Roast Paradise Guys Opened A Zi Char Restaurant At Somerset And It’s ‘Fook Kin’ Good

Fook Kin

If you’ve been to Old Airport Road Food Centre in the past year or so, chances are that you’ve heard about Roast Paradise.

Started by two friends – Randall and Kai – in 2016, these young hawkerpreneurs have quickly made a name for themselves thanks to their Kuala Lumpur-style char siew and siu yoke / roast pork, and the stall attracts long, long queues at pretty much any time of the day.

And after setting up a second outlet in Ang Mo Kio, the pair have now brought their food to central Singapore in the form of the cheekily-named restaurant Fook Kin.

‘Fook Kin’ Good Food

[caption id="attachment_38318" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Fook Kin Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

Conveniently located at 111 Killiney Road (a 5-minute walk from Somerset MRT, according to Google Maps), Fook Kin is a collaboration between Roast Paradise and local DJ royalty The Muttons.

[caption id="attachment_38324" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Fook Kin Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption] [caption id="attachment_38325" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Fook Kin Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

Featuring an Instagrammable, Wong Kar Wai-esque aesthetic (think marble tables, graffiti and neon lights in all the right places), the restaurant offers Roast Paradise’s Signature Char Siew and Roast Pork, while adding several zi char-style dishes to the menu as well.

[caption id="attachment_38319" align="alignnone" width="6000"] Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

These dishes aren’t the kind you’d find at your standard coffee shop, though. The Triple Happiness ($9.80) for example, adds salmon roe and salted egg bits on top of Pitan / Century Egg Tofu, creating a refreshing-yet-flavourful appetiser that serves as a perfect accompaniment to Fook Kin’s meatier offerings.

[caption id="attachment_38321" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Fook Kin Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

Those looking for a more traditional dish can also consider the Two Way Kai Lan ($9.80), which — as its name suggests — serves the classic vegetable in two styles on one plate. While one half is more or less your standard braised-in-oyster-sauce fare (still delish, btw), the other is fried and sprinkled with a generous amount of pork floss for a crispy and satisfying bite.

Of course, you can’t go to Fook Kin without eating their meat, and the restaurant has added roast duck on top of the Roast Paradise classics for even more freedom of choice.

[caption id="attachment_38320" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Fook Kin Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

Those looking for a simple meal can opt for the one-meat Roast Delight ($8.80), while more indulgent patrons can go for the titular Roast Paradise ($10.80) that includes all three meats. Served with either rice or noodles and throwing in a Shoyu egg for good measure, you’re guaranteed a hearty meal no matter which option you choose.

At this point you might be wondering: how does Fook Kin’s meat compare to the original Roast Paradise? Well, considering that Randall has now made Fook Kin his main base of operations (he has trusted employees running the Old Airport Road and Ang Mo Kio outlets), you’re actually getting the quintessential Roast Paradise experience.

[caption id="attachment_38323" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Fook Kin Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

Thanks to a painstaking preparation process that takes a whopping 4 hours every day, both the char siew and siu yoke are truly a step above the rest. The char siew was incredibly tender and had a distinctively sweet taste to it, while the siu yoke was probably the crispiest and most savoury that I’ve had in my entire life.

The roast duck — while serviceable — just isn’t as mind-blowing as the other two. If we had to choose between the three, I’d recommend going for either the char siew or siew yoke before springing for the duck.

[caption id="attachment_38332" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Fook Kin Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

If the meat in your rice / noodle bowl isn’t enough (and believe me, it won’t be enough), you’ll be glad to know that you can order a meat platter as well. Ranging from $6.80 to $65 for a small and extra large serving respectively, this is the perfect choice if you’re coming here with a group of friends…or just really hungry. We won’t judge.

[caption id="attachment_38322" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Fook Kin Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

With its convenient location and mouth-watering menu, Fook Kin is definitely the place to be if you want to up your zi char game. Sure, it might be a tad more expensive than…say, a coffee shop, but for the quality you’re getting, it’s definitely well worth the price.

FOOK KIN
Address: 111 Killiney Road, Singapore 239553
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 9:30pm

Facebook

Also Read: 10 Affordable Dinner Date Spots In S’pore So You Can Treat Your Bae Without Going Broke

(Header Image Source: Discover SG)

5 Must-Try Hawker Favourites At Old Airport Road, One Of S’pore’s Largest Food Centres

O

When talking about eating spots in Singapore, Old Airport Road Food Centre is bound to come up sooner or later.

[caption id="attachment_37378" align="alignnone" width="1280"]Old Airport Road Food Centre Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

Since 1973, the ex-Kallang Airport has been home to a wide variety of good eats, and foodies still flock to the now-legendary eating spot to this day to get their munch on.

With more than 150 stalls we’re probably definitely going to have to come back for a second round, but until then here are five dishes that you can count on for a good meal:

Nam Sing Hokkien Mee

[caption id="attachment_37375" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Old Airport Road Food Centre Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

Let’s get the usual suspects out of the way first — Nam Sing Hokkien Mee might very well be Old Airport Road’s most well-known stall, and the seemingly endless queue at any given time suggests that this isn’t going to change anytime soon.

Similar to the one we had at Newton Circus, this iteration uses thinner noodles, and isn’t as wet as the ones you’d find in your average hawker centre. Each plate comes with a generous serving of seafood and eggs, and it’s well-rounded taste definitely lives up to the hype.

[caption id="attachment_37377" align="alignnone" width="5405"]Old Airport Road Food Centre Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

If you’re going to order food from multiple stalls (as most people do at Old Airport Road), make sure to make Nam Sing your first stop — the store is notorious for its 30-45 minute waiting times, so plan accordingly.

Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee
Unit: #01-32

Bedok Minced Mixed Noodle

[caption id="attachment_37372" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Old Airport Road Food Centre Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

If you’re a fan of Bedok 85’s minced meat noodles, you owe it to yourself to try Old Airport Road’s Bedok Minced Mixed Noodle (no prizes for guessing where they got their inspiration from).

Prepared by two of the nicest ladies you’ll ever meet in a hawker center, the dish looks deceivingly simple — minced meat, dumplings, and greens are pretty much the only ingredients here, but everything comes together to create an extremely flavourful bite (some might argue that it’s a little too salty, so people who prefer something less intense should take that into account).

[caption id="attachment_37369" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Old Airport Road Food Centre Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

Price-wise, a small and large bowl goes for an affordable $3 and $4 respectively. While the serving size of the former was enough to fill our stomachs, the dish is so tasty that we wished we had gone for the bigger option.

Bedok Minced Mixed Noodle
Unit: #01-125

Freshly Made Chee Cheong Fun

[caption id="attachment_37371" align="alignnone" width="5233"]Old Airport Road Food Centre Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

Chee cheong fun has always been a pretty unassuming dish, but the ones by Freshly Made Chee Cheong Fun might become the unexpected star of your meal for a number of reasons.

Like its name suggests, each order is made fresh (always a plus, but be ready to queue), and the amount of fillings to choose from is nothing short of staggering. There’s the usual prawn and char siew, but more peculiar choices like egg, otah, scallop and even pig liver are available as well.

[caption id="attachment_37370" align="alignnone" width="5264"]Old Airport Road Food Centre Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

Of course, all the choices in the world wouldn’t matter if the dish didn’t taste good, and thankfully it delivers on that front as well. The rice flour skin possesses an extremely silky texture that melts in your mouth, and the accompanying sauce adds a light, savoury taste that doesn’t go overboard.

And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s still the prawn chilli paste, which adds another dimension of sweetness to an already flavourful dish.

Freshly Made Chee Cheong Fun
Unit: #01-155

Toa Payoh Rojak

[caption id="attachment_37376" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Old Airport Road Food Centre Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

Full disclosure: we aren’t exactly the biggest fans of rojak, but the one we had from Toa Payoh Rojak might have turned us into converts.

While most rojaks are a little too heavy for our tastes and can get jelak after awhile, this one manages to strike the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. Despite being lathered in sauce, pretty much every piece remained crispy, and we couldn’t put our satay sticks down.

We received a very generous serving for $3, and you can bump that size up to $5 if you’re eating in a bigger group. As you might expect, the stall is popular among regulars (it has a clinic-esque numbering system, for crying out loud), so make sure to get in the queue early.

Toa Payoh Rojak
Unit: #01-108

Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow

[caption id="attachment_37374" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Old Airport Road Food Centre Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

The queue at Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow might not be as lengthy as some of the other stalls in this list, but you can count on waiting just as long to get your food.

This isn’t without good reason, though — instead of cooking an entire batch wholesale, the chef prepares each order individually, and that attention to detail definitely makes a difference.

[caption id="attachment_37368" align="alignnone" width="6000"]Old Airport Road Food Centre Image Credit: Discover SG[/caption]

The result is a personalised wok hei of sorts, coupled with an ever-so-slight seafood taste thanks to the addition of prawn, squid and cockles. The overall flavour still leans towards the lighter side, but that’s actually a good thing considering that it allows you to eat other dishes without feeling too bloated.

At just $3-$4 per plate, Dong Ji is definitely worth giving a shot. Just pray that the person in front of you doesn’t order ten packets.

Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow
Unit: #01-138

Old Airport Road Food Centre
Address: 51 Old Airport Rd, Singapore 390051

Also Read An Oldie But A Goodie: Canteen 398 At Seletar Is Possibly The Longest Surviving Canteen In S’pore

(Header Image Credit: Discover SG)

We Uncovered The Hidden Char Kway Teow Gems In Singapore. You’ll Be Surprised.

On the list of any Singaporean’s top five national food, one can undoubtedly find Char Kway Teow; because why not? Char Kway Teow is in fact, quintessentially a Singaporean dish.

Think about it, Char Kway Teow is relatively affordable (averaging $3 per plate),  full of flavours, can be quickly prepared (talk about efficiency), and is simply just shiok.

Read any article that promises a write-up for the best Char Kway Teow in Singapore, and you’ll probably recognise the same recycled popular Char Kway Teow enclaves. No.18 Zion Road, Hill Street, Circuit Road, Heng Huat, Outram Park @ Hong Lim.

For the adventurous foodies, it is simply unsatisfying to just dine at the “won’t go wrong” choices. After all, some of the greatest joy in eating is discovering surprisingly delicious and affordable food fare in uncharted territories.

At Discover SG, we did the hard work and present 10 obscure Char Kway Teow in Singapore that gives the oft-mentioned Char Kway Teow stalls a run for their money.

1. Fried Kway Teow Mee @ Seah Im Food Centre

[caption id="attachment_12549" align="aligncenter" width="550"]VINTAGE Image Credits: Screenshot

2. Chomp Chomp Char Kway Teow @ Chomp Chomp Food Centre

[caption id="attachment_12551" align="aligncenter" width="700"]Image Credits: Burpple Image Credits: 20 Kensington Park Road, Chomp Chomp Food Centre, Stall 35, Singapore 557269
What Time? 4pm-12am (Daily), Closed on Alternate Tuesday
Damage Leh? SGD$3

Screenshot

3. Apollo Fresh Cockles Fried Kway Teow @ Marina Parade Food Centre

[caption id="attachment_12636" align="aligncenter" width="699"]APOLLO FRESH COCKLES Image Credits: apollo

4. Green Sky Char Kway Teow @ Bedok Food Centre

[caption id="attachment_12559" align="aligncenter" width="700"]Image Credits: Burpple Image Credits: hums and tau gey (Beansprouts) give the dish an extra crunch. Beyond the traditional Char Kway Teow with hums, there is also Seafood Char Kway Teow for the seafood lovers.

Beyond the palates, Green Sky is probably one of the most inclusive stalls on this list. Their Char Kway Teow is Halal-Certified. In keeping up with the times, Green Sky also has a FaceBook page as well.

A hidden gem indeed.

Where? 1 Bedok Road, Bedok Corner Food Centre, #01-14, Singapore 469572
What Time? 11:00 am – 9:30 pm on Mondays, 11:00 am – 9:30 pm on Tuesdays to Sundays
Damage Leh? Cockles Char Kway Teow @ SGD$3/4/5, Seafood Char Kway Teow @ $4/5

Screenshot

5. Dong Ji Char Kway Teow @ 51 Old Airport Road Food Centre

[caption id="attachment_12563" align="aligncenter" width="700"]DONG JI Image Credits: screenshot

6. Choon Hiang @ East Lagoon Food Village

[caption id="attachment_12610" align="aligncenter" width="699"]choonhiang Image Credits: SuperAdrianMe[/caption]

The East Coast Lagoon stall has been gathering popularity in recent years for both of their popular accolade-worthy dishes, Char Kway Teow and Fried Hokkien Mee.

Although it is the Fried Hokkien Mee that is more popular at Choon Hiang, the Char Kway Teow is equally delicious. This dish is a good balance of fresh hums, aromatic wok hei, tangy eggs, and perfectly fried noodles. The East Coast Lagoon stall offers a wholesome plate of Char Kway Teow.

Choon Hiang is currently managed by FaceBook page.

At this rate, it won’t take long before the queue at Choon Hiang starts to stretch out of East Lagoon Food Village. Feast on it while the waiting time at the queue is still wait-able

Where? #01-46, East Coast Lagoon Food Village, 1220 East Coast Parkway, Singapore 440000 
What Time? 12pm-10:30pm (Daily)
Damage Leh? SGD$3/4/5

21

7. Lai Heng Char Kway Teow @ Shunfu Mart Food Centre

[caption id="attachment_12566" align="aligncenter" width="700"]LAI Image Credits: Where? Shunfu Mart Food Centre #02-20, Singapore
What Time? 11am-8pm (Daily, closed on Mondays)
Damage Leh? SGD$2.50/3 + Otah (SGD$1)

shun

8. Ang Mo Kio Fried Kway Teow @ Ang Mo Kio Central Food Centre

[caption id="attachment_12608" align="aligncenter" width="699"]Image Credits: Burpple Image Credits: angmokio

9. Armenian Street Char Kway Teow @ Anchorvale Link

[caption id="attachment_12622" align="aligncenter" width="700"]Image Credits: Burpple Image Credits: an active FaceBook page. The Anchorvale Link outlet certainly retains tradition in the style and taste of the Char Kway Teows, it is surely worthy of a trip.

Where? Blk 303 Anchorvale Link, Singapore 540303
What Time? 1130am-7:30pm (Friday-Wednesday), Closed on Thursdays
Damage Leh? SGD$3/4

armenianstreet

10. Guan Kee @ Ghim Moh Market

[caption id="attachment_12614" align="aligncenter" width="700"]Image Credits: Guan Kee Image Credits: Guan Kee[/caption]

Together with Dong Ji at number 5 on this list, Guan Kee is one of the highest profiled Char Kway Teow stall on this humble list. This Ghim Moh Market stall shows multiple characteristics of a hugely well known hawker stall; long queues (FaceBook page. There’s a short video that quintessentially captures the spirit of the head chef behind Guan Kee when he is not behind his wok.

Where? #01-12 Ghim Moh Road Market and Food Centre, Blk 20 Ghim Moh Road, Singapore 270020
What Time? 9am-2:30pm (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) 8am-2:30pm (Fridays and Saturdays) Closed on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays.
Damage Leh? SGD$3/4/5

ghimmoh

And that’s a wrap up! 10 Unfamiliar Awesome Char Kway Teows around Singapore to try! What are you waiting for? Lace up your shoes and hunt these stalls down!

(Header Image Credits: Burpples and Guan Kee’s Facebook)

Also, read [NEW] A Poke Theory Serves Up Poke Bowls That Do Not Disappoint!

Roast Paradise @ Old Airport Food Centre: Serving Great Char Siu!

It isn’t often you find young hawkers. The trade has seen a sad decline due to the aging population. Without much of the younger generation taking the places of older, tired hawkers, the hawker food trade is at serious risk of being lost to foreign talent and also diminishing quality.

But hawker food is so deeply ingrained in the Singapore culture that it would be a waste to see it die off. This is something that Randall and Kai, who run the Roast Paradise hawker stall at the Old Airport Road Food Centre, hopes to prevent. The 26 and 28 year-olds are a rare pair who dare (check out that rhyme) to break out from the norm in pursuit of their dreams.

Both were from a PR background but wanted to switch trades. After training with a well-known char siu chef in Selangor for a mere 4 weeks, the duo were ready to take on the Singapore hawker scene by storm. At their corner stall in the food centre, located near the back, Randall and Kai expertly slice up char siu and roasted pork belly with the swiftness and precision of well-trained chefs.

According to Randall, for their char siu dishes, there are two types of cuts they use. One is a leaner, typical char siu cut and the other is a premium cut with more fat. The difference lies in how they are prepared. Though both carry the same sweet, flavourful body, the meats differ slightly in texture. The normal char siu, though already tender and juicy, almost pales in comparison to the premium cut. Each bite absolutely melts in your mouth like butter.

The meats alone are enough to satiate a hungry belly, but what is also popular at their stall is the garlic rice and pork belly. In fact, they are so popular that it ran out by the time we went to their stall! But our tastebuds and appetites were well compensated with a piping hot bowl of mee poh. The springy noodles, also known as Hakka noodles, come with minced pork and spring onions. A dollop of chilli sauce is added for those who like a little spice in their noodles.

Dishes at Roast Paradise start at a reasonable $2.20 (for the noodles). For the amount of love and passion that is translated into their dishes, I’m more than willing to pay twice that amount.

Randall (right), sharing his thoughts on the hawker scene in Singapore.

The next time you’re around the area, do pop by Roast Paradise for a plate of their garlic rice and roast meat!

Roast Paradise 烧味天堂
Address: Old Airport Road Food Centre Stall #01-122

Brought to you by Discover SG X Foodie Vs The World

This was an invited food tasting session.

(Header image credit: Desmond Teo)

Also read: Hipster Hawkers: 5 Stalls That Are Redefining Hawker Culture