Fork & Spoon Toa Payoh - Hanmiga Korean and Japanese Cuisine

As you know, we really loved the HK Beef Noodles from Fork & Spoon but that's gone now and nobody knows where it went (some said Jurong??)

And even though there are other nice things to eat there like the Chicken Rice (which happens to be on our Chicken Rice Chronicles list by the way), we don't really go as often anymore since our beloved Beef Noodles were no longer there.

But recently we were in the area so we stopped by even though we didn't really know what to have and my Darling Wife made a discovery!

BBQ Saba Fish Set ($6.00)

My darling wife absolutely loves Saba Fish and it's so hard to find a nice one nowadays but I think we may just have come across it right here at Fork & Spoon Toa Payoh.

The dish arrives on a sizzling hotplate (yeah you can see it sizzling in the picture!!) nice and piping hot to be enjoyed with rice. The Saba Fish is resting on a bed of chopped onions and served with white rice along with a customary serving of kimchi and Korean ikan bilis (anchovies).

One of the great things is that there is no hamching (fishy) taste or smell to be found here. In fact, even though it says BBQ, the fish is also (confirmed) fried up a little which is actually quite good. The fish is halved so you won't have to deal with any bones and you have easy access to the flesh.

One gripe though - it was a bed of chopped white onions and no cabbage that the fish rested on. In fact it wasn't even a lot of onions :(

But oh well I guess that's a small price to pay!

Maryah's Verdict
BBQ Saba Fish Set 3.5/5

Got quite a few other things to try on the menu but I think Saba Fish is probably gonna be at the top of the list for quite awhile.

Fork & Spoon Foodcourt (Toa Payoh)

Blk 470 Toa Payoh Lorong 6 (Above Courts)
#02-70

Operating Hours: 10.00am til 10.00pm Daily

Yellow Submarines

We definitely welcome recommendations from our readers for makan places for us to visit and most of the time, the suggestions we receive are really good leads! So, when I received the same recommendation from 3 different people within 2 days, we simply had to visit this place ASAP.

Check out the queue...

So there's this place called Yellow Submarines in Toa Payoh which opened in April but was just certified Halal recently. So what exactly do they specialize in? Cheesesteak sandwiches!

I remember seeing a feature on the Food Network about the best Cheesesteak sandwiches in the US. I knew that there were places in SG which sold Philly Cheesesteaks but pretty much all of them were not Halal joints. So my heart (and stomach) still longed for a nice Cheesesteak...

I received the recommendations on Wednesday and Thursday and we made our way to Toa Payoh on Friday evening. That's how excited we were to try it!

But we arrived at one of the busiest times - dinner time! Just check out the queue above! I waited in line for just about over 30 mins before I reached the front. And when I looked back, the line was stretched all the way to the pavement again. And I though to myself "This had better be worth it...".

Hmm.. I wonder what I'm gonna have...

They have quite a few items on the menu which you might be interested in. They've got a few different types of submarines sandwiches including tuna, chicken and even a mushroom one! They've also got a hotdog, a burger and Quesadillas!

But.. we were there... for one thing...

Yellow Submarines Classic ($6.90 ala carte / $9.90 meal)

*drool*
I don't know about you but I'm a meat guy. And I'm also a cheese guy.
So when you put meat and cheese together - I'm the guy who's gonna eat it up!

Nice thin slices of beef which are pan-grilled to tender and juicy perfection. Get a nice soft baguette-roll and pile on the beef atop a bed of  sauteed onions. Finally, top if off with a nice generous slobbering of cheese sauce... And just how much cheese are we talking about?

ZOMG is that a cheese overload or what!! Slurrrppppp!

The roll itself was soft and a good choice because it holds in the cheese sauce. I already mentioned that the beef was tender right? Well let me add that it's also a very generous serving of beef in the sandwich.

When it comes to the cheese, I actually noticed something when I tasted the cheese on its own.
The closest taste I can compare it to is the cheese you get at Long John Silver's. You know when you order the side of potato chips at LJ's and you get a small serving of cheese sauce? Well this is the closest thing I can match it to. I'm not saying it's the same cheese but close enough!

That's actually a good thing because I love this particular cheese! It has just the right flavour to go with the meat but since there's A LOT of the cheese, you'd better prepare yourself!

I've read some comments online that some ask for no onions or less/more cheese when they order.
Well, however you wanna have it - this is one sandwich that really hits the right spot.

And if that's not enough cheese for you...

Torpedo Fries ($3.00)

This was a real winner for me.
How can anyone possible resist Cheese Fries???

The fries were just perfect - crisp on the outside but still fluffy on the inside.
Top it off which a nice dollop of the cheese sauce and you're gonna be digging at it with your fingers instead of with a fork.

I reckon this is one of their best sellers and a definitely must-have!!

Coleslaw ($1.50)

The first thing that came to my mind when I tried the Coleslaw was "Long John's".
Just like the cheese, the Coleslaw was really really similar with the coleslaw served at Long John Silver's!
The noticeable difference was that this version was a little sweeter with some raisins added in.

I say this is a definitely a must have as well especially if you love the coleslaw at LJ's like me!

Adam's Verdict:
Yellow Submarines Classic 4/5 -- Torpedo Fries 4.5/5 -- Coleslaw 4/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Yellow Submarines Classic 4/5 -- Torpedo Fries 4.5/5 -- Coleslaw 4/5

High scores all around!
We have no doubt that a lot of people will be flocking to Yellow Submarines. Yet another superb makan place in Toa Payoh for us to visit!

We're definitely going back to try some other stuff on the menu. Plus a Cheesesteak or 3 :P

PS as a Beatle fan, i give a nod to the name of the joint :)

Yellow Submarines

Blk 177 Toa Payoh Central
#01-110 (Approach from behind NTUC side)
Tel: 6352 7890
www.yellowsubmarines.com.sg

Operating Hours:
10.30am til 10.30pm Daily

Toa Payoh Gourmet Paradise: Mee Rebus

Just a quick post for you guys on something that I'm sure everyone will recognize.

I guess that most people would consider Mee Rebus as a breakfast item but that's not necessarily the case.
Mee Rebus can be enjoyed at any time of the day and I've heard of several variations from the common Mee Rebus with Satay to the not-so-common Mee Rebus with Tulang.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that quite a few of you have your own special recipes for homemade Mee Rebus am I right? Hmmm.... SEDAP!

Mee Rebus ($3.60)

One morning while we were waiting for an appointment in the area, my darling wife felt like having some Mee Rebus. She used to work in the area awhile back and mentioned that there was a stall that sold a pretty mean bowl of Mee Rebus.

The food court itself apparently has undergone a renovation so she wasn't sure if the stall was still around.
Luckily for us, the stall was still around and we were the first customers of the morning.

The Mee Rebus itself was really tasty and the gravy had a good consistency to it. Some Mee Rebus I've had in the past have a gravy that is either too thick or too watery. This one managed to stay fluid and had a nice tasty kick to it especially when you add in the sambal for extra spicy goodness. We also added a Bagedil for good measure hehehehe.


One thing to note, the serving was actually quite big so 2 people can share.
Or maybe we were not that hungry?

Adam's Verdict:
Mee Rebus 4/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Mee Rebus 4.5/5

Let's face it - there are some dishes that you have a special personal preference so when you eat it, you either like it or you don't like it and I guess Mee Rebus is like that. So if you find one that you like, remember where it is so you can get it all the time!

Sedap Nasi Padang

Gourmet Paradise (Basement of Toa Payoh Bus Interchange)
Toa Payoh Bus Interchange, Lorong 6 Toa Payoh

Operating Hours:
7.30am til 9.00 pm Daily
Closed on Hari Raya and CNY

Fork & Spoon Toa Payoh - HK Beef Noodles

My mum used to work around the area of the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh once upon a many years ago.
And she told me about 2 things that were absolutely a MUST to makan there.
One was a Rojak shop that was so popular that it had a 'queue number' system and the other was a Beef Noodle stall at Fork Spoon.

And since my first taste all those years ago, I always seem to go back for the same thing.
Even though I may order something different, the basics are the same - noodles, beef & gravy.

 (Dry) Beef & Tendon Noodles ($5.50)

(Dry) Beef Noodles ($4.50)

Oh boy just looking at it whets my appetite.
Yum yum yum.

Tender Beef

Okay so I USED to order just the normal Beef Noodles but I've upgraded to have some tendon in the mix as well!!

You actually have a few choices to make when you step up the stall...

Firstly - do you want the Dry (with a thick soy and beefy gravy as seen above) or the Soup. I've never really had the Soup version before so I can't really help you there. Obviously I prefer the Dry.

Secondly - what type of noodles do you want? They have 3 options for you namely kway teow, the wantan-type of noodles and also the thick bee hoon which is the actual default noodle when you order Beef Noodles at most places I guess.

Thirdly - what you want with your noodles. Beef? Beef with Tendon? Beef with Tripe?
Choices choices choices!!!

So depending on your taste I guess some of you might choose something different but it's probably going to include the beef right... And you can see from the picture above, that's one tender piece of beef.
I understand from asking around that most the Beef Noodle stalls elsewhere actually have thinly slice beef strips which are quickly blanched so this is obviously something different. If you ask me, this is technically more of a Stewed Beef Noodle. But stewed or blanched or whatever it's still delicious lah.

Beef Tendon

I don't know when exactly I became a fan of tendon to be honest. Must be something I picked up from my Mum & Dad.

But not just ANY tendon will do.
This particular tendon is so soft that I had to pierce it with my chopstick to hold it up for the picture because it kept sliding off like a piece of jelly. That's how soft it is.

So for you fans of tendon - REJOICE!!

Sorry I can't tell you guys anything about the Tripe version of the noodles though. Maybe some tripe fans can try it out and let me know how it is... Err.. is there anyone out there that likes tripe in the first place???

Well I don't know it this is considered an "authentic" Beef Noodle dish... but it sure as hell is a delicious one in my books and I'd have it over and over again for sure.

Adam's Verdict:
Beef & Tendon (Dry) Noodles 4/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Beef  (Dry) Noodles 3/5

Things have definitely changed over the years though.
Price has gone up by $0.50 across the board . They used to put Kai Lan instead of cabbage.
But... the beef is still the bomb.

Fork & Spoon Foodcourt (Toa Payoh)

Blk 470 Toa Payoh Lorong 6 (Above Courts)
#02-70

Operating Hours: 10.00am til 10.00pm Daily