Welcome to Kallang.

Had been noticing Kali Kali on social media for quite a while before these folks had first opened their doors for business — Kali Kali is a new stall that is situated within the hipster coffeeshop named Local Chapter that is situated at CT Hub 2; the coffeeshop is most notable for housing a stall serving up specialty coffee named diff within its premises. Kali Kali takes up two (2) stalls spaces situated at a corner of the coffeeshop — they can be located right across from diff as well. Kali Kali has seem to have placed some effort in making the stall stand out from that of its neighbours — this includes decking out the frontage of the stall with pastel green tiles and the addition of an awning that is atypical of the usual coffeeshop stall. Kali Kali specialises in serving up their butter crust bagels — the menu is segmented into sections dedicated to Open-Faced Bagels, Bagel & Schmear Set and Bagel on Gelato; there is also quite a good variety of sweet and savoury bagels that one can also opt for to go with the Bagel & Schmear Set and Bagel on Gelato offerings as well.

For patrons going for the Open-Faced Bagel option, patrons would be able to opt for two (2) different topping options based on the items that are listed in the Open-Faced Bagel section — the price charged for the order would be priced on the higher one out of the two choices that is being chosen. We went with the Brie & Truffle and The Deli for our choice of Open-Faced Bagel and the one that impressed us more would be The Deli. Served as an open-faced bagel, the bagel is sliced into two halves with the underside being topped with other elements that are specific to each of the items being listed on the menu; The Deli comes with elements such as caramalised onion, cream cheese, pastrami and gherkin. Going for the bagel on its own, we did feel that the bagel does come with a fair bit of bite; the bread being dense, though the underside does come with a crispy, crusted layer from the butter crust. The pastrami that came atop wasn’t particularly dry; came with a peppercorn-lined exterior that also provides a hint of spiciness that should be manageable for those whom are tolerable to lower levels of spiciness to tickle the tastebuds; all that whilst the gherkin provides a crunch and a refreshing zing that cuts through the saltishness of the pastrami. The cream cheese is the element that provides a bit of moisture to the bagel and binds all of the elements together.

Thai Style Chicken Rice (S$6)
Add S$1 for water chestnut drink

Chokh Di Asian-Thai Bistro
Address : 20 Bendemeer Rd, #01-01 BS Bendemeer Centre, Singapore 🇸🇬 339914
Open : Sun - Fri : 7.30am - 9.30pm

Was scrolling around social media and got to know about the opening of Reuben’s within First Eating House located at the foot of Blk 66 Kallang Bahru — this would be the very same coffeeshop which houses stalls such as that of an outlet of Hong Xing Handmade Fishball 鸿興手工鱼圆 • 肉圆面. Named after the very same person that is at helm in the kitchen here, Reuben’s is an establishment by Chef Reuben Koh; some might have heard of him during his time operating Reverie with a business partner at Clementi West before the change the coffeeshop has had a change of hands that also led to the stall’s re-opening after having closed subsequent to the change of ownership of the coffeeshop. Reuben’s does call itself an establishment that “redefin(es) western cuisine offerings in coffeeshops” — the menu at Reuben’s is split into sections dedicated to Pastas, Sides, Mains and Desserts; some of which being dishes that were also previously offered at Reverie at his time there.

One of the dishes that we had tried at Reverie previously during Chef Reuben Koh’s time with the establishment was the White Beef Bolognese Mafalda; considering how we were pretty impressed with the item previously, it was needless to say that we went straight for the Reuben’s White Beef Bolognese Mafalda during our visit to Reuben’s this time round — this item is also being marked as a Signature item at Reuben’s as well. The menu at Reuben’s describes the Reuben’s White Beef Bolognese Mafalda to come with elements such as beef bolognese, garlic cream emulsion, housemade chili oil, parmesan and chives — all that with Mafalda as the choice of pasta type to match with the dish. Digging into the Reuben’s White Beef Bolognese Mafalda, we really enjoyed how much of a flavour bomb this dish is; giving the Reuben’s White Beef Bolognese Mafalda a bit of a toss, we liked how the Mafalda was done al-dente to give the pasta a little bit of a good bite. The pasta does pretty much trap some bits of beef bolognese within; both the pasta and beef bolognese being laced with the garlic cream emulsion which wasn’t too creamy and gave a garlicky punch with a hint of herbs to counter that savoury and slightly gamey note of beef within the beef bolognese. The shaving of Parmesan does help to add a hint of savouriness to the pasta, but it was really the addition of the housemade chili oil that provided a flavoural contrast that cuts through the meatiness and yet complimenting the garlicky notes from the garlic cream emulsion that adds yet another dimension of textures to the dish.

Those whom have been following the happenings in the local F&B scene around social media might have probably heard about Madeline’s which has been going (and likely still be) around the various social media sites recently — Madeline’s marks the return of Madeline’s Original Portuguese Egg Tarts which had been founded in 1998 with their location at Tanjong Katong Road having closed in 2024. Madeline’s is now located within a shop unit at the ground floor at Aperia Mall which is just a short walk away from Lavender MRT Station; occupying a space in a wing that is recently extended out, Madeline’s is neighbours with the outlet of Nana Original Thai Food with some part of its shop unit having a facade that faces the main road of Lavender Street. With its return, Madeline’s is said to have aspirations to reposition itself as an established inspired by Cha
Chaan Tengs in Macau — now being run by different owners whom used to loved the brand. Apart from the familiar Portuguese Egg Tart offerings listed under the The OG Portuguese Egg Tart (the Pandan Kaya rendition is however replaced by a Gula Melaka version), Madeline’s now serves up a hot food menu with sections dedicated to Bakes & Buns, Sides & Sharing, Mains and Dessert.

The Pan Roasted African Chicken is an item that is being listed under the Mains section of the menu; the menu at Madeline’s describe the dish to feature elements such as that of cous cous, spicy coconut glaze and sunny side-up that is being served alongside the slab of chicken. This does seem to be inspired from a dish named Galinha à Africana which translates to Macanese African Chicken, though it does seem that the inclusion of cous cous could be a twist by the folks at Madeline’s to incorporate a carb element as an individually-portioned main. To put it across very simply, the slab of Pan Roasted African Chicken does somewhat replicate that of Peri-Peri Chicken that some establishments serves up; the chicken carrying a slight hint of Cajun-esque flavours from the way it is marinated and was lightly smoky from the pan-roasting process — juicy and tender. The use of Cous Cous does seem to be a choice made by the folks at Madeline’s to keep things lighter and “healthier” for the dish; the Cous Cous having seemed to have included aromatics such to carry a refreshing zing which makes it tasty to have even on its own. The spicy coconut glaze does carry a creamy, coconut cream-esque aroma with a slightly savoury-sweet note; all that accompanied by a kick of spiciness that would tickle the tastebuds for those whom are tolerable to less than moderate levels of spiciness. Meanwhile, the sunny side-up is void of any undesirable stench of overused oil; features fluffy and soft whites with a runny egg yolk that one can have alongside the slab of Pan Roasted African Chicken and the Cous Cous.

BLACKGOAT may have had previously closed its doors with the founders posting up the recipes for some of their dishes on their social media pages — with that being said, the stall had recently seen a revival under the father of the original founder whom is also working with the team members of the previous iteration of the brand. Still situated within the very same stall unit at Jalan Batu Food Centre, BLACKGOAT has now pivoted its operations to serve up Malay cuisine by the current team operating the stall. This iteration of BLACKGOAT sees the stall serving up a menu with lean offerings — their only main dish would be the Nasi Lemak which is sold as-is with egg, sambal, anchovies and peanuts; patrons can choose to add Berempah Chicken Wings to their order, while the only other offering on the menu would be Beef / Chicken / Mutton Satay that comes with Ketupat if being ordered as a set.

As mentioned earlier, the Nasi Lemak at BLACKGOAT does come with elements such as sunny side-up, sambal, anchovies and peanuts, and slices of cucumbers — for our order of the Nasi Lemak, we had also added a single piece of the Berempah Chicken Wing as well. At $6.50, the Nasi Lemak at BLACKGOAT does seem teen comparable to that of the more premium ones that are run as independently-operated establishments. Digging into the Nasi Lemak, the coconut-infused rice was executed very well here — it does seem that BLACKGOAT’s choice of rice grains here are that of regular rice as opposed to that of Basmati that some Muslim-run establishments tend to use. The Nasi Lemak is especially fragrant with the aroma of coconut milk that wafts throughout the entire portion of rice; the rice being soft and fluffy and goes well with the sambal that carries a kick of spiciness amidst the sweetness — the level of spiciness being rather manageable to those whom are tolerable to lesser than moderate levels of spiciness. The addition of the Berempah Chicken Wing was also pretty worth it; the Berempah Chicken Wing being freshly fried-upon order to be served hot on the plate of Nasi Lemak. Marinated with turmeric and other spices, the spiced notes are pretty evident with the flesh still being juicy — not too greasy as well which is pretty delicious on its own. The accompanying sunny side up comes with a runny egg yolk that eagerly oozes out with a poke of the fork; the fluffy whites also void of any undesirable stench of overused oil, while the anchovies still carried a crunch being adequately stored before serving.

Soup Noodles, Bak Kut Teh with Rice, Bok Choy and vegetarian Char siew with Onn Vegetarian’s special sauce 😱🤯

Restaurant standard in a coffeeshop. Never seen before. All dishes served by Onn Vegetarian are cooked with love, paired with porcelain plates and leave your taste buds dancing in joy after 😋

Located near Kallang MRT, quick 5-10 minutes, and you will be there!

Be there early as once the food is all sold, they will close. (Thats how delicious their food is, gone in less than half a day 🤩)

Was going around Aperia Mall the other day and came across some changes in the tenancy of the stalls within the Food Master food court at Level 2 — taking over the stall that used to serve up mainland Chinese-style mini bowls at the entrance of the food court is a new Japanese cuisine stall named Harami Sashimi & Donburi. One would notice at the stall front near the chiller stocked with sashimi a poster providing a short introductory paragraph of Chef Patrick whom helms the stall — turns out, Chef Patrick was previously from the now-defunct Ichiho Donburi & Sushi which was an independently-run Japanese restaurant situated in its own space at the same level of the same mall. Harami Sashimi & Donburi’s menu is actually pretty varied for a stall serving up Japanese cuisine in a food court — its menu comprises of sections such as Appetiser, Sashimi Platter / Ala Carte Sashimi, Donburi, Salad and Rice.

The Tendon is an item that is being listed in the Donburi section of the menu at Harami Sushi & Donburi — Harami Sushi & Donburi does not describe the elements that come with the various dishes that they have to offer; with that being said, it can be observed from our order of the Tendon that it does come with deep-fried elements like shrimp, pumpkin, capsicum, eggplant, salmon and shiitake mushroom that sits on top of a bed of rice. Patrons can also add $2.50 on top of the default price of any Donburi to add a Green Salad and a bowl of Miso Soup; an add-on which we did not opt for. Going for the tempura pieces, we did find that all of the Tendon pieces were pretty well-executed at Harami Sushi & Donburi; the Tempura batter used for the deep-fried pieces are light, crispy and airy — none of the pieces felt particularly greasy here. Of the lot, our favourite would be the salmon where the fish was still especially moist and flaky — almost no effort required to chew through. Other elements like the capsicum and the pumpkin provided a good crunch. Meanwhile, the bed of short grain rice does come pearly and a little sticky like how it should; all that whilst drizzled with a sweet and savoury sauce that provides sufficient flavour and moisture to the rice that makes it easy to have — the inclusion of tempura batter crumbs also adding an element of crunch to the rice as well.

Malaysian style run by Malaysian. Sounds awesome on paper but overall quite average, especially the meats.

[GEYLANG BAHRU, SINGAPORE] It's my first time to geylang bahru hawker centre, and Hui Wei was the obviously popular one. I ordered their Chilli Ban Mian ($7 for large) and I can see why 😍

This is one bowl of ban mian that is unapologetically sinful. Scoops of pork lard, soy sauce, homemade chilli and meat sauce created a wonderful blend of sweet and savoury flavours that were bursting with umami. The noodles were made in-house and cooked al dente, with a really good mouthfeel. The onsen egg was like the cream on the cake, helping to gel all flavours together. This is really intense and I devoured the bowl within minutes 😂

If I'm around the area, I'm definitely coming back here 😍 perhaps I will go easier on the chilli, as it packed a punch 😮 ban mian fans please try!

Top Quali Tea was one of those establishments that we had previously visited when they had first made their appearance in the local F&B scene here — these folks have recently expanded their operations, adding on another outlet that is situated within Kallang Leisure Park apart from their first outlet that is at Oxley Tower in the Central Business District. Top Quali Tea takes over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Presotea; Top Quali Tea has kept some of the furnishings and fittings of the former tenant intact. Still keeping pretty much to their niche (being a tea wholesaler that is operating “under the supervision of a certified Japanese tea instructor”) by offering Matcha and Hojicha beverages as a highlight, they do serve up a larger selection of said beverages with some interesting options such as the flexibility of adding different flavoured foams to the beverage that keep things fun and fresh for the patrons. Apart from their beverage offerings, Top Quali Tea also serves up a variety of dessert such as Matcha / Hojicha Jelly and Ice Cream to complement their beverage offerings as well.

The Premium Matcha Jelly does come with elements such as Dango (i.e. Japanese Sweet Dumplings) and Azuki Red Bean paste — for those whom prefer Hojicha, Top Quali Tea also does serve up a Premium Hojicha Jelly featuring the same elements except with the matcha jelly being swapped out with the hojicha jelly; there are also beverages like the Matcha / Hojicha Latte with Jelly, Hojichacano / Matchacano with Jelly, White Cloud Matcha with Jelly and the Matcha / Hojicha Sparkling with Jelly that features the same jelly as what is served with the Premium Matcha / Hojicha Jelly. One thing we liked about the Premium Matcha Jelly is how it is being served unsweetened; this allows the patrons to have a clean taste of the notes of the matcha used in the making of the matcha jelly in its truest, unadulterated form. The flavours of the matcha jelly is subtle; not thing too heavy on the tastebuds, yet one can detect the bitter undertones of the Japanese tea linger at the back of the tongue. We personally would have preferred the Dango to have come with a little bit of Kuromitsu (i.e. Japanese Black Sugar syrup) that would add a slight contrast of sweetness to the neutral-tasting dumplings — these were however pretty chewy; a consistency that we liked them to be. The scoop of Azuki Red Bean paste that came on the side also seemed to be focused on the earthiness of red beans rather than to add any sweetness to the dessert and gave it another dimension of flavours.

Come here for the drinks , amazing coffee n tea . I wld eat opposite at Kiong Siak Bakery just opposite

No wonder this obscure place in a hard-to-find mall has a Michelin bib gourmand. The chicken is juicy and well-marinated, with savoury complexity. The skin is deliciously crispy. The coconut rice is fluffy and mildly fragrant. The sambal is scrumptious. This place deserves better marketing and a higher-traffic location!