Seafood Bak Kut Teh @ Old Street Bak Kut Teh

3 Jurong Gateway #B1-25 Westgate Building, Singapore 068532

Tel: 6438 8866

Website: https://www.oldstreetbakkutteh.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OldStreetBakKutTeh

Old Street Bak Kut Teh has many stores in Singapore (as well as Malaysia and Indonesia), and I usually passed them by, thinking that it was enough that I had my own favourite Bak Kut Teh stalls that I would frequent.

Well, to share a little about them- a local Singaporean brand that started in 2010,  with an interesting concept of serving Bak Kut Teh (a traditional pork ribs soup), You Tiao (fried doughstick) and Soy Milk. Besides the traditional soupy Bak Kut Teh, they also serve Dry Bak Kut Teh, Seafood Vermicelli, Seafood Porridge egg.

What caught my attention these days were the Claypot Frog Leg Bak Kut Teh ("tian ji") and Seafood Bak Kut Teh. I decided to pop in to try the latter.

The staff crew members were very warm and friendly at this outlet, especially this particular lady in her 50s (I think), who was very hospitable and cheerful. She seated me, pulled out the electronic tablet menu from a drawer under the table, and showed me how to place my order.

When my Seafood Bak Kut Teh (SGD$14.00 for small) came, it was in a squarish pot which the friendly service crew set on the electronic stove on my table. She pulled open another drawer under the other side of my table and got utensils for me - super modern concept for such traditional cuisine; I was impressed.

I dug into the peppery soup when it boiled, enjoying the blend of pork ribs and sweetness of fresh seafood in generous servings - crab parts, fresh succulent prawns, clams and a piece of pork rib of course.

The stove kept my soup piping hot throughout the meal, optimising my enjoyment. Peppery flavour was strong enough but not overpowering. Best of all, Seafood was fresh, albeit being a little hard to eat without using hands).

I was glad I stepped into Old Street Bak Kut Teh and had a good meal in vintage settings, and I can't wait to be back to try the Frog Leg Bak Kut Teh and perhaps their soy milk.


OTHER  BAK KUT TEH REVIEWS:
(i) Founder Bak Kut Teh
(ii)  Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh
(iii) Lian Peng Bak Kut Teh

Lunch at Lao Huo Tang Restaurant @ JEM

50 Jurong Gateway, #03-23 JEM, Singapore 608549

Tel: 6734 7933

Website: http://laohuotang.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaoHuoTang

Being a lover of Lao Huo Tang's soups at their various stalls around Singapore, I decided to bring The Mom to their restaurant at JEM for lunch.

Decor was simple yet lovely, with red lantern lamps adorning the long ceiling. Service crew was made up of patient and hospitable aunties (aka older ladies). Order was done using the Order Chit on each table.

Besides many types of quality, homely Chinese soups (such as "ABC Soup", Lotus Root Ribs Soup, Watercress Soup, Old Cucumber Soup etc), they also serve a variety of many other vegetable, poultry and seafood dishes.

Mom had the Duck Soup with Salted Vegetables Soup (SGD $14.80) - a large personal pot that could have been shared by 2 persons. A sour plum lent a tarty note to the soup, laden generously with tender duck meat and large leaves of salted vegetables.

I chose the Pig's Stomach Soup (SGD $9.80) was also served in the cute black pot, mildly spicy with pepper taste, filled with lots of soft pig's stomach pieces and gingko nuts. I enjoyed it, but realized that there was no silken beancurd skin ("tau kee") that the soup stalls used to include.

The Sweet and Sour Grouper (SGD $19.80). Fresh flakey slices of snowy fish coated with batter that must have been crispy before tomato sauce pooled it. Served alongside were tomato wedges, onion, cucumber and pineapple cubes.

We also had a plate of Kai Lan Vegatables (SGD $10.80) stir-fried with garlic. This vegetables may also be known as "Chinese Kale"  or "Chinese Broccoli".

Finally, a bowl of Brown Rice  (SGD $2.00) for sharing - just because soup always goes well with rice. Usually I would go for the Pumpkin Rice studded with tiny dried shrimp but the Mom is allergic to shrimps.

Overall, we enjoyed the Cantonese, home-styled dishes here and will be back again.

Lunch at Dragon Bowl (龍碗)at Aperia Mall @ Lavender

12 Kallang Avenue #02-09 Aperia Mall, Singapore 339511

Tel: 6702 1588

Website: http://www.dragonbowl.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dragonbowlrestaurant

What a catchy name - Dragon Bowl, and it has a lovely Oriental interior decor as well. I stumbled upon it after an appointment at Aperia Tower, and was craving for some hot Asian soup.

Dragon Bowl is a restaurant with outlets at Aperia Mall, Marina Square and Greenvich V (Seletar), helmed by Chef Leong and serving up contemporary Cantonese dishes. Menu comprises of a good variety of dimsum items, seafood dishes and staples etc.

The scenic decor makes one feel comfortable, and service level was impeccable with attentive, polite staff who were efficient without being intrusive.

I stuck to my soup craving, starting with a Soup of the Day (SGD$6.80). I got a small ceramic pot of boiled pickled vegetable (大頭菜?) with pork soup, very flavorful and tasty with tender pork.

A plate of Braised Brinjal (SGD$10.80) followed, replacing the conventional rice for pairing with soup. I enjoyed the soft brinjal flavoured with the palatable black sauce it was drenched in. The black sauce contained little pieces of garlic, fresh chili, minced meat and mushroom, so you can imagine how delicious it was.

Pot of Chrysanthemum Tea accompanied me before, throughout and after the meal, soothing and quenching my thirst. It was a pretty huge pot, I think I had about 4 cupfuls.

Definitely a place worth returning for, because of the quality food at reasonable pricing and excellent service.

Lunch at Seattle Pike Chowder @ Tanjong Pagar

7 Wallich Street, #B2-27 Tanjong Pagar Centre, Singapore 078884

Tel: 6910 4388

Website: http://seattlepikechowder.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seattlepikechowder

The opening of new malls always keeps one excited, especially if it means more lunch time venues in the CBD area. *J and I decided to visit Seattle Pike Chowder, a mini eatery specializing in soups from the USA. They currently also have outlets at Fort Canning and Parkway Parade - I visited their Marine Parade outlet before (review here).

Owner Larry Mellum runs a tight ship with it comes to using of quality ingredients and serving only the best. As such, each batch of soup is freshly handcrafted in small quantities and brought to a perfect simmer.

The interior was small, really a food outlet for a quick bite or slurp of the soups. Besides Soups, they also have Salads and Desserts. For the soup, one could opt for small, medium or large, or Bread Bowl (one size).

*J had the New England Clam Chowder (SGD$13.90) which he enjoyed, with rich, creamy soup and huge, fleshy clams.

I chose Seafood Bisque (SGD$13.90) which came in a sweeter creamy soup base and lots of seafood cubes. Other than a tiny squid or clam, the rest of the ingredients were so finely dined I could not decipher what was what. Nonetheless, the crispy bread bowl was delicious, soaking up the deliciousness of the broth it contained.

We both agreed that this place should definitely be revisited for its hearty soups and personable service.

[Media Invite] Seattle Pike Clam Chowder @ Parkway Centre

1 Marine Parade Central #01-05 Parkway Centre, Singapore 449408

Tel: 6255 9898

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seattlepikechowder

A good, piping hot (bread) bowl of thick, creamy soup ought to be perfect for this rainy evening, hence Seattle Clam Chowder located at Parkway Centre - within miles of the East Coast seabreezes, ought to soothe the soul and warm the body.

Seattle Clam Chowder hailed all the way from Seattle, USA, as the name implies, serving up different types of piping hot clam chowder. Seating was casual, outdoorish and comfortable. They have another outlet at Fort. Canning area, I understand that there should be a more poshy setting, so keep a close lookout for it.

This was a media invite attended by representatives from Openrice Singapore as well as many familiar faces in the local blogging scene, to try out 3 different types of their signature soups.   If you choose your soup served in bread bowl, it costs between SGD$12.90 to SGD$14.90 a bowl;  for the soup not served in bread bowls, the price starts from SGD$8.90 onwards.

We started with the New England Clam Chowder served in bread bowls. The soup was creamy, viscous and filled with ingredients - chopped ocean clams, potato, celery, onion, thyme, etc. Because it was clam broth, there was a succint sweetness to it and was quite smooth in taste and texture overall. The bread bowl was crispy from the start to the end - even after the soup was pretty much finished. It was amazing, and the bread bowl kept the soup warm for a long time, even though we were sitting outdoors.

Next, it was to be steaming cups of Seafood Bisque, not as dense in texture, but very rich in ingredients - cod, salmon, bay shrimps, etc. The stock was made up of shellfish stock as well as tomato basil cream broth, giving the umami flavour of the seafood hints of sweet and sour tones. In fact, the tomato taste was rather sapid, so fans of tomato-based soups will dig this.  I enjoyed the fresh bits of seafood in the soup more.

Finally, Smoked Salmon Chowder was brought over by friendly Kenny.  This soup was not as thick, compared to the previous two we'd tried, but retained the saccharine flavour of shellfish stock beautifully. Texture-wise, this was the silkiest of the three. Ingredients consisted of smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, potato, onion, celery, tomato and garlic etc, all complementing the taste of the soup very well. What left the deepest impression was the smoked salmon, redolent of a strong, fragrant, smokey taste that heightened the sweeter notes of salmon's own.   I thought this was a rather close fight with the New England Clam Chowder earlier on.

Anyway, my soul and senses were all warmed by these palatable soups, and I would love to have them again - maybe try the smoked salmon chowder in bread bowl to see if it would be perfection. Thank you Seattle Clam Chowder and Openrice Singapore for the invite, as well as Rachel for the impeccable hosting.