Month: April 2017

NamNam Noodle Bar Sub-type Sandwich, Singapore.

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NamNam Store Front

 I have been a heavy Subway-customer for years now and this time I wanted to try something new in Singapore. I have been looking for an alternative to Subway since the menu in most countries is already too familiar to me.

I once saw that NamNam Noodle Bar is serving Subway -type subs and I decided to give them a try!

This review has nothing to do with NamNam Noodle Bar (NNNB) noodles or anything else than their filled sandwiches.

I had a choice of  six different ingredients for the bread and only one bread type (unlike Subway where you can choose between tens of ingredients and many bread types). Pricing was quite about the same. I ended up ordering a Chili Lemongrass Chicken, Egg Omelette, Chicken Floss sandwich.

I was a bit disappointed about the bread itself since I feel that bread in Asia is almost always inferior to the bread you can get from Europe. With the ingredients it was a completely different story…

sandwitch

…because I really enjoyed what I tasted. The fillings were of a good quality (fresh and tasty) and the taste was genuinely Vietnamese and that was what I wanted, so I can recommend this one.

It would be nice to have this kind of concept in Europe (currently the restaurant chain only runs restaurants in SG, Indonesia and Philippines). For a fast food and an almost-healthy Suway replacement NNNB is a good choice. Once again, a definite TRY but don’t wait too much for the bread itself.

 

 

World’s cheapest Michelin Star restaurant (Singapore)

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When I found out that Tim Ho Wan (in Hong Kong) is no longer the World’s cheapest Michelin star restaurant and the new restaurant is in Singapore, I decided to search for the name of the place and visit it the next time I go to SG.

So here it is, the review of Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle (78 Smith Street, Chinatown, SG)  I’d say the name couldn’t be more informative. That really is what you get.

According to numerous sources, the restaurant used to be a street food stall typical to Singapore street food genre. As the popularity has grown a lot, a proper restaurant was founded and it could be classified as a small-medium-sized fast food restaurant. According to Straits Times, the old food stall also exists.

The menu includes chicken and pork with either side rice or one of two types of noodles. The menu also includes some side dishes such as cooked sprouts.

The pricing is cheap. Amazingly cheap. The chicken + noodle meal with side sprouts and a beer costs barely 10 SGD… And it really is worth the money spent. The food is tasty and I can recommend it but I don’t know what’s the real difference with the place compared with its peers. As the old food stall, the restaurant is also very busy but you get your meal in a decent time. Actually the food ordering process is similar to many fast food restaurants where you pay and get a queue number. You can then find a table and pick up your food when you see your number from the screen.

When you go to Singapore, I recommend you to spend at least a dinner/lunch or two in one of the SG food courts. HKSSCRN is now a restaurant, a definite GO, but you should also try the others, I personally love Makansutra Gluttons Bay (8 Raffles Avenue, SG).

 

The Lost Heaven (literally!), Beijing, China

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I was fortunate enough to visit a restaurant named “the Lost Heaven” in Beijing, China. My first impressions of the surroundings were good since the restaurant was situated in a posh neighborhood near the Tiananmen Square (No.23, Qian Men Dong Da Jie, Beijing, China). 

The restaurant itself is a piece of art from inside, amazingly beautiful decorations and the representation of the served food is excellent.

The food served has its roots in Yunnan cuisine which has some similarities with food from neighboring regions such as Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. The price is ok, but the restaurant is a little bit more expensive than a “regular” restaurant in Beijing.

 

There are plenty of choices in both meat and vegetarian dishes. The food quite a lot more spicy than the food from the North parts of China but not as spicy as Thai food.

I’m happy to recommend the restaurant for ones that aren’t afraid of spicy food and are willing to try this much less known kitchen. A definite GO.