The Waffle Factory

So we passed by this place many many months ago but didn't pay it much mind but one day my Brother texts me and says that we simply have to check this place out.

How good did he think it was? Well, he back with me the very next day to eat more!

So I'm not sure how long The Waffle Factory has been around in the Singapore Post Centre but it seems really famous judging by all the newspaper clippings and TV show snippets adorning the walls of the outlet.
In fact, apparently they're quite famous for their All-You-Can-Eat Waffle Buffet which we had no idea about because we just had some ala-carte items.

Prawn Dumplings ($4.20 for 3 pieces)

So we started with some Dim Sum which is one of our favourite things.
Prawn Dumplings are always welcome at our table and we've had it at a few other makan places before.

You do get a pretty big piece of the prawn in the dumpling which is nice but it's also got this fish paste in there which was kinda had a dough-y taste to it (or maybe I was just being too fussy?) A nice crispy skin to go with it but a little on the extra-charred side. I'm guessing they might have re-fried it when ordered?

Fried Beancurd Roll ($4.20 for 3 pieces)

Another Dim Sum favourite of ours is the Fried Beancurd Roll which kinda has a Thai accent to it.
Nice and tightly packed with fish paste and some sweet chilli sauce to accompany it. I believe I enjoyed this more than the Prawn Dumpling actually.

But the $4.20 price tag is quite high for 3 pieces of Dim Sum I reckon.

And in case you were wondering, my Brother's all-time fave Dim Sum - Siew Mai - is strangely absent here because apparently he had some the day before and it really wasn't very good at all so we gave it a miss.

Salted Egg Custard Buns ($4.20 for 3)

This is one item my Brother and Sister-In-Law were absolutely raving about.
Something new and a little unique to us - Salted Egg Custard Buns.

It's no secret that we are HUGE fans of anything to do wit Salted Eggs and this definitely seemed like something we were going to enjoy. But please allow me to point out that this was Salted Egg Custard which means you can expect a sweet taste instead of all-Salted Egg.

But it is a thing of beauty when you crack it open though.

All that nice gooey and runny custard flowing all over the place.
Isn't that enough to get your excited? No? Well maybe the video my Brother sent me might do a better job.

Much better right??
Well anyways, like I said, it's more sweet than savoury so you know what to expect. I guess it's more of a dessert bun than anything else.

And here's a tip, be sure to eat it fresh and while it's still hot.
Because when it cools down... It's not going to be very runny anymore...

Anyways, on to the mains!

Something which I'd say is really good about the menu at The Waffle Factory is the wide variety of dishes and even different types of cuisine they offer. Everything from Nasi Lemak to HK-style Noodles to even Western Food and Pasta!

But then again, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Hong Kong Style Chicken Luncheon and Egg Noodles ($4.50)

I love the whole HK-style Noodles scene (remember this post?) and I'm glad to say that the number of Halal makan places offering it nowadays is on the up and up!

Well here's a really simple dish of noodles with some chicken luncheon meat veggies in a nice hot soup.
(This was the Spicy option by the way. You can choose the Non-Spicy as well).
Just a really satisfying bowl of comfort food for me and something I really enjoy.

By the way, you can also have the same thing in a Prawn-based soup instead.
That's what my Sister-in-Law had but would it really make much of a difference?

Sausage Springy Noodles in Prawn Soup ($5.90)

ZOMG YES IT DOES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE!

The prawn stock is really rich and flavourful and it did not have any of they overly-prawny taste which I expected. A really really good bowl of noodles! Not too sure about the sausage though... This would have been perfect if they had used a better quality sausage or maybe the chicken luncheon meat?

And now that I think about it - is it really worth an extra $1.40 for the prawn soup?

Crab Claws and Mixed Seafood Pasta ($7.90)

So my Brother decided to break away from the Asian flavours of the day and had something on the Western side of the menu.

He says that it was a pretty respectable plate of pasta but I personally felt that the cream sauce was actually quite tasteless... But the one thing we agreed on is that we did not understand why they called it Crab Claws and Mixed Seafood Pasta when there was only ONE crab claw (and yes that's the small thing on the left)

Maybe he lost the other claw in a fight? Well, then bring me the winner!
(So we'll get 3 claws geddit geddit? Okay I'll just stick to eating then)

Okay time for some dessert and when you're at a place called The Waffle Factory, you're probably gonna have some waffles am I right?

Well they have 2 types of waffles on offer. One is the fresh type which they'll serve you on a plate with all the lovely toppings like berries and cream etc. And the other type is like a miniature version where theysandwich your topping of choice in between 2 waffles.

"OUR WAFFLES ARE THICKER.

MORE THAN HALF A MILLION SOLD WITH OUR SECRET WAFFLES RECIPE"

This is the sign outside and they were not kidding about the 'thicker' part.

D24 Durian Waffle ($2.50)

One of the most popular waffles on offer is the D24 Durian waffle which is delicious durian flesh in between two waffles. (See what I meant about the 'thick' part)

The durian is definitely a must-have for durian lovers.

Orange Chocolate Waffle ($1.30)

So this is actually Chocolate sauce and some Orange Marmalade.
Not at all what we expected.

Actually, by the looks of it, they are quite creative with their waffle flavours so it might be best to double check what exactly you're ordering before you actually make your decision. And they have a massive selection of waffles to choose from so you're gonna have a hard time choosing.

But as you can see from the pictures, these are not the same waffles you get from your neighbourhood bakery. These are really thick and actually very very filling. If you're having full meals then it might be a good idea to share.

The fillings are not bad but the waffles themselves are quite overwhelming.

Adam's Verdict:
Prawn Dumplings 1.5/5 -- Fried Beancurd Roll 2.5/5 -- Salted Egg Custard Buns 2.5/5
HK Style Chicken Luncheon and Egg Noodles 3/5 -- Sausage Springy Noodles in Prawn Soup 4/5
D24 Durian Waffle 4/5 -- Orange Chocolate Waffle 3/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Prawn Dumplings 1/5 -- Fried Beancurd Roll 4/5 -- Salted Egg Custard Buns 4/5
Crab Claws and Mixed Seafood Pasta 3/5 -- Sausage Springy Noodles in Prawn Soup 5/5
D24 Durian Waffle 2/5 -- Orange Chocolate Waffle 2/5

Yana's Verdict:
Prawn Dumplings 1/5 -- Fried Beancurd Roll 2.5/5 -- Salted Egg Custard Buns 4.5/5
Sausage Springy Noodles in Prawn Soup 5/5
D24 Durian Waffle 3.5/5 -- Orange Chocolate Waffle 1/5

They also have loads of other stuff on the menu that might be worth a try like the Chicken Rendang (which apparently is so tender you can eat the bones) and Crayfish Laksa!

We'll definitely be paying another visit soon!

The Waffle Factory

10 Jalan Eunos (Paya Lebar MRT)
Singapore Post Centre Shopping Mall
B1-03

Operating Hours: 9.00am til 10.00pm Daily

Kacang Pool Special

I love Kacang Pool.

But because it can be.. well.. a little on the unhealthy side (with all the ghee and the egg and the what-nots), it's best eaten in moderation. So that means that it'd better be a damn nice serving.

When I was a kid growing up in Eunos, the original Eunos market had some of the best food ever.
There was this one stall that sold only 2 things - Rojak Buah and Kacang Pool.
But it was for some reason, closed most of the time.

Well that stall stuck it out after the fire at the old marketplace and shifted to the new Eunos Market.

Kacang Pool ($3.00)

Well the stall sells a few more than 2 things now but Kacang Pools seems to remain a firm favourite.

Along with your piping hot kacang pool (made up of mashed fava or broad beans), you get a fried egg (which has a slightly runny yolk) and of course the usual garnishes like chilli and onions plus some bread.

A lot of people have a lot of differing preferences when it comes to their Kacang Pool I'm sure.

Some people like theirs to be on the chunky side which means the beans are not mashed or blended too finely. You'll still have a pretty thick consistency that way.

On the other hand, you have the people who like theirs to be runny and smooth. This means the beans are blended till extremely fine and I guess you say a little more of a fluid consistency.

For me - not fussy when it comes to this.
Thick or fluid I'm still gonna whack until finish.

And as you can see from the picture on the left, this stall has it just in the middle. You can scoop it up or soak it up with the french loaf that comes with it or you can just have it with the egg and garnishes. It's gonna be delicious either way. Oh, and you'll still a few whole beans that missed the blender.

Salt and Lime for additional seasoning

This stall goes the healthy route and does not seem to include any ghee.
There's definitely a good dose of oil but not much or no ghee and minimal additives.

They'll give you some salt and lime to add as you please.

Now that's what I call comfort food.
And when that runny yolk breaks and starts running all over the place, grab some bread, mop it up and shove it in your mouth and go "Mmmmm".

And for the record, I cleaned the plate. Literally. (I used the bread)

Adam's Verdict:
Kacang Pool 4.5/5

My old neighbourhood market may have relocated but some of the old stalls definitely followed suit and I'm so happy that they did and this stall is one fine example.

Kacang Pool Special

Eunos Crescent Food Market & Food Centre
Blk 4A Eunos Crescent #01-03

Operating Hours:
7.00am til 9.30pm (or til the food finishes)
Closed on Wednesdays

Mackenzie Rex Restaurant

I must really be going down memory lane.
Recently I've posted about old-time favourites like Epok-Epok Central and Bismillah Sarabat stall.
And now I bring you another makan place from back when I was a kid.

My Mum and Dad brought me to Rex when I was 11 years old.
That's like 19 years ago and even til today I go back to enjoy the Chicken Rice there!!!

Chicken Rice ($4.50)

My Mum and Day say that back then in the 70s and 80s, a plate of chicken rice would cost about $2.00.
This was because Rex was considered as a 'restaurant' and not just a hawker kind of joint. And of course back then it used to be located opposite the old Rex Theatre.

I really love the Chicken Rice at Rex (you'll be hearing that a lot).
You can see that it does not have any special sauce or gravy poured over the chicken which is what you might get at most places nowadays. The chicken comes as is and is sheer perfection.

I don't know how they do it but Rex still does roasted chicken the best way ever.
Pair that with their delicious and tasty rice and you have a winner I tell you.
Well a winner in my books anyways!

Of course the prices have gone up since then...
It was about $3.00 a plate when I was in secondary school and it costs even more now.

That corner in yellow is where the old Rex used to be.
Cameron Restaurant, which was a fierce competitor to Rex back in the day, is still in the same location as it used to be (see the green sign there?) but I reckon it's not the same as it used to be.
The 'old' Rex Theatre is now the 'new' Rex Theatre as you may know... and Rex has moved.

It's now located at Prinsep Street (along Selegie) and I started going there alone (as in without my parents) when I was in secondary school. And as years went by, I would go there with friends and, of course, my family to enjoy the food there. And I'm pretty sure most of you have had a meal there before!
(They also have a restaurant at Upper Changi Road just before Geylang Serai)

I simply love Rex Chicken Rice. In fact, I used to even say that if I could choose my last meal - it would be a plate of Rex Chicken Rice.

So I've told you about the chicken and the rice. And now for the chilli. The chilli is the bomb.

In fact, Rex is rather renown for its special Chilli.
It's got a real kick to it. The garlic is not too overpowering and it's got a nice tang.
And I have to admit that it has definitely gotten a little more spicy over the past few years. You're definitely going to have a real burn when you have it. But a nice burn of course!

In fact the only part of the meal which kinda sucks is the soup that comes along with your chicken rice.
I've always joked that it's just water with some ajinomoto and a piece of cabbage in a bowl. I actually am not far off from saying that but a little drizzle of light soy sauce (at the table) and it's makan-able.

But I really love the chicken rice at Rex  : )

But the Chicken Rice is not the only favourite at Rex.
There are so many to cover but I'm going to start with...

U Char Kway with Sotong (Small $6.80)

This is such a favourite item I can tell you.

As you can see, it's not really like most other places where you get more of the Char Kway dough than the sotong. This is packed with the sotong!

Fried to a nice deep crisp yet still so tender and steamy on the inside.

And trust me. Their specially-made mayonnaise is the perfect accompaniment to this fried tasty morsel. My mouth is watering as I type!

The small size is very worth the price.
You get about 10 pieces with that serving and it's easily shared between 2 people. But I have absolutely no problem having a plate all to myself!

I can't help it. It's too delicious!

And in future, when I put up more reviews of Rex, you will see more and more dishes which are really at must-try standards at Rex.

And by the way. This is also a must have...
Lime Juice!!!

Lime Juice ($1.50)

Now there's an item that hasn't changed in taste or in price.
I always have the Lime Juice. It goes well with ANYTHING I've ever eaten at Rex.
Probably one of the best and most consistent Lime Juices I've ever had anywhere I must say.

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken Rice 5/5 -- U Char Kway with Sotong 5/5 -- Lime Juice 5/5

Some people will agree with me and say that Rex is the bomb.
And some people will disagree with me and say Rex is not as good as people say it is.

All I know is that I've been going there since I was a kid.
My family and I go there to enjoy good food. We know the people there well enough that they recognize us and we have a chat while waiting for our meal.

Do I give a special preference to Rex? Yes, definitely.
But it it because I've been going there for so long? No.
It's because I've been going there for so long and I still enjoy the excellent food there.

Prices may have gone up but the food is still worth it.

And a final tip...
They will automatically give you a wet tissue when you get your cutlery.
It costs $0.30 each so if you don't need it, return it to them before you start your meal :)

And you can be sure to see a few more reviews of Rex because there's so much to have!

Mackenzie Rex Restaurant

66 Prinsep Street
Tel: 63361702
www.macrex.com.sg/index.htm

Operating Hours: 10.30am til 10.00pm Daily
(Closed on Chinese New Year & Hari Raya Aidilfitri)

Epok Epok Central

I grew up in the Eunos Crescent neighbourhood.
Back then, the Eunos Crescent Market was in full swing and the adjoining food centre was just as popular.
From early morning breakfast til evening dinner. Everyone cam to get something.

And there was something for everyone too.
There were two whole sections of Chinese (Non-Halal) hawkers and only one section of Malay/Indian (Halal) hawkers. But that one section alone has so many treasures. And there was something for everyone.

Abu Bakar stall was famous for its Nasi Jenganan and Nasi Rawan.
Ali Baba stall famous for Roti Prata. Arifin stall for its Chicken Rice. Then there was the 'no sign' Kacang Pool' stall which also sold a pretty mean Rojak Buah. Then there was 'Mee Kak Tik'.
And so many more I can hardly remember.

The old market burned down some years ago and it took awhile for the new one to be built.
In that time, some of the hawkers probably moved on and decided not to wait for the new market to be built. But some of them returned to the old neighbourhood with a brand new market place.

One of those that was a staple back in the day and still stayed on - Epok Epok Central.

People would queue up for the fresh and hot epok-epok which seemed to come out in endless batches.
If there was one place for epok-epok then Epok Epok Central was it.

Potato, Sardine & Egg Epok-Epok

Just like before, you can get 3 types of epok-epok.
There's the default Potato & Sardine epok-epok ($0.40 each) and there's the Egg epok-epok ($0.60).
The Egg epok-epok has some potato filling in it as well.

The first thing I have to pint out is that I don't remember the epok-epok being so expensive in the past.
Of course, we are talking about the 90s when I was a kid so definitely the prices were lower back then.
But even in today's modern times, I'm guessing a few people would raise an eyebrow or two when the hear the price of $0.40 or $0.60 for an epok-epok.

What's that you say? The price seems reasonable?
Well, that depends on how you relate the price to the size of the product.

Yes that is my hand. And yes that is the epok-epok.
Now do you see what I was talking about when I mentioned the size?

The epok-epok is definitely bite-sized which I'm guessing some people (like my Mum) will appreciate.
Because this means that the pastry will be nice a crispy. Which it definitely is. Love that crisp!
The pastry has a nice bite to it and is not oily at all. They have definitely mastered the art of frying the epok-epok to ensure that it's a nice crispy golden brown.

The filling itself is also quite tasty. But....

(From left to right) Potato, Sardine, Egg

For those of you whole love your filling, then there might be some issue.

The filling itself is very tasty. The taste of the potato filling is especially tasty to me.
However, the sardine epok-epok seemed to have more onions than anything else. And that is simply something that I despise in my Sardine epok-epok.

Why call it Sardine if you're just going to pack it with onions? If you're worried about your sardine mixture being fishy then work on your mixture instead of taking the short-cut of piling on the onions I say.

To be honest the potato mixture also had its fair share of onions but at least I could get some potato chunks.
For the Egg version, you get about 1/5 of an egg stuffed in with the potato mixture.

Adam's Verdict:
Potato 3/5 -- Sardine 2/5 -- Egg 3.5/5

Epok Epok Central remains a familiar name when it comes to the tasty snack we all love.
Nowadays with places like Old Chang Kee offering fat oily currypuffs at a bargain price of $1.20, I guess it's easy to see how old-school places like this are on the losing end.

In fact, the long queue at the stall when I went was actually for the Nasi Lemak which they also seem to sell.
The old stall used to sell just epok-epok. Nothing else.
Maybe the Nasi Lemak is damn nice? I might check it out next time.

Maybe it's just me. Maybe Epok Epok Central's standards have really dropped.
But I'll never forget the excitement as a kid when Mum & Dad brought home some epok-epok.

 Epok Epok Central

Eunos Crescent Food Market & Food Centre
Blk 4A Eunos Crescent #01-09

Operating Hours:
9am -10pm Tuesday til Sunday
Closed on Monday

The Quest For Briyani Part 3: Mami Midah Briyani

So the Quest for Briyani continues on this food blog.
So many recommendations came in for where people think should be the next place I try.
But I decided to go somewhere recommended by my dear ol' Dad.

Mami Midah Briyani is a stall located in my old neighbourhood - Eunos Crescent.
It wasn't around when the market and food centre were at its old location before the fire a few years ago but despite that it seems this stall has made quite a reputation for itself in just a few years.

When you think of a good briyani, 'healthy' is not really the first word that comes to your mind I reckon. I mean, how many times have you heard your elders tell you not to eat too much too often right?

Well I saw this article displayed at the stall.
It was featured in the 'Mind Your Body' quite awhile back and was toute as a 'healthy' version of Nasi Briyani but apparently still didn't lose any of the flavour or deliciousness that you'd expect from a serving of Briyani.

Evaporated Milk? Vegetable Oil? Low Sodium Salt?
This doesn't seem like it's going to go well... But you'll see a lot of this at a lot of the stall here under the Healthy Eating campaign.

Okay so my Dad tells me we have o go really early because this place seems to sell out really fast (especially the Mutton Briyani) especially on Fridays. Well, we were not going on a Friday so you'd think it'd be safe to arrive there at around noon right?

Well we arrived at 12.15pm and guess what? The Mutton was sold out!!
Apparently someone had a funeral wake and pre-ordered like this whole order of the Mutton Briyani. And since we couldn't call ahead to pre-order 2 plates of it, I guess we were out of luck.
And the worst thing was that my Dad had let me taste some the last time he brought some back and it was quite good so I was pretty bummed I didn't get a chance to try it out properly.

Oh well.

Chicken Briyani ($4.50)

So we decided to have the Chicken Briyani (purely out of lack of choice).

The chicken itself was not bad. The masala which literally swamps the chicken was actually really good!
It's not really on the spicy side though. If it was, my Dad wouldn't be able to handle it very well. But the rempah briyani taste was very strong but very tasty. Not overpowering like I expected.

The acar is actually worth a mention. It really complimented the briyani well.
I'm saying this because I've had Briyani where the acar is just absolutely doing nothing for the overall dish but they really put some effort here to make sure it makes a difference.

As always, the rice itself is going to play a big part in Briyani and the rice here is pretty steady.
It was fluffy and I guess it was pretty tasty. But I doubt I enjoyed it as much as my Dad does.
My Dad says that the rice is the reason he loves this Briyani so much. And trust me, it's not often you find something that he will say is nice.

As for me? It was actually the Dalcha believe it or not.
It was damn tasty and really packed a tasty punch to the rice. In fact, the Dalcha seems to be quite a favourite with a lot of people. How do I know? I've seen people come to the stall and order just the Dalcha on its own. Like $2 a packet. They probably eat it with bread or something. And I don't blame them cos it's damn nice lah actually.

And if you stir the bowl, you'll find out why. The secret - lamb fat (tetelan).
It's an old school way of ensuring your Dalcha is the bomb and they sure as hell do it well here.

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken Briyani 3/5

Zain's Verdict:
Chicken Briyani 4/5

So remember, if you wanna try the Mutton Briyani - go early.
Hopefully I'll be able to add in a Mutton Briyani review here soon okay!

Mami Midah Briyani

Eunos Crescent Food Market & Food Centre
Blk 4A Eunos Crescent #01-14

Operating Hours:
10.00am til 8.00pm Daily
(or until they sell out)