Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Fu - The Noodles Stole The Limelight!

It was Chinatown Complex Food Centre for breakfast again. This time round, I managed to try the Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Fu stall that was closed the other time I was there.

Before I begin this review/write up, I must confess that the quality of the previous few posts were lacking. Lacking in terms of the heart and soul of a true foodie and it was evident in my reluctance to update my blog as frequently as I did before.

I was losing the heart to update this blog, its not easy but the passion for cooking and the love of food was the reason I started this blog and still is the driving force behind all the food photos and posts. I was getting too concerned about this blog's traffic and envying other bloggers' invite, etc. It removed the fun and simple motive for blogging : to let others know where good food are available at. But I have since sorted out my thoughts and shall keep at blogging because I know someone out there might just be having a headache over his/her meal and I could be of great help. (:

So there you have it, my confession of a foodie. Now, back to our review.

It was quite a long wait before I finally got my bowl of dry kway teow and 7 pieces of yong tau foo as a queue was already formed when I got there. The queue was seemingly endless with patrons replacing each other as one left, another came.

Oh, and the photos are still not up to standard yet becuase I'm still learning how to use my compact camera, dreams of getting a DSLR!

There's only a choice between 7 pieces of yong tau foo with bee hoon/noodles or 9 pieces of yong tau foo for $3. You can't choose your yau tau foo items at this stall, its all fixed and if you add any additional items, there will be a charge.

The yong tau foo items are handmade everyday and it is very evident as they have 2 stalls next to each other with one side preparing the items and the other cooking and serving them.

The noodles, or kway teow in this case, stole the limelight, surprisingly. The noodles are served with onion oil and fried ikan bilis. These two items greatly enhanced the flavorless noodles into something delightful and flavorsome. I'm pretty sure I could take 2 bowls of it if I knew it was so good!



The yong tau foo was okay, the handmade items did not stand out like I thought they would though I must commend the soup for being nice, light and flavorsome.

Overall, I think it would be great if they would improve on their yong tau foo items but definitely, keep serving that bowl of dried noodles!

Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Fu

Blk 335 Smith Street
#02-87/88 Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Singapore
Opening Hours: Daily 5.45am – 3pm

Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken

Today's Vesak Day, being a public holiday, my parents didn't have to work so my mom suggested that we head over to Chinatown for breakfast.

Chinatown Complex Food Centre is home to numerous famous food stalls but because it is quite distance from my home, we rarely travel all the way there to eat. Thus, I haven't had the opportunity to try many of the much reviewed and raved about stalls in Chinatown FC. The mention of eating there this morning certainly revved up my appetite and made me look forward to a sumptuous breakfast.

It also prompted me to google for food reviews. Yes, google is my virtual best friend. I did a quick search to see what I shouldn't miss out over at Chinatown FC and found Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Foo to be strongly recommended.

I was determined to try it. Now, you might be a little confused and bewildered, thinking this is wrong, the picture above isn't yong tau foo. Yes, you're not wrong and I'm not mad either. It took me awhile to navigate around and when I finally got to the stall, it was, to my utter dismay, closed as the notice wrote that the owners have gone off for a holiday if I don't remember wrongly.

I was feeling a little lost because I didn't have a plan B and I didn't know which other stalls to try. Iron-willed to try a famous stall, I armed myself with the typical Singaporean mindset - look for a long queue. It didn't took me long to find this stall, Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chiken Rice & Noodle, while wandering around.



I put myself into the queue and started to google for a review on it. I chanced upon Dr Tay's review in ieatishootipost and it was supposed to good so I didn't mind queuing up for it. Took me roughly half an hour or so, but I finally bought a plate of Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle.



The noodles were firm, but not too hard or dry and they were delicious after mixing in with the seasoning and oil at the bottom. The chicken, on the other hand, had a sweet and savoury sauce coating its skin which made the chicken flavourful. However, I felt the chicken meat was a little dry, but all in all, the dish was still good.

At $2.50 a plate and the chicken rice at $2, cheap and good food still exist! The stall owners are generous with their portions so don't worry about getting a tiny and pitiful looking plate of chicken noodles or rice.

I enjoyed my breakfast and will be back for a bowl of yong tau foo the next time!

Hong Kong Soy Sauce Chicken

Smith St Food Centre
#02-127
Closed on Wed
Daily 10am to 8pm