NASI PADANG: Hidden Find, Cheap and Good

I am a fan of Nasi Padang but it is never my breakfast or lunch routine because most Nasi Padang stalls are expensive. There was one time I come across a Facebook post, someone posted a hidden find Nasi Padang that is very affordable. Okay, so you might argue that Nasi Padang is really Indonesian cuisine, but here in Singapore, Nasi Padang just means Malay/Indonesian style dishes that is eaten with rice. But when you eat Nasi Padang, it is always great to go with some kakis but my kakis are definitely my parents. I quickly googled the location and brought my parents there. It was pretty much hidden as in there wasn’t much a thing there. It’s so quiet. This particular Nasi Padang stall is located in a very small old coffeeshop in an old HDB estate and the only Malay stall in the coffeeshop itself. The Coffeeshop is called Khong Guan which immediately reminds you of your childhood biscuit brand. There is always a certain level of excitement when I visit such old coffeeshops where the stall doesn’t even have a name and the whole coffeeshop is full of people eating the same thing. I went crazy upon seeing the coffeeshop. It’s like a magical to me because I’ve never seen or been to old coffee shops that reminded me “So this is how old coffeeshops looks like in the 40-60s”. The dishes were in general very good however at the time (10am) we arrived they were preparing some dishes but thankfully the queue wasn’t crazy as what I expected it to be. Phew! And oh, tables and chairs are very limited, we were so grateful that a kind man offered his seats to us since he was about to leave. As expected, we sat and queued immediately. I ordered rice, ayam masak merah and vegetables all for less than 4 bucks. By the time we were enjoying our meal, queue starts to get longer, dishes are selling fast.

DESSERT: Moosh Softserve

Soft serve has come a long way from 7 Eleven’s Mister Softee, which apparently made a quiet comeback recently. I've heard good and bad reviews about 7 Eleven’s Mister Softee; the good reviews is that it comes in variety of flavours this time, and the bad reviews is the flavours has changed and it doesn't taste the same like we used to had during our childhood days in the 90s. Anyways, throughout the years, Overrun.SG has taken over when it comes to soft serve, however, there has been amazing news there's a new soft serve entrant on its way, apparently, it's already here since early this year. The new soft serve shop is Moosh, along Haji Lane that is 100% Muslim-owned. I was recommended to try this newly-opened halal ice-cream shop. Unfortunately, there's not much options to choose from. So, I decided to try Nutella Brownies Cheesecake. Frankly speaking, I'm not a fan of anything relates to chocolate but why not give this a try. Despite the hot and humid weather at the time, I decided it was the best time to try Moosh. The soft serve at Moosh comes in unique flavours and impressive toppings. There were four or five flavours on the menu board when we visited (i think? sorry we forgot!) but we are not certain if the menu changes weekly. Speaking of options, Moosh also offers their soft serve in two sizes. I opted for the large size. So far, so good.

MEE GORENG: Saffron's Cafeteria

Mee Goreng originally from Mamak (Indian)-Malay fusion noodle. There are four types of Mee Goreng; one, you can get the Malay-style; two, you can get the Indian-style, three, you can get the Indian-Malay style; and four, you can get the Chinese-style. While there are many variations on Mee Goreng in Southeast Asia, the term Mee Goreng usually refers to 2 specific variations in Singapore; Indian style and Malay style. This one is Mamak-style Mee Goreng. I must admit that I am not a big fan of Mee Goreng but I am quite particular when it comes to my Mee Goreng. All four types are my liking, however, the taste has to be really 100% pure. Meaning, if I want to eat the Malay-style, it has to be it. Some hawkers also include a fried egg, minced mutton, squid, sliced/chopped onions, vegetables, sliced fish cakes, sliced cucumbers or lime. At Saffron's Cafeteria, I was really disappointed with their Mee Goreng. It was really unsavoury! There was no taste at all! I hate Telur Mata Lembu (Fried Egg aka Cow's Eye Egg) on my Mee Goreng. I prefer to be cooked everything together with the noodle. I know that I can request for the egg to be cooked altogether but since this is my first time trying Saffron's Mee Goreng (not the first time eating at the coffeeshop), I just want my Mee Goreng to be a 'surprise'.

THOSAI: Blk 826 Tampines Street 81 (Kopi Point)

Dosa is a type of pancake from the Indian subcontinent, made from a fermented batter. Dosa is known by several names. Thosai in Singapore, Tosa in Malaysia. It is somewhat similar to a crepe in appearance. Thosai is a typical part of the Southern Indian diet and popular all over the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, Thosai is served hot along with sambar, stuffing of potatoes and chutney. Here in Singapore, Thosai is quite popular in any kinds such as Masala Thosai, Paper Thosai, Onion Thosai, and by any other names. Thosai is not only available in Little India, it is commonly available islandwide. One of the place is at Tampines, my hometown, situated in a coffee shop and the only Indian Muslim shop, you can get your Masala Thosai fix there. This is my favourite Masala Thosai!

MEE SOTO: Blk 826 Tampines Street 81 (Kopi Point)

So, this is Mee Soto. It is a spicy noodle soup dish commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. In Indonesia it is called Soto Mie and considered as one variant of soto, whilst in Singapore and Malaysia, it refers to Mee Soto or Soto Ayam. I was never a fan of Mee Soto. A lot of them were either way too oily or too unsavoury for my liking. This bowl of Mee Soto is one of my favourite. This Malay Muslim food stall is one of three halal food located inside of coffee shop in Tampines. I opted for begedil because without begedil, it will never be Mee Soto to me.

NASI LEMAK: Aliff Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak is a Malay fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. In translation to 'nasi lemak' from Malay to English, and you will get 'rich rice', or we called it 'fat rice'. It is commonly found in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Southern Thailand and some parts of Northern Indonesia. It is considered as one of Singapore's favourite dish. It can be found in every Malay food cuisines, but not all actually. The fragrant one-plate-wonder typically comprises aromatic rice infused with coconut milk along with pandan leaf. Most Malay shops in Singapore, you can only choose between fried fish or fried chicken. There's one time, I discovered a Malay stall somewhere in Bedok North, situated in a hawker centre that provide options such as fried fish, fried chicken, fish fillets, fish cakes, hotdogs, chicken nuggets and many more. It was the best thing I've ever seen. My concern is, if you are someone who loves the spicyness of Nasi Lemak sambal, you might need to ask for more sambal because they provide a quite small amount of sambal. The sambal here is also excellent, so I found that I always had to go back to the stall to ask for an extra scoop.