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.

Yunnan Cuisine

We’re just back from a week’s holiday in Yunnan Province in South-West China. Yunnan Province has the largest number of ethnic minorities in China (more than half of the total Chinese minority population according to the Lonely Planet). The cuisine, therefore, is incredibly varied, taking its influences from many directions. Its proximity to Sichuan Province means the dishes tend to have a healthy dose of chilli and being mushroom season when we were there ensured that various types of funghi featured heavily on the menus also.

Our first stop-off was Lijiang – a beautiful town teaming with tourists, and a plethora of restaurants to choose from.



Our first lunch was at a little restaurant, which I was told was called Yi mi yang guang yu fu situated on what is most commonly know as ‘Jiu Ba Jie’ or ‘Bar Street’, where we ordered up some local goodies:



Baba is a type of bread cake that is made on street stalls all over Lijiang – it comes either sweet or savoury, so we tried the savoury version to accompany our feast. For any traditional Brits out there – it tastes a bit like a suet pudding:



Also on the table was Dongba Chicken with Mushrooms & Chilli (Dongba being the culture of the Naxi minority – the most prominent ethnic group in Lijiang)



Spicy Yak – bursting with an amalgam of flavours from the various herbs and spices in it, and our first experience of the tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorn!



Lijiang Pork – with strong ginger and chilli flavours



And an interesting addition to our vegetable repertoire – a type of local fresh water seaweed which, like everything else on the table, was delicious.



What a good start to our China holiday!

Little Bundles of Joy

Occasionally I find a new restaurant that gets me really excited… and Dim Joy on Neil Road did just that. I first heard about it in an old copy of Appetite magazine, which promised ‘dim sum delicacies that triumph some of the larger, popular institutions in town’. Well that sounded right up my street, how could I resist?

I’m glad this was featured in Appetite, because tucked away in a restored shophouse set back from the road on Neil Road, I would never have found this little gem in a hundred years of sightseeing in Chinatown with visitors. In contrast to its traditional facade, the interior of this restaurant was surprisingly modern, decked out with chrome and wooden furnishings, giving it a trendy fast-food feel.

The food however, was anything but fast-food fare (and that’s certainly not intended as a criticism of the speed of service, rather a compliment of the quality). The service also was extremely friendly and attentive.

We kicked off with some old favourites – some Har Gao,

Shrimp and Chive Rice Rolls and some Char Siew Bao.

All of these were superb – the Shrimp was exceedingly fresh, the casing not too thick or sticky. You’ll notice the Char Siew isn’t as red as usual, but it was still sweet and succulent and delicious.

For any vegetarians who usually struggle with choice at Dim Sum – Dim Joy has an extensive selection, and all vegetarian items are clearly marked on the menu with a bamboo symbol. We tried the Prosperity Pouches – a selection of vegetables wrapped up in freshly made pancake parcels – beautifully presented and simply devine!

The Crisp Pumpkin Balls struck just the right note of sweetness,

and the Northern Pancakes (non-vegetarian) were also stunning.

Everything is home made here – even down to the Soy Sauce and Chilli Sauce, both of which were fruity and tangy and worthy of accompanying such superb dim sum.

I have to say this is among the best Dim Sum I have tried in Singapore – its renditions of the old favourites are fantastically executed and there are enough twists to tradition to keep it interesting. The freshness of the ingredients is evident throughout. On top of all this, the bill at the end is more in line with a Yum Cha or Crystal Jade bill, rather than a Shang Palace bill, to which I would liken it in quality.

Mr Greedy Glutton was disappointed that there were no Xiao Long Bao on the menu (to him the biggest attraction of going for Dim Sum), but they had Custard Buns, so I was willing to forgive and forget.

Truly a great find… I was grinning throughout our lunch… and I am sure Dim Joy will become a firm favourite for future weekend lunches…

Dim Joy - http://www.dimjoy.com/
80 Neil Road

Duxton Hill Charmer

Not being a regular of the type of establishments usually associated with Duxton Hill, I have never ventured up there. But one of the girls suggested lunch at Broth, and I had read good things about it before, so we decided to try it out. Once past the neon Chivas Regal signs and KTV bars, a quiet leafy pedestrian oasis awaits, with Broth amidst the beautifully restored shophouses.

We chose an outdoor table to fully appreciate the serenity of our surroundings (serene at least until the construction started next door, but that’s no fault of the restaurant) and took some time to peruse the menu. Describing their food as ‘a modern approach to classic Australian recipes’, the menu features tempting treats such as ‘Lamb Loin in a Green Coat, served with Garlic Potatoes, Fine Beans and Mint Jus’ and ‘Salmon Fillet with Grilled Eggplant Steak, Fresh Soy Beans and Miso Cream Sauce’. They also include a Fish of the Day and a Pasta of the Day.

We skipped starters to allow room for dessert and went straight to mains, for which I chose the Pasta – an Aglio Olio with Clams. Now I’m not a huge fan of eating pasta when I’m out as to me it’s something to be thrown together at home on a mid-week evening, but I can certainly recommend this. Delicately flavoured, with al dente pasta and vegetables and succulent clams - truly delicious.

As promised to ourselves, we went on to order dessert, where I just couldn’t see past the ‘Supernova Pavlova with Whipped Cream, Banana, Passion Fruit and Berries’ – I mean, really, how good does that sound?

And it certainly caused some excitement when it arrived at the table – a large single-portion sized pavlova piled high with cream and fruit. In fact it looked so good that two passers-by actually stopped and came into the restaurant, pointing at my dessert “I’ll have one of those”. Alas, last orders had already been served and so they left, pointedly looking at me, eyes begging for a taste.

Well luckily for them, and unfortunately for me – this was a classic case of never judging a book by its cover - I’m afraid to say that it was hugely disappointing, and more than that, quite horrible… Two of us had ordered one and we spent a few mouthfuls looking across the table at each other in a state of confusion – “Just what is wrong with this Pavlova?” Our deduction? They used Salt instead of Sugar! Yep, it was a salty Pavlova. Whether this was a case of mistaking one for the other, or a deliberate ‘modern approach to a classic Australian recipe’ I don’t know – but I certainly won’t be ordering it again to find out… how disappointing…

Nonetheless, salty pavlovas aside, this is a charming little spot for lunch, and I’m sure also for a relaxed dinner à deux… and I shall definitely be returning for more…

Broth - http://www.broth.com.sg/

Veggie Dim Sum?

One of my favourite places to go for Dim Sum is Yum Cha in Chinatown. This time we went with some friends, one vegetarian, so it was an excuse to order extra dishes, and also some we wouldn’t normally try (ie. the vegetarian ones).

It transpired to be quite a challenge finding vegetarian dim sum, but we ordered up the following which all sounded veggie enough:

Crystal Chive Dumplings – turned out they had prawns in, Fried Carrot Cake – tasted very fishy so we decided it wasn’t vegetarian at all.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls – definitely veggie

Crystal Vegetarian Mushroom Dumplings – the veggie hit of the day, inspiring a double order

Coconut Flavoured Plain Bun

We also ordered up some non-veggie dishes:
Steamed Pork Buns

Xiao Long Bao

Steamed Pork Ribs with Bean Sauce

And also some old favourites which didn’t let us down – Yum Cha Shrimp Dumplings, Sesame Prawn and Mango Rolls, Fried Garlic Prawn Dumplings and Dumplings in Special Spicy Sauce.

So all in all a bit of a mixed bag really… some disappointing, some as good as ever… I think I’ve had better experiences here, but I still enjoyed it and will of course be back again soon… our veggie friend has been to a specifically vegetarian dim sum restaurant… so that’s always another option for next time…

Yum Cha – http://www.yumcha.com.sg/

A Dim Sum Blowout

When we were in Singapore on holiday a couple of years ago, we stumbled up the stairs to Yum Cha on the corner of Trengannu and Temple Streets in Chinatown to escape a thunderous downpour, and boy were we glad we did! I could eat dim sum for lunch every day of my life and still not get sick of it. And now I’m living in Singapore, maybe I will...

This time my lunch at Yum Cha was with a friend who was visiting Singapore and thankfully the food was just as good as I remembered from our holiday before. My favourite from my previous visit, Sesame Prawn & Mango Roll, did not disappoint, nor did the rest of the selection – Steamed BBQ Pork Buns, Prawn Dumplings, Vegetable and Meat Siew Mai, Sliced Fish Rice Flour Roll, Steamed Bean Curd Skin Roll, Fried Garlic Prawn Dumpling and Crystal Chives Dumplings.

Does that sound a lot for two young ladies? Well we did leave feeling rather full… and anyway, I’ve heard that Chinese tea is good for speeding up the metabolism…

Yum Cha – http://www.yumcha.com.sg/