348 Bedok Road, Simpang Bedok, Singapore 469560
It was my first time doing a food trail, and when The Bedok Marketplace was being suggested, I had been hesitant. While I enjoy good food, and am aware that some of the best finds are within hawker centres, I rarely eat at a food centre (sometimes I would buy back aka dabao) - anyway, imagine my surprise when I stepped into here.
So, The Bedok Marketplace has been revamped into an "atas" non-airconditioned food haven, with a combination of old-world-charm meets modernity settings, reminiscent of restaurants from different parts of the globe. It was well-maintained and clean (perhaps being still fairly new), and there were many stalls selling different food from wanton noodles to steaks to seafood etc.
CHOP CHOP SELECTIONS
We started with Chop Chop Selections, a stall specialising in western cuisine and meats. The meat are laid out so that patrons could choose the type and cut of meat that we want to try - choose from lamb rack, rieye stebak, beef burger etc.
The stallholders were friendly, so amidst chitchat, we ordered 3 different types of food to try. The price for western food ranged from single to double digits per portion, so versatility is available, you pay for the size and quality you prefer.
The Ribeye Steak (SGD$18.50) was done rare (at the special request of one of our dining companions), tender slab of beef oozing raw beauty and flavour, paired with good gravy and fresh greens for the perfect balance. The guys loved the chunky potato salad as well.
The BBQ Baby Back Ribs (SGD$15.90) was draped with a delicious sauce tinged with sweetness, and the meat was rather succulent; could be more moistened though. The sides of fresh greens and fries were well executed.
Finally, the London Fish and Chips (SD$9.90) served with 2 types of chips literally - fries and potato chips! The light batter of the fish was not greasy nor crackling crispy, opening up to reveal solid white flesh that flakes sweetly.
BALLISTIC MEATBALLS
The Crispy Wild Mushrooms (SGD$3.00) was crispy, as the name implies, sapid with mushroom's aroma amongst the peppery infusion, this definitely makes for a good bite, or bites.
The Salted Eggyolk Fries (SGD$7.90) was my favorite of the lot. The fries were crispy even when drenched in the thick, sandied-texture salted eggyolk gravy, basking in its flavour lending credence to the fries' lighter taste.
We also had the Crispy Crab Balls (SGD$10.50) an SG50 special. Fresh crabmeat and clam were rolled into golden balls of crisp, drenched in chilli crab sauce and served with deep-fried mantou buns. The teeth rejoiced at this dish - getting through the crumbly exterior into saccharine mashed seafood; and the chilli sauce had enough punch to keep eaters yearning for more.
The Plain Jane Chicken Meatballs (SGD$4.00) was flavourful and the chicken balls were rather succulent but they did not leave deep impression in either taste or texture.
Our Signature Ballistic Meatballs (SGD$5.90) fared much better with crunchy seasme-battered exterior and chewy interior, the tasty beefy flavour well complemented by the melted cheese softening the effects beautifully. Meatball lovers should give this a go - oh, and it scored especially high points with me because there was not a single morsel of hardened fats found in these meatballs (common in meatballs in most restaurants- I know because I would spit them all out)!
SPIES AND ALL THINGS NICE
Unit #02-15 / Tel: 8298 2535
Website: http://www.spiespies.com
Moving on, I discovered SPies and All Things Nice; and just couldn't resist its stark white beauty and interestingly-flavoured pies.
The pies are all carefully hand-crafted, and comes in 3 different sizes - bite size (SGSD$2.50), meal size (SGD$5.90) and party size (SGD$35.00), so there is a different pie for a different occasion. The savoury pies consist of chicken laksa, beef rendang, babi pongteh, and seafood laksa.
The sweet pies comprise bandung, longan almond, pulot hitam, calamansi and pisang goreng.
We had the best of both worlds with the savoury and sweet pies.
Beef rendang - strong in flavour with chunks of tender beef
Chicken laksa - spicy and smokey; tasted exactly like a bowl of laksa encrused in pie
Babi pongteh - savoury meets sweet here, with succulent, moist pork; the favorite of most of them.
Longan almond - smooth, sweet and exact recreation of your favorite dessert at chinese restaurants
Pulot hitam - sticky glutinuous rice pudding encrusted, rich in coconut milk flavor.
They also have Pie Tees here (crispy thin tart shells with fillings) - currently the available flavours are beef rendang, chicken laksa and SG50 special's - Chilli Crab. They go for SGD$6.90 for 6 pieces; each additional piece thereafter goes for SGD$1.50 only.
Look at the vivacious colors of these kueh pie tees!! We got a sneak taste of the Chilli Crab Pie Tee a couple of weeks back (errr yes, this entry is backdated). The chilli crab filling was rich in flavour, spicy enough to invoke the senses, sitting rather well with the crunchy tart shells that accentuates its appearance. Remember to get some for your upcoming SG50 stay-home parties or outdoor picnics, or simply drop by to eat them piping hot!
Surprisingly, the food items were all above expectations. This is one marketplace I wouldn't mind dropping by again and again, or recommending it to friends.
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