The mission to hunt for the best chicken rice in Singapore failed because the shop we visited closed early for Chinese New Year. Then… what do we eat?? We are in the west and this is the area where I am totally clueless when it comes to food. Thankfully, we are with a bunch of foodies and Tony immediately suggest 30 Kranji Way. So off we go!

Seriously, I would have never know about this place if not for Tony’s introduction. Our car ride passed by Sungei Buloh, I think my last visit there was during my primary school excursion. I tried to use Foursquare to hunt for my exact location, but the app said I was at Woodlands checkpoint. -_-

We arrived at this brightly lit coffeeshop where the stall is located looks like a beacon among factories shuttered for the day. It really feels like we were eating in a kampong. Bao Baos Food (饱饱食品) runs the staff cafeteria at the premise of Central Granite Industries by day, and operates it as a zichar eatery between 3pm till midnight.

Only available here is the House Special Spicy Pork ($40). The tender slivers of meat is completely smothered in mildly spicy and fragrant curry. Very tasty!

The Century Egg Roll ($30) is stuffed with century egg wedges, prawns and celery in fried tofu skin. It’s perfect marriage between the century egg and mayonnaise.

Fried sotong in salted egg ($30) is excellent. I have had countless versions of this dish, but the one here has lots more oomph than most places. It makes for an addictive snack because of the slick of salted egg yolk that coats each crunchy piece. The crispy batter is thin and the salted egg yolk added richness to the chewy sotong. They meld together beautifully, sweet and savoury playing off each other.

Unfortunately, Dong Po Rou ($30) lack lustre here. The pork belly wasn’t as tender as I expected it to be and I felt that the meat didn’t infuse the flavours from the gravy. However, Chai poh tofu ($15) is awesome. The soft and smooth homemade tofu is balanced with airy garlic chai poh. We were afraid that the garlic smell gonna linger in my mouth, but it didn’t. Another vegetable dish we ordered is stir fried green beans in sambal chili ($12).

Finale is the crocodile tail herbal soup ($100). The crocodile is locally raised at Long Kuan Hung crocodile farm at Neo Tiew Crescent, which is the last surviving crocodile farm in Singapore. Stewing it with herbs and spices, the medium bodied broth is herbal but easy to drink. Each of us get a good portion of crocodile tail bone, meat, and gelatinous fin. If you are wondering, this recipe is different from Crocodile King’s version at Ultimate Hawker Fest. Aiyo, I missed his ultimate crocodile soup!

Dinners here are intimate affairs, sort of like dining in the home of a friend who skilfully blends flavours beautifully together. It’s just unpretentious cooking that doesn’t try to be anything else, yet standing out from all the dishes. After a delicious meal, you can also take a stroll along Kranji Dam and enjoy the night view of Straits of Johor.

Bao Baos Food 饱饱食品

Address: 30 Kranji Way
Tel: 8497 9503 / 8106 3669 (Please call to make reservations)
Opening Hours: 3pm to 12am

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