Palate Pleasers N Tummy Teasers
Another ice-cream place for keeps!
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Papilles is proud to announce that we’ve unearthed yet another place serving quality home-made ice-cream 
This time it’s no parlour but a whole gallery! Okay, so the decor is more old school retro ala Billy Bombers than high ceilings and intricate cornices reminiscent of museum galleries, but their list of flavours definitely befits the name of The Ice Cream Gallery.
Which is why I pledge loyalty only to home-made ice-cream 
With a full range of flavours running the gamut from local (e.g. Teh Halia) to the exotic (e.g. Sea Salt Caramel), coupled with generous scoops, what’s not to like about them?
(Left to right: Earl Grey & Figs, Pistachio, Strawberry Cheesecake)
Perhaps it was our dislike of figs, but we found the Earl Grey a tad mellow and lacking a distinct flavour. Couldn’t help but make a comparison with The Daily Scoop’s “Cha” and it was unanimously agreed that the latter was the superior version. Texture-wise, all their ice-cream was nicely smooth and creamy.
We were won over by the Pistachio which was sweet interspersed with a slight saltiness when you bit into one of the many finely chopped bits of the nut. No wonder this flavour is listed as an “All Time Favourite” 
Their Strawberry Cheesecake was too sweet for our liking as we’ve come to discover is commonly the case with cheesecake-flavoured ice-creams. Made a mental note to steer clear of this flavour in future.
Granted, they aren’t located in the most accessible of places, but their wide range of flavours are a huge draw in making me return. In fact, Strawberry Champagne is calling out to me now 
The Ice Cream Gallery
#01-20 Valley Point
491 River Valley Road
Location Map here.
A fitting stereotype of a heartland eatery
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Everyone knows stereotypes are misleading and inaccurate; but every once in awhile, you chance upon something that so fits your stereotype it reinforces those overgeneralised prejudices. A bad thing to happen, but such is life and food being an integral part of life can’t escape its own set of stereotypes.
Enough with the philosophising and on with the stereotype. Aside from being a “clean and green city”, Singapore prides itself on being labelled a “food paradise”. Quite a misnomer I think. Sure, there are a myriad of choices from humble hawkers to fine dining, Middle Eastern to Mediterranean, but we’re nowhere near paradise; the chances of patronising a random stall and leaving gratified is as high as finding a non-China manufactured product 
And since there are a larger number of food stalls in the heartlands, statistics tells us the likelihood of such incidences occuring are greatly increased. Which explains our encounter at Xiao Xuan Feng.
Every dish, save for dessert, failed to impress make the mark. Beginning with our starter of SiChuan Chicken ($5.50):
This was one dish that looked, felt and tasted like it was haphazardly thrown together. Served chilled, the meat was dry and reeked of Chinese shaoxing wine (Yes, I meant it in a negative way). Probably taken straight out of the fridge, drizzled with some chilli oil and served. Quite unlike its Crystal Jade counterpart of the same name (四川口水鸡), which I fondly remembered to be smooth, succulent and slightly spicy.
Their Beijing Fried Noodles ($8) were equally uninspired.
Bland, thick strands of noodles stir-fried with a dash of oyster sauce and a handful of bok choy and pork slices. Didn’t help that the noodles weren’t at all springy but tasted densely of flour 
At this juncture, I was no longer looking forward to our order of Xiaolongbao ($3.60 for 4 pieces):
Tasting mediocre at best, the skins of these dumplings were too thin to hold in the broth and broke apart before they could reach our mouths.
The sole saving grace of this meal arrived in the form of their Signature Durian Puffs ($3.20 for 3), which thankfully X insisted on ordering or I may have left with quite an unhappy tummy.
Resembling fritters more than puffs, these triangular breaded pastries were savoury and sweet all at the same time. The outer layer of flour was surprisingly chewy (much like the texture of mochi) and a bite revealed a generous ooze of durian pulp 
Yummy but greasy. One was more than enough for me. A lovely snack for durian lovers if you happen to be around the area, but do give their main dishes a pass.
Xiao Xuan Feng
#02-22 Hougang Mall
90 Hougang Avenue 10
Local Breakfast Delights Part III - The Grand Finale
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With this post, I think I’ve just about covered every item at Mong Kok noodle stall. And what a fitting close, to my reviews of the more noteworthy food at Hainan Garden Market and Food Centre, this dish brings…
Introducing what is probably the best item of the stall:
(Curry Chicken Noodle - $3)
As you can tell, we don’t believe in cleaning up the spilt sauces on the edges of the plate just so the photo looks “clean” In fact, papilles food mantra centers on Honesty - that means no good-reviews obligations cos’ of free food (which explains our stance to remain largely anonymous) and definately no visual enhancements of food (save the occasional minor tweaks to the lighting of our photographs). In effect, what you see will be what you get when you head down to the stalls
Back to why this dish is a winner: chicken so tender it literally slides off the bone, bathed in a curry that is slightly rich and just about the right level of spiciness so you can lap it all up without feeling queasy at the end. Definite YUM. I liked that their version uses thin-type noodles usually found in wanton noodles, instead of the thicker yellow ones which tend to have an alkaline taste to them. Bonus points for using bony chicken parts instead of fleshy chunks of chicken breast which tend to taste dry and insipid!
So the next time you’re looking for a good curry chicken noodle, remember this review If you missed the earlier posts on what else is good here, read: Part I & Part II.
Mong Kok Noodles
#02-41 Hainan Garden Market and Food Centre
Block 105, Hougang Avenue 1
What’s the fuss with Marutama?
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We don’t get it, what all the fuss with Marutama is about. This restaurant specialising in authentic Japanese ramen (all chefs hail from Japan) made waves when it first opened on our shores, attracting hour-long queues. Many months on and after all that hype has died down, papilles decided it was time to find out just what it was about their ramen that made people willing to endure aching feet from standing in line.
One look at their single-side A4 size menu and I’m thinking “The food here has got to be really good to keep people coming back”. Why? Cos’ they are so specialised in what they do, their ramen variety is narrowed down to 3. X and I both went for their Karashi (i.e. Ramen in spicy chicken stock):
(Karashi - $12)
What you see is what you’d get. And that equates to some fresh seaweed, spring onions, ONE slice of char siew (pork) and of course, ramen. That’s relatively pricey since there aren’t many ingredients in this bowl of ramen Taste-wise, I must say that lone slice of pork impressed. Well infused with marinade, savoury and tender to the bite, I only wished there was more of it. Their seaweed was exceptionally good as well, and I could taste the flavours of the sea in them.
Don’t be deceived by the relatively mild looking stock. It’s like some of those clear, colourless tom yum soup that look harmless but pack a fiery punch. And it was quite oily too. Surprisingly, their ramen didn’t leave much of an impression. I had expected it to be the main highlight alas it didn’t live up to expectations. It wasn’t bad, just forgettable.
With that number of ingredients, we had to order a side dish to satisfy our carnivorous needs:
(Kakuni - $7)
For such a small dish of stewed pork belly, it has to taste nothing short of exquisite to warrant such a price tag. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Lacking fragrance and tough to chew on, this was quite a let-down
Marutama offers the option of topping up your ramen for $1 if you’ve still got some soup left in your bowl. Some will disagree with me, but I think I’ll pass on this offer.
Marutama Ra-men
#03-90/91 The Central
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
Open 11.30am to 10pm.
