Boran Noodle Shop, Klong Toey, Bangkok

Boran, simply put, is a traditional Thai-style noodle shop set in a modern air-conditioned retro Thai-style cafe.  Located on the second floor of the Exchange Tower makes it within walking distance to Asoke BTS via the sky walkway.

Retro posters adorn the walls, along with a retro looking portable tv that takes pride of place on a high shelf next to the semi-open kitchen.  The dark wooden stools and tables that populate this noodle cafe is a salute to the old school markets and stalls.  

The menu comes in Thai, so if you don't read Thai (like me) just request for one in English instead.  Saves having to work out how to decipher the menu with limited or no Thai reading skills. 

Unsurprisingly, reading from the title of this post, it's all about the noodle here. The main showstopper - in my opinion - being the traditional boat style noodle soup.

Simply pick your protein from pork or beef in your preferred style: meatballs, sliced, braised, combination and so on.  Then select the broth; aromatic boat style, clear soup.  Move on to choosing your noodle from thick rice noodles to egg noodles to glass noodles.  And finally don't forget to specify whether you require a large or a small portion.  Prices range from 55-105 baht.

They also have a small selection of dim sum: pork or prawn shui mai, prawn har gau (all 45 baht each), bbq pork buns and a couple of others for 25 baht each.

My steamed prawn shui mai came out alarmingly quick.  This is good if you are super hungry, bad if you are a little wary (like me) of why food comes out so soon.  But, I have to say they were plump, juicy, and really quite tasty considering.  Just remember that this is Thai style dim sum, not Cantonese style dim sum.  Yes, there is a difference!

Now for the braised beef boat style noodles.  I chose glass noodles (woon sen) as they are made from mung beans and therefore, I regard them as a healthier alternative to rice noodles. 

Below is a small, but very generous portion.  It had lots of yummy fresh veggies; cabbage, greens, coriander and beansprouts.  The braised beef was super tender, although a little fatty.  But nothing that a bit of carefully orchestrated biting with good chopstick skills can't solve.  Besides, cooking with the fat still on the meat only helps to tenderise it during the cooking process and adds a bucket load of meaty goodness to the flavour of the soup.

On a separate occasion, I came back to try their braised pork boat noodles, again with glass noodles.  The pork was less fatty, but still super tender.

You can make it as salty, sour, sweet or spicy as you like with the traditional four condiments that is mandatory for Thai noodle soups.  Thai noodle soup served without these four condiments is like serving a scone without jam and cream.

Drinks here include old fashioned rock sodas, iced teas and coffees, Singha beer and a handful of other soft drinks. 

Service is quick, friendly and easy going.  It may not be as cheap as a street stall, but in my book, it is certainly more comfortable and you do get very generous portions.

BORAN
2/F, Exchange Tower, 388 Sukhumvit Rd, Klong Toey, Bangkok
Tel: +66 (0)88 022 4022
Nearest BTS: Asoke, exit 6.  Walk along the skywalk and take the walkway into the Exchange Tower on the right hand side.  Boran is the second shop on the left as you enter the building.

HOURS
Mon-Fri: 7:30am-8:30pm
Sat-Sun: 10:30am-8:30pm

Tweet

Ryoriya Sangokushi, Robertson Quay, Singapore

Do you often hanker for some casual home-style cooking, but away from home?  I know I do.

Yesterday lunch time was one of those moments.  I wanted something filling, but tasty; close by, but enough for a little stroll; and satisfying enough to walk out feeling full, but not to the point of bursting.

Ryoriya Sangokushi is one of those casual places with home-style cooking set in unpretentious and informal surroundings.  They serve 'Japanese style Taiwan cuisine', which I can only describe as Japanese style Taiwan cuisine.

With bright orange seating outside, communal tables and large booths lined along one corner inside, my partner (Mr. P) and I wandered in towards the latter half of the lunch service.

Having been to this place a couple of times before and ordered from the set lunch menu, for around $11-$15 you get a three dish meal.  There is a good variety to choose from and if you don't fancy a set lunch, you can just order from the normal menu.  A few dishes which are listed against the back wall:

Today, I wanted carb and lots of it, so I ordered the braised pork with rice, lo mein noodles, and pan-fried chive and pork dumplings.  With this comes a mini salad, dressed in a light asian dressing and unlimited iced tea.  What I also like about this place is that you get a little paper napkin.  This really has to be my number one peeve when eating out in this country - see my Take Away Guide to eating out in Singapore.

The food arrived pretty quickly.  Salad first, followed by the braised mince pork rice, followed by the lo mein noodles, and then a little wait for the pan-fried dumplings.  The little wait being only a few minutes. 

The braised pork was a little fatty, but I actually didn't mind this as the pork was diced into really small pieces.  It was beautifully tender and had just a slight hint of savoury sweetness.  There was a little chopped pickled cabbage underneath the pork which gave this rice bowl a bit of a tangy twist. 

The ramen noodles were delicious, with a hint of chinese five spice, a few leaves of bok choy and half a hard boiled egg. 

Three little chive and pork dumplings arrived soon after with a shredded ginger in vinegar/soy dipping sauce.

Service was pretty quick, but the place was only half full when we arrived and most people were already eating.  

For a quick home-style lunch, this place isn't bad at all.  I have been here during the busy noon to one o'clock lunch hour and it was packed to the rafters.  Service didn't seem to suffer though.

This place is on my 'regular lunch spots to go to' list when I don't want anything fancy and in need of a casual place to eat close by.  I have heard that it's popular with the expat Japanese crowd, which in my book has to be good sign ....

Ryoriya Sangokushi
Robertson Quay, #01-03 Riverside View, Singapore
Tel: +65 6238 8962

HOURS
Daily: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
(Closed during lunch on Mondays)

Tweet

Pho 99 Vietnamese Delights, Singapore

When you think of Vietnam, what dish do you instantly think of? 

For me, it is the wonderfully fragrant phở bò, pronounced more like 'fuh', not 'foe' as I innocently thought many moons ago.  It is, as many of you probably know, beef noodle soup.

My Vietnamese butcher at the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, Australia told me that his mother would slow cook the broth for up to 24 hours.  I gasped when I heard this, thought it was a joke.  When he shook his head and told me that it was indeed true, I realised why he didn't seem keen on wanting to sell me any.  It's a labour of love for his mother and I am sure it is one fine broth.

Now armed with this knowledge, whenever I visit a place for some phở bò, I often wonder how long they have laboured over their stock.  Despite my romantic ideals, I doubt as long as my Melbourne butcher's mother.

I know for certain that I would not have the patience nor the inclination to watch over a broth for that long ... unless it was the elixir of youth and longevity.

Nevertheless, since leaving Melbourne, I have not had any phở bò and quite frankly, I missed it.  So when I read about this place over at Camemberu, well, I had no choice but to take my good self down there today.

It's on a street called Amoy and you can't miss the two big forest green awnings with the words 'Phở 99 ... Vietnamese Delight' in bright red and yellow respectively.

I arrived just after the usual mid-week lunch rush, 2:30pm and I was delighted to find that I had the choice of most tables.  I chose a table by the window looking back into the restaurant with a good view into the kitchen. 

You can see two girls washing dishes who casually glanced over when I took this photo;  one of them was singing a Vietnamese song and she had the most beautiful soft sounding, almost hypnotising voice.  The other two girls sitting down were preparing spring rolls against a huge backdrop image of beautiful Ha Long Bay.   

As I surveyed the lunch menu, the lady told me about the lunch special.  For $11.90 (no tax or service charge on top), I could have a choice of one of the six mains on offer with 2 pieces of deep-fried spring rolls and a drink.  Well, I was hungry and so I went for the obligatory phở bò with a homemade lemon barley. 

You get two table condiments here - chilli in oil and hoisin sauce.  You also get a plate of herbs: Vietnamese basil and sawtooth coriander; a wedge of lime and fresh slices of mostly de-seeded, red chilli.  My homemade barley in the background; refreshing, not too sweet and just what I needed to cool down.

I didn't have long to wait and when my food arrived, it was heaven.  My first phở bò in I don't know how long ... about six months I think?!

The soup was just lovely, the noodles were soft, the beef was tender and no gristle was present.  The hoisin sauce was just a tad sweet, not too much, just right.  Unfortunately, I went a little overboard with the chilli in oil, so next time I think I'll be a bit more conservative.  My only gripe - why no beansprouts?  I love beansprouts in my phở bò and sliced onion just doesn't cut it as well.  Still, I had no trouble polishing it off.

As for the crunchy, piping hot spring rolls, they weren't exactly hard to munch down either.  Light, crispy and non-greasy.

Lunch today was good and I want to come back for an evening meal already.

A couple of things to note: toothpicks are provided on each table, bonus.  No napkins though (like many places in Singapore that I have discovered), so bring your own.  And if I'm going to be really fussy, I'm not a fan of cutlery sitting upright. 

PHO 99 VIETNAMESE DELIGHTS

57 Amoy Street, Telok Ayer Conservation Area, Singapore
Tel: +65 9678 8735

HOURS
Mon-Fri: 10am-9pm
Sat-Sun: 10am-8pm

Tweet

Sapporo Ramen Miharu, Robertson Quay, Singapore

In need of a quick fix lunch today, I headed out and across the road to Sapporo Ramen Miharu on the ground floor of the Gallery Hotel.

For those that don't know, ramen is a Japanese noodle dish and the origins of ramen noodle actually came from China.  If you would like to know a little more,  ieatishootipost does a nice little introduction.

Anyhow, at 2pm, it was a late lunch and as I entered this small establishment, it was empty apart from yours truly.  Unperturbed by being a lone diner with three bored looking waitresses, I sat down to peruse the menu. 

Dominated by ramen noodle soup dishes (as one would expect), there are also dumplings (gyoza), appetizers, and a small selection of donburi (or don) on offer  The latter are simply Japanese rice bowl meals: a bowl with rice topped with protein and vegetables. 

At the top of the menu, there is a small note telling the customer that the Nishiyama noodles are especially imported from Japan.  I was rather hoping for freshly made ones on the spot .... or was this just silly wishful thinking on my naive little part. 

I ended up ordering the Shoyu ramen: original soy sauce. The second bored looking waitress proceeded to fetch me a glass of ice cold water whilst the one who took my order went off to the kitchen with my ticket.

Seeing as I had brought along some reading material, I got stuck into it. Otherwise I think I would have been as bored as the waitresses here.

The wait wasn't long and soon a steaming bowl of ramen arrived, served by the third waitress who didn't even glance at me when I said thank you.

As I stared into the bowl, it really did look like the photograph on the menu.  Now that doesn't always happen; what typically happens (to me anyway) is that the dish comes out looking like a completely different one or looking like a total mess.

As I swirled the spoon around, all I could think about was, why so much oil?  Seriously, it looked like a vat full of oil.  And I really dislike oily food.

Still, I began to carefully eat the noodles, shaking off as much excess oily broth as possible.  The noodles were pretty tasty with the right amount of chewiness.  The egg was ever so slightly softly boiled, the sweetcorn gave the dish a little savoury sweetness, and the pork was tender.

A ramen expert, I am not.  Did I enjoy this? Honestly, it was OK.  Would I have it again?  In a word, no.  Was it well executed?  Yes and no: yes in that the individual elements were good, although nothing outstanding and no, because the broth was just so darn oily. 

Now, I'm sure many will disagree with my above sentiments, just as I am sure that some will rave about this place. 

Even if I do end up being the lone diner again, I would like to come back to try their gyoza and a donburi.

Sapporo Ramen Miharu
1 Nanson Road, #01-11 Gallery Hotel, Singapore
Tel:  +65 6733 8464 

HOURS
12am-3pm, 6pm-9pm Daily

Closed on Wednesdays

Tweet

Shanghai Noodle House, Melbourne

With shabby graffiti walls on the outside, Shanghai Noodle House doesn't look like much to a passerby.  However, I had read some good things about this place and I love trying out new lunch options. 

Just so you're aware, there's another dumpling joint a few doors down, but I decided against it.  Why?  Well, this place won hands down for several reasons - it was brighter, it looked a lot cleaner, it didn't have a nasty odour and I wasn't greeted by any rudeness. 

As I sat down at the table below the television screen (showing a Chinese channel), I saw that all four walls were neatly covered in multicoloured A4 sheets of paper with scribblings of dishes on offer.  A cheap, but oh so typical Chinese way of decorating the walls of a humble eatery.  It's not offensive and means that you can read about the dishes that you wish you had seen before ordering.  At least, it was in my case.

A waitress handed me a menu.  Like many Asian eateries, the choice is immense.  And of course, there are dumplings a plenty.  Seeing as I was in the mood for dumplings, I decided to go with the 'Chilli oil dumplings in soup'.  Fifteen dumplings for $7 - now that is what I call a bargain lunch.

As I waited for my dumplings to arrive, I wandered over to the counter top by the window to help myself to cutlery and pour myself a mug of hot tea from the canister.  It's not the strongest tea in the world, but it does for cleansing my palate.

My dumplings in soup arrive looking plump and delicious.  They bounce around in the hot broth like buoys in the sea.  Chilli oil has been spooned into the middle, there's also coriander, sliced fried egg, sliced cabbage and even seaweed! 

The soup was a little weak for me, so I had to add soy sauce, white pepper and a little more chilli oil.  Yes, I am such a chilli fiend?!  But I simply love the stuff.

The dumplings themselves were de-lish!  I could taste the subtleness of rice wine, the pork was beautifully minced with no gristle, and they were generously filled.  I managed to eat them all and was truly stuffed, but happily so.  I don't think I'll be needing another meal for the rest of the day. 

I'd like to come back to try one of their hotpots as they all sounded so good.  Shanghai Noodle House is great place to come for a cheap and cheerful dumpling lunch.  It wasn't overcrowded which was nice and it will definitely go onto my 'lunch options' list.

Shanghai Noodle House,

Tattersall Lane (off Little Bourke Street), Melbourne, VIC 3000

Tel: +61 (0)3 9662 9380

Mon-Wed: Lunch 11:30am-3pm; Dinner 5pm-9:30pm

Thurs: 11:30am-9:30pm

Fri: 11:30am-10pm

Sat: 11:30am-9:30pm

Sun: 11:30am-9pm

Tweet

The Noodle House, CBD, Melbourne

Having watched this place being constructed over the past few months, I was very excited to discover that it had finally opened.

The Noodle House is a new addition to the Southbank row of restaurants on the East side of Queensbridge Street. Being less than a five minute walk from home, I was eager to try it out.

Since it was raining for most of the evening yesterday, I decided that I didn't want to go too far. The Noodle House seemed the perfect destination for an easy supper option.

My companion and I arrived for an early six o'clock sitting. There were a couple of outside tables already taken. Since it was warm enough to sit out, we also opted to take a table under the rain proof awning. The whole terrace is under cover, which makes it fully versatile for the variable Melbourne weather conditions.

On the terrace are glass topped wicker tables with cushion seated wicker dining chairs.  The logistical placing of the chairs was well thought out since they don't squash tables so close to one another. 

Inside, there are a couple high tables with stools which are great fun for groups of up to eight friends, wooden benched tables and a few booth-like tables around the edges.  There's also an open kitchen which always makes for great viewing.

The food menu is like a notebook whereby all the options are neatly laid out on just one page.  There are two pencils in the pencil holder at the top and diners just tick off what they want. The waitress then comes along, tears the top one off (yours) and takes it to the kitchen.

The menu is clearly separated into sections - Appetizers, Dim Sum, Wet Noodles & Soups, Wok Fried Noodles, House Favourites, Specialities, Wok Side Dishes & Vegetables and Desserts. 

For certain dishes, there are clear symbols indicating levels of spicyness, vegetarian, healthy options and those that contain nuts

 

We decided to share a couple of mains.  My choice of 'Lamb Redang Curry' and 'Singaporean Black Pepper Beef' with a side of plain steamed rice to share. 

The serving dishes themselves are large rimmed, crisp white china plates.  It must be said that they do take up a lot of room on the table.  Considering the food itself actually only fits into about half the diameter of the full size of each serving plate, if there were four of us, it might have turned into a juggling act.  This isn't a criticism as such, more an observation. 

Still, the Singaporean black pepper beef was well presented.  Made with fresh ingredients and the most tender beef, it was absolutely delightful.  Being a healthy option, we felt rather smug about devouring a 'healthy' stir fry.  It had no film of grease on the top which made a nice change from the usual Cantonese stir fry.  However on a spicy note, with two chilli peppers indicating 'very spicy' next to this dish on the menu, neither of us thought it spicy at all. 

The Lamb redang curry was also good.  The lamb was beautifully tender and, the curry sauce was delicious.  However, in terms of chilli hot, it was in my book, mild rather than the 'very spicy' that is indicated on the menu.  Everyone is different though and some people may find these dishes quite spicy.  As mentioned before, I do have an inherited South East asian palate... 

Service here is polite, friendly and attentive.  The food is fresh, tasty and well presented.  The décor is modern and light, with lots of clean lines.  There isn't anything on the menu that I wouldn't eat.  So with solid conviction, I can safely say that "I will definitely be visiting The Noodle House again." 

The Noodle House

1 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank, VIC 3006

Tel: +61 (0)3 9682 1200

Tweet

Greyhound Café, Bangkok

'Life is a journey full of pictures, places,

stories and good tasting recipes.'

(From the cover of the Greyhound Café menu)

Settled in a busy hub of Bangkok, in an area known as Siam. This particular branch of the Greyhound café chain is nestled in a corner on the ground floor of the Siam (shopping) Centre.

The Greyhound café chain offers a modern twist on Asian as well as European cuisine. The décor is a mix of comfortable soft low seating and wooden dining chairs. There is a white chalked menu written on a large blackboard which follows the edge of the open bar below it.

There are brushed steel cylinder ceiling lights and exposed ventilation tubes.  It all makes for a contemporary and slightly industrial warehouse feel.  The background music sets off a relaxing atmosphere. Having eaten at two other Greyhound Café's, I know the quality of food is quite decent.

Being a weekday lunchtime, it wasn't too busy at all.  They sat my dining companion and me down on a table by the window with soft seats.  Menus were duly brought to us and I noticed how they matched the café's signature interior of black and white.  Inside there was a good choice of food which was divided into European Bistro - Soup + Salads, Appetizers, Main Dishes - European (of which I spot Battered Fish & Chips for 220 baht), Main Dishes - Thai + Asian, Noodles and Vegetarian fare.

There is also a one page laminated 'Specials' menu which includes an Italian Fest listing mains such as Beef Ossobuco Stew in Red Wine, Rigatoni with Italian Sausage, and Mussels in White Wine, all under 250 Baht each. There is also a black photo album menu which basically consists of photographic illustration of the dishes.

Wanting a light starter, I chose the Vietnamese Spring rolls (130 baht) from the Appetizers, followed by Pounded Shrimp Fried Rice (150 baht) and my companion opted for the Grilled Salmon with Japanese Soba Sauce & Miso Soup (280 baht).

A waiter took our order to the kitchen and came back to lay our place settings with black leather place mats; white linen napkins; a fork, a spoon and a black pair of chopsticks - all of which are standard Thai cutlery.

Our Vietnamese Spring rolls arrived with a side of freshly washed lettuce leaves and fresh basil, and a bowl of sweet chilli dressing. Vietnamese Spring rolls are rice paper rolls typically filled with lettuce, herbs and prawns and/or shredded chicken. They are a healthy alternative to the deep fried spring rolls and are utterly delicious. These Greyhound Vietnamese spring rolls were prawn and chicken and with the hot and sweet chilli dressing, they were scrumptious and fresh.

Our mains arrived soon after and my Pounded Shrimp Fried Rice came with a bowl of minced pork ball and cabbage in clear broth and a bowl of fish sauce with sliced green chilli. Fish sauce with chilli is a common condiment to any Thai meal.  It is widely used in many Thai dishes and is a staple in the kitchens of every Thai family.

Fish sauce is derived from fish that has been left to ferment.  It may not sound particularly appetizing to the Western palate, but if you've ever eaten Thai food, I can guarantee that you've had dishes with it as one of the ingredients.

My favourite brand is one with a label that has a picture of a giant squid on it.  It is suitably called 'Squid Brand' fish sauce.  It can be found in most good Asian stores and in many Western supermarkets too.

OK, so back to my Pounded Shrimp Fried Rice; it is quite simply fried rice with pounded shrimp and chilli paste.  Here, it came with a small slice of fresh lime, sliced green chilli, shredded raw mango, a fried egg (typical for a fried rice dish), dried shrimp and small nut size chunks of fried pork skin on the side.

The great thing about many Asian fried rice dishes is that you can take away what you don't want and mix the rest together.  On this occasion, I took away the chilli slices, squeezed over the lime juice and proceeded to mix the rest together.

I spooned over some of the chilli infused fish sauce to finish it off.  It tasted superb!  I loved the mix of different textures - crunchy, soft and chewy all at once.  The rice wasn't too spicy and the different flavours exploded in my mouth.

The soup was a delicious accompaniment to the rice.  Asian soups are usually thin and clear broth based.  Fried rice dishes are always served with a bowl of soup in Asia.  Not only is it tasty, but it also acts as a palate cleanser to the fried rice.

The Grilled Salmon with Soba Sauce also came with a clear broth soup and sweet soy sauce.  It was well presented and the salmon was soft and tasty.

Although the food was good, the waiters didn't smile once. They were however, courteous and somewhat attentive.  But at least the front of house manager made up for their aloofness and he made sure to smile at us when we arrived and as we were leaving.

I can't speak for their Western dishes, but their Asian food really isn't bad at all.  Bear in mind though that you will pay more for food here that you can get elsewhere for less.  You're paying for the upscale contemporary surroundings, which I have to say are very pleasant and pleasing.

Greyhound Café can also be found on the 2nd floor of the Emporium Shopping complex and on the 3rd floor of Central Chidlom department store in Ploenchit, Bangkok.  The food is fresh and tasty, the ambience is more European than Thai and it's a reliable choice to enjoy lunch or dinner.

Greyhound Café
Siam Centre (GF), 989 Rama 1 Road, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330
BTS: Siam

Tweet