HAKKA BEEF BALLS

I have not been active with food blogging for about 7 months, so sorry foodie folks if you are missing some updates of my food journey which needless to say still continued during the period that lapsed but I was quite busy.  However, a friend who hailed from Melbourne and whom I just met in Singapore two days ago asked me about my dormant status on the foodblog, I thought I should commence again to keep all of you updated.  Here we go....

Sometimes you may find yourself with no plans or ideas on where to head for breakfast and yet it is not that we are without much choice but too spoilt for choices. You may just want to let you nose lead you and chance upon something old yet new to you!!!

That was me when I chanced upon GAR LOK Eating House at the end of Syed Alwi Road which is behind Jalan Besar Hawker Centre. I once heard that they have the flat chowta beehoon somewhere in this vicinity but I could not find it. I did come across the famous Sungei Road Laksa which has very thin lemak gravy and you slurp your laksa with a spoon.

Just a few steps away, I saw the buzz at an old corner coffee shop. There was no long queue but one could sense that something is good here as the servers seemed to be in brisk motion taking orders or serving. The newspaper article on the stall frontage tells you its a crowd puller and it is worth taking a seat and ask for your order.

Beef House serves Hakka Beef Balls, bigger than usual sized one in plain soup and I have been a fan of such fare. I have not seen this in any part of Singapore or at least I have not come across this in my food journey and it's a unique find here.

I ordered the $3 bowl of Hakka Beef Ball Bee Hoon Soup which comes with 5 big beef balls. The soup was cheng (clear), mild without the usual full-bodied beef flavour but I think it is nicer this way to compliment the beef balls. The Hakka Beef Balls are bouncy, firm, rough in texture because it is handmade and you will certainly enjoy chomping it accompanied by the chilli. You may mistaken the beef balls for beef tendon balls, but perhaps they did add the tendons after all to it to achieve this texture. and  ti was certainly a hearty meal.

More than this, the stall owner offers more choices and you can order their delectable Yong Tau Foo and thin mee kia noodles and they have real stuff Soon Kueh with fillings that comes with bamboo shoot as the name 'soon' suggests. Somehow the soon kueh was a too chewy on the skin today.

It is good to know that traditional receipes such as the Hakka Beef Balls have been preserved because of the stall owner who has painstakingly prepared for us.

The Beef House

217 Syed Alwi Road (junction of Syed Alwi and Townshend Road)

Singapore 207776

Tel: 9821 5463

Opening Hours: 8am to 6pm, closed on Fridays

Other Outlets

97 Joo Chiat Road, closed on Mondays

218 Killiney Road, opens daily