Soon Lee (Bedok Corner): Fried Carrot Cake and Fried Oyster

In the past, the only place that I could eat Fried Carrot Cake aka Chai Tau Kway was at home.
My Dad would fry it up (always the 'black' version) and we would promptly devour it because it's the bomb.
But now with more and more different types of cuisine getting certified Halal, you can get Fried Carrot Cake at any one of a number of places these days.

Many many years ago, I stumbled upon a stall at Bedok Corner selling Fried Carrot Cake, Fried Oyster and Char Kway Teow. And best of all - it was Halal! And plenty of people seemed to be flocking towards it so I guess they had to be doing something right.

So we hadn't visited Bedok Corner in quite awhile and one day, I grabbed the opportunity to get my Chai Tau Kway fix. And that's where the mystery began... (Watch out for the twist later)

Fried Carrot Cake (Black) ($3.00)

Definitely my preferred of the two versions is the 'Black' Fried Carrot Cake which is fried with thick sweet sauce to give it a nice sweet and soggy perfection. Comfort food and very tasty!!

Carrot cake pieces are mixed in with the sweet sauce and egg and it sounds so simple but it takes real skill to dish out a nice serving of Fried Carrot Cake (as like most other dishes). And for $3.00, you have to admit that Soon Lee definitely dishes out a very generous serving. That's enough for 2 people!

Only one problem though - the Chai Poh (Salted Radish) was missing!!

Fried Carrot Cake (White) ($3.00)

Very very very very seldom do I order the 'White' version. In fact, I think this might be only the 3rd time I'm doing so in my entire life!! I'm not saying it's bad (maybe just a bit boring) but I guess it's just individual preference.

The 'White' version as you can see is a lot less messy than it's sweet sauce counterpart. I guess this means you will get a more 'original' taste when you tuck into the fried carrot cake which has a nice semi-crispy omelette to top it off. You will definitely get a strong peppery taste.

One of the things I notice about both versions at Soon Lee is that it is not too oily which is a plus.
But again - no Chai Poh!! I'm not sure about you guys but that minced up pickled radish is a must for me in Fried Carrot Cake... Kinda lacks a certain kick without it. Anyone feel the same?

Fried Oyster ($5.00)

The best Fried Oyster we've reviewed (so far) was at the now-closed Mr Teh Tarik in Changi Village.
Could this version match up??

Definitely (again) and very generous portion for the price you pay and plenty of oysters for you to tuck into if you're a fan. But I think most of you go for the egg and flour part right? Admit it!!
Well the texture of the egg/rice flour part was quite crispy in some parts but definitely lacking a nice gooey texture overall.

On top of that, the sambal was actually quite disappointing. You can see from the picture that it's a bit watery and didn't have quite as much kick as you'd expect from the sambal.

But like I said - you oyster lovers should be happy :)
Pity about the rest of the dish though... I always remembered it being much nicer than this leh...
Oh well I guess the search continues...

AND HERE COMES THE TWIST!!!
The whole time I was eating, I was thinking to myself "How come the staff at the stall was different?". I'd ordered from that same stall location for many years and it was pretty much the same people all the time (aka a Chinese lady and the 2-3 cooks insides), This time, it was a Malay guy and one Chinese cook.

At first I thought maybe they were still on CNY break or something.
But then - we saw it.... Another stall behind us with the name 'Green Sky' and guess what - I saw the Chinese lady from the original stall there with the cooks!!

NO WONDER LAH!! It seems like the original people shifted to a different stall location. Soon Lee's signage looks similar to the old one so I guess it would be easy to overlook since the location of the stall is what most people would remember (kinda like the Internation vs Mizzy Nasi Lemak at Changi Village).

Adam's Verdict:
Fried Carrot Cake (Black) 3.5/5 -- Fried Carrot Cake (White) 2.5/5 -- Fried Oyster 2/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Fried Carrot Cake (Black) 3/5 -- Fried Carrot Cake (White) 3/5 -- Fried Oyster 3.5/5
Well, whatever happened there I am not sure. But I'm pretty sure we'll be visiting again soon to try out the 'original' stall at its new location and maybe even a Makan vs Makan??

Soon Lee (Bedok Corner)

Bedok Food Centre (Near Bedok Camp)
#01-02

Operating Hours:
10.30am til 9.30pm Daily
Closed on Mondays

Swensen's - Sides Part I

Swensen's is a pretty popular brand in Singapore and quite a favourite choice sometimes.
And I know most of us go like "Oh I prefer somewhere more unique" or "Swensen's? No better place meh?" but the truth is - Swensen's is actually not that bad to be honest.

We've already covered a few of their breakfast dishes and also the soups and salads.
Luckily for us, they also have an extensive Sides menu. So extensive that we need to split it up!!
Anyways, if you're gonna eat there, maybe this might help you choose on some side dishes to go along with your main course!

Meatballs in Pepper Sauce ($9.40)

In what was probably the biggest surprise food-wise in quite awhile, these are actually the bomb!
I really was expecting just another generic dish and it was probably not going to be anything special but oh boy was I completely wrong on this one!

The mashed potatoes were an absolute dream.
I can't be sure if they're instant or if they're made scratch from actual potatoes but whatever the case, they were definitely put through the ricer again which results in an absolutely creamy texture and enriched with a nice hearty buttery taste.

The meatballs themselves were absolutely divine.
A combination of chicken and beef, these were cooked to perfection and were not overdone at all. The meat remained juicy and soft and the pepper sauce went together perfectly.

I know you think I'm probably exaggerating but I seriously enjoyed every last bite of this dish.

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks ($8.40)

Something pretty basic like this can still be easy to mess up.
(Trust me I've had some bad fried cheese sticks in the past. That's right I'm looking at YOU Pastamania!)
But at Swensen's, they pleasantly surprise.

One of the main plus points - it's not oily despite being deep fried.
I literally ate these with my fingers and had little or no oil residue on my fingers at all. And I know it was fried because I got the oil when I bit into the cheese.

The outer-coating remained crispy and managed to maintain its integrity by not falling apart or going soggy. The cheese melted a little bit but you still get a bit of the chewy texture you'd expect from some mozza. And the salty flavour of the cheese is definitely evident here. Minimal seasoning lets you enjoy the cheese!

I'm certain that all you cheese lovers out there will enjoy this!
But cheese is always heavy on the palate so maybe this one might be best to share.

Adam's Verdict:
Meatballs in Pepper Sauce 5/5 -- Mozzarella Cheese Sticks 4/5

If the sides are this good, then I might just have these without ordering any mains!
Let's see what else they have on the Sides menu... Will report back soon!

Swensen's (Bedok Mall)

Bedok Mall
311 New Upper Changi Road
#1-77

Operating Hours:
10.30am til 10.30pm Weekdays
8.00am til 10.30pm Weekends
(Last Order at 10.15pm)