We have, in recent months, been taking ourselves to the Jalan Berseh Food Center for lunch.
Jalan Berseh Food Center is one of those eating places that sits somewhere solidly in the Jalan Besar area near the former Sungei Road area, near Kelantan Lane and is a short walk away from Kitchener Road.
It's also not too far away from the Jalan Besar MRT station and Sim Lim Tower.
If you're wondering just why I'm talking so much about the location, that's because I find it important.
There's a significance to it in the sense that whilst it might not be (yet) considered as one of those glamor hawker centers in the tourism must-do book, this is the place to go if you want a meal, or a dish that speaks to the local heartlander.
My friend likes coming here for the turtle soup.
I, on the other hand, am not so big a fan of turtle soup... and I like to explore.
What's funny however is that I always seem to be going back to the same stall for the same bowl of Fried Fish Yi Mian Soup.
I like the Yi Mian.
It's unusual.
And if they still had the mian fen guo or the ban mian like they once did, I would opt for it too.
It's not that the soup is particularly rich in collagen or has that milky broth that fish soups mostly have, but there's enough flavor in the soup, there's a nice, clear taste to the soup that goes very well with the distinctive taste of the noodle, and it blends well with the marinated, battered piece of fried fish.
The first time I had this dish I wondered why they didn't put milk inside their soup like many other stalls do.
Then I took a bite of their fish.
And I realized.
The fish was full of flavor.
Ok, so it might not have been the fish itself but the thick batter wrapped around the fish, but hey, no matter, it tasted just as good.
There was the light crunch of the batter.
There was the smoothness of the fish itself.
But it was the flavor that made me stop and smile.
Honestly I'd like to know just what it was that they mixed inside the batter.
I can't tell what it is, whether it is just plain salt, or are there other powders or whether there's MSG.
Whatever it is, the fish in this fish soup is the charm, and is what makes me go for it every single time.
Helps that I take a fancy to the vegetables and the fried onions too.
There'll be other stalls here at Jalan Berseh that I want to try.
Like the very popular char kuay teow stall that I've heard serves up a nice, piping hot plate wet style.
Like the Curry Chicken Noodle stall whose cheerful looking orange bowls add to the visual charm when filled with creamy looking, delicious, fragrant curry.
Like the chap cai png stall which, even though seems to be pretty much same like any other cai png stall, has its own share of fans. I think it's the large portions the stall owner gives, and the variety of stir-fried vegetables they have in their trays.
It's so popular I always see diners here and there with their green plates around.
I want to have that oyster fritter snack that I had once but haven't had the chance to try again.
I also want to have the iced desserts from the dessert stall because diet, or no diet, it's difficult to resist a bowl of ice-cold fruit cocktail, ice kachang, or chendol.
If I'm not wrong they have cheng tng.
Maybe I'll even go for the pulut hitam or the bobo cha cha...