Hungry Ang Mo | Food Blogger | Vegan

For those who love durians in Singapore, definitely I am sure your biggest frustration will be one simple thing - Durian sellers. These crafty human beings spend their entire working lives lying to and deceiving innocent people. Therefore, there should always be one golden rule when buying the king of fruits - Never trust anyone. Having said all that, Mr Goh (feels strange calling a durian seller 'Mr' and not 'Ah') has a reputation as being one of the most trusted durian sellers in the entire country. He has been selling durians around the Hougang/Serangoon area since the 1970's, and prides himself on selling the best quality durians to the public.

717 Trading
Location: #01-01 Highland Centre, 22 Yio Chu Kang Road
Contact: 96751821

During the peak of the durian season, Mr Goh imports several delectable durian species - Such as green bamboo, black pearl, tawa, mao shan wang, golden phoenix and dashan (a rare durian from Penang). But on this particular visit only Red Meat (otherwise known as 'hong rou') was available. This is one of the more common and more affordable durians, which can typically be found at many durian stalls.

Be warned, if you're looking for cheap durians, don't go to 717 Trading. Mr Goh is a seller who provides high quality durian, and thus the prices are also high. 717 is a place for durian fanatics to visit, there will be no three boxes for $10 sales here! Red Meat durian can be characterised as being one of the sweetest durian varieties available. For those who don't like bitter durians, and have an overwhelming sweet tooth - This will be the durian for you.

717 Trading does have a seating area, where you can relax and enjoy your durian in peace. Also, recently 717 have started offering delivery services (delivery charge starts from $12) for those who don't want to run the gauntlet of travelling on buses and trains with something criminally smelly in your possession. For those who prefer durian style cakes and pastries, your visit to 717 will not be complete without sampling their famous durian puff's.

I was quite pleased with the quality of this durian. However, the flesh was a little too watery for my liking. Additionally, as is the case with most sweet durians, the seeds were very large. The thing I liked most was the beautifully smooth, thick and creamy flesh. The emphasis should be on the word 'smooth' So often, for lesser durians, the flesh is rather clumpy. The texture of this durian was like a creamy pudding - Glorious.

Price: $12.00/kg. 7/10

Below is the pricing of other durians from 717, during the June 2013 period:-
Mao Shan Wang $25/kg
Golden Pheonix $22/kg
Black Pearl $18/kg
Green Bamboo $18/kg
Red Meat $12/kg

Conclusion - This will be the first of many durian reviews emunating from 717 Trading. This particular 'red meat' species is good, but probably not one that I would order again. The biggest issue most people have with 717 is the pricing, and it is easy to see why. 717 definitely stocks good quality durian - However, if you do your homework, you can get those same durians for much cheaper elsewhere.

Bottlegourd is one ingredient that is used in great regularity in a lot of Indian vegetable dishes. It is sometimes stuffed, to make dishes such as lauki musallam, added to make a sambar, added into curries - Or even made into pickles. Today's recipe is an example of the latter, and it goes by the name Sorakkaya Pachadi.

Ingredients

· Bottlegourd –depending how much chutney you want

· Oil – 4 TS

· Mustard Seeds – 1 TBS

· Cumin Seeds – 1 TBS

· Red Chilli – 2-4 pieces

· Urad Daal – 3 TBS

· Curry Leaves – 5 pieces

· Garlic – half a head

· Tamarind – 1 TBS

· Green Chilli – 2 medium size

· Hing – 1 TSP

· Turmeric – 1 ½ TSP

· Salt – to taste

· Sugar - pinch

Instructions

1. For this recipe, we are going to temper the ingredients first, instead of last. Take some oil in a pan, once the oil becomes hot, add urad daal. Cook this daal for a few minutes, and then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilli and curry leaves. After a minute or so, remove these ingredients and keep aside, but keep some of the oil in the pan.

2. In the oil, add garlic and green chilli. There is no need to chop or dice these ingredients as we will blend them later. Once they have cooked, add hing, turmeric and tamarind.

3. After a few minutes of cooking, add the bottergourd into the pan. This chutney is actually something that historically used to be made with the leftovers of bottlegourd. So if you want, you can even add the bottlegourd skin into this. But cooking time will be slightly longer if you add the skin.

4. Add salt and sugar, and then cook this bottlegourd for 8-10 minutes.

5. Then put this bottlegourd mixture into a blender and blend until it is a coarse paste. Then combine this paste with the tempering that was done at Step 1 and mix together.

6. Done!

Sometimes in our lives, we get that late night supper itch, with an intense craving for something greasy and criminally bad for the health - Am I the only one? Closing at midnight, Victor's offers the perfect vegetarian solution to this problem. The food on offer at Victor's is practically tailor made for that aforementioned supper itch, with it specialising in otah, satay and Western dishes.

Victor's Vegetarian Food
Location: 79A, Circuit Road, #01-83
Contact: 90025986
Opening Hours: Tue - Sun 4pm - 12am. Closed Monday.

We were eating at Victor's around 9pm on a Friday night, and the stall was pretty busy with customers. Most of whom were ordering their delectable chicken satay, which you can see being cooked (pictured). It goes without saying (unless you've been living under a rock) that Circuit Road is a vegetarian heaven, with countless vegetarian stalls all within close proximity.

I kicked my night of gluttony off with the Roasted Beef Chop. This dish has a huge slab of mock meat, which occupies two-thirds of the plate. The mock meat was tasty enough, but the sauce on top was a little too salty. The dish also comes with french fries, baked beans and a really miserable looking salad. Comparing this dish with fish & chips from Veggie Cottage, then the latter wins hands down (and is only 50c more expensive). Nevertheless, this Western meal did enough to satisfy my craving. Funnily enough, on a separate occasion, I ordered their lamb chop, which was almost exactly the same as this dish - Only difference was they used thick crinkle cut fries and added a wedge of lime! Audacious!

Price: $6.00. 5/10

If you're going to Circuit Road, it is imperative that you order Victor's Chicken Satay. These juicy skewer filled gems fit perfectly with the ambiance of this hawker centre. What makes these satay's so attractive is the charred black segments - Yes, I know these are very carcinogenic and bad for the health, but I was not in the mood to entertain those consequences that night. Not only are the mock meats delicious, but it comes with an outstanding peanut satay sauce, which is neither too spicy nor too oily, and has a wonderful creamy texture. Supper and satay's are a match made in heaven. Warning, if you're ordering these satays during a busy time, you might have to wait 15-20 minutes.

Price: $0.70/piece. 8/10

Something new that we were curious to try was the Teriyaki Chicken. This 'Z' shaped mock meat was cooked on the grill and served with a slice of lime and chili sauce. Similarly to the chicken satay, the price of this mock meat seems a little unreasonable, as the size is pretty small. It had acceptable flavour and texture, but not one that I would consider ordering again.

Price: $2.00. 5/10

Conclusion - Does Victor's sell high quality Western food? No. If quality matters to you, then there are a number of other establishments in Singapore that can give you much better quality Western vegetarian food, at almost the same price. But, Victor's food suits the ambiance of Circuit Road perfectly, which would explain the reason for this stalls continued success and popularity.

Overall Rating
Food - 6/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 6/10

I remember visiting Plaza Singapura back in 2007, I was merely a skinny 20 year old tourist back then. Six years later, now I'm a 26 year old skinny resident, returning to PS. Six years ago, this stall didn't exist. In fact, there was no vegetarian stall at the Level 6 Kopitiam. Therefore I was quite delighted to discover that there is finally a veggie option at this huge shopping centre.

Su Man Yuan Vegetarian
Location: 68 Orchard Road, Plaza Singapura, Level 6
Contact:Unknown
Opening Hours: Daily

For those wanting white/brown rice options, this stall has quite an impressive spread of fresh dishes to choose from.

I decided to start my little adventure of with the Brown Rice and Dishes. I opted to get eggplant, vegetables and mock fish as my dishes. The eggplants were suitably creamy, and light in flavour. The mock fish thankfully didn't have much spice, but was a little too salty for my liking. Finally, the leafy vegetables were still crunchy and had a nice mild ginger flavour. Overall it was a satisfying meal, but price wise this is pretty high just for rice and dishes.

Price: $4.00. 6/10

Eating alone at a table with two plates of food certainly catches the curious glimpses of passers-by, but I don't tend to care. The second dish I picked was theChicken Rice. The oddest thing about this dish was the rice. It was clumped together, almost Malacca-style, into a ball. The rice was cooked in such a way that it all stuck together - Personally, I am a fan of hard rice, so this didn't excite me too much. The mock 'chicken' and tofu were a little too salty, but well flavoured. The chilli was thankfully not as mind-blowingly spicy as it look. The quality of the rice and price are the two biggest let downs for this dish.

Price: $3.80. 5/10

Conclusion - If you're at Plaza Singapura, and don't feel like taking a walk out in the baking hot sun - Then your equation is very simple, Su Man Yuan is your only vegetarian option. In a way, I guess we should think ourselves lucky that there is one option. In the past, PS had nothing at all for vegetarians. The quality of the food isn't great, but I am just thankfully something vegetarian is there.

Overall Rating
Food - 6/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 6/10
Value - 4/10

Those with a good memory will know I reviewed Veggie Cottage back in April 2013 (review HERE) when the cafe was just a few weeks old. In that review, I made a vow that I would return once again, a few months later, to see how this charming little eatery has evolved and matured. Dietary wise, take note that this cafe is 100% vegan. However, onion and garlic are present in some of the Western dishes.

Veggie Cottage
Location: 13 Dalhousie Lane
Contact: 67856771
Opening Hours: Tue-Sat 11am-8.45pm, Sunday 11am-4pm. Closed Monday.

As I've mentioned in the past, the interior of this cafe provides without question one of the best eatery ambiances that I've experienced in Singapore. A blackboard is placed inside (there is one outside too) which states what dishes are available on that particular day. There is no guarantee what dishes will be available that day. If you're going there to try a particular dish, then it is probably best to call ahead and ensure they are selling it that day.

These are some delicious complementary cookies that were served to us upon sitting down. These cookies (like everything at Veggie Cottage) are 100% vegan.

The first dish to arrive to our table was the Mongolian Dumpling Soup. I can't say I'm an expert on Mongolian cuisine, but I am sure this dish is quite authentic - As the recipe was given by someone from Mongolia apparantly. Dumplings are not really my thing, but overall I did find these quite enjoyble. The texture of the dumpling skin is what is so vital. Often poorly made dumplings either have a skin that is too tough and rubbery. Or, on the opposite end of the scale, it is too doughy and soft, and end up sticking to each other. The soup flavour was refreshing. I especially love the sweet dark sauce, that was served along with it.

Price: $4.00. 7/10

Having previously visited Veggie Cottage on two occasions, it had been my bad luck that the Fish & Chips was always sold out or not available. Therefore, I was overjoyed when I realised this time around it was available. People speak very highly of this dish, and with good reason - It is outstanding. One travesty in Singapore vegetarian establishments is serving old and withered looking leafy vegetables - What is so fantastic about Veggie Cottage, is that you can taste the freshness in all the ingredients. The focal point of the dish is the mock fish. The batter of this 'fish' was light and moreish, with the mock meat itself having just the right amount of seaweed flavour. Price wise this dish is superb value for money, considering the quality and freshness of the food.

Price: $6.50. 9/10

For those who read my first review, you will know the highlight of the meal was the spaghetti bolognese. Therefore, I was overjoyed when I discovered that Veggie Cottage had added Aglio Olio to their menu as well. I'll repeat what I said many months ago - If you want perfectly cooked pasta (which in Singapore is virtually unheard of) then you must head to Veggie Cottage. Not only is the pasta cooked perfectly, but the other ingredients were equally as outstanding. The garlic (be warned Buddhists) was browned and cooked sensationally. But the real hero of the dish was the fresh parsley, which really gave the dish a fresh and earthy element. Perhaps a couple of cherry tomatoes inside would have made it even more amazing.

Price: $6.50. 9/10

Conclusion - This cafe undoubtedly ranks as one of the most special eateries in Singapore. Whether you're a vegan, vegetarian, fishetarian, donkeyetarian or whatever - It doesn't matter, you will find something to enjoy about this homely cafe. The only downside, which continues to persist, is the waiting time. A waiting time of at least 15-20 minutes should be expect. But for me, I'm happy to wait and soak up the ambiance.

Overall Rating
Food - 9/10
Ambiance- 10/10
Service - 9/10
Value - 9/10

The biggest goal I have from posting about durians, is to highlight durian sellers who are honest, trustworthy, and sell good quality durians at a fair price. Using the aforementioned as a criteria for a good durian stall, then Kong Lee Hup Kee is probably the best durian stall in Singapore.

Kong Lee Hup Kee Trading
Location: Blk 440 Pasir Ris Dr. 4, #01-03
Contact: 98517753

This small stall is run by a husband and wife team, named Mr and Mrs Chia. The ambiance of this almost like a family home. With their grandson usually appearing in the background of the stall. Amazingly, Mr Chia has been selling durians for almost 40 years now. He is probably still most well-known for his Tiger Hill Durians stall, which existed on Waterloo Street, in the 1980's.

Mr & Mrs Chia work in harmony together, and really do their best to ensure the durian that you take away is of the highest quality. Mr Chia is very open to sharing his decades of knowledge on durians, and will show you exactly what you should be looking for when picking out a good durian.

D13 can be known as a 'poor man's mao shang wang' simply because a lot of its characteristics are similar to Singapore's most popular durian. Because of this reason, sly durian seller's often sell D13 under the name 'mao shang wang'. To avoid falling into this trap, study up on how to identify a real mao shang wang - The most obvious sign in the 'star' shape that is at the bottom of the fruit.

From the outside, the D88 just looks like a typical medium sized pear-shaped durian, which is pretty similar to many species. It is only when the durian is opened up, that you can behold its true glory. The flesh is stunning, with gigantic pasty yellow pearls staring back at you.

XO durian is one of the smaller durian species, the flesh is typically watery, clumpy and bitter. It is famous for having a distinctively alcoholic aftertaste.

Out of the three durians that I sampled, D13 was definitely the sweetest. The flesh does resemble mao shang wang slightly. But it is evident the quality is vastly different. The flesh doesn't have the complexity of flavours that MSW has. The flesh is a little on the watery side, and the seed is significantly bigger than MSW. A nice light durian, but nothing too outstanding to take note of.

Price: $8.00/kg. 6/10

After seeing the D88 inside the sytrofoam box, I wasn't expecting much from it. It looked a little raw and seemed like huge seeds were lurking underneath the flesh. However, I actually really enjoyed this durian. Although it is not as top quality as golden phoenix or MSW, it is still a great value durian, that has both excellent taste and texture. The seeds are surprisingly small, and the flesh is thick. This is not a durian you should be putting in the refrigerator - As I found that the flesh becomes too hard. The texture of the flesh is ideal at room temperature.

Price: $8.00/kg. 7/10

This season I've faced a lot of disappointment when it came to finding a perfect XO durian. Mostly, the species is guilty of being too watery. The XO durian that Mr Chia sells, however, is definitely the best I have had all season. XO is always going to be a little watery, but this durian was about 80% creamy and 20% watery - Just perfect. If you find that the texture is still too watery, then refrigerating the durian overnight will harden the flesh. Texture wise I found this XO was outstanding, the only let down was the lack of alcoholic flavour, which XO typically has. However, I did notice a dominant vanilla flavour, which was highly intriguing.

Price: $12.00/kg. 8/10

Conclusion - Who would have thought that a small little stall in Pasir Ris is one of the best durian stalls in Singapore. This review has helped to highlight Kong Lee Hup Kee Trading's 'lesser' durians, which you can purchase at a more affordable price. My next review of Mr & Mrs Chia's stall will take a look at the more high quality durians that can be purchase during the main durian season.

I always love it when I stumble upon another Singapore-based vegetarian or vegan blogger. Recently an exciting new blog called Mr & Mrs Vegan has launched - A blog that reviews eateries, products, and also provides vegan recipes. If you like my blog, I am sure you will love this one even more, and I urge you to check out their site.

This weeks Recipe Wednesday comes from Mr & Mrs Vegan, and the recipe is none other than Vegan Lasagna.

This recipe is in two parts. First, it is required to make the cashew nut cheese - Afterwards this will be added into the main lasagna recipe!

Lemon Basil Cashew Cheeze
Adapted from here.

Yield: ~1 cup

1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 30 mins or overnight

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 cup vegetable broth or water (or more as needed) (I added about 1/2cup of water)

1.5 cups fresh basil leaves (lightly packed)

1/2 cup nutritional yeast (gives the cheese flavour)

3/4-1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste) + freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder (optional) (I did not add this)

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse soaked cashews. With the food processor turned on, drop in your garlic cloves and process until chopped. Add in the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Lasagna

Ingredients:

454 g Box of lasagna noodles*
1.5 bottles of pasta sauce or use homemade marinara sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 sweet onion, chopped (2.5 cups)
1 regular size zucchini, chopped
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 large handful spinach
2 pre-cooked veggie burgers, crumbled (optional)
Lemon Basil Cheeze Sauce (from above)
Daiya cheese (as much as desired) (I did not add this)
I also added in a can of vegetarian chilli beans as seen above

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet, sautee onion and garlic over low-medium heat for 5 minutes. Now add in the rest of the veggies and sautee for another 10-15 minutes (I added the can of vegetarian chilli beans into this mixture). *Season well with Herbamare or kosher salt and black pepper. (I added some garlic powder too)* This is key or you will have bland tasting vegetables in your lasagna.

2. Our lasagna sheets do not require pre cooking. But we had to soak them in warm water for a few minutes.

3. Add 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish. Add a layer of noodles, half the basil cheeze sauce, half the vegetables, more pasta sauce, another layer of noodles, veggie burger crumbles (optional), the rest of the cheeze sauce, the rest of the vegetables, more pasta sauce, and finally a sprinkle of cheese.

4. Cover with tinfoil and prick with fork a few times. Bake at 400F for 40-45 minutes and then remove tinfoil and broil for 5 minutes on medium. Watch closely so you don’t burn the edges. Remove and serve. Will keep in the fridge for at least 3-4 days.

5. Done

I've received a couple of emails and comments urging me to head back down to Loving Heart Cafe, as the place has had a change of management. Sure enough, upon arriving, the place certainly does look quite different. In the past, Loving Heart Cafe looked almost identical to Loving Hut - But now the bright orange interior makes this eatery a little more unique. Although there has been a significant change to the interior, the menu has remained pretty much the same.

Loving Heart Cafe
Location: Blk 134 Geylang East Ave 1, #01-219
Contact: 67442029
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 10am - 10pm. Sunday 7am - 10pm

This restaurant is 100% vegan, and (similarly to Loving Hut) is under the Supreme Master 'name'. You will see television screens playing their infamous Supreme Master TV, which is run predominantly by the well-known blonde-haired Vietnamese Master Ching Hai.

The first time I visited/reviewed Loving Heart Cafe was almost two years ago, and the one item that stuck in my mind the most was the Black Pepper Burger. This burger was one of the most affordable and high quality burgers that I had sampled in Singapore. Therefore, this time around, I wanted to ensure that the quality had not diminished. Unfortunately, I did find that the quality of this burger has taken a turn for the worse. The burger bun was not as nicely toasted as before - Due to this, the ingredients and the bread tended to have quite a soggy consistency. Still a good value burger, though.

Price: $2.50. 6/10

Next dish that made its way to the table was the Minced Mushroom Noodle. I was impressed by the quality and freshness of the vegetables and noodles in this dish. The noodles were cooked well and had suitable QQ texture. The mushroom sauce was full of flavour and matched well with the beansprouts and pieces of mushroom. I also enjoyed the soup, which accompanied this dish. Although I am certainly more of a rice person, I still found this dish enjoyable and had no problems finishing the entire bowl.

Price: $3.00. 7/10

During my previous visit I tried the fried chicken rice, which I found to be pretty decent. This time around I went for the Hainanese Fragrant Rice (Steamed) - Otherwise known as 白雞飯. This was definitely the highlight of the meal for me. Although the price may be off putting to the more money conscious customers, I found it to be worth the cost. Firstly, it is presented beautifully on the plate. The elongated white plate allows for the ingredients to be lined up in a perfect uniform pattern. Flavour wise, the red chilli sauce had the right amount of zest and spice. The greens were fresh and crunchy. The mock steamed 'chicken' was juicy and flavourful. Overall, this is an incredibly solid version of 'chicken' rice, which takes some beating.

Price: $4.00. 8/10

Conclusion - If you're looking for 100% vegan food in Singapore, then Loving Heart Cafe should definitely be on your list of places to visit. Although I was slightly disappointed with the burger, I found that the rest of the dishes were of excellent quality, with reasonable pricing to match.

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 8/10

During my Hong Kong visit, our home base was Wanchai, which is an awesome place to find vegetarian food. Eventually though, we ventured out of Wanchai to explore what other vegetarian offerings are available in different parts of Hong Kong. Three Virtues has gained a formidable reputation for offering, perhaps, the best quality vegetarian dim sum in the entire country. Admittedly, I am not a huge dim sum fan, so I was hoping my visit to Three Virtues would transform my way of thinking about this popular breakfast/lunch meal.

Three Virtues Vegetarian Restaurant
Location: 1/F , 395 King's Road, North Point, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2586-1333
Opening Hours: Daily until 9pm

This restaurant is bustling, but incredibly well run and efficient establishment. For those who visit Hong Kong restaurants, you will notice the staff uphold a mesmerizing high level of service, with empty plates rarely staying at your table for more than a few seconds. The staff in Hong Kong definitely earn their service charge - Unlike a lot of eateries in Singapore, where they have service charge, yet the staff barely do anything to assist you. Pictured is the full menu for the dim sum. If you can't read or speak Chinese, don't bother coming to Three Virtues, unless you want to blindly point and guess what to order.

There was one 'dim sum' dish that I was looking forward to trying more than any other - Fish Ball Curry. Thankfully, I was not left feeling disappointed by this wonderfully mild curry. Considering fish ball curry is one of Hong Kong's well-known dishes, I was surprised that more vegetarian eateries weren't concocting their own version of this dish. In fact, Three Virtues was the only place I encountered that was offering it. The fish balls in this dish were sensational - Completely different to those horrible lumps of hard jelly that are sold in Singapore. They are bouncy, juicy and had an intriguing golden outer skin that enhanced the flavour. The curry itself was full of flavour.

Price: HK$22.00. 9/10

The Superior Boiled Dumpling Soup was one of the dishes I liked the least from Three Virtues. The skin of the dumplings were tough and too chewy. Moreover, the skin had a tendency of sticking together. The soup base was quite flavourless.

Price: HK$18.00. 5/10

The next dish arrived delicately wrapped in beancurd sheets, and goes roughly by the name Four Treasures Bamboo Shoots Chicken Wraps. The beancurd sheets were juicy and enjoyable to eat. However, I found the 'chicken' stuffing inside to be lacking in any imagination. Inside was diced vegetables and mock soy meat. The dish was crying out for some kind of dipping sauce, which unfortunately was never provided.

Price: HK$22.00. 6/10

Here is another dim sum delicacy called Five Grains Siew Mai Dumpling. The skin of this dim sum was quite pleasing. But ultimately, I found it terribly dry when eaten alone. Eating it alone is the only option as, once again, there is no dipping sauce.

Price: HK$18.00. 6/10

Next up was the Vegetarian Prawn Dumpling with Abalone Bits. This dish was a little more juicy, but I found the assortment of vegetables inside to be void of almost any flavour.

Price: HK$22.00. 5/10

One of the most synonymous dim sum dishes is definitely the Maple Sauce Char Siew Bao. Overally I found this dish to be a little dry. he char siew stuffing inside was sweet, but didn't have much else to offer.

Price: HK$16.00. 6/10

I was curious to try the Flossed Needle Mushroom Chee Cheong Fan as I've never really had vegetarian chee cheong fan in Singapore. I was not disappointed by this dish. The hero of this dish was the sweet dark sauce that is given with it. I urge you to pour this sauce liberally over the rice rolls and enjoy!

Price: HK$18.00. 8/10

Finally we have the Shanghai Xiao Long Bao, again this falls into the category of lacking any substantial flavour, and being too dry.

Price: HK$18.00. 5/10

Conclusion - Did this restaurant managed to convert me to becoming a dim sum lover? Definitely not. Dim sum, honestly, is something that I can't comprehend why it is so popular with most people. The dim sum on offer at Three Virtues was decent, but often I found them to be too dry, lacking in any significant flavour, and missing dipping sauces.

Overall Rating
Food - 5/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 9/10
Value - 6/10

I've had a few requests from readers suggesting I check out this inconspicious stall, located just a stone's throw awat from Commonwealth MRT. They were specifically eager for me to sample the 白米粉, which is more simply known as white bee hoon. The stall does have a heady list of other dishes, but almost all were not available on this particular day.

Green Vegetarian
Location: Koufu Food Court, 88 Tanglin Halt Road, #01-12
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Daily 6.00am - 10.00pm

Needless to say, my first target was inevitablly going to be the White Bee Hoon and Dishes. One thing that impressed me about the bee hoon was the smokey aroma that it had, this is truly a bee hoon that is packed with flavour. Moreover, the texture was just ideal. For the dishes, I opted to go for the eggplant, mock meat and kelp. Eggplant is one of my most beloved vegetables, and I was pleased to see they have a nice creamy texture. The mushroom stem derived mock meat also had delicious flavour. It is easy to see why this white bee hoon is so popular at this stall.

Price: $3.50. 7/10

Another dish ordered was the White Rice and Dishes. Certainly the dishes on offer at Green Vegetarian looked fresh and appetising, and the taste was certainly nice too. People may have an issue with the pricing, as $3.80 is quite a significant price to pay, especially as it's only white rice.

Price: $3.80. 7/10

Conclusion - If you're in the Commonwealth area, then you should definitely visit Green Vegetarian at least once, to try their famous white bee hoon.

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 6/10
Value - 6/10

During my recent never-ending quest for top quality durian and reliable durian sellers - I found myself in the Sembawang area. This is a very small stall, located directly outside a unisex hair salon (if you want your hair to smell like durian, this is where to get your haircut). The stall is run by Mr Yap, who has been in the durian game for over 35 years.

Sembawang Durian Seng
Location: 12 Jalan Tampang, Sembawang Garden Arcade
Contact: 93441512, 97598265

Mr Yap is probably one of the most eccentric characters you are likely to meet on the durian scene. He is notorious for giving unbelievable discounts to his customers, the like of which I have definitely never seen before. Moreover, he is even known to give all his durians away for free on special occasions, such as his birthday. Mr Yap sells many different types of durian, but his pride and joy is a durian called lao tai po (老太婆), which is literally translated to mean 'old woman'. Unfortunately, his lao tai po was not available during my visit, but I will test this durian out soon - You have my word!

Ironically, like some tortured artist, Mr Yap actually doesn't like eating durian. The whole notion of a durian seller who hates eating durian really perplexes me. But like I said, Mr Yap is quite a unique character.

The texture of the flesh of XO almost always determines what flavour you will get. If the durian has a firmer more creamy texture, then the flavour will have a delicious vanilla aftertaste. If the flesh is more watery, it will have a strong alcohol aftertaste (due to the longer fermentation time inside the husk). The XO durian that I picked out was pretty big (XO and Golden Phoenix are two of the smallest durians, some as small as a grapefruit). Texture wise this was definitely as creamy as an XO can get. The flesh is highly fibrous and lumpy, and had a delightful vanilla milk type taste.

Price: $12.00/kg. 7/10

Although I felt a little disappointed with the lack of lao tai po, I was elated to see Mr Yap had one solitary huge piece of Green Bamboo available. This bamboo was an absolutely beast of a durian. Green bamboo is notorious for being one of the most difficult durians to open, with it having an incredibly hard husk. If you are planning to buy this durian, make sure to get the seller to open and packet it for you. Like most things in life, bigger is better - Small green bamboo's are often discarded, as it is only the bigger types that have the best flesh. This particular had delicious thick creamy flesh. It certainly doesn't have the complexity of flavour of mao shang wang, but it is still an enjoyable smooth sweet durian. Seed size is medium.

Price: $16.00/kg. 8/10

**note - the prices given above are not fixed, Mr Yap rewards customers who buy many durians. So the more you buy, the greater the free goodies and discounts you will get!

Conclusion - Due to Mr Yap's quirky style of generosity, this must surely make this stall one of the 'must visit' durian stalls in Singapore, if you're looking for great durians at the cheapest possible price. I loved this little stall, and will definitely return again soon for their lao tai po!

One aspect of Indian cooking that I have neglected (up until now) are the notorious Indian chaats - Which, can more simply be called - Street food snacks. Indian street food comes in many weird and wonderful colours and flavours. But for today, I will be sharing how to do one of the more common chaat's, called Ragda Patties.

Indian chaats are famous for their fresh flavours, and infamous for confining those with non-Indian stomachs to the lavatory for days. Don't worry, this recipe is authentic, but not that authentic.

Ingredients

· Potatoes - 250grams

· Fresh Coriander - one bunch

· Salt - to taste

· Green Chilli - 2 pieces (diced)

· Cumin Powder

· Coriander Powder

· Red Chilli Powder

· Breadcrumbs

· Oil

· White Peas

· Green Peas

· Red Onions

· Ginger Garlic Paste

· Turmeric

· Tomato

· Fennel Powder

· Garam Masala

· Green Mint Chutney

· Chaat Masala

· Black Salt

· Sweet Samosa Chutney

· Cashew Nut Cream

· Saav

· Lime

Instructions

1. This dish can be a little spilt into two tasks. Firstly, preparing the patties, and then combining the patties with all the glorious toppings (including the famous ragda curry).

2. To make the patties is pretty simple. All you must do is mixed together mashed potatoes, finely chopped green chilli, chopped coriander, salt, coriander powder, red chilli powder (little bit only), and cumin powder, and breadcrumbs. Mix all these together, and make into the shape of patties.

3. MAKING RAGDA CURRY - Boil the white peas and green peas until they are almost full cooked (almost mushy in texture). In a pan, add diced onion, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, salt and cook for some time. After this add a little red chilli powder and tomato paste. After the tomato paste has been cooked, add a concoction of powders – Coriander, cumin and garam masala powder. In this add mint chutney sauce and then cook for longer. Once all these ingredients are cooked, you can add the white and green peas into this mixture. The curry is almost done, just add a little water to thin it out, and add black salt and chaat masala for extra flavour.

4. Now it is time to cook the patties and bring all the aspects of this dish together. Place the patties on a tava or flat-based pan (add oil) and cook them evenly on both sides.

5. It is now time to plate the dish. First, place two patties in a bowl and pour a generous amount of the ragda curry on top. Then add raw chopped red onion, raw diced tomato, mint chutney, sweet (samosa) chutney, fresh chopped coriander, cashew nut cream (this is to replaced curd), pinch of garam masala powder, bit of chaat masala (Or black salt) and finally top it off with saav and sprinkle lime juice on top.

6. Eat and witness your senses get assaulted. Done!

I come to you today with another beautiful green Indian curry. This Murg Saagwala is a curry that should not be too dry, but there should also not be too much gravy as well.

The flavour is mild, and goes perfectly with naan.

Ingredients

· Mustard Oil – 4 or 5 TBS

· Diced Red Onion – 1 large onion

· Salt – to taste

· Ginger Garlic Paste – 1.5 TBS

· Diced Green Chilli – 2 or 3 pieces

· Turmeric – 1 TSP

· Red Chilli Powder – 1 TSP

· Cumin Powder – 1 TBS

· Coriander Powder – 1.5 TBS

· Diced Tomatoes – 3 or 4 medium sized

· Mock ‘chicken’ or ‘mutton’ Meat – depending on how much you want

· Fresh Coriander Leaves – 1 bunch

· Fresh Mint Leaves – 1 bunch

· Fresh Spinach 1 bunch

· Kastoori Methi – 2 TBS

· Nutmeg Powder – 1 TSP

· Garam Masala Powder – 1 TSP

· Coconut Cream – 100-150g

Instructions

1. The first step to making any green Indian curry is blanching the spinach. For this curry, to add extra flavour, you are required to blanch not only the spinach leaves, but also the mint and coriander leaves. Once they have been blanched, put them all in a blender, and blend until a fine sauce is produced – Then put it to one side (coriander and spinach can be equal quantity, mint about half the quantity).

2. In a vessel, add mustard oil and allow it to come to a boil. When it has come to a boil, and then add finely diced onions. Cook these onions until they are golden brown. Add salt to speed up the process.

3. Once they have cooked, add ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw flavour is gone.

4. It is now time to add the masala spices. Add chopped green chilli, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and shortly after, add the diced tomatoes – Cook all these ingredients very well.

5. Now it is time to add your mock meat – For this dish, you can add any mock meat. Or if you are against mock meat, you can replace it with potato (saag aloo) and it would taste just as great!

6. After another 5 minutes of cooking, now add the spinach/mint/coriander sauce (see Step 1) into the vessel, and cooking for another 3-4 minutes, mixing the ingredients together well.

7. Into this mixture, add kastoori methi, garam masala powder and nutmeg powder.

8. After a few more minutes of cooking, add coconut cream. This dish could actually be served without the coconut cream, but I find it adds a nice richness to the texture of the curry.

9. Done!

It's back! Deli-Vege (now known as Thousand Vegie) was probably one of the most well known vegetarian restaurants in Singapore a few years ago. Sadly it closed down, and was seemingly gone for good. Thankfully, it has now been resurrected in the form of a hawker centre stall, offering all the signature dishes that the restaurant was famed for. So lets find out how this newly reincarnated Deli-Vege is doing...

Thousand Vegie
Location: 335 Smith Street, #02-122, Chinatown Complex
Contact: 82876056
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am - 9.30pm

For those who are familiar with the old Deli-Vege/Thousand Vegie menu, then you will be able to pick out and remember all your favourite dishes. The menu is more or less the same, which is fantastic news, as I was worried they might have 'dumbed down' their menu and become a more conventional vegetarian hawker centre stall. Old favourites like DFC, Shi-Lin Fried 'Chi-ken', Claypot Rice, and Hainanese 'Chi-ken' Rice are all back. This menu is also incredibly vegan-friendly, with only two dishes on the entire menu containing dairy (French Fries with Cheese and Baked Rice with Mushroom).

Without a doubt, the dish I remember most fondly from the Deli-Vege days was the DFC. This is a vegetarian version of a typical meal one might expect at KFC. I was pleased to find out that the dish I enjoyed so much from the past, has not changed that much. The components for the dish are all more of less the same. With the two delectable pieces of mock meat still being as crispy, light and juicy as ever. This dish used to cost $10.90 back in the restaurant days, but of course that price would not be accepted in a hawker centre environment, so it is good to see the price has been adjusted. If you're looking for an awesome vegetarian Western dish, then this may be one of the best you can find in Singapore.

Price: $6.00. 9/10

The stall owner recommend that their Original Claypot Rice is a particular favourite with regular customers, so without hesitation I order that next. My biggest gripe with claypot dishes is that many eateries don't cook the food in the claypot. So I was delighted to find that the Thousand Vegie version has really been cooked inside. This makes such a big difference, as the entire texture and aroma of the dishes alters when it is cooked inside the claypot. The most significant advantage of cooking in the claypot is the burnt rice at the bottom of the pot. Don't eat too much of it, as it is hardly good for the health. But this burnt rice is a particular guilty pleasure of mine, which I had not indulged in for a long time. Fantastic aroma and flavour, and brilliant value for money.

Price: $4.50. 9/10

The last dish that came to our table was the Thai Style Green Curry. This dish was the most expensive one that we ordered, and unfortunately was the least impressive. Starting with the positives, the ingredients inside (eggplant, mock meat, ladyfingers) were fried separately before being added to the curry, which gave the ingredients good texture and flavour. The negative to this dish is the curry base. The curry was significantly lacking in seasoning and flavour - Especially salt. I also found that the curry was a little too diluted and thin. Thus, not having the rich texture that a good green curry typically has. A bit of a downer to end the meal, but the other two dishes were excellent.

Price: $7.00. 5/10

Conclusion - In the past, I have been somewhat critical of Deli-Vege/Thousand Vegie, but I was genuinely excited and delighted when I discovered they were back in business. I was highly impressed with the DFC and claypot, which were two of the most excellent dishes I've had in a while. I actually like this new hawker centre setting, but I just wonder if having a restaurant style menu (and pricing) may lead people to choose other more ~~boring~~ 'conventional' stalls in the vicinity. For myself, I'll definitely be returning here regularly for my beloved DFC.

Overall Rating
Food - 8/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 6/10

If you ask durian experts and connoisseurs where to get the best quality mao shang wang, then more often than not they will point you in the direction of Combat Durian. This stall has been around for over 50 years, and specializes in a durian named 'King of Kings', which is essentially a super high level mao shang wang (coming from the oldest MSW trees). The named 'Combat' actually came about from a simple mistake in pronunciation - 'Combat' should have been 'Come back'. But the name Combat Durian stuck, and this stall has been bundling out excellent quality durians ever since.

Combat Durian
Location: 249 Balestier Road
Contact: 92789928

The creator of the stall is Mr Ang, who has been selling durians in the Balestier area since 1957. He has since divided the running of the stall with his daughter, Linda.

Here is a picture of Linda posing next to their famous 'king of king's' durian.

Whenever you are eating different types of durians, there should be an order you eat them in - Almost like a starter, main course and dessert. The durians with lesser complexity in flavour should always go first, while the superstar durians should go last. Myself and a couple of other durian lovers kicked our little durian buffet off with Red Prawn. Personally, red prawn has never been one of my favourite durians. This durian is insanely sweet, the sweet to bitter ratio would be something like 99:1 I am sure. The other reason I don't particular like red prawn is the large seeds that are inside. There isn't that much flesh, therefore I'm always left feeling a little unsatisfied. Not a bad durian to warm-up with though.

Price: $10.00/kg. 6/10

After red prawn, it was time to take things up another notch, and bring out the Green Bamboo. This durian (also known as 'tek kah') is distinctive by its large size and deep orange 'core/stem', that can be seen when the durian is opened. The flesh is perfect at room temperature, with it being delectably creamy, and having a mellow aftertaste. It is a durian that is flirting more on the sweet side, but does have an undertone of noticeable bitterness. Famed for being incredibly difficult to open, this is not a durian that you want to be taking home and attempting to open yourself.

Price: $15.00/kg. 7/10

Next level up, and we get to the durian that the whole of Singapore knows. If you say the word 'durian' to any Singaporean, probably three words will soon follow it - Mao Shang Wang. I was eagerly awaiting this treat, as it was my first mao shang wang of the 2013 season (I was waiting for the price to drop). So why does everyone seek after mao shang wang? Is there really something so utterly amazing about it? The answer is yes and no. Does mao shang wang have a one-of-a-kind taste and texture that beats every other durians on the planet hands down - No. There are many other durians just as nice as Mr. Cat Mountain. But, mao shang wang does have that generic appeal, because it has just the right amount of bitterness, sweetness, creamy flavour, and fruity aftertaste, that will appeal to anyone and everyone. It is like the Elvis Presley of durians. This was a delicious MSW, but perhaps a tad to watery. It would be at its absolute best after about 24-48 hours in the fridge. After which, the flesh would have clotted up, to make one of the most unbelievable desserts one could imagine.

Price: $20-12.00/kg. 8/10

Now we get to the main event. Bow down to the King of King's. Visually, mao shang wang and king of king's are practically identical. There is no way of telling the difference between the two. It is only when you put the flesh in your mouth, then you will know the difference. Simply put, king of king's is like mao shang wang on steroids. Taste wise it is slightly more complex than MSW, with a more distinctive bitter flavour. Texture wise, there is a significant difference between the two. The texture of king of king's is sticky like peanut butter, creamy, sweet and gooey - Which felt like absolute heaven for me. The price may seem a little high, but believe me, this durian is something special. So far this season, nothing has come close to this durian. A sensational gift from nature, that sent me into a euphoric state of bliss.

Price: $25-20.00/kg. 10/10

Conclusion - This stalls has been around for over 50 years, and I would bet that in another 50 years it will still be around. Linda and her father provide excellent quality durians, with their main attraction being the king of king's. For me, this notorious durian definitely didn't disappoint. I will be back again soon to pay homage to the king once more.

It is pretty common to come across Chinese vegetarian stalls selling one or two Western dishes. But to encounter a stall selling entirely Western vegetarian food is something quite unique. Econ Vegetarian Food is a brand new vegetarian stall, that is only a few weeks old. It is the brainchild of Stephen Chio, who recently converted to a vegetarian diet, just six months prior to opening this stall. The head chef is a Singaporean who had previously been working as a chef in Holland for over 30 years, cooking Western dishes. Now that I'm done with the formalities, let's go ahead and check out the food!

Econ Vegetarian Food
Location: Food Loft, 32/34 Aljunied Road
Contact: 84995455
Opening Hours: Mon, Wed-Sun 11.00am-8.00pm. Closed Tuesday.

As the stall has only been open for a few weeks, the menu is still in a development phrase. Having said that, presently there are still many main dishes, side dishes and other specialities to choose from. Vegans must be very careful, as some of the dishes do contain cheese. So, be sure to let the staff know what your dietary requirements are, prior to making your final order.

I started things nice and simple, and ordered the Chicken Nuggets. Appearance wise, I love the small basket they arrive in, which really gives the feeling of receiving authentic Western food. Also it was pleasing to have the option of tomato ketchup. The nuggets were juicy and flavourful, with a nice crunchy outer skin. Price wise, it seems a little on the expensive side, especially as for only $1 extra you can get a full main meal. But as this stall has only just opened, perhaps the prices for some items will be adjusted later on.

Price: $4.00. 6/10

Another side dish that I couldn't resist ordering was the Mustard Hot Dog Bun. The taste of the mock sausage was very pleasing, with the mustard marrying perfectly with the mock meat. Perhaps the price can be adjusted slightly, considering even Vegan Burg's hotdog is only $3.90. Or, if the price is the stay, I would like to see more ingredients packed into it. A hotdog is one of the most popular street food snacks in North America, and it should traditionally be packed with ingredients and several sauces. Throwing in some gherkins, tomato ketchup, picalili and a few more vegetables and this side dish would rise to a much higher level.

Price: $~~4.00~~. 6/10 *Note - After writing of this post, price has changed to $2.50

Definitely the highlight of my trip to Eco Vegetarian was the Fish N Chips. This a solid, high quality, affordable meal. Beside from the trite components of the dish - Fries, cold baked beans, coleslaw (vegan friendly) and fish fillet - There were also cherry tomatoes and a wedge of lemon. The cherry tomatoes were packed with flavour, and when sprinkling the lemon over the 'fish' it really enhanced the overall flavour. Good quality dish. Some improvements could be to add something a little out-of-the-box onto the plate - Perhaps a scoop of mashed potatoes. Warm baked beans would make this a more authentic Western dish also. I could only imagine serving cold baked beans to my mother (a staunchly traditional English lady), she would surely slap me across the face.

Price: $5.00. 7/10

Conclusion - It is always pleasing to see new stalls like this open up in Singapore. But, I must emphasise the importance of actually going down there and supporting these stalls. Econ Vegetarian is not perfect, and definitely there are some improvements that can be made in the future. But considering this stall is only a few weeks old, I would say that it has a bright future ahead.

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 8/10
Value - 6/10

Out of all the durian stalls I have featured so far on my site, Kong Lee Hup Kee Trading is the stall that I visit most frequently. A big factor is that geographically it is quite close to my home in Sengkang. But also, I find the homely atmosphere and generous stall owners key factors, that always cause me to keep coming back. I have done a previous post on the D13, XO and D88 durians from this stall, which you can read HERE.

Kong Lee Hup Kee Trading
Location: Blk 440 Pasir Ris Dr. 4, #01-03
Contact: 98517753

What I love most about visiting my beloved friends at Kong Lee Hup Kee is rummaging through their small durian basket to see which 'lesser' durians they have available on that day. On this particular day, a quite unusual durian by the name of Big Red (I'm just translating this directly from the Chinese - 大红)was available.This durian was completely new to me, so I was feverishly excited to try it out. Appearance wise, the flesh is plump and dark orange (almost red). This durian has a thick dense flesh. The texture is extremely pasty, and therefore will probably not appeal to those who tend to just go for mao shang wang. Flavour wise, I was shocked to find it is actually neither sweet or bitter - It has quite subtle flavours. This durian is unlikely to reach any level of popularity with locals, but perhaps may have a minority cult following.

Price: $6.00/kg. 6/10

If you're looking for a great value durian, that has high quality flesh and a tiny seed - Then Kasap Merah will be the ideal durian for you. This durian has earned the nickname 'ice cream' durian. There is a lot of speculation as to the reason behind giving it this name. Some believe it is because the flesh has the aftertaste of vanilla ice cream, others think it is because the flesh is so soft, that one must eat it with a spoon, just like ice cream. If you are buying/consuming this durian you should not eat it at room temperature. If you do, the flesh will be too watery. This durian is at its best after 24 hours in the refrigerator. After this time, it is no longer watery, and the flesh becomes clotted and creamy. I think kasap merah is probably the most under-appreciated durian there is. This is really a fantastic sweet durian, that has a lovely refreshing texture, and delicious milky vanilla taste. It is a pity that people don't try out these different durians, as I am sure lots of people would love this one.

Price: $6.00/kg. 9/10

Hor Lor (D163) is a durian that is extremely difficult to find in Singapore, but don't underestimate the quality of this durian. This durian won the 1987 and 1988 Penang Durian Competition (yes, such a thing exists), which cements the fact that this durian has the potential to be a huge fan favourite. It is true, good quality hor lor can be a thing of beauty, with the very best quality hor lor still being located in Penang. The name 'hor lor' can be translated to mean melon/gourd, which the shape of this durian supposedly resembles. Upon opening the durian, you will find pale yellow large glowing orbs of flesh staring back at you. This is without a doubt the stickiest durian I've ever consumed. The flesh literally coats your entire mouth. This is a durian on the side of bitter, but you can detect sweet notes, especially in the outer layer of skin. Seed wise, it has a large/medium size seed, but you get a lot of delicious dense flesh in each bite. The aftertaste of hor lor is woody, with undertones of coffee beans and cocoa.

Price: $12.00/kg. 8/10

Ahoy me maties! A few years ago, it used to be quite a difficult to task to track down the Black Pearl durian. This season, however, the supply of black pearl has been quite abundant. There does seem to be periods of 5-6 days when it disappears, and then suddenly it re-emerges once again. For those who haven't tried black pearl yet, you definitely should. It has the thickest, most dense flesh that you are ever likely to encounter in a durian. The flavour is typically mild, depending on the durian you buy, it can range in degrees of sweetness and bitterness. The name 'pearl' is due to the bottom of the seed resembling a pearl. Speaking of seeds, this durian typically has very small seeds.

Price: $12.00. 8/10

Perhaps it is just me, but as each year goes by, Golden Phoenix seems to continue to rise in popularity in Singapore. This year especially I have seen a lot of golden phoenix (also known as kim hong and jin feng 金凤) hanging around part-time and full-time durian sellers stalls. Golden phoenix is very different from mao shang wang, in almost every aspect. Firstly, the durian is very small, only XO equals it for size. The flesh is in smaller chunks, and it is a pale yellow colour. The texture of the flesh is much drier and thicker, compared to MSW. This stall consistently has great quality golden phoenix, so if you're looking for reliable high quality, then definitely buy your golden phoenix from this stall.

Price: $12.00/kg. 8/10

This year Mr & Mrs Chia really have some exceptional Mao Shang Wang, and customers have subsequently been flocking to this stall to buy it. For this particular summer 2013 season, I've noticed that the MSW coming from Malaysia has been a bit on the watery side, I am not sure whether this is to do with a change in the weather pattern, or if these durians are being plucked from young trees. Therefore, finding good MSW this year has been quite tricky. This MSW is really at its peak after some time in the fridge. I recall eating this durian after about two days refrigerated, and that is when I enjoyed it the most. For those who have been living under a rock - Mao shang wang is basically a perfect balance of sweetness and mild bitterness, with a fruity aftertaste and delectable sticky creamy flesh. It is these qualities that have made it Singaporean's most beloved durian.

Price: $13.00/kg. 9/10

Conclusion - The earlier half of this post has highlighted some of Mr Chia's rarer durians. If you're going to his stall specifically for hor lor, kasap merah or big red - Then you would be wise to call ahead of time, as there is only a slim chance he will have them. Even if they are available, chances are he will only have a few pieces. The latter three species are available in greater quantities.

Finding vegetarian Korean food in Singapore is a pretty tough task, which is quite a shame. Thankfully, Hanyi Vegetarian are looking to correct this injustice, and have recently opened a stall specialising in both Korean and Italian food. This stall can be found in the Hainan Eating House, which is inside the Sakae Building. The stall gets a steady stream of customers during weekday, from the nearby offices (Tai Seng is a pretty industrial area). Perhaps it will be weekends when this stall struggles the most, as I doubt many people consider Tai Seng to be the hippest place in Singapore. Having said that, I'd rather spend my weekend in Tai Seng, opposed to Clarke Quay.

Hanyi Vegetarian
Location: #01-03, 28 Tai Seng Street (Sakae Building)
Contact: 90232725
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 7.00am-5.30pm (some days opening until 8.30pm - Call to confirm). Sunday Closed.

As Korean vegetarian food is so hard to come by in Singapore, I leapt at the opportunity to sample the Bibimbap. Customers can choose a variety of bibimbap flavours - Such as cheese, kimchi, gochujang and others. The dish arrived in a traditional stone bowl, which allows the ingredients to further cook, even when it is at your table. I was surprised that this bibimbap had uncooked vegetables for its ingredients. Traditionally, the vegetables (which make up a vital aspect of any bibimbap) are stir-fried and then added to the pot. I must say, I would have rather the ingredients been stir-fried, as it would have enhanced the flavour, and also the stone pot doesn't have sufficient heat to fully cook the vegetables. Another vital component to any bibimbap is the use of sesame oil, but I didn't really detect enough sesame flavour in this dish.

If you're looking for a traditional (or even vaguely traditional) bibimbap in Singapore, then Hanyi probably isn't where you should be going. Nevertheless, I did love the stone bowl that the food arrived in, and overall the flavour of the dish was not too bad.

Price: $5.00. 6/10

I was quite excited to sample the pasta dishes at Hanyi, but unfortunately they were sold out when I arrived. Therefore, I settled with the Korean Army Stew Noodle. Upon tasting the dish, the soup seemed to have a quite pronounced cheese flavour. Unfortunately, when I checked with the chef, they did confirm that cheese is present in this dish. I do hope in the future, that staff can let customers know which dishes are vegan friendly, as I can foresee many vegan customers unwittingly ordering this dish, assuming that it will be dairy-free. If you can take dairy, then knock yourself out and order this dish. The soup base tastes quite pleasing and overall I quite liked the few mouthfuls that I ate.

Price: $4.50. 6/10

Conclusion - I must admit, the cheese incident in the army stew did leave me feeling a little disgruntled. If I'm ordering a pizza from Domino's, I don't expect the staff to warn me about cheese, as it is obvious to anyone that cheese will be inside. But for a noodle stew/soup dish, I don't think anyone would have guessed that cheese would be used as an ingredient. Therefore with that logic in mind, I think there should have been at least some notice given by the staff. Moving onto the positives (I don't want to 'whinge' too much), I do think if the dishes at Hanyi are adjusted/improved, then there is a bright future ahead for this stall, and I look forward to seeing how it develops in the future.

Overall Rating
Food - 6/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 6/10
Value - 6/10

Since starting my reviews on reliable and honest durian sellers, I have covered most of the durian 'celebrity' sellers - Such as Combat Durian, Sembawang Durian Seng, Ghim Moh Ah Seng and Kong Lee Hup Kee Trading. These sellers are synonymous with selling durians, and having been selling durians for 30-40 years. For those new to the world of durians, the aforementioned sellers are a great place to start. In the future, though, I will be shinning a light on other lesser known durian sellers in Singapore. Today's post is focused on a seller named Ah Chai. He runs an extremely popular stall in Bedok South, which always get hoards of customers, especially in the evening. This is a very simple stall with no sign or anything like that. Nevertheless, it is easy to spot as it is just outside the Boston Bakery shop. Ah Chai and his workers will not be able to communicate with you in English (I tried, failed, and switched to speaking Mandarin).

Ah Chai Durian
Location: 58 Upper Changi Road (Boston Bakery)
Contact: 81379828

Ah Chai taking a big sniff of a durian. Sniffing (as well as knocking and shaking) the durian is one of the key ways to test the quality. Although Ah Chai may look a little rough around the edges, he is definitely a very humble and honest seller. He will throw the durian away with contempt if he finds that it doesn't meet an appropriate standard. It is this meticulous honesty that has led to him having devoted customers, who return to his small stall year after year.

During evenings and weekends Ah Chai's stall is extremely busy. Once you have selected the durians that you want, they will be placed into a cart, and then will join a queue, waiting to be opened and packed - During busy periods, this can take 10-15 minutes.

Ah Chai's right hand man carefully prying the succulent flesh out of the husk.

The biggest problem with durians is there are many names for the same species. Black Pearl, for example, can also be known as 'tai yuan' (this is what Ah Chai refers to it as). In fact, tai yuan was the original name for this durian - It was only after many years that it adopted the more boutique name of black pearl. Ah Chai only had a handful of black pearl on this particular occasion, but I was suitably impressed with the quality.

Price: $8.00/kg. 8/10

The technical term for the next durian I sampled is Ang Ba Kia ('little red fella'). However, this is one of those many durians that is just lumped into the category of 'red meat' durian - Even though the flesh isn't really that red. Ang ba kia is a parent cultivator of D13 (which seems to be becoming more popular in Singapore). As you would imagine, the flavours are quite similar to D13. This is a predominantly sweet durian with medium sized seeds.

Price: $6.00/kg. 7/10

*Note - Thanks to Tommy (aka Prickly Sensations) for his valuable input.

Conclusion - Ah Chai definitely ranks as one of the best durian sellers in Singapore, he is honest and provides great quality durians to his customers. He doesn't have the 'celebrity' status that other durian sellers have in Singapore...Yet. At the moment, he has more of a cult following, especially amongst those living in the Bedok area.

Name: Roxannie Teo
Restaurant: Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining

Location: 91 Bencoolen Street, #01-50, Sunshine Plaza
Tel: 63377050
Hours: Daily 11.30am-3.00pm, 5.30pm-10.00pm

The tatami room at Bespoke

August 2013 – I recently had the honour of sitting down with the owner of Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining, Roxannie Teo. Below is my full interview with her:-

Q. What is your career background?
A. I started off my career in the printing/illustration business. I made the decision to switch to working in the vegetarian industry, as all the elements seemed to align and point to that direction. I don’t like killing, so I wanted to share the concept of a cruelty-free lifestyle with Singapore, especially with the younger generation.

Q. Why did you choose to focus specifically on Japanese cuisine?
A. As I wanted to focus specifically on the younger generation, I decided that Japanese cuisine would appeal to this market. If we present Japanese vegetarian food, we can let the younger generation know that vegetarian food is not so ‘boring’ or ‘scary’.

Q. Are you a vegetarian yourself?
A. I don’t consume any meat or seafood.

Q. Is this your first time owning a vegetarian eatery?
A. Yes, this is my very first time.

Q. I see you have opened a second outlet in Sunshine Plaza called Café Duomo. What can customers expect from this eatery?
A. Right now this eatery just has a limited Italian menu, along with serving coffee and other drinks items. At the moment our focus is 100% on Japanese food.

Q. Upon looking at the entire Bespoke Vegetarian menu, do you have a personal favourite dish?
A. I love all the dishes we have at Bespoke, but I would say that I am most proud of our sashimi dishes.

Q. Where is your head chef from?
A. Our head chef was originally from Zen Japanese Restaurant, he is now working as the head chef here. We have another seven or eight chefs excluding him.

Q. Can customers expect any changes to the menu in the future?
A. Yes, there are going to be significant changes to the menu of Bespoke, which will be happening in the next few months. In total, there will be over 20 different set meals in the future, along with several other new dishes.

Q. If you were to eat one final dish in your life, which dish would you pick?
A. Avocado Maki!

Questions from Readers

Q. Perhaps there may be some frustration from vegan customers, who might find it that the menu doesn’t have enough vegan options for them. Is it easy to adapt/change dishes that have dairy, so that they can become vegan friendly?
A. For our dishes, we do our best to cater for every one and every diet. For those who have a vegan diet, most of our dishes can be changed to remove the dairy, and still will be delicious when served.

Q. What do you use to replicate the texture of your sashimi?
A. This sashimi is imported from Taiwan, and is made from a mixture of green bean and seaweed; it is mainly those two ingredients that give it the authentic texture.

Q. Does your restaurant serve any organic ingredients? If not, do you intend to use more organic ingredients in the future?
A. Currently we don’t use any organic ingredients. Unfortunately organic ingredients are very costly; we would like to keep our dishes as affordable as possible, so that more people have the opportunity to try our food. If we were to add more organic ingredients, then the cost of every dish will increase substantially.

Q. In the future, do you think you could create sushi made out of brown rice?
A. Maybe this is something we can try in the future; it is definitely worth thinking about!

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Interview Q&A: Roxannie Teo (Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian)