Kopitiam @ Hougang Festival Market

The cost of a simple meal seems to be skyrocketing! Today, a no-fuss lunch for 4 at the food court set us back by over $20.

FT had a western food craving and ordered some Fish and Chips ($6.90). Pretty expensive, considering that the average price for this is about $5.50. Thakfully, the serving was rather generous, with a crispy slab of fried fish fillet, baked beans, a fried egg and some fries.

Not too bad a dish, though the fish was a little dry. The salad was pathetic, just a few leaves of lettuce. They should have just given a scoop of coleslaw.

Afer last night's dinner I ordered some Yong Tau Foo soup. Boring, but I wanted something light to eat. ($3 for min 5 pieces). Soup was tasty and I selected mainly vegetables for my meal.

JT ordered a plate of his usual chicken rice. For $3.50, the stall gave quite a generous serving. The hawkers are friendly and are accommodating to special orders too. I noticed a fleshy piece of chicken butt on JT's plate but had no heart to point it out to him. Otherwise, the entire dish would have gone to waste. PT ordered some rice dish that came in a small mini wok. Unfortunately, as I had gone to collect the fish and chips, the 2 hungry chaps went for the food  before I had a chance to take any pictures.

Still feeling peckish, PT ordered some fried dumplings (jiao zi) ($4 for 8 pieces). This is one dish I enjoy, not so much because of the dumpling itself, but rather the mix of ginger, vinegar and dumpling yields a zesty burst of flavour that just leaves you wanting for more.

The Jiao Zi filing was tasty and moist, but the skin was a little too thick. I also prefer a more chewy wrapping rather than the crispy, fried one that we had.

Still can't get my macro shots right...need more practice (and more excuses to eat!)

Muah Chee Fantasy

I finally tasted the much heralded Muah Chee at Blk 682 in Hougang. After reading so many rave reviews from foodies in various food forums, PT finally went down after work to buy 2 packets. There was a long queue, but the wait was worth it.

Each piece of Muah Chee is a melt-in-your-mouth soft globe of glutinous flour. The peanuts and sugar had been crushed to a fine sand-like texture and generously coated around each muah chee ball. What's more, the Muah Chee is so fragrant, a heady mix for the senses.

Each piece is painstakingly made by the owner. He pulls a small globe of muah chee from a vat, dips it in fried onion oil  (hence the fragrance) and then rolls it in the peanut sugar mixture. Even after the ride home, the muah chee remained soft, almost velvety in texture. For $2 a box, it's a steal. The portion is about double the size one gets at the pasar malam.
  
 

Definitely the best Muah Chee I've ever eaten.

Famous Muah Chee
Blk 682, Hougang Ave 8
Meng Kiat Eating House

Otak @ Kovan

I was shopping at Heartland Mall in Kovan when I walked past a makeshift stall on the first floor selling otak in man tous. I immediately had an otak craving which I just could not shake off. After running my errands, I made a beeline fpr the otak stall and ordered 2 man tous for lunch (@ $1.50).


Very much like those kong ba paos. But instead of fatty pork you had a slab of otak. Not bad, but I felt that the otak could be spicier to bring out the sweetness of the man tou. More veg would be good too.

PT had also bought several sticks of otak from Lee Wee and Brothers stall located in the coffee shop next to Heartland Mall.


Yummy. Actually, if this otak could be placed with the man tou, it would be the ideal combination