Hjh Maimunah Restaurant

Come on. Tell me honestly who hasn't heard of the famous Hjh Maimunah?
They've been around since the 90s and delighting diners for decades and the people keep going back for more everytime so you know they must be doing something right.

With a wide variety of traditional Malay dishes, I reckon you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else to take your family and friends for a good ol' makan session with all your classic favourites.
And it's very economic too! That whole spread above is enough to feed a small family and all for $20!

We've personally been visiting for years. Maybe not so much for me when I was younger but definitely more since I met my darling wife who would bring me on lunch dates to Hjh Maimunah so we could have some good food.

Ayam Lemak Cili Padi ($2.50 per piece of chicken)

This is one of the all-time favourites of so many people out there and at Hjh Maimunah it's quite obvious why this sells out quickly almost every time.

I know that "Mum cooks it best" but if you're ever hankering for Ayam Lemak Cili Padi outside of home, I think that this is probably the best version you can find out there today. Until I find another version outside that is this good, this is tops in my books.

The lemak looks watery when you get it but don't let that fool you. It's packed full of flavour and the lemak flavour is going to make you go "Wow". And it's quite spicy too! If you look closely at the picture, you can see that they use the green variety of Cili Padi and apparently that makes a big difference here. I'm so used to the red version but this is really really good!

The chicken itself is really tender and the flavour of the gravy really penetrates into the meat. We asked for 'peha' but for some reason we got drumsticks instead but it was still really good. Oh well. Be sure to choose your pieces of chicken wisely!

Sambal Goreng ($2.00)

Another traditional Malay dish we always have with our nasi campur is Sambal Goreng.

Maybe I got the wrong scoop but it was mostly tauhu and not enough veggies for me.
The taste was okay but I'm guessing this one of the few dishes that a lot of people still order because it's pretty much a one-stop with your nasi.

Paru Goreng ($1.50)

I LOVE Paru Goreng with my nasi. Whether it's Nasi Campur or Nasi Jenganan or Nasi Rawon, I simply gotta have it!!

But I'm really fussy when it comes to my Paru Goreng. I don't mind those big pieces which they fry up but I kinda prefer if it's not cut so thick. I prefer a thinner cut so that when they fry, it gets (at least a little) crispy.
And luckily for me, the Paru Goreng here is awesome!

They also have a Belado version of the Paru by the way in case you're interested.
And speaking of Belado...

Kentang Belado ($2.00)

We actually wanted to have a nice ol' Bagedil which is a staple with our Nasi Campur but unfortunately they were all out of Bagedil when we visited. So we settled on the next best form of potato we could find.

The Kentang Belado at Hjh Maimunah comes with quite a fair bit of ikan bilis (anchovies) as you can see from the picture above. And if you're worried about the spicy factor, don't worry so much. The belado is not that spicy to be perfectly honest. It's got the chilli flavour... but not that spicy.

Ulaman ($1.50)

One of the best and special things we have at Hjh Maimunah everytime is the Ulaman which is basically a salad of cucumber, salad, long beans and their special Sambal Belachan! And if you're lucky, they'll even have some Kacang Botor!

This is a nice accompaniment to your rice and dishes and a good chance to get a nice big serving of healthy green vegetables!

Lemak Siput Sedut ($4.00)

Aha! I know a lot of your mouths are watering right about now!!

Actually, my darling wife is the one who had this dish. I'm not much of a fan to be honest.
But she orders this everytime we come to Hjh Maimunah and I've heard from so many people that Hjh Maimunah serves one of the BEST Lemak Siput Sedut!

The siput is fresh and of a decent size. The lemak itself is bursting with spicy flavour.
This appears to be a definite must-have if you're lucky enough that it's available when you visit.

And last but not least, I went back in because I wanted to get some Goreng Pisang but it was all out.
And then I saw something that I couldn't resist...

Kueh Lopes ($1.50)

The challenge with Kuih Lopes is making sure the rice is cooked thoroughly while ensuring it doesn't get too hard. The version here is superb! Nice and not too soft or hard. Just right!

Drown it in brown sugar syrup aka gula melaka and top with grated fresh coconut and you're all set!
One of the better ones I've had!

Adam's Verdict:
Ayam Lemak Cili Padi 5/5 -- Sambal Goreng 2/5 -- Paru Goreng 4.5/5
Kentang Belado 2/5 -- Ulaman 4/5 -- Kueh Lopes 4/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Ayam Lemak Cili Padi 5/5 -- Sambal Goreng 2/5 --Kentang Belado 3/5 -- Ulaman 4/5
Lemak Siput Sedut 5/5 -- Kueh Lopes 4/5

Sometimes you just want a taste of the traditional and it's good to know that there's at least once place you can go if you really need to... Hjh Maimunah!

Hjh Maimunah Restaurant & Catering

11 & 15 Jalan Pisang

Tel: 6291 3132
www.hjhmaimunah.com

Operating Hours:
7.00am til 8.00pm Mondays til Saturdays
Closed on Sundays

Pondok Jawa Timur - Tahu Telor

Okay okay so I know it's weird.
When you try out some place new for the first time, you normally go for their main dishes or at least the dishes which are supposed to be the star attraction.

But this is not the case today...

Two of our avid readers, @Siti Zulfie, messaged us on FB one day to update us that Pondok Jawa Timur was finally certified Halal. We first visited Pondok Jawa Timur when we were doing the EpiKebabs review but they informed us that they were not yet certified Halal. Well, I guess they fixed that problem!

Tahu Telor ($9.90)

That's right. We started with a side dish. And that's all we had.
Truth be told, we were just killing time before a movie and thought this would be a nice snack.
And what better snack than some fried stuff right?

First things first - this is a huge serving. Definitely enough to share between 4-5 people.

Second things second - It's actually quite tasty. The peanut sauce is quite nice and not too think or too watery. Gives a nice oomph to the dish especially when the deep fired egg soaks up the gravy and you take a nice big soggy bite. Nice big pieces of tahu mixed in there too.

Third things third -

I don't know if this is an Indo thing but there was a hidden treasure beneath the tahu and the telor.
Potatoes and lontong! It was as if there was a golden blanket covering these little morsels!
Anyways it wasn't much. Just some extra filler-uppers I guess.

Another thing you might want to take note of is the sambal on the side.
This is some spicy stuff so beware if you're not a fan of fiery mouths.

And they also had some pickled cucumber on the side which is always welcome in my books.

Es Kelapa Muda Gula Jawa ($4.50) & Es Soda Gembira ($3.50)

Well just because we had only a side dish doesn't mean we didn't need to wash it down.

I had my usual choice of Soda Gembira.
Unfortunately it wasn't good and was pretty tasteless actually. Can't beat the #1 Soda Gembira in my books.
And it was a little pricey too.

My darling wife had the  Es Kelapa Muda Gula Jawa.
It's not Gula Melaka okay.. it's Gula Jawa! Which was actually a very nice touch to the coconut juice but unfortunately they were a little stingy on the coconut itself. Not worth the price.

Adam's Rating:
Tahu Telor 3/5 -- Es Soda Gembira 1/5

Maryah's Rating:
Tahu Telor 2.5/5 -- Es Kelapa Muda Gula Jawa 3.5/5

Maybe next time we will get a chance to try out the mains.
@Siti Zulfie recommended a few like Nasi Kuning Komplit, Nasi Campur Surabaya, Ayam Bakar Kecap and Gado-Gado! We have a favourite haunt for Indo food but seeing as to how the dishes at Pondok Jawa Timur are quite similar, I guess it's time to do a comparison!

Pondok Jawa Timur

Wilkie Edge
8 Wilkie Road #01-21

Tel: 6884 5853

Operating Hours:
11.30am til 10.00pm Daily

Frozilicious

Okay so most of you may already know this term - FROYO.
Say it with me kiddies! FRO-YO!

But what exactly is Froyo? It's FROzen YOgurt!
The Froyo scene in Singapore has really really picked up over the past few years. It used to be just Yami Yogurt in the past but there are at least 4 other Froyo brands I can think of.
Well, make it 5 now!

2 of our beloved readers PM-ed us via our FB page and told us we really had to visit this place.
Something new and exciting just opened and really accessible to us!
A Froyo shop that is certified Halal and located in Tampines!

So when you get there, you have to follow a system okay.

First you choose your size. (They only have 2 sizes by the way)
Then you choose your yoghurt. (Choose from 4 flavours or even mix!)
Next is the toppings. (ZOMG good luck with that)
And last but not least - Weigh and Pay.

That's right. No typo there.
One of the interesting things about Frozilicious is that you don't pay based on the size of the cup you choose and then top-up based on your toppings. At Frozilicious, you pay based on the weight of your final selection.

And speaking of selection, there's always a couple of interesting flavours for you to choose from.
When we went, it was either Original, Strawberry, Mango or Bubble Gum but we've seen them put up posts on their Instagram mentioning other flavours like Caramel and Passionfruit!

And in case you were wondering, the 'Twist' selection means you get a combination of both of the flavours!
And that's exactly what we chose!

Original & Strawberry 'Twist'

And just remember, you can take as much or as little yogurt as you'd like.
Because you're paying based on the weight remember!

And then next comes the toppings...

I gave them names. The Scoop Section and The Bottle Section.
For obvious reasons of course.

You tell me lah how to resist.
You've got The Scoop Section with things like fresh fruit (Banana, Strawberries, Kiwi, Mango etc) and sweet goodies like Nata De Coco, Marshmallows, Kit Kat and Oreos etc.
And then comes the rest of the gang like cornflakes, rainbow sprinkles, nuts and gummies etc in The Bottle Section. There's so many toppings to choose from!

And again, take as much or as little as you like!
So this is what we ended up with.

$8.20

The price applied is $0.33 per 10gms by the way.
And what did we get for it?

Original & Strawberry Twist frozen yogurt with fresh strawberries, marshmallow bits, cashew nuts and a chocolate mint cookie for $8.20. Seems pricey I know but you must remember that this was a big cup and it's to share between 2 people. Still worth your money trust me. It'd cost you much more elsewhere for the stuff we put on there.

And since it's by weight, the good thing is you can choose whatever you'd like and as much of it as you'd like. Pile on all toppings if you feel like or just go for all yogurt. The choice is yours!
There is no minimum and the only maximum is as much as the cup can hold.

And you can see from that view how big the cup is compared to my hand holding it.
Definitely enough to share between 2 people and check out how much toppings we piled on!

And I'm quite interested to try all the flavours of yogurt.
Bubblegum is next on my list!

Adam's Verdict:
Original & Strawberry Twist Frozen Yogurt 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Original & Strawberry Twist Frozen Yogurt 4/5

A cool treat on a hot day perhaps? Or just a little guilt-free dessert after dinner?
Whatever the case, you'll be hard-pressed to find another Halal Froyo shop around I'll tell you that much.

Plus - you know how much we like to support young local entrepreneurship :)

Frozilicious

Block 201E Tampines Street 23
#01-120

Tel: 9450 6750
www.frozilicious.com

Operating Hours:
11.30am til 9.30pm (Tuesdays til Sundays)
Closed on Mondays

The Quest For Briyani Part 5: Afghanistan

So it took us awhile but we're back on the trail and The Quest For Briyani continues!
(You can read the rest of the series by clicking HERE if you're just joining us)

For the longest time, even before I started this blog by the way, people have been telling me about how great the Nasi Briyani at Afghanistan in Tampines was. In fact, I've been hearing about its 'legendary' status since I was in my teens.

It's actually quite surprising that this would actually be the first time I was going to try it especially since it was so accessible to me in the first place.

Mutton Briyani ($5.00)

Let me start of by saying that they're quite generous with the serving.
Definitely enough to fill you up if you're hungry or just right to share between 2 people.

The one thing that I noticed when I sat down with the Briyani was that something was missing.
You know how you get the aroma you get when you just sit down with a nice hot place of Nasi Briyani still steaming from the freshly served rice? Well, that was missing.

The rice was fluffy and no doubt the traditional Basmati but that's about all I have to report.
There was no fragrant aroma and the rice was severely lacking taste. Very surprising for a plate of Briyani which I've been hearing about for years.

I will not claim to be an expert on Briyani and I know there are plenty more Nasi Briyani places for me to visit but I think I know what I'd expect from a decent plate of Briyani and something is quite wrong if that distinct aroma is missing.

The meat wasn't exactly super tender but I guess it was okay. You could still tear it apart without much effort.
Unfortunately the masala was quite bland as well. Again, another shocker.

The acar gave some life to the dish I guess. Nothing spectacular but at least there was some flavour to it.

Actually, I realized something about halfway through my dish.
The individual parts of the dish on their own were severely lacking. The rice was tasteless on its own. The meat was not that enjoyable on its own. And there's no point just eating the acar on its own. The only way I could get though it was to eat every single spoonful with a bit of everything. There was simply no chance of enjoying my meal by eating the rice or the meat on its own.

Adam's Verdict:
Mutton Briyani 1.5/5

Who knows. Maybe I'm just being fussy? Maybe the Chicken Briyani is better?
Well, whatever the case may be, I was actually really disappointed. Has the standard of Afghanistan really dropped?

Perhaps I'll try it again some time and hopefully then I might be able to relive the high standards that everyone seems to remember so fondly.

Afghanistan Family Restaurant

201E Tampines Street 23
Briyani / Murtabak Stall

Tel: 6783 7746

Operating Hours:
7.30am til 11.30pm Daily
(Opens at 3.00pm on Friday afternoons)

Bagus Changi City Point: Seafood Ramen and Chicken Char Siew Noodles

So here we were at Changi City Point and we wanted to have some dinner before going to a fair at the nearby Singapore Expo. Gasp! Forgot to bring camera! How to review food!

Well, our readers responded that they wouldn't mind if the pics were snapped from a camera phone hence this post was born! Just please pardon the pics though...

Seafood Ramen ($5.00)

My darling wife actually really loves Korean food. She's the one who brought me to my first ever Chicken Bulgogi and Saba Fish Set when were still dating so it's no surprise that she's probably going to head to the Korean stall once in awhile.

Surprisingly, she passed on the Bulgogi and instead went for another Korean/Japanese fave - Ramen!

The Ramen here is basically instant noodles served in a Kimchi broth. Not really what I expected to be honest. I thought they'd at least use some Ramen you know what I mean. And of course, as you can see, it comes packed with all kinds of seafood goodies like prawns and squid and a whole load of veggies too.

The broth itself was not too bad I guess. Nice and hearty especially on a cold day and you can taste the kimchi flavour although it's not that spicy. My darling wife thought it was actually pretty tasteless. But we both agreed on one thing - the noodles really let us down.

Side serving of anchovies and kimchi was a bit of a letdown too.
Stingy!!

But there was still a saving grace...


ZOMG NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL A YOLK OF YOLKS!
And trust me... it was divinely runny...

Oh well. I guess overall it was still pretty disappointing.

Chicken Char Siew Noodles ($4.80)

 As always, I'm a sucker for Chicken Char Siew so I had some noodles.

It was pretty standard but didn't really look anything like the picture. The Chicken Char Siew was tender but was pretty much just roasted chicken. Didn't really have much of the sweet glaze it's supposed to have...
But at least the dish wasn't tasteless I guess.

Oh and by the way, the dumplings come are not included in the price of the dish.
I felt like some dumplings so I added some for $0.80 a piece.

I guess it was actually pretty worth it. Nice and packed with chicken meat and mushrooms.
Added some bite to the dish and also a good add-on for those who might be a little bit extra hungry.

I gave the soup a miss though (thank goodness). It had kind of a funny taste to it.
Or was it just me?

Adam's Verdict:
Seafood Ramen 2/5 -- Chicken Char Siew Noodles 3/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Seafood Ramen 2/5

Still plenty of stalls to try at this place. Heard some of the readers say it's the bomb but some say it's really not worth it to eat there. Well, I guess we'll see!

And one of our readers mentioned Nasi Kelate. Couldn't find the stall though.
Any ideas?

Bagus Foodcourt (Changi City Point)

Changi City Point
5 Changi Business Park Central 1

Operating Hours:
11.00am til 9.30pm Daily

Dad's Corner - Ong Bak Pasta

So I got a couple of messages via our FB page a few months ago to try out a new place in town.
The problem is it'd be closed by the time we finish work and the weekends are so packed so we couldn't head down in time.

But several months later, I finally managed to make my way down!!!

So Dad's Corner is tucked away in a little corner of town in the Dhoby Ghaut area.
They serve Halal western food and pride themselves on having a menu where almost everything is $5!
(And it's really true! They only have one item which is more than $5 but that's because it's a platter to share!)

Well, since it was a weekday and my darling wife was at work, I made my own way down before doing some shopping and tucked-in to some pasta.

Ong Bak Pasta ($5.00)

They had 2 items on their pasta menu which caught my eye.
One was the A.M.P (Aku Melayu Pasta) which is sambal based and the other was the Ong Bak Pasta.
I obviously chose the Ong Bak Pasta. I would have loved to have ordered both though!

The Ong Bak Pasta is Thai-inspired and is a cream-based pasta. Mixed in are some mushroom, capsicum, chilli padi (!!!), prawns and mussels. It may be Thai-inspired but it's not like Tom Yum flavour or anything like that. Just cream based.

The serving is quite generous actually and more than filling for one. You've got a nice portion of pasta so add that up with the seafood and you're all set. I quite enjoyed the small touches like the mushrooms and especially the capsicum peppers (yes, they had all 3 colours!!).

You'll see the word SPICY in brackets on the menu next to the dish name but fret not.
The dish is not so overly spicy that it's gonna set your mouth on fire. They add chilli padi so you won't really feel the heat unless you take a nice big bite into the chilli padi itself.

I'm not sure because I didn't ask but perhaps you can tell the chef if you want it extra spicy?

And speaking of which - I was very lucky to meet the man himself - Chef Hasrat!
I recognized him from their FB page and also from the Berita Harian cover awhile back and it was he who took my order and explained to me the difference between the pastas.

Next time I'll be sure to snap a pic! (If i'm not so shy)

Adam's Verdict:
Ong Bak Pasta 3.5/5

Next time, I'm definitely gonna order more stuff. A.M.P is next and I definitely want to try their other western dishes like Fish and Chips, Seafood Paella, Cheese Fries and KING BEEF BURGER!!!

Plus, The Halal Food Blog always tries to support young local entrepreneurs and it's obvious that the team at Dad's Corner have plenty of passion and serve up some great food at a very great price!!
You should head down especially if you work in the area!

Dad's Corner

Roadside Cafe (Inside)
Singapore Shopping Centre #01-21/22

www.facebook.com/DadsCorner
Tel: 9011 5733

Operating Hours:
11.00am til 6.00pm (Weekdays & Saturdays)
Closed on Sundays

Delifrance: Les Sandwichs, Les Soups and Fruit Tarts

Delifrance is a name that I'm sure most people are familiar with.
It's been around for the longest time and everyone has had a taste of their famous sandwiches (and even their widely available baguettes) at least once before.

We've eaten there on quite a few occasions but only officially reviewed it one before.
Remember the special sandwich they released awhile back?

Well maybe we should stick to the classic... or should I say.. classique choices.

Chicken D'light on Croissant ($6.80)

Delifrance actually has 2 different of ranges for the sandwiches.
One (and more recently added) is the 'Les Sandwichs Signature' series which is a specific set of specialty sandwiches with fancy names.

The ones that I normally order are from the 'Les Sandwichs Classique' range which has some of your favourite sandwiches. One of them being the good and trusted Chicken Mayo.

Well they've named it the Chicken D'light and you get to choose your type of bread of course.
My darling wife almost always opts for the croissant because Delifrance definitely has one of the best croissants around. Buttery and crisp on the outside.

The chicken mayo itself is delicious. Nice chunks of chicken mixed in with creamy mayonnaise. And the mayonnaise is not overly sour and does not overpower the chicken flavour.

Chicken D'light on Ciabatta ($7.50)

We love the Chicken D'light so much I actually ordered one for myself. :P

I actually wanted it served on a baguette but apparently they were all out. I then opted for their newer Rustic Baguette but for some reason, they kept pushing me to take Ciabatta instead... :\
Oh well... Ciabatta it was I guess.

And I totally didn't like the bread. Maybe I'm not a Ciabatta kinda guy.
The chicken mayo was still delicious but I guess they bread obviously makes a big difference.

Tomato Bouillon

Mushroom Duxelle

If you're having a sandwich, you can opt to add $4.50 for a serving of the Soup of the Day or you could also order the soup ala carte for $4.00.

Pssssttt... here's a tip - take the set for $4.50 :)

You have 2 choices for the soup so depending on the outlet (and your luck), it's a choice of either the Tomato Bouillon or the Mushroom Duxelle.

The Tomato Bouillon has a very strong tomato flavour and a sure choice for those who enjoy a good summer soup to warm you up. The Mushroom Duxelle is a more hearty choice for you mushroom lovers. Very earthy and strong mushroom flavour here.

Mixed Fruit Tart / Peach Tart ($3.80 each)

Strawberry Tart ($3.80)

One of my favourite things to get is the Fruit Tart.
Great for a pick-me-up or as a gift if you're visiting someone! (In fact I brought a dozen as a gift when I met my darling wife's parents for the first time!)

A good assortment of Mixed Fruit, Strawberry and Peach Tarts to choose from.
My favourite used to be the Blueberry but I seldom see it nowadays... Maybe stopped?
Well all of that rests on a nice bed of custard which is a winner with all my fellow sweet-toothed readers.
The pastry shell has a good flavour and makes a satisfying mouthful with the fruit and custard.

I guess some might say it's a little on the sweet side (well it is a tart what do you expect) but they also have mini versions for those who want smaller doses.

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken D'light on Ciabatta 2.5/5 -- Tomato Bouillon 3/5 -- Mushroom Duxelle 4/5
Fruit Tarts 4.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Chicken D'light on Croissant 3.5/5 -- Mushroom Duxelle 3.5/5 -- Fruit Tarts 3/5

So many new things to try on Delifrance's revamped menu! But I guess one thing we expect to have when we visit will be a good Les Sandwich am I les right or les what?

Delifrance

Tampines Mall #01-38
Tel: 62608552
www.delifrance.com.sg

Operating Hours:
8.00am til 10.00pm Daily

Haron 30 Satay

When someone mentions East Coast Lagoon Food Village, the top two things that come to mind are Satay and Seafood. (Admit it you know I'm right!!)

And when you talk about Satay, one of the top names you'll hear is - Haron 30 Satay aka Satay Haron.

In July, a fire ravaged a few stalls at the older version on the East Coast Lagoon Food Village and unfortunately, one of the stall that was affected was Satay Haron. That means a few months went past that people could not get their fix of freshly bakar-ed Satay Haron...

But the good news it, East Coast Lagoon Food Village has now reopened and back to business!!

Beef, Mutton & Chicken Satay ($0.70 per stick, minimum 10 sticks)

There are at least 5 stalls to choose from at East Coast Lagoon Food Village when it comes to Satay but the name Satay Haron is #1 on everyone's lips and for very good reason too.

We've been going to eat at East Coast Lagoon Food Village for years and tried all the Satay stalls at one point and after awhile, we just decided to keep buying from Haron stall. It's not that the other stalls were not delicious... I guess it's just a matter of consistency and the fact that Satay Haron sells the type of Satay that meets our standards.

Beef, Chicken or Mutton?

Take your pick. Whether it's beef, chicken or mutton, you won't regret.
If you're lucky, you might even get to order some babat!

Satay Haron marinates and seasons its meats perfectly. You get just the right hint of spices when you take a nice big chomp. The marinade does tend to put the Satay a little on the sweet side but it's not overpowering and the nice sticky glaze enhances the Satay in my opinion.

One of the key elements to good Satay is the person who is bakar-ing (or grilling) the Satay. It takes skill to be able to control the fire just right that you manage to get the meat to the perfect tenderness while getting a nice char on the outer layer. And believe me - Satay Haron excels at this.

The Satay is super tender no matter whether you order Chicken, Beef or Mutton.
I say they all rock the bomb.

In fact, my darling wife is actually not a big fan of chicken satay but ALWAYS whacks it whenever we are having Satay Haron. And trust me - that says a lot! So good she says it's her favourite!

The peanut gravy which accompanies the satay also rocks!!

I know some people who are purists and eat the satay on its own so that they can enjoy the flavour of the satay on its own but it definitely gets better if you're a fan of the peanut gravy. Good tasty gravy here. It's not really a very finely ground mixture here because you'll get the odd piece of peanut here and there but this hits the spot nonetheless.

Satay Haron also offers BBQ Chicken Wings... but we're here for the Satay!!

Adam's Verdict:
Satay 5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Satay 4.5/5

To be fair, The Halal Food Blog Team will be officially reviewing all the stalls at East Coast Lagoon Food Village eventually (maybe a Makan vs Makan perhaps??) but I'm guessing that it's gonna be a challenging feat to knock Satay Haron off from our top spot.

I remember a time when Satay used to cost $0.30 - $0.40 a stick when I was kid and prices are definitely on the up and up to an average of $0.70 (or even more!) per stick at most places. If I'm going to pay such a price, I'm gonna make sure I'm buying a product I know I'll definitely enjoy and Satay Haron comes out tops in that case.

I'm not sure how long they've been around but I hope they keep going for generations to come!

Haron 30 Satay

Stall #01-55
East Coast Lagoon Food Village

Tel: 6441 0495 / 9450 8754 (Lynna)

Operating Hours:
11.00am til 10.30pm on Weekends
2.00pm til 10.30pm on Weekdays
(They close when they sell out. Which is normally earlier)

Cafe Le Caire

First of all, let me apologize for the quality of the photographs.
We used an actual camera but the dining area was very very very dimly lit so the shots turned out a little dark/blur in the end.

If someone were to say Cafe Le Caire, probably a handful of people would say they knew the place. But if I was to say Al-Majlis, I'm guessing more people would recognize the name. To be honest, I'm one of those people who didn't really take note of the actual name of the restaurant when I last visited.

Cafe Le Caire has been around since 2001 and is one of the more popular hangout joints in the Arab Street area. It labels itself as a cafe but it's more like a full-fledged restaurant. Lots of people visit to get a hearty meal and hangout with friends while smoking some shisha.

I've visited a few times in the past and figured it was finally time to feature it because it's definitely still one of the most popular hangout spots.

Hummus Bil Laham ($6.80)

Here at The Halal Food Blog, we love our Hummus to come with some meat. One of the best Hummus we've ever had was the Hummus with Minced Beef from Anar. In fact, we loved it so much that it's our profile pic on our FB page!

Here at Cafe Le Caire, you can have your Hummus with some pieces of grilled lamb.
The Hummus was creamy and quite tasty but unfortunately it was a little dry. Would have been nice to have more olive oil served with it I guess.

I think one of the biggest letdowns was that the roasted lamb was actually cold. It would have been nice if they had at least heated it up a little bit... But that being said, I have to say that the lamb was very very tender. I quite enjoyed it but would definitely have enjoyed it even more if it had been warmed up.

Mushroom Platter ($12.00)

Oh you all know I love mushrooms. And since I'm so greedy I went and ordered a 2nd appetizer! :P

The Mushroom Platter is a nice mixture of spiced and marinated Portabello, Abalone and Button mushrooms. This was at least served a little warm. Nice earthy and woody mushroom flavour. Very very tasty dish and a definite choice for mushroom lovers.

Just make sure you have someone to share with because the serving is bigger than it looks!

Kabsa Laham ($15.00)

The Kabsa Laham is available only on Fridays so we decided to grab our chance.
Hmmmm... maybe we should have thought twice.

Again, we were served a dish that was not heated up. The rice was cold and the lamb was warm at best.
I'm not sure if the server had taken too long to bring the dish to us? We didn't really have to wait that long leh...

Anyways the rice wasn't really that tasty. The lamb was tender but definitely strong on the spices (especially cardamom). If you like a strong spice flavour, this is definitely a dish you might want to consider. And the serving is very generous so you can share between at least 2-3 people and grab some other side dishes as well.

But overall, I think we were really expecting this dish to be the bomb since it's a specialty that's only served on one day of the week. Quite disappointing to be honest.

Cleopatra ($6.00) and Karkadeh Fizz ($5.00)

The Cleopatra is basically a fancy name for a mixture of Pink Guava, Mango and Orange juices.
Nice and strong citrus flavour for those who enjoy.

Karkadeh is actually Hibicus Tea. I remember having it the last time and quite enjoyed it so I thought I'd try the fizzy version this time. Unfortunately the fizzy water really took away from the flavour. I'd recommend to take the non-fizzy version if you wanna try.

Adam's Verdict:
Hummus Bil Laham 3/5 -- Mushroom Platter 4/5 -- Kabsa Laham 1.5/5 -- Karkadeh Fizz 1.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Hummus Bil Laham 2.5/5 -- Kabsa Laham 2/5 -- Cleopatra 2.5/5

Some of the dishes are quite value for money but I guess you can see that some dishes could be considered a little pricey. But remember, this is quite an upscale place in an upscale area so prices might be on the high side for some things.

Well, whether you like the food or not, Cafe Le Caire aka Al-Majlis is still a firm favourite.
There are so many things to try so we will probably visit a few more times. Hopefully the food will be heated up the next time we visit :)

Cafe Le Caire @ Al-Majlis

39 Arab Street

Tel: 6292 0979 / 6297 0573
www.cafelecaire.com

Operating Hours:
10.00am til 3.30am Sundays til Thursdays
10.00am til 5.30am Fridays, Saturdays and Eve of PH