Kok Sen Restaurant - Michelin Bib Gourmand Zichar

I've taken a two week hiatus on blogging because I was simply too busy. Kok Sen Restaurant has been on my radar since it was awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand when the Michelin gradings appeared in Singapore. However, I kept delaying my visit because I've read multiple accounts of the appalling service from the 'proud staff' so was afraid to jio my friends there in case they got a negative experience. So when my friend suggested going to Kok Sen Restaurant, I was very much agreeable.

Since there was only two of us there's a limited selection we can try. One of the acclaimed dishes is this claypot yong tou fu ($15) which totally lives up to its name. I especially like the red chilli stuffed with spicy fish meat. It's absolutely tasty and the sauce is another winner on its own.

Another must try is this Big Prawn Horfun ($18). It's so difficult to find good horfun with legitimate wok-hei flavour nowadays that I'm savouring every bite of this plate. The one at Kok Sen is cooked with chilli padi and the egg infused sauce of this horfun carries with it a tangy spiciness that is highly addictive. The big prawns live up to its billing too. It's really huge and easy to eat. Seriously, after the meal, I really want to come back for another go already.

The sweet and sour pork ($13) is the most disappointing of the lot. It DOESN'T look like the picture in the menu at all. I seriously hate this. In their menu, I saw big nice slabs of juicy sweet and sour pork. The actual one is so miserly. Taste was okay.. but I really find this unacceptable because my $13 could be better utilised on another dish if not for the photo...

Would I return? Well, yes. I'll come back for the horfun and claypot yong tou fu any day. Oh and I think I spotted the sour face lady everyone was talking about too hah! Kok Sen Restaurant definitely is worth a visit because they have top quality dishes at reasonable price points. My next visit though, I'll do my due diligence online instead of ordering based on photos!

Kok Sen Restaurant 
30 Keong Saik Road, S089137
(please note: they only accept cash!)

Nan Hwa Fish Head Steamboat

This weekend has been crazily packed with work. Imagine running at least 5 appointments from 10am-8pm around the East of Singapore the entire Saturday. Even had to sacrifice going for the ICC match between Chelsea FC and Inter Milan. I'm a little thankful Sunday gave me some breathing space and I managed to finally buy the Castella Cakes at Antoinette to try! For photos of the cakes visit my instagram under the handle of @bluntandfussyeater. Did you know that if you ate chocolate cake or sweet stuff for breakfast, you will be more likely to lose weight? No kidding, google it!

I brought my family to Nan Hwa Fish Head Steamboat for dinner. It's meant to celebrate a fantastic quarter at work. I've been wanting to try the fishboat ever since my ex colleagues introduced them to me about 1 and a half years ago. Alright, craving not strong enough, that's why took so long to come! Haha! Nan Hwa Fish Head Steamboat has a long history dating back to 1972. They are known for their flavour-rich fishboat broth.

I picked the medium size Pomfret Steamboat ($45) which consist of a very generous serving of the pomfret. I felt really full after the meal. The fish soup was rich in flavour but it's nothing out of this world. They added some yam into the soup to give it more flavour. The pomfret had lots of meat but also lots of bones. Definitely not suitable for kids consumption.

For side dishes, we settled for salted egg pork rib ($12), sambal sotong ($12) and fried beancurd ($8). I would say that all these zi char dishes are just average. I've even tasted some better ones elsewhere. I did enjoy the sambal sotong because it's one of the more tender sotongs I've eaten and the sambal makes it really addictive.

Would I return? Maybe. I did enjoy the feeling of having fish steamboat and zi char which I rarely have because I usually meet people one on one. The fish boat was decent and the price didn't feel too expensive. However, the service was rather uncoordinated and the sides came long before the fishboat. It's not a bad place for a family dinner. On a side note, I discovered there's an air-conditioned section in the eating house. I wonder if we need to pay more to dine there...

Nan Hwa Fish Head Steamboat
814 North Bridge Road S198780
(It might be an added perk that the HDB parking nearby is free on a Sunday)