Hungry Ang Mo | Food Blogger | Vegan

The name GreenDot may be unfamiliar to most, but it has actually been running actively since 2011, inside Singapore schools. GreenDot has previously set up stalls in Temasek Polytechnic, Chung Chung Cheng High School and Tanjong Katong Girls' School. Bringing vegetarian food to the Singapore school system is essential, as most schools have zero meat-free options in their canteens. After achieving second place in the Young Entrepreneur Award for their work promoting meat-free food inside schools, they have now decided to graduate to a slightly more picky audience - Adults.

GreenDot
Location: #B2-27, 311 New Upper Changi Road, Bedok Mall
Contact: 67024139
Opening Hours: Daily 11.00am-10.00pm

GreenDot have decided to keep the menu very simple. There are just four dishes available. A small menu is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that those four dishes must be good. Although this is technically a vegetarian eatery, customers who consume diets void of dairy products or eggs may feel quite frustrated here. Problems may occur as there is no signage that indicates dishes that contains egg and dairy - This is something I am getting increasingly tired of. Can someone explain to me what is so difficult about putting on the menu 'this dish contains egg/cheese/milk' etc? Moreover, everything on their menu can quite easily be made without egg and dairy, so it begs the question, why use these ingredients and voluntarily alienate yourself from a large proportion of potential customers? Doesn't make any business sense to me.

The first dish, which is Sesame Rice in a Cup, is currently the only vegan (no egg or dairy) item on their Bedok Mall menu - Even their laksa, which was sold out that evening, contains egg and dairy. This dish is a twist on conventional vegetarian chicken rice. The components to this dish are mostly all the same - Rice, cucumber, red chilli, tomato, beancurd sheets and another fried chicken style mock meat. Taste wise there is nothing really wrong with this dish, but I was hoping for a larger portion size. It is incredibly small, and couldn't possibly fill the stomach of any human being. The amount of rice was particularly meager. On the positive side, it was good they used two types of mock chicken and the taste of the rice was decent.

Price: $4.10. 6/10

The most impressive dish we tried at GreenDot was definitely the Black Pepper Burger. Contrary to what is mentioned on the menu, this burger actually comes in two flavour options - Black pepper and tomato herb. Overall there is not much to criticise with this burger. I loved how the burger bun was toasted prior to stacking, and the soy burger patty was crispy and juicy. The black pepper sauce used was flavourful and combined well with the patty. Perhaps this burger doesn't have the originality of something from Vegan Burg, but it is still a stellar attempt nonetheless. *Unfortunately, when contacting GreenDot after my review, I have found out that both egg and dairy are somehow in this burger - Disappointing.

Price: $4.10. 7/10

The final dish I selected was the Mr Saver Meal, which is essentially the typical economic rice and dishes (you can choose which dishes when ordering), but served in a bento box. The great thing about eating in such close proximity to others (the tables are very cramped), is you can eavesdrop on what they think about the food. The people eating around me all had the same thoughts as myself. The biggest problem with this meal is portion size. For the price, the portion is way too small. For example, I selected eggplant as one of my dishes, which had a total of only five small pieces (which were also undercooked). It is ironic this dish has the name 'mr saver', as personally I found it to be the least value dish out of them all.

Price: $5.00. 5/10 *$0.90 for wintermelon drink

Conclusion - GreenDot is still new and finding its feet in the Singapore vegetarian scene, so it is important we have patience and allow them to grow and improve. It is clear currently where the main problems lie - Pricing and portion size. Not only that, there is too much unnecessary egg and dairy in their dishes. The GreenDot staff informed me they are working to eliminate the animal products from their food, so let's hope significant changes can be made in the future.

Overall Rating
Food - 6/10
Ambiance- 5/10
Service - 6/10
Value - 4/10

Whenever I ask vegetarians who live in the West of Singapore, which vegetarian eatery they recommend the most - Usually the name 'Tanaka' comes up. It is hard to think of another vegetarian stall in Singapore, which has such a loyal following. There are two reasons for this devoted support. 1. There are very little vegetarian options in the Bukit Panjang area. 2. The food at Tanaka has a reputation for being sensational. I want to extend a personal thank you to Lai Ling and Joyce for recommending this eatery to me.

Tanaka Vegetarian Food
Location: Blk 445, Fajar Road, Fajar Shopping Centre
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Tue-Sun 6.00am-8.30pm. Monday 6.00am-1.00pm

Tanaka have a list of daily specials, which are available throughout the week. Be warned, these specials sell out very fast. If you're planning on visiting Tanaka after 11am, then it is possible they will be sold out. This eatery does have egg in some dishes, so be careful when ordering. Almost all dishes at Tanaka are $3 or less - Fantastic value.

The Tanaka Vegetarian stall is owned by Mr Goh. This generous man has been working/owning vegetarian stalls for over 30 years in Singapore. He currently has two other Tanaka outlets in Singapore (Teck Whye and Woodlands), with a fourth outlet opening in Choa Chu Kang Block 253 on the 7th March 2014. Occasionally, Mr Goh will give out free food on certain days of the year to his customers. After talking with Mr Goh for some time, I can conclude that he has an infectious smile, and a warm caring nature. He is a perfectionist when it comes to the food he serves to his customers, not allowing any sub-standard food to be served.

Tanaka's stall is divided in two areas. On the left hand side customers can order rice and dishes and other daily specials. On the right hand side customers can buy an assortment of kueh items. I picked out the Traditional Malay Kueh, which is essentially a glutinous rice disc, which is covered is dessicated coconut, and then smeared in gula melaka syrup. Sweet, sticky and soft, what more could a food reviewer ask for?

Price: $0.80. 7/10

One of Tanaka's most popular dishes is their Chicken Rice. This dish is available on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - Only in the mornings. The most outstanding aspect of this dish is definitely the rice. It is packed with flavour and cooked to perfection I've eaten countless vegetarian chicken rice concoctions in Singapore, and this certainly ranks as one of the best. The portion size is incredibly generous, too.

Price: $3.00. 8/10

The next dish I sampled was the Roasted Pork Rice. This dish comprises of plain white rice, cucumber, mock char siew and gravy. High quality sweet mock char siew is used in this dish, which is a refreshing change compared with the horrid doughy char siew that is usually used at vegetarian stalls. Although the char siew is lovely, the real highlight is the dark gravy. It is packed with flavour and matched perfectly with the char siew and rice.

Price: $3.00. 8/10

Conclusion - It is true that the West of Singapore has significantly lesser options compared to the East. But with fantatic eateries like Hong Yi, Hua Jin, Jing Yi and Tanaka - Things are not all doom and gloom. In fact, these four eateries represent some of the best hawker/coffee shop food in the entire island. Although I live in Sengkang, I would still be willing to make the long journey to Fajar for Mr Goh's delicious food, and you should to!

Overall Rating
Food - 8/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 9/10
Value - 8/10

Recently I gave quite a glowing review to a newly opened vegetarian stall by the name of Zhen Ji, in Potong Pasir. For today's review, I will be featuring another eatery which is owned by the same family - He Xi. Unlike Zhen Ji, however, He Xi has been running for a long time. It has been at its Joo Seng location for over eight years presently. Incidentally, just a few doors down (#01-06) is a nice little vegetarian bread shop called Ya Te Vegetarian Confectionery House - Worth visiting as well, if you're in the area. Let's not delay anymore, on with the review...

He Xi Vegetarian Restaurant
Location: #01-22, Blk 4 Upper Aljunied Road
Contact: 62890728
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 6.30am-3.30pm, 5.00pm-8.00pm. Sat 6.30am-3.00pm. Closed Sunday.

He Xi have quite a large collection of dishes to choose from. The main banner at the top shows the dishes that are available everyday. While the smaller pink/purple banner shows the daily specials, which are often sold out by evening time. He Xi is particularly famed for its laksa, which unfortunately was not available the day I visited.

Here is a look at the official menu, and the dishes that are available. The pricing for all dishes are very reasonable. Updates on new dishes can be found on their official facebook page.

First dish to be sampled was the Roasted Duck Rice. Overall this was a pretty solid dish, consisting of plain white rice, mock duck, cucumber and chilli. I really enjoyed the dark red chili paste, which was not too spicy and went well with the rice. The mock meat resembled char siew more than duck, it was slightly sweet and firm in texture. A pretty decent opening dish.

Price: $3.50. 7/10

I really love how all the fried noodle style dishes at He Xi arrive in the small silver wok, which really adds a tremendous visual appeal to the dish. This Fried Hor Fun was cooked well overall, with a generous variety of vegetables used in the dish. The wok aroma was present, but not as overwhelming as I would have hoped. The vegetables were cooked perfectly, and still had a nice crunch to them. Decent dish overall.

Price: $3.50. 8/10

The last dish we sampled was the Hokkien Noodle. This dish was probably the most disappointing of the meal. On the positive side, once again there was a generous amount of vegetables used. However, I found this hokkien mee to be really lacking in any flavour at all. It would have benefited greatly from a sprinkling of fresh lime (which should be prerequisite for any self-respecting hokkien mee). By no means a disastrous dish, but it really needs a big enhancement (and diversity) in aroma and flavour.

Price: $3.50. 6/10

Conclusion - I feel like I've just scratched the surface of what He Xi has to offer. As the menu is quite large, it would really take two or three visits before one could truly know what this eatery is all about. From what I tasted, He Xi certainly warrants the praise given to it, by the many loyal customers it has.

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

Although overall 2013 was a positive year for the vegetarian scene in Singapore, with many new and exciting eateries opening their doors. There were inevitably some places that had to close, one of those being Vegetarian Era, which was a personal favourite of mine. In October 2013, Vegetarian Era's final Ang Mo Kio stall closed down, and shortly after it was replaced with another vegetarian stall called Ru Xiang. This stall has long opening hours and a reasonable variety of different dishes to order. Can Ru Xiang succeed in this tricky neighbourhood?

Ru Xiang Vegetarian
Location: Blk 122 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3
Contact: 91716000
Opening Hours: Daily 7.00am-9.00pm

One look at the menu, and you immediately see that Ru Xiang have decided to err on the side of caution, and picked out quite typical trite dishes. I loved how Vegetarian Era was different and served out-of-the-box dishes. But, I guess doing something different is more risky in the long run. I was curious to try their spaghetti ($5) dish, but it was sold out.

If you're a vegetarian who does not consume eggs, be very careful at this stall. The stall helper will automatically assume you can eat eggs, without asking you. So for whatever items you order, make sure to take the initiative and tell them. The Fried Rice at Ru Xiang is nicely presented on the plate, which is a refreshing change. The contents consists of rice, deep fried beancurd sheets and green chili. People often lament that fried rice just isn't the same without egg inside. I would like to see more vegetarian eateries replace the egg with tofu (some places are already doing this), so that it fills that void somewhat. The rice contained mushroom, carrot, mock meat and peas. Not very fragrant, but not satisfying nonetheless.

Price: $3.00. 6/10

Being the glutton I am, I ordered another dish, which is named Fried Hong Kong Mee. The portion size for this dish is pretty impressive, and I enjoyed the texture of the noodles. Back in my home country, Chinese restaurants serve a dish named 炒面 (fried noodles), which I remember locals laughably mispronouncing as chow-maynee. This noodle dish is very similar to that one, so perhaps Western taste buds may enjoy this dish. One thing that needs to be removed is that horrid mock jelly seafood meat (zai liao) - Does anyone actually eat that vile stuff? I feel like if I ate it, it would be lodged undigested in my intestines for the remainder of the my life. Aside from the mock meat, this was quite a tasty dish.

Price: $3.50. 7/10

Conclusion - In terms of food quality, originality and skill - This stall is quite a distance behind Vegetarian Era. With that being said, the food is not bad and the stall is seemingly getting steady stream of regular customers - Good for them.

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

2013 Vegetarian Food Round-up and Awards

2013 has been a very productive year at hungryangmo.com. I am proud that I managed to maintain my dedication to the website, and churned out 112 posts in 2013, more than I have ever done. 2013 has been a sensational year for vegetarian food in Singapore. Therefore, to round-up 2013, I have decided to give my own little awards to the best eateries in a number of different categories.

This is just my personal opinion based on the places I have reviewed in 2013. If you have an opposing view point, I welcome your input in the comments section below.

Best Vegetarian Eatery
Winner - Gokul Vegetarian Restaurant
Gokul has improved massively in 2013. With new decor, menu, and improved customer service. It is the closest to perfection I have seen in an eatery.
Review: HERE

Best 100% Vegan Eatery
Winner - Veggie Cottage
Totally vegan eateries are still pretty hard to come by in Singapore, but Veggie Cottage is clearly as good gets for 2013.
Review: HERE

Best Overseas (non-Singapore) Eatery
Winner - Tung Fong Siu Kee Yuen Vegetarian Restaurant (Hong Kong)
I've reviewed hundreds of vegetarian eateries all across the world, so for a place to 'wow' me, it takes a lot. This restaurant has been around for over 100 years, and serves simply mind-blowing dishes.
Review: HERE

Best Vegetarian Dish
Winner - Laksa (YWQ Vegetarian Bistro)
Laksa is a dish you can find everywhere all over Singapore, but to find a truly outstanding laksa can be quite difficult. The laksa at YWQ is easily the best I have ever tried.
Review: HERE

Best Vegetarian Hawker
Winner - Tanaka Vegetarian Food
A dedicated husband and wife team, who are determined to serve the most affordable and high quality food to their customers is what sets Tanaka apart from the rest.
Review: HERE

Best Value for Money
Winner - Loving Heart Cafe
This was probably the most difficult category to pick a winner for. But looking back, Loving Heart Cafe offers high quality vegan food at affordable prices, so this eatery will be my pick for 2013.
Review: HERE

Best Newcomer
Winner -Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant
2013 has been a brilliant year for many new vegetarian eateries opening up. It was a tough choice, but Bespoke have been the most impressive newcomer, in my eyes.
Review: HERE

Best Restaurant Ambiance
Winner - Veggie Cottage
Walk inside Veggie Cottage and for a moment you will forget you're in Little India, and think you are in a small side street cafe in France. Peaceful and calming atmosphere.
Review: HERE

Best Service
Winner - Gokul Vegetarian Restaurant
I will be the first to admit that Gokul's service in the past did show room for improvement. Now in 2013, they have arguably the most efficient, attentive and knowledgeable staff on the island.

Review: HERE

Most Inspirational Figure
Winner - Beatrice Wee (CERA)
Avoiding the lure of materialism, and leaping into the vegetarian business at just 23 years old requires a lot of bravery and courage. Read my full interview with her below.
Interview: HERE

Best Durian
Winner - Red Prawn (Muar)
2013 has been a year where I've indulged in a variety of weird and wonderful durian species. But the highlight has to be Muar's red prawn durian, I am shivering just thinking about it.
Review: HERE

Best Durian Seller
Winner - Ah Seng
Honest, reliable, and easy to contact. Steven aka 'Ah Seng' has built up a solid reputation over the years, and still remains the king of the king of fruits in Singapore.
Review: HERE

*Big thanks to Nat (rubbisheatrubbishgrow.wordpress.com) for this idea.

I believe every vegetarian in Singapore has at some point come across the name 'Just Greens'. That is because Just Greens has several outlets all across Singapore. Originally, their central hub was at Joo Chiat Place, but this restaurant has subsequently closed. There is, however, a total of five (presently) Just Greens stalls which are located at Clementi, Simei, Tampines, Sengkang and Toa Payoh. A detailed address list for these aforementioned locations can be found here. Owner James Lim prides himself on providing non-toxic, healthy food, which brings the family together.

Just Greens Vegetarian
Location: #01-402, Blk 186 Toa Payoh Central
Contact: 63450069/68097286
Opening Hours: Daily 8.00am-11.00pm

The menu has been kept pretty simple, which is usually a good thing from my experience. I started things off with the Veg Chicken Rice. Yes, I know what you're thinking, and I do agree that the price is a little crazy for chicken rice. But, I found the portion size to be larger than usual, with soup included on the side. The mock chicken used is the white 'steamed chicken' kind. Personally I find this mock meat can be a little doughy in texture. The highlight of this dish for me was the orange chilli sauce. It had that perfect balance of spice and sourness, and when combined with the rice, it was just heavenly.

Price: $4.50. 6/10

When you eat at Just Greens you will quickly come to one realisation - They love using mock meat. There is literally mock meat in everything. The clear Chinese soup (which is served with all dishes) even has mock pork swimming in it. The Veg Claypot Rice is no different. In fact, there is a total of three different types of mock meat inside this dish. Too much, in this humble writers opinion. You will also notice cherry tomatoes are used in almost all dishes too. On the positive side, the rice was cooked very well, with there being a wonderful layer of burnt rice at the bottom - Delicious, but quite toxic. Overall this rice has great flavour, it just needs less mock meat. Again, this dish is served with that sensational orange chilli sauce on the side.

Price: $4.50. 7/10

Conclusion - I anticipate a number of people may be a little put off by the prices at this Just Greens stall, especially for dishes such as chicken rice. In their defence, I must say that extra effort is made with all dishes, so it doesn't feel like the travesty of justice that it may appear to be. One thing they could improve on is actually putting the prices on the signboard, as there is currently no price indication anywhere around the stall. Overall a decent stall, one which I would certainly return to again.

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

Traditional Roasted Potatoes Recipe

After posting a couple of pictures of my glorious Christmas dinner feast on my facebook page. I received a number of comments requesting that I post my recipe for making perfect Roasted Potatoes.

This is actually a very simple recipe, but cooking them to perfection is still quite a challenge. Roasted potatoes are probably one of the most iconic English foods. It is not only served at Christmas, but traditionally every Sunday, when families gather together for what is known as 'Sunday dinner/roast'.

Ingredients

Potatoes - 1kg (reduce or increase amount depending on the number of people)
Oil - half a cup
Dried Parsley - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Salt - to taste

Instructions

1. Firstly, chop the potatoes and boil them in hot water for around 25-30 minutes. Cook the potatoes until they are roughly 80% cooked.
2. Remove the potatoes from the water and peel the skin from them, this is often a long and tedious task.
3. On an oven tray, line it with aluminum foil. Cover each of the potatoes in olive oil, and then place them on the foil. Make sure there is space between each of the potatoes and ensure oil has covered all the potatoes.
4. Once on the foil, sprinkle pepper, salt and parsley evenly over them all.
5. Place in the oven on 200 degrees Celsius for around 30-40 minutes, until you see a dark golden brown colour on the potatoes. You may need to shake them around half way through.
6. Remove from the oven and enjoy! These potatoes should be served fresh, and eaten on the same day. Leaving them overnight will cause them to lose their glorious crunchy outer skin.

2013 was a year of great transition and change for Simple Food. Some may recollect a couple of ancient posts of mine reviewing their old Pasir Ris and Tampines outlets. Subsequently, both these outlets have closed, and merged together to create this new outlet, which is at Bedok North. Bedok is probably the best area in Singapore for veggie food. There are really countless wonderful vegetarian stalls, which can all be found in Bedok. For those residing in Bedok, consider yourself very lucky - You have no idea how much I envy you!

Simple Food Vegetarian
Location: #01-511, Blk 547 Bedok North Street 3
Contact: 64491437
Opening Hours: Daily 10.30am-10.00pm

The menu at Simple Food is quite vast, serving a number of Western, Chinese and local dishes. For customers who have visited their old outlets, then the menu will be very familiar to you. Simple Food have a frequently updated facebook page, which I recommend you visit, to stau updated.

The owner and head chef of Simple Food is James Teo. In 2013 James became the first Singaporean chef to win double accolades at the Taipei International Cooking Competition. He won the Gold Merit award in both the international category and the exquisite taste (美味大师) category.

Simple Food offer a number of set meal options for customers. All these set meals are similar in the sense that they all come with a drink and a side bowl of mushroom soup. I went for the Spaghetti Set. The mushroom soup is NOT vegan. Thankfully I was eating with my non-vegan girlfriend. Her comments were that this soup was it was full of flavour and creamy. Shitake mushrooms were used.

For the set meal, customers can select any spaghetti dish that they wish. I decided to get the Aglio Olio Pine Nut. The usual price for this aglio olio is $6.80, if you are not interested in the set meal. The spaghetti was very well cooked, almost as expertly done as Veggie Cottage. There was a good variety of ingredients used and the dish didn't really miss the garlic, which should traditionally be used in aglio olio. One suggestion for improvement might be to lower the spice of this dish. The picture I took may look innocent enough, but this dish is fiery hot, with a minefield of sliced red chilli lurking within the spaghetti.

Price: $9.50. 7/10

The next dish we tried was the Monkey Mushroom Mee Suah. Monkey head mushroom ranks as one of my most favourite ingredients, adding such sensational texture and flavour. This mee suah dish was easily the best dish we ate, and is probably the best mee suah I have ever eaten. The soup base was packed with flavour. Instead of resorting to using MSG like many eateries, James avoids using MSG and flavours all his dishes naturally. Once again, there was a great diversity of ingredients used, all matching well with this five star quality soup base.

Price: $6.50. 9/10

Simple Food also have a number of daily specials throughout the week. On this particular day it was the Curry Mutton. Initially, the price may seem a little steep, but I found the presentation and portion size justifies the price. The key component is obviously the curry, which was rich, creamy and fragrant. The curry had a healthy variety of ingredients, with the ladyfingers being my personal favourite - Cooked perfectly. Sliced tofu, soup, rice and two poppadoms make up the rest of this dish.

Price: $8.80. 7/10

Conclusion - Although Bedok is a mecca for vegetarian food, this particular location is a little inaccessible for potential customers. I would urge customers not to be put off by this inconvenient location, and head down to pay Simple Food a visit. If you're visiting, the mee suah is an absolute must order.

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

We all know Circuit Road is a hotbed for vegetarian food, with numerous 100% veg stalls located within block 79A. I've often found Circuit Road to be a tad overrated - Yes, it is great so many vegetarian stalls are running there, but in general most of the stalls pretty mediocre, in terms of quality. The focus for this review will be Victor Veggie. This stall should not be confused with the famous satay/otah stall Victor's Vegetarian Food, which is located inside the same block.

Victor Veggie
Location: 79A, Circuit Road, #01-92
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 2.30pm-11.00pm. Closed Sunday

This stall deals almost exclusively with yong tau foo. For those unfamiliar with this style of dish, let me briefly explain. For yong tau foo, customers are required to select whatever tofu, vegetables, stuffed beancurd, mock meat and other items are available and place them into a bowl. After which, these items are boiled in a clear soup, usually with noodles added and served. This style of eating has been around for over 40 years, and can be found not only in Singapore, but also in China, Malaysia and Thailand. The name yong tau foo literally means 'stuffed beancurd', which was the original ingredient used when this dish was first concocted. There is a 'dry' version of yong tau foo also, where the ingredients are re-fried and served to the customer with sweet sauce.

Personally, yong tau foo is a dish I've seldom eaten in Singapore, mainly due to my skepticism of the hygiene of the food. The food items are usually left out in the open for many hours, often exposed to the uneducated manners of the general public. This fear is quite misplaced though, and it is important to remember that when the items are cooked in the high temperature of the clear soup (or re-fried), then almost all the bacteria accumulated from the hours of dormancy is wiped out - At least I hope.

So here it is, Yong Tau Foo (Wet). As I mentioned earlier, everything is customizable for this dish, you can even choose the type of noodles you want (I chose bee hoon). At Victor you can choose six ingredients for $3.00 (plus $0.50 extra for noodles or rice). There is quite a lot of variety available for the ingredients. I chose eggplant, stuffed bittergourd, bok choy, enoki mushrooms, tofu and others. I particularly liked the dark sauce, which customers can pour for themselves. The soup itself is not as bland as I thought, and all the ingredients matched pretty well together.

Price: $3.50. 7/10

Conclusion - Yong tau foo soup is a perfect meal for colder evenings in Singapore. Before ordering this dish, I did have quite a low opinion on this style of food, but Victor Veggie did change my opinion somewhat. If you're someone who enjoys yong tau foo, then Victor is definitely a place you should check out.

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

I'm very excited to write this review of Ah Teck's 'The Best Durian' stall, because this stall was the catalyst which allowed me to really become interested in the world of durians. Seven years ago, I first experienced the taste of durian (in the form of a birthday cake), and was perplexed as to why anyone could enjoy something that essentially tasted like rotten onions, which have fermented in a used gym sock. Fast forward a few years, and I was eager to give durian a second chance. After being continuously scammed by almost every durian seller I encountered, I finally met my very first honest durian seller - Ah Teck.

Ah Teck 'The Best Durian'
Location: Block 681, Hougang Avenue 8
Contact: 98862556

Back when I first met Ah Teck, it would have been laughably easy for him to con me. I knew almost nothing about durian. The only durian I knew was mao shan wang, and I had no idea how to pick a good durian. Plus, let's face, I'm an ang moh buying durian - This is a dastardly durians sellers dream. Even though I was essentially a limping antelope in a room full of lions, Ah Teck never took advantage of my vulnerability. He gave me good quality durians, and always at fair prices. For that reason, Ah Teck will always be a friend to me, and always someone I think of and smile, when it comes to durians.

Ah Teck has been selling durian at this particular spot in Hougang since 1991 (I was just four years old). Over those 20 plus years, he has developed a loyal following of customers, mainly from the Hougang area. His best selling durians are black pearl and mao shan wang. Ah Teck was born in Muar, Malaysia - His durians come from his cousins plantation in Malaysia. His opening times are 3.30pm-12am. Customers are advised to call in advance to make their order, as his durians can sometimes sell out - Especially on weekends.

D13 durian must surely rank as the most common durian in Singapore. You can find D13 everywhere almost all the time. D13 is a durian I seldom purchase, simply because it is a big seeded durian with quite simple flavours. Having said that, you can still find pretty good D13 around. You may often hear the word 红肉 'red meat' used as an alternative name for this durian.

Price: $10.00/kg. 7/10

Let me get this off my chest, because a lot of people are missing the point when it comes to selecting good XO. For lesser educated durian lovers, wet durians automatically mean one thing - No good. This is true for some species, but completely false for others. People seek XO for its alcoholic aftertaste, which can send your whole mouth into a buzzing frenzy. This aftertaste is only present in XO durians, which have undergone an extended period of fermentation inside the shell. Harder/Thicker fleshed XO will not have had this extra time in the shell, and thus will not have the aftertaste. Therefore, if you're looking for a flavourful XO, more watery flesh is ideal. The XO at Ah Teck's stall was deliciously creamy and had a slight alcoholic buzz at the end.

Price: $12.00/kg. 8/10

Conclusion - I have visited many of the durian sellers in the North of Singapore, and so far Ah Teck is the only honest seller I've come across. Be very careful, block 681 and 682 have a number of durian sellers, make sure to look for Ah Teck's stall, and don't get lured into buying from the others.

I've always empathized with the invidious situation many vegetarian/vegan students are faced with in Singapore. Unfortunately, most primary/secondary/junior college/polytechnic establishments don't have any meat-free options for their students. Thankfully, students at Ngee Ann don't have that problem, thanks to this deceptively brilliant stall, located at their Koufu 'Makan Place' food court, which is at block 51.

Little Prince Cuisine
Location: 535 Clementi Rd, Blk 51, Level 2 Ngee Ann Polytechnic (Makan Place)
Contact: 91871461/97815334
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 10.30am-8.30pm. Closed Sunday.

Looks can often be deceiving. From a distance, Little Prince looks just like a typical run-of-the-mill food court vegetarian stall, nothing unusual. However, upon looking closer, it is really mind-blowing how much variety is available. There are over 30 dishes to choose from, plus rice and dishes (available in the morning/afternoon), plus daily specials. Impressive.

Not only does this stall have great variety, but the prices are insanely cheap. Most of the Western dishes range between $3-$5, you won't find that price anywhere else in Singapore for Western food. The menu is void of egg, onion and garlic. Some of the pasta and soups have cream, but chef James is working to replace these with soy, so that vegans can also consume. In general, the menu is very vegan friendly though. No MSG is used in any of the cooking also.

The head chef of Little Prince Cuisine may be familiar to some of you. James Ang was formerly the head chef at famous Singapore vegetarian restaurants Deli-Vege and Vege Sensation. James is a talented, yet extremely humble chef.

On this particular food outing, I was lucky enough to be joined by not only my girlfriend, but Mr and Mrs Vegan too. We kicked off this marathon of Western delights with the Fish & Chips. Out of all the Western dishes we tried, this one was my favourite. The mock fish patty had a nice crumbly outer exterior, matched with a juicy soy based mock meat. Along the outside is seaweed, which adds that authentic 'fishy' flavour.

Price: $4.50. 8/10

Next Western dish we sampled was the Chicken Chop. For vegans who are wondering about the sauce used in these Western dishes, they are totally vegan. James uses soy based sauces. The components for all the Western meals is pretty much the same - Salad, french fries, mock meat and sauce. I found that the french fries were a little hard and rigid. I would have preferred softer (perhaps thicker cut) fries. The chicken chop mock meat was tender and juicy, once again being derived from soy.

Price: $4.50. 7/10

For those who have visited Thousand Vegie/Deli-Vege in the past, the mock patty used in this Little Prince Fried Chicken may look familiar to you. The fried chicken mock meat used is the same, however Little Prince's version is not as juicy and succulent. Price wise, once again this is a dish which represents superb value.

Price: $4.80. 7/10

Lastly, we selected the Aglio Olio Spaghetti. Obviously traditional aglio olio relies heavily on the use of garlic. Little Prince is a Buddhist eatery, so no onion or garlic is used in the food. This aglio olio doesn't really miss the garlic, and has a lot of good flavour. The spaghetti is cooked very well, and there are many ingredients added inside. Perhaps this isn't the most traditional looking or tasting aglio olio, but it still a decent dish nontheless.

Price: $3.80. 7/10

Conclusion - Chef James isn't limited to cooking purely Western dishes. Other signature dishes, such as his minced meat noodle and chicken noodle are also available at this stall. You can't argue with the value and portion size. Ngee Ann is a pretty inconvenient place to get to for most, but a visit to Little Prince and Chef James is worth the journey.

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 8/10
Value - 9/10

Foy Yin is one of those classic olden style vegetarian stalls, which have been around seemingly forever and have built up a local die hard following of customers, who have been visiting their stall for the majority of their lifetime. How long has these stall been at block 628 exactly? It has been over 25 years now. This stall even survived a quite horrendous fire, which occurred at this hawker centre some years ago. Perhaps it is safe to say this stall is indestructible. Foy Yin is most know for its classic bee hoon and dishes. But this stall has a variety of interesting dishes throughout the week. For example, they serve a non-mock meat duck rice (using mushroom head) and they do occasionally sell dishes like prawn noodle, lei cha and hokkien mee also. These dishes don't have a fixed serving day, so it is difficult to predict what will be sold on what day.

Foy Yin Vegetarian Food
Location: 628, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, #01-70
Contact: None
Opening Hours: Daily 6.30pm-10.00pm. Closed on alternate Mondays.

This ah ma was selecting the ingredients she would like to have included along side her bee hoon.

So here is my plate of Bee Hoon and Dishes. As you can see, I selected broccoli/cauliflower, tofu and mock char siew. Sometimes I find it a little difficult to write about rice/bee hoon and dishes, as most stalls are pretty much selling the same types of dishes, all cooked the same way - That is the case for Foy Yin as well. All the food is cooked well, but frankly it is just the same type of food you can expect in all the typical vegetarian rice/bee hoon and dishes stalls. Unfortunately other more glamorous dishes were not available when I visited.

Price: $3.00. 6/10

Conclusion - I believe what makes Foy Yin so special is the bond the staff have with their regular customers. As I was sitting there eating my bee hoon, it was clear to see that most customers eating there are long time regulars. I would certainly be curious to go back on days where they have more interesting dishes available.

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


Brownice Location: 8 Sin Ming Road, Sin Ming Centre, #01-03 Contact: 64566431 Opening Hours: Mon-Thur 1pm-11pm, Fri-Sun 1pm-12am.

Denise Lim Q&A

Before you started Brownice, what was your background?

I was actually an Engineer, with a degree in ‘Electrical Engineering’. So, I was working as an engineer for 6-7 years before deciding to open Brownice.

What cause you to make such a drastic career change?
First of all, Brownice just started as a hobby, it was never meant to be a career. Making ice cream and desserts was just something I did for fun on the weekends. I was really interested in making desserts healthier, so Brownice was almost spontaneously created from this hobby.

Do you have any formal cooking/dessert making experience?
For me, cooking at the beginning was just playing and experimenting, and from this I gradually learnt more and more. I also got an Italian gelato maker to teach me how to make traditional gelatos. But in terms of formal training, I don’t have any.

Why did you focus purely on desserts?
The answer to this is simple – I love desserts! I noticed that it is quite difficult to find healthy/vegan desserts in Singapore. So, I felt that Brownice would provide something to customers that they can’t get anywhere else in Singapore.

Were you born vegetarian/vegan?
My whole family are not vegetarians, so I definitely wasn’t born vegetarian. My conversion to a vegetarian diet happened gradually. It all started on a vacation to New Zealand. I saw the farm animals close up and grew a deeper connection with them. I slowly dropped one meat at a time, until I eventually became 100% vegetarian. After that, I made quite a fast change to totally vegan in 2010.

The Classic Thinner Pizza $9.80

What does the future hold for Brownice?
Of course we hope to continue serving our healthier desserts to more and more people in Singapore. We do also hope to increase our menu to add more desserts. We have also recently added some savoury items to our Sin Ming Centre outlet, such as vegan pizza.

I hear you have recently opened a second Brownice in Singapore. Can you tell us about this?
Yes that is correct. This second outlet opened up in June 2013. This outlet is smaller in size than Sin Ming Centre, and only sells dessert items.

What would you say is the target audience of Brownice?
When I very first started making ice cream, I actually originally intended for it to be aimed at lactose intolerant individuals or those who had other dietary restrictions. But subsequently, I realised that the bulk majority of our customers are coming from the mass market, and just simply want to enjoy desserts, but without it effecting their health in a negative way.

What flour do you use in your waffles?
I use organic light wheat flour.

How did you know how to use brown rice as the foundation for ice creams?
It was all experimentation. I kept testing out making ice cream with nut milk, soy milk, coconut milk, oat milk – But I found that brown rice milk worked perfectly. Also, brown rice is a healthiest option so I really wanted to use that as the base for all the ice creams.

Want more information on Brownice? - Here is my full review of their Sin Ming Centre outlet!

Waffles $3.50 (+ $3.80 per sccoop of ice cream)

2014 is just beginning, but we already have one exciting new vegan eatery that has opened its doors in Singapore. Loving Hut, of course, is an internationally known vegan food franchise. Throughout all of Asia, wherever you go, there will probably be a Loving Hut in that country. Needless to say, this place is 100% vegan. Although I consider Singapore to be a vegetarian food lovers paradise - We still don't have enough vegan eateries (less than 20 by my estimation). The vegan diet is becoming increasing popular, so let's hope this is met with an increase in vegan establishments.

Loving Hut
Location: 229 Joo Chiat Road
Contact: 97874389
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 11.00am-9.30pm. Sat-Sun 10.00am-9.30pm

The interior look of this restaurant is perfect. It is easily the best looking Loving Hut I've been to. Calming music and a simple, yet trendy ambiance greets customers.

In Singapore, I've always been somewhat underwhelmed by Loving Hut. Having visited their outlets in other countries, I always found that the menu on offer in their Singapore outlets was much less creative. Therefore, when looking at their new refurbished menu at Joo Chiat, I was excited to see that more original and innovative dishes were added. In fact, it became quite difficult to choose what to order, as I wanted to try so many things! Everything on the menu is 100% vegan. I was a little surprised to see that some dishes do have onion and garlic - But it is clearly indicated on the well designed menu.

First dish to the table was the Three-Cup Chickin' Organic Brown Rice. This dish consists of organic brown rice, steamed cauliflower and broccoli, clear Chinese soup and mock meat. Price wise, some customers may find this dish a little costly, for what you get. Moreover, mistakes in salt levels were made in the soup and mock meat sauce - Both were really way too salty. Having said that, the texture of the mock meat is really excellent. It is quite different to typical mock meat, as it has a welcome crunchy texture - It was fried in a batter first, which gave it a texture similar to ribs. Just a shame it was weighed down by high salt levels.

Price: $9.90. 7/10

After seeing the Loving Hut promotional posters, the dish I was adamant in trying was the Papa's Portobello Burger. The burger had a portobello mushroom, onion ring and tomato sauce inside. The portobello was beautifully juicy and made as an excellent replacement for a typical patty. The tomato sauce was excellent as well, sweet yet tart. The onion ring added an interesting textural crunch to the burger. Also, it is worth noting this burger is not as hopelessly messy as some. For the sides, there is a salad with balsamic vinegar reduction and sweet potato fries. I loved the originality of using sweet potato, but in terms of taste, they were lacking in seasoning.

Price: $14.90. 8/10

Here is a look at the inside of the burger. All credit to Loving Hut for doing there best to serve a burger with originality. I am sick to death of visiting eateries and getting mock patty, tomato, lettuce and soggy bread.

The last dish we sampled was the Nyonya Rendang. This dish provides an interesting twist on traditional rendang by wrapping the curry in a thin crepe. Considering this crepe is vegan, the texture was extremely impressive - It was not stiff and hard like I feared. The rendang itself is basically mock meat (mushroom stem) flavoured with typical rendang spices. I couldn't help but think, why not add more ingredients into the rendang curry? Such as green peas, potato and a touch more sauce. I believe this would have elevated the dish to an even higher level. Again this dish comes with sweet potato fries and salad.

Price: $13.90. 7/10

Conclusion - Definitely price is going to be a factor for many customers visiting Loving Hut. These three dishes cost me a total of $42.55 ($3.85 in additional costs), which certainly makes Loving Hut (Joo Chiat) one of the more expensive meat-free eateries in Singapore. The quality of the dishes were definitely above average, and I applaud them for reinvigorating the Loving Hut brand this way. Certainly a place I would consider for special events or gatherings. However, the price may prevent me from being a regular customer.

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

Reflecting back on 2013, one of the most promising new eateries that opened up was certainly ROTI-Alka's Kitchen. Inevitably I was bound to return once again in 2014, this time I wanted to focus my review on one of their special festive set meals. For those wanting to read my first thoughts on this eatery, you can check out my first review HERE.

ROTI - Alka's Kitchen
Location: #B1-22/23, 154 West Coast Road, West Coast Plaza
Contact: 67740422
Opening Hours: Daily 10.00am-10.00pm

Here is a poster which promotes the consumption of whole grains.

Those who visit ROTI-Alka's will probably see owner and head chef Madam Alka C Mehta working away in the kitchen. For what its worth, I think Madam Alka is one of the most talented vegetarian chefs in Singapore. I love her food, and more importantly, I love her attitude and infectious fascination with the world of food. Even though she has been cooking for 24 years, been a winner of numerous cooking competitions and has a masters degree in Food Science & Nutrition - She is still humble, and still has a completely open mind to learning new things. This mindset is rare in the world of food these days.

The signature dish at Alka's is the Roti Wrap, which the restaurant coined its name. This wrap is entirely customizable, where customers can choose the ingredients inside, as well as the type of paratha/roti. I got the spinach roti. I really loved the roti wraps during my first visit, and I was pleased to see they were just as delicious as the first time. Definitely a dish you must order when visiting Alka's.

Price: $6.50. 8/10

For this review, the dish I am most excited to share with you is the Mutton Tikka. This skewer style dish is so ridiculously good I could barely contain the fireworks show that was taking place within me. This dish consists of two skewers, with mock mutton, capsicum, tomato and red onion stabbed together. Although Alka's doesn't have a tandoor (yet, they will soon), there is still a lovely smokey aroma on the ingredients. Even more impressive - This is vegan. All tikka tandoori style items usually have yogurt in the marinate, to thicken the mixture and add sourness. Chef Alka has amazingly been able to make the marinate without dairy, so vegans can enjoy. If things weren't amazing enough, the skewers are served alongside a sensational sesame sauce/chutney. I could happily drink this sauce by itself, and it matched expertly with the skewers. A little less salt, and a sprinkling of lime would have made it even more perfect.

Price: $6.00. 9/10

Regular visitors to ROTI-Alka's will often see special promotions and set meals, which usually coincide with festive periods in Singapore. At the time of visiting, there was a special 5-Course Chinese New Year Indo-Chinese Meal. The following dishes were ones I sampled from that aforementioned meal...

Indo-Chinese food has been attempted in a couple of restaurants in Singapore - But none that are 100% vegetarian. I really like the idea of fusion food, as it creates a unique niche market for Alka's. First up was the Manchow Soup. This soup certainly manages to capture the traditional Chinese flavours. Personally, when I ever eat a soup like this, I need to add black rice vinegar. This sweet and sour vinegar really takes otherwise mundane soups to another level.

7/10

One of the appetizer dishes on the menu is Steamed Momos. The name 'momo' is something many people have heard of, but few people actually know what it is. Momo is essentially a white-skinned steamed dumpling (not too dissimilar to Chinese 'jiao zi') that is popular in Nepal (its birth place), Tibet, Bhutan and certain regions of Northern India. These dumplings are very filling, and have a good moist and chewy outer skin. Steamed dumplings are not something I particularly enjoy - But if you do, then surely you will enjoy this appetizer.

7/10

Maybe I was an Indian in one of my past lives. Indian food puts a smile on my face, and satisfies my stomach more than any other food cuisine can. Pani Puri is an example of an Indian chaat that has managed to break into mainstream popularity. It is a simple dish, that is fun to eat and is full of flavour (like all Indian food). The key to good pani puri is the quality of the chutneys used. Also, the olive green murky tamarind water, which should be poured into the hollow shell, needs to be perfect. This water can be an acquired taste, as it has a strong eggy smell - No this is not real egg - This is kala namak, also known as black salt. Lovely snack.

8/10

In the quest to offer more familiar dishes to the local crowd, Laksa has been added to the CNY menu. To manage your expectations, this is not a 'traditional' (if there is such a thing) tasting laksa. Instead, this is more fusion-style. Inside the bowl, one can kind beancurd, mock prawn, mock chicken and other tasty goodies. Although a valiant attempt, I found the laksa gravy a little one dimensional. Particularly lacking in the typical punch of lemongrass. A reduction in the overpowering garlic flavour would be better too. With some adjustments I am sure this dish will improve leaps and bounds.

6/10

Another vegan dish on their menu is the Chicken Manchurian. Aside from Gokul, Alka's is one of the few Indian restaurants that actually use mock meats in their cooking. Generally, you won't see Indian restaurants using mock meat. The flavours of this dish are quite similar to the manchow soup. Instead, the sauce is much starchier and overall is quite pleasant. It especially goes well with the mock chicken.

7/10

In Chef Alka's quest to make more items vegan friendly, she has concocted a vegan Suji Halwa dessert. For those who know Indian desserts, you will know they are very milk, ghee and sugar heavy. Therefore, to create a vegan Indian dessert is an achievement alone. The suji (semolina) was well roasted and had great flavour. Chef Alka uses considerably less sugar to make it more healthy.

7/10

Conclusion - ROTI-Alka's is an eatery that is ever evolving and improving, so it will be interesting to see what direction it goes in the future. I like how they are now offering fusion food, but still have their delicious Indian items available as well. Needless to say, the mutton tikka is a dish you simply must order.

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

Korean Army Stew Recipe (Budae Jjigae)

I received quite an overwhelming number of 'likes' on the Hungry Ang Mo Facebook recently, when I posted a picture of the Korean kimchi hotpot stew, which we enjoyed for our Chinese New Year reunion dinner. This broth really captures sensational flavours. Moreover, it is incredibly simple to make, so no matter what your skill level in the kitchen, you will be able to make this dish.

Full credit for this recipe goes to my girlfriend Shanel. She was the one who cooked this dish, and subsequently wrote the ingredients list and instructions below. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Korean Hot Pepper Paste (Gochujang) - 4 TBS
Miso Paste - 2 TBS
Nutritional Yeast (optional) - 2 TBS
Sliced Onion (optional) - 1 large
Vegetarian Kimchi* - 1/2 cup or 250g
Vinegar (any type - optional) - 1/2 TBS
Sesame Oil - 2 TSP

Mock Meats (luncheon meat, sausages etc)
Wombok - 1/2
Firm Tofu (sliced) - 1 block
Enoki Mushrooms - 1 to 2 packets
Korean Ramen Packet - 1 to 2 packets
Baked Beans - 1 tin
Rice Cakes (optional)

Instructions
1. Start by layering the sliced onions at the bottom of the hotpot.
2. Combine hot pepper paste, miso, nutritional yeast, sesame oil and vinegar and place it in the pot.
3. Layer the rest of the ingredients on top (excluding ramen) and put enough water to cover it all.
4. Bring it to a boil.
5. Serve, whilst letting it simmer on low in the hotpot.
6. Add the ramen halfway through (you may need to add more water, as it does absorb a lot of the soup).
7. Done

*You may buy bottled vegetarian kimchi at any health food stores (such as Yes Natural). It is saltier and less tart than regular non-vegetarian kimchi, so you may want to compensate for the lack of tartness by adding some vinegar into the broth.

Cafe Salivation is an eatery I've praised very highly on my blog for a number of years now. I've always loved the creative Western menu, and the fresh and colourful interior design of the place. Recently, Cafe Salivation moved from its old home at Syed Alwi Road, and switched to 176 Race Course Road. Although this new location is technically closer to the Farrer Park MRT (just a two minute walk from Exit D), it is on a pretty deserted section of Race Course Road, which doesn't get many passersby. Frankly, I feel like their old location was much better. My last reviews of Cafe Salivation were back in 2009 and 2011. So, let's see how Cafe Salivation has evolved in 2014...

Cafe Salivation
Location:176 Race Course Road
Contact: 62981412
Opening Hours: Daily 10am-10:30pm

Even though the location has changed, the funky 70's style interior design has remained almost the same. Cafe Salivation is one of those restaurants which really excels in ambiance. It is an ideal place to host a birthday party or other similar sorts of gatherings.

Another look at the splendid interior design of Cafe Salivation. It should be worth noting the menu is an absolute nightmare for vegans. Almost every dish contains dairy.

Cafe Salivation have a number of interesting burgers to order, but I was most curious to try their Middle Eastern Burger. From the menu description, it promised to have raisins and tahini inside. Unfortunately, I couldn't detect any sweetness from raisins, and I didn't taste any tahini inside either. The portion size is pretty small for the price, and the burger is almost impossible to eat. The burger patty slides around way too much, and the bottom of the burger was very soggy. The only highlight of this dish were the fluffy chips. The burger itself (vegans make sure to ask for cheese to be removed) I found incredibly mundane.

Price: $9.50. 5/10

Next dish we tried was the Desi Sandwich. This is truly a fusion sandwich, with Indian green chilli chutney used as a spread. Once again, vegans be careful - You must request this dish to be void of cheese. Inside this sandwich is potato, tomato and cucumber. Overall the flavour of this sandwich was really flat, with the spiciness of the chilli being the only real flavour coming out. The bread was toasted very well, but it really needed more flavours to leap out from it. Slightly more appetising than the burger, but not by much. Once again, a steep price to pay.

Price: $9.00. 6/10

Conclusion - It is really disappointing to see the standards have dropped at Cafe Salivation. A once great restaurant, which is a shell of its former self now. Although the ambiance of this eatery is still terrific, the restaurant is ultimately struggling to get customers, due to the location change. The new location, combined with a significant dip in the food standard means there is real concern for the future of Cafe Salivation.

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

Regular readers of my website will know that I often whinge about the lack of vegetarian options at NEX shopping centre (Serangoon). Recently, one of my readers educated me on some of the vegetarian options available close to NEX. Miao Shan is geographically the closest to NEX (just a 5 minute walk), so it can really be a valuable option for hungry vegetarians at NEX. Not only is it close by, but the food pricing is wonderfully cheap. The only negative is that the stall closes at 1.30pm. So if you're in the Serangoon area in the evening, this stall will be closed. The other vegetarian stall (called Su Shi Piao Xiang, which is open morning, noon and night) in close proximity to NEX is at block 2 Lor Liew Lian, that will take you 10 minutes to walk to, though.

Miao Shan Vegetarian
Location: Blk 262 Serangoon Central Drive, #01-89 (L.A KOPI coffee shop)
Contact: None
Opening Hours: Daily 6.00am-1.30pm

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this stall, but after chatting with the friendly husband and wife duo who run this shop, I left with a totally different opinion. Customers who are visiting Miao Shan should immediately focus their attention on the 'Today Special' signboard on the left hand side. This stall has daily specials, which change every day. This stall has been running at block 262 for almost four years now. On the 1st and 15th of the month (Chinese calendar) the stall owner has many more special dishes for customers to try.

I decided to select the Char Siew Rice to try first. This dish comes with plain rice, cabbage mixed vegetable, char siew and orange chilli. The mock char siew is thinly sliced and deliciously sweet and smokey in flavour. The texture of the rice was perfectly done, especially as I am someone who prefers harder rice. A really delicious dish overall, especially after smearing the orange chilli sauce all over the ingredients.

Price: $3.00. 8/10

On my second visit they had Lor Mee as one of their daily specials. What I love about this stall is the owner asks questions to determine the customers preference. Restaurant/stall owners pay attention to this - For this dish, the stall owner asked me - Would you like chilli? How much? Would you like vinegar? Do you want it more/less salty? Which type of noodle would you like? This allows the customer to get the dish they personally prefer. Instead of some eateries who ignorantly serve egg/onion/garlic/spicy/milk dishes to customers without bothering to ask questions. This lor mee is exceptional, I asked for extra vinegar, which really took this dish to another level. The gravy is thick and starchy, and the amount of ingredients are diverse and delicious. For $2.50, what is there left to do but stand up and applaud.

Price: $2.50. 9/10

The next time I visited Miao Shan was on a Tuesday, and their daily specials were fried rice and Mee Siam. Again, this was another good quality dish. I can honestly say all of the dishes from Miao Shan are great. Some of the ingredients in this dish are similar to the lor mee. The mee rebus gravy is thick and moreish. Pieces of cubed fried tofu act as a good replacement to the more traditional boiled egg.

Price: $2.50. 7/10

Another day, another daily special. This time it was the Chicken Rice. Once again, this dish had perfectly cooked rice, which is both flavourful and firm in texture. The mock chicken is derived from beancurd sheets. This dish bears a lot of similarities to the char siew rice, as many of the components are the same.

Price: $3.00. 7/10

Conclusion - For my food reviews, I almost always visit the stall/restaurant just once, write my review and then that is that. For Miao Shan, I visited this stall on four occasions - I hope that can emphasise how highly I rate this stall. This stall has two important qualities which make it so exceptional - Fantastic quality food and stall owners who genuinely care about their customers and the food they serve.

Overall Rating
Food - 8/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 9/10
Value - 9/10

As Singapore is embroiled in the traditional of taking meals outside at hawker centres or other eating establishments - We are inevitably faced with quite a dilemma. How can we access healthy food outside? Unfortunately, outside food typically has more salt, oil, MSG and other harmful substances than what we would like. My Vegetarian Way offers an escape from strong flavoured unhealthy food, and instead provides some of the healthiest vegan food that I've even seen inside a hawker centre. My Vegetarian Way has been running at Golden Shoe for over six years now.

My Vegetarian Way
Location: #03-24, 50 Market Street (Golden Shoe Market & Food Centre)
Contact: 92385680
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 8.00am-3.30pm. Weekends closed.

The My Vegetarian Way menu has different daily specials every day. The stall prides itself on using no mock meats, no deep frying, and all natural ingredients (some of which are organic). They also aim to use as little salt and oil as possible. But the big question is, will this leave the food tasting too bland? Let's find out...

The first dish that came to our table was the Brown Rice Porridge. This porridge tasted...Healthy. Ok, I admit it, Chinese porridge probably ranks bottom of my list of dishes that I crave for. With that being said, this porridge manages to capture a quite delightful creamy texture (all the more impressive as it is vegan). The taste is subtle, and may be considered bland by some. But personally it was pretty enjoyable overall - That is saying a lot coming from me.

Price: $1.50. 7/10

Next dish sampled was the Fried Hor Fun. No, don't adjust your screens, the picture is indeed fried hor fun. The chef at My Vegetarian Way has done their best to make this dish as healthy as conceivably possible. It is not fried, and a great deal of fresh crunchy vegetables have been added inside. This dish should be eaten immediately upon serving, when it is fresh. It is another dish which has very subtle flavours, but it goes perfectly with the pumpkin chilli (see below), which customers can help themselves to at the front of the stall.

Price: $3.50. 7/10

Customers who find the food too bland are urged to add this pumpkin chilli to their food. This chilli paste is really delicious.

Lastly, we have the Lei Cha. This Hakka dish, also known as 'thunder tea rice' is by default extremely healthy. It is a dish that allows the natural flavour of the ingredients to shine. Rather than relying on salt, MSG and other harmful flavour enhancers. Lei cha is one of my girlfriends favourite dishes, so I'm often coaxed into ordering it when out and about. I've slowly started to gain a greater appreciation for this dish. But irregardless of taste, this is a dish we should all be eating on a regular basis, to increase our overall health and longevity.

Price: $4.00. 7/10

Conclusion - It is important that customers who visit My Vegetarian Way adjust their expectations. Yes, the food may seem bland to many of us - Because we have been brought up our entire lives eating strong tasting foods. We need to go back to simplicity, and this stall is a great example of how to do that. If every typical bee hoon/rice and dishes vegetarian stall in Singapore was replaced with stalls like My Vegetarian Way, the country would definitely be a healthier and better place.

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

Vegan Chocolate Mousse Recipe

This chocolate mousse recipe is quick, simple and absolutely delicious. The texture and taste of this mousse is just like the real thing. It even has the small pockets of air inside the pudding! Even though tofu is used to make this dessert, there is really no way of telling (both in terms of taste and texture) that it is made from tofu. Anyone and everyone can make this, so give it a go!

Serves 2-3

Ingredients
Silken Tofu - 1 block (I used Unicurd organic silken tofu 300g)
Vegan Chocolate Chips* - 75g or 1/2 cup
Liquid of Choice - 1 TBS (water/soy milk/almond milk/liqueur)
Cocoa Powder - 2 TSP
Vanilla Extract - 1/2 TSP
Salt - A dash (I highly recommend using Himalayan salt)

Instructions
1. Combine chocolate chips and liquid of choice into a bowl and microwave until chips are melted.
2. Into a blender, add the chocolate mixture together with the rest of the ingredients and blend on high until the mixture is very smooth.
3. Divide mixture into 2 to 3 ramekins and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

*Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips is accidentally vegan.

GreenDot - Bedok

Tanaka Vegetarian Food - Fajar

He Xi Vegetarian Restaurant - Tai Seng

Ru Xiang Vegetarian Food - Ang Mo Kio

2013 Vegetarian Food Round-up and Awards

Just Greens Vegetarian - Toa Payoh

Roasted Potatoes

Simple Food - Bedok

Victor Veggie - MacPherson

Ah Teck 'The Best Durian' - XO, D13

Little Prince Cuisine - Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Foy Yin Vegetarian Food - Yio Chu Kang

Interview Q&A: Denise Lim (Brownice)

Loving Hut - Eunos

ROTI - Alka's Kitchen - Clementi

Vegan Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew) Recipe

Cafe Salivation - Farrer Park

Miao Shan Vegetarian - Serangoon

My Vegetarian Way - Raffles Place

Vegan Chocolate Mousse