Hungry Ghost

  I was trying to decide what to eat for lunch one day when my colleague told me, “You should try Fish & Chicks in Square 2 Koufu. They have this Mentaiko Pasta with Grilled Mentaiko Salmon which is simply the best.” I have heard quite a lot of positive reviews of Fish & Chicks from family and friends. I have been wanting to try their food and since there is one near my workplace, I decided to follow my colleague’s advice.  It took me a while to find the stall which  is actually just at the entrance of Koufu food court. It’s misleading because the signboard says “Western”. Only when you look at the menu do you realize it is actually Fish & Chicks.  This is the   Mentaiko Pasta with Grilled Mentaiko Salmon   [S$12.80] that my colleague was telling me about.   The pasta lies in a pool of creamy mentaiko sauce and a huge slab of salmon fillet with mentaiko mayonnaise sits on top. My colleague is right, this is the best. The mentaiko cream sauc...

  I was exploring United Square when I discovered another interesting eatery. It was located at the basement of United Square, diagonally opposite   Lap Vietnamese Restaurant . It is a small Japanese restaurant called Maru Ten Udon that only serves curry rice, udon and rice bowl. The menu is simple with just 10 udons, 6 curry rice and 2 rice bowls to choose from. Maru Ten Udon is a self-service cafeteria-style restaurant where you order your food and make payment before seating down to eat. Remember to return your tray to the “Return Box” after eating.  Since you are doing everything by yourself, there is no service charge.  Chicken Cutlet Curry Rice   [Small S$7.90, Regular S$9.90, Large S$11.90] is one of the most popular curry rice dish here. The chicken cutlet is crispy on the outside yet moist and tender on the inside. Aromatic Japanese curry covers fragrant Japanese rice. It’s such a perfect combination of flavors and textures.  Kake Udon   [Smal...

  I discovered Lap Vietnamese Restaurant when I was exploring United Square. As the name suggests, this smallish restaurant which can seat 20 people specializes in Vietnamese cuisine. It is located next to Food Junction so it should be quite easy to locate. The menu features spring rolls (goi), baguettes (banh mi), noodles (pho), rice dishes (com), desserts (che) and beverages (nuoc uong).  The   Pork Baguette (Banh Mi Heo)   [S$7] is out of this world. The baguette is baked until the outside is crumbling crispy. Inside, there are vegetables, slices of ham, pork belly and special homemade sweet and spicy sauce.     There is that satisfying crunch when you take a bite and the different flavors come together so perfectly. It is even better than the banh mi I had from Golden Mile Banh Mi a few weeks ago.  The other options are beef, chicken, sardine and vegetarian.   When I asked for a recommendation, the owner recommended   Pho Soup with Sliced...

The bah kut teh commonly found in Singapore is the Teochew peppery type like the ones I had at Old Street Bak Kut Teh. I can’t take the peppery spiciness so I was delighted when my friend introduced me to Herbal Claypot Bak Kut Teh in 188 Cafe. 188 Cafe is an “atas” coffeeshop with air-conditioning on Balestier Road and Herbal Claypot Bak Kut Teh is one of the stalls. This is the Herbal Claypot Bak Kut Teh. The broth is a dark-brown color with lots of whole garlic cloves. The broth is rich and fragrant with a lingering herbal taste that is not overwhelming. The pork ribs fall off the bone easily.  There are the usual bak kuh teh accompaniments: Tofu Skin, Braised Beancurd Puff, Tofu & Egg and Salted Vegetable. All are well-seasoned after many hours of braising.  There is also Sesame Chicken which is not commonly found in bak kut teh stalls.  I always pair bak kut teh with mee sua instead of rice. You can choose between white pepper or herbal broth for the mee sua. It...

  I have been eyeing this stall outside the Thai Supermarket on level 2 of Golden Mile Complex. Golden Mile Banh Mi specializes in the Vietnamese baguette called banh mi.  Local Singaporeans affectionately call Golden Mile Complex “Little Thailand” because almost all the shops and restaurants in there are all Thai. I was surprised to find Vietnamese food in a predominantly-Thai complex, but who cares as long as the food is good.  Let’s see if Golden Mile Banh Mi’s banh mi is good as   Banh Mi Huynh Hoa   I had in Ho Chih Min. Golden Mile Banh Mi sells Vietnamese baguette (banh mi), Vietnamese spring rolls (goi cuon) and beverages (nuoc).  I was only interested in the banh mi so I got the classic   Banh Mi Thit (Ham & Meat Sandwich) [S$5.90]. The crispy baguette is cut open and smeared with duck liver. The petit lady manning the stall deftly stuffs in pieces of meat, ham and vegetables. The finishing touch is a dash of their homemade special sauce a...