Tong Luo Wan 铜锣湾 – Quality Roast Meat in a Heartland Coffeeshop

Ai seh. Hawker cuisine offers some of the most comforting yet simple dishes. I don’t mean simple in that the food is easy to prepare – but rather, no frills attached. To me, the payoff is tremendous when hawker food is simple & delicious.

The spread of meaty noodley goodness at Tong Luo Wan

Tong Luo Wan 铜锣湾 is a stall within Jin Biao Coffeeshop 锦标咖啡店; a quick 5 minute walk from Potong Pasir MRT, it’s located in a corner of Potong Pasir that I’ve never explored before (block 136 Potong Pasir Ave 3, for the record).

Jin Biao Coffeeshop @ Block 136 Potong Pasir Ave 3

Look up at their signboard & you’ll see Roast Duck 当归烤鸭, Soy Sauce Chicken 油鸡, Roast Pork 烧肉, Char Siew 叉烧. All meats at Tong Luo Wan are charcoal roasted; chef explained to us that he learnt his skills from someone who honed his craft in Hong Kong.

With the option of mixing & matching the meats with Noodles 面 or White Rice 白饭, your options are plenty. Being a #noodles4eva girl, I opted for the mee kia. It was still springy even after sitting in the braised sauce for a minute, while we took photos. An added plus point is that it’s not tossed in chilli so you can go ahead & add your own to your liking – be warned, the chilli packs a punch!

A good number of options for you to choose from

My favourites were the Roast Duck 当归烤鸭 & Soy Sauce Chicken 油鸡 because of how juicy they were. Don’t be intimidated by the Dang Gui (apparently called Female Ginseng, according to Google) used in the preparation of the duck. While I’m someone who loves herbal gao gao flavours, I appreciated the subtleness of the Dang Gui in this one. The duck meat also isn’t gamey, which some people fear. So I believe this would be pleasing to the palates of the masses, without compromising on quality or the essence of this dish.

I was surprised that the Soy Sauce Chicken 油鸡 was one of my favourites, actually. (Then again, pork is my least favourite meat!) The ones I’ve had before were truly 油/oily, but this one wasn’t. Yet somehow, the meat itself managed to remain somewhat silky, & so smooth that it slid down my throat.

Funny story – we asked chef why the Char Siew 叉烧 is sliced so thinly, as we’d rather it slightly thicker for greater meatiness. He explained he has tried it before, but the elderly folks gave him feedback that it was difficult to chew. Ha! Really sounds like something my grandpa would say (“咬不动”), & with the surrounding neighbourhood having a strong elderly representation I’m not too surprised.

So yes, this Char Siew is sliced a little thinner than I’d like, but it IS easy to chew. As someone who has had many a tough Char Siew in her life, I appreciate this.

Speaking of the elderly, I can’t wait to bring my grandpa here! Glad that it’s logistically feasible & elderly-friendly; I can drop him at the road right outside the coffeeshop, park my car & walk a short distance to sit down with him.

It’ll have to be for breakfast or lunch though, as they open at 7AM daily until sold out, which is usually mid-afternoon.

Thanks Around with Amd for the invite & Jon for the hospitality! 💕

Umami Prawn Mee Soup at ABC Brickworks’ Yong Zhen

I took a gamble on Yong Zhen Lor Mee Prawn Mee 永珍卤面虾面 (#01-40), not because there isn’t anything famous/worthy at ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre (just Google), but because I came here for a late lunch & several lunch stalls had closed, & dinner stalls hadn’t opened.

My eyes lit up as I tasted the soup of the Prawn Mee ($3 nett). It was umami, slightly herbal, & very tasty. I slurped it again just to confirm – yep, it’s good.

Prawn Mee – soup & dry versions available

The noodles they use for the prawn mee is the lor mee noodles – the thick & flat yellow ones. I don’t actually like lor mee; I’ve never tried this combination before…. But I really like it! The silky smooth kuay teow mixed in upon auntie’s recommendation adds a nice texture variant, too.

Can’t complain about the ingredients in this dish. This bowl is priced affordably, & the prawns (only 2 pieces, wish there were more!), fishcake & pork slides were of decent quality. I finished everything in the bowl… Except the prawn tails. Mmmm yes I will be back for more.

Awesome Coffee at Hylam Street Old Coffee

Yesterday was International Coffee Day – I found this out only when the day was almost over! But perhaps it’s this special day that gave me the good luck I needed to uncover a great coffee stall at ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre.

My dad regularly orders coffee from Hylam Street Old Coffee 海南街老咖啡, after a friend introduced it to him & he got hooked. He then did the same to me, & now I’m hooked too.

We’re always here during off-peak hour (past 2pm on a weekday), so the queue is minimal if even there at all. During crowded times, the queues can get pretty snaking long, I’ve heard!

This is clearly for good reason. The amazing fragrance of roasted beans, superb taste, & affordability. When I walked forward to place my order, I could smell the beans immediately. That made me change my order of tea to a coffee before I blurted it out to the uncle.

In terms of taste, I really can’t ask for more. It has the socksy kopitiam taste that you want in a cup of hawker centre coffee. It’ll definitely give you that kick awake that you need in the morning/mid-day.

& the price? $2 total for this kopi & kopi C kosong. Who needs volume when you’ve got quality; want more, just buy 2 cups lor. Still cheaper than Starbucks.

Happy belated International Coffee Day!

Jalan Bukit Ho Swee Wanton Mee

Not gonna lie – this isn’t the best plate of wanton mee ($3.50 nett) I’ve ever had. However, a few notable points: I love how sizeable these wanton are, the charsiew ain’t half bad (I am curious to see how their roast duck/meat noodles/rice fair), & the sauce is somewhat special.

I am not a fan of the noodles, being slightly clumpy & on the soft side. But nothing that a little chewing can’t handle.

Not worth a special journey down but as it is a convenient lunch location for me on weekdays, I’d come back again. The uncle is quite friendly too, although he tried to speak to me in Cantonese & I could only smile back. Nice chirpy chap.

Smoking is permitted in this coffeeshop – only at the designated smoking “zone” of a single row of tables facing the main road. But we all know how smell travels…. 🚭

Disappointing Prawn Mee at Wei Zhong Qi Prawn Noodle

My usual favourite stall at Alexandra Village Food Centre was closed for 2 weeks, so I ventured to another one. Prawn Mee was the craving of the day, & it being past 2PM on a weekday, I didn’t have as much options at this hawker centre as compared to during regular lunch hour.

Gave Wei Zhong Qi Prawn Noodle 味中奇虾面 (#01-87) a shot, & ordered the large prawn noodles ($6.00 nett) because I was hungry.

In theory, this would have been good. Substantial ingredients: Several sizeable peeled prawns, fishcakes, thin pork slices that weren’t tough, & bean sprouts. However, this fell short of expectations & I knew it the moment it was served to me.

You can tell why, too. Just look at how overcooked the prawns are. & looking at the texture, the freshness is questionable too. My first bite into it confirmed this, & I struggled to finish the rest of the prawns in my bowl.

The soup also felt salt-laden, & didn’t have that umami flavour that I love. I also struggled to finish that, as well… Which is so unlike me.

Overall, unfortunately a disappointing bowl of prawn noodles that I wouldn’t recommend or order again.

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