Hee Kee Desserts

Our tastes and sense of adventure when it comes to food nowadays knows no bounds.
We used to stick to what we knew and what we were familiar with. Even if something new came along and was  Halal, it might take awhile for an idea to catch on. But now, anything is possible.

One particular thing that we all seem to fancy is dessert!
You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't take at least a little enjoyment when indulging in their sweet tooth every once in awhile. Traditional Chinese-style desserts that are Halal is definitely a rarity in Singapore.

Well, finally we have somewhere to go to enjoy such delicacies!!

Hee Kee Desserts is located in Jurong Point which is quite a ways away for us East-siders so we made sure to cover the whole lot since we made the trip!

Traditional Steamed Milk Pudding ($3.50)

I know a lot of you are going "It looks so... boring..."
Well let me tell you - some of the best tasting things ever are the ones you least expect!

As plain as this looks, it was one of our faves! The milky flavour was divine and so smooth. It was not overly sweet so you can really taste the milk in the pudding. A lot of you might compare this to beancurd and it's pretty close but I'll prefer milk to soy milk anyday!

But if you REALLY insist on adding something to it, they have a Red Bean variation. Also, try the Almond Milk Pudding, Ginger Milk Pudding or the big one - Egg Yolk Pudding!
All traditionally steamed of course!

And just how smooth is the pudding?

Really smooth!!

Mango Cheong Fun ($6.00 for 2 pieces)

When we heard 'Mango Cheong Fun' we were a bit wary. The only 'Cheong Fun' we were familiar with was Chee Cheong Fun and we could not imagine any mangoes being associated with that. But oh boy were we surprised (in a good way).

The Cheong Fun skin was actually infused with coconut that you can actually taste!
And what awaits within the delicious white skin?

A nice big juicy piece of mango awaits you within! And what a combination when you eat the mango with the coconut-infused skin. You can really appreciate it if you're looking for a sweet and fresh flavour in your desserts.

I have to say that I was really surprised with this one. Not only was it something I didn't expect but I was very impressed with the innovative nature of the dessert. Damn creative right!

And speaking of innovative...

Durian Pancake ($3.30 per piece)

Hee Kee seems to be teasing us a lot by offering us stuff that is wrapped up.
First was the Mango Cheong Fun and now this. But we are not complaining! Far from it!!

Behold! The Durian Pancake! I actually nicknamed this 'The Golden Pillow' but then I realized that name was already taken... So instead... I shall call this... 'The Golden Cushion'!!

It's basically a coconut-infused crepe (that's oh-so-fluffy) that envelopes what is probably the favourite fruit of so many people. DURIAN!!! Oh yeah! The King of Fruits is ready to be devoured at Hee Kee and we recommend you enjoy it by ordering the Durian Pancake.

Now look at that. Super generous serving of durian all wrapped up within the crepe!
And just so you have a bit of variety, there's some whipped cream in there too but don't worry you durian lovers will still get to savour every single morsel.

And if you're looking for more durian, Hee Kee also has Durian Pudding and a few dishes that incorporate Sago with durian too!

Personally for me - as long as got durian means confirmed power!

Hee Kee also has other desserts with fruits as the main attraction by the way. They have a whole series called 'Manog Mania' and other desserts feature fruits like Rock Melon, Papaya and Watermelon too!

Durian Sauce with Sago ($5.80)

You all probably know we have a couple of obsessions here on The Halal Food Blog.
(I'm talking about obvious ones!) One of them is Poached Eggs and the other is... Salted Egg Yolks!
Maybe it's something about the 'runny' nature of the 2 but there's just something about them...

And the reason we mention this is because.. There's Salted Egg Yolk at Hee Kee!!

Salted Egg Yolks Glutinous Rice Balls in Osmanthus Sweet Soup ($3.80)

So here are these golden orbs of goodness... Dumplings made from glutinous rice containing some of the most delicious fillings ever known to man... Salted Egg Yolk! In fact you can see some already seeping out from the side there LOL

Okay so it's more of Salted Egg Yolk custard paste but it still counts and the salted egg yolk flavour still prevails when we take a big bite of those balls.

I don't know about you but I'm going ZOMG right about now...
And as always, we try to capture the perfect video of the oozing salted egg yolk but again we FAIL!!

But trust us. If you like Salted Egg Yolk, then try this dessert. Before this, we only had salted egg yolk for dessert in the form of a pau so this was a new experience for us. And the glutinous rice balls were not too thick so they had a good bite to them. Plus, they're swimming in a bowl of sweet Osmanthus broth which gives it a nice balance because it's really light.

Whole Coconut with Coconut Ice Cream & Peanut Crush ($8.80)

 If the first thing that comes to your mind when we say "dessert" is ice-cream, well they have it too!
And it's not going to be those sundaes that are over the top and too sweet... this is the natural stuff!

So you get a whole coconut complete with shell which they have hollowed out for you and fill it up with with really tasty coconut ice-cream! You can really taste the coconut flavour and the sweet flavour was just nice. They even have the coconut flesh which the scrape off the sides for you! Topped off with some crushed peanuts and you're all set!

And as an added bonus, they will serve you the coconut water from the coconut itself!
Nothing goes to waste here!!

Curry Chicken Ball ($3.80)

If you're like me and you need a little something else before you start on your desserts, fret not because Hee Kee also has something special in the form of their curry!

You can choose from the Chicken Ball (it's actually Chicken Luncheon Meat! ZOMG so good!) or the Curry Fish Ball. They both come with some really tasty curry and some tau kwa too! Perfect small bites to get you started on the road before your desserts!

And I have to say I was quite surprised by how tasty the curry was! To be honest it looked to be on the watery side but boy oh boy was it packed with curry flavour! Apparently it's a take on the popular Curry Fish Ball which is really popular in Hong Kong. Well, it made me wanna have prata after that!
LOL

Hee Kee really gives us the chance to sample and enjoy some traditional desserts because it's quite rare to find the ones that are certified Halal in Singapore. I'm talking about special desserts like Almond Paste, Taro Paste, Black Sesame Paste, Glutinous Rice Balls, Steamed Puddings and even Beancurds.

If you really wanna go all-out, they also have Birds Nest which is prepared traditionally in many variations like Red Date Soup, Rock Sugar and even Coconut Soup too!

If you're ever in the area, you should really drop by. In fact, it might even be worth making the trip all the way to the West because to be honest, the desserts here are pretty exceptional and we're glad that such a place exists that we can enjoy such desserts that we don't normally get to enjoy so often.

Hopefully they open one in the East or Central soon! *hint hint*

Hee Kee Desserts

JP 2, Jurong Point
1 Jurong West Central 2, #03-54/55

Tel: 6743 8480
www.facebook.com/heekeedesserts

Operating Hours:
11am til 10pm Daily

Streats Hong Kong Cafe Part 2

We love Streats Hong Kong Cafe because

• It has delicious HK-style makan
• Dim Sum! Dim Sum! Dim Sum!
• It's really near to our place (definitely a big factor)

And yes they serve Dim Sum but I'm still compiling all the different types they have so in the mean time, how about more or something else they're good at - oodles of noodles!

Nissin Spicy Noodles (Dry) with Chicken Chop ($7.20)

If you remember, I actually order the version with the Luncheon Meat normally.
Well, my darling wife felt like having noodles with a spicy kick so she settled on this.

The noodles are still the standard HK-style Nissin instant noodles we all love.
This time, they give you a spicy chilli sauce at the side to kick it up a little bit. But don't worry it's not that spicy so you don't have to worry about smoke coming out of your ears.

However, please note that the Chicken Chop is actually really big.
You might actually feel like putting it aside on a separate dish for awhile so that you can have a go at your noodles first.

HK Shrimp Dumpling Noodle (Dry) ($7.20)

ALERT!!
Shrimp Dumplings are not to be confused with Shrimp Wantons.
These are apparently 2 very different types of dumplings so please don't get the wrong idea.

As to what exactly is the difference between the Dumpling and the Wanton - I have no idea.
I must make it a point to ask them the next time we visit.

And quite honestly, the Shrimp Dumplings were not really impressive.
You do get a whole shrimp in each dumpling but taste-wise it's not really racking up any points.
Even the chicken char siew (which i love) could not redeem this dish.

Young Baby Cabbage with Salted Egg ($7.90)

When a side dish costs as much as a main dish, this means it has to be really really nice right?

Well, as lovers of salted eggs, my darling wife and I really expect to have the kick of salted eggs when we order anything with "Salted Egg' in the name of the dish. For this dish, it definitely uses the salted egg yolks in the gooey sauce which bathes the baby cabbage.

Not too bad actually but you'd better eat fast because after awhile, it starts getting to being a watery mess.
This is because they blanch the cabbage and just pour the sauce over it. This means that since the saus is only on top, any water trapped in between the cabbage is going to start seeping out and mixing with your salted egg which is a big no-no.

Lime Cooler & Iced Honey Lemon Tea ($3.80 each)

And of course, some refreshing beverages to wash down your meal.
Just a tip, you might wanna try something else if you expect a full and strong tasting drink.
These two are a little... mild.




Adam's Verdict:
HK Shrimp Dumpling Noodle (Dry) 2/5 -- Young Baby Cabbage with Salted Egg 2.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Nissin Spicy Noodles (Dry) with Chicken Chop 3/5 -- Young Baby Cabbage with Salted Egg 3/5

Obviously, our adventures with Streats Hong Kong Cafe are far from over.
Hopefully soon, we will be able to release the Dim Sum post!

Streats Hong Kong Cafe

Downtown East
1 Pasir Ris Close
Tel: 6584 4001

Operating Hours: 11.00am til 10.00pm Daily (Closed on CNY)

Hara Tim Sum Kitchen

So it's another walk down memory lane in this post...

When we were kids, my Dad used to buy these paus from Haig Road.
It used to come from this one stall at a coffeeshop where the current Banquet now stands and it was just this one guy selling Halal tim sum and nothing else.

It was always the same thing for us - BBQ Chicken Paus and Siew Mai.
And it was so delicious to use that we could finish up like a dozen of each with no problems.
Dad would buy a lot especially during Ramadhan where we'd eat some for buka and the rest for sahur.

But sadly, that stall closed and we couldn't seem to find it anywhere.
The only way we could find the paus were at some coffeeshops or petrol kiosks which carried the Hara Hong Kong Tim Sum product in the steamers. And there were not many around.

More common names were Nury Pau or KG Foods but... Hara Hong Kong was still top of the list for us.

Lo and behold, one day I happened to spot a sign from afar which bore the Hara name.
Could it really be the return of our favourite tim sum???

So my brother and I make our way one afternoon to check it out.

We spoke to a lady there who seemed to run the show and explained that Hara had been bought over and was now a major manufaturer of tim sum products. However, most of it was for export and for distribution which meant that Hara seldom sold its products for immediate makan on their own.

In fact, their current outlet was their one and only and they had only been there for about 2 years.

She was also quick to point out that Hara had adopted a 'Healthir Choice' attitude and incorporated a special wheat flour into their paus which gave them the appearance as above while giving you a healthier option when it comes to tim sum.

So on with the food!

Big Chicken Pau ($2.00)

Dad's favourite was always the Big Chicken Pau.
I think it was the egg that he liked.

Well it's definitely got more vegetables in it than I remember but it is a generous mouthful nonetheless.
Undoubtedly, the price has gone up as well but it's a pretty decent chicken pau.

BBQ Chicken Pau ($2.50 for 3)

Aha our favourite of all time.
In fact I still order a BBQ Chicken Pau at any place that sells Halal tim sum nowdays.

Unfortunately, it just doesn't seem the same as before.
It used to be a lot more tasty to be honest and the filling now is pretty dry.
I mean, it's still tasty but I guess times have changed...

Siew Mai ($3.00 for 4)

My brother is the supreme eater of Siew Mai.
If there is Siew Mai, he will eat it and it started because of Hara's siew mai.

And yes, it tastes as good as it looks in the picture.
Juicy and meaty and just simply delicious.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that these were from the traditional bamboo steamers they had there.
The paus on the other hand were from the modern electric steamer you'll find at the petrol stations.
I mean, when you think of tim sum, the traditional way is the bamboo steamers am I right??

Chicken Feet ($3.00)

Here's something I picked up from my Dad and my brother only recently caught on.
There's just something so comforting about a chicken's foot that has been seasoned, spiced and cooked till it's going to slide off the bones when you put it in your mouth. Sluurrrppppp.

But here's a fair warning - that's one spicy serving of chicken's feet.
It's probably the spiciest version I've ever tried anywhere. But still delicious.

Bamboo Steamers 2-1 Modern Steamers

And this next part coming up actually needs some explanation.
But I MUST point out from the start that this was probably a one-off incident. I mean, this could have happened to anyone at any makan place. So I'm just going to let you know what happened but it is not, in any way, intended to reflect a bad light on this fine eating establishment.

My brother and I enjoy the rice dishes when it comes to tim sum.
I'm talking about the all-time classics - Fan Choy & Lor Mai Kai.

Fan Choy ($2.20)

Lo Mai Kai ($2.20)

So it's basically rice (glutinous or otherwise) with some chicken or char siew chicken.
And we love it.

But this time, we had an unfortunate incident....

My brother started whacking the Fan Choy before my Lo Mai Kai had even arrived so it was half gone by the time I was ready to have mine. But something wasn't right... At first I was so insistent that it was just the glutinous rice and that maybe theirs was a special type which made it extra sticky. I even ate a mouthful to make sure.

But then my brother had a very strong case and was very confident that his Fan Choy and my Lo Mai Kai had gone bad. Bad meaning spoilt aka basi.

"No way lah!" I said. I mean, we're at the manufacturer's stall! This is like as close to the source as you can get! There's no way that this food has gone bad right?

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....................

That is not glutinous rice sticky...
That is unfortunately glutinous rice SLIMY...

A quick check with the server confirmed our suspicions.
In fact, a faulty steamer was to blame and all the Fan Choy and Lo Mai Kai from the steamer had gone south for the winter and had to be thrown out.

This was the modern steamer. The same modern steamer where our paus had come from.


Well they didn't charge us for the spoilt food (rightfully) and it's obviously impossible for me to give a rating for those 2 items.

And to be honest, the food wasn't all bad. Some of it was pretty delicious.
I guess it was just bad luck that 2 items had spoiled I guess. And I know it does not reflect on the taste of their food or quality of their ingredients but I'm afraid it does reflect on their quality control and management of their food products.

Maybe that's why it was empty during lunch time.

Adam's Verdict:
Big Chicken Pau 2.5/5 -- BBQ Chicken Pau 2.5/5 -- Chicken Feet 4/5 -- Siew Mai 5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Big Chicken Pau 2/5 -- BBQ Chicken Pau 3/5 -- Chicken Feet 4/5 -- Siew Mai 5/5

Oh and one more thing.
The chilli sauce used to be the bomb but the new version is slightly on the sour side.
Which is actually really disappointing.

Hopefully next time we have better luck with the Fan Choy and Lo Mai Kai.
Or maybe we'll just stick with the Siew Mai.

Hara Kitchen

742 North Bridge Road (Opposite Nasi Pariaman)
Tel: 9068 0258
www.facebook.com/haratimsum

Operating Hours:10am til 10pm Daily
=====================================================================

Update! (1st September 2013)

One of our readers, Sri Yusnita, informed us that it looked like Hara Dim Sum had packed it up.

Well, Hara Kitchen has down-scaled their operations but is still operating out of the same place.
Most of the shop is now operated by Nasi Pariaman who operates mainly just across the street but you can still get your dim sum fix at North Bridge Road!

Thanks to our anonymous reader for the tip-off! Keep them coming in! :)

PS you will see mainly the Nasi Pariaman sign when you go but if you look closely on the left, you will still see the Hara sign too...

See it there? :)

Streats Hong Kong Cafe

Quite a number of increasing choices for us to get Halal Hong Kong-Chinese cuisine and this of course includes something we all love - Dim Sum!!

So I discovered this place called Streats Hong Kong Cafe at Downtown East.
At first I didn't realize it was Halal but a closer look shows the Halal logo displayed proudly in the front.
And they seem to really be trying to keep to the kind of Hong Kong cafe we see elsewhere BUT this one is Halal of course.

Fried Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk ($3.80)

So for appetizers we started with the pumpkin.
We did this for one simple reason - anything with salted egg yolk MUST be good right?

As far as appetizers go, this is a winner.
The pumpkin is light and preps you for the meal ahead and you can taste the salted egg.
But in my opinion, there can never be enough salted egg yolk and this one seemed a little light on the yolk.

And now for the mains!

Famous HK Fried Beef Hor Fun ($8.50)

Firstly, it's not as oily as it looks...

You can have either the gravy version or the dry version. Above is the latter.
But I should also mention that we requested that we asked for it to be "extra black" with the intention of it having extra black sweet sauce added when cooking. And we also asked for it to be "extra spicy" but the server told us that this meant they would give us a side dish of sambal meaning they could not add the sambal when frying. Isn't that weird?

Anyways my darling wife didn't really like the kway teow used. It was kinda extra thin so it didn't really have a texture we were used to. Perhaps this is also the reason why the taste wasn't so strong.
It was as if either the sweet sauce they used wasn't that sweet OR the kway teow didn't really take the flavour in when cooking. In fact, the only specific taste we could identify was saltiness.

But on the plus side - the beef was actually pretty tender.
But I'm kinda questioning the high price though. I mean, it wasn't even that big of a serving...

Nissin Noodles with Chicken Luncheon Meat & Fried Egg ($7.20)

I have this thing about Hong Kong noodles ever since I saw those old Jackie Chan kung-fu movies and also the newer HK mahjong comedies. There would always be this big bowl of noodles with meat and sometimes soup and veggies. Love it.

Even though it's the instant Nissin noodles (which I guess is the HK style) it's actually a pretty decent noodle.
Top it off with chicken luncheon meat (my favourite!!) and we have a winner. I guess it's the salty edge of the luncheon meat which I (and others I suppose) love so much. Finish it off with some kai lan and a fried egg and we're all set. If you're lucky, the yolk of the egg is cooked just nicely that the yolk is fluid enough to mix in with your noodles... YUMMY!

But after all that, I face an obvious fact - you can just make this at home!
PS you can have the dry (above) or the soup version for this as well.

Salty Plum Soda & Iced Honey Lemon ($3.80 each)

In the true HK style, some of the drinks are served in those thick glasses you see above.
This includes the coffees and teas as well.

It's quite a nice touch actually. But unfortunately that's about all that's nice about them...
The sour plum was a little bit TOO sour even though it was just two sour plums in soda water.
And the Iced Honey Lemon? It's just some honey and two slices of lemon in iced water.
Tasteless.

Adam's Verdict:
Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk 2.5/5 --  Noodles with Chicken Luncheon Meat & Fried Egg 3/5
Iced Honey Lemon 1/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk 2/5 -- Famous HK Fried Beef Hor Fun 1/5 -- Sour Plum Soda 1/5

I actually like Streats. Most likely because it's so close my house.
You Korea-mania fans will be happy to know that they have a TV playing K-Pop music videos.
I'll probably go back there. For the Dim Sum menu. Not the K-Pop.

Streats Hong Kong Cafe

Downtown East
1 Pasir Ris Close
Tel: 6584 4001

Operating Hours: 11.00am til 10.00pm Daily (Closed on CNY)