Best Chicken Rice in Town?

I recently checked out Tian Tian Chicken Rice at Maxwell Road FC to see what all the fuss is about... actually I have been down to Maxwell Road on several occasions to try it out, but I always seem to go there when Tian Tian is closed.

This time I lucked out, however and had the opportunity to try out this legendary stall's offerings, which has had my fellow food bloggers and local chicken rice fanatics rhapsodising for years.



Of course there was a big queue, but we all know that means it’s worth the wait! And yes, I should say it was – the rice was full of stock-y flavours and the chicken was as moist and tender as you would hope.



So a big thumbs up from me, and definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already.

You can read more about Chicken Rice on my NileGuide blog here.

Tian Tian Chicken Rice, Maxwell Road FC

Congee for Breakfast

It’s hard to believe, but despite having lived in Singapore for nearly three years I have never eaten Congee… until now.

Determined that my first bowl of congee was going to be a memorable one, I conducted a lot of research before venturing out on my porridge quest, and Zhen Zhen Porridge at Maxwell Road Food Centre continually came out on top of ratings. The Makansutra Guide gives it 6 chopsticks, putting it in the highest ‘Die Die Must Try!’ category, and it also gets the thumbs up from many of my fellow local food bloggers.



Even so, I wasn’t quite prepared for the length of queue this stall commanded. Undeterred, I stood patiently in line, convincing myself that if all these other people were queuing, well – it had to be worth the wait.



Forty minutes later (yes, 40 … 4-0 minutes later) I finally reached the front, where I realised I had absolutely no idea what to order, and all the signage was in Chinese.



I smiled and held up one finger “One bowl, please.”
The auntie on the stall refused to return my smile, barking instead “Fish?”
“OK,” I replied, unsure of what my other options were.
She plucked an egg from a large bowlful beside her “You want?”
“OK!” and I joined the others to the left of the counter to await my bowl, observing how they seasoned their porridge when it arrived, so that when my turn came I would look like a seasoned (excused the pun) pro.



I returned to the table delighted with myself, and trying to ignore the fact that the egg the auntie and held up to me had just been cracked raw into the side of my porridge - I had had romantic notions of it having been stirred through in a carbonara-esque type of way. Nevertheless I tucked in (I’d like to say enthusiastically, but perhaps a more suitable adverb would be cautiously), Mr Greedy Glutton watching my every move (he knew he was next).



Obviously I have nothing to compare it to, but Zhen Zhen is famous for its super-smooth porridge – they cook and churn the porridge until all the rice grains have disappeared. It is then sprinkled with spring onions, chai poh (preserved radish) and fried shallots, which, together with the fish, give some welcome flavour to an otherwise bland dish. I did kind of regret not ordering a side order of yu sheng (raw fish) plate to accompany it, as I’m sure this also would have provided some form of flavour injection.



I have to confess I didn’t eat a huge amount of my porridge – Mr Greedy Glutton’s Chicken Rice from Tian Tian Chicken Rice looked far more appealing. But I’m pleased that I tried it and I now know if I am stranded at breakfast time in some remote corner of Asia - I will survive.

The Gluttons back at Gluttons Bay

We had a friend staying with us, who was straight off the plane from the UK and wanting some local Singaporean food – and fast, before she succumbed to the inevitable jet-lag induced early-to-bed syndrome. We met Mr Greedy Glutton from work on Boat Quay and took a sight-filled stroll across the bridge to the Esplanade, and Gluttons Bay.

The last time we came here, we left sorely disappointed, as the food just wasn’t up to its usual standards… today, however, I’m happy to say it was back on form. We ordered up a selection of ‘local’ nibbles to give our friend a flavour of Singapore and give ourselves a tasty feed:

The ever delicious smoky chicken wings from Huat Huat Chicken Wings/Carrot Cake at Stall F

The equal-favourite scrumptious, sticky Mixed Satays from Alhambra Padang Satay at Stall C

Popiah (from memory and deduction this came from Stall G, but I’m not sure what it’s called) – it was slightly too shrimp pastey for me, but that’s just me not being a big fan of shrimp paste, our guest seemed to enjoy it, and that’s the most important thing.

The fabby Char Kway Teow from Hup Kee at Stall L – you can tell it’s good as there’s always a queue here... and of course some veggies, which I believe we got from Boon Tat BBQ Seafood at Stall J.

Once again, an enjoyable feast… and our friend was awake at 4am with jetlag, dreaming of the food we’d just had… so it was obviously a success…

Makansutra Gluttons Bay - http://www.makansutra.com/eateries.html

Cheap and Cheerful

Wednesday evening and time for a quick bite to eat with friends after work. Lau Pa Sat was the hawker centre of choice and Ming Yen Seafood, the stall we ended up at – mainly for its set-apart location outside on picnic-style tables and, more importantly, its proximity to the Tiger Beer stall.

I’m not a big fan of stingray, or sambal dishes, but the friend I was with eats nothing else it seems, so Sambal Stingray it was – it was ok, but I’ll refrain from commenting further as I’m not the best person to judge.

We also ordered the Chicken with Dried Chillies

and some Kai-lan with Oyster Sauce

Both of these were really pretty good…all plates going back were empty anyway… so it can’t have been bad…

Ming Yen Seafood – Stall 55 – 57, Lau Pa Sat

A Glutton in Gluttons Bay

The perfect joint for a greedy glutton like me... Gluttons Bay down by the Esplanade Mall. This has fast become my favourite hawker centre – I know some people think it’s touristy (although I’ve never really seen many tourists there) and expensive, but compared to eating back home it’s cheap, and the food is so damn good, I for one will keep coming back for more.

This time, we started off with sticky, smoky Barbecue Chicken Wings from Huat Huat Chicken Wings/Carrot Cake at Stall F, which really are finger-licking-good (sorry, Colonel) and some mixed Satays from Alhambra Padang Satay at Stall C . We swiftly followed this up with a selection of delectable dishes from Sew An Seafood Cze Cha at Stall H – Pork Ribs in Imperial Sauce, Sliced Fish in Ginger, Kang Kong with Garlic, Rice and washed it all down with a can of Tiger beer.

I also tried my first Carrot Cake – you know that thing that isn’t cake and isn’t made from carrots… it was pretty good, though I still don’t get the whole ‘carrot cake’ name for it…

Makansutra Gluttons Bay - http://www.makansutra.com/eateries.html