The recent trend of modern fusion coffeeshops has made its way to North east area of Singapore (finally)! Legend coffeeshop, which opened their doors this year April 2015 at Sengkang, has yet to made known to public so I decided to blog about it.The whole coffeeshop interior was a mixed of modern fusion + old skool concept, with wooden tables, rustic metal chairs and some elements of the 80s. There's coffee stall, western food stall, ramen stall, roast meat stall and cze char stall. I patronized Legend on 2 continuous nights and the following cze char dishes were what I've ordered:
(1) Deep fried Tofu cubes in cereal $6 [1 size]- Tofu cubes were very crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside. Tofu itself tasted bland without any seasoning but the buttered cereal adds an additional punch to it giving them more taste and crunch.
(2) Salted Egg Prawn Balls $22 [medium]- Portion was abit small for a medium sized but luckily it tastes good. Salted egg flavour was highly dosed, fragrant and the prawns were fresh too. Everyone on the table loves this dish.
(3) Prawn Paste Chicken Wings $12 [8pcs]- Deep fried to golden brown, these sexy legs are indeed CRISPY! Marinating process could be longer, marinades can be heavier, so that the prawn paste taste can be more distinctive. Although this current version is good enough BUT I love 重口味.
(4) Curry Fishhead $25 [1 size]- A pippin hot claypot curry fishhead was the most suitable choice on a breezy day like yesterday. Other than the meaty fishhead, chef was generous with the veggies that came with it. Lots of cabbage, eggplant, long beans and tau pok (bean curd skin). The curry gravy wasn't those thick type, it's slight watery but still full of flavours. It's not a bad choice after all.
(5) Mongolian Pork Ribs $10 [Small]- Initially we asked for Zheng Jiang Pork Ribs but it was sold out. So we chose Mongolian as alternative. The meat was tender and comes with bone. The Mongolian sauce was rather sweet for me and luckily the hints of cinnamon wasn't too overwhelming as I dislike cinnamon.
(6) French beans with Minced Pork $12 [small]- French beans, my favourite type of veggie since young. I've always love it with hei bi hiam (spicy shrimp paste) but here doesn't cater. We had the version with pork instead. French beans were crunchy, stir-fried with minced pork and mushroom bits. Overall was slight salty but still nice.
(7) Spinach with 3 types of eggs $10 [small]- Veggie part is done well, stems of spinach still have the crunch. Egg portions are generous but too bad the broth is bland. I would say "can do without" this dish.
(8) Stir-fried Potato Leaves with Sambal Chilli $8 [small]- Compared with the plate I had at Bedok Wee's family, this is a yummier choice. The vegetable chosen were mainly smaller young potato leaves which provides more texture while biting. Sambal chilli used was more spicy too which what most of us preferred.
(9) Roast Meat $7.50- The char siew sold here was different from others which I've tried before. The texture and taste was more like Chinese sausages (lap cheong) than our usual char siew. I quite like it. Roasted pork belly on the other hand, wasn't really impressive. It was overly salty and skin wasn't crackling.
(10) Fried Rice $6 [medium]- Fried rice smells real good when served. The rice texture was done just right, not mushy and 粒粒分明. The bonus part is they still use char siew in their fried rice whereas a lot other cze char stalls already changed to mock meat. A satisfying plate of rice which is flavourful and not oily.
Verdict: A cool place to chill at for food, beer and fresh fruit juices. It's a friendly environment suitable for all families. Cze char dishes were quite good. I must come back to try other stalls in this coffeeshop since this location is quite accessible from my house. The only complain was service can be quite lagging when place is crowded. You might have to pick up your own food from the ordering station when they're ready as Legend shorts manpower now.

Sin Heng Kee porridge shop was my kind of comfort place whenever it rains or if I fall sick. Selling a variety of porridge, now they have extended their menu to have appetizers and claypot frogs. Sin Heng Kee gained popularity within a very short period and upgraded from a coffeeshop stall to a whole shop unit. It's long queue every time I patronize Sin Heng Kee, waiting for seats or takeaways can be a pain!!
On my recent visit, I ordered:
(1) Preserved Egg with sliced ginger and garlic mash 姜葱蒜蓉皮蛋 $5- An appetizer served chilled before my mains. A great new item introduced as the ginger and garlic mash did perk up my tastebuds and made me crave for more food.
(2) Claypot Ginger Onion Frog 砂煲姜葱田鸡 $8 (1pc)- Frog meat was juicy and tender, tastes good especially with the gravy. Soya sauce gravy was on the sweet side although lotsa ginger was cooked with it but it still works for me, I even add them into my porridge.
If you are a big fan of frog, you could order bigger portions such as 2 or 3pcs of frogs at $15 and $22 respectively.
(3) Signature Porridge 招牌粥 $5- Porridge filled with sliced Pork, meatballs, pork liver, intestines, preserved egg bits etc (can't remb the rest 😂).. Love the tenderness of the pork slices. Liver and intestines tastes fresh too, without the pork stench which I'm scare of. A bowl full of ingredients & definitely fulfilling meal on a cold day!
(4) Meatball Porridge 肉脞粥 $3.50- This bowl of porridge which looks rather bland on the appearance but taste tells you otherwise. Same as the signature porridge, the porridge was very flavourful on its own and the texture was really smooth. It tastes very homely, like the version which my mum will prepare for me using ikan bilis broth. The minced pork meatballs were also well marinated but slight salty for me. The sesame oil, fried shallots and spring onions shattered on top gives it an additional punch too.

Verdict: The porridge sold here has a certain good standards. Currently my favourite place for porridge and definitely will come back for more. I just simply won't get tired of their porridge after so many visits. Prices are affordable too for every household. But take note, patience is required as it's quite a long wait, especially at meal times.

[ Cha Thai ]
Location: 80 Telok Ayer Street S(048466)
Cha Thai opened their door for business today, 22 July 2015. When we reach there at 4.15pm, the restaurant was actually closed for break till 6pm. Nevertheless, the lady boss was really kind to show us in. We were also greeted by a whole batch of friendly Thai waitresses whom were in all smiles. It's a good sign ;)
As we already had lunch earlier, so we only try out their drinks & desserts without any mains. The mains looked tempting though on the menu
We ordered the Iced Butterfly Pea juice & Tropical Fruits Cocktail. To our surprise, other than our orders, the sweet lady boss served us with their signature toast, accompanied by both the pandan dip and thai tea dip. We felt so loved!
Iced Butterfly Pea Juice: A drink made from using Butterfly Pea flower, same as those used in Peranakan kuehs (causing the blue color). Mixed with some lime juice and the bluish drink turned purple naturally!
Tropical Fruits Cocktail: Its a dessert where cocktail fruits are placed on top of a white colored jelly. Nothing special about the fruits because from cans. The best part is the jelly. The  jelly was infused with jasmine (initially we thought its coconut) and it was so fragrant, every bite of it was so yum. The overall dessert wasn't overly sweet too!
Toast with dip: Thick toast were cut into smaller cubes, butter applied and toast to crispy. The Pandan dip was in a pretty light green color, topped with some carnation milk. Fragrance from the pandan is irresistible. I love it really creamy and sweet. The other dip we had is the Thai tea dip. It tastes wasn't so nice because tea taste was not distinctive enough, can be bolder.
Verdict: Overall experience is good, food is decent though slightly pricey. All staff are very well mannered and courteous too. I will come back again to try the main dishes.

[ Dessert Project ]
Location: Blk 22 Havelock Rd #01-673
Decor: White walls with simple "concrete" finished areas around the whole shop. Wooden tabletops & metal chairs.
Service: Boss is friendly but he opened the shop late. Supposed to operate at 12noon but till 1230pm, it's not ready. My order came in only at 1.10pm
Food: Other than coffee, I ordered the Nutella Toast. Boss says he get this inspiration from Thailand popular cafe, After You.
This selection comes in a 3inch buttered thick toast (9 cuts), Vanilla & Ferrero Rocher ice cream scoops, Nutella drizzle, crushed peanuts, whipped cream & a strawberry. One share is $14.90 Enough to share among 2pax.
If you are a Nutella lover, this choice is da bomb! The Ferrero Rocher ice cream was so yum too with Rocher bits mixed in
Verdict: 4/5 Definitely will come again but hopefully they could open their shop punctually.
I also suggested to Dessert Project, to cut the toast into 12s, rather than 9. So that butter coverage could be more. More BUTTER would taste even better

While we are still discussing where to have our late night dinner after movies, suddenly my hubby shouted "民众" from behind! But we just had it YESTERDAY! Lol. Ming Chung Restaurant (民众), started in 1933, specializes in Authentic Heng Hua (兴化) cuisines. They used to be operating near Sungei road before moving to Maude.

兴化卤面 Henghua Lor Mee- Their signature noodles. The heng Hua noodles has a good springy texture. The broth is sweet & fragrant, from the combination of lor bak, la la clams, prawns, sliced pork, vegetables etc! It's a HIT!! Add in vinegar & it's a Da Bomb! The next "must-order" dish is la la clams. Stir fried in spicy bean paste sauce, the gravy is sooo good!

Other than these 2 delicious dishes, my hubby's usual order will also includes Deep Fried Batang fish, Cuttlefish kangkong, Prawn Paste Chicken Wings etc... The fish & chicken wings are so crispy & yummy, you will lay your fingers for more! Cuttlefish is Q & vegetables really fresh. (So now you know why DIETING always fails??! 😂😂😂) Try the deep fried prawns also.
Another locals favorite is the prawn rolls, but those sold here tasted ordinary to me so you could skip it

Conclusion: Most of the dishes here are good, portions ideal. Prices are reasonable. The restaurant has 2units, air-con & non air-con areas for you to choose. Ample parking in opp. building. So what are you waiting for? Move your butts here!