Kiat Lim Vegetarian Food (Ang Mo Kio Central)

Looking for restaurant-standard vegetarian food (zichar), yet unwilling to burn a hole in your pocket?  Check out Kiat Lim Vegetarian stall located at Blk 728, Ang Mo Kio Ave. 6, Coffee City Coffeeshop.  Tel: 9693.2138.

During peak days ie. 1st and 15th day of every lunar month, expect the queue to be long (perhaps waiting up to 30 minutes) and claypot dishes will not be available.  Those are dishes that take longer to cook.  But then, there are a lot more dishes which you can try out.

Claypot Bee Hoon （沙煲米粉） comes with lots of ingredients (cabbage, yam, snow pea, cauliflower, carrot, capsicum, black fungus, fried bean curd and mock eat) and costs only $4!!

This is one of my all-time favourite - Hotplate Bean Curd (铁板豆腐).  The sizzling hotplate come with 7 square pieces of bean curd and loads of vegetables again.  The sweet and spicy black sauce makes the delicious looking dish even more appetising.  Costs $7.

One of the chef's special dish - Butter Fried Frog Legs (奶油田鸡）, is indeed good.  The battered abalone mushroom were deep-fried before frying in butter gravy.  I'm not too certain about the green leaves - which could be curry leaves, added to the fragrance.  The very slight spiciness from the chilli padi makes it even more outstanding.  Costs $8.

In all, I think there are at least 100 dishes available form their menu.  Will take a while for me to experiment them all.  But next on my list shall be cereal prawn, sambal fish, yi mian and mee goreng!  Stay tune for more updates!

Dian Xiao Er (店小二)

#B2-02 Ang Mo Kio Hub
Tel: (65)6484 2268
Mon - Fri:  11.30am - 4.30 pm, 5.30pm - 10.00pm;
Weekend and Public Holiday 11.30am - 10.00pm

Where do you go if you have craving for steamed chicken with garlic dip?  - The Soup Restaurant?  Where do you go if you have craving for roasted duck in herbs? - Dian Xiao Er has to be among your choice of restaurants.

Check out this Duck Roasted in Ten Wonder Herbs (十全烤鸭).  The crispy roasted skin with its tender meat infused in the 10 herbs sauce.  If you're health concious, you can remove the thin layer of fats beneath the skin.  Otherwise, the duck is quite good.  Apparently, the duck has been marinated in the shop's special 10 herbs before being roasted.  The herbs are supposed to help revitalize one's body.

If you love hotpot tofu with generous amount of egg sizzling in the scorchy hot pan, you gotta check this out.  I am guessing... perhaps 3 or 4 eggs have been used?  The layer of egg is just so thick and delicious.  Of cos, the highlight of this dish is still the tofu, which was smooth and silky.  Garnished with minced pork and spring onion, it was a flavourable dish to go with plain white rice.

For under S$40, you get the above 2 dishes with 2 bowls of rice + chinese tea and tidbits (roasted peanuts).

Fiesta Cheese Cake (Ichiban Sushi)

Kudos to Fiesta Cheesecake for coming up with single portion cheesecake. Though I would very much like to indulge in the entire full-size cheesecake, it is really too much to finish all of it within 3 days.

$2.10 available at Ichiban Sushi Restaurant (AMK Hub).

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This is the full-size fiesta cheesecake.  It is very light in taste, unlike Amercian cheesecakes where it is rich in cheese.  Each cake comes with a plastic knife.  The amazing thing is the cake will not stick on the knife.  Very easy and hassle free.  An ideal food for potluck =)

Costs $8.80. Available at Ichiban Sushi restaurants.

Centre Satay Bee Hoon (AMK Food Centre)

Centre Satay Bee Hoon

Blk 724 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 Food Centre #01-12

This is one of my favourite satay bee hoon ($3), which I have been eating for the past 20+ years. The stall has been operating at this AMK Food Centre since the 1980s.

What I like about this satay bee hoon:

1) The fine and smooth bee hoon texture

2) The peanut gravy that isn't too dilute or too dry

3) Fresh ingredients esp the prawn and lean meat

Best of all, the quality has remained the same even after so many years.

Pin Si (Hong Kong Style Cafe) [Closed]

This is an excellent discovery. Simply love the food from this Hong Kong style cafe located at the AMK Hub basement 1, diagonally oppposite New York, New York.

AMK Hub

53, Ang Mo Kio Ave 3

#B1-22

Singapore 569933

Tel: 6481 2271

11am to 10.30pm

My favourite is the Sweet & Sour Fish - $7.90.

The fish fillets are very fresh. The outer layer is crispy (and not too oily) and the meat is smooth and springy. The standard is probably even better than what you get from some expensive restaurants.

Next recommendation is the Hotplate Beancurd ($7.90). What I like about the dish if the beanpaste gravy used to cook the tofu and minced pork & prawn.

One of the best places to go for a simple home-cook meal. Wash it down with a cup of HK style milk tea and that might make your day.

Two thumbs and two big toes up for this cafe!

Botak Jones (AMK)

Botak Jones

Block 529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10

Singapore 560529

Phone / Fax: 67551225

Everyday 11:30 am till 10:00 pm (last orders)

Apparently, the other outlet at Blk 608 @ AMK Ave 5 is closed. This is the new outlet in AMK. Yet, this is an outlet that isn't too centrally located in AMK itself. It would have been better if it is located within the AMK town central instead of making us take a feeder bus into the neighbourhood area.

This time round, I decided to try "the dogs" instead of the popular fish and chips. Had the Giant Pork Italian Sausage and ya... it tasted porky and spicy. Not to say that it is spicy hot, it is spicy because of the spice herbs used with the minced pork.

Like other sausages, it has to be eaten while hot, else the "skin" will harden and you will be focusing on mincing the skin instead of enjoying the pork and spice.