Cherry Garden - Yu Sheng and Pen Cai

Probably the largest Pen Cai in Singapore, the Cherry Garden Luxurious Pen Cai is served in a huge tub of diameter close to half a metre and weighs more than 25kg. Tons of superior ingredients are used: braised eight-head abalone, lobsters, scallops, sea cucumbers, prawns, dried oyster rolls, conpoy, dace fillet, roasted duck, soy chicken, crispy pork belly, waxed sausages, mushrooms, cabbage and black moss. Excellent and very generous serving! The remaining "lobster-sweetened" gravy goes perfectly with the subsequent egg noodles dish.

The two accompanying desserts, cherries in nu er hong and aged kuei hua wine cocktail jelly with lychee sorbet and fragrant osmanthus cake with honey, are a good twist from the typical version.

The only not so impressive, though not to extent of disappointing, dish is the Prosperity Yu Sheng with salmon and crispy fish skin. It contains lots of fried vermicelli that provide the crunchy texture, but taste pretty dry.

Rating: 8 / 10
Budget: $$$$

Best Cendol (Suvery by UFM 100.3)

Results of 13 Jan 2015 美食大PK on the best Cendol:

1. Dessert Stall at 8 Sentosa Gateway, Malaysian Food Street @ Resorts World Sentosa, Sentosa Island, Singapore 098269
2. Dessert Stall at 10 Tampines Central 1, Kopitiam @ Tampines 1, Singapore 529536
3. Makan Melaka at 1 Changi Village Road, 01-2046, Singapore 500001 

Best Roti Prata (Suvery by UFM 100.3)

Results of 6 Jan 2015 美食大PK on the best Roti Prata:

1. Sin Ming Roti Prata at 24 Sin Ming Road, #01-51, Jin Fa Kopitiam, Singapore 570024
2. Casuarina Curry Restaurant at 136 Casuarina Road (Off Upper Thomson). Singapore 579524
3. Rahmath Muslim Food at 32 Defu Lane 10, Stall 12, Soon Soon Lai Eating House, Singapore 539213

Founder Bak Kut Teh @ Rangoon 发起人肉骨茶 - Farrer Park

Location: 154 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218431
Rating: 8.75 / 10
Budget: $$

Bak Kut Teh lovers in Singapore would have heard of Founder Bak Kut Teh at Balestier Road. In 2011, the daughter managed to convince the Founder's owner to start a branch at Rangoon Road and I would say she has done an excellent job. Despite another Bak Kut Teh powerhouse (Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh) in close proximity, Founder Bak Kut Teh @ Rangoon 发起人肉骨茶 enjoys a huge share of customers.

WHAT TO ORDER

The menu at Founder Bak Kut Teh @ Rangoon is a pretty complete with items that you would find at a Bak Kut Teh place. Good thing here is that prime pork ribs are always available, unlike most other places, given there are only 12-14 pieces per pig. Remember to order Gongfu tea and you will have the complete "Bak Kut" + "Teh" meal. 

WHAT SO GOOD

Start off with a spoonful of piping-hot Bak Kut Teh soup, you can experience the magically combination of nice fiery peppery taste and the natural sweetness of the pork. Follow this by dipping the tender well-cooked prime rib into the dark soya sauce with chilli (I like to add chilli padi)....SHIOK!! Certainly among the very top around.

There are also many good aspects worth mentioning here. For example, unlimited soup top-up to drink to your heart's content, availability of tea set/equipment to do your Gongfu tea ceremony, options of al fresco vs air-con, ample parking spaces nearby, accessibility from MRT station....and the list goes on.

NOT SO GOOD

The non-pork items, such as the Tau Pok, Salted Vegetables, Peanuts, are not as impressive to me. Fortunately, these are optional side dishes, though if improved, these could really bring this Bak Kut Teh place closer to perfection.

Prime Pork Ribs

Various soup-based pig organs

Braised pork trotter and intestines

Other signature dishes

Sek Tong Gai 食通街 - Commonwealth

Location: 47 Tanglin Halt Road, #01-317, Singapore 141047

Rating: 8.5 / 10

Budget: $$

Soon Hock cooked with Bean Curd and Minced Meat in Claypot

Used to have a strong following at Kim Seng Road in Tiong Bahru, the defunct See Lee Chinese Cuisine disappeared for a few years before resurrecting as Sek Tong Gai 食通街 in the quaint neighbourhood of Tanglin Halt.

WHAT TO ORDER

The menu is presented unexpectedly using an iPad in this run-of-the-mill Cantonese Cze Char eating place. The 10+ signature dishes are marked, and this is a good way to start. More exotic options like Alaskan King Crabs, Lobsters, Bamboo Clams, are also available.

WHAT SO GOOD
Almost all the tables that night had their signature Soon Hock cooked with Bean Curd and Minced Meat. Not particularly eye-pleasing, but the meat of Soon Hock is very fresh and soft despite having deep-fried first, and combines well with the brinjal and minced meat.

Our favourite dish is the Deep Fried Seafood Rolls with Salad Sauce. Nicely battered crust provides a coat for the tasty fish paste and prawns.

The Claypot Chicken with Salted Fish, is served with tender pieces of chicken thighs and wings. The gravy is delicious, though a tad salty for my taste bud, goes terrifically well with the rice.

The Hong Kong Kai Lan is an interesting one. The leaves are fried, giving them a crispy texture, before serving on top of the stalks.

NOT SO GOOD
The Soon Hock cooked with Bean Curd and Minced Meat is quite pricey. At $94 for the claypot I had, this is not something I will have frequently (I know Soon Hock is not cheap!)

The Mixed Vegetables with Vermicelli in Claypot is rather uninspiring and lacks presentation. The saving grace is the rich broth that you could drink like a soup.

Deep Fried Seafood Rolls with Salad Sauce

Claypot Chicken with Salted Fish

Hong Kong Kai Lan

Mixed Vegetables with Vermicelli in Claypot

One dish that I have missed out is the Steamed Pork Ribs, which has received rave reviews on the Internet.

Best Steamboat (Suvery by UFM 100.3)

Results of 30 Dec 2014 美食大PK on the best Steamboat:

1. Hai Di Lao (海底捞) at 313 Orchard Road, #04-23/24, 313@Somerset, Singapore 238895
2. Golden Mile Thien Kee Steamboat (黄金瑞记) at 6001 Beach Rd, #B1-20, Golden Mile Tower, Singapore 199589
3. JPOT at 1 Harbourfront Walk, #01-53, VivoCity, Singapore 098585

2014 Hawker Masters (Awards by Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao)

The search for Singapore's best hawkers in 2014 was over and 6 new Hawker Masters has been announced. The annual hunt is in its fifth year

More than 600 nominations for the 6 categories were received from the public. The finalists for each categories were voted by more than 2,000 readers. A panel of eight judges then made their rounds of the finalists in each category to decide on the winners.

Lor Mee
Name: Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee
Location: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, 02-80.
Opening hours: 7.30am to 2.30pm (Wednesdays to Sundays), closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Beef Noodles
Name: Zheng Yi Hainanese Beef Noodle
Location: Kin Seng Coffeeshop, 47 Tai Thong Crescent.
Opening hours: 10am to 7pm (weekdays), 10am to 6pm (Saturdays), closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Mee Goreng
Name: Hass Bawa Mee Stall
Location: Block 84, Marine Parade Central, Market and Food Centre, 01-150.
Opening hours: Noon to 9.30pm, closed Wednesdays.

Popiah
Name: My Cosy Corner
Location: Coronation Shopping Plaza, 587 Bukit Timah Road, 02-02.
Opening hours: 10am to 7.30pm daily. Popiah not available on Sundays.

Fish Soup
Name: Piao Ji Fish Porridge
Location: Amoy Street Food Centre, 02-100.
Opening hours: 10.45am to 3.45pm, closed Thursdays.

Mee Soto
Name: Riyan Hidayat Satay Solo, No. 31
Location: Serangoon Garden Market and Food Centre, 01-31.
Opening hours: 11am to 9pm, closed Mondays.

Top Street Food to try in Penang

Penang is widely considered a food capital and has been named the number 1 food destination in 2014 by Lonely Planet. From Char Kway Teow to Hokkien Mee to Asam Laksa, Penang food has a strong presence of local Malay, Chinese, Peranakan and Indian influences. You can locate most of the good finds in the State Capital, Georgetown, which together with Malacca, is one of the World Heritage sites.

In my recent trip to Penang, I have researched 50+ food choices, received 10+ recommendations from friends and relatives and added another 10+ more along the way. Out of these, I have managed to try from about 40 stalls and eateries over the 3.5 days. I have wanted to taste more, but there were some that were difficult to find, resulting loss of time. There were others that were not opened, despite me checking the opening hours from various websites. And of course, it was just the limit of my stomach capacity that restricts me from gobbling down some more food.

Nevertheless, I would say I have experienced a wide variety of food that are good representation o f Penang food. I may not have all the "best" ones, but the ones list below (in order of alphabetical order) are definitely worth a try.

Apom
Location: Jalan Burma, outside Kedai Kopi New Cathay
GPS Coordinates: 5.432245, 100.310164

Asam Laksa

Name: Famous Pinang Rd Famous Laksa
Location: Lebuh Keng Kwee
GPS Coordinates: 5.417001, 100.330862

Cendol

Name: Penang Road Famous Teochew Cendol

Location: Lebuh Keng Kwee, off Penang Road, outside Joo Hooi Cafe
GPS Coordinates: 5.417169, 100.330666

Char Kway Teow

Location: Lebuh Kimberly, at Sin Guat Keong
GPS Coordinates: 5.4163525,100.3327265

Char Siew

Name: Sin Nam Huat

Location: Jalan Macalister
GPS Coordinates: 5.419222, 100.317976

Curry Mee

Name: Keong Curry Mee

Location: Jalan Burma, at Kedai Kopi New Cathay
GPS Coordinates: 5.432245, 100.310164

Hokkien Mee

Name: Lean Huat Hockkean Mee
Location: Jalan Burmah, at Kedai Kopi Swee Kong
GPS Coordinates: 5.430486, 100.312699

Kway Chap

Name: Kimberly Street Duck Porridge Kway Chap
Location: Lehub Kimberly, outside Restoran Kimberly
GPS Coordinates: 5.416325, 100.332718

Mang Chang Kuih

Name: Pancake Corner

Location: 336-G1 Lintang Slim, off Jalan Perak, outside Restoran Joo Huat
GPS Coordinates: 5.398379, 100.314783

Roti Canai

Name: Special Famous Roti Canai
Location: 56, Jalan Transfer
GPS Coordinates: 5.420828, 100.330670

Yong Tau Foo

Name: Kimberley Road Yong Tau Foo
Location: Lehub Kimberly, outside Sin Guat Keong
GPS Coordinates: 5.416398, 100.332730

There are many more that I want to try, such as Tua Pui Curry Mee, Seafood Popiah at Padang Brown, Ah Leng Char Kway Teow, dessert at Tradtional Home of Dessert. I will definitely make a return trip at some point in time.

Tell me what are your favourite ones!

Ming Chung Restaurant (民众菜馆)

Whenever people talk about Heng Hua cuisine, one will associate that with Pu Tien. At Ming Chung, you will find the food served here no less tasty, and more importantly come with a homely feel that is missing at the ever-increasing Pu Tien branches.

WHAT TO ORDER: 
The menu is not long - good eateries do not need long menu. The nice signature dishes are clearly marked and I agree with most. My top votes go to Lor Mee and Stir Fry Clam (La La).

WHAT SO GOOD:
The Lor Mee is done in the traditional Henghua way, with white noodles and fresh ingredients like clams, prawn, yam, pork belly, beancurd and vegetables cooked in flavourful broth. Each ingredient is nothing unique by its own, but their combination somehow makes this dish special. I cannot find a table without ordering this. The best part of the Stir Fry Clams has to be its savoury gravy, which harnesses the freshness and sweetness of the clams and nicely embeds the spicy taste.

NOT SO GOOD:
I am a little disappointed with the Fried Bee Hoon that night. It was rather plain and sorely lacked of the wok hei flavour. I added some Stir Fry Clam gravy and this certainly gave the dish some boost, but feel that the dish should stand by itself.

MY RATING:
8.5 / 10

Restoran Ah Meng (阿明家乡小炒)

Many may have heard of San Lou Bee Hoon (三楼炒米粉), one of the popular Cze Char dishes in Johor Bahru. How many of you know that this is not from San Lou Restaurant? Better still, where can you find San Lou Bee Hoon that is better than the version at Restoran Ah Kaw, the originator of San Lou Bee Hoon?

WHAT TO ORDER: 
What else other than San Lou Bee Hoon, a dish ordered at every table? Also like the fresh Chye Poh Steamed Fish, which is less commonly found in Singapore nowadays. Don't forget to try the traditional Teochew desset Or Nee. The pictures of the shop's 20 recommended dishes are displayed on the wall.

WHAT SO GOOD:
Interestingly, the San Lou Bee Hoon is served in a flattened shape. This is the outcome of the outer layer of the already fried bee hoon given another searing to create fragrant charred taste. Eat with the accompanying strong sambal chilli, you will find the taste of the bee hoon further lifted by another few levels.

NOT SO GOOD:
I find most of the other dishes pretty normal by my standard. The Curry Pork Ribs which has received rave review on the Internet, is not cooked in the curry style I prefer.

MY RATING:
8.25 / 10 (San Lou Bee Hoon)
7.25 / 10 (overall)

Xin Yun Kway Chap

Widely popular and always in the running to be among the top Kway Chap stalls in Singapore, Xin Yun Kway Chap amazingly opens only three days in a week.

WHAT TO ORDER: 
Just tell the stall owner the number of people (servings) and the number of kway. Like other Kway Chap stalls, you can ask more of this or less of that.

WHAT SO GOOD:
I like the broth, nice herbal taste and without getting too salty. The kway is soft and smooth, but yet firm enough such that it does not break easily. Good mixture of ingredients (braised meat, big intestines, skin, tau pok, tau kwa, tau kee, egg), all well stewed with flavour nicely permeated. Only noticeable ingredient missing is the small intestines.

NOT SO GOOD:
Remember it is only Fri, Sat and Sun that the stall opens, or else you will be disappointed if you go on the wrong days. Of course, when the stall is opened, be prepared to queue.

MY RATING:
8.25 / 10

Wan He Lou

Nestled within the striking shophouses of Jalan Besar neighbourhood, Wan He Lou serves affordable dishes of Chinese cuisine. Helming the restaurant is Chef Dee, who had won numerous awards, including the top prize at a culinary event which was part of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

WHAT TO ORDER: 
The Must-order is the award-winning Lobster Porridge. The Crispy Lotus with Salted Egg serves as a good starter. Consider ordering the Pan Fried Kurobuta Pork, Signature Chicken and Yellow Gravy Crab Meat Tofu and Green Dragon Vegetables with Dried Shrimps

WHAT SO GOOD:
The porridge is cooked in Teochew style with the loose rice grains swimming in the broth. The fresh lobsters are sliced into halves and added during the cooking process to produce the fresh, sea flavoured broth.  The firm lobster meat, the well flavoured porridge and the tasty accompanying dishes make this a nice, complete meal!

NOT SO GOOD:
Stir Fried Vermicelli, though a signature dish, was nothing to shout about. The Black Glutinous Rice topped with Yam Ice-cream (Dessert of the day) was not impressive either

MY RATING:
7.75 / 10

Shanghai Renjia

Tucked in an inconspicuous corner of Ang Mo Kio, Shanghai Renjia does not place much focus on the interior design. Instead it aims to serve customers with well executed Shanghainese dishes.

WHAT TO ORDER: 
The selection on the menu is not huge (which is what I like). I like most of 9 dishes that I ordered. If I were to pick the best ones, Pan Fried Shanghai Bao, Xiao Long Bao, Stir-fried Pea Sprout and Pumkin (as spelt in the menu) Pancake will be my top choices.

WHAT SO GOOD:
The bottom half of the Pan Fried Shanghai Bao is nicely fried to crisp, and the top half is fluffily steamed at the same time. Hard to find such Sheng Jian Bao so well made. The Xiao Long Bao is so delicious that they are served without no vinegar and ginger. I love the natural sweetness of the Pea Sprout. End off the dinner with Pumkin Pancake - crispy fried skin wrapping the nice pumpkin purée mashed with read bean inside

NOT SO GOOD:
Small place with limited seats. Making reservation does not guarantee that you do not need to queue. Advise you book and come at 6pm. Also I find Handmade Noodle with Pork Chop and Diced Chicken a bit too plain. If you order the Mei Cai Pork Belly Bun, add the gravy to the handmade noodles and you find the taste greatly enhanced.

MY RATING:
8.75 / 10

2014 Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice World Top 25 Restaurants

The results are out! Here are the World Top 25 most favourite restaurants:

1. El Celler de Can Roca - Girona, Spain
2. Midsummer House - Cambridge, United Kingdom
3. Maison Lameloise - Chagny, France
4. The French Cafe - Auckland, New Zealand
5. Alinea - Chicago, Illinois
6. El Club Allard - Madrid, Spain
7. Epicure - Paris, France
8. Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons - Great Milton, United Kingdom
9. Le Gavroche - London, United Kingdom
10. Martin Berasategui - San Sebastian - Donostia, Spain
11. Europea - Montreal, Quebec
12. I Latina - Buenos Aires, Argentina
13. Voila Bistrot - Paraty, Brazil
14. Geranium - Copenhagen, Denmark
15. Diverxo - Madrid, Spain
16. Kokkeriet - Copenhagen, Denmark
17. Restaurant Guy Savoy - Paris, France
18. Eleven Madison Park - New York City, New York
19. Funky Gourmet - Athens, Greece
20. The Test Kitchen - Cape Town Central, South Africa
21. TRB - Beijing, China
22. Arambru - Buenos Aires, Argentina
23. Restaurant Gary Danko - San Francisco, California
24. Vue de monde - Melbourne, Australia
25. Costes - Budapest, Hungary

More than half of these top 25 restaurants come from Europe, with Spain leading (4). However, the results are overall quite spread out across the global, given 14 countries making into the list.

Have you tried any of these?

HongKong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle - Chinatown

Looking at the length of the queue, this stall needs no further publicity. Crowds flock here to enjoy the tasty and yet very affordable priced soya sauce chicken.

WHAT TO ORDER: 
Go for the Soya Sauce Chicken noodles ($2.50). Buying of the whole chicken ($14) is also very common here. You may also consider adding char siew and/or roasted meat to your order

WHAT SO GOOD:
The chickens are stewed with sweetish soya sauce-based marinade, which permeates through the skin into the tender and juicy meat. The serving of the chicken meat is generous, considering the relatively low price

NOT SO GOOD:
It is no surprise that cheap + good = long queue. Also I find the sauce of the noodles is slightly on the salty side, but having said that, I still like it a lot.

MY RATING:
8.5 / 10

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle - Lavender

Best in Singapore or not, it is highly debatable, but Tai Hwa certainly sets the golden standard for Bak Chor Mee.

WHAT TO ORDER: 
Minced meat noodles; dry; choices of $5, 6, 8 or 10

WHAT SO GOOD:
Al dente and springy noodles, tasty sauce rich in vinegar but not overwhelming, liver cooked to perfect timing and the accompanying robust soup (often neglected elsewhere) full of pork flavours

NOT SO GOOD:
Be prepared to queue, but definitely worth the wait... and this makes you more hungry!

MY RATING:
9 / 10

Great partnership; both know exactly their respective roles

Photo from 1980!

UFM 100.3 Survey: Best Curry Fish Head

Results of this week 美食大PK on the best Curry Fish Head:

1. Ocean Curry Fish Head at 92 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310092
2. Muthu's Curry at 138 Race Course Rd, Singapore 218591
3. Chye Lye Curry Fish Head at 1 Jalan Legundi, Singapore 759263

What are your favourite stalls? Vote for your ones next Tuesday before 7.45am!

View UFM 100.3: Best Curry Fish Head in a larger map

UFM 100.3 Survey: Best Lor Mee

Results of this week 美食大PK on the best Lor Mee:

1. Xin Mei Xiang at 51 Old Airport Road, #01-116, Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051
2. Lor Mee 178 at 30 Seng Poh Road #02-58 Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre Singapore 168898
3. 137 Lor Mee Prawn Mee at 137A Tampines Street 11 #01-09 Tampines Round Market & Food Centre Singapore 522137

What are your favourite stalls? Vote for your ones next Tuesday before 7.45am!

View UFM 100.3 Survey: Best Lor Mee in a larger map

UFM 100.3 Survey: Best Fried Hokkien Mee

Results of this week 美食大PK on the best Fried Hokkien Mee:

1. Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee at 51 Old Airport Road, #01-32, Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051
2. Tian Tian Lai Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee at 127 Toa Payoh Lorong 1, #02-27, Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, Singapore 310127
3. Geylang Lorong 29 Fried Hokkien Mee at 396 East Coast Road, Singapore 428994

Don't forget to vote for your favourite stalls before 7.45am every Tuesday!

View UFM 100.3 Survey: Best Fried Hokkien Mee in a larger map

UFM 100.3 Survey: Best Hawker Western Food

Results of this week 美食大PK on the best Hawker Western Food:

1. Wow Wow West Grill at #01-133, ABC Brickworks Food Centre
2. Tanglin Halt at #01-11, Clementi 448 Food Centre
3. Western Barbeque at #01-53 Old Airport Road Food Centre

Share and vote for your favourite stalls before 7.45am every Tuesday!


View UFM 100.3 Survey: Best Hawker Western Food in a larger map