Hawker Walks is a new series of unofficial tours that I’m launching for Charlinary. In the first of this series, I brought a group of readers and friends on a tour of 3 hawker centres in the central parts of Singapore. While I provided them with an itinerary (pictured below) which included information about the hawker stalls we were visiting, I got the group to guess where we were headed at each stop. Here’s a pictorial update of our tour (sans food for now) & some of the stalls we visited:
The much-lauded Sha Tin Kitchen is helmed by Hong Kong chef, Tonny Chan, who impresses with his signature Cantonese dishes (Sha Tin has since changed chefs as of July ‘09). Don’t let this air-conditioned restaurant’s nondescript appearance fool you, for what it lacks of in ambience, it more than makes up for with deliciously authentic Cantonese fare.
Prior to our visit with the family, Mum and I prowled their website for signature dishes, and our lunch menu was decided even before we set foot in Sha Tin. We decided to try their famous 臥虎藏龙(Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), otherwise known as lobster & egg white mousse with scallop, Braised Abalone, Braised Crab with Ramen, and Double-boiled Shark Cartilage with Fish Maw Soup.
The Double-boiled Shark Cartilage with Fish Maw Soup ($38) [***.] was the first to arrive, and my hands shook a little as I eyed the shark cartilage suspiciously. One must understand that when it comes to sharks, I’ve not ventured beyond sharks’ fin. The clear broth was rather plain to me, but perhaps this unique soup is an acquired taste. Slightly crunchy and roughly-textured, the shark cartilage took a bit of chewing.
Next on the list is the much-anticipated 臥虎藏龙 (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) ($6/serving) [****.], pictured here in a crisp golden basket teeming with lobster meat and egg white mousse, and garnished with dried scallop and curry leaf. This is something you’ve absolutely got to try.
For abalone-lovers out there, Sha Tin serves 2 types of braised abalone – two-headed/six-headed. We ordered 2 portions of their Two-headed Braised Abalone [****], each costs $48. Their attentive staff promptly cut each portion into quarters for everyone to share. Each morsel of braised abalone was very delish and slid down the throat with ease.
Next up is the Braised Mixed Seafood Claypot ($18) [**.] which surprisingly failed to impress. Though chockful of ingredients, it lacked sapidity and even seemed slightly over-braised for ingredients like the sea cucumber and mushrooms. I’d suggest you skip this dish and make room for other recommendations on their menu.
Thankfully, Sha Tin’s signature Braised Crab with Ramen ($60 | serves 6) [****] fared much better, with ramen in a gravy steeped with the briny flavour of crab roe. The ramen is pictured here in its individual serving, but prior to this the dish is served in a pot with big red crab shells and pincers adorning a pile of ramen. I really liked the taste of braised crab (a Cantonese favourite it seems) which was also a staple for the now-defunct Canton Wok over at Joo Chiat. Chef Kang of Canton Wok used to serve his signature crab dish steamed with glutinous rice. However, his competitor Chef Tonny Chan’s version is typically Cantonese with lots of gravy which really is an egg-based soup all on its own.
Last but certainly not least, is Sha Tin’s Hashima with Red Dice ($6) [*****] which I dare say is the best hashima (a luxurious traditional Chinese dessert made with snow fungus & rock sugar amongst others) I’ve ever had. Their version is made with sweet red dice, rock sugar, snow fungus, and dates…and every mouthful practically melts in your mouth. More importantly, it wasn’t saccharine sweet so one can tell that sugar syrup and artificial flavourings weren’t used. All in all, it was a refreshing end to a scrumptious Cantonese meal.
/ prices stated are subject to 10% svc charge. No GST
The I-wanna-know[s]:
Taste – 8.5/10
Price – $$-$$$$
Service – 8/10
Ambience – 7/10
Accessibility – 6/10
Legend:
[$]-cheap like peanuts: ($10 & below/person)
[$$]-average Jane ($15-$25/person)
[$$$]-you might wanna tke tht card out..($30-$60/person)
[$$$$]-extremely exorbitant ($70 & above/person)
[* to *****] – rating(s) for individual dishes
Address:
8/10 Lorong 3 Geylang
Singapore 388861
Tel: +65 6747 2483 / 6744 7087
Website: http://www.sbestfood.com/shatinkitchen.htm
Opening hours:
Open daily from | 11.30am – 2.30pm & 6pm – 11pm
Dress code: Casual
Nearest MRT: Kallang
Buses: 26, 31, 13…
Tucked away at Cuppage Plaza in the side roads of Orchard Road, Gyoza no Ohsho appears to have affiliations with the Osaka Ohsho Co. who is known for their wildly popular gyoza and ramen chain in Japan. However, in Singapore they’re part of the Sential group who’s also behind the nearby Tamaya, Diamond Dust, and Cable Car. I’ve chanced upon Ohsho many a time, but my tummy somehow always led me to the nearby Ken Ramen House instead. Last night, K & I decided to walk over from Orchard Cineleisure to try out their ramen.
It turns out they’ve got dishes like Curry Udon ($11), Tom Yam Ramen ($13), and Mapo Tofu ($8) to cater to our spicy food inclinations. K ordered their Tom Yamen Ramen [***] pictured above, which had a very thick soup base enriched with lots of coconut milk, and was moderately spicy on the whole. But please don’t use my tastebuds for chilli as a gauge unless you’re a chilli lover yourself…I wouldn’t want any of you to be in dire need of milk or water to put out the flames. The downside to it was the prawns were rather overcooked, but the overall portion of ingredients was all right. Perhaps some things were overcooked at high temperatures (to cook faster) in order to accomodate the high turnover rate of tables at their tiny branch. In any case the soup was served piping hot, but the ramen itself was a tad too thin for my liking. I prefer my ramen noodle to be eggy, thick, smooth, and springy.
Therefore, I chose their Shio Ramen ($11) [***] which is ramen in a savoury soup base to get a real taste of the ramen noodle on its own. While I really liked the light and savoury broth, I didn’t quite fancy the ramen mostly because it was thin. Other than the ones mentioned above, they’ve also got the typical Miso Ramen ($11), Shoyu Ramen ($11), and Tamago Ramen ($13) amongst a number of others. It was a pity that we missed out on the gyoza and half-portions of Chahan [Japanese fried rice] that come in their sets (with their limited seating capacity and all we both felt compelled to leave earlier). For $15 or so one can get a selected bowl of ramen with a half portion of Japanese fried rice or a small portion of gyoza. It’s ideal for sharing if you’re not too hungry or if you don’t want to order their ala carte gyoza.
Perhaps next time I’ll return just for the gyoza. Simply because I’ve got a terrible craving for some right now.
/all prices are nett. No GST or Svc Charge
The I-wanna-know[s]:
Taste – 6/10
Price – $-$$
Service – 6/10
Ambience – 6/10
Accessibility – 7/10
Legend:
[$]-cheap like peanuts: ($10 & below/person)
[$$]-average Jane ($15-$25/person)
[$$$]-you might wanna tke tht card out..($30-$60/person)
[$$$$]-extremely exorbitant ($70 & above/person)
[* to *****] – rating(s) for individual dishes
Address:
5 Koek Road #01-10
Cuppage Plaza Singapore 228796
38 Circular Road Singapore 049394
Tel: +65 6735 7068
Website: http://www.sential.com.sg
Opening hours:
Mon – Sat: 11.30am to 2am | Sun & P.H. days: 12pm to 12am
Dress code: Casual
Nearest MRT: Somerset
Buses: 123, 143, 65, 162, 124, 77…
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