The spread at Serangoon BBQ & Curry 1983 is amazing. I love the comforting, home-cooked flavours of the dishes and the wide variety of options means there is definitely something for everyone. If you are a Nasi Padang lover, this is one spot to check out in Singapore.
Recommended by Miss Tam Chiak, and opened by the former head chef of Geylang Claypot. You could smell the charcoal claypot fragrance as soon as you entered the foodcourt. The claypot rice was the drier and fragrant type, with quite a bit of rice crisp. This was accompanied by moist and tender chicken, savoury Chinese sausage and a generous serving of crispy pork lard and salted fish. Nice stuff.
Recommended by SethLui.com. This was a popular one, with a 20 minute wait at lunchtime on a Sun. The sauce was balanced – spicy, lardy, vinegary and savoury. Everything else was competent – the noodles were soft and the other ingredients fresh and springy.
They also offer a host of side dishes such as Claypot Chicken in Sesame Oil ($8), Claypot Wine Chicken Soup ($10), Ginger Duck ($8), Handmade Prawn Roll ($4) and more. I enjoyed the Claypot Wine Chicken Soup. The soup was rich, with a good balance of sweetness and savouriness. I will be back to try other dishes!
Would definitely be back for the hokkien mee, although my priority would likely be the Hai Nan Shan Wanton Noodle.
Bringing a little high-end to the heartland, Mr Bucket Chocolaterie is located at the foot of an HDB block along Sin Ming Road. It stands out from its neighbours, including a paint shop, beauty parlour and kopitiam where pot-bellied uncles drink beer and smoke cigarettes all day.
Frankly, when I see this kind of char siew, you would notice a slight frown on my forehead. This kind would likely be lean and bland. Turned out they were tasty with a tenderness added with a bit of delicious fat in every bite. Pork lard was crispy although I would prefer them bigger!
The toast was a bit floppy and soft as well, with little crisp outside. What saved this was the fragrant and sweet kaya, with a flavour unlike anything I have tasted anywhere else.
We left the place with a satisfying stomach. Taste of Thailand just never fails to provide a tasty cuisine experience all this while.
Chef Kelvin also mentioned that he learned his Hong Zao Ji (Chicken with Red Glutinous Rice Wine) from his other grandmother, another dying dish that is very difficult to find. I’ll be sure to head back for that, which is only available on Friday and the weekends!