore 238859
Tel: +65 6733 2220
URL: http://www.tambuahmas.com.sg

Save the airfare to Penang and come here instead!

Sounds luxurious? The reality: Buffet was hawker fare, and the shopping was just wistful browsing. “Ooh, look! So gorgeous! Wah, so ex!”

We are, after all, merely HDB tai-tais. Still, it was fun!

Back to the food, which is the main reason for the outing. Ever since my Penang trip, I’d been unable to forget the delicious street food. Besides, I’d been wanting to try York Hotel’s legendary Penang hawkers’ buffet. Ongoing since 1986, the hotel flies in hawkers from Penang 3 times a year (in March, September, and December) for this theme buffet.

Compared to usual hotel buffets, this one has considerably less variety. The focus is on hawker food. Each dish is prepared a la minute at live stations. The whole set-up is like a food court!

Lor bak (fried meat roll)

Let’s start with my favorite item of the spread. Lor bak = Singapore’s ngoh hiang. Served with other deep-fried items like prawn fritters, beancurd, battered taro and sweet potato.

The batter was very light and crispy, and nearly grease-free. Even the prawn shell was crispy enough to be devoured. This was really addictive!

Hokkien mee (prawn noodles)

Penang Hokkien mee = Singapore prawn mee. The prawn and pork broth was flavorful and tasty, and the pork ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender. But why did they use such small prawns? Crunchy they were, but not particularly sweet.

Koay teow thng (fish ball noodle soup)

Not a terribly exciting dish, but this was well-executed. The soup was very clear, and tasty but light at the same time. The dry-tossed version is also available.

Assam laksa

I actually enjoyed this version more than the one I had in Penang, probably because the broth here is less fishy and sour. I liked the balance of sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors. Very appetizing!

From left: Ban chang kueh (peanut pancake) & apom balik

Another “hot” stall was the pancake station. The apom balik is a new addition. There’s a small piece of banana hidden in the fold of the soft pancake. We were pleasantly surprised by coconut shreds in the batter, which gave the pancake a wonderful fragrance and texture. The apom balik was so popular that there was no more when we went back for seconds!

The peanut pancake was just as more-ish! Filled with crushed peanut and sugar, the wafer-thin pancake was very light and crispy. There’s a slight drizzle of melted Planta margarine inside, which gave a subtle kick!

Penang fried koay teow

Without doubt Penang’s most famous dish, the fried koay teow station had the longest queue! According to Camemberu who did the queueing, there were two chefs, each frying a wok of koay teow. One is the master and the other is the disciple. She got a plate from each of them.

The difference in taste was heaven and earth! The disciple’s version tasted flat, and the noodles were broken and looked unappetizing. But the master’s fried koay teow was full of wok breath, and the flavors were robust and complex. So now you know whose koay teow you should queue for!

Fried oyster

Penang fried oyster egg is more “wet” in style. I’m not crazy about oysters, so this was just ok for me. The eggs were very tasty.

Penang rojak

Penang rojak is fruit-based. The thick hae ko (shrimp paste) was delicious, but I’d have preferred it to be more piquant.

Ju her eng chye 鱿鱼蕹菜 (cuttlefish & water spinach)

Ok, I’m not a fan of ju her eng chye, so no comments.

Cendol & ice kachang (background)

The cendol was sorely disappointing! I was so looking forward to it, but it isn’t authentic. The green bean jelly isn’t the soft, pale green type, and there’s no distinctive gula Melaka taste. Even the ice kachang was lacklustre. I really miss the awesome cendol we had in Penang.

So, did this satisfy the Penang food craving? Well, I was very happy up to the point of the cendol, which shaved many points off the overall grade! I was also hoping to see more items, like satay, curry mee, or even curry chee cheong fun, but no such luck. Some might say 30 bucks is too much to pay for hawker fare, but hey, it’s still cheaper than the price of a plane ticket to Penang!

The buffet also includes free-flow bandung (rose syrup and milk drink).

Penang Hawkers’ Fare (4 to 20 September 2009)
White Rose Cafe, York Hotel Singapore
21 Mount Elizabeth
Singapore 228516
Tel: (65) 6737 0511

Lunch: 12 noon – 2:30pm
Dinner: 6:30pm – 10pm
Price: S$25.80++ (adult), S$18.80++ (child below 12 years)
No table reservations.

Coconut chicken noodles, S$2.50.

The coconut chicken noodles is Hokkien noodles in thick coconut curry sauce, topped with chickpea fritter and crackers, and a couple of chicken cubes. The sauce is thick, smooth, and mildly spicy, but definitely too salty, especially when paired with yellow noodles that’s also salty.

Mohinga, S$2.50.

A more pleasing choice is Myanmar’s national dish – mohinga. It’s not as fancy as Inle Myanmar’s, but still, I inhaled the entire contents of the bowl.

Yup, mohinga is my latest craze. I simply dig the fish broth! Oh, and the chickpea fritters too! Never mind if they’re soggy. It just means that they’ve soaked up that tasty fish soup. Besides, the chickpeas are still crunchy!

Although there isn’t much ingredients other than thin rice noodles and chickpea fritter, the fish soup provides enough flavor. But because it’s more like a light snack, you might want to upsize or order something else more filling. They also have rice with assorted curries and side dishes.

Authentic Myanmar food at reasonable prices.

Aung Myanmar Food
San Po Food Court
Blk 432, Clementi Ave 3
#01-296
Singapore 120432

Open daily: 8:30am to 9:30pm

Ayam panggang (grilled chicken set), S$4.80.

My dear Ayam Panggang of Riverside Indonesian BBQ, it’s rare that I sing praises of something from a foodcourt stall, but today, this ode is dedicated to you.

I first laid eyes upon you that fateful day 4 years ago; since then, I’ve been hopelessly in love! How could I resist your tender, juicy thigh? That crisp, wickedly charred skin? And the piece de resistance: that distinctive sauce – a luscious concoction of sweet kicap manis and heady spices!

Yummy grilled chicken+rice+curry = bliss.

Throughout these years, you’ve rewarded my faithfulness with constancy, which is no mean achievement in the F&B business. I’m amazed at how you’re always fresh, well-grilled and smokey, and perfectly cooked (flesh neither undercooked nor too dry).

While your sidekicks pale in comparison, they deserve mention for complementing you. Curry gravy is a bit thin, but very fragrant, and not too cloying. Omelette is a Plain Jane, but what I appreciate is that it’s fluffy and sufficiently thick.

Other patient fans

So, imagine my panic when I came a couple of months ago, and Kopitiam was closed for renovation! Oh no, I thought, does that mean you’d be gone for good?

How I heaved a sigh of relief, when I saw you back, as dazzling as ever, reigning over the other stalls, with your never-ending stream of fans. Yes, you may be dearer now, but with escalating rents, how could I blame you? Besides, you and the hardworking team behind you deserve a pay rise, for bringing culinary happiness to hungry folks like me.

Once again, thank you, my dear Ayam Panggang, for making my belly warm and my heart sing.

Riverside Indonesian BBQ
Stall 10, Kopitiam Food Court
Level 6, Plaza Singapura
68 Orchard Road
Singapore 238839