Selera Cuppage

So I've heard about the legendary Selera Curry Puffs which used to be sold around Rex Cinema back in the old days. We're talking about a curry puff that could go up against (Old) Chang Kee apparently!
Well, unfortunately I never got the chance to try those curry puffs and I thought I would never get the chance.

Pak Busu Zul & Abang Razali

Apparently I was wrong! Thanks to Pak Busu Zul and Abang Razali, just found out recently that Selera has survived and is currently located at Cuppage!(Heard they also have a restaurant along Mackenzie Road?)
That's right. That includes the famous curry puffs as well!

But when we visited this time, it was quite late and the curry puffs were already sold out so we decided to have a proper meals instead.

Sliced Fish Soup Noodles ($5.00)

My darling wife was feeling a little under the weather so she decided to have something soupy.
And when it comes to 'something soupy' and 'under the weather', you can bet on some fish soup right?

When the dish arrived, the smell was actually kind of a put-off.
The fish had that hamching smell that is so fishy that it puts most people off eating completely.
Fortunately in this case, it was only the smell that was fishy. The fish itself didn't taste fishy and was quite fresh so I'm not quite sure how come the smell ended up being like that.

You have a choice of noodles and my darling wife chose her favourite Bee Hoon.
The soup itself was actually quite bland. I guess overall, you'll probably end up trying to justify the rather high price of $5.00 for this bowl of fish soup.

Fried Hokkien Mee with Prawn and Sotong ($5.50)

Pak Busu decided to have the Fried Hokkien Mee aka Rochor Mee.
The best Hokkien Mee we've had outside of home was the Fried Hokkien Mee found at the now-closed Mr Teh Tarik at Changi Village. So it was going to be interesting to see how this matched up.

I guess it definitely looked the part but Pak Busu says it was nothing spectacular.
The one thing I can definitely spot that was out of the ordinary was the sambal on the side.
How can you have Hokkien Mee without Sambal Belacan??

Bee Hoon Hong Kong ($5.00)

Here's something that Razali says he has pretty much every time he goes there.
Simple and satisfying with noodles, some greens and seafood (like fishcake, prawns and squid).
And it's quite a generous serving too.

But something that I actually didn't really appreciate was that they just poured the gravy and everything else over the noodles. That means when you dig into the noodles, the middle of it is still dry and you have to mix up the gravy first. Maybe it's just me being fussy but I feel that they should mix the whole lot up while cooking.

Wanton Noodles (Dry) ($6.00)

And last but not least of the mains, I had the Wanton Noodles (Dry).
Seems like everyone had noodles eh.

I've had Wanton Noodles at many many makan places (including the now-closed Tong Seng) and hold this dish in quite high regard. It's quite a simple dish and I guess it's quite widely available but everyone has that one stall that they will always go back to for their favourite Wanton Noodles.

Well, for me, after eating at Selera I can safely say -- I have yet to find my favourite Wanton Noodles.
Because this was definitely not it.

You get quite a generous serving of noodles and some greens and shreds of Char Siew Chicken. The Wanton (in case you can't seem them) are the boiled type but they don't come in any soup. This made them rather dry. And they weren't exactly the tastiest dumplings around.

Oh well. Better luck next time I guess.
And speaking of dumplings.

Fried Wantons ($8.00)

As usual, gotta have some of the fried version right?
But this is also where we got the most debate. After all, everyone has their fave wanton like I said.

Abang really liked the Fried Wantons here because they were crispy and even went as far as to say that he found them better than the ones found at Puncak (Far East). My darling wife on the other hand, says that the skin was too thick and the filling was too dry. Puncak's Fried Wantons was still tops in her books.

For me, I felt that the thicker Wanton skin they used here definitely gave more crunch when you chomped down but I think I too prefer the thinner-skinned (and maybe even smaller) Wantons.
And was the filling really too dry?

You be the judge

Fried Baby Squid ($14.00)

I really love Fried Baby Squid. And so does my Brother.
Never had to pay $14.00 for it before though! Bloody expensive!

The baby squids here were actually smaller than where you might get at other makan places (maybe they used Foetus Squids). The tentacle parts were really crispy but the bodies were kinda tough and chewy (which I actually don't really mind).

One thing I did like was that the sauce has a very lime-y tangy twist to it which was very appetizing.
Unfortunately there was very little sauce so it ended up being a bit dry.

Adam's Verdict:
Wanton Noodles (Dry) 2/5 -- Fried Wantons 2.5/5 -- Fried Baby Squid 3/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Sliced Fish Soup Noodles 2/5 -- Fried Wantons 2/5 -- Fried Baby Squid 2/5

Pak Busu's Verdict:
Fried Hokkien Mee with Prawn and Sotong 3/5 -- Fried Wantons 3/5 -- Fried Baby Squid 3/5

Abang's Verdict:
Bee Hoon Hong Kong 3/5 -- Fried Wantons 4.5/5 -- Fried Baby Squid 3/5

Overall I felt that our meal was really pricey and not really up to standards.
I'm not sure how it was in the past at the original location but I'm guessing perhaps times have changed.

Guess I'll go back to try their famous Curry Puffs someday.

Selera Cuppage

Cuppage Plaza, 5 Koek Road
#01-11

Tel: 62350520

Operating Hours:
12.00pm til 11.00pm Daily
(Closed on CNY)

Penang Culture

Advertorial

My darling wife had gone to this makan place with her friends during the recent Ramadhan. I hadn't heard much about Penang Culture before that. Many months later, we finally got the chance to visit and tuck in to some Penang-style cuisine.

The first thing that surprised us after browsing through the menu was that they offered not only Penang favourites but even some other dishes that you might enjoy as well.

Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodles ($7.65)

First thing on our list was the Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodles.
We did some research on foods that everyone should try in Penang and this was definitely on those lists!

When someone says Hokkien Mee in Singapore, the first thing that comes to mind is the Fried Hokkien Mee aka Rochor Mee which is the half-beehoon-half-yellow noodles dish with loads of prawns fried up in prawn stock. But when someone mentions Penang Hokkien Mee, we are talking a nice big bowl of soupy goodness.

The first thing we tried was the stock which was full of flavour!
We were told that the stock was made with prawns and chicken which is what gives it such a rich and flavourful oomph and I could not help but keep gulping it down.

You will also get bee hoon and yellow noodles  so you can decide which you prefer.
But it's topped off with fish cake, chicken, boiled egg and 2 big prawns for you to enjoy!

Here's a tip - mix in the spoonful of chilli sambal to give your dish an even more spicy kick!

Penang Assam Laksa ($6.95)

Here's another Penang must-try!

We've had Assam Laksa before but this was a whole different story.
The spicy-sour fish broth was really the bomb. I thought I had found treasure with the Hokkien Prawn Noodles broth but for those of you going for a more tangy flavour - this is for you!

And the best thing is that it was not overly sour that you get tired of the taste after a few spoonfuls.
This was a very flavourful broth and boy was I hooked!

And here's a special touch that I never expected.
You see that spoon with the black liquid? It's Petis Udang (Fermented Prawn Paste)!!
Totally unexpected and added such a big difference to the dish!

If the broth was not enough to convince you that this was authentic Penang fare, check out the noodles.
These are not the regular thin Laksa noodles you'd normally get. These are thicker (very similar to Laksa Cap) and give you a great bite.

Pile on some noodles, sardines and yummy broth and take a big delicious SLURP!!

Penang Fried Koay Teow ($7.95)

Here's the dish that so many people were telling us to try should we visit Penang Culture.
One of the dishes that comes to mind when someone says Penang is undoubtedly Penang Char Koay Teow.

Don't be confused with the Singapore version which has loads of sweet sauce in it.
None of that here but definitely lots of chilli! Don't worry it's not going to burn your mouth off but if you're the type that likes your kway teow to have the full flavour of noodles and spiciness of chilli, this is for you!

Finish it off with some greens, beansprouts, eggs and of course - cockles!
A Penang hawker favourite available right here!

BBQ Seafood Platter for 2 ($17.95)

If you're looking for something to share, consider this a good choice of BBQ goodies so you can sample a number of things at once. It's also good for you to whet your appetite while waiting for your main course!

You get a nice mix of BBQ prawns, Satay and BBQ squid.
In fact, it's even enough to share between 3-4 people!

The prawns were great and I love it when they make it easy to eat. No messy peeling!
And the sambal was good too! Similar to the BBQ seafood type of sambal you get and this one was a little sweet but definitely spicy!

And I didn't get a chance to snap a picture of the squid but it was tender and not at all rubbery!

For all you Satay lovers, you'll probably enjoy the Satay here. The meat was tender and the satay sauce was good. Plenty of cucumber and onions for you to chomp down on but you might wanna ask for more sauce.
And I know you'll probably say that if wanna east Satay then might as well go somewhere that specializes in Satay but if you're at Penang Culture, the Satay is still something you might want to try if you're there.

Pink Guava Juice & Ampla Juice ($4.55 each)

They've actually got quite a selection of drinks at Penang Culture for to wash down all the yummy makan.

One of the more unique ones (and one I've never tried before today) was the Ampla Juice.
The Ampla fruit is also known by another name, Buah Long-Long, and is apparently a very healthy choice.
It has a distinct veggie taste but also have a very nice tang to it. Definitely gets the appetite going and is refreshing enough to cool your mouth down with all the spicy food.

They also have Pink Guava, Rambutan Juice and even Nutmeg Juice!!

King Of Cendol ($6.95)

JENG JENG JENG!!!

The King Of Cendol is the perfect dessert for you Durian Lovers.
Cendol, sweet red beans and coconut milk topped off with shaved iced, gula melaka and fresh durian!!

The cendol was soft and the red beans were nice and sweet. And the fresh durian was definitely the highlight!
Definitely a nice and sweet end to a very very satisfying Penang-style meal!

They also have other sweet treats for you including Ice Kachang and Bubor Hitam!
And for those of you who do not fancy durian, don't worry! All the desserts have a version which does not have durian so you have a choice too!!

What we had tonight was just the tip of the iceberg apparently.
So many more dishes to try including Penang Belacan Fried Rice, Penang Hokkien Crab Noodles and even Assam Curry Fish Head!!

This is a great place for a quiet meal for 2 or even for a family feast.
They even have special Kids' Meals!

And in case I haven't mentioned, the head chef in-charge of all the dishes used to be a hawker/chef from Gurney Drive in Penang so he must definitely know what he's doing right! I've never been to Penang but I think I've got a great idea on how delicious the food is!

Penang Culture

Changi Airport Terminal 2 Departure
Viewing Mall Level 3
#036-087-01

Tel: 6546 7793
www.penangculture.com.sg

Operating Hours: 10.30am til 10.00pm Daily
Last order at 9.30pm