Was CRAY-ving for a soul-soothing bowl of Seafood Soup and popped by Jia Li Seafood Soup 佳麗海鮮湯 @jialiseafoodsoup at its Holland Village outlet! They do not scrimp on ingredients here - this stacked bowl with meatballs, crayfish, prawns & fish slices says it all. While lighter compared to Yan Ji's, the broth here is still relatively umami-packed with dried scallop sweetness and pork bones while being way more generous in portion. I seldom eat crayfish at most places because I tend to get mostly shell with little meat 90% of the time, but the crayfish I got came with chunky, sweet flesh. The prawns here are also really succulent and huge, and the handmade minced meatballs were decent. Went for dory this time but if you want something with a firmer meat texture, go for red grouper instead!
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📍 Address: 33 Lor Liput, Singapore 277744. Open 11 am -10 pm. Other outlets across Singapore include Woodlands, Upp Serangoon and Upper Changi.

bb satisfied her satay cravings at Xu Zhong Xing 旭忠興! Interesting to know that they serve porridge in the day and satay in the evening, so I guess that’s two meals settled. 😆

Their selection of satay is available in 3 flavours (pork/chicken/mutton) but they have a requirement of minimum 5 sticks per flavor. Both the chicken and pork satay were well marinated and seductively smoky with little charred bits, though the former was slightly dry. The strip of fat on the pork satay added a slight crunch against the tender meat. Lowkey disappointed that the peanut sauce did not come with pineapple puree, but my god was it thick & luscious enough to coat on every morsel.

Pretty decent overall, but probably not going to dethrone my favourite Chai Ho Satay & Dried Pork back at Clementi Food Center!

Most people would queue up for the Lor Mee or Pork Ribs Prawn Noodles at Ye Lai Xiang, but my favourite would always be their Laksa. For $4 a bowl, you get the necessary fixings of boiled egg, tau pok, decently sized fresh cockles and fishcakes atop their thick beehoon, then doused with their creamy & flavorful laksa broth - very value-for-money & super satisfying! The gravy would have been more perfect if the hae bi savouriness was more prominent, but nevertheless delightful to slurp on with the thick bee hoon. It's not fiery spicy so spice lovers might appreciate it as much, though you can help yourself to more sambal. ⁣
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📍 Address: 4 Woodlands Street 12, #01-73 Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre, Singapore 738623⁣

Dropped by Loong Fatt @loongfatt1948 to buy tau sar piah for my parents after running errands in the Novena area! Heng ah only two people ahead of me, but had to wait a bit since these bite-sized pastries were packed fresh out of the oven! If it's your first time trying, I recommend getting the box of 6 with mixed flavours (sweet/salty). For $1.20 a pop, you can enjoy the smooth & fragrant mung bean filling encrusted within an irresistibly flaky & buttery pastry.❤️

They also sell traditional snacks like sachima 萨骑马 (honeycomb cookies) and cakes such as Swiss Rolls - perfect for gifting family and friends!

Despite living in the West, this is actually BB's first time having Ah Hua Teochew Fishball Noodle @ahhuateochewnoodle at their shop! Initially thought $6 is a bit pricey for M portion but the portion turned out to be pretty generous. All the good stuff is handmade from scratch by Uncle Ah Hua & Jean, from the springy soft fishballs that are different (fresh & more fish paste: flour ratio) from your usual commercially made ones to bouncy & crunchy mentaiko prawn balls that are good additions to your home steamboat. ⚪️🟠 The mee pok is tossed well in the ketchup/pork lard mixture, though the texture could be more al dente (probably my fault because I took too long to feed my phone camera😆).🍜 ⁣
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If you still feel peckish or want something to share with family or friends, you can get a bowl of their handmade Yong Tau Foo.⁣
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📍 Address: 415 Pandan Gardens, #01-117, Singapore 600415⁣

If you have never been to Ghim Moh Hawker Center, this is one of the stalls you need to try! I enjoyed the pillowy soft steamed rice kueh, and unlike most places where the cai poh is sweeter and oilier, their cai poh has a pronounced savory flavor while slightly less greasy. That said, I know the cai poh is supposed to be “kiam pang” (咸香/fragrant & salty) la, but why the portion so “kiam siap” though?😆 I guess too much of the salty cai poh might be overpowering but it still doesn’t quite justify the price hike over the years (minimum portion cost $2.40 now)..

Long queues aside, Chuan Kee serves one of my favorite go-to braised duck rice in the west! I always go for the $6 set because of the generous portion of braised duck, braised tofu and half an egg stacked atop the yam rice - very value-for-money!

It’s hard to pinpoint my favorite on the plate, considering everything was well-executed especially the braised duck. Every piece was succulent and scant of gamey flavor, you’d need to eat it with their tangy garlic chilli! The rice was fragrant and fluffy, and I LOVED the luscious sauce coating over it. Some places serve a sweeter variant of the braised sauce, but theirs is so packed with savory umami which elevated all the other components. Also, this is one of the few places I would eat their braised peanuts cos the softness is just right!

This hearty plate of Black Carrot Cake from Unforgettable Carrot Cake really made me 忘不了 after trying (yes, it's THAT GOOD)! Comes in three sizes, but the super-friendly uncle highly recommended $4 for added fragrance from the double portion of eggs and generous portions. Their pre-fried radish cubes are firm but pillowy whilst evenly coated with cai poh and fried egg, and the uncle really takes his time to make sure the eggs are slightly charred for that tinge of wok hey! It helped that the flavours of the dark sauce and chilli were well-balanced, so it didn't veer towards being overwhelmingly sweet or spicy.
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📍 Address: Bukit Merah View Market & Hawker Centre, 115 Bukit Merah View, #01-30, Singapore 151115

For chocolate lovers who prefer simplicity, their no-frills OG 70% Dark Chocolate is the perfect treat.⁣
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Other flavours in the box include Smoked Sea Salt, Raspberry Chocolate and Matcha Chocolate.⁣

Can only speak for the JE outlet (I know standards are somewhat inconsistent across the different branches) - the Pork Leg Rice had a good blend of textures from the gelatinous skin and tender meat. The braising sauce is on the lighter side but still savoury & moreish enough to go with the bed of white rice tucked below all the 料. That said, if you are more 重口味, this might not be the thing for you. 😅 I also liked the appetising tang from the Salted Vegetables that made the pork meat less jelat, but the portion could be more generous. The prawn cake was alright, nothing to shout home about.⁣
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If you prefer a leaner cut, go for the Pig Trotter Rice instead, though you might have to deal with the knuckle bones & tendons to savour upon the meat. ⁣

Indulge in a pure cup of bliss like this Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate from The French American Bakery @thefrenchamericanbakery! Aside from the alluring aroma of freshly baked pastries hitting me when I opened the door, there's no resisting a cuppa of rich, thick and unsweetened hot chocolate crowned with fluffy swirls of Swiss meringue that added a caramelized sweetness from the torching!

Lowkey regret having such a filling lunch cos the pastry selection available smells and looks so amazing! Made a mental note to myself to buy their Butter Croissant next time so I can dip it into the hot chocolate!

Been wanting to try Youfu Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle @youfuhokkienmee at Golden Mile FC for the longest time, and good to know they have an outlet in Woodlands Crescent (yay Northerners)! I think it's safe to say that this is easily one of the top 3 among those we tried thus far. In fact, we ended up ordering a 2nd plate!

This plate of HKM may look a tad plain at first sight, but once you 挖呀挖呀挖, you'll find a heap of prawns, squid slices and pork underneath! The prawns were decently sized and fresh, and the sliced squid wasn't chewy. The HIGHLIGHT is their mix of yellow noodles & thin beehoon - great texture whilst absorbing the sooty wok hei notes & rich seafood flavours from the stock. The sambal hits HARD in the flavour and heat departments, so we recommend mixing it into the noodles to mellow out its spiciness! Also, remember to ask for their crispy and savoury pork lard!

However, we felt that the portion could be more generous for the price point, so if you love the 料 like us, the best way to enjoy this gloopy (but yummy) mess is to order the $5 portion and top up $2 for more ingredients. 🦐🔥
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📍 woodlands outlet address: Food Park Coffee Shop, 780A Woodlands Crescent, Singapore 730780. Closed on Mondays.