The Best Barbecued Chicken Wings I’ve Had in a While

I’m surprised Shinta didn’t take me to this place earlier. His aunt runs a barbecued chicken stall in Marine Parade and it’s the best I’ve had in a long while.

We dropped by unannounced and she immediately bustled to grill us some fresh. It took a while but was well worth it. The skin was crisp and bursty, almost exploding on contact to let out the juicy meat. It was smoky and well marinated, tasting quite different from the usual soy sauce-infused one at other stalls. I was too busy wolfing down my share so Shinta wouldn’t take mine to really take note of the flavours. One word suffices: GOOD.

I also hadn’t had freshly grilled satay in a while. Most stalls pre-grill them so they don’t come piping hot like these. Here with the peanut sauce, it was perfect. I’m definitely coming back.

Sorry, not very helpful with the name and address. I was too engrossed to take note. It’s at the coffee shop along the road leading to the NTUC, the only stall selling chicken wings.

My Current Favourite Curry Puff

I’ve been on a curry puff frenzy lately. Each time I pass by a good stall, I must grab one, even if I’d just had a big meal before. The one at Marine Parade Hawker Centre is no exception. In fact, I often go there for lunch just so I can get my curry puff fix after.

I think we all have our days. Some days the hawkers make things taste extra nice and some days we’re just more receptive to really good food. On previous visits, the curry puff was good though not mind-bogglingly so.

This time, as I bit into my curry puff I had an epiphany of sorts. The dough was soft yet extra flaky and yielding. There was a lovely fragrance to it. The filling was rich and flavourful. I don’t know how they cooked the potato, but this stuff was pretty much It. The bits of chicken gave little bursts of extra flavour. It was all very yummy, another of those died-and-gone-to-heaven moments.

By the way, there’s no egg in this version. I like it either way. Hey, you’re only paying $1 here!

Katong Chicken Curry Puff
Marine Parade Food Centre
01-132

A Leisurely Afternoon Drink

It was a toss-up between coffee and wine for a leisurely afternoon drink. We were stuck between Coffee Bean and Bottles & Bottles at Parkway Parade. Two of us were on the fence about it but the third person unequivocally texted “Wine!” and that was that. It helped that the staff at Bottles & Bottles were helpful and smiley, letting us browse freely without being too intrusive. It was cheap to open a bottle and drink at the back of the shop. Ours only cost $35 flat.

We had this Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon (2008) from the Margaret River area in Australia. Typical of sauvignon blancs, it was pale straw. The nose was an alluring blend of guava, lychee and white flowers (honeysuckle? lilac?). Thankfully, there was no nasty asparagus smell usually associated with New Zealand sauv blancs. In the mouth, it was crisp, munchy (!) and flinty with lots of green and grapefruity notes. The dry wine ended with a nice mineral finish. Nice…

Bottles & Bottles
B1-83K/L
Parkway Parade
Tel: 6348 2847

Presidential Teh Halia

I love teh halia (ginger milk tea). It’s my favourite coffee shop drink, closely followed by teh bing. Teh halia is only good when it’s made by a sarabat stall. I don’t know why, but it absolutely has to be made by a halal store. I was intrigued by the rumours that our President drinks the teh halia from this place at Marine Parade Hawker Centre.

For 80 cents, it was a very decent cuppa. Smooth milk and lots of tea taste. The ginger was very strident, something I’d have liked in my, erhem, young foolish salad days. It’s great if I’m in the area but I wouldn’t go there specially for the teh halia. I much prefer Rafee’s subtler brew.

Hilmi Sarabat Stall
Marine Parade Hawker Centre
#01-146