After eaten countless popiah and i can easily say this particular one made by that friendly auntie is probably the best popiah in Singapore.
Coincidentally, i met this Auntie at the market near my house before she closed her stall and disappeared for a few months. I came back a few times thereafter but the stall has been closed then. I waited and the stall finally reopened a couple of weeks ago. I took notice when i spotted a queue from far. There is always a long queue whenever the stall is opened.

The auntie is basically on her own and so long waiting time is expected. When you order, you are expected to place the exact amount in the basket placed on top of the shelve. Each piece of popiah is reasonably priced at $1.50. The price might be a little higher as compared to other popiah out there but the size and the ingredients in it somewhat justified for the $1.50. It is quite a big fat piece generously stuffed with ingredients like turnips, beansprouts, hard boiled egg etc. And what made it distinctively stood out is the intense spiciness of their special chilli paste. It is unbearably hot even for someone like me who got a crazily high tolerance for spicy foods. The key is never to request for extra chilli unless you have already tried it and have gotten a strong enough stomach to survive it. The extra chilli is charged at 0.20 cents per serving.

The auntie remembers me rather well. She said, 'Most people wouldn't make such a request to not to cut the popiah. You're the rare one out'. She said, 'I remember you. You stay in Ang Mo Kio too, right?'

This auntie is blessed with awesomely good memory. She could remember all the orders well.

We chatted and I asked her why did she close her stall for so many months. She said she went for an operation and that operation did not go too well so she ended up rested a bit longer.

I asked her why did not her consider to have her stall in Ang Mo Kio since she is staying there. She said, 'I tried but i could not get a location with a reasonable rental in that area.'

It is really nice to have Auntie back to make more of my favourite popiah.

If you are a big fan of popiah then you gotta give this a try. You will not regret it!

For full review and photos: http://gninethree.com/2013/06/12/jaan-swissotel-the-stamford

Perched at level 70 of Swissotel The Stamford, JAAN restaurant boasts of a panoramic view of the Singapore skyline that is simply postcard worthy and quite breathtaking. With no elaborate architecture or snazzy décor, the space itself is decidedly intimate with no more than 13 tables and is simply designed with clean finishes, allowing the picturesque view and artisanal menu to speak for itself.

Chef Julien Royer's seasonal menu places a heavy emphasis on fresh and sustainable produce, a trait he picked up when growing up in France, as a descendent of four generations of farmers.Our gastronomic journey began with an assortment of gourmet snacks, formally known as amuse bouche. We were treated to Smoked Unagi, Cantal Cheese Cromesquis, Chef's Julien's own Hummus with a rich and nutty flavor conferred by the Auvergne lentils and accompanied with paper-thin crisp sesame crackers. An extremely delightful beginning that was peppered with a myriad of earthy flavors which paid tribute to Chef Julien's love for the unadulterated rawness of what the harvest has to offer with each season.

Starting our meal proper, 2 of us had the 55' Rosemary Smoked Organic Egg as our appetizer.The perfectly poached egg was delicately tipped into the glass and you break the thin veil of egg white to allow the yolk to ooze out and envelope the accompanying ingredients for the grand finale. Possibly the best egg dish I have ever had with all the many elements of the salty chorizo iberico, fried buckwheat and creaminess of egg yolk just coming together so effortlessly and harmoniously.Our main was the Roasted Atlantic Turbot served with fried squid, saffron and Carrots 'Saveurs d'Orient' on a bed of couscous. The enthralling star was the fillet cooked through to precise consistency but remained firm and succulent, accentuated with a piquant sauce which tied the varied textures of crunchy, creamy, gritty and smoothness together.Moving onto dessert proper, this Choconuts 4th of sticky chewy carambar, Tanariva chocolate shards, Tonka bean ice cream and moulds of slick-smooth gianduja was an interplay and harmony of different kinds of chocolates which complimented each other in synchrony. Undeniably good.Rounding it all up was a complimentary platter of Mignardises, which was of course stunningly displayed on a wooden board with smoked dry ice and all. The dainty marshmallows, silvered almond chocolate pieces, rock melon sorbet sticks, and the rosemary ice-cream chocolate covered lollipops had me sold through and through. JAAN's attention to detail and efforts to please remained consistent right to the end. I was truly enamored.My lunch experience at JAAN is definitely one of the most memorable I have had by far. The service was excellent, top-notch in fact, with extremely knowledgeable and attentive staff who make a sincere effort of explaining to you patiently the components of every dish and are pleasantly co-operative in assisting you as you take your photographs. Unlike other fine-dining establishments that frown upon an individual who whips out a camera, the people here at JAAN embrace it and are in fact, very encouraging.

JAAN... I will be back again...

SushiAirways has surpassed all my expectations in terms of service and food! Located on the second floor of a shophouse with only a narrow staircase leading up, it can be quite tricky to find. As its name suggests, it's furnished just like an aircraft, with rounded windows, metallic tabletops -even the service crew are dressed like cabin crew! To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this place. It seemed a bit tacky for me but I'm glad I was proved wrong.The stairs up is lit exactly like those staircases leading up to the aircraft! We appreciated the details of the steps too, with its unrefined metallic finishes.The bar area is chic and stylish. Most of the restaurant comprises of bar tops unless you're lucky enough to get a table (That said, PLEASE MAKE A RESERVATION!!).

The menu is far from extensive, but they have everything you need here -a fine range of sushi and sashimi with the handful of hot dishes. We say skip that though -you're far better off filling your tummy with the makis and raw fish. Yum.We ordered the signature appetiser Salmon Tataki ($15), the avocado roll ($25 for 8pieces), the assorted sushi platter ($38) and the Negi Torp ($16 for 3 pieces)The avocado roll was delightfully creamy and rich -it melts in your melt and the crunch of the fish roe elevates the taste to another level. For $25 though, I don't think I would pay to have this again even though this is one of the signature dishes. The creaminess, although pleasant, also ensured that I could not have more than 2 pieces at one seating. Too rich! But the avocado serving is generous -avocado fans will love it!The assorted sushi platter came with various sushi including shrimp, scallop, swordfish, tuna etc, I enjoyed the swordfish sushi the most -it was firm and the slice was thick. The fish was really fresh and the slice was much thicker as compared to other restaurants. The scallop was creamy yet delicate and every bite is sheer unadulterated indulgence. Fantastic.
The variety is fantastic but for $38 it's on the steep side... For the quality it's worth a shot though, especially if you're in a big group and wish to try an assortment. They also have a larger platter at $58!The salmon tataki is one of the best I've eaten. It's served with a tangy salad dressing and an assortment of lettuce and rocket. It is refreshing and perfect. The slices of salmon were slightly thin though, but for a salad, the thickness was just right. If it had been on its own however, a slighter thicker slice would have been preferred. The greens complemented the salmon to my surprise -the leaves weren't bitter because the salad dressing had adequately masked the unpleasant aftertastes. We highly recommend this dish!Otoro (tuna belly) is perhaps my favourite part of the tuna. It has a creamier and slightly fattier taste to it -although I admit I don't quite like to have my tuna belly just anywhere. There are only select places that I'll have it, because sometimes the fatty taste just borders on disgusting when the fish isn't fresh enough. In this case, the tuna belly was paired with spring onions -a match made in heaven! The sharp taste of spring onion in small quantites complements the fatty tuna belly.

The total bill for 3 people came up to over $100, but it was really worth it! The place may have really limited seating and at certain junctures I felt slightly claustrophobic when people shifted around and they ended up standing really close to where I was seated (it's quite cramped!). Nevertheless, this place is DEFINITELY worth a try. Not exactly the cheapest place to have a sushi fix, it's one of those places you'll go to and be pleasantly surprised, blown away by the quality and the attentive service.

The staff paid attention to our likes and recommended dishes accordingly. She was also really patient when we were deciding between makis (she also told us that the mango roll is another signature, but avocado is also worth a shot! not really a huge fan of mango, my dining companions preferred the avocado) and kept refilling our cups of green tea whenever it went below the half-cup mark.

We highly recommend the salmon tataki and the assorted sushi ) Also, do make reservations because it gets really packed and there are very little tables (think: 3 to 4). Unless you don't mind the sushi bar (and even then, it's no guarantee that you'll get a slot too :/), go early and make reservations! We also liked that the name card of this place came in the form of "boarding passes" (don't have a photo of this, oops) where the name of the manager is printed under 'passenger name'.

A truly unique experience with fantastic food and service.

The stall is originated from the already demolished Margaret Drive Food Centre. It is supposed to be the same but not quite. The original stall owner decided to retire and his son has since taken over part of the business. The son has a stall at Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre making the popiah skins. The father decided to pass the other part of business to an old friend. This old friend used to run a braised duck rice and noodle stall in Margaret Drive Food Centre. As this old friend is catching up with age, he decided to close its braised duck rice and noodle stall as it required too much efforts in running the stall and he could no longer cope with it.

This good friend is guided by the original owner to start this stall in this food centre and using the same name to continue the popiah business. The price has been raised to $1.30. I was there during the supposedly busy lunch time but the business of this stall seemed to be quite slow. I was the other customer right there. The stall was manned by the elderly uncle solely. The uncle was a little slow in assembling the ingredients, wrapping and cutting the popiah.

I waited for less than 5 minutes to order and to get it. It was served placing on a disposable plate. Those plastic plates are for orders of 2 pieces and more. Though the skin is supposedly to be handmade but it turned out to be quite dry. The owner may not be doing a good job in keeping the skins well. The turnip filling tasted bland. The amount of beansprouts was not as generous as it used to be so it kinda compromised on its texture. It did not have a distinctive taste though there were other ingredients like boiled egg and grounded peanuts added. The chilli did not taste as good as before too. I followed the original stall when they first started in an old coffee shop then moved to the already demolished food centre. I was quite a fan for a decade long.

Sadly, i am a fan no more after this particular experience.

Though this is not a bad testing popiah but it just did not taste as good as it used to be of yesteryear.

The hype surrounding the introduction of Tim Ho Wan in Singapore has been nothing short of tremendous. There are queues to match - nearly 2-hour long waiting periods at any time of the day. But in any case, it will be one of the rare few chances that one will be able to boast of Michelin-star dining without breaking the bank.

Be advised though that while it is fun to dine in numbers, it is not so fun to see smaller groups just pass you by in the queue when tables are available.

Tim Ho Wan is decked out like most dim sum places in Hong Kong, with rows of bamboo containers adorning the upper walls of the restaurant, setting the tone for a great dim sum feast. It is only relatively more posh and spacious. I say relatively because while it is an improvement by Hong Kong standards, diners will still stand a very high chance of getting bumped into by waiters making their way to tightly packed tables around the restaurant.

Food wise, it was an easy call. The 4 Heavenly Kings were must-tries. Baked Bun with BBQ Pork - $4.50
Served in plates of 3 and limited to just 1 plate per customer whether you are dining in, taking out or both, the Baked Buns with BBQ pork are by far the best dish in the menu. The light airy crust is unlike any other version of Char Siew Buns one can get locally and the crust itself actually tasted fragrant if u catch my drift, perfectly complementing the BBQ Pork filling. The main gripe: The filling was so sparse that looked more like a dash of flavouring than actual filling.Pan Fried Carrot Cake - $4.50 (3 slices)
The very common carrot cake takes on a new spin at Tim Ho Wan. Bits of Chinese sausage (lup cheong) and radish were interspersed throughout the carrot cake, giving the crispy fried cake that was already savoury additional flavour. Vermicelli Roll with Pork Liver - $5.50 (3 strips)
Colloquially known as Chee Cheong Fun and available with either Char Siew or Shrimp, the third Heavenly King offered a new choice of filling with pork liver instead. The pork liver did give additional 'bite' to the dish and a stronger flavour, but the Vermicelli Roll was just too thick and dry and the pork liver too little.

At the time of dining, the restaurant staff mentioned that the 4th Heavenly King, the Steamed Egg Cake, had already been sold out since quite early on in the day. Is it really that good? *Professional Foodie Curiosity*

Other dim sum that I ordered:Steamed Prawn Dumpling - $5.50 (4pcs)
A staple in almost any dim sum meal, the prawn dumplings were okay, but they didn't wow at that price point. The prawns were succulent but didn't taste very fresh and I personally thought that the translucent wheat dough skin was a tad too thick.Steamed Pork Dumpling with Shrimp - $5 (4pcs)
Aka Siew Mai, the pork dumplings were sad to say, pretty ordinary as well. You could give credit for the fresh ingredients but again, I wasn't dazzled as I would expect of a Michelin-starred restaurant. Deep Fried Bean Curd Skin Roll with Shrimp - $4 (6pcs)
While the Bean Curd Skin Roll wasn't evenly fried and crispy in places, it was still pretty much complementary to the mixed filling of pork and shrimp which even though was threadbare, still tasted very much savoury and left me wanting for more.Tonic Medlar and Osmanthus Petal Cake - $3.50 (3pcs)
The Osmanthus Petal Cake was pretty much integral to the hype and photos surrounding the introduction of Tim Ho Wan. One could very well say that it's one of the most picture-perfect ready dish of the restaurant. A professed carnivore, I wasn't really a fan of the flowery taste of the gelatinous cake as well as the strands of osmanthus strewn throughout the jellied cake. But I was the minority, so don't take my word for it.

All in all, my trip to Tim Ho Wan didn't quite live up to the high expectations generated from all that hype.
Is it worth a visit though? For the sensational Baked Buns with BBQ Pork I would! And now I can say that I have dined at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Can you? =D