Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee

So Kin Kin Pan Mee has arrive in Singapore and after much fanfare, the crowd has finally disperse and waiting time is not that long now. Although I haven't tried the original one (I will soon as I'm heading to KL for work), this is my short review:

Ordered the soup with fishballs, meatballs and 2 pieces of tofu skin, fishballs were bouncy and big. Meatballs were quite small in comparison though. The tofu skin was not bad. 

Kin Kin special soup $5

The noodles were bland at first. But after adding their special chilli, the taste of the dish totally changed. Mixed it up with their half boiled egg and it was quite delicious. However I felt the price was quite expensive as I ordered the baby clams set. But at least now people need not drive up to KL to have it.

Kin Kin Noodles (Set 4) $8

Details of the place: 534 MacPherson Road, Singapore 368220

Opening Hours: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

Bak Kut Teh Places

I like to eat Bak Kut Teh, especially the herbal type. I also like the meat to be slightly fat. Recently I came across 3 Bak Kut Teh stalls so here's my short review.

Chanced upon this Bak Kut Teh stall in Kovan. There were many articles on their wall and I came to find out that this restaurant was actually opened by ex convicts. Here is my review of the place:

Preserved Vegetables 

Comments: Tastes not bad. Not too overwhelming salty and easy to eat. 

Bak Kut Teh

Comments: At first look I thought it would be peppery type but after tasting the soup, it turned out to be herbal type which was my favorite type. The meat is soft and separates from the bone easily. Soup is re-fillable so don't hesitate to top up. 

Braised Pork Knuckle

Comments: One of my favorite dishes when eating Bak Kut Teh as one of my motto when eating is "if it's not fat, it ain't nice". Anyway I really loved the pork knuckle. The fat "melts" in your mouth as it's really soft. The meat is also tender and not overcooked. Would like a thicker sauce but overall still nice. 

Pork Liver

Comments: The liver is quite soft and the soup is full of flavor. They probably did the liver in a different pot, because the smell and taste would probably kill the main soup taste.

Overall Review: Great place for Bak Kut Teh. Really tasty and fatty meat. They only accept cash.

Like Them Here: Xin Shun Fa

Details of the place: 257 Jalan Kayu, Singapore 799458 / 949 Upper Serangoon Road (5 mins walk from Kovan Mrt)

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2nd stall is the famous Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh. I have never tried the original stall before but I tried the branch at Tanjong Katong road and I did not like it. Here's my review of why I did not like it.

Signature Spare & Pork Ribs Combo Soup $7.50

Comments: Peppery soup, with not much flavour. The meat was very tough too. Plus it was very small, with needing to constant top up the soup.

You Tiao $2

Comments: Normal soft dough fritters

Big Intestines $6

Comments: Was tasty but also quite tough and chewy.

Pig Trotters $8

Comments: Tough, not fat, not much flavor.

Preserved Vegetables $2.50

Comments: So-so only, not preserved enough.

Website: Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh

Details of the place: Outlets

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Then we have Hwa Ji Bak Kut Teh at Boon Tat Street. A small restaurant that is always pack on weekdays cos of the nearby office crowd. Here's my small review:

Signature Bak Kut Teh $7.50

Comments: Very peppery soup. 4 pieces of pork ribs which is quite pathetic, cos it's bite size.

Braised Pig's Trotter $7

Comments: Fat enough and the meat is really tender. Has a great taste to it as the meat is full of flavour.

Braised Intestines $6

Comments: Looked very messy and the intestines were really quite skinny. 

Details of the place: 31 Boon Tat Street, Eagles Center

Li Bai

Located in Sheraton Towers is this award-winning restaurant: Li Bai. They serve really good dim sum, however the pricing is a bit steep, considering its location to be in a 5-star hotel. Below are a few dishes ordered while I had lunch there with my family one afternoon.

Tapioca Chips

Comments: Their appetizer dish, nice crispy chips.

Foie Gras

Comments: Cooked really nicely. Melt in your mouth and nicely marinated.

Pork Bun With Crispy Skin 3 for $4.80

Comments: Comparable to Tim Ho Wan's bao, but theirs had more filling.

Steamed Chicken Feet in Special Sauce $4.20

Comments: Delicious, well marinated and cooked nicely. Has a sweet taste and melt in your mouth feeling when chewing on it.

Steamed Scallops Dumplings 3 for $6.60

Comments: Not bad, sweet tasting and nice.

Steamed Rice Rolls with Shrimp $6.80

Comments: The skin is silky smooth, the prawns are big and fresh. Could not ask for more.

Steamed Rice Rolls with Char Siew $6.80

Comments: Skip this, just go for the prawns, unless of course you prefer char siew

Steamed Pork Buns 3 for $4.80

Comments: Normal tasting

Deep-fried Soft-shell Crab with Salt and Pepper $12

Comments: Quite oily and a bit burnt. A bit expensive at $12.

Deep-fried Crispy Goose Rolls $8

Comments: This was really nice. Worth the order. Crispy with nice fillings

Deep-fried Crispy Prawn with Mango 3 for $6.90

Comments: Not bad, a favorite dish that's why we ordered it. 

Steamed Crystal Dumplings with Mixed Vegetables $4.80

Comments: Did not really like it, maybe because the mixture of vegetable fillings was quite contrasting.

Steamed Chicken "Siew Mai" with Fish Roe 4 for $6.80

Comments: Normal. The scallop dumplings tasted better

Steamed Pork Ribs in Black Bean Sauce $4.20

Comments: The meat was quite tough. A bit disappointed

Deep-fried Crispy Scallop Rolls 3 for $6.60

Comments: This dish is REALLY REALLY REALLY NICE. A must order. Not expensive but JUST NICE!

Baked Canadian Cod with Ophiopogon Root and Honey $15

Comments: The dish is simply Amazing. The fish is cooked perfectly with that honey glazed taste. You don't even have to bite it. It just melts.

Braised Spinach Beancurd with Golden Mushrooms and Conpoy $8

Comments: So-so dish. Order only if you like beancurd

"Forgot what's the name of this dish

Comments: Nice dish with fresh and delicious fish.

Steamed Stuffed Fish Maw with Shrimps Paste $10

Comments: Don't waste your money ordering this. Nothing special and not much taste even with the sauce.

Overall Review: Nice food overall but expensive. Nice ambience too.

Website: Li Bai Restuarant

Details of the place can be found in their website.

Tim Ho Wan

So there's this new Hong Kong restaurant in town. 1 Michelin star restaurant Tim Ho Wan made its way to Singapore and it's making waves. Queues form everyday without fail even before its opening time at 10 a.m. 

I have never dined in a Michelin star restaurant before, and as a dim-sum lover, I decided to join the craze one Saturday morning to see what the craze was about. However, I would recommend everyone to NEVER EVER go on weekends (unless you feel REALLY free). 

I thought the average wait was going to be around 2 hours. But to my surprise, I queue for almost 4.5 hours just to get a seat. Fortunately the food came fast, so here's my review:

Chilli Free-flow

Comments: So-So. Does not really taste special. Not spicy enough, not sweet enough.

"4 Heavenly Kings"

 Char Siew Bao $4.50 

 Char Siew Bao $4.50

Comments: The downside of going on a packed weekend, the filling was not done well. Read how nice the fillings of the char siew bao was going to be, but unfortunately it did not really meet my expectations.

Carrot Cake $4.50

Comments: This dish is passable. Soft and tender. However, there's not much ingredients in it and not as tasty as I expected it to be.

Steamed Egg Cake $3.80

Comments: Nothing special about this dish though. Taste fluffy but I'm just not use to the taste, but it's not that tasty to begin with.

Chee Cheong Fun with Pork Liver $5.50

Comments: This dish is something different from the usual chee cheong fun, but definitely not for people who don't like pork liver as the taste is quite strong. Sauce not tasty enough though but worth a try, that is if you like pork liver.

Steamed Dishes

Steamed Beef Ball $4.20 

Comments: It was suppose to be a beef ball, but as you can see, due to the chefs being too busy, the balls turned out to be just a lump. But this beef ball is commendable. The meat is soft and it somehow feels like it will melt in your mouth. It's tasty too.

"Har Gao" Steamed Prawn Dumplings $5.50

Comments: The prawn was big but it was quite salty. Not the most delicious har gao I've eaten.

Steamed Pork Ribs $4.20

Comments: Not bad. However the meat was quite tough and not the tender melt-in-your-mouth type of dish.

Siew Mai  $5

Comments: The siew mai was really nice. On first bite, the sweetness of the pork filling could be tasted straight away. I believe the red date added a touch of sweetness to the overall dish. A must order.

Steamed Chicken Feet $4

Comments: I've tasted better chicken feet. The chicken feet from Tim Ho Wan lacked marination and therefore lacked that special taste to keep going back for more.

Steamed Beancurd Skin $4 

Comments: I quite like this dish. Just tasty and delicious, especially when it comes out piping hot.

Steamed Teochew Dumpling $4

Comments: Something like a crystal bun. The skin texture was nice. But the mixture of the filling is so-so. Very vegetarian type of dish.

Chee Cheong Fun with Beef  $5.50

Comments: I could not taste the beef in it. Either they put a measly amount of beef or the beef just has no taste. 

Chee Cheong Fun with Char Siew $5.50

Comments: The char siew cheong fun fared better than the other 2 cheong fun but it's also not very fantastic actually.

Rice Dishes

 "Lor Mai Kai" Glutinous Rice $5

"Lor Mai Kai" Glutinous Rice $5

Comments: To be honest, I really like this dish. I normally do not order Glutinous Rice at all as it is very filling. BUT THIS IS A MUST TRY! The filling is very generous, with the well-marinated pork and mushroom bursting with taste once you sink your teeth into a mouthful of its sticky and delicious rice.

Steamed Rice with Pork Ribs and Chicken Feet $6.00

Comments: Basically it's the pork ribs and chicken feet on top of a bowl of rice. The sauce in the rice somehow made the rice the main star actually. I found myself eating more rice than I was suppose to.

Fried Items

Spring Roll $4.20

Comments: Nice crisp but the filling is not awesome. Try if you want, but it's not a must order.

Fried Beancurd $5.50

Comments: The fried version of the beancurd skin. It's nice but slightly salty. Need not dip into the worcestershire sauce provided actually.

Desserts

Osmanthus Cake $3.50 for a set of 3

Comments: A dessert commonly seen only eaten by emperors and dowagers. This dessert is really delicious. Sweetness is just nice. Texture is smooth. A refreshing dish to end a heavy dim sum meal.

Yam Paste with Sago $3.50

Comments: Tasted more like bobur chacha. Not bad as it's not your typical yam paste dessert.

Overall Review: I really don't know what the craze about Tim Ho Wan is all about. Probably because it received a Michelin Star. It's quite reasonable but the standard is just not there probably the place is too busy and they prepare in a rush. I've tasted better dim sum elsewhere. Would go back some time later just for their har gao and glutinous rice but the queue would turn me off. And they took take reservations

Facebook: Like them here

Details of the place: Plaza Singapura 68 Orchard Road #01-29A, Singapore, Singapore 238839

10 am - 10 pm. However queue may range from 1 hr to 4 hrs.