Welcome to Toa Payoh.

Both easy to enjoy in their own way. The mango pomelo sago was creamy with mango purée, pomelo pulp and chewy sago pearls, refreshing without being heavy. The honeysuckle green grape felt lighter and floral, with popping boba and jelly adding bursts of flavour.

Mango Pomelo Sago 》$6.90 / Large
Honeysuckle Green Grape 》$6.50 / Large

The mix came piled with fritters, cucumber, jicama and pineapple, all coated in a thick, rich prawn paste sauce. Bean sprouts added freshness, tau pok soaked up the dressing and the freshly toasted youtiao stayed crisp under it all. A generous crushed peanut topping gave every bite crunch and fragrance, tying the flavours together with tangy, sweet and savoury notes. Portions were hearty and affordable, though the queue stretched close to 20 minutes and that wait makes me reconsider if I’ll return as often 》$4.50

The bitter gourd had the right edge of bitterness, the mushrooms were huge, juicy and well braised, while the sweet and sour pork carried a tangy sweetness that brightened the mix. Together they made a pack that was homely and affordable with 2 vegs and 1 meat for just $2.50. Generous portions and straightforward flavours gave it the kind of everyday comfort that keeps cai png meals satisfying.

📍 Lai Heng Economical Mixed Veg Rice 来兴菜饭 | #01-07

The char siew showed off its glossy glaze with a gentle char along the edges. The slices were tender with a slight chew, carrying both sweetness and savoury depth. The sauce seeped into the rice, giving each grain a savoury lift that made the whole pack feel complete. It turned into the kind of easy comfort that is steady in taste and simple to enjoy.

It does seem that establishments serving up a combination of egg with rice would always be something that does seem to come by every now and then — Omu Omu is a new concept that had opened its doors fairly recently in the coffeeshop situated at the foot of Blk 206 Toa Payoh North; these folks had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct location of Liu San Jie Mee Hoon Kueh (they can be found in a new location within a Happy Hawkers coffeeshop at Blk 267 Compassvale Link). Whilst the establishment does sound like a new entrant into the FB scene, we did notice that the SG QR used for payment at the counter is the same one previously used by Liu San Jie Mee Hoon Kueh as well. Omu Omu has its menu focused on its omurice offerings, serving up a variety of sauce and protein option for patrons to pair up to create their preferred omurice dish.

For our order of the Omurice at Omu Omu, we went with the Green Curry for the sauce option whilst picking the Handmade Menchi Katsu for our choice of protein. The folks behind the counter did mention that the Handmade Menchi Katsu features a mix of both beef and pork, and we did observe that each piece is only battered and deep-fried upon order to ensure freshness when it os being served. Conceptually, the dish did remind us a little bit of our favourite offering from the now-defunct Ryotai that was probably the closest to the Green Curry with Handmade Menchi Katsu that Omu Omu serves up. With that being said, it is noted that the green curry doesn’t come with root vegetables — the green curry still carries a creamy, rich and slightly sweet note without being particularly heavy; pairs very well with the short-grain rice that comes beneath the Japanese omelette that comes atop. The omelette does come with a slightly runny texture that makes it soft, fluffy and a little creamy on its own, all that whilst the Handmade Menchi Katsu does come in a batter that strangely felt more crunchy than it was crisp — not particularly greasy while some of the juices from the meat are still being locked in; the minced meat adding a meatiness with a consistent texture that wasn’t too tough to chew through. The addition of beef does add a slight gaminess that provided a good contrast of flavours for the Handmade Menchi Katsu.

Not very fantastic

There has been quite a number of dining establishments opening of the late that has been emulating the dining experience that Yuen Kee Dumplings had brought to our F&B scene especially considering the success that Yuen Kee Dumplings had been enjoying with the swift expansion of its business all across the island. Jiang Kee has been an early contender to this trend — the brand has already made its presence in the local F&B scene here very early on having run kiosks within Scarlett Supermarket; their first known location being within the outlet at Paya Lebar Square. With that being said, Jiang Kee had recently opened its very first standalone eatery in Singapore; they are situated within the Food Alley at Toa Payoh Central where one can find other notable F&B tenants such as that of Sing Hi Noodle and the outlet of Hiang Ji Roasted Meat & Noodle House there. The menu at Jiang Kee is split into categories such as Dumplings, Wonton, Pan-Fried Items, Steamed Bun and Noodle & Rice Noodles.

As with our typical orders at such establishments, we found ourselves going for the ala-carte dumplings; namely the Pork & Prawn Dumplings with Crab Roe. Jiang Kee also allows its patrons to opt between different sauces and soups to go with their order of the dumplings — we went with the Mala Dry Mix which is also mentioned to come with Sesame Paste for our order of the Pork & Prawn Dumplings with Crab Roe. One thing that caught our attention very early on when we were collecting our order from the counter was the consistency of the Mala Dry Mix; despite the addition of sesame paste here, the end product is a pretty thick sauce that seems to suggest that the sesame paste had been mixed into the Mala paste rather than just being two different sauces drenched onto the dumplings. Going for the sauce itself, the sauce has a pretty gloopy consistency — the sauce has a sandier consistency with quite an emphasis on the fragrance of Sichuan peppers; all that whilst the addition of sesame paste trying to add an earthier note in its finish to end everything off. Whilst being immensely flavourful, we do think that the sauce would like get fairly overwhelming quickly for a single pax having all 8 to 10 pieces of the dumplings to themselves. The Pork & Prawn Dumplings with Crab Roe were pretty decent with smooth and thin wrapper enclosing the fillings within; the pork filling does give the dumplings a firm bite, with the prawn being fresh and adds a crustacean sweetness that gives it a complimenting contrast of flavours as well.

The mochi waffle came crisp at the edges but overly chewy inside, almost too much mochi. I sampled a few gelato flavours and none left much impression. Sticky date pudding sounded promising, yet on the waffle it turned cloying. Already sweet on its own and further weighed down by maple syrup drizzle. Texture was interesting at first but the flavour balance tipped into heavy and overly sweet 》$6.90 Mochi Waffle + $5.20 Premium Flavour

One of my favourite chicken wing rice, always comforting and satisfying. The wings are fried crisp and golden, skin light and crunchy while the meat inside stays juicy and tender with savoury depth from the marinade. Paired with fragrant chicken rice, it makes for a hearty meal that I keep coming back to. The chilli dip adds a sharp kick that ties everything together and it has become one of my late night choices for a sinful supper, affordable and consistently good 》$4

The sambal stingray arrives on a sizzling hot plate with a smoky and spicy aroma. The flesh is tender and juicy, thick enough to feel substantial yet soft enough to pull apart with ease. Sambal brings bold fragrance and a fiery kick, a little salty but especially satisfying when paired with rice 》$15 / Medium

Il Piccolo Pizzeria had been one of those places that we had actually been to a decade ago — an establishment that is well-known around the Toa Payoh neighbourhood, Il Piccolo Pizzeria was actually once featured on Our Makan Places: Lost and Found Season 5 previously on MediaCorp’s Channel 5 in 2014. Having been located in the coffeeshop at Blk 78C Toa Payoh Central for quite a long period of time, the stall had recently made its move to the Chang Cheng Mee Wah coffeeshop at Blk 126 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh due to the change of coffeeshop operator at its previous location. Whilst the Il Piccolo branding was founded by a Romanian chef named Peter Bontoi some number of decades ago whom is also affiliated with quite a number of F&B establishments in his heydays before he left Singapore, the Il Piccolo Pizzeria stall is run by a Chinese-born chef named Zhou Zong Qing since then whom was an assistant to Peter Bontoi back then. The menu at Il Piccolo Pizzeria’s location at Blk 126 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh is similar to that of its time at Blk 78C Toa Payoh Central; it features categories such as Pizza, Pasta, Dessert and Baked Rice.

It is noted that Il Piccolo Pizzeria does not describe the elements that are included in the various dishes that they serve up; that being said, it can be observed that the Baked Salmon & Mushroom Rice does come with the same elements such as salmon and mushroom that is mentioned in the namesake of the dish — it is also an item that is being listed in the Baked Rice section of the menu as well. One thing we liked about the Baked Salmon & Mushroom Rice at Il Piccolo Pizzeria is how it came with the correct dining ware that one would expect at a more formal dining establishment despite how they are just an establishment within a coffeeshop. We also liked how it came with a layer of melted cheese that was sufficient to cover the mound of rice beneath. The melted cheese comes all soft, gooey and stretchy — great for those wanting to capture the cheese pull shots; all that whilst adding a light savouriness to the rice beneath that seems to be infused with butter for a subtle hint of fragrance that wasn’t too overwhelmingly savoury with the cheese. The addition of salmon provides a bit of a contrast to the cheese and rice; all that without being too heavy with the salmon carrying a distinct note signature to the fish itself, while the mushroom adds a bouncy bite with an earthiness to further add on another dimension of flavours to the dish itself.

(M Size - $11.20) my friend choose pistacho drizzle (one of their best selling flavour). I forgot how it taste alr but I remembered oreo crunch made it very messy. consisted of acai, granola, banana, blueberries, dragonfruit (i dont really eat), cacao nibs (my friend's fav), oreo crunch.