Cheap and Good Food: Sarawak Kolo Mee (Tampines)

I do not know why, but I seemed to have cravings for good noodles nowadays. Two out of three of my food posts are about noodles. And they are indeed delicious noodles. Hope you have tested and tasted my recommendations and have agreed with my humble opinion.

This time, I am going to recommend this fantastic noodle stall that has been around for more than 10 years and still counting. Everyday (I was told by the cleaner auntie), if you come at lunch time between 11 - 1pm, expect long queue of more than 20 persons! And it is not because the stall owners are slow, they are fast! People are just willing to queue for good food!

SARAWAK KOLO MEE

Tampines Round Market, Blk 137A #01-45 Tampines Street 11 Singapore 522137

One look at the stall and apart from the variety of noodles sold, you can see the numerous awards won by this stall. There are awards by Makan Sutra, Channel U's Yummy King （优选美食王）, Straitstimes, Channel 8's 面对面 and many more!

BUT, this is not what I came for. I did not come to look at the awards. I came for good food!

As I was there at 1+pm (as advised by my survey team), I was right behind 8 persons only. Well, the noodles better be worth the wait! After queuing for about 15 minutes, it was finally my turn. I ordered a regular size famous Sarawak Kolo Mee. (They came in 4 sizes, $4/5/6/7)

And I present to you, THE SARAWAK KOLO NOODLES! Looked appetising, didn't it?

The famous Sarawak Kolo Mee!

The noodles came with
1) char siew
2) vegetables
3) 2 wantons
4) 1 dumpling
5) 1 deep fried wanton
6) braised pork ribs
7) Kolo mee

I quickly tossed the noodles and began to attack the noodles mercilessly. The noodles were springy and tasted different from the normal wanton noodles that is served in most noodles stall. The Sarawak Kolo Mee did not have the "alkaline" or 碱水 taste in it! Coupled with their special sauce and chili, the overall taste of this noodles was superb! All the other ingredients tasted normal like any other stall but the noodles and sauce itself were delicious!

Last but not least, I would like to talk about the braised pork ribs. Soft and tender pork ribs, deeply and fully braised with soy fragrance, was delectable! The aftertaste that lingered in my mouth was stimulating all the glands in my mouth, so much so that I was literally mouth-watering!

The aftermath

Now the verdict:

Taste: 4.5 out of 5 (the other ingredients were so-so)
Price: 2 purple notes (S$4.00)
Will I return for more: Definitely!
Nearest carpark: Open air carpark around block 137A (ERP system)
Opening hours:  Until 3pm daily (Avoid lunch hours, sometimes they finished at 2.30pm)



Tags: Tampines, round market, sarawak kolo mee,

Cheap & Good Food: Lai Lai Heng Wanton Noodles (Ang Mo Kio)

I was visiting an acquaintance in Ang Mo Kio and he recommended me to the hawker centre near his place. He highly recommended me to try out this stall:

LAI LAI HENG WANTON NOODLES

Blk 409 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 #01-14

And he guaranteed that I would return for more.

In less than 3 minutes, I was already queueing in front of the stall. This is the 1st indication that the food is good. Then the queue moved slowly. Not because they were slow, but I saw quite a few patrons in front packing a few packets of noodles. This is the 2nd indication that the food must be fantastic.

Soon my turn came and I ordered the Signature Noodles which is number 7. As I do not eat chicken feet, I asked the lady not to put it in my noodles. And she promptly asked if I would like to change the chicken feet to braised chicken wing. Of course, I took up the offer.

Within minutes, I was staring at the plate of noodles that came with:
1) noodles
2) char siew
3) 2 wantons in a bowl of soup
4) 2 deep fried wanton
5) 1 braised pork rib
6) 1 braised chicken wing (changed from 1 chicken feet)
7) vegetables

Looks extremely yummy!

And indeed, the wanton noodles was extremely yummy!

The noodles were very springy and the sauce was extremely tasty. Unlike some wanton noodles that became soggy due to being overcooked, this noodles were very well cooked. However, the char siew, wanton in soup, deep-fried wanton and vegetables were normal like any other good wanton stalls.

The highlight of the day is: the braised chicken wing and pork ribs. They were top-notch! I would give the braised pork ribs a rating of 10/10 and if possible, I would give it bonus points for melting in my mouth, literally!

I savoured the noodles in like a record, 5 minutes. And it was not because I was hungry. I just felt like stuffing mouthful after mouthful of noodles. I do not know why, but I guess my taste buds just wanted more!

As I write this post, I crave for another plate already, especially the braised pork ribs! Glutton!

The aftermath, after a mere 5 minutes.

As you can see, there were bones from the chicken wings. However, there is no bone for the pork ribs. I had cconsumed the cartilage as well! Talking about not wasting food.

Hurry and try out the wanton noodles at Lai Lai Heng Wanton Noodles! Remember to order noodles with pork ribs or you can order the pork ribs as extra ($2 for 2 pieces).

Maybe after eating this noodles, I will be very "HENG" too!

Now the verdict:

Taste: 6 out of 5 (bonus point for the braised pork ribs)
Price: 2 purple notes (S$4.00)
Will I return for more: Definitely!
Nearest carpark: Open air carpark behind block 410 ($0.50 coupon/half hour)
Opening hours:  Until 2.30pm daily, Closed on Mondays.



Tags: Wanton noodles, lai lai heng, ang mo kio, braised pork rib, teck ghee square

Good & Cheap Food: Ben's Western Bar (Toa Payoh)

Everyday, I set a budget S$10.00 for my lunch, including drinks and there are plenty of choices for me to choose from.

These aren't paid advertisements and I do not receive a single cent from the owners of these stalls. I DO wish (hint hint) they would give me free lunches!

Let me begin with this:

Ben's Western Bar

Blk 95 Toa Payoh Lorong 4

The prices of this stall is affordable, from S$6.00 (Chicken Chop with 2 sides) to $15.80 (Ribeye steak with 2 sides). I tried the chicken chop with 2 sides a couple of times and I must say it tastes better than most western stalls out there with this price. And the taste is consistent.

Palm size juicy chicken chop with fries and spaghetti

The portion is about palm size, and I chose fries and spaghetti to go with my chicken chop. Though the chicken is a little oily, it is rather tender and juicy. Spaghetti is well cooked in tomato sauce, not too hard and not too soggy. And the crispy fries is the thick, non wavy kind.

Overall, I quite like the taste of this chicken chop. Otherwise, I wouldn't return for the Nth time in 3 months.

10 minutes later...

Taste: 3.85 out of 5
Price: 1 green note and 1 gold coin (S$6.00) for the chicken chop
Will I return for more: Yes
Nearest carpark: Blk 93A MSCP ($0.50/30min coupon parking)



Tags: Food, western, Toa Payoh, Ben's Western Bar, chicken, beef, spaghetti, fries