Penang Kitchen, Coronation

Penang Kitchen, together with Thai Noodle House and Curry Wok, round off the trio of eateries along Coronation Arcade that have fast become our go-to for cheap and good food. We takeaway our dinners from the restaurants here at least twice a week. While parking may be virtually non-existent, surprisingly, it doesn't quite deter us from the fabulous food here. You can count on eating like a king for under $15 per person.

As with Thai Noodle House and Curry Wok, Penang Kitchen is similarly a no-frills, no-fuss eatery. Generic plastic furniture, harsh florescent lighting, with pictures of their signature dishes plastered all over their melamine wall tiles, are to be expected of the decor here. Although most Penangites would dispute the authenticity of the Penang cuisine served here, it is admittedly more-than-decent. The fare here is generally hearty and comforting. Especially in light of the fact that the food here is so affordable.

One of their more popular signatures, the Penang Sampler ($13), comprised a duo of Penang Lor Bak and Belachan Chicken Wings. The fried beancurd skin rolls stuffed with sinfully fatty pork belly was flavoursome without being oily. The fried chicken wings, thoroughly marinated with shrimp paste and tumeric and cumin and other aromatics for full-on flavour, was no less addictive. We've been known to takeaway this appetizer platter as late-night snacks. 

The Seafood Egg Fuyong ($8.50) was more like a very flattened pancake than a fluffy omelette, stuffed with prawns, eggs, spring onions and onions.

I liked the Stir Fried Baby Kailan with Garlic ($8.30), simple and tasty with a garlicky accent, topped with fried shallots for a roasted sweetness.

The Penang Assam Laksa ($8.30) was a little unexpected. The heavy use of belachan made for a pungent finish, and it was enlivened with tangy pineapples, spicy cut chilli padi and peppery basil.

The Penang Char Kway Teow ($8.30) was deceptively spicy. This left us sniffling a bit. Good wok hei, with plentiful eggs and beansprouts for a refreshing crunch.

The Nasi Goreng Kampong Penang ($8.90) equally spicy, but its robust peppery heat is more of a slow burning one that hits you in the gut. The rice was well fried, with a rounded, full-bodied flavour. The piquant achar was a nice counter-balance.

I haven't had this cze char staple in a while and this was a really good induction back to one of my favourite childhood suppers. The Seafood Hor Fan ($8.80) was packed with fat slices of batang fish, bouncy prawns, cut crabsticks, meaty pork and greens. The silky sheets of flat rice noodles were nicely imbued with wok hei and slathered in a velvety egg drop oyster gravy. This was a very good rendition of our classic local carb dish indeed.

The Chendol ($2.50) needed a tablespoonful more of that smoky sweet gula melaka for more impact. That said, it was a fairly alright dessert. Icy and refreshing and sweet.

Penang Kitchen
5 Coronation Road
Coronation Arcade #01-05
Tel: 6466 6193
Open Thursdays to Tuesdays from 11am to 3pm for lunch; 4pm to 9pm for dinner

Sushi Tei, China Square Central

Apparently, my colleagues LOVE Sushi Tei. Every call for L.A. Lunch at Sushi Tei would necessarily result in my inbox immediately being inundated with RSVPs, and I can always count on an overwhelmingly popular turnout. I've noticed, though, while reviewing the receipt, that prices have risen slightly since last year. If only our wages increased like inflation.

To usher in Spring, Sushi Tei has rolled out a number of seasonal promotional dishes featuring Japanese pork from the Kagoshima prefecture. I honestly can't tell the difference with the usual pork but what the heck, more variety is always a good thing!

The Sunrise Meatball ($8.50) is a minced pork ball with a whole salted egg yolk inside. The mince is wonderfully textured and moist, juxtaposed with a crusty exterior. Of course, anything with salted egg yolk is already a plus point my book.

The Ton Tama Roll ($10) is great for people averse to raw fish in their sushi. This Japanese version of the French crepe has fatty pork belly rolled into it with cucumber and red lettuce.

The Kagoshima Pork Hamburger ($8) is an absolute must-try on the seasonal Spring menu. The burger is dripping with delicious juices, and enhanced with a velvety brown gravy.

The Kagoshima Katsu Toji ($12.80) was another popular hit, with crispy pork cutlet dunked in an onion-sweetened dashi broth on a sizzling plate with wonderfully fluffy scrambled eggs.

The Kagoshima Pork Tonjiru ($7) was a heart-warmingly comforting sliced pork and vegetable miso soup.

We also ordered a whole bunch of sashimi from the main menu. The Biei Sashimi Moriawase ($42) with 5 types of seafood comprising salmon, scallop, swordfish, tuna belly, and sweet prawn. These were fairly fresh and sweet, sliced thickly to enhance your enjoyment of the raw fish.

The Tokachi ($32) with 4 kinds of sashimi, anticlockwise from top right: salmon, tuna belly, bluefin tuna, swordfish.

We had additional pieces of our favourite sashimi, the Salmon ($8) and Otoro ($28).

The Nama Hotate ($11), scallop sashimi. Mild and creamy.

One of Sushi Tei's signature creations, the Golden Roll ($16), is stuffed with a fried king prawn and wrapped in sweet mangoes and topped with a dollop of fish roe for a burst of seafresh flavours.

The Dragon Roll ($14) is the avocado version of the golden roll above. I preferred the golden roll for its fruity sweetness to the dragon's powdery avocado texture.

The Chawanmushi ($4.20) was a delicate, baby-bottom smooth egg custard that evoked happy childhood memories. This was laced with shitake, crabmeat and chicken chunks for texture.

The Soft Shell Crab Maki ($6.50), another crowd favourite, delighted with its crunchy crustacean stuffing.

I liked the Chuka Wakame ($3.80), with chewy tendrils of bright green seaweed, for its clean and clear flavours. It made for a welcome palate cleanser.

The Spicy Tuna Maki ($6) was contrasted with refreshingly clear cucumber.

The Unagi Tofu Ankake ($10) was slathered in a silky oyster sauce gravy laden with enoki, green peppers and sweet onions and carrots.

Ah, the piece de resistance here and possibly one of the cheapest lobsters ever, Sushi Tei's Lobster Mentaiyaki ($30.75 for a half), grilled to a smoky perfection with moist sweet flesh that's easy pickin's.

We also loved the Gyuniku Roll ($10) grilled beef rolled with enoki mushrooms and served with a brown gravy. Hearty and scrumptious.

The Hotate Teriyaki ($8), grilled scallops brushed with sweet teriyaki, were a little puny but fresh nonetheless.

No one does fried stuff like the Japanese. They manage a lightness that's so uncharacteristic of deep fried foods. The Hanasaki Ika Tempura ($6) squid tempura, makes for an extremely addictive snacker if you're not careful.

The Soft Shell Crab Tempura ($12) was another lovely seafood. Also finished in seconds.

The Ebi Tempura ($10), prawn tempura, was sweet and juicy and sumptuous.

My favourite dessert here is the Yuzu Sherbet ($3.40), a refreshingly light citrusy sorbet with bits of chewy yuzu.

The Nama Chocolate Ice-cream ($4.80) in bite-sized pellets, was creamy and sweet, but still nuanced and light.

Sushi Tei
20 Cross Street
China Square Central
#01-28/30
Tel: 6223 0070
Open daily from 11.30am to 10pm (last order 9.30pm)
Website: www.sushitei.com/

Spizza, Balmoral Plaza

Everytime we meet up with Ernie, we invariably find ourselves having Italian or Cantonese food. He loves both cuisines, and I suppose that's one of the many reasons why a born-and-bred-in-Singapore guy like him would prefer relocating to Hongkong than staying in Singapore. There are tonnes of restaurants serving both cuisines there. While Hongkong's homes are notoriously cramped and cage-like, the vibrant nightlife, pulsing beat of the city, tax-free shopping and world-class restaurants make it so attractive for singletons (and married couples with no kids). If you're young and carefree (i.e. no kids) and love to party, Hongkong is arguably more fun to be in. Though, I think that, Singapore is the kind of place I'd prefer if one's inclination is to settle down and grow a family.

Spizza at Balmoral Plaza is one of Ernie's hotspots. Apparently, he patronizes this outlet so often that he's given an informal token discount everytime he dines here. We were here late on a Friday evening after work and despite it being past the peak dinner hours, it was still teeming with families and youngsters.

The Calamari ($13) was served alongside a refreshing pizzaiolo dip. This was largely decent, the squid was fresh and the batter thin, but the rings were a tad more chewy than I'd like. That being said, at least they weren't rubbery.

The Mozzarella ($11), was layered with strips of basil for a peppery accent. The tongue-numbingly hot salsa provided a zesty lift to the creamy fried balls of cheesy goodness.

The Portobello Al Forno ($12.50) was a little lacking in salt, even if the bolognese topping was pretty hearty. We had to heap several teaspoonfuls of parmesan cheese onto these to up the sodium content.

If you're a fan of thin-crust pizzas, Spizza would hit all the right buttons. The pizza crust here is very thin so when baked, it attains a crisp, almost biscuit-like texture. The Isabella ($20 medium) with parma ham and rucola salad. 

The signature must-try pizza here, the Quinta ($18), with a perfectly baked egg and heavenly black truffle paste.

The Franca ($19.50) with earthy porcini mushrooms and fatty strips of pancetta bacon.

Spizza
271 Bukit Timah Road
Balmoral Plaza #01-09
Tel: 6333 8148
Open Mondays to Fridays from 12noon to 2.30pm for lunch; and 6pm to 10.30pm for dinner
Saturdays, Sundays and PH from 12noon to 10.30pm
Website: www.spizza.sg

Fish & Co, Novena Square

As with our month meet-ups SOP, Adee and I drove out of the CBD to meet up with Jal at his workplace in the Novena area. To accommodate Jal's halal requirements and my craving for fish, we headed to one of our regular lunch haunts here at this sport-centric mall, Fish & Co.

Lunchtime was a bustling affair, with the restaurant more than two-thirds filled on a regular weekday lunch hour. Service was a little choppy but nothing fatal really that wouldn't warrant a return visit.  Their signature fish and chips are a must-try, as with their newly-launched variants of the classic fish and chips. According to Adee, their swordfish collar shouldn't be missed as well.

The New York Fish & Chips ($16.95) is stuffed with parmesan for extra oomph and slathered in their signature lemon butter sauce. The chips were switched out for some spiced saffron rice instead (because we're Asian, ya know?). I've always liked their classic fish and chips but the addition of salty parmesan takes it to a whole new level. Some may find it a bit of a dairy overload but I liked this. 

The Grilled Cod with Black Pepper Sauce ($14.95 as part of the lunch time set with a ho-hum salad buffet, drink and strawberry pudding) tasted a lot better than it looked. The thick black pepper gravy, whilst generic, blended well with the fatty quality of the fresh cod. I could have done without the potato mash, though. It was of the instant-mix variety, and the cream sauce was overwhelmingly rich.

Fish & Co
238 Thomson Road
#03-11 Novena Square
Tel: 6255 7001
Open daily from 11.30am to 10pm
Website: www.fish-co.com

PS Cafe, Dempsey

In our seemingly relentless search for the best brunch spot (although, we've arguably found our brunch soulmate in Wild Honey), we hit up PS Café, one of the earliest cafes in Singapore to kickstart our love-affair/obsession with brunch.

Nestled in the lush Dempsey dining enclave, PS Café has, throughout the sprouting up of numerous brunch places every other week, remained popular. It's still as crowded as ever. And, because they take no reservations, this is one place that really redefines the idea of brunch, in that you gotta wake up real early and be there by 10 am to get a table. To me, eating at 10 am on a weekend does not count as brunch. That's considered breakfast. But clearly, the early bird does get the worm. Around here at least. So if you love sleeping in, be prepared to wait it out, like those poor sods we saw fanning themselves by the outdoor patio in the muggy heat of Singapore, for a table to open up.

I can't understand the fuss about PS Café though. The food's plainly unimpressive and service is flustered and harried.

The Portobello Stack ($24) was barely passable. The brioche is nothing like Wild Honey's thick buttery toasties. These actually seemed like toasted white bread. The poached eggs, while done to a good semi-runny consistency, was disappointingly tasteless. Even with the drizzle of balsamic reduction. Save for the juicy, pesto-topped grilled tomatoes and deconstructed potato gratin, which was more pancake than gratin anyway, the bacon and portobello were standard, unmemorable fare.

The signature PS Bacon & Eggs ($27) was an epic fail with its evidently overfried-to-a-rubbery-state eggs. The baked beans were of the generic canned variety and the toast forgettable. Only the chorizo sausage, grilled tomatoes and streaky bacon were worth eating, which isn't saying much, seeing as they require little effort in grilling them. 

While the egg dishes were clearly lackluster, I did try my friend's shepherd's pie, which was pretty darn good. It was hearty and juicy and delicious. And the cream of mushroom was very decent as well, thick and chunky and wholesome. If I had to go back, those would be my picks for a return visit.


PS Café
28B Harding Road
Tel: 6479 3343
Open Mondays to Thursdays from 11.30am to 12midnight
Fridays from 11.30am to 2am
Saturdays from 9.30am to 2am
Sundays from 9.30am to 12midnight
Website: www.pscafe.com

East Coast Lagoon Food Village

Back when I was in college, I used to go running along East Coast Park every other day after school. And every time I ran past the scintillating smells wafting out of East Coast Lagoon Food Village, I'd always promise myself to return for a meal of barbecued seafood and satay (while cursing and swearing about the "hard life" of a fitness junkie. Those delicious smells were awfully tempting!). But, of course, that never happened. And then I graduated from college and life kind of got in the way.

As luck would have it, we were recently in the east side, and decided to pop over for dinner. Chups and I had just finished up late at the legal clinic, as part of our pro bono initiative, and were famished. The Hubs and an intern, who'd tagged along with us, joined in for dinner as well.

East Coast Lagoon Food Village is like the better-looking, brainier cousin of Newton Hawker Centre. It's designed like Newton Hawker, so it's got a similar layout, the food stalls serve similar variety of food, and it's just about as touristy as Newton. But, the difference is that this sprawling open-air hawker centre actually serves up good food. As long as you stick to the ones with the long queues, or the ones plastered with writeups and endorsements. Which, there are a lot of. The picturesque seaside locale is great for walking off that calorific meal after. And, on a good breezy day, you can actually dine leisurely without breaking a sweat.

We hit up Meng Kee Satay Bee Hoon first, one of the must-trys here. You cannot miss it, as there's a perpetually long queue in front of it. The Hubs and I shared a large plate of their namesake, the Satay Bee Hoon ($6). Fresh cuttlefish and prawns, tender pork slices and spongy beancurd, crunchy kangkong and beansprouts all poached to perfection, laid upon a bed of rice vermicelli and doused in a heavenly creamy peanut sauce. The sweetness of the peanut essence is deceptively spicy though, we found ourselves sniffling after a mouthful. 

No visit to East Coast Lagoon is complete without sampling their barbecued seafood, and we ordered a couple of dishes from East Coast BBQ Seafood, along the same stretch as the satay bee hoon and a couple of stalls down from the famous Leng Kee Beef Kway Teow. We had the Sambal Sotong ($10), super fresh and cooked just right to achieve that springy but soft texture. The spicy sambal was heavily sugared but it somehow accentuated the natural sweetness of the squid rings.

The Sambal Kangkong ($8) was lightly fried, so it retained a nice crunch. The sauce here was a little more savoury, with a dash of soy and oyster sauce added to the sambal. We liked it. It was quite scrumptious.

Meng Kee Satay Bee Hoon
#01-17
Open Wednesdays to Mondays from 6pm to 11.30pm

East Coast BBQ Seafood
#01-38

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East Coast Lagoon Food Village
1220 East Coast Parkway