do not judge a burger by its look

Everyone knows the food served never really looks like what's photographed on the menu or poster. The new Scallops Rice Burger at Mos Burger is one very good example. It looked nothing close to the burger featured on their attractive poster!



Ironically, I was once the one who tempted the target audience with irresistible looking food and desserts, I never stop being a victim of advertisements. I never deny that.

Despite looking nothing like the burger that was advertised, it tasted pretty good as a whole. The beans was a good match because the scallops were kind of tiny.

Can give it a try but I'll still go back to my succulent Ebi Rice Burger!

"mos makes my day"

the hunt continues

The hunt for a good curry puff never stops. After a satisfying meal at Old Airport Road Food Center, greedy me went around hunting for other good food to bring home since I hardly come here. I spotted Wang Wang Curry Puff easily with newspaper cuttings and awards stuck all over its stall front. How can I not try this hidden gem!

At $1.10 each, it was a bout the size of 1A curry puff. In fact, they look identical because of the multi-layered crispy skin. Flaky and thin but not as fragrant as 1A's.



The filling was moist, which I like, but it was not spicy enough. There were chunks of potatoes and a piece of very tender chicken meat. No sign of egg.



The good thing about this curry puff was that it didn't feel oily at all after gobbling up two. You know how the oil tends to surface on the skin when you reheat it. The skin of this puff was matte after I took it out from the oven.

Wang Wang Curry Puff may not be the best puff around but I'll definitely grab a few back if I happen to be around the area. The highly recommended black pepper chicken flavour is also a must-try on my next visit.


Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road, #01-125

Sim Lim Square Food Court

Here's an entry on the soup dumplings(小笼包) at Sim Lim Square Food Court I promised to blog about earlier.

Whenever I step into SLSQ foodcourt, I'll head straight for the soup dumplings from Shanghai Delights(stall 14) and decide what else to have. Because it takes about 10 minutes for the dumplings to be served steaming hot.



I don't know about the number of folds but this is as good as it gets. Soup spilling out from the thin skin as I sunk my teeth into it. No porky taste or smell. Resting on a thin slice of carrot, this "basket" of eight soup dumplings costs only $6.00. Try them if you haven't. You'll be delighted!

I usually end up ordering Garlic Naan with Butter Chicken($6.50) from the stall next door, Indian & Pakistan(stall 15). I’d vouch for the fragrant naan and thick gravy anytime, unless I'm not fit to take spicy.

The naan is cooked in a huge ceramic furnace. Is there a name for it?



The crispy naan was flavoured with of minced garlic and butter and served hot from that huge furnace.



Tender chicken pieces were covered with sizzling curry and served on a hot plate. It wasn't exactly spicy and in fact a tad sweet, but somehow I didn't mind at all.



Perfect match.



Despite looking dry, the tandoori chicken was very tender and juicy.



Apart from roti prata, naan and dosay, I'm clueless about Indian food. I can't compare but I can tell you it satisfies me, anytime of the day.

Besides what I've recommended, the Parklane Abalone Minced Meat Noodles and popiah from Local Delights are very good too.

Sim Lim Square is not just about gadgets at bargain prices but good food too.


Sim Lim Square Food Court
1, Rochor Canal Road, Basement 1

jack 'n jill went up the hill

OK, I hear complaints.

I just noticed that I have only made 6 (including this) entries. February is short. OK, no excuse. But, but, I was really busy with other equally important things in my life. :)

How about some snacks to fill you up first?

I used to live in a block with a row of neighbourhood shops conveniently located on the ground floor. My sisters and I loved to visit this mama shop that sells a wide variety of tidbits. (The mama shop is still around!) Before Kettle Chips or Lays and Red Rock Deli, Jack 'n Jill was what made us happy. Our favourite got to be Salsa Chilli flavour.

Now that we are spoilt for choice, I hardly pick up another pack of Jack 'n Jill. Until a few weeks ago, while super-marketing, these attractive packaging caught my eyes. Fusion explosion! New flavours from Jack 'n Jill.



I grabbed all three. For I simply love to try out new and interesting flavours. My favourite is the Jalapeno and Cheez, followed by Mexicana Chilli and lastly Spicy D' Lime. The chips were overall mildly flavoured but pretty tasty.

Nothing earth-shattering really but it's always great to have more variety to choose from. Especially those that bring back good memories. Yes, I will purchase another pack of J 'n J again. In fact, I went NTUC today and was disappointed to find out that the Jalapeno n Cheez and Mexican Chilli were both sold out! :(

By the way, I also picked up a pack of salmon sushi(with wasabi) flavour potato chips. It came in a resealable bag with a bag of chips and a sachet of seasoning in it. You're supposed to empty everything in the resealable bag and shake it. Like McDonald's shaker fries. The chips were rough and K didn't like them. We still prefer Tai Sun's.



That's all for now. I'm going to dig into a bag of Calbee Pizza flavour chips.


Available at any good supermarket and convenience store.

Happy V Day

For all lovers out there.

We all know love is sweet.



Sometimes bitter.



Happy Valentine's Day!


P/S: I have to crop the unglam faces of S&L before they kill me! ;)


Obolo
452 Joo Chiat Road

Big O Cafe & Restaurant
501 Orchard Road
#02-04/05 Wheelock Place

join the queue

There's this notion that typical Singaporeans love to queue because of their "kia su"(afraid of losing) attitude. Be it freebies, food or hello kitties, the queue goes on and on and on.

For me, I simply love food more than queuing. Thankfully, there's man! I've always been fortunate to have them queuing for me willingly. :D IL was gentleman enough to offer standing in the line for Ah Lo's yam and carrot cake at Chinatown Market just to satisfy my curiosity.

The stall sells only yam cake, carrot cake and peanut porridge. While queuing, IL learnt from a friendly lady in front of him that the stall owners used to be very arrogant. They would not sell the peanut porridge alone. It was like a side. I think the old couple mellowed down with age over the years.



Twenty minutes of much anticipated wait later, it was finally his turn. IL got us a plate of yam cake and a plate of carrot cake($2.00 per plate) to share. The yam cake was sprinkled with sesame seeds and spring onions on top of the sweet sauce.



I was expecting to bite into bits of mushrooms, yam and shrimps but I could only taste the silky smooth spongy texture of the cakes. No, don't get me wrong. It didn't feel like biting into flour. This was Cantonese-style as I was told. The chilli sauce was very nice and complemented the plain looking cakes. You have to pay an extra $0.20 for more chilli sauce!

I prefer the carrot cake as no one beats the yam cake my sister's MIL made. Hokkien-style.

While we were eating, an uncle asked us if it was worth queuing. Yes, if you have the time.

Since we were already half-filled, we decided to look around the labyrinth of stalls for other good food. We spotted a queue in front of Heng Ji Chicken Rice stall.



The line wasn't as long and we decided to join in the queue. It didn't take too long to get to our turn. Around ten minutes.

The chicken was smooth and very tender.



The thing that was different was the chilli sauce. It wasn't the usual garlic chilli sauce with a hint of lime but something a tad sweet. I love chicken rice chilli and that was a letdown.



The rice was very fragrant but the serving was really small. I think any guy could have easily gobbled down three bowls at a go.



We had this mixed feelings about Heng Ji's chicken rice as we tucked in. It tasted like Yet Con's. After finishing our meal, we decided it wasn't bad. It just wasn't our plate of chicken rice.

In the end, we spent more than an hour queuing and eating which means we could have waited for the famous claypot chicken rice we wanted to have initially. But I'm glad I got to taste other good food I haven't tried before.

And I'm thankful for the great choices of food here that we Singaporeans get to queue for.

@IL: I didn't forget the super bitter chrysanthemum and luo han guo drink! :P


Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Blk 335 Smith Street

开心点心

The dim sum at Hwa Nam Chinese Restaurant (华南菜馆) may not be the best around but the dining experience is certainly delightful.



Hwa Nam Chinese Restaurant sits along the same stretch of food stalls as the famous Roti Prata House along upper Thomson Road. Besides a variety of decent dim sum, they also serve Cantonese dishes. The place is not only filled with nostalgia and the fragrance of comfort food, love was in the air. Every dish was served with a smile. And it didn't stop there. As we were enjoying our food contentedly, the aunties and uncles were chatting and laughing away happily. It is heartwarming to know find such lighthearted working environment.



E also noticed a Chinese quotation that highlights the importance of happiness stuck on the retro tiled wall.







Anyway, here are some pictures of the nice food we had.



K loves the Lor Mai Kai(glutinous rice with chicken).



I thought the 纸包鸡(chicken wrapped in paper) was really good.







Sometimes it's really the overalll dining experience and not just the food itself that constitutes to a truly satisfying meal. Of course, having quality friends to share the food was just as important as the quality of the food.

Thank you, IL, E and K for the company!


Hwa Nam Chinese Restaurant (华南菜馆)
244F Upper Thomson Road, Thomson Garden Estate
64533645
7am-11.30pm

旺来

Sorry for the absence. Chinese New Year has been really busy. No, I haven't been busy feasting but I was out of town for more than a week and missed my steamboat reunion. In fact, I even fell sick on the second day of CNY. But no worries, I'm in the pink of health now and had my yearly dosage of yusheng and abalone. :)

I'm no big fan of CNY goodies but this year I got my share of delicious homemade pineapple tarts in different shapes and sizes.

These are from a good friend, V. Melts-in-your-mouth pastry with moist filling made from honey rock sugar. $25 per box.



These are from my cousin, the one who taught me how to make bread. The pastry was buttery and fragrant. The pineapple filling was chewy and not too sweet.



These pineapple tarts from auntie S were crisp and had a slight milk powder flavour. The filling was similar to those by my cousin.



They all tasted really good and it depends on your preference. Let me know if you guys want to order next year. ;)

By the way, T gave me a box of my favourite shrimp rolls from home's favourite. Packed in nice tin, the skin of the shrimp rolls was a tad hard but filling was very spicy and tasty. (I can't stand those that are sweet!)

年年有余

祝你在这新的一年里，吃得饱，睡得好。




幸福饮茶
181 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh
#02-602 Singapore 310181
63631717

Satisfying Smoked Salmon Salad

It's always nice catching up with old friends. Met up with IR and AD for lunch at Coffee Club a week ago.

IR loves salad. In fact, she's the one who introduced me to salad. Before I got to know her, the word salad does not exist in my dictionary. Haha! Still, to me, salad is an appetizer. Or a side. There are just too many choices on the menu for me to settle for salad as the main course.

I won't order salad alone because it's not filling enough for my big appetite. The taste is always expected and it's too simple to prepare. And salad is boring for I'm never a health conscious person. :P If there's any salad that appetizes me, it got to be the Classic Caesar Salad with Smoked Salmon($10.80) from Coffee Club.



Crisp romaine lettuce drizzled with signature caeser dressing and served in a homemade cheese bowl. The savouriness of the smoked salmon and crispy cheese bowl complemented the less exciting vegs. Nothing out of this world but the combination was just perfect. Perfect for me.

The Warm Duck Confit Salad tasted very Chinese. Reminded me of braised duck with a touch of balsamic vinegar.



The Roast Beef sandwich with caramalised onion was a tad too sweet for my liking. :(



I much prefer salad with oil based dressing but the smoked salmon caesar salad has just whet my appetite for more. :)

A Healthy Supper

Besides the 24Hr Prata shops, where do you usually go for supper? Swee Choon Tim Sum is not only a great alternative(fully air-conditioned) but a healthier choice for midnight snacks too. ;)

There's a wide variety of regular dim sum and other dishes like xiao long bao(dumplings) and la mian(handmade noodles). The unique Mee Sua Kueh(fried vermicelli cake) is a must-try! It's something I haven't tried anywhere else. Sorry I didn't have a closeup shot of it because everyone was starving.

Overall, food was good. Although it's not as fantastic as 搵到食, it offers better value. I'll definitely go back for supper and better pictures some day.

By the way, Swee Choon is also frequented by celebrities if you're interested in star-gazing in the middle of the night. :P






Swee Choon Tim-Sum Restaurant Pte Ltd
187 Jalan Besar
Tel: 6294 5292
Mon to Sat, 6pm to 10am
Sun, eve of PH and PH, 6pm to 12pm

Serangoon Garden Bakery & Confectionery

This is the famous Serangoon Garden Bakery & Confectionery I mentioned in my earlier post about traditional bread.



They have a wide variety of flavours mostly priced from $0.60 to $0.80. The uncle appeared to be very hasty when taking orders and stressed indecisive T out. But he was just being efficient and was actually very friendly.



They were served warm.



Look at the softness of the buns! W, we should try to achieve this with your KA!



Serangoon Garden Bakery & Confectionery
49A Serangoon Garden Way
Stall #45 Serangoon Gardens Market And Food Centre

what's hot about this dog?

A friend from Malaysia came down to Singapore and before he left, had to make a trip to Holland Village. He told us there's this very yummy hotdog he once had at a BBQ and he wanted to bring some home. Knowing that he is quite a foodie himself and has no problem cooking up a storm in the kitchen, his recommendation is worth checking out. Curious, I followed. Only to realize the sausages were the ones found at Cold Storage. Can't blame him, he's not local.

He didn't head to the gourmet section but straight to the chiller for Johnosonville Smoked Sausages. He grabbed two packets of Beddar Cheddar at $11.50 for a pack of 6. That's like almost $2 per sausage! And they are not those huge gourmet sausages. I always thought that those pre-packed sausages are not as fresh as the ones priced by weight. Therefore, the vacuum packed ones should be cheaper. Not necessarily so.



Some days later while we were super-marketing, I told P about Johnsonville and found that he loves their sausages too. Being Mr Nice, he bought me a pack.

The very next day, he bought some frozen roti prata to my place. Of course I was more than willing to replicate the prata sausage by GoGo Franks for him. Cheddar cheese sausage covered with mayo, chilli sauce, mustard, sautéed onions and snugged in-between crispy prata. OK, mine was the unhealthy version because I didn't have any greens to go with it. Still, P went against his diet and enjoyed his snack to the last bite.







I saved one sausage just to savour its original taste and cooked it according to their cooking direction.

"Place links in a pan, add ½ inch of water and cover. Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, turning often."

You know how sausage always curls up when you fry it. This sausage was not very happy to end up in my stomach after I pan-heated it. Haha! It was however healthier! No oil added. ;)



Every mouthful was oozing with cheese and bursting with flavours. The skin was crisp and the meat was evenly ground. Most cheese sausages are too salty but this was just right.



Johnsonville sausages are available at all Cold Storage and Jasons Market Place.

chicken puff

As a curry puff lover, it is only natural that I was quick to try out the black pepper, chilli crab and other new flavours the puff makers came up with. Still, nothing beats the original.

Lately, Old Chang Kee introduces the Chicken and Mushroom Puff($1.20). Not too exciting. Sounds like a regular chicken pie in shape of a curry puff. But being greedy and always keen to give new flavours a try, I bought one.

To my surprise, it tasted good. Could have been better if it was a little peppery though. It was oozing with chunks of mushrooms, potatoes, carrots and chicken. Another plus point was that it was piping hot. Not warm, not hot but piping hot. That explains why you can always feel the heat when you pass by an OCK stall. I didn't feel gelak after eating which always happens when I have their huge curry puff with super thick skin.

Overall, worth a try but bring your own pepper. ;)