For a quick and affordable meal at Woodlands, check out Ah Lock Kitchen, a modernized Hakka Food stall selling modern Hakka Bowls, Lok Lok and Min Jiang Kueh.
Modernized Hakka Bowls
For S$5, the Hakka Bowls makes for an affordable and delicious meal, with a huge portion of Japanese short-grain rice. It comes in different variations.
A combination of Lee Lock Teng’s- founder of Ah Lock Kitchen- grandmother’s Hakka-style Yong Tau Foo and Thunder Tea Rice (lei cha), the signature Hakka Tofu Bowls included meatballs, deep-fried tofu and a generous heaping of manicai and long beans.
While the meatballs were kind of dry, the tofu was moist and juicy and compensated for that.
The Hakka Crispy Chicken features a portion of chicken cutlet, the runny and a bed of grilled broccoli. The chicken cutlet was fried perfectly, the ‘usual light and crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside’. However, the broccoli was too dry.
In general, the bowls weren’t too heavily seasoned which gave it a resemblance to a wholesome home-cooked meal.
S$1 Lok Lok
For side dishes, check out Ah Lock’s Lok Lok, at S$1 per stick. The options range from preserved meats to vegetables but we highly recommend the Fried Tamago, which was as moist as the tofu. But, it’s a tad sweeter than traditional Japanese variation.
Min Jiang Kueh
Finish the meal with their Min Jiang Kueh (S$1.6) which comes in 3 flavors, Red Bean, Peanut, and Coconut. which leaned towards the sweeter side.
Our favorite was the Red Bean which was paired with a matcha pancake that wasn’t too heavy on the matcha.
Meanwhile, the Peanut resembled chunky peanut butter which was a little too sweet for me. Lastly, the coconut flavor had a decent amount of fragrance.
Verdict
Whether it’s modernized or traditional, what really matters is that the food tastes good. Frankly, I wouldn’t come back for the lok lok and min jiang kueh. But, S$5 for a wholesome bowl of rice? If I don’t stay 1 hour away, this might become a regular spot for me!
Location: 573 Woodlands Drive 16, Singapore 730573
Tel: +65 8826 0244
Opening hours: 8:30 am – 12 am
Tanjong Pagar Branch: 7 Wallich St, #B2 – 22 / 23 / 24, Singapore 078884
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*This article is written in collaboration with Ah Lock Kitchen.
