Was introduced to this eatery within the depths of Techlink, an industrial area where one least expected to enjoy in a meal of fish head steamboat. Thanks to Hence and Tracy for bringing us there. I wouldn't know which corner to turn to get there even if I am already in the building.
food court entrance
restaurant inside the food court
For Nan Hua Chang, one need not go to the counter to place order as they have adequate staff moving about in the spacious food court. However, do get your own drinks from the drinks stall which is the norm in food courts.
menu
It was past my dinner hours, so a pot of fish head steamboat sounded right for a late dinner. Boss attended to our table, so he recommended a medium pot for the 5 of us and we ordered a couple more side dishes at small size.
Fried Pork Belly (S) @$12
Cuttle Fish Kangkong (S) @$12
The nan ru pork belly was well fried and had a crisp exterior. The surprise was the heat in the cuttle fish kangkong. Wow, that was spicy!
Oyster Egg (S) @$12
The appearance of the oyster egg here, is different from others. The omelette itself was a deep fried version, so I dunk those crispy sides into the fish soup and it was lovely! And they were so generous with the oysters too.
Fish Head Steamboat - Grouper (M) @$49
It has been ages since I last had Fish Head Steamboat and this was surely nostalgic. Memories of yesteryears...
usual suspects of yam cubes, vegetables, chunky pieces of fish head
grouper
The soup was flavourful and comforting and fish head was chopped into chunky versions. I think next round, can order the large size if you're in a party of 5. Need more of the fish to satiate the cravings.
Good thing to note is that the soup is refillable at no extra cost. Also loved it when staff came by to our table to ask if we needed more soup.
Nan Hua Chang (Traditional) serves up value with the reasonable amount paid for its dishes.
Nan Hua Chang (Traditional) Fish Head Steamboat
Address: 31 Kaki Bukit Rd 3, #02-01 C Food Court: 古早味, Singapore 417818
Back for more Hitachino Nest (bottled craft beer), and this time round, managed to try the Red Rice Ale. Previous visit, I had the Dai Dai and also a sip of White Ale. Wouldn't that means, 3 out of the 4 flavours tasted? My favourite is now the Red Rice (红曲米) Ale. It has a definitive fragrance of the red rice, mildly sweet and refreshing. Plus, very good price during Happy Hour. Cheers indeed!
bevy of beauties - bottled craft from Japan
Brewdog Bottled Craft Beer from UK
For food to go with the drinks, we had the small squares of golden brown homemade chestnut tofu, and freshly fried. Yummy! However, there was less of the crunchy chestnut that I enjoyed from the previous visit.
Crispy Chef's Homemade Chestnut Beancurd @ $12++
introducing Chuga Soju with Milkis
Salted Egg Yolk Soft Shell Crab would be perfect munchies for the beer.
Salted Egg Yolk Soft Shell Crab @$18++
Happy to see soju on the menu, so we tried the lychee, green grape and watermelon flavour, in preferential order. Happy Hour promo, one gets 3 bottles for $36++. Mix it with cold Milkis for a change.
On rainy days, the best thing to eat would be Claypot Mutton Stew with Beancurd and Radish. A pot of well braised tender mutton with a good chew but the surprise was in the radish. Bursting with savoury satisfying flavours! Drizzle all the 'zup' onto a bowl of steamed rice and relish in simple pleasures. It was like a putting the final piece of the puzzle together. So good. No funky business here, only tasty stuffs.
Claypot Mutton Stew with Beancurd and Radish @$25++
Penang Laksa Steamed Fish Head @$28++
If you missed eating assam laksa, why not give Penang Laksa Steamed Fish Head a try. This newer version has been slightly tweaked.
a toast with Brewlander Love (Wild IPA)
Next dish, was a good sized Tilapia for the Penang Crispy Fish. Loved the crisp edges of the fish and remember to scoop the sauce from underneath the fish. This dish paired well with beer as well as soju, and I'd reckon some red too. Just that I wasn't drinking any red wine that night. Hey, it's just Monday!
Penang Crispy Fish (Tilapia) @$28++
For the finale, we were served the Golden Chicken. It is special because underneath the chicken skin, there's a layer of fish paste. The result was a pleasant surprise due to the difference in texture and taste, yet still maintained a familiarity from the crisp roasted chicken skin.
Golden Chicken - $20/$38 for half/whole chicken
close up view
I enjoyed the refreshing soju, cold beers (bottled craft/tap) paired with tasty tze char food. From what I've tried, it paired quite well so far. Try it and do share if there's any particular combination that stood out to recommend to others.
Thank you Jennifer for the invite, Charles for your kind hospitality and George Town Tze Char for hosting the dinner.
Wok Palace offers lavish tze char (煮炒) dining in a comfortable setting and originates from Wok Master and Coffee Hive family. Started from humble roots and now expanding its wings to bring a more refined dining concept with unique menu and inclusion of exciting new dishes while retaining some evergreen tze char favourites.
Thank you Damien and Angie for the invite, and special thanks to Anthony, Terence and Wok Palace for hosting the dinner.
comfortable dining space
Let's take a look at the colourful drinks that we had. The perfect thirst quenchers!
(right to left) Sky Blue Tropical, Passion Peach Tea, Lychee Mojito, Iced Lemon Tea and Honey Lemon
Or, one could opt for the beautiful blooming hot teas. So pretty with the flowers inside.
Blooming Jasmine Tea @$4.50
Do you love soups as much as I do? We started the meal proper with the Ginseng Chicken Soup with Sea Whelk. Is it just me, because I find that the texture of the sea whelk is pretty similar to chicken gizzard. Hehe!
Ginseng Chicken Soup with Sea Whelk (人参螺头炖鸡汤) @$12
Soup was boiled over a slow fire for many hours (close to a day's worth!) and it was love at first sip. Each spoonful contained all the essence (精华) yet not an overly rich taste. I enjoyed this a lot. Soothing and comforting.
loved every sip
the last few sips!
Next, we progressed to a light appetiser of Scallop Roll with Braised Daikon and Pork Broth. It looked interesting and I was wondering, where was the scallop... Can you guess?
Scallop Roll with Braised Daikon and Pork Broth (带子卷焖白胡萝卜扒猪骨汤) @$23.80
The outer layer turned out to be sashimi grade scallops made into a paste to wrap the minced pork, diced carrots, water crest, and shrimp. I loved the feels of how beautiful it looked with the dots of orange and green (from the diced items). The daikon was well braised and had absorbed the delicious pork broth. The scallop roll had a dense bouncy texture and the minced pork and shrimp package with the pretty diced carrots and water chestnut elevated the package further with a refreshing taste that complemented well with the overall sweetness.
pretty!
For tofu lovers, I would recommend the Homemade Kale Tofu. Nope, the tofu was not made out of kale! This dish is actually like any typical Chinese restaurant tofu spinach dish, just that it uses kale instead of spinach to top the tofu with crunchy savoury bits. The main reason why I liked this dish, was purely due to the soft, freshly made tofu. So yummy.
Homemade Kale Tofu (自制羽衣甘蓝豆腐) @$6
so soft~
How does braised beef cheek appeal to you? I'd normally have this at non-Chinese restaurant but hey, if Wok Palace has it, then yes let's try it!
Braised Beef Cheek with Organic Kale and Confit Tomato 红烧牛肉扒羽衣甘蓝 @$28
Visually, I was reminded of a Christmas tree. I kid you not. Pushing that thought aside, I appreciate the tower of kale. Yes, I needed my vegetables serving for the day and kale is one of the superfoods, so yay!
tender
The beef cheek was fork tender and leaned towards the sweet side. The sauce had hints of herbs and some Chinese spices. Familiar taste but sshhh, it's a secret sauce.
Wok Palace also serves dim sum and it takes pride on its roasted meat as well. If you had tried its roast pork before, you'll know that Wok Palace's version is different from the others. Take a look at the photo below and imagine the crunch of that top crisp skin.
For more beefy taste, there's the Stir Fried Wagyu Beef Cubes with Red Wine & Black Pepper. The default doneness is medium well, hence do inform the service staff if you prefer medium or medium rare.
Stir Fried Wagyu Beef Cubes with Red Wine & Black Pepper (红酒黑椒和牛粒) @$28
For me, I'd go for the Kurobuta Pork Ribs with Honey Sauce. Deliciously sweet and sticky with caramelised sauce, and with meat that slids off easily from the bone. Messy but delicious.
Kurobuta Pork Ribs with Honey Sauce 黑豚蜜展排骨 @$28
If you're feeling extra indulgent, you might want to try the Lobster Broth with Crispy Rice. Served in a wooden rice bucket, anticipation builds as the lid was lifted off. The fragrance of shaoxing 紹興 or also known as hua diao 花雕 wine wafted towards us immediately.
Lobster Broth with Crispy Rice 上汤龙虾泡饭 @ market price
lobster broth
rice puffs in, and ready to be served
Once again, thank you Wok Palace for the introduction to the innovative dishes. Congratulations on your official launch!
Wok Palace
Address: 1 Fusionopolis Way, #02-01/02, Singapore 138632 Website: https://www.wokpalace.com.sg Contact: +65 6909 9856 Business Hours:
Daily 10am to 10pm
Located smack right in the middle of the newer residential blocks, Tastebud Eating House at Blk 208C would likely be the go-to place when hunger pang strikes for those who stays near Clementi Ave 6. There is a bus stop near the coffeeshop and one could get there via bus #188 or #51. Have you noticed the new tzechar (zichar) stall nestled amongst the other familiar ones? Clementi Tze Char 金文泰煮炒 has been in operation for over a month now and we were invited to have a taste. My interest was piqued by its claim of authentic traditional KL Hokkien Mee. Suddenly, there was a need to try!
the stall, and the people
First item to arrive on our table? The Hokkien Mee (yasssss!) nonetheless. Served in a steel pot, the portion looked pretty generous for one pax worth. There were lots of deep fried pork lard, fishcake slices, cai xin, prawns and pork slices. The noodles were on point but the colour was lighter than the actual ones.
Authentic Traditional KL Hokkien Mee 真宗KL福建面@$4 (U.P $4.50)
"Do you have the sambal belachan?" I asked. No, they don't have that. Whaaat! Now, that was an immediate minus-ing of points (imo only). "Why don't you try it with this chili sauce instead? Not the one that you were looking for, but Chef's homemade version."
Ohhh, the taste was legit on first bite! Noodles done right, sauce and flavour were on-point! The chili sauce was nicely tangy and spicy and complements the noodles. Yes, finally! A place that serves up the taste of legit KL Hokkien Mee.
Chef's homemade chili
tai lok meen
Satisfaction was pumped up with the authentic traditional KL Hokkien Mee. We sampled another noodles dish and that's the sang meen (生面) which is done up ala Penang 江南生面, which I'm not that familiar with.
Penang 江南生面 (Jiang Nan Crispy Noodles) @$6
The noodles were well fried and crispy without being oily. The sauce was lovely and not too overpowering. Loved the mix of ingredients on the plate. Plus, it has broccoli and black fungus! Now, that I don't see from the zichar stall at my workplace.
side profile
Now, if you're with family and would like to dine out, what would be the dishes to order from this stall? Let's get started with the rice dishes or what I'd call 吃饭叫菜 (in Cantonese).
First up was Marmite Chicken but the non-deep fried version. Served with chicken thigh meat (much like gong bao chicken) and the sauce was sweet and salty. Eaten together with the rest of the ingredients; julienned cucumber, sliced onions and sprinkled with sesame seeds, I was reminded of rojak somehow.
Marmite Chicken (S/M/L) @$10/$14/$18
We had the signature curry fish head and wow, the curry fragrance was so enticing when it was brought out. I could feel my saliva glands activated. The sauce was lemak yet not too over, flavour was awesome and rightly balanced. Doused the piping hot curry onto the white rice and scooped up some into the mouth. This dish earned a resounding yes from me, just by its sauce alone. It was that yummy.
Curry Fish Head 咖喱鱼头 @$20
The vegetables retained its crunch for a refreshing bite but I do prefer them slightly more cooked through. The fish was red snapper and its quality was superb. Meaty, firm and sweet. And very filling!
plenty of meat
For the finale, we had a preview of an upcoming dish (not in the menu yet) called 帝王富贵鸡 or Imperial Prosperity Chicken. Sounded like a CNY dish!
Half a kampong chicken (free range chicken) was wrapped up nicely with a loads of herbs such as 当归，杞子，玉竹，泡参，当参，维山，北其，川弓 before steamed for hours, resulting in slightly viscous soup and a very tender chicken in which the goodness from the herbs had seeped right into the meat.
Imperial Prosperity Chicken 帝王富贵鸡
Depending on the size of the chicken, the soup could get oily. Indeed the essence from the chicken but preferably with lesser oil, ya.
Thank you Hence for the introduction and Royston for the invite and hosting the dinner. Compliments to the Chef and the service crew for the delicious food and friendly demeanour.
Tastebud Eating House and Clementi Tze Char
promotion
Watch out for upcoming dishes next month, and one of it I heard is the fish steamboat 鱼头炉. Happy eating!
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