Pho Hoa (HCM CIty)

Pho Hoa

 

A very authentic pho at Pasteur Road District 3.  It is quite a distance from New World Hotel (have to take a cab – 15 minutes traveling time).

Downstair has no air-con and likes our coffee shop.  Upstairs more table but still like our coffee shop but with air-con (super not cold).

You will see more locals to patronize here than tourists.

They serve raw beef or well done beef brisket.  We do not have strong stomach so we order well done version.  I would think the raw version will be better as by the time they serve you with the hot soup – it will not be that raw and bloody.   The broth is very nice, simple and flavorful. The pho (kway tiow) is so smooth that it is not heavy.  The beef is served with very generous portion.

We order the side dish – beef ball with tendon.  ok only.

The spring roll is not as good as those at Pho 2000.

They also serve with Yiu Char Kway – which we tried to avoid as it seems to be not very hygienic.

Plenty of mint leave, vegetable and spring sprout on the table to add to the pho.

Pho Hoa

260 C Pasteur Road.  District 3.

Hiang Soon Otah

Hiang Soon Otah

 

Forget about old airport road otah, Lee Wee’s and brother otah.  This stall at Jalan Kayu is the best otah you can get in Singapore.  Let me know if you think there is another one better than this stall.  My late aunty used to make oat his HDB flat in the 70s (I know, it is illegal and I wonder how the neighbor did not complain) and supply to many stalls in the Island.  Her otah is the best I ever tried and obviously the recipe is now disappeared as she passed away when I was very young.  The closest to her otah is this stall at Jalan Kayu.

 

Hiang Soon Otah

261 Jalan Kayu,
8am to 6pm daily

Alishan Taiwan Beef Stew / Tendon Noodle

Alishan Taiwan Beef  Stew / Tendon Noodle

I have passed by the stall for so many times that I have never step into the restaurant before until one afternoon where I wanted to eat at the nearby coffee shop fish soup that was already closed.  I did not try this stall as I am not a beef fan especially Taiwanese style beef noodles where I find the noodles is not as good as the HK style and the beef normally is not as tender as the HK style.

 

Surprisingly the menu comes with 2 types of beef noodles.  Beside Taiwanese style beef noodles, they also offer HK style gauo lam mee (stew beef and tendon noodles).  The noodle is the typical Wonton mee style.  I like the stew beef very much.  I ordered both beef meat and tendon and was rich, flavorful and tender.

Also order side dish – fried shrimp dumpling.  So so only, they have over fried the dumpling and it becomes very dry.

The beef soup is pretty decent too.

 

 

Alishan Taiwan Beef Stew / Tendon Noodle

1008 Upper Serangoon Road

Daily 11 am to 130 am

284 Bishan Street 22 Kuay Chap

284 Bishan Street 22 Kuay Chap

 

I am not a Kuay Chap fan as I dnt eat a lot of the liow – as I dnt eat intestine.  So the only items I order are : Lor egg, Tau pok, Kiam Chye, and the Lor bak (braised meat).

This stall is unique because they only open from 830 pm till 4 am.  So if you are looking for supper and wanted something not as heavy as roti prata, you may head to this Bishan Coffee Shop for a light meal.

 

The stall owner is extremely stingy on the kuey.  It is probably the smallest portion that you could ever find.  There is once I question the owner why they are so terrible in giving such a small portion.  The old man (very rude and since retired or sack?!?) told me I should order 2 bowls if I find it too small.  I told him it was 2 am and 2 bowls will just be too much for supper. He gave me a dirty look and refused to answer again.

 

 

In general, this is not the traditional good Teochew braised (lor) meat that you will go to.  The service staff are extremely rude (almost everyone).  Just go there if you have no other option at 2 am – 4 am.

 

284 Bishan Street 22 Kuay Chap

Blak 284 Bishan Street 22

daily 830 pm – 4 am

 

Sungei Road Laksa (Jalan Berseh)

Sungei Road Laksa (Jalan Berseh)

Traditional Laksa selling at a very traditional old coffeeshop in a very traditional way – using charcoal.  If you are a Laksa fan, you should not miss this stall.

The aunty keep adding the Lasksa gravy from another pot to this main pot cooked by charcoal .

The ingredients are simple – fish cakes and cockles.  Only thick beehoon are being served and to eat with spoon only (no chopstick required).

Still selling at $2 per bowl but most customers will order $3 as $2 no shiok – too little.

(My order has no cockles – they give me more fishcake !!)

While waiting for your Laksa (normally long queue), you may order 2 side orders from the same coffee shop – Fried Carrot Cake and Poh Piah.  Both are quite good, especially the carrot cake is a pleasant surprise.  Crispy outside but the kuei is soft but not mushy.

Sungei Road Laksa (Jalan Berseh)

#01-100, Jin Shui Kopitiam, 27 Jalan Berseh

Daily: 09:00 – 18:00

Closed on 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month

Dalian Traditional Noodle (Balestier )

Dalian Traditional Noodle (Balestier )

The stall has been in existence for more than 30 years.  It was taken over by the current owner about 10 years ago.  His cousin run the stall at Syed Alwi Road under the same name.

 

 

I have commented in another blog about the stall at Syed Alwi Road that it was too commercial and left it very much to the employees to cook the noodles and the boss is seldom at the shop to supervise the quality of the noodles.

 

Unfortunately, it happens to the Balestier stall too.  I am not sure if the 2 cousins have merged the business as the procedure of ordering the noodles are similar and the presentation of the food are indifferent now.  I miss those days where the owner cooked the noodles personally that somehow the skills could not be passed on to the employees.

 

 

 

 

 

Though it is not cooked by the owner, I must say the standard is still quite good as compare with most of the stall at the hawker centres.  For $4, you get fishball, minced meat, slices of pork, meat ball, fish cake, mushroom and some ti poh.  The lard is generous.  The chili is quite siok too.   I supposed I have to start forgetting the old 古早味 and stop living in the memory of 70s and 80s as I could not find any more very traditional Teochew mee pok any more.  The nearest I can get is Ah Ho at Sam Leong Road.  Sigh!

 

In the same coffee shop, you will find two other food stall that selling good quality food:-

 

a) Ba Ku The

This is Teochew version with soup is fully of peppery favour.  The te kah (pig trotter) is very good too with the lor gravy is cooked in the very traditional way (I am a teochew).  You can order steamed fish too most are frequent by the Teochews (peh tor, Oh fish.)

b) Yong Tau Foo

 

 

 

In the morning till noon, next to the noodle stall is a Yong Tau Foo stall operates by 2 very senior couple.  Their ingredients are very fresh and most are hand made.  They are more the Hakka style where the stuffing mixed with fish and minced meats.  See most people order the YTF as side dish while waiting for their meepok from Dalian.

 

Dalian Traditional Noodle (Balestier )

Kai Juan Coffeeshop
395 Balestier Road

Open: 6am to 2pm daily. Closed on alternate Mondays