Mr Chua, 25, runs Ah Luck Beancurd in Tanglin Halt market for more than 2 years. He is renting the stall from the original owner who has based his stall in the same area for more than 40 years. Ah Luck Bean Curd offers drinks and deserts such as soya bean drink, grass jelly and the residents' favorite soya bean curd (60 cents).
A Delicious Bowl of Bean Curd
The top most and bottom most layers of fresh beancurd would be removed to ensure a consistent texture. Only the middle portion of bean curd would eventually be served to the customers. Mr Chua boils the sugar mixture daily and pandan leaves are added during the process to infuse additional flavour. The piping hot bean curd tastes smooth to the tongue and the sweetness of the syrup is extremely well controlled to bring about a pleasant wholesome beany taste.
Mr and Mrs Chua
Snack Attack #13 - Ah Luck Bean Curd
Address: Blk 48A Tanglin Halt Road #01-17
Opening Hours: 7am to 4am daily
Rating: 7.5/10
Ann, 46 runs the family food stall for over 10 years in Tanglin Halt hawker centre. Serving halal food for over a decade in the same place, Ann has integrated her dishes to suit the taste buds of Queenstown residents, especially the Malay community. The simple food stall offers snacks such as satay, otah and seafood dishes. As a family styled business, she gets her supply of fresh satay from her uncle every day. Even the helpers in her stall are her relatives, working together in a closely knitted family unit.
A plate of Satay
There are 3 main types of satays – chicken, mutton and beef. Going at 60 cents per stick, it is slightly pricier than the usual hawker centre satay. The satay is served with chilli peanut sauce, cucumbers, onions and rice cake (50cents per piece). Each satay stick is skewered with sizable pieces of meat and a tiny layer of fat in between. The meat is juicy and succulent with a hint of aromatic Malay spices. Fairly well cooked, the satay goes well with the peanut paste sauce with has just the right level of thickness.
Ann
Next time when you drop by Tanglin Halt hawker centre, feel free to drop by Ann’s Muslim Seafood Satay stall
Tanglin Halt Muslim Seafood Satay
Snacks Attack #12 - Tanglin Halt Muslim Seafood Satay
Address: Tanglin Halt Hawker Centre Commonwealth Drive Block 2A #01-22
Opening Hours: 5pm-12am (Closed on Wednesdays)
DessertStory, located in Anchorpoint basement one, has been serving residents tasty snacks and deserts for the past four years. Wendy, the supervisor of the cafe, introduced the various homemade desserts that they offer.
A bowl of Almond Paste
Hot desserts are mainly the favourite choice among Queenstown residents. Firstly, they have almond paste which is made by grinding two different kinds of whole almonds together and the mixture boiled with other ingredients over several hours by the owner. The resulting product is a delicious thick and creamy paste which taste smooth on the tongue and delightfully flavorful.
They also offer walnut paste which is also a favourite among older residents. The walnut paste has a strong scent and the bitter taste of fresh walnut is delicately removed by the owner. The dessert recipes are purposely made less sweet in order to suit the health conscious Singaporeans of today. The price of hot desserts range from $2.80 to $3.50.
Wendy
While tasting the delicious bowls of desserts, Wendy also explained the health benefits that each brings. Almonds are supposed to cure throat aches and gives one a radiant complexion, while walnuts can boost one's brain functions. Remember to drop by DessertStory for some healthy homemade desserts!
Snacks Attack #11 - Dessert Story's Almond Paste
Address: Anchorpoint B1-58 (Opposite Billabong)
Opening Hours: 10.30am-10pm daily
Mr Wang, 39, runs Rounds & Square which offers mouth watering Indonesian style homemade pancakes. His stall at Commonwealth crescent has been opened for 4 months, after he moved over from the site at 'Lau Pa Sat'.
Tasty and Delightful Indonesian Pancakes
There are 2 main types of pancakes available. Firstly, sweet pancakes come in a variety of flavours such as chocolate, kaya and red bean. Flavours have been modified slightly from the past in order to suit Singaporean tastebuds. New flavours such as peanut and kaya have been added. Next, they have egg pancakes which are meat fillings and vegetables encased in an egg based outer layer. The egg pancakes are pan fried and offers a distinctive alternative salty flavour as compared to its sweet cousin.
Sweet pancakes are done in a round tray, slowly baking over a light flame. On the other hand, egg pancakes are pan fried and shaped into a squarish form. Hence the unique Round & Square title given to the shop.
The Effervescent Mr Wang
As the dough mixture is prepared daily in the morning, the sweet pancakes has a fresh springy texture when you first bite into it. Depending on the flavour you choose, the toppings are always generous and ensured fresh by Mr Wang. As for the egg pancakes, they are filled to the brim on the inside with generous amounts of diced meat and vegetables. One can taste the strong flavour of fresh spring onions , eggs and regular onions.
Mr Wang also offers delivery services for his pancakes. They have about 20 different flavours for both sweet and egg pancakes available. Orders have to be made 2 days in advance and they deliver whole island wide. Tired of ordering pizza? Try some Indonesian pancakes as an alternative for once!
Snacks Attack #10 - Round & Square Indonesian Pancakes
Address: Commonwealth crescent market #02-67 opp Blk 102 Commonwealth Crescent
Opening Hours: 8am-2pm everyday
Ratings: 7.5/10
Mr Lin, 50, has been selling traditional Chinese snacks like Chee Cheong Fun, Chwee Kway and dumplings for over 2 decades. Mr Lin took over 漢林點心 (the store) from his father and their family business has been serving delicious snacks to Tanglin Halt residents for over 40 years.
A plate of Chee Cheong Fun
Mr Lin commented that the snacks he sold were used to be homemade, however it is not feasible nowadays due to the limited space in his stall. Nevertheless, his Chee Cheong Fun and other snacks are always served deliciously piping hot.
Friendly store owner Mr Lin
Mr Lin prepares his mixture of the sauce daily. Ingredients include sweet sauce, light soya sauce and sesame oil. Chilli paste would only be added on demand. After adding the sauce, the Chee Cheong Fun tastes light on the tongue and goes well with the sauce mixture. The strong scent of sesame oil perpetuates one's sense of smell, making the overall taste experience delightable.
Snacks Attack #9 - 漢林點心
Address: Blk 48A Tanglin Halt Road #01-12
Opening Hours: 6.45am - 1.30pm daily
Ratings: 5.5/10
Mdm Lee, 53 and her daughter, Grace, 29, are the owners of the popiah and rojak stall. They have been open for business for more than 1 year in this coffeeshop. They sell rojak ($2.50/$3.00) which is a favourite amongst the residents in Holland. They also have popiah ($1.20). Ingredients are taupok, youtiao, cucumber, pineapple, cuttlefish, apple and even century egg when requested.
A generous plate of Rojak
The rojak sauce is prepared daily in the morning by them before opening for business. They use top grade shrimp paste (1 bottle $90) as described by Mdm Lee. One secret they disclosed about the rojak sauce is that they use orange concentrate ( fruit punch kind) and dissolve it together with sugar and shrimp paste to make their sauce base. It is different from other rojak stalls as it is developed through 10+year of making rojak by Mdm Lee. The method is supposed to make the sauce thicker and less watery.
Mdm Lee and Grace
The rojak is tasty with fresh vegetables and fruits. The cuttlefish, taupok and youtiao are crisply done after they toast them. The sauce has the right amount of sweetness and flavour. However, personally the sauce lacks the strong scent of the shrimp paste.
It's at Blk 43 Holland Drive!
Snack Attack - 翠莲春卷
Address: Block 43 Holland Drive
#01-75
Opening Hours: 10am-10pm daily
Ratings: 6.5/10
Mr Gao (Malaysian), 28, is the owner of Baker's bread situated in Holland Drive. He has been doing business for 2 years. His shop sells a wide variety of bread and pastry snacks. He has years of experience in the pastry business and learnt his skills of trade in Singapore. He explained that being in the F&B industry in Singapore is different than that in Malaysia. 'More Singaporeans eat out as compared to Malaysians who usually eat home cooked meals. Shops can also be critically located such as in a central market area which increases our business.'
Baker's Bread Bakery in Holland Drive
Baker's bread offers handmade pastries such as 'lotus paste biscuit' ($0.80), 'yam paste biscuit' ($0.80) and 'Japanese biscuit' ($1). Yam paste biscuit/Lotus paste biscuit is a fist sized biscuit with a flour and butter based crust, filled with crushed yam/lotus paste mixed with flour as its filling. When you first bite down, it is a little hard on the crust but the aroma of the lotus/yam filling fills your nose like a fresh scented perfume. The buttery freshly baked crust heightens your sensory taste buds once you have started to chew on it.
Mr Gao- owner of Baker's Bread
Japanese biscuit is a longish A4 paper length sized sweet flour pastry. The dough is made by mixing flour, pastry margarine, egg and sugar. Next, it is kneaded into its longish form and baked. Lastly, sugar is tossed on top of it. It is extremely crispy even after a few hours. One can taste the many layers of the crust and the delicious sugar melted on top of it. It has a tinge of prata dough perfectly baked.
Snacks Attack - Baker's Bread Bakery
Address: Block 43 Holland Drive #01-47
Opening Hours: Open from 7am-10pm No Off Days
There are a few hawker stalls in Queenstown which sell traditional curry puffs. But none of them can be compared with the "nameless" Malay food stall located next to the famous Double Chef Zi Char Stall and Swee Hin Restaurant. It's big and the filling is generous. It's not surprising this stall can sell numerous puffs a day.
The ultra large sized Curry Puffs
These "power" puffs come in three flavours, curry chicken puffs, curry potato puffs and sardine puffs. Every bite on the puffs produces the "cccrraack" sound and it remains crispy for a few hours after you bought from the stall. The hot and savoury curry gravy would then ooze from the puffs, making every bite memorable.
Mdm Sarinah
Mdm Sarinah, 57, has been selling delicious curry puffs at Commonwealth Crescent for the past 2 years. When asked about the reasons for her success in making these puffs, she explained that ingredients used for making the handmade puffs are prepared daily. So, don't miss out on the curry puffs!
Snack Attack - Swee Hin Restaurant (Curry Puffs)
Address: Block 116 Commonwealth Crescent #01-129
Opening Hours: 6.30am-6pm (Curry Puffs will be sold from 12.30pm onwards)
It is not easy to scout for traditional, handmade Malay Kuehs in Queenstown because the lengthy and tedious process in making these kuehs are deterring food vendors from making their own kuehs. Fret Not! Right at the corner of Tanglin Halt Market is a Muslim food stall which sells authentic handmade kuehs and the hawker assistants appear to be experienced and professional while making these kuehs.
Goreng Pisang, Kueh Keria and Kueh Apam
For starters or non-Muslim residents, Kueh Apam is a steamed rice cake made from flour and sugar. It is steamed and cut into fanciful shapes. Sometimes, coconut shreds are added to the rice cake to enhance its texture and flavour.
Kueh Keria is a "donut-looking" snack which is made from sweet potato. Sweet potatoes and boiled and mashed before mixing with baking flour and water to form a dough. A donut cutter is used then used to make the donut shape before frying these cute sweet potato rings into a fryer. These fried sweet potato rings are then added into a sugar syrup and stirred until the sugar crystalised onto the surface of the kueh.
Goreng pisang is simply fried bananas with flour.
Anna and Kamalia (right and centre)
Anna and Kamalia are sisters and they have been running the stall together for more than 2 years.
The corner stall at Tanglin Halt Market
Majeed Muslim Food
Address: Block 48 Tanglin Halt Road Tanglin Halt Market Stall 28
Snack Attack Rating: 6.5/10
For residents who have sipped a mug of Avocado drink from this colorful and brightly decorated stall, hands up if you feel guilty but you think you have tasted one of the nicest fruit juices around! A gulp from the "enlarged" straw makes you "high" as the thick and savoury milky mixture arouses your taste buds and invites you to take another sip of the drink. Yeah, Mr. Avocado has come to Commonwealth Avenue Cooked Food Centre for a short tour!
Thick and creamy Avocado drink
Eating a slice of the avocado fruit can be bothersome to weight conscious residents. Besides having a foul, rotten egg flavour, a look at the nutritional value chart of the fruit can be depressing, particularly when the fat content is relatively higher than other fruits. What makes drinking the avocado juice a complete "sin" is probably the addition of both carnation and fresh milk. But who cares? There are some food and drink that an individual cannot miss and must try once in their lifetime! And this creamy fruit juice will delight everyone, particularly those with a sweet tooth.
The Bright and Colourful Stall
Imitation is the best for of compliment. The success of the 20-year old Mr. Avocado has led a large number of fruit juice stalls attempting to replicate their formula but it is pretty easy to discover which stall is the original one! Avocado juice from these "fake" stalls is milder, less fresh and tastes completely different from the original stall.
Xiao Ping, a stall assistant at the popular drink stall
When asked about the "formula" of the successful drink, Xiao Ping, the hawker assistant at Mr. Avocado, mentioned that fresh fruits are used for the drinks at the stall. The avocado is imported from Australia through a supplier. Other popular drinks in the stall are strawberry soursop and durian milkshares. (P.S. The durian milkshake tastes as nice as the avocado drink!)
Mr Avocado Exotic Juice
Address: Blk 40A Commonwealth Avenue #01-510 Commonwealth Avenue Cooked Food Centre (Until December 2010)
Opening Hours: 10am-7.30pm
Snacks Attack Ratings: 8.5/10
For residents who have sipped a mug of Avocado drink from this colorful and brightly decorated stall, hands up if you feel guilty but you think you have tasted one of the nicest fruit juices around! A gulp from the "enlarged" straw makes you "high" as the thick and savoury milky mixture arouses your taste buds and invites you to take another sip of the drink. Yeah, Mr. Avocado has come to Commonwealth Avenue Cooked Food Centre for a short tour!
Thick and creamy Avocado drink
Eating a slice of the avocado fruit can be bothersome to weight conscious residents. Besides having a foul, rotten egg flavour, a look at the nutritional value chart of the fruit can be depressing, particularly when the fat content is relatively higher than other fruits. What makes drinking the avocado juice a complete "sin" is probably the addition of both carnation and fresh milk. But who cares? There are some food and drink that an individual cannot miss and must try once in their lifetime! And this creamy fruit juice will delight everyone, particularly those with a sweet tooth.
The Bright and Colourful Stall
Imitation is the best for of compliment. The success of the 20-year old Mr. Avocado has led a large number of fruit juice stalls attempting to replicate their formula but it is pretty easy to discover which stall is the original one! Avocado juice from these "fake" stalls is milder, less fresh and tastes completely different from the original stall.
Xiao Ping, a stall assistant at the popular drink stall
When asked about the "formula" of the successful drink, Xiao Ping, the hawker assistant at Mr. Avocado, mentioned that fresh fruits are used for the drinks at the stall. The avocado is imported from Australia through a supplier. Other popular drinks in the stall are strawberry soursop and durian milkshares. (P.S. The durian milkshake tastes as nice as the avocado drink!)
Mr Avocado Exotic Juice
Address: Blk 40A Commonwealth Avenue #01-510 Commonwealth Avenue Cooked Food Centre (Until December 2010)
Opening Hours: 10am-7.30pm
Snacks Attack Ratings: 8.5/10
Traditional peanut pancake, also known as min jian kueh, is crispy on the outside and awesomely chewy inside. Doused with roasted, finely ground peanuts, sugar is added to give the pancake a perfect mixture of sweet and savoury.
A piece of Peanut Pancake
Mr and Mrs Teng prepared the batter at every morning at 4.30am. Mr Teng who is in his 60s has been serving Tanglin Halt residents with tasty pancakes, fresh from the oven, for the past 40 years. A former itinerant hawker, Mrs Teng's father taught them the traditional methods of making these pancakes when Mrs Teng married her partner many years ago. A keen perfectionist, Mr Teng will source out for fresh ingredients and prepare them himself on his "off" days on Mondays and Fridays.
Mr and Mrs Teng-the loving couple
Endless queues were forming when MyQueenstown Team visited this popular stall on a weekend. Priced at 60 cents for a peanut pancake and 90 cents for a yam pancake, Mr Teng has been trying out new flavours to attract the younger crowd.
Tanglin Halt Original Peanut Pancake
Address: Block 48 Tanglin Halt Road Tanglin Halt Market Stall 16
Opening Hours: 4.30am-11am (Tuesday-Thursday) 4.30am-1pm (Weekends) Close on Mondays and Fridays
Snack Attack Ratings: 7.5/10
Chwee Kueh, a type of steamed rice cake, are made from a mixture of rice and water, placed in small cup-shaped containers that looked like saucers. Served with preserved raddish and chilli sauce, it is a popular dish for breakfast and snacks.
The Handmade Chwee Kueh is Popular among residents
Mr and Mrs Lee Sah Bah wake up at 5am every morning at their Chwee Kueh stall at Ghim Moh Market. Mr Lee, 60 and Mrs Lee, 51 have been making chwee kueh for many years. Mr Lee is a former itinerant hawker and started selling the yummy rice cake from a pushcart in Strathmore Avenue 51 years ago with his mother. They shifted to Ghim Moh in 1976 and became a household name!
Mrs Lee and her daughter, Jeanette
They make about 1,500 to 2,000 chwee kuehs every day. They used rice flour, salt, water and a "secret ingredient" for the mixture. It was then stirred in a large drum and poured into a saucer shaped container to be steamed for 25 minutes. On the other hand, the preserved radish is cooked with onion, garlice and lard in a traditional way. It is simmered and stirred intermittently for 2 hours. When we asked Mrs Lee why they insist on making the chwee kueh by hand, they answered, "Chwee Kuehs made from machine lacked sincerity and it just does not taste the same!"
Queues at the Chwee Kueh Stall
Price chart for the Cheww Kueh
Patrons can expect queues during the morning hours and lunchtime at the market. However, waiting for such a delicious serving of yummy snack is certainly worth it!
Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh
Address: Block 20 Ghim Moh Road #01-31
Opening Hours: 6am-7pm daily (Rest days are not fixed)
Snacks Attack Rating: 7/10
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In our final instalment to the Makan Shiok! series, MyQueenstown Team arrived at Tanglin Halt Market for the critically acclaimed Wei Yi Laksa. Opened from 5.30am to 2pm daily (except Mondays), Wei Yi Laksa has been a favourite among residents in Queenstown as well as regulars from nearby offices in One-North and One Commonwealth. Food lovers will have to wait for about 10-15 minutes during lunch for a sumptuous bowl of laksa.
A Bowl of Laksa
The laksa features generous servings of chicken, fried bean curd, prawns and cockles. With a gravy that is less thick than the traditional nyonya laksa, MyQueenstown Team finds the laksa refreshing. Prepared by Mr Ngern, 58, the laksa gravy was based on his mother's recipe. Ingredients used was particularly fresh because Mr Ngern finds it important to present the best quality food to his customers.
However, customers who are expecting good service with good food may have to guard against Mr Ngern's temperament! Good food doesn't come easy!
Wei Yi Laksa at Tanglin Halt
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What makes food taste good? There's more to good tasting food than great flavours. There's more than fresh, quality ingredients or faboulous recipes. Jin Dou (Golden City) Braised Duck Rice and Noodle 金都卤鸭饭鸭面 is arguably Queenstown's best hawker dish among the numerous stalls and restaurants. There's nothing much to criticize about the tender, juicy and flavourful braised duck offered at Commonwealth Avenue Cooked Food Centre.
The delicious plate of Duck Meat!
You can tell the popularity of 金都卤鸭饭鸭面 by the long queue, especially during the weekends. The soup of the braised duck noodle is flavourful with its slight herbal taste and the chilli is a perfect condiment for the duck rice or the braised duck. Some braised duck meat can be tough and chewy whereas others may taste "foul" because of insufficient marinating or "overcooking." The braised duck meat, dipped in herbal soy sauce, has a palatable mixed of herbs and freshness without being too salty.
The Popular Braised Duck Stall at Commonwealth Avenue Cooked Food Centre
Mr and Mrs Wang have served Margaret Drive residents for the past 30 years. Opened from 9.30am-5pm on weekdays and 9.30am-3pm on weekends, they prepared the tasty herbal soup themselves by mixing the different spices such as chives and garlic together. The braised duck sauce was re-boiled for several times so that the soup is consistent and the duck meat will be flavourful. When asked about the tender duck meat, she explained that experience is crucial in the preparation.
Mr Wang-the cook and owner
There are few stalls in Queenstown which makes our team eager to return for another serving. 金都卤鸭饭鸭面 is one of them. Besides the palatable meat which makes you feel like visiting "paradise," the familiarity and sincerity is another draw which makes us bewildered and regretful at the prospect of the owners retiring next February. Hopefully, hopefully....
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Look at the long, long queues in front of this stall? Yes, it is Queenstown's favourite Wanton Noodle stall at Commonwealth Avenue Cooked Food Centre. Today, we'd manage to grab the cook and owner, Mr Poon, from the queues for a short interview!
This noodle just tastes so great!
For new comers to the estate, wanton noodles are springy noodles served with leafy vegetables like caixin, marinated barbecued pork and bite-sized dumplings with a bowl of soup. The texture of the noodles and the taste of the barbecued pork are crucial while making a plate of palatable wanton noodle.
The snake of residents queueing up for their plate of wanton noodle
Mr Poon, a former itinerant hawker, has been serving wanton noodles for the past 40 years. He has been learning the trade when he was 12 years old from his father and inherited this family business together with his siblings. As news of redevelopment in Commonwealth Avenue Cooked Food Centre has trickled in the past year, he is emotional and sad. He has considered retiring and spend quality time with his family at Strathmore where his home is located.
Mr Poon and his stall!
MyQueenstown Team has decided to go healthy this week. After tasting various delicacies across Queeenstown for the past half year, correspondents from our team has unglamourous bulging stomachs. Therefore, we set food on Commonwealth Crescent today, in search for something light yet palatable. After taking the escalator in Commonwealth Crescent Market and Food Centre, we saw mind-bogging queues outside Hong Kee Congee, popularly known as 鸿记粥, and decided to feast on its famous Fish Head porridge and Century Egg porridge.
Century Egg Porridge
Trying Hong Kee's century porridge in a hot and sweaty morning is refreshing and revitalising. The consistency of the thick white porridge suggests the hawker's experience in this trade. The generous serving of century egg in the porridge certainly impresses us and it costs $2.50 for a bowl of century egg porridge.
#02-89 Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre
MyQueenstown Team was rather disappointed not to taste their famed Fish Head Porridge because it was already sold out by noon. Opened from 7am-6pm every day, Mr Ho & Mdm Kuan has been serving Commonwealth residents with their delicate and sincere culinary skills for the past 36 years after arriving from North Bridge Road. Both the owners are residents of Commonwealth. When MyQueenstown Team probed further on their superior food quality, we understand that Mr Ho had ordered fish from Telok Ayer, which explains its freshness! Do try it while you are in Commonwealth Crescent!
Mr Ho posing for us!
Holland residents have been writing mails to MyQueenstown to introduce some tasty and affordable food in their area. Although restaurants helmed by decorated chefs and palatable street food are plentiful in this part of Queenstown, Holland Village Food Centre does have some food stalls that are comparable to their dizzy neighbours such as Crystal Jade, NYDC, etc. One of these food stalls is Holland Village Fried Bee Hoon!
Holland Village Fried Bee Hoon
Most economic bee hoon stalls MyQueenstown Team have visited were rather disappointing. Mushy and tasteless bee hoon has stifled our taste buds even before we start munching! However, this fried bee hoon in Holland Village is different. The bee hoon is springy and its marinating sauce is well infiltrated. Combine it with the peppery chilli sauce, it's definitely worth a try!
Holland V Fried Bee Hoon
Mr Lim, 53, and his brother have been selling fried bee hoon for the past 40 years. They are opened from 6am to 2pm (except Monday) and took over the stall from their mother some years ago. His delicious bee hoon comes from years of constant reinvention and persistence on using fresh, superior ingredients.
Mr Lim, owner and resident in Holland
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