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Kok Sen Restaurant
if you look up the most popular Tze Char eateries in Singapore, this place within the Bukit Pasoh shop-house area will often be mentioned in several publications online. serving up Cantonese-styled dishes since the late 1970s, Kok Sen Restaurant along Keong Saik Road has enjoyed a cult following of patrons. it is no wonder that getting a seat here for either lunch or dinner can be a very challenging affair.
located right smack in the middle of rows of conservation shop-houses, the restaurant can be quite hard to find without a GPS. a helpful guide would be to look out for the iconic red and white Potato Head Folk building at the road intersection. a few more shops straight down Keong Saik and you'll be there. queues typically form once you hit the early parts of meal times, and if you're already perspiring from walking here and queuing, be warned that the restaurant itself has no air-conditioning.. 
but what's a little setback like this for famed Tze Char fare in Singapore? this big prawn bee hoon dish is one of Kok Sen's signature dishes and something you'd see on practically every diner's table. the broth is thick, flavourful and contains a tinge of spice with a very generous serving of bee hoon and prawns. another popular dish that most people go for is their claypot yong tau foo, unfortunately, it was sold out by the time we got there. 
there is also a popular chicken dish called the Dragon Chicken, however it too sells out very quickly. we tried the roast chicken instead and found a pretty decent interpretation of this common hawker offering. the skin was crispy and meat wasn't too tough. this sure gives our local chicken rice stalls a run for their money. 
nonetheless, the big prawn themed dishes are what gives this place its following. the specialty big prawn hor fun dish serves up big prawns, a strong aromatic gravy and eggs stir fried with hor fun. not many Tze Char stalls can whip up a good hor fun dish, but this combination is unique and extremely good. moreover, the prices for all dishes here are very reasonable despite the unwavering popularity all these years. local fare eateries sprout out all over our island, but only few draws a huge crowd and an ardent fan base. after trying Kok Sen once, we are pretty sure we knew why. 
Kok Sen Restaurant 30-32 Keong Saik Road Singapore 089137 Opening Hours 12 pm to 2.30 pm; 5 pm to 11.30 pm (daily) Cold beer is served here to go with the dishes.. d'Good Cafe
After the first wave of cafes that hit our shores, those that somewhat stand out would be the cafes that are both good coffee roasters and place-makers. it can be pretty interesting that although Holland Village boasts a few popular brunch joints, not many can absolutely come out and call themselves a cafe..
d'Good Cafe at Holland Village focuses on the third wave of coffee drinking, which places more emphasis on the source of beans and the products that they create. over at this cafe, one of its specialties would be the opportunity for everyone to customize their brew and enjoy many variants of coffee. the coffee offering on their menu itself is also pretty complete, ensuring good coffee for those who wish to skip the taste customization bit.. 
with the weather getting increasingly hot, nothing beats a cold brew to spend a chillax afternoon. the cafe includes an intriguing selection called d'Unknown Cold Brew, which allows the barista to throw up an element of surprise, serving you with any random cold coffee beverage. the one we got was rich in milk and aromatic with coffee, so the surprise for us was a pleasant one. 
the lunch menu also covers a decent spread, and served up pretty earnest brunch and pasta dishes as well. we tried this seafood pasta that came in a herb-tomato based linguine accompanied by squid, prawns and clams. the portions were reasonable and though not fantastic, came with a very homely feel. 
for the hungrier ones, their brunch menu whips up pretty hearty meals, such as this homemade English breakfast. complete with brioche bread, baked beans, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, English sausages, scrambled eggs and tomato, the combination can be very filling indeed. the cafe also comes with good ambience, including a reading corner, sofa seats, dining on a swing (for lovebirds) as well as the personalised coffee making experience. with some good company, this would be our favourite hangout in Holland Village from now on. 
d'Good Cafe 273 Holland Avenue #02-01/02 Singapore 278992 Opening Hours Sundays to Thursdays: 10 am to 10 pm Fridays & Saturdays: 10 am to 11 pm Blend and brew the way you like it.. Orchid Live Seafood
Over the Chinese New Year period, we gathered for some local Chinese food and our annual Loh Hei celebration. this year's new year brought along a rainy streak and the cold weather prompted us to search for some warm comfort food. tucked in the midst of the Seletar Hills Estate, comes a seafood restaurant with a long history. with its much publicized lobster porridge, we decided to give it a shot.
Orchid Live Seafood is located along Jalan Kelulut, somewhere within the Seletar area of Singapore. Its master chef Steven Chua has been featured on local cooking television programmes and the restaurant has received a loyal following from its days at the once-popular Orchid Country Club in Yishun. although business appears to be less brisk on the few occasions we passed by the store, the seafood turned out to be exceptionally fresh. 
the signature dish was the lobster porridge, where the staff would remove the lobsters from the pot and place them onto a plate as pictured above. the porridge would take some getting used to, as it is prepared Teochew style. it's something like rice soaked into the lobster broth, unlike other more common forms of congee, where its a more blended creamy mixture. the serving of lobsters is very generous and the meat is extremely fresh, so i guess that's what people truly go for. 
Another popular dish which we found really good wasn't exactly seafood, it's called Steven Chicken. named after the master chef, this creation is essentially fried chicken prepared with some sweetening and deep fried till its crispy on the outside with tender meat on the inside. its one of those chicken dishes that people can literally lick off the bones. another specialty dish which we didn't order this time was the Patin fish, which texture is known to be very soft and smooth. Although the restaurant can prepare it in various ways, steaming it Teochew style would be recommended. 
For the night, we tucked into some other dishes such as live steamed prawns, Hay Cho, as well as abalone with spinach (shown above). a common trait is that most dishes come in generous servings, reflecting the very earnest character of the restaurant. the meals are topped off with a complimentary serving of traditional potong ice-cream which we rarely see nowadays. we still saw small groups of people in office wear coming in past 9 pm, which we assumed are regulars, since there are generally no big crowds seen at this place. so if you're looking for decent seafood, some special dishes and without the hassle of long queues coupled with a noisy, crowded atmosphere, Orchid Live Seafood is one secret location to consider. 
Orchid Live Seafood 16 Jalan Kelulut Seletar Hills Estate Singapore 809033 Opening Hours 11 am to 11 pm (daily) Live Seafood freshly taken out from the tanks, served piping hot.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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