51 Soya Bean

Oh yes. With the famous beancurd competition going on, Old Airport Food Centre is now a hot spot for many fans of beancurd pudding.

Makan Boy and I went on this food trip at Old Airport Road hoping to try the famous Lao Ban Soya Beancurd as well but they were not ready yet and having got plans in the evening, we did not wait for theirs and went instead to 51 Soya Bean.

51 Soya Bean

Durian?? Erm..

Really smooth and soft

We bought the original and almond flavour but the almond flavour was not strong enough. The beancurd pudding was really smooth, soft and it melts in your mouth like instantly. Didn't taste like the usual beancurd at all so I found it abit funny. I still prefer normal beancurd than eating this new style of beancurd. Afterall, if I truly wanted to eat pudding, it would not be soya bean flavour.

!!

Highlight of this food trip: Bean Flower Water.

LOL.

51 Soya Bean
Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road
#01-72
Singapore 390051
Tues - Sun: 10am - 10pm

Albert Street Prawn Noodle

Being adventurous, during this food trip at Old Airport Road food centre, we were determined to try as many dishes as possible and Albert Street Prawn Noodle is one of it!

Albert Street Prawn Noodle

Young boss

Prawns so big and thick!

Big Prawn Noodle ($5)

Was very impressed with the big and fresh prawns in the noodles! =D The stock was very flavourful and thick but after half a bowl, it gets too saltish and overwhelming for me to continue sipping. They gave quite a good amount of noodles too but I was thinking perhaps beehoon would have went better with their rich and thick soup.

A good choice for lunch or dinner in Old Airport Road but IMHO, for the most refreshing prawn soup, do try Zion's Prawn Noodle!

Albert Street Prawn Noodle
Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road
#01-10
Singapore 390051
Daily: 8.30am - 11.30pm

Lucky Char Kuey Tiao

Just opposite Lao Fu Zi, Lucky Char Kuey Tiao has a much quieter business with only the boss and ladyboss running the stall. With such a big signboard and Char Kuey Tiao - which is spelt in a totally different way than the others, Makan boy and I were itching to know how do Lucky CKT fare as compared from the plate of CKT we just had from Lao Fu Zi.

Took us a while before we decided and when Makan Boy ordered, the ladyboss even told him no harm trying to taste the difference. (Must have been really obvious that we were both discussing whether to use up our tummy space or not.. Tsk..)


One woman show yo

Char Kuey Tiao ($3)

At the first glance it was not hard to notice that the main difference in Lucky's version is the wetness of the noodle. The ingredients added are whatever a CKT should have as well. I guess the two stalls are just but competing in terms of the wetness and since I like sweeter and smoother kway teow, I will rather patronize Lucky Char Kuey Tiao the next time I'm craving for CKT at Old Airport.

Lucky Char Kuey Tiao
Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road
#01-30
Singapore 390051
Daily: 9am - 10pm

Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow

Very interesting stall name and business was especially good with the constant flow of customers. Guess that's why they have quite a number of helpers!


Wonder how big the portion is for $10 order..

Fried Kway Teow ($3)

Didn't take too long to be served. Noodles were neither too wet nor dry, they put a good amount of cockles in and the dish was fragrant. I think it's a pretty good CKT but the one I had at Zion Road is still the best.

Also, why does some stalls use banana leaf? Does it really help in the aroma of the food? Do you think there's really any difference made with the extra padding of a banana leaf? I always wonder but I got no answer. Ok. Thanks. Bye.

Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow
Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road
#01-12
Singapore 390051
Daily: 11.30am - 12am
(Closed on Wednesdays)

Hua Kee Hougang Famous Wan Ton Mee

As a consumer, my expectations of the food you served will be multiplied by 858979325 times more if I see that you claim yourself to be famous.

Quite some accolades on the stallfront

Their variety

Wan Ton Mee ($3)

Very dry and hard char siew.

I may not be an expert in Wan Ton Mee but a good bowl of Wan Ton Mee has got to have that QQ noodles, tasty dumpling and sweet char siew thus what can only be said about this bowl of noodles is that it tasted disappointing.

The only ingredient that passed my standard was perhaps the chili. The soup was loaded with msg. Dumpling was ordinary and the worst part is that the noodles and the char siew was hard. Either the noodles were meant to make you exercise your jaws more or it was simply undercooked. Char siew was dry, hard and more saltish than sweet.

Maybe they are famous but their Wan Ton Mee is definitely no way near good for me.

Hua Kee Hougang Famous Wan Ton Mee
Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road
#01-113B
Singapore 390051
Tues - Sun: 12pm - 12am

Mei Heong Yuen Dessert

Mei Heong Yuen is one of those dessert stalls that I love going to. Besides their signature hot and cold desserts, I love dropping by for their cakes!

The very relaxed ladyboss.

I especially like the Carrot and Pumpkin flavour. Both are pretty similar except Pumpkin flavour has the extra touch in sweetness and fragrance. Not to mention, the pretty golden yellow colour makes it looks more appetizing as well!


Pumpkin Cake ($2.20)

I tried their Yam Cake this time round but in terms of the texture, I notice the yam cake is harder than the other 2. I think they didn't steam it long enough because the chunks of yam wasn't soft enough as well.

Yam Cake ($2.20)

Goes better with the sweet sauce!

Do try their paste which has the right consistency and really smooth texture! I always enjoy their Black Sesame paste. They also have really nice snow ice dessert perfect for sharing! My favourite would be the Green Tea flavour that comes with sweet red beans drizzled all over.

If you just had your dinner or need a place to rest your feet while at Chinatown, this is a good place to relax and enjoy a good bowl of dessert or hot fluffy carrot/pumpkin cake. =)

Mei Heong Yuen Dessert
65-67 Temple Street
Singapore 058611
Tel: 62211156
Mon - Sun: 10.30am - 9pm
http://www.meiheongyuendessert.com.sg/

Swee Choon

Open throughout the evening till 10am in the morning, Swee Choon is extremely popular for the night goers and those looking for dim sum during the wee hours. They also have many other dishes and La Mian.


Main entrance

Take away corner just beside main entrance

Swee Choon's business is doing very very well as Makan Boy and I observed. The first time when we came, it was so packed that we had to make do with their outdoor seats.


Simple layout of tables and chairs in the back alley

This time round we got seats indoor with the comfort of air conditioning.

La mian chef working his magic at the back.

Service was much faster this time round due to the smaller crowd I guess. On the first visit, we ordered their Har gao, Siew mai and Chicken Claws which tasted very disappointing. However we had good impression of their Mee Sua Kueh thus we ordered again on this visit.

Mee Sua Kueh ($2)

Special!

Slightly saltish and probably the most special kueh I have had so far!

Drunken Chicken in Shao Xing Wine ($5.50)

Both of us were overwhelmed by the strong and extremely sharp taste of the wine. If they could reduce the amount of wine used, this cold dish would have tasted perfect.

Beancurd Prawn Roll ($2.80)

The beancurd prawn roll is a pretty good item to order. Tasty and prawns used were nice too!

Fried Custard Pumpkin ($1.80)

erm...

I feel that custard is best eaten soft and flowy. The pumpkin skin was also too thick and chewy. I had one bite and left it aside..

Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun ($2.40)

Ooooooh!

How delighted I was to see that they have buns similar to Victor's Kitchen! It didn't taste too bad but still Victor's Kitchen Golden Egg Yolk Lava Bun win hands down!

Shang Hai Xiao Long Bao ($3.50)

Thin skin with quite some soup in it.

Their Xiao Long Bao tasted pretty decent except that their meat fillings is abit too oily for me.

Yam Paste with Pumpkin & Ginkgo Nut ($3.80)

Smooth, sticky, sweet!

We ended off the supper with the Yam Paste and it was sinfully sweet and very fragrant! Really yummy!

Overall, they have their hits and misses but if you know what to order, this place is great for dining and catching up in a lively environment. =)

Swee Choon
187/191 Jalan Besar
Singapore 208880
Tel: 62945292
Mon - Sat: 6pm - 10am
Sunday & PH: 6pm - 12pm
Closed on Tuesdays

Da Paolo

Ambience in a restaurant is extremely important to my girlfriends and we love to pamper ourselves especially when it comes to dinner! Tucked away at the very far end of Chip Bee Gardens, Da Paolo is a great venue to chill with friends or to go for a romantic and quiet dinner.


Really dark and quiet place



I like the little glass of plant decor

I like their setting and decor in the restaurant. It's relaxing and very peaceful.

Lovely bread!

What I love about Italian restaurant is the fluffy hot bread they serve while you wait for your food! I totally enjoy my carbohydrates with some olive oil and vinegar! However, Da Paolo's bread was only so so.


Insalata di pollo ($20)

The mixed salad is my favourite for the night. The grilled chicken breast, garlic oil and sauteed mushrooms were very simple but it goes really well with the greens. I'm sure I could finish two plates of this but it was too pricey to order again.

Cartoccio al frutti di mare ($27)

Spaghetti with seafood and tomatoes wrapped in parchment paper was alright.

Ravioli di vitello ($26)

Thickness of dumpling is good

I ordered the ravioli which is pasta filled with braised veal, veal jus and shaved parmesan. The shaved parmesan is too thick and hard but the dumplings was good. Was looking forward to having a good meal but upon seeing the number of raviolis there were.. I knew I'm not gonna be full. Need more raviolis!

Risotto con funghi e robiola ($26)

The risotto with mushrooms and riobiola cheese tasted average.

Tiramisu ($12)

Tiramisu was good but the slice was so small..

Overall, I'm not impressed with the food as it certainly wasn't worth the price and the service can be improved. The manager seems snobbish and the waiter that served us was rather "tired". If I'm eating Italian, I must eat to my heart's content and feel my money's worth!

Da Paolo
Chip Bee Gardens
44 Jalan Merah Saga
#01-56
Singapore 278116
Tel: 64761332
Mon - Sun: 11.30am - 10.30pm
(Closed from 2.30pm - 6.30pm)
http://http//www.dapaolo.com.sg/