For the longest time ever, I am aware that there's this particular non-air-conditioned food court above Bishan bus interchange. I made one feeble attempt to check it out many years ago and walked out empty handed.
This time is different as the Great Kon had given a strong endorsement to one of the stalls in Bishan Cafeteria and since it's pretty near to Singapore Heart Foundation (where i had to take a CPR + AED course); i decided to go there for lunch.
食香阁 - among all the stalls on the level, it's hard to miss it as it draws the longest queue despite having the pager system in place for diners to collect their food once it's ready. Hence, what you see is merely a line of people waiting to order their food!
Pay, take your order slip with the queue no and wait for your number to appear on the LED number panel. The queue for collection is said to take longer than 20 minutes during peak hours on weekdays. Heng i went on a Saturday.
Waiting like the rest. Anyway, i understand that the chef (owner) used to work for crystal jade restaurants and had over 20 years of experience, with specialization in la mian!
There's only one stomach and i can only try so much; presenting to you the beef la mian (牛肉拉面) and the meat bun (肉夹馍)! The Great Kon's favourite is the noodle with intestines but as i don't take internal organs; i had to make do with the alternatives.
Beef La Mian - broth was light with a peppery tinge and while the slices of beef were not as tough as expected; they are not quite the kind of beef i enjoy. The best from this dish actually caught me by surprise as i am not exactly a big fan; the handmade la mian (noodles) which tasted extremely good! I couldn't help inhaling them (coupled with loud slurping noise) until i had to stop myself given my carbo-restricted diet!
Meat Bun - I had to stop taking in more noodles as there's still the meat bun!
How should i describe this meat bun? It's definitely not the meat bun we are accustomed to seeing in Singapore and instead of steamed, soft dough, the holder of the meat appeared to be more pastry / naan like.
Filled with a generous amount of diced braised pork, the taste was interestingly similar to kong ba bao that's less sweet and you get a crunch (and flakes) from the drier pancake pastry. Personally, i am all for kong ba bao, especially the epic ones from Westlake!
At S$3.50 apiece, i also thought it was quite pricey.
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While i wasn't totally blown away by what i had at 食香阁, the fact that there's so many Chinese nationals in the queue say a lot about its authenticity. I might not go for their beef la mian again but i am actually keen to try their minced meat la mian and tomato with egg shaved noodle!
Address
17 Bishan Place 579842 Bishan Pl,
Corner of Bishan Cafeteria,
Singapore 579842
Map
As above.
Menu
As above.
Pricing
Beef La Mian (牛肉拉面) - S$5.00
Meat bun (肉夹馍) - S$3.50
[NETT]