Hiang Ji - Char Siu

This place is now CLOSED
Hidden behind the stairways of a pedestrian overpass is this Katong coffee shop that serves amazing Char Siu rice for only $3. Specialised in meats, their Char Siu, pig's trotter, duck and chicken are the recommended choice.

The coffee shop itself is actually very spacious, with some large round tables and air conditioning, and some smaller tables outside.

The Char Siu is absolutely amazing. Sweet, tender and juicy, it melts in your mouth.

The chicken rice perfectly accompanies all their meat dishes and it's fragrant, firm and moist.

The preserved vegetables ($1/$2) are the perfect match for Pig's trotter and rice.

The pig's trotter is very strong in flavour and very lean once you discard the skin. It comes with juicy peanuts cooked in its own sauce.

The menu is primarily focused on meats and vegetables, apart from the curry fish head. Portions are large and very reasonably priced. Their 'Soy Sauce Chicken' is served with ginger sauce as well as the usual chilly sauce.

If you live in Katong you should definitely try this place.

Hiang Ji Roasted Meat & Noddle House
57 East Coast Rd Singapore 428773 (opposite Roxy Square)
Tel : 6440 9171

Dragon's Delights

UPDATE: This stall in Katong IS NOW CLOSED. It has moved to Centerpoint, B2 food court.

I have been regularly patronising this stall for the past couple of months. Discovered by chance by stumbling into an advert placed around the corner from it, in the heart of Katong. The food stall called "Dragon's Delights" and it is located inside the well known "Mary's Corner" establishment (at the junction between Joo Chiat Road and East Coast Road), completely out of sight. Nevertheless, this is a culinary gem not to be missed for those who love Beijing-style cooking.

Needless to say, the noodles and dumplings are handmade on order, as the rest of the food.
Noodles are the must try, whether you go for the beef or pork brisket lamian, the Zhajiang mien or flat noodles with pork (pictured - $5.50).

With Zhajiang noodles (pictured) being my favourite, I have tried these in different places including cheaper and more expensive restaurants, but none of them gets as close to the authentic taste as these do. There is no doubt that $3.50 for such a delicacy is a real bargain.

If you are one of those who feel guilty stuffing yourself with carbo without having some greens, you must try the fried french beans with pork. This is one of those classics that you can find in most Chinese restaurants, in various different styles. I love the beijing style, with that distinctive "rough" flavour rather than the usual sweetened one. It's clear, enriched by the sharp spiciness of the Schezuan peppercorns and savoury lean pork.

The soup dumplings are also well executed, although they are not what you will be going to this stall for. This is far from being a rarity in Singapore, so my recommendation is the Northern China boiled dumplings.

They have a very fragrant "Northern China" flavour, the result of a combination of spices, and that characteristic firm texture.

Overall, this is a place that any lover of Chinese food must try. It's culinary heaven for everyone's pockets.