Koi Cafe, bubble milk tea that's worth the wait...

There was a time when every 10 steps you walk there was a stall selling bubble tea. That was the bubble tea craze some years back when these stalls mushroom all over our island. As the craze dies, the stalls that were cashing in on the craze closed down as well.

When we went to Taipei in 2008 for holiday, 珍珠奶茶 (Bubble Milk Tea) was on my to-eat list. Its just so different there, the milk tea was so smooth and the bubbles were so Q. And the chain we frequent alot was 50嵐 as there was a stall near our hotel. We had a cup when we were going out and we had a cup when we were going back hotel. In fact, we drank more milk tea then plain water in Taiwan.

Then last year, we happen to chance upon this trendy place call Koi Cafe in Marine Parade selling Bubble Tea and you should see my excitement when I saw a small print that its by 50嵐. Although it was after the bubble tea craze, it had brought in the crowd with the same yummy bubble teas from Taiwan.

There are currently 5 Koi Cafes (that I know, namely Marine Parade, Ang Mo Kio, Chinatown, Bishan and Toa Payoh) in Singapore and they are all takeaway cafes. The cafes are plays the current popular Chinese Pop songs and the stalls are usually manned by young people. The menu are pretty extensive covering flavoured tea, milk tea, coffee and smoothies. You could also choose the sweetness of the tea. Our usually order is large Milk Green Tea with pearls at 25% sweetness and it cost $3.50. Their pearls also comes in 1 size and its smaller than the usual pearls you get with other bubble tea. But the chewiness is perfect (not too hard and not too soft). The milk tea is smooth as usual and its just the perfect drink for our hot humid weather. Whenever I'm at Marine Parade or Ang Mo Kio, I just had to have a cup to satisfy my bubble tea craving.

Below are the address of two outlets I usually frequent. As for the other 3 stalls, you would have to google for it.

Ang Mo Kio
Blk 704 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 #01-2545

S(560704)

Marine Parade
Blk 83 Marine Parade Central #01-562

S(440083)

Sidenote: I used two different iPhone photo apps for the above photos and they are both free. You should try them too, its pretty fun. The first photo I used the app call MoreNoel. What it does is it brightens and softens the photo and you can choose to add bubble or stars for the dreamy feel. The second photo I use this app is call Morelomo (by the same company). It gives your photo the "Lomo" effect. For more information about what Lomography is all about, read this and this.

So go out and have fun with your iPhone camera.

Apollo Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow

Houston, we have a problem. The Apollo Fried Kway Teow is too irresistible. I'm sure most Singaporeans staying in the East side, particularly Marine Parade area would know this stall. Located at the back of the hawker center at Marine Parade, it serve the only wet Fried Kway Teow in Singapore.

The way I would describe the "wet" part would be its like Fried Kway Teow with the wetness of Satay Beehoon. The stall even has its own specially designed spoon for you to enjoy the wetness. Cooked with heaps of pork lard and juicy cockles, its full of flavour and oh so tasty. But not all people like this wet version so its a love it or hate it relationship, no sitting on the fence.

So if you prefer something lighter, the porridge stall in the same hawker center is also worth mentioning. Its full of generous ingredient and the texture of the porridge (not sure if I used the right word) is just nice. And I give extra points for the you tiao.

Blk 84 Marine Marine Parade Central
#01-174, Marine Parade Market and Food Centre
Singapore 440084




Blk 84 Marine Marine Parade Central
#01-165, Marine Parade Market and Food Centre
Singapore 440084

Lau Zhong Zhong Wu Xiang Found!

My maiden attempt at blogging on food. Want to have something on record online so its easier for me to find in future.

Use to frequent the Wu Xiang stall at Jackson Centre until Jackson Centre was closed. Didn't know where they moved to till recently saw them being featured in Mediacorp's Where the Queue Starts 3. So to satisfy Lilian craving for good Wu Xiang, we decided to head down for an early dinner to avoid the crowd.
Located at a coffeeshop just adjacent from the closed Jackson Centre. Incidently, the coffeeshop and the stall both bear the same name, Lau Zhong Zhong (didn't notice the name of the stall when it was at Jackson Centre, just know it was good).

I love the chilli, I always ask for double chilli bowl. The wu xiang skin is very crispy and the abundent water chestnut within the filling give it a very crunchy feel. The other ingredients are also not too oily so you dun get the oily, bloated feeling after eating one too many.

At the same coffeeshop there is a noodle stall call Jackson Noodles Macpherson with many of those TV food show awards. As the Wu Xiang didn;t have bee hoon, Lilian was afraid we might not be full, so she ordered a Bah Chor Mee from the stall.
Verdict? "Taste pretty good and has heaps of ingredient." coming from Lilian. I'm just not a noodle person.

Tai Tong Crescent