Dunman Food Center: Dragon City Claypot Frog Porridge & Lau Hong Ser Rojak

Every time someone asks for a recommendation for Frog Leg Porridge, the first thing that comes to mind is Geylang. The only variation is about which Lorong to go where the actual stall is. Now, thanks to the recommendation by my friend Cecilia, I have a alternative - in fact, it's a better alternative.

Dunman Food Center

 The one bad thing about this place is the accessibility of the food center (or rather the lack thereof). The nearest MRT station from here is Eunos Station and for those who drive, parking is a nightmare.  Nevertheless, we made it there after parking further down Joo Chiat Road.

DragonCity Claypot Frog

The place is pretty small so it isn't really hard to find the stall. For those who still need directions - just head up to the second level and its the stall at the corner near the railings. As there were only two of us, we ordered 3 Frogs and 1 pot of porridge.

Porridge

First up - the Porridge. Served in a claypot, the porridge was smooth and the portions were pretty generous. Some might find that the porridge is a little too blend but I think it's just right when combined with the salty black sauce from the frog leg pot. I'm not a fan of porridge but this is one pot that I'll come back for more.

Dried Chilli Frog Legs

Next came the frog legs. First thing that hit me - the pot is really huge! The ones in Geylang usually comes in much smaller (but slightly deeper) pots that makes it harder to "navigate around". Another major difference from some of the stalls in Geylang (the not-so-good-ones), the frogs inside are big and very fleshy. This frogs are definitely bigger than usual, making them more value for money.

Tender meat

Even though the meat on these frogs are much more chunky, they are cooked perfectly to become soft and tender - which basically differentiates frog meat from any other meat. Even the harder-to-eat parts like the ribs is easy to eat as it comes of the bone easily. Kudos to the chef!

Porridge and Frog

The last element for this entire dish is the sauce for the frogs. Most places would go heavy on either the saltiness or spiciness but here, there is a good blend of spice and salt. So basically you won't go away with extreme thirst or with a numb tongue and burning lips. The sauce is still too salty to be eaten on its own but when put together with the porridge, it pretty much evens everything out, giving you a good blend of taste. 

Enjoying the pot

Besides the Frog Leg Porridge, we ordered some sides to go along. This included the Popiah and the Rojak (which was reviewed by ieatishootipost)

Popiah

The $1.30 Popiah was so-so. There was a generous serving of Bangkuang. However, that made the skin really wet and the entire thing fell apart when we tried to "kiap" it with our chopsticks. 

Termed as "The Undisputed Champion?" by Mr Leslie Tay of ieatishootipost blog, this Rojak is definitely one of the best Rojak that I have eaten in Singapore. So what makes it so good?

Lau Hong Ser Rojak

Firstly, the entire plate is NOT drenched in sauce. I admit I love the rojak peanut sauce but more often than not, some stalls simply spam the sauce and drowns all the taste and texture of the ingredients. The sauce was perfect as it wasn't too wet yet it managed to cover all the ingredients.

Next, the You Tiaos were crispy when the food came to us. The sauce did nothing to dampen the texture so you get a crispy texture together with the tasty peanut sauce. I can't ask for a more perfect combination.

Lastly, the ingredients tasted fresh (despite it being late at night) and the portion was pretty generous. The plate you see above is $3 and took more than 20 minutes to come. So be prepared to wait for a bit especially during busier periods.

All in all, this place is (IMO) a better alternative to similar selections found in Geylang. Did I mention that its $18 for 3 frogs? I'll definitely will be back here for more.

Dunman Food Center
271 Onan Road 
Open till late

Claypot Bak Kut Teh in Geylang

The Leong Kee Bah Kut Teh, which came all the way from Klang, is located on Geylang Road and is one of the few Singapore places that serves its meat in a claypot. I decided to head down there to satisfy my Bah Kut Teh cravings after all my examinations are over.

There was a huge variety of food to choose from - almost every part of the pig is part of the menu and other than rice, there is other carbohydrates (like vermicelli or mee sue) that you can choose. Since I was alone, I decided to order the Bah Kut Teh and the salted vegetables.

For any Bah Kut Teh, the two most important components of this dish is the soup and the meat (anything else they put in there is secondary). The soup plays an integral role in blending all the taste of the ingredients that is placed inside - it gives the dish its character. It can be peppery or herbal in nature but its the other ingredients and the skills of the cook that gives each soup (and the dish) its unique character. For this Bah Kut Teh, there is an overwhelming "vegetable" taste within the soup. This is in no small part due to the Tau Kee that they put inside when boiling the soup. Usually there is a large portion of Tau Kee inside the soup but I told them not to include that in my portion. Other than the strong "vegetable" taste, this soup is not as herbal-tasting as its counterparts in Malaysia. It lacks the "strength" that other herbal-type Bah Kut Teh offers (maybe its the extra vegetables that affects the taste).

My Bah Kut Teh with vegetables swimming around

The second most important component of this dish is the meat (for obvious reasons). The meat is a huge positive in this dish. Firstly, the portions are generous. My pot had a hefty five chunks of meat and they weren't very small individually. The meat itself weren't hard and came off the bone easily. On top of that, they were very "meaty" meaning that it was 90% meat and just 10% bone. Bravo for the meat!

Good chunky meat

The salted vegetables was a disappointment. It was cooked with quite a bit of chili (spicy haters beware) and it really showed in the taste. Besides the spiciness, the dish was blend and cold when it came to me. This is not something that I am likely to try again.

Salted Vegetables

One other thing I have to mention is a little incident that I have with one of the stall's server. When my food came, I asked the server for a plate of dark soy sauce without the chili on top. The server simply pointed to the table with all the sauces and told me take it myself (he had dirtied my chopstick and still gave it to me like nothing happened). I was alone and had my valuables on the table so I wasn't willing to leave them unattended to get the sauce. It really ticked me off when he insisted I do it myself especially after I mentioned about my valuables. Luckily the uncle (who I think is the owner) stepped in offer to do it himself. I was very pleased and felt really appreciative when he stepped in and "saved the day". Personally, top-notched service like in a hotel or restaurant is definitely not expected, but simple tasks like this can easily make customers enjoy their experience there. Full marks to the owner for saving the day!

My table

Overall, this Bah Kut Teh is different from the usual peppery ones in Singapore and definitely worth a try. My slight dislike for the soup could possibly be down to the aversion for Tau Kee, so do not take my judgement as the entire story and try it yourself. The salted vegetable may be something that can be avoided. From my other visits, I would recommend the mixed organs soup and pigs trotters, both of each are pretty decent and worth a try.

Name: Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh
Address: 251 Geylang Road (Beside Geylang Lor 11)
Opening Hours: 11.15 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Cost: $ ($6.50 for Bah Kut Teh and Salted Vegetables)

Ratings
Food Quality: 65/100
Service: 55/100
Value for Money: 75/100
Overall: 65/100

Newly Renovated - Toa Payoh Lor 8 Hawker

The Toa Payoh Lor 8 hawker center has always been one of my favorite haunts in Toa Payoh, especially for the Bah Kut Teh and Satay. So after I heard that the renovations for the hawker center was complete, I couldn't wait to bring my family there and see if the renovation had a positive or negative impact on the food and price.

Lor 8 Hawker Center

Once we got there, we went straight for our favorite two stalls - Bah Kut Teh and the Satay. It was a Friday night so it was quite crowded and the stall owners weren't the fastest lot of people around. So after half an hour or so, we finally got our food on the table and was ready to sample what we had missed out over the last few months. 

All ready to go!

First up was the satay. We ordered 35 pieces of Satay and 2 Ketupat ($15) for the 4 of us in which there were 30 pork and 5 chicken pieces. The satay standard was still as good as pre-renovation times.  The meat was tender and it wasn't difficult to chew. The translucent fats on the pork satay made the dish even more delicious than it already is (but also made it a lot more unhealthier). The highlight from this stall is its satay sauce - not spicy yet blends well with the meat. One thing about satay is that you have to eat while its hot because after it turned cold, the meat was hard as rock and difficult to chew.

35 Satays and 2 Ketupat

Next was the dishes from the Bah Ku Teh stall. We ordered Bah Ku Teh, Pig's trotters with intestine, Pig Kidney and Intestine Soup, Salted Vegetables and Peanuts. The service is really slow for this stall as there was only a lady handling the entire operations. The dishes were cheap, generous and pretty decent - well worth a try for anyone. The salted vegetables and peanuts were simply average and worth a miss. The soup was a bit too blend for my liking and the pig's trotter weren't fantastic. However, the pork ribs was really good. The meat was soft and came of the bone easily. On top of that, it cost about $4 to get a bowl that could easily feed two people. This stall's quality definitely can't be compared to the famous Bah Ku Teh stalls in Singapore but still worth a try if you are around that area.

Medium-sized Bah Ku Teh Soup

Pig's Trotters with Intestine (Medium)

Overall, this hawker center still provides a cheap and decent quality of food that it once used to. After trying both the satay and Bah Ku Teh, I'm looking forward to sample the other food that this place has to offer. The satay is definitely a must try in this place, but you have to be prepared to wait. The Bah Ku Teh isn't the best around but its a cheap and decent option that is worth a try.

Name: Toa Payoh Lor 8 Hawker Center

Address: Toa Payoh Lor 8 (Opposite Melben Seafood)

Opening Hours: This place is usually for the breakfast and lunch crowd. Be there before 8.30p.m.

Cost: Satay - $0.40/stick, $0.50/Ketupat. Bah Ku Teh - $4 for medium size portion of BKT Soup

Ratings

Food Quality: Satay - 85/100. Bah Ku Teh: 60/100

Service: Satay 60/100 Bah Ku Teh: 60/100

Value for money: Satay: 70/100 Bah Ku Teh: 85/100

Overall: Satay: 71.7/100 Bah Ku Teh: 68.3/100

Cheap & Good Teochew Porridge in Lor 5 Toa Payoh

Hi to one and all and welcome to my new foodie blog. Nothing much to intro here so I'll just jump straight to the food.

One of my favorite place to grab a bowl of porridge or rice with mixed dishes is Peck Hwan Eating House at Toa Payoh Lor 5 Hawker Center. The vast choices of dishes there provides ample reasons for anyone to come back to have another go at this fantastic place. The uncle and aunty combination that runs the store are a friendly bunch and good at remembering people. Its easy to strike up a short conversation and they even remember the dishes you usually orders. The food is good value for money and seldom comes up to more than $4 per person. On top of that the portion is generous and it'll definitely leave you with a good level of satisfaction.

 They are famous for their nicely done white cabbage dish. Even the chef holds this dish in high regards and would give any ample warning if he thinks his signature dish is not up to the usual standard (which I assure you is still better than most). The thing that I like about this cabbage is in its simplicity. Usually other stalls would provide their cabbage which other kinds of vegetables but this stall simply puts in cabbage and sauce with a little carrot in it. Its nicely done (not too soft or not too hard) and the sauce isn't as blend as many that I have eaten.

Signature White Cabbage

Other dishes that I ate are the salted vegetables, pig intestines, fish cake, spicy fish and pig skin. My personal favorite among all the dishes is the salted vegetable. It is a poor man's dish made to taste so good. In fact its one of my favorites in Singapore as compared with other salted vegetable from other Teochew Porridge stalls, Bah Kut The stalls or Kuay Chap Stalls. What set this dish apart is the piping hot sensation and when you eat it, you won't feel like its sitting out there for days just rotting away.

Piping Hot Salted Vegetable

Nicely Diced Pig Intestine

All in all, the meal mentioned above cost $6 per person which is due to the more expensive option of the spicy fish and pig intestine. On top of that, the amount that my girlfriend and I ordered can easily feed a table for 4. It was a good experience there and I have decided that it should still be my regular haunt for good Teochew porridge. The only downside: this place opens on at 11.30 a.m. and closes around 1:30 p.m. - 2 p.m., while stocks last. The are usually not open on weekends and Mondays so its difficult to get access to this stall if your work place is not around the area.

Name: Peck Hwa Eating House

Address: 75 Toa Payoh Lor 5 S310075

Opening Hours: Tuesday - Friday. 11.30a.m. - 1.30 p.m.

Cost: $3 - $4 per person

Ratings

Food Quality - 85/100

Service - 70/100 (Self-service)

Value  - 90/100

Ambience - Not rated (Typical Hawker Center Setting)

Overall - 82/100

Must try dishes: White Cabbage, Salted Vegetables, Fish Cake

Tip: The food runs out really fast and there is always a queue from 12p.m. - 1p.m.. So the best time to head down is from 11.30a.m. - 12 p.m.