Thai treats at Golden Banana

One of my laments about the redevelopment of Singapore’s Little Thailand – Golden Mile Complex – is that all the restaurants and stores are scattered here and there.

A chill ran down my spine when I asked the owners of Thai Supermarket if Golden Banana would move with them to Aperia mall, and got a non-committal answer.

An overreaction, you say? I guess you have never had a golden banana from Golden Banana. It was at the entrance of Thai Supermarket and grew over the years, from a stand where staff would fry and sell to a rather large enclosed booth painted in bright colours, with multiple staff in uniform.

After shopping at the supermarket, it became routine for me to get a mixed bag of deep-fried goodness. In the early days, the staff would give customers a couple extra pieces gratis.

Thankfully, the business has relocated to City Gate in Beach Road and has a proper shop. It is empty when I get there, and I wonder how long it will survive. But then customers start rolling in, and I am somewhat reassured.

I am also thankful that it all tastes as it should. The Sweet Potato Balls ($4 for 12) have that same mochi-mochi texture and are not too sweet.

The Banana Fritters ($4 for six) still cannot be beat. They remain crunchy for a good hour or so after they are shoved in a paper bag – that sesame-studded batter is a thing of beauty and resilience.

Getting my fix will now require forethought. But I live for those crunchy nuggets of batter the staff tuck into the bag. For them, I will plan ahead.

Where: 02-27 City Gate, 371 Beach Road
MRT: Nicoll Highway
Open: Tuesdays to Sundays, 11am to 8pm. Closed on Mondays

All beefed up at Super Ngon

The North-South divide comes up so often in food. Think of this geographical difference in Indian, Chinese, American and Italian cuisines, just to name a few.

In Vietnam, it is writ large in pho. Pho in Hanoi is distinctly different from pho in Ho Chi Minh City.

Super Ngon in Crawford Lane serves Hanoi-style pho. The broth is clear and there is no trace of sweet. The toppings are chopped scallions and fresh coriander. There is an austere elegance about it. Certainly it contrasts with the lush, Rococo vibe of Ho Chi Minh City pho, with its slightly cloudy broth sweetened by sugar, although of course no one will admit it, and the bushels of basil and sawtooth coriander that top the noodles.

I am not discriminating when it comes to pho. I will happily eat both versions, although the southern style is more commonly found here.

Super Ngon impresses me because it really serves just beef and chicken pho, and goi cuon or fresh spring rolls. That sort of focus is admirable in a city where restaurants are expected to serve everything under the sun. And here is the thing – the beef pho is excellent.

The broth is distinctly beefy, with no distractions from marine worms, dried squid or whatever else goes into other versions.

Prices start at $7.50 for a small bowl, and I get the special Pho Bo ($9.50), which includes some nuggets of beef tendon. They are unremarkable.

What thrills me most, aside from the broth, is the beef shin. The thin slices are not dried out after long cooking and taste a little like corned beef, crazy though that sounds. My only complaint is that the broth is more peppery than it needs to be.

There are some traces of the south at Super Ngon. Instead of just relying on the zing of citrus (usually lemon but calamansi limes at Super Ngon) to perk the bowl up, customers can help themselves to hoisin sauce and a thin chilli sauce with the consistency of chicken rice chilli.

The goi cuon ($4.50 for two) are serviceable and so is the iced coffee ($4). Focus. Go for pho.

Where: 01-08, 466 Crawford Lane
MRT: Lavender
Open: Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11am to 8pm; Fridays and Saturdays, 11am to 9pm. Closed on Tuesdays
Info: superngon.com

Wonders’ mochi mochi waffle

I often walk into cafes in the heartland and wonder if they will still be around when I get round to writing about them. So many have surprised me by hanging on. I have big hopes for Wonders, a cafe in Ang Mo Kio.

Oh, I am sure there is a lot to say about the cafe’s mahjong decor. I know nothing about the game, so it is all Greek to me.

What I do know is that I have been thinking non-stop about the Pandan Mochi Waffle ($6) there. Mochi anything can be dicey. Some go the easy way and just add blobs of mochi to bread dough or batter, so the finished product has spots of QQ here and there.

At Wonders, the entire waffle is mochi. I would tell you what goes into it, but then I would be revealing trade secrets. Just know that this is a delightful waffle. The outside is burnished and crisp, and the micro journey from that to QQ heaven is priceless.

Another selling point is the ice cream, not made in-house but great nonetheless.

The flavours are intense: Hojicha Mochi ($6.20 a scoop) tastes deeply of roasted tea leaves, and there are nuggets of mochi for textural interest. Osmanthus Oolong ($4.20 a scoop) is similarly intense.

I have Strawberry Cheesecake ($5.20 a scoop) and the light saltiness from the cheese is very pleasant.

What I want more of is Chrysanthemum, Honey, Cacao Nibs ($5.20 a scoop), which fills my palate with flowers.

Where: 01-1867, 128 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3
MRT: Ang Mo Kio
Open: Sundays to Thursdays, noon to 11pm; Fridays and Saturdays, noon to midnight
Info: www.facebook.com/wonders.huat