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Fried Hokkien Mee with topping of luscious Pork Fat
Down the road from Block 921 at Yishun Bus Interchange, I found another coffeeshop which had more hustle and bustle than even a school canteen at lunch time. It was a quaint little shoppe located around the bend and a particular sign board caught my eye.
One of the stall's signboard (though it might not have been very obvious) said 921 Yishun Fried Hokkien Mee. See the link? Two 921 Hokkien Mee stalls at two different coffeeshops. Well which is better?
This serving of Hokkien Mee was quite generous in noodle portion and each spoonfull (or chopstick full) carried an air of a heavy seafood stock. Still, I think that for the price of $4.00 they should have given a little more toppings and ingredients, like the sliced pork belly which was all but there.
The chilli though red hot in colour, proved to be inadequate with the quality of the dish. It was somewhat too strong in its prawn paste smell and tasted a little like chilli from the bottle.
Therefore in comparison with this version of Fried Hokkien Mee and the one located at Block 921, it seems that the latter wins this dish hands down. Though it would not hurt to try out different styles of cooking.
Price : $3.50/$4.00
Rating for Fried Hokkien Mee : 3.5/5
Hainanese (Debone) Chicken Rice
The coffeeshop's serving of one of Singapore's most Singaporean Dishes - Hainanese Chicken Rice attracted a queue. In Singaporean terms, anything with a queue must be good.
I ordered the $3.50 serving of the Boneless Chicken Rice to find out what was so good about this stall's speciality. The chicken was served mostly without its skin (excellent for you health junkies) though the ladle of light sauce and sesame oil was a little too heavy for my liking. The meat was soft and a little juicy and pair this with the serving of warm chicken rice, it was good!
I particularly enjoyed their rice. It was grainy but not too hard with each grain being a little oily from the chicken fat. Also it was not overpoweringly fragrant and provided a delicate complement to the meat.
The chilli sauce provided is something I really enjoyed. I presume it was blended from Chilli Padi so even a little dip of it on the meat made the bite fiery hot. For all you spice haters, beware!
Arguably this is one of the better Hainanese Chicken Rice I have eaten though it would be better if they were to go a little easy on the light sauce. It is not the best so far where in the lights of Yet Con along Purvis Street but for a neighbourhood whipping up of the dish and with it boneless, it is deal definitely value for money.
Now I know why there was a queue.
Price : $2.50/3.50
Rating for Hainanese Chicken Rice : 4/5
Dim Sum in a Coffeeshop? Who could have guessed!
Singapore Favourite Foods - Chinese Rojak
Almost every other coffeeshop has a stall selling Chinese Rojak with its crispy You Tiao, tau pok, turnip, cucumber, dried squid all mixed in a big bowl of prawn paste with chopped nuts.
Today's Chinese Rojak called for the addition of Century Eggs - Duck eggs covered in mud and buried underground for 100 days till its ferments. Yummy! The acquired taste of the century eggs is definitely a strong ally with the sweet taste of the prawn paste and couple that with a slice or two of the crispy you tiao, oh my gosh, you are in heaven!
While the prawn paste that coats this Rojak isn't too strong, the chef was a little heavy handed with his use of sugar, so I didn't really enjoy the sweeter version of this popular Singaporean Dish. Now if they threw in a tau pok or two, this would really make a dish value for your money.
Price : $3.00 + $1.20 (century egg)
Rating for Chinese Rojak : 3.5/5
Comments
If you really are craving for an above average value for money deal at a coffeeshop at the Yishun vicinity, you might just want to pop by at this neighbourhood coffeeshop. While it does not serve the food like those in restaurants and posh cafes, it still bodes strongly of the local flavour and you might just be surprised at what dish you could really enjoy!
Location : Yishun 81 Food Court. Near Yishun Bus Interchange.
