There are quite a few hidden gem; cheap and good food stalls in Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Most of us seldom enter the university unless we are studying or working there. Since it was a rare chance that I was at the university, I had to make full use of the opportunity by having a meal there. The Korean stall called Manna Korean Restaurant at Hall 13 Canteen was strongly recommended by a member in our group.Hence, we visited Hong Yun, more commonly known as Hall 13 canteen. Although it was during the semester break, the canteen was packed when we left. In addition, the Korean stall which was wanted to try was opened. The Korean Stall; Manna Korean Restaurant is operated by Koreans. As it was lunch time, we had to wait a fair bit as there was several NTU staff / students in front of us. Menu

The menu with a wide variety of korean food to choose from. BBQ Beef Set $4.50

I ordered the BBQ Beef Set $4.50 which consisted of hotplate BBQ Beef served with rice, soup and a very small serving of kimchi. The rice, soup and kimchi were ordinary. Hence, I shall not write about them.BBQ Beef Set $4.50

The hotplate BBQ Beef with cabbage and Korean rice vermicelli with sesame seeds sprinkled on top deserved some airtime. They were very generous with the ingredients, particularly the BBQ Beef slices. The beef slices were well marinated. The only issue I had was it was a tad too dry. More sauce could have been added. At $4.50, it was quite value for money as it would have easily cost $7.50 or more at food courts. BBQ Chicken Set $3.90

The rest of the items were ordered by others in the group. The BBQ Chicken Set cost $3.90.BBQ Chicken Set $3.90

Unlike the BBQ Beef, there was no rice vermicelli in the BBQ Chicken. The BBQ Chicken was well marinated and it was the spicy version. It went very well with the rice. In addition, there were so many pieces of chicken and there were lots of sauce at the bottom of the hotplate. Bulgogi Beef (Korean Traditional BBQ)$4.70

The Bulgogi Beef (Korean Traditional BBQ) was quite good. This version is the soup version. The beef meat were marinated and then fried / BBQ with other ingredients (e.g. onion). Then the ingredients were poured into this Korean pot and cooked with golden mushroom and rice vermicelli. Bulgogi Beef (Korean Traditional BBQ)$4.70

Again, they were so generous with the ingredients. The amount of beef slices given was just so much. The soup was flavouful, though a tad too sweet. Dolsot Bibimbab (Chicken) $4.50Dolsot Bibimbab (Chicken) $4.50

The Dolsot Bibimbab (Chicken) cost $4.50. Can't comment on this as I did not try.

Overall, I must say that the prices here are really cheap and the food are not bad. Yes, the main reason for the so reasonable prices was because this is a university and most customers are students. Hence, there's a need to ensure that its affordable. Worth a try if you are within the area.

http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2014/01/manna-korean-restaurant-ntu-hall-13.html

Seah Im Food Centre located opposite Habourfront MRT station and Vivocity is one food centre which I seldom visit. I think this is only the 3rd time in my entire life I have been to this food centre. With no knowledge of what to order, we scouted around to find one with a queue. That was how we decided to order from Shi Ji Noodle Stall 狮记面食摊. This stall sells Prawn Noodle, Duck Noodle, Lor Mee and Thai Original Tom Yam Noodle. Prawn Noodle $3

I ordered a bowl of Prawn Noodle $3. Prawn Noodle $3

At $3, this bowl of prawn noodle was so value for money! Look at the generous servings of prawns, slices of fish cakes and pork, beansprouts and noodle. Although the prawns were small, they were fresh. The soup was light and tasty. Not too bad a bowl of prawn noodle. Lor Mee $3Lor Mee $3

The partner ordered the Lor Mee $3 which came with a generous amount of ingredients including ngor hiong, braised meat, slices of fish cakes, beansprouts, half a braised egg and topped with coriander leaves and garlic. The lor was wonderfully done; smoothly, fragrant, concentrated and not too starchy. Surprisingly good bowl of Lor Mee.

Shi Ji Noodle Stall 狮记面食摊 may not serve the best food, but the food was certainly value for money and decent. Worth a try if you are at the hawker centre.

http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2014/01/shi-ji-noodle-stall-seah-im-food-centre.html

Uncle Tetsu 徹思叔叔起司蛋糕 has opened its first outlet in Singapore!! If you have not heard of this brand, this is a very famous and popular brand - for using premium Japanese dairy ingredients to produce Japanese style cheesecake. Uncle Tetsu originated from Kyushu, Japan and has been in operation since 1990s. It has outlets in Japan, China (e.g. Shanghai) and Taiwan (e.g. Taipei). In Taipei and Shanghai, it is so popular that there are perpetual queues and customers are limited to a purchase of 1 box each. Uncle Tetsu's Cheese Cake $9.90Uncle Tetsu's Cheese Cake $9.90Uncle Tetsu's Cheese Cake $9.90

The spongy cheesecake $9.90 was incredibly soft, light and fluffy. It kind of melts in the mouth. In addition, it did not taste too cheesy and was not dry. I am not even a fan of cheesecake and would only take one bite of most cheesecake just to test the flavour. But for Uncle Tetsu's Cheese Cake, I must totally love it! Shiok! A must try!

I wonder if queues will start to form for this too.

Do note, their cheesecake can only last a few days as they use little or no preservatives.

Sadly, this shop seems to have closed down. Not sure if they have exited Singapore .

http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2014/01/uncle-tetsus-cheese-cake-ion-orchard.html

A Noodle Story 超好面 located in Amoy Street Food Centre has differentiated itself by being the first and only Singapore-style ramen. This is the brain child of two Shatec trained friends who decided to create ultimate noodles dish through a combination of modern European techniques and Asian flavours providing gourmet quality noodles at hawker prices. A Noodle Story has announced on Jan this year that due to increase in operating cost (rental and cost of raw ingredients), their prices have increased by 50 cents. Hence, please note to increase the prices by 50 cents for all the prices stated in this blog post. Singapore Style Ramen $6

The Singapore Style Ramen $6 consisted of Noodles, Hot Spring Egg, Cha Su, Potato Wrapped Prawn, and HK Style Wanton topped with scallions. The soup was served separately in a small bowl. The noodles were very springy and were similar to mee kia. Singapore Style Ramen $6Potato Wrapped PrawnCha SuHot Spring Egg

The noodles were cluttered together in a lump making it hard to eat. The chilli added at the side lacked spiciness and fragrance and was too dry. The ingredients such as the Potato Wrapped Prawn, Cha Su and Hot Spring Egg were quite good whereas the HK Style Wanton was ordinary with nothing much to shout about.

As a whole, the presentation and concept of this Singapore Style Ramen was unique. It looked real good. But taste wise, it was not mind blowing. Nevertheless, I still must say that I admire the spirit of these two young men for their innovation in creating such a dish. Moreover, the effort taken to arrange the ingredients in the bowl although this was not a restaurant.

http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2014/01/a-noodle-story-amoy-street-food-centre.html

Swee Choon Dim Sum Restaurant in operation for more than 50 years is a well-known dim sum restaurant which is extremely popular among Singaporeans and tourist. It has been featured on many newspapers, magazines as well as food shows. Unlike most other dim sum restaurants, Swee Choon's operating hours are from 6pm to 6am catering ensuring that Singaporeans have an extra option for supper and are well-fed throughout the night. Lucky for us, now we can all have dim sum even at midnight or in the wee hours of the morning! Swee Choon located at Jalan Besar opposite Berseh Food Centre is so popular that it occupy 5 units of shophouses along this stretch of road. It is in the between both Farrer Park and Lavendar MRT stations, a good 10 to 15 minutes walk away from either stations.

Occupying 5 units, Swee Choon offers both alfresco dining and air-conditioned (indoor) dining. In addition, it has a unit which cater only to walk-in customers who order takeaways. As we already knew that there would be a long queue if we arrived late, we made it a point to arrive at 630pm on a Friday for dinner. Luckily for us, we got the last available table at the indoor (air-conditioned) dining area. MenuMenuMenu

The menu with the prices. As you can see, Swee Choon offers a wide variety of Hong Kong and Shanghai dim sum, and local zi char dishes. Chrysantheum Tea $1.30 per pax

For drinks, we ordered their Chrysantheum Tea which cost $1.30 per pax. It was served in a metal pot and is refillable. They mixed the tea bags themselves. The Chrysantheum Tea was quite good as it was light, refreshing, fragrant and help to wash down the grease. Century Egg Porridge $2.50

The Century Egg Porridge $2.50 was served in a small bowl. It was decent, but not the best. There were chunks of century egg and chicken meat in it. Mee Suah Kueh $2

Swee Choon's signature Mee Suah Kueh $2; deep-fried vermicelli cake (mee sua) which can only be found at Swee Choon. Show this kueh to anyone and they would associate it with Swee Choon. Almost every table ordered this. I thought that this was unique and not bad. But I will not rate it as a die die must try as the standard seemed to be inconsistent and it was a little too greasy. One of the kueh could have been fried a little longer. The texture was unique. Crisp, rough texture on the outside while the interior was moist. Fried Golden Doufu (Tofu) $3.50

This Fried Golden Doufu (Tofu) $3.50 was surprisingly good. Despite the simplicity, it was well executed. The tofu was fried till it was crispy on the outside. The addition of the pork floss at the top was the icing on the cake.Carrot Cake $2

The Carrot Cake $2 was not bad too. There were a good mix of radish, dried shrimps and chinese sauages in it. It was also a little too greasy. Pan Fried Pork Dumpling $4

The Pan Fried Pork Dumpling $4 was pan fried till it was so crispy. In addition, they were so generous fillings. Dipping it into the vinegar along with slices of ginger made this just so delectable. Beancurd Prawn Roll $2.80

The Beancurd Prawn Roll $2.80 with minced meat and prawns in it was ordinary.Steamed Pork Ribs $2.50

The Steamed Pork Ribs $2.50 was a let down. The part of the pork served was not pork rib and it was either too fatty or was all bones.

Overall, Swee Choon Dim Sum Restaurant is worth a try. There were hits and misses in the dishes we ordered. Service wise, despite the restaurant being full, the staff were efficient. It was easy getting the attention of the staff. Do note that this restaurant only accepts cash or nets. They do not accept credit card. Also, they do not take any reservation. As we left Swee Choon Dim Sum Restaurant at close to 8pm, we saw a queue! It was very thoughtful of the restaurant owner to provide chairs outside. If you are planning to visit this restaurant during dinner time, do remember to come early.

http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2014/01/swee-choon-dim-sum-restaurant-jalan.html