There are two Mei De Coffee Shops located in the neighborhood of Bukit Batok East Point.
In the previous post, I went to the one at 273 Bukit Batok East Ave 4 while in this post, I visited the other one at 279 Bukit Batok East Ave 3.
Despite the addresses suggesting that they are some distances apart, both coffee shops are literally a stone's throw away from each other.
I walked up to this western food stall named Hello Western Food & Fried Chicken to order their mee siam for breakfast.
Yes, you heard me right.
I ordered a mee siam from the western food stall.
You see, one half of the western food stall is dedicated to selling mee siam and lontong while the other half sell fried stuff such as curry puff, spring roll, youtiao, etc.
I assume this is what they serve in the morning before the western stall took over in the afternoon.
The mee siam stall and curry puff stall operate out of the same cash register but I wonder are they separate entities from the western food stall, or do they all actually belong to the same owner?
I actually ordered the mee siam ($4) with a Chinese lady behind the counter which led me to think this mee siam is not Halal.
Imagine my surprise when I spotted Muslims buying as well. Bewildered, I looked around and that is when I noticed the Halal logo displayed on the signboard.
Served in a bowl instead of a plate like most places, the portion of the rice vermicelli and broth is rather generous.
Ingredients included the usual tofu puff, chives and a whole hard boil egg.
I like mee siam for its appetizing tamarind flavors and this does not disappoint.
The sourness is on point and hits all the spots for me. I have to restrain myself from licking the bowl dry.
The rice vermicelli looked kind of mushy but that is not the case. It is cooked to the right doneness still with a bite.
The following week, I returned to try out their lontong ($4.50) and curry puff ($1.80) as planned.
This time, it is a Muslimah who took my order.
Ingredients in my bowl included tau kwa, compressed rice cake (look at the size of that thing!), a hardboiled egg, cabbage, long bean, and jicama.
Honestly, I am not a big fan of lontong so I cannot say I like this dish a lot, however, I do enjoy the very thick chunks of compressed rice cake here, which makes it very satisfying to bite into. The only thing is it is a bit cold on the inside.
Another of my favorite ingredient in lontong has to be the jicama which I like it for its crunch and sweetness.
The coconut milk broth is fresh, but I find it overwhelms the flavors of the rempah.
I feel they could be more generous with the portion of vegetables, such as cabbage and long bean.
My favorite ingredients are the rice cake, cabbage, and jicama.
The rest, not so much.
If I have to make a choice between the mee siam or lontong, the result is obvious.
I could not resist a freshly fried chicken curry puff, so I bought a piece to try.
It comes in this interesting paper packaging with Chinese words.
It is quite sizable for $1.80. Although not as plump as Old Chang Kee's, the size is decent for the price.
On the inside is a wedge of hardboiled egg and spiced potato cubes with no visible sign of any chicken meat.
Not that it mattered since my concern was the curry potato.
I feel that nothing can go wrong with the curry potato.
The deciding factor lies in the pastry.
Indeed, the curry potato is nicely spiced though I wish it could be spicier.
The pastry, on the other hand, felt a little jelak to me. I wonder is it the type of butter used or the frying oil?
I am fighting back the nauseating feeling to prevent the curry puff from coming back up.
For me, the best epok epok come from makcik's basket that her anak used to tout from door to door back in the days.
HELLO WESTERN FOOD & FRIED CHICKEN
Mei De Coffee Shop
279 Bukit Batok East Ave 3
Singapore 650273
Business Hours
Thu - Tue: 7.30am - 8pm
Closed: Wed
Google Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HoCkJLxgB1SjGbK57