Happy 43rd Birthday Singapore!!

What better way to celebrate Singapore's 43rd Birthday than a dedicated blog post to the oh-so-famous Chilli Crab? It is a must-try Singaporean delicacy, and was featured as the star dish of Singapore's Food Festival 2007.

Happy 43rd Birthday, Singapore! (:

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Hawker: Cheng Ji Steamed Fish Head in Hot Sauce

With 200 over food stalls at the newly reopened Smith Street Food Complex, one would surely get a headache just deciding what to eat. But Claypot Chicken Rice (Sa Boh Fun) and Steamed Fish Head are the two prominent dishes here.

It can get pretty crowded at night, with many people ordering Steamed Fish Head and Claypot Chicken Rice. We came for lunch, and decided to order Steamed Fish Head with Hot Sauce from Cheng Ji, which also occupies another stall a distance away.

Despite being a freshwater fish, the meat tasted fresh and the sauce (although on the salty side) did complement the fish well. I just love the jelly-like flesh near the head area! Do beware the large bones, though.



We also ordered "Ku Lu" Pork, fried crispy pork in a tomato based sauce. This was really good. It came hot and crispy, but do eat it quickly or its gets soggy from the sauce.



Finally, there are quite a few hidden gems here, with less common dishes like this Teochew Pork Jelly. Cooking fatty pork would result in a gelatinous layer on top of the cooked broth. This dish is created by adding some meat and chilling this layer and then cutting it into blocks of strips.

Another hidden find is a German stall tucked away at the far end. They have Cordon Bleu, Pork Knuckle, Goulash and German Beer, all at reasonable prices. Just nearby (not in food complex but directly downstairs) is another German stall selling breads. I love their half-size French-style Baguette, and they have pretty interesting innovations like the Fragrant Onion Bread.

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Hawker: Wanton Mee

Sometimes when there's no choice but to eat a quick meal at the hawker centre near my house, I sometimes pick this Wanton Mee for lunch. It has a yummy QQ texture and springy bite to the noodles, but there is a slight hint of "boric acid taste". The other ingredients aren't that great, but I do love my noodles!

Before I put the noodles in my mouth, I tend pick the noodles up with my chopsticks and pour some soup over them to "rinse" excess soy sauce. Think it helps reduce sodium intake? :/

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Hakka Beef Balls

The Beef House: Hakka Beef Balls
This dish is very rare in Singapore, and I've yet to come across another place selling handmade Hakka Beef Balls like this one.

This stall makes their own large ping-pong sized beef balls, and you can see the rough texture from all the "handiwork". They are very bouncy and biting these reminds you of non-wobbly konnyaku jelly. I love the yellow Hakka-style noodles (usually eaten with Yong Tau Foo) which they also serve. Unfortunately they just ran out clean, so only bee hoon is left.

I sometimes take-away their beef balls to go with noodles or soup at home. They also serve other Hakka foods like Abacus Yam and Yong Tau Foo.

217 Syed Alwi Road
Gar Lok Eating House
(9am to 6pm; Closed on Fridays)

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Original Sungei Road Laksa

Sungei Road Laksa
There are a lot of stalls claiming to be the famous Sungei Road Laksa, but my Mum (who knows her stuff) says this is the very original.

There is a story behind the Sungei Road Laksa, and to this very day the owner is still using charcoal fire to warm his laksa gravy. The laksa is the "Singaporean version", unlike the Katong Laksa. You are served only a spoon like the Original Katong Spoon Laksa, so noodles are cut into small strands. At only $2 a bowl, it is really reasonable and they also serve it with cockles, fishcake and fried chilli.

Jin Shui Kopitiam
Block 27 #01-100 Jalan Berseh

P.S. Surprisingly, (or maybe not) I've never liked Laksa since young, so this is based on my Mum's account!

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