Hungry Ghost

I have been very interested in briyani lately. I have recently tried Allaudin’s Briyani Pte. Ltd which serves decent briyani at affordable price in Tekka Centre. My colleague suggested I try Islamic Restaurant, which turned out to be one of the oldest briyani restaurants in Singapore. Islamic Restaurant was established in 1921 by Mr. Abdul Rahiman who was then Head Chef of the rich Alsagoff family. The restaurant has been passed down through the generations and it is currently managed by third-generation Mr. Kalil. The 98 years of history is clearly present in the decor of Islamic Restaurant. The yellow walls and red patterned tablecloth speaks of the 1990s. The walls are filled with framed photographs of celebrities that have dined at the restaurant. First President Yusoff Bin Ishak, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Malaysia Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loon, Brunei royalties and ministers have all dined here.  Islamic Restaurant serves different types of...

There is a saying “one man’s meat is another man’s poison”. This type of food are usually the ones that have very pungent smell or taste. I can think of two foods that fall into this category, one is durian and the other is stinky tofu. Durian is known as the “king of fruits”, you either love the pungent smell or you hate it. Stinky tofu is a Chinese form of fermented beancurd that is popular in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. I won’t say that I love stinky tofu, but I do crave for it from time to time. Stinky tofu is not popular in Singapore and I couldn’t find any restaurant that sells this snack, until my girlfriend brought me to Mini Star (HK) Fermented Beancurd.  Mini Star (HK) Fermented Beancurd has apparently been around since 1997, which means it has been around for more than 20 years.  Located in a small shop about 10-minute walk from Paya Lebar MRT station, Mini Star (HK) Fermented Beancurd has the typical Hong Kong-style decor.  The top half of the walls are paint...