Food Court Dining: Japanese Udon Noodles Goen

I have always associated curry with Indian food but since coming to Singapore, I have learned that the Japanese also have their version of curry. As someone who watches anime, this discovery helped me make sense out of some of the food I see on their shows.

I didn't know I liked curry until I came to Singapore; both the Indian and Japanese versions appeal to my taste buds. It's not a taste for everyone, but again, you'll never know if it's for you if you never tried it at least once.

Food courts are pretty much the hawker stalls of malls. They offer a variety of affordable meals, including the staple Chicken Rice. I was lucky enough to spot my favorite Japanese Curry shop in two locations last week.

Japanese Udon Noodles Goen branch in Wisma Atria

When I enjoy a certain type of food, I would probably keep talking about how tasty my dish is while my mouth is full. The first time I tried a dish from this franchise, I distinctly remember my wife laughing at how much I kept doing that.

Japanese Udon Noodles Goen is a franchise that can be seen in food courts. So far I know of three branches - Vivo City, Wisma Atria, and Bugis Junction. While I've frequented Vivo and Wisma, the Bugis branch was a new discovery.

They offer curry on rice or noodles, with chicken, beef, or tonkatsu as protein. While I'm a bit adventurous when it comes to trying food, I usually prefer having my go-to dish if there is one.

Japanese Tonkatsu Original Curry Rice (SGD 7.90)

For this shop, I have a go-to dish; the Japanese Tonkatsu Original Curry Rice. A huge serving of rice is a staple in this shop, with customers asked to ask the server for less if needed. A prepared tonkatsu meat is chopped and put over the rice, before their signature curry sauce is poured over everything.

Can't go wrong with a go-to dish.

The curry in itself can be eaten with the rice. Or that's just me. I almost treat it like soup, similar to what I do with the Chicken Curry at Queensway. The tonkatsu is usually lean, and while it's not life-changing amazing, it goes great with the curry sauce.

Beef Original Curry Rice (SGD 8.90), greens optional add-on.

On a different day, I wanted to look for a new place to eat at the Bugis food court, but I was drawn to the branch I didn't know was there. This time, I tried the Beef Original Curry Rice for the sake of trying something new. Personally, I didn't think the beef looked appetizing; sure, it was thinly cut, but it looked too pale in color that I almost thought it was raw. I'm pretty sure that the curry is a staple in all their branches, so I was a disappointed to see how my curry sauce looked like here.

The greens were cilantro, which I remembered I didn't like too much on ramen. Here, the flavor was masked by the curry.

While the flavor was there, it definitely didn't have a the same visual appeal as the other branches. Personally, it wouldn't have been a favorite of mine if this was my first experience. The rice isn't served as much as the other branches, but that's not too much of an issue as it is for the appearance of the curry.

Come for Seconds: For Wisma and Vivo, I have and I will again and again. For Bugis though, I'm not sure. If only for the flavor, I'd definitely eat if I see another branch nearby.

Singapore Food, Part 3: Laksa Lovin' at Roxy and The Original Katong Spoon Laksa

When I travel,  I try to make it a point to eat the signature dish of a town, province, or country that I visit. As a Filipino, I know all too well that our signature dishes (adobo, sinigang, etc.) can be done in a variety of ways and this will be true no matter which place I visit. Still, eating Bicol Express made by a Bicolano will be a better experience than eating one made by someone from a different province. 

The first country I ever visited outside of the Philippines was Singapore, a year after my sister found a job here in 2008. From then until now, I have always wondered what "local" food Singapore offers; as a country that is home to a variety of cultures, one could easily mistake a neighboring country's signature food as Singapore's own. After visiting the country multiple times before settling down here in 2015, I have been able to at least differentiate those with a Singapore flair, even if the dish didn't originate from Singapore.

This is a multiple part blog series where I explore these "local" food for you to try when you visit.

Laksa is a spicy noodle soup with coconut milk and curry. It's a combination of Chinese and Malay cuisine, and has been adapted locally by Singapore. Yes, it sounds weird, and I think that it's not a taste that everybody will come to appreciate. Still, you won't know if you like it if you never try it. I daresay it's a dish that is synonymous to Singapore as adobo is to the Philippines; it's found just about anywhere, and it has two main components that need to always be present - soy sauce and vinegar for adobo, curry and coconut milk for laksa. 

When my aunt came to visit Singapore, she shared her love for this local dish. We walked with our empty stomachs to eat at a nearby hawker stall so that we could try a variety of food. When we saw a laksa stall, we ordered one for us to share because, in her words, "you can't go wrong with laksa."

And we were so wrong. 

When the broth isn't good, the whole dish fails. We were disappointed with the dish that we had, because we've tasted better. On this blog, I'll share a couple of places I did appreciate.

Roxy Laksa

The stall opened right across where I work, so of course I should try it.

This hawker stall opened in Timbre+ late in 2016, and I immediately searched the internet about it. Apparently, it's a popular brand in the East Coast, which grew from a food cart in 1952 to what it is now. Further reading led me to learn that this family brand has now been passed on to a local celebrity chef, after the third generation's children expressed disinterest in continuing with the hawker stall. 

Roxy Laksa (SGD4.50) with legit toppings.

Rice noodles are soaked in a laksa broth, a process that is repeated at least 3 times. Once in a bowl, it is topped with sliced fish cakes and shrimp. The broth is then poured over the bowl, and sprinkled with some kind of chopped herb which I haven't asked them about. an optional spicy paste can be added on the side of the bowl. 

It's deceptively filling. 

Their laksa is creamy and spiced just right. The broth is not diluted, and it's nice to eat actual prawns instead of some cheap imitation meat. The unidentified herb complements the broth's aroma and makes it more fragrant. The noodles were cut in such a way that it's possible for you not to use the chopsticks anymore, but of course the savage that I am needs to stuff my mouth to its fullest. I'm not sure if the rice noodles absorbs the soup or if there really not much soup to begin with. While eating it, I felt I wanted more soup, but by the end of the meal, I was fully satisfied with what I had. 

Come for Seconds: I already have, and probably would again in the future. It's not something I'd eat everyday, but if I craved laksa, this would probably be a nice choice.

Katong Laksa

The view from the second floor of Queensway Shopping Center.

There has been much debate about what the "original" Katong Laksa because just about every stall claims itself to be original. See, while laksa isn't a truly Singaporean dish, the "Katong" laksa is the Singaporean variation. It hails from the Katong area, a place around the East Coast. 

Despite the confusion about which is the real "original" Katong Laksa, YourSingapore recognizes this particular shop at Queensway Shopping Center as that which is directly from the popular streets of Tanjong Katong. This wasn't where I first tasted laksa, but it's definitely the one that made me crave for it.

Remember the logo, so that you won't get confused.

There are three shops that sell laksa inside Queensway Shopping Center, so don't be confused. This one is at the first floor with the orange tables. 

Medium Curry Chicken with Rice (SGD 6.00) with Iced Lemon Tea (SGD 1.50)

This is my go-to dish. Instead of noodles, the broth serves as the soup for chicken and potatoes. They have small, medium, and large for the curry chicken, with the small order having three cuts of chicken wings (for perspective, a whole chicken wing is two cuts), the medium four, but I'm not sure with the large order. Also, here in Singapore, whenever possible, check out the iced lemon tea. It's usually homemade, and be it hot or cold, it usually tastes nice. 

I found a three-step method to fully enjoy this dish and clean it like this. 

I love their broth, and I usually slurp the remaining soup after I eat. However, I later figured out a way to fully enjoy this dish. First, I take out the chicken meat and potatoes and put it on the side of the rice. Next, put all the rice in the bowl of laksa broth. Finally, mix up the rice until it soaks up all the broth. You end up with chicken and potatoes cooked in laksa, and something similar to a laksa congee. If you have grown to enjoy the taste of laksa, this dish will be glorious. 

Come for Seconds: Definitely. It's a spot I could be a regular in if I didn't know how to cook, and if I didn't have a housemate that doesn't appreciate the smell of curry. Also, if you're with someone, be sure to order mua chee. It's a starchy dessert that's breaded with crushed peanuts. Its too much for one person especially after a huge meal like I had, and while you can take it home, it's best consumed when hot.  

Hawker Break at Orchard: Cuppage Beef Noodle

Everything is quite expensive in Singapore. While there's a wide selection of food here, you also need to spend a lot in order to enjoy them. 

Thank God for Hawker Centers. These food outlets are practically everywhere; they're the mall food courts, there's one for every HDB, and there's usually one near office lots. They're affordable, and the variety of food is usually on full display as well; Chicken Rice is a staple, most have Western food (steaks, fries, pasta, etc), Korean, Japanese, noodle shops, and much more. 

While walking around Orchard yesterday, I was hungry but wasn't craving anything in particular. During times like these, Food Republic is the place to be. It was around 3PM, a time where food stalls are not too busy, so there's a chance to go through all the food outlets and let my nose decide for me. 

The shop is located at Food Republic at the 4th floor of Somerset 313

 I ended up in Cuppage Beef Noodle because it was cold and I thought I wanted soup. Cuppage is a street near Orchard, and I assume that it's where the original space of this stall is from. According to a short description of their shop, it's now managed by the daughter of the original owner, and they try to maintain the same quality and flavor that they had from way back.

Mixed Beef Bowl Soup (SGD 8.50)

I haven't had lunch, so I was naturally inclined to order a large bowl and almost regretted it when I saw how big the bowl was. I didn't ask, but assumed that the "Mixed Beef Bowl" would have all their meats in one bowl, and I was happily surprised that I was right. 

Hor Fun noodles (soft, thick rice noodles) are soaked in a broth and later drained before being put in the bowl. A couple of pieces of beef brisket, some beef tendon, four beef balls, and what looks to be tripe are then soaked on a different broth. Some thinly cut raw beef are also placed on the same strainer as the rest, and it was easily cooked. The meats are placed on top of the noodles, and the soup completes the dish. The guy asked if I'd care for some spring onions, and he added it in. I didn't like that it was mixed with cilantro, but it had to do. 

Not too big of a fan of beef tendon, so I left it on the bowl. 

 

The soup was a bit disappointing; it didn't have as much flavor as I expected from it, and I didn't know if they had sauces to satisfy my taste buds. I was a bit hesitant to eat all the beef after seeing some if it raw, but everything was cooked when I ate it. The beef balls were nice, and all of the meat was cooked just right. I didn't have to budget my meat to finish the noodles because there was enough to go around. The picture doesn't do justice to how huge the serving was, but I think it could be enough for two people looking for a light snack. 

Come for Seconds: I liked the beef and the beef balls too much that it makes me want to give it another try, hopefully with sauces next time. What sauce to put in would be another story. 

A Taste of Japan: Machida Shoten at Wisma Atria

I have never been to Japan, but ever since I watched the movie Ramen Girl, I was always fascinated at just how good ramen can be. I've been to many Japanese restaurants since, and have tasted a variety of ways that ramen is cooked, but as I haven't been to Japan, I won't judge it by authenticity; as always, I judge by how well I am fed.

Wisma Atria along Orchard Road is home to a new "Japanese Street" on the Food Republic level. As the name suggests, there are bunch of Japanese restaurants offering a variety of Japanese cuisines. There's even one that proudly claims to have a Michelin star. We have yet to try that one, but we've been to one restaurant twice already. 

Machida Shoten is the second store on your left once you enter the Japanese Food Town at Wisma. You can't miss it.

We tried Machida Shoten for a second time recently, with the first one during their soft opening in September. It's a small restaurant that specializes in ramen. They proudly claim to serve freshly prepared and hand-made ramen, with prices varying based on the toppings you put in. While there are a variety of other dishes on their menu (greens, rice, buns, and sides), the ramen is mainly why we went to visit the second time. 

Ton-kotsu Spicy Miso Special Ramen (SGD 19.00++)

The dish was plated beautifully that it's almost a shame to mix it all up. After having their basic one last time around, I opted for the Ton-kotsu Spicy Miso Special Ramen, the ramen that had all toppings on it. You can choose the thickness of the noodles and the richness of the broth, but I decided to go with how they usually do it. 

Noodles are placed on a bowl, with four dried seaweed strips (nori) are carefully placed to stick out of the bowl. My toppings included chasu (pork), spicy minced pork, seasoned egg, and spring onions. I think there were some cilantro leaves in there as well. I'm not certain if they have a spicy base or they just add spicy oil on their miso base for this one, but either way, it produces a moderately spicy soup. 

It was a happy feeling when I saw the owner appreciate my empty bowl the first time around, so I made sure to empty this one as well. 

Personally, I didn't think the cilantro added to the dish. Everything else blended well though. I don't remember having it on my dish the first time around, so I'm not sure if it's a Spicy Miso exclusive topping. I remember wanting more of the soup last time, but with all the toppings I had for this dish, the soup was just right. I had the nori strips with the cilantro to mask the off-taste I was getting. The seasoned egg remains a mystery for me; how do they half-cook the yolk? While the soup is as rich in flavor as they promote it, I think the regular option might be too rich that some may not be able to finish it. Getting a lighter broth could be the best way to fully enjoy this meal. 

Come for Seconds: Definitely. I don't think it's overpriced, and flavors are just right. I'm not sure if my belly can try ordering other stuff on their menu because the ramen alone can fill it up, and I am most definitely going back for the ramen.