Serangoon Garden Market

20th December, Sunday

BBQ Stingray (Ah Liang BBQ Seafood)

The only seafood stall at Serangoon Garden Market. The sting ray itself wasn't too good; the flesh was a bit tough. The most important thing is the sambal chilli - and it wasn't good either.

V's verdict: 5.5/10

Serangoon Garden Market

12th December, Saturday

Mee Goreng (Back 2 Ponggol)

A newly opened stall. It looked rather lonely (no customers) so I decided to give it a try.

This was average only. They were quite generous with the ingredients, but the cost justified it ($6 for small, $10 for large). The portion was quite big, but for $6 it wasn't really a lot actually. The squid was a bit too tough. Other than that, nothing special.

V's verdict: 6/10


BBQ Chicken Wings (Xin Zhong Bang 新忠邦)

This was not bad. It's not dry, but it could be it a bit juicier. I actually prefer this to Chomp Chomp's.

$1.10 per wing

V's verdict: 7/10


Fried Oyster Omelette (Fried Prawn Noodle.Fried Kway Teow.Fried Oyster.Carrot Cake)

Currently this is my favourite stall for oyster omelette. The dough was fried to a crisp and yet not too burned. My cousin said it was "total ownage".

V's verdict: 8/10

Ministry of Steak

8th December, Tuesday

A newly opened steak restaurant at Serangoon Garden. It came as a direct competitor to Aston's with its cheap and affordable steaks.

French Onion Soup

This was average. Nothing special, but still acceptable.

V's verdict: 6.5/10
K's verdict: 7.5/10


Wagyu Beef

(I didn't get a picture of this because the waiter asked me to check its done-ness. And without thinking, I sliced the beef... and the picture couldn't be taken anymore. -.-)

MOS was having a promotion on their Wagyu beef, so it cost only $29 instead of the usual $39. And it was Australian Wagyu ribeye! The beef was a bit thin, but it was still totally worth it. I ordered it medium rare, and it actually came a bit closer to rare. But nevertheless it was delicious and juicy.

V's verdict: 8/10
K's verdict: 10/10

To top things up, there was no service charge or GST. And their service was excellent. Definitely a recommended place!

Borsche Steakhouse

8th December, Tuesday

An extremely old Russian restaurant at Serangoon Garden. And evidently not much renovation was done, since the place looked exactly the same 10 years ago.

Hard boiled egg with caviar

I think I could count how many eggs there were on the egg! The caviar was okay (actually too little to really taste it). The hard boiled egg was hard and seemed to have been cooked too early and left in the fridge.

V's verdict: 5/10


Shrimp cocktail

Urgh, the shrimp they used was those small and stale ones! One bite and I refused to eat anymore of it.

V's verdict: 3/10
K's verdict: 5/10

Cream of mushroom soup

I think a more appropriate name for this would be 'Water of mushroom soup'. It was so diluted and tasted horrible!

V's verdict: 3.5/10
K's verdict: 3/10


Borsch soup

After tasting the real Borsch soup at Russia, this one doesn't come close. But still, if you ignore the fact that this isn't original, it still tasted decent.

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 5/10


Sirloin steak
K ordered this. It came on a sizzling hot plate. The seasoning and taste was quite good, but I found the beef a bit lacking in natural flavour. The beef was no doubt from New Zealand. But K found it quite good.

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 7/10


Mixed grill

This was my main course. Mixed grill = Beef, pork, lamb, chicken. The beef was a small piece only, but it was a tenderloin so relatively it was better. The pork was a bit dry but still decent, and the lamb was ultra tough. I felt as if I was chewing a piece of rubber. The chicken was not bad though.

V's verdict: 6/10

Despite its ratings, the price was very affordable. K's set (sirloin steak) that comes with the starter, soup and a drink cost only $13.80, while my dinner set (mixed grill) costs $20.80, and it also comes with the same stuff. It's actually quite all right, if you don't mind the quality a bit.

Chomp Chomp

7th December, Monday

Lor mee (AMK 711 Penang Prawn Mee . Lor Mee)

A new stall. There were totally no customers, so I decided to give them a try.

I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite good! The garlic seemed to have been mixed in with the gravy, and it was just all right too --- not overwhelming. Will definitely give it a second try.

V's verdict: 7.5/10
K's verdict: 6/10

Serangoon Garden Market

3rd September, Thursday

Bak chor mee (老松发)

I remember ordering this years ago and thinking it sucks. Today was the last day of the ghost festival and all my favourite stalls were closed, so I decided to give this stall a try again.

Well, I am still disappointed. Apparently the only thing attractive about this stall is their signboard, which looks quite attention-grabbing. The noodles were sticky and clumped together. The taste itself was wrong. The fishcake was dry and hard. The dor zai was tough and tasteless.

Next time I won't make the mistake of ordering from this stall again. Ever.

V's verdict: 4/10

Serangoon Garden Market

17th August, Monday

Braised duck rice (Ah Seng Braised Duck Rice)

I haven't eaten here in years, and I regret not having visited this stall earlier. Their duck was so good! The duck breast was sliced thinly, and it was tender and succulent. Excellent!

V's verdict: 8.5/10

Chomp Chomp

12th August, Wednesday

Fried hokkien mee (车间炒福建虾面)

Tried the fried hokkien mee from a different stall, since the famous Ah Hock was closed today. This turned out quite okay. $3/$4/$5

V's verdict: 6.5/10
K's verdict: 7/10


Century egg and pork porridge (Chong Chong Pork Porridge & Macaroni)

This used to be my favourite porridge, until I tried the porridge at Maxwell Market's Zhen Zhen Porridge. Still, it's a good bowl of porridge, thick and tasty but not as thick as Zhen Zhen's, which some people think is too heavy for them. Comes with pork, century egg, pig liver, and egg. The egg costs $0.50 (!!!) and takeaway another $0.20.

$3.50 + $0.50 + $0.20

V's verdict: 7.5/10
K's verdict: 7.5/10


BBQ chicken wings (Xin Shi Dai)

Located at the back, right side. It's a relatively newer stall compared to Daily Fresh, but I found this to be slightly better. $1 per wing

V's verdict: 6.5/10
K's verdict: 7.5/10


Wanton noodles (Swee Heng Wanton Noodle)

I ordered this several years ago and loved it since. I always order their green noodles; it seems to taste better than their yellow noodles. Just moist enough, with wanton and small dumplings. The ingredients were average, but the chilli and seasoning mixed with the noodles makes this a great dish. $3/$4

V's verdict: 8/10
K's verdict: 8/10

Mango Tau Huay (Dinghao Sugarcane Juice)

I have never tried mango flavoured tau huay before. This was mixed with normal tau huay. The mango tau huay wasn't strong enough on its own, so you have to eat it with the chopped mango. Unique and interesting. $2.50

V's verdict: 7/10
K's verdict: 9/10

Serangoon Garden Market

10th August, Monday

Half boiled eggs (Hwa Kee Cafe)

Ack, from the picture you can tell that their half boiled eggs are not good. The egg yolk is intact and not overcooked, but the egg white was still too liquid and transparent.

V's verdict: 5/10
K's verdict: 6/10


Kaya toast (Hwa Kee Cafe)

Simple kaya toast on normal bread. K sacrificed one slice to the dirty table, though. -.-

K's verdict: 7/10

Posin Hainanese Chicken Rice

11th August, Tuesday

Bought this as takeaway from Serangoon Garden. Despite having a different 'english' name as Pow Sing, their chinese equivalent is the same - 报喜. Pow Sing serves steamed chicken whereas Posin serves roast chicken. And they are owned by the same boss.

I have been eating their roast chicken since I was young. The skin is delicious, and their chilli is especially good! The breast meat can be a bit dry sometimes, but that can be cured with chilli.

$11 for half-chicken

V's verdict: 7.5/10
K's verdict: 8/10

Pow Sing Chicken Rice

11th July, Saturday

A restaurant at Serangoon Garden which I have been patronizing since I was a small kid.

Steamed chicken

Ah, the steamed chicken that I grew up eating! Today's chicken was a bit tough, but I shall still rate them as per normal since I have eaten here countless times. Usually the flesh is very smooth, and coupled with their delicious gravy, it makes this a wonderful dish.

V's verdict: 8/10
K's verdict: 7.5/10


Fried beansprouts with salted fish

I ordered a medium portion, and it was really quite huge. (Anyway, beansprouts are dirt cheap!) This was not bad; the salted fish was crispy and good, but I found the whole dish too oily. And the taste of the salted fish didn't seem to have seeped into the beansprouts.

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 5/10

Serangoon Garden Market

5th July, Sunday

Carrot cake (Hock Kee Fried Oyster)

Finally got to try their white carrot cake. In my opinion, this wasn't as good as their black carrot cake; the taste just wasn't there.

V's verdict: 6/10

Serangoon Garden Market

31st May, Sunday

Fried Bee Hoon (SG Nasi Lemak)



As usual, we like to give the underdog a chance. So when this stall opened and replaced the old Newton Circus Fried Kway Teow stall (damn, the old man retired!) we decided to give it a try.

It was not bad! I like bee hoon that is not too oily, and this one obviously passes the mark. Taste-wise, it was decent. The chilli was quite good too. Of special mention is the fried egg. It's just a fried egg, right? Wrong. They fried it wonderfully such that the egg yolk is still liquid while the egg white is just firm enough; neither too hard or still in a semi-liquid stage. Delicious!

V's verdict: 7/10


Tau Huay (TSM 陈顺美)



After this got posted in ieatishootipost, we noticed a significant increase in customers this morning (me included). It shows how popular his blog is!

Ok, the tau huay here is extremely silky and smooth. And it's not too sweet. I don't like stuff that is too sweet, but I still think that this can be a bit more sweet.

V's verdict: 7/10

Serangoon Garden Market

2nd May, Saturday

Fried carrot cake (Hock Kee Fried Oyster)



The first time I ordered this was out of sympathy --- this stall had just opened (I think in 2007?) and didn't have many customers. But I was pleasantly surprised. The carrot cake is tasty, a bit crispy and yet not too oily, and the service was also good (much better than the other stall selling carrot cake, I think it's called Ang Sar Li). Will order their white carrot cake and post it in a future entry.

V's verdict: 7.5/10


Chwee kueh (Stall 22)

From the only stall that specialises in chwee kueh. Located opposite the Garden Street kway chiap. My goodness, it tasted horrible. It's definitely the worst chwee kueh I have ever tasted in my life, and it doesn't help that I just had the famous Tiong Bahru chwee kueh 2 days ago for breakfast. The kueh was stale and tasteless, and the toppings were also stale.

V's verdict: 2.5/10
K's verdict: 1/10 (she loves chwee kueh a lot, so she's very disappointed)

Serangoon Garden Market

25th April, Saturday

Pig organ soup (Soon Huat Pig's Organ Soup)



This stall is quite generous with its ingredients, with lots of pork, fatty meat, pig intestines etc. The soup tastes strongly of pickled vegetables without the overpowering smell of the pig innards, as they were washed clean. $3/$4/$5

V's verdict: 8.5/10
K's verdict: 7/10


Pig innards (Soon Huat Pig's Organ Soup)



I ordered intestines, tau pok, pig skin, and dried beancurd. I asked for a little bit of pig skin only, but they still gave me too much. =/ The gravy was delicious, and because the intestines were washed clean, they didn't smell and tasted great. The price is a bit on the steep side though; this plate alone costs $7.60.

V's verdict: 9/10
K's verdict: 7/10


Fishball noodles (Hao Hoe Siang Noodles Soup)



Another dish which I have been eating since I was small. Interestingly, it tastes better if you da bao --- there's more time for the noodles to immersed in the gravy and for the taste to settle in. I had it at the market today, and it didn't taste as good. $3

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 5/10


Fried hokkien mee (Stall 10)



From the stall right beside the side entrance. This is the wet kind with lots of gravy, so it may not suit some people's tastes. I would admit that my judgement is a bit biased, since I have been eating it since I was young, for around 20 years. Their standard isn't that consistent though, and depends largely on who fries the noodles. $3/$4/$5

V's verdict: 7.5/10

Other places

21st April, Tuesday

Some other places we have visited before.

Serangoon Garden Market:

Roti prata (V.K.S Indian Food)



The only roti prata stall there. Ordered their kosong, it tasted average. My mother doesn't dare to order from them though, because she doesn't like them to place the plates with curry onto the prata itself.

Interestingly, they received an "A" in hygiene, despite the indian using his bare hands to put the prata onto the plate and to collect money.

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 7/10


Curry chicken noodles (Heng Kee)

How dare they use the same name as the famous curry chicken noodles from Hong Lim? I gave it a try, and it was way below Hong Lim's standards, as expected. Copying a product is one thing, but copying a name or trying to make people think it's the same product is another matter. *snorts in contempt*

That aside, the taste really cannot compare to Hong Lim's. The ingredients were quite similar --- the type of chilli used, the tao pok, the chicken, etc. But the taste cannot be more different. Just one sip of the gravy and disappointment set in.

V's verdict: 5/10


Wanton noodles (Traditional Hand Made Wanton Noodle)

A new stall at the market. Tried it with my mother around 2-3 weeks ago, and we declared that we will never try it again. The char siew was dry and tasted... artificial. The wanton also tasted weird.

V's verdict: 3.5/10


Hong Lim Food Centre:

Curry chicken noodles (Ah Heng Curry Chicken Bee Hoon)

From the stall on the 2nd floor. I think it's the same outlet as the one at Mei Xuan. I haven't tried it before, but K says that it tasted all right. $3.50/$4.50/$5.50

K's verdict: 7.5/10


Fried Kway Teow (Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee)



Fantastic, one of the best fried kway teow I have ever tasted. Be prepared for a long wait though. They are especially generous with their hum (a bit too generous, in my opinion... I eat hum but still ended up throwing half away).

V's verdict: 8.5/10
K's verdict: 8/10


Beef horfun (Hao Jie Claypot Delights)

I had this quite long ago, but the impression was still deep in my head. It... sucks. The worst horfun I have ever tasted in my life. It's practically tasteless, and the texture was soggy and... urgh. The beef wasn't fresh, but was still arguably edible. I couldn't stomach the whole plate and threw almost ¾ of it away.

V's verdict: 2/10

Chomp Chomp

19th April, Sunday

BBQ chicken wings (Daily Fresh B.B.Q)

I thought it was so-so only. $1 per wing.

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 7/10


Fried hokkien mee (Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Noodles, Stall 27)

The famous stall that everyone knows. His hokkien mee is mixed with bee hoon and yellow noodles, and was the dry kind without any gravy. Instead of the usual >20 minute wait, the noodles came in just 5 minutes. It was a bit disappointing though, the texture seemed to be off and the noodles looked as if they were glued and stuck together. $3/$4/$5

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 6/10


Fried kway teow (Chomp Chomp Fried Kway Teow Mee)

This stall has been there since I was young, so that's at least 15 years or more. Today's was also so-so, but then again, they were never really excellent in the first place.

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 6/10


BBQ sting ray (忠忠海味园 B.B.Q)

This stall is located right at the left side of the entrance. We were sitting right outside Lucy's BBQ seafood stall, so we felt a little awkward when our food came. Well, turned out that we should have ordered from Lucy's instead, since I thought our BBQ sting ray tasted quite horrible. I remember ordering it before and it never tasted so bad! K claims that her judgement was biased due to her overwhelming love for BBQ sting ray, though. $8/$10/$12

V's verdict: 3.5/10
K's verdict: 7/10


One thing to note; we were sitting right beside the fan and our food was cold in a matter of minutes. So it is possible that they would have earned a higher score if not for the fan...