Palate Pleasers N Tummy Teasers
Tasty Thai food at unbelievable prices
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With the current economic crisis, everyone’s looking to cut back on spending and meals at fancy restaurants would now probably be few and far between. If that’s equivalent to gastronomic suicide for you, papilles says Cheer Up! Cos’ good food doesn’t always have to come with a hefty price tag; though admittedly, great and cheap food is a rare find. So when papilles chanced upon a place which offers great food at affordable prices, we just had to share it with our readers 
First, locate this signboard:
This is one stall that lives up to its name of serving some really tasty Thai food 
In fact, their popular Pineapple Rice could give some casual Thai eatery chains here a run for their money.
Who’d have thought dinner at a hawker centre could look like this:
And most importantly, with every item priced at $4!
I never fail to order their Pineapple rice everytime I’m here, simply cos’ it’s just too yummy to miss 
The subtle sweetness of pineapples comes through with every mouthful, nicely complemented by a handful of sweet raisins, with the pork floss and caschew nuts lending an added crunch.
All this tastes even better when paired with another favourite of mine - Green Curry Chicken:
The fragrance of spices fused with coconut milk will have you spooning up every last drop of this curry Add to that tender chunks of chicken and eggplant stewed till mushy…YUM!
What’s a Thai meal without Tom Yum Talay:
This is one of those tom yum soups that look deceptively mild with its clear broth until you have a spoonful and sputter as the spiciness hits the back of your throat. A little too spicy for me, but they are really generous with their ingredients - you can see the chockful of seafood in just one serving and everything tastes really fresh and succulent
Although variety is lacking at this stall, their quality of food more than makes up for it. And at the prices they’re charging, it leaves me wondering if they even make any profits 
As with all good things, the food gets snapped up fast so do head down early to avoid disappointment.
Tasty Thai Hut
#02-159 Bukit Timah Food Centre
116 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Japanese Curry unlike any other
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Wait. Wasn’t the previous post about Japanese curry too? What then, is so special about the curry here that warrants a post of its own? For starters, their curry powder is imported only from Nagoya prefecture, home to its first outlet in Japan. The more attentive amongst you would probably have picked up on my love of Japanese cuisine reading this blog; in case you haven’t, 2 posts (back-to-back no less) dedicated solely to rave about their curry is testament enough
If you thought Curry Favor was specialized, Wakashachiya takes it a step further by branding itself as a curry udon specialty restaurant. That means to say they don’t serve anything else except curry udon; ok add to that just a few side dishes and ONE unagi rice set of sorts. So be warned: if you don’t love your noodles, don’t set foot in this place.
Everything starts with their standard curry udon, which comprises in-house special fishcakes, leek and potatoes. You can just have it like this or choose to add something more substantial from a selection of breaded salmon, pork/chicken katsu and the like.
(X’s Katsu Curry Udon - $16.50)
(My Salmon Curry Udon - $16.70)
Don’t be deceived by the mild colours of the curry, it’s surprisingly spicy 
Wakashachiya’s curry also boasts a more viscous quality and has less of that sweet tinge characteristic of other Japanese curries. Perhaps the result of not having carrots in the stew. Their curry didn’t leave much of an impression but our add-ons of pork katsu and breaded salmon sure blew us away! Finely breaded resulting in a thin, crisp crust, we could hear the crunch in every bite whilst the pork/salmon filling managed to remain amazingly moist and juicy. Without a doubt the best breaded items I’ve ever had
We also tried their Unagi Musubi ($5), which looked to us like oddly shaped sushis made with rice that had been flavoured with what was probably teriyaki sauce:
The rice balls didn’t taste as promising as it looked, being a little bland. The seaweed was also a tad soggy, which had me wondering if the items had been left to stand for some time. Thankfully, the unagi was a star of its own, deliciously marinated and grilled. A pity there was but a small morsel atop each rice ball 
On the whole, prices here are definitely above average though the same can’t be said of all their items. Still, it is worth a try if you lurrvve Japanese curry like I do 
Just cos’ this one’s different from the rest…
Wakashachiya
#03-92/95 The Central
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
Tel: 6534 9984
Curry Favor the right way…
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Mention the words “curry favor”, and terms like “apple polish” and “boot-licker” come to mind. Definitely not labels you’d want to be associated with given their less than favourable connotations; thankfully these connotations don’t hold true at Curry Favor, a restaurant specializing in Japanese curry (duh!)
If you’re a fan of Japanese curry or simply can’t take the truckload of spices quintessence of local curries, this is the place for you. Curry, being the sole focus of this restaurant, is paired with everything from seafood to poultry, mushrooms and vegetables. Simply put - you name it, chances are they’ll have it (stewed in curry)
The main difference between Japanese curry and all the rest lies in how the former is “sugar and spice, and all things nice” It’s a lot less spicy compared to what the average Singaporean palate is used to, and with an added tinge of sweetness. For those whose notion of “spicy” goes no further than the depths of Maggi bottles, take heart that the restaurant offers 3 levels of spiciness to select from: mild, hot and very hot.
X went with a “very hot” Pork Stewed Curry ($13.90), which really wasn’t all that fiery; just a slight spicy aftertaste. Naturally, my “hot” Shrimp Curry ($9.80) didn’t pack much of a punch. Despite being a lot less spicy than their levels suggested, both curries were perfectly smooth and creamy. The thin slices of pork and carrot cubes were stewed till melt-in-the-mouth tender, and the shrimps fresh and crunchy. Loved that they offered half-sized curries (complete with a side serving of potato salad), perfect for those with small appetites
Distractors in the form of side orders:
The Mushroom Fry ($7.50) would probably have tasted better if it spent a little less time in the deep-fryer; it turned out crunchy instead of crisp like I’d much prefer it to be. The other dish of Age Cheese Chikuwa ($6.50 for half a dozen) fared slightly better. Breaded squid stuffed with cheese, it was pleasantly chewy with savoury warm cheese oozing at the core. Papilles also learnt that too many deep fried breaded items make for quick satiation so go easy on those
Curry Favor
#03-26/27 Novena Square
(Main outlet at #01-08/09 Stamford House)
Opens daily from 12pm - 10pm
View their menu here.
Fine Dining at a fraction of the price
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That’s what I’d heard about Basil Alcove that led me to the cafe tucked in one of those worn-looking buildings, a place I’d have hurried past without an inkling that good food lurked in the premises. Thank goodness for newspapers and the internet. But there’s always two sides to everything and in this instance, it was a case of raised anticipation and expectation.
So I wasn’t particularly impressed. The menu was a lot more limited in variety than I had been primed to expect. In effect, there were some pastas and a handful of your usual western mains (i.e. pork chop, chicken, fish and lamb rack). In all honesty, if it wasn’t for the reviews I had read and heard, I’d probably have turned around and left. But there I was, and I did want to find out just how much truth there was in those reviews
On a side-note, a tip from papilles: If you’re new to a dining estab, always go for their “signature items”. Cos’ then if that item doesn’t measure up, it saves you the trouble of trying the rest But I guess most of you know that. And that is what I did…
I must admit the presentation of this dish did elicit quite some “oohs” and “ahhs” from the table, and was deserving of the “fine-dining” label. But the important question was if it tasted as fine.
Verdict: The lamb was done perfectly medium-well as requested, an ever slight crisp with a tender, pink, juicy centre. Intensely flavoured with a smoky herb taste, their lamb was hardly gamey. And most importantly, I didn’t have to expend too many calories just trying to get at the meat; I’ve had places where I literally had to saw at the meat and gave up eating it entirely cos’ it defeated the purpose of eating since I was losing calories faster than putting them in 
The pretty li’l sides of mango chutney, mashed potato and sauteed raddish added colour to the plate but did little to enhance the overall flavours of this dish. I also found the portions of this dish to be on the small side; then again, at $20.80 without GST and service charge, and considering the overall quality, Basil Alcove is a rarity. To sum it up, slightly above average food at slightly below average prices
Basil Alcove
#01-12 Fortune Centre
190 Middle Road
Tel: 6336 1318
Comfort in a bowl of handmade noodles
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Even the most adventurous and fussy of palates wish for something a little less complicated and fanciful every now and then. A blend of simple textures and flavours - the mark of comfort food, should never be underestimated. A remedy for the home-sick and plain sick alike, these are the foods that nourish the soul and help restore the balance of one’s gastrointestinal system. Ok, if what I’ve just said sounds too abstract to make sense out of, just know that comfort foods well, provide comfort
Which is why whenever I feel under-the-weather and in need of soupy healthy stuff, I pop by a particular stall for some ban mian (handmade noodles):
Make no mistake, despite having a generous serving of greens and some pork slices in what appears to be a clear broth, this isn’t your typical ”healthy-tasting” fare. What sets this stall apart from many others is its broth, richly flavoured with the taste of garlic, pork and anchovies. A standard bowl ($3) comes with a poached egg, but you can choose not to have it (like I usually do) if you don’t like the idea of egg whites clouding up your broth.
NB: The coffee shop where this stall is located just completed an overhaul so expect the signboard to look slightly different. A taste-test post-renovations ascertained the quality remains unchanged, with the added bonus of a cleaner dining environment
美味板麵
Block 177, Toa Payoh Central
(Corner coffee shop diagonally across Toa Payoh Central Community Building)
