The Growling Stomach

Thasevi Food- That Famous Jalan Kayu Roti Prata.

2010-06-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

You know, whenever people talk about roti prata, there's bound to be someone that will say "Roti prata in Jalan Kayu." They're as closely related as vampires are to twilight. Of course, many swears about how good it is. Therefore, me and my makan kakis went to try it out to see how good this practically legendary pratas are.

(That's some daring statement.)

Before I start talking about how their pratas were, please look at the photo above this paragraph: They actually dare hang a banner that says that they are the "Awarded Best Roti Prata In Singapore". Well Since they have to guts to put that up, their pratas better be good man... (Also, one thing's for sure: The restaurant's name is as long as heck: Thasevi Food Famous Jalan Kayu Prata Restaurant.)

Just so you guys know, their menus are mounted on the wall. And I recommend everyone to take a good look at it before offering. Trust me. (Have a sneak peak of what I mean by looking below this texts)

(Prata= $0.90. Prata + Ice Cream= $6.)

(Plain Prata- $0.90)

So yeah, about the pratas. When I saw them, my first impression was "Damn, that's some small prata." However, I must add that they prata are crispier than most prata I had. However, I have one very simple complain: The pratas are way too thick. For the curry, it was quite nice in fact! It had just the right amount of spiciness and tartness, without being too watery. One thing's for sure: This don't deserve the title of "Best Awarded Roti Prata In Singapore". 'Cause if it does, I'd have to travel overseas to try some roti pratas that actually deserve such honorable title. (4/5)

(Not exactly what you'll call happy.)

As you can tell from the photo above, most of us were rather disappointed at the prata, since it is the most famous roti prata in Singapore, you would expect something better than this, right?

Conclusion

Big time, majorly overated. Do not bother going there if you're expecting the best roti pratas you'd ever tasted. (Unless you have never eaten pratas before or have a problem with your taste buds.)

(Just so you guys have an idea how we felt when waiting for the pratas to be ready, here's an illustration.)

(He looks so happy... If he only knows what's coming up next.)

Thasevi Food
237 & 239 Jalan Kayu
64811573
Opened 24 Hours

P.S. If anyone sees a similarity between himself and the picture of the roti prata, it is merely coincidental. However, we do find the similarity hilarious.

Menya Shinchan- Care for some Extra Hot Double Cold Noodle?

2010-06-17T05:31:00.000-07:00

I have to say it has been say 5 months since I last updated the blog, but it is necessary for me to once again say that this blog is solely for the sake of interest, in no means am I really caring about fame and whatnot as that only makes blogging lose its meaning.

I have also made a single yet significant change to this blog: I have deleted the tagboard. Say the truth, I find the tagboard unnecessary and therefore deleted it. Not as though it makes any difference anyway.

So I'd visited Menya Shinchan recently, it is a Ramen restaurant that is rather small and therefore gives you a feeling that you are currently visiting somebody's house. Not a bad idea but the amount of seats avaliable is rather little.

As this is a Japanese restaurant open by a Japanese, it is completely understandable for them to include their own language into the menu. Therefore, it is also completely understandable for you to not understand them. Luckily, despite the waitresses to be Japanese as well, their comprehension of english is of acceptable level and so is their pronounciation. Therefore, I urge those who lacks the skill of reading Japanese or understand Japanese phrases to approach them as what you ordered may be very different from what you are expecting.

(Look at the menu!)

An example would be the Extra Hot Double Tsukemen ($15), if you have no idea what I just said, congrats- you are just like me when I saw it. Apparently, this is cold noodle with 2 different bowls of spicy dipping sauce, hence the name. I know that it is probably my Singaporean tastebuds, but their supposedly spiciness never hit me. It all seem like it was a miso flavoured dipping sauce with chili oil on it. It is not bad, just that the flavour should be more intense (4/5)

Extra Hot Double Tsukemen ($15)

I had the Madame Sinjiro ($12). For those for don't know, Jiro is a rather new kind of ramen, in fact, some people do not consider Jiro in the family of ramen at all. Jiro uses a thicker kind of noodle that is in between the thickness of ramen and udon, which can be compared to yellow noodle. Also, it has a hill-high amount of beansprouts and cabbage. The soup is pork broth with shoyu, and includes little bits of pork fat on top of it. I for one is quite in favour of it, with the crunchy vegetables adding to the texture. However, the ingredients plays a bigger role than the noodle, which I think that's a little awkward. Also, to those with small appetites, don't bother eating this-you'll never finish it. (4.25/5)

Madame Sinjiro ($12)

Anyone who had the most basic ideas about ramen would be familiar with the Shoyu Ramen ($11), well theirs I think is rather lacking in taste. Even though we had chose the one with a richer broth, I find that the umami taste is not quite there, Shu Yuan disagrees with me otherwise (Therefore, it's necessary to bring people to your makan trips, people have different taste preferences after all) (4/5)

Shoyu Ramen ($11)

Out of all the dishes we tried, I found the Spicy Pork Ramen ($11) the most disappointing. Just like the Extra Hot Double Cold Tsukemen, I do not taste the spice. Therefore, I think I will skip the supposedly spicy dishes the next time I come here. (4/5)

Spicy Pork Ramen ($11)

Of course, there is the Pork Tsukemen ($13) which I will say stole the spotlight for the whole trip! It is really about the dipping sauce, which is thick and creamy, similar to those braised sauce. This is a must-try if you come here! (4.6/5)

Pork Tsukemen ($13)

Conclusion

Simply put, this is a rather home style restaurant, all the way from the size to the decor. Just come in, grab a manga magazine that is next to the front door and enjoy a scrumptous bowl of ramen!

Oh yeah, who would like to try some Salty Dog!

(Salty... Dog?)

Minor details:
Charshu (4.25/5)
Ramen (4/5)
Jiro (4.25/5)
Tsukemen (4.25/5)

Menya Shinchan
30 Robertson Quay
#01-05 Riverside View
Singapore 238251
Tel: 67320114
11.30a.m. to 3p.m.
6.30p.m. to 10p.m.
6p.m. to 10p.m. (Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays)

Dog Meat- It's not cruelty!

2009-12-27T06:06:00.000-08:00

First up, I really want to apologise for not updating this blog for so long, it's been more than a month since I touch this blog! I'm sorry that there will be no photos for the time being until I manage to upload it through someone else's computer.

I would want to say that unlike many other people, I do not at the very least believe that eating dog meat is anywhere considered animal cruelty. Think about it, we eat chicken, duck, pork. To us, they may be merely animals cultivated in farms to be on our dinner table. However, other countries keep them as animals. So? Does it mean that just because we keep dogs as domesticated animals, eating them is wrong? Just like there are chicken cultivated as our dinner, the same goes to dogs, so there is absolutely no meaning to go all teary eyes about it.

Anyway, it was I myself who asked my buddy's parent to bring me to go somewhere to try dog meat. Actually, there is a whole list of rather exotic food that I am interested to try- and balut is definition at the top of my list. So they brought me to a korean restaurant to have my first taste of dog meat!

To get myself ready, first come the 2 appetisers: Kimchi and Dried Tofu. They aren't really anything extraordinary and I am never fan of kimchi so I would rather not elaborate on them.

Next is surprisingly, probably my favourite dish in my whole China trip (Actually, it may not seem such a surprise as we have almost the same breakfast, lunch and dinner thanks to the school's systematic- not to mention boring, planning.)! It was simply called Cold Noodle. Actually, the real version of it was to have crushed ice to be poured on the noodle. As they ran out of ice, we have to make do with iced water.

It was nothing fanciful, really. All it was was a bowl of noodle with soup, accompanied by cucumber slices, beef slices, half a hard-boiled egg and corriander (Which I took out as I have close to zero tolerance to that soap-tasting vegetable.). Maybe it was due to the ice cold soup, but the noodle was super springy, the bite is so good that you can tell which strand of noodle you are biting at distinctly. The soup was also pretty good with a hint of sour, but it was really the noodle that made this dish stand out.

Finally, the dog meat's here. To taste the very flavour of dog meat, I decided to order the Dog Meat Mixed Plate, which is thick dog meat that has been simply boiled and sliced. To accompany it, there was a bowl of chili which I would say taste really similar to the chili used for duck rice, just without the ikan bilis.

The dog meat look like a piece of overcooked pork with pig trotter's skin and fats and the taste is pretty much like how I just described. The meat was really dry inside and there is a gelatinized layer on the outside, making it a little chewy on the outside.

According to my buddy's parents, dog meat is commonly eaten in the Northern part of China not as delicacy but as a way to keep warmth. How true is that I do not really know as the temperature in the area I went to is around 20 degree celcius so it was rather unncessary to keep warm.

Would I eat dog meat again? Sure, but I wouldn't spend the effort to go all the way to China just for it. It's just a 'heatier' version of pork in my opinion.

Qing Xiang Ting Hot & Cold Dessert- If only I don't have asthma...

2009-11-13T00:15:00.000-08:00

(Will be overseas next week and having a lot of camps and chalet going on, so won't be updating much.)

Just in case you guys wonder why I have such a weird title for this post, I had asthma about 2 days after this lil makan trip, and I can safely say that the desserts from this stall is the main culprit- along with weather that turns from sunny to rainy every 15 minutes.

Oh also, I can say that this is a lucky find for me, as I was actually planning to try another dessert stall at the same food centre but forgotten the name of the stall. But hey, I can safely say that this is the best stall I tried in the whole trip, with the rest being food that simply does not match my taste bud one bit.

Cendol- $1

So the first dessert I have was Cendol, the pandan flavour and coconut milk was very strong but well balanced. Really love the pandan jelly that was so smooth it just slithers down to my throat! The taste from the gula melaka is not sweet (This may mean that it is a little to plain for some of you guys as I am very sensitive to sweetness). However, I felt that the peanut was a little too dry and powdery. (4.25/5- Good bowl of cendol, powdery peanuts however.)

Cheng Tng- $1 (Without Gingko Nuts)

This is the star of the whole trip! Actually, there is still many other really famous stall at that area that I haven't tried yet, hopefully they will open the next time I go to Toa Payoh for a visit again. Anyway, the Cheng Tng was really awesome! The soup was sweet but it does not dry your throat and was really cooling for a rather messed-up day. There was white fungus, barley, longan and sago jelly. The only disappointment in this was the rather tasteless sago jelly. (4.5/5- Great bowl of Cheng Tng, just do something about the sago jelly.)

Qing Xiang Ting Hot & Cold Dessert

Blk 22 Toa Payoh Lor 7

Tian Tian Lai (Come Daily) Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee (Main)- THIS is from the main stall?!

2009-11-10T04:04:00.000-08:00

Yes, the ol' man is back with a new blog post! I recently heard about something dissing about my blog, saying that the photos are disgusting and the layout sucks. Well, I will be damned to have the cheek to say that I am a good photographer, I am FAR from that. I mean, I don't even have my own camera yet! (Thanks to the stupid fact that my old one died on me...) Anyway, I generally like my layout besides the fact that it does not allow breaks. However, I must point out that the photo in my previous post was meant to look disgusting as the food tasted really bad and I think deserved to look gross. I don't even think it can look a lot better if I try to make it look visually appetizing anyway.

For this stall, I can safely say that this is perhaps one of the most raved about fried hokkien prawn mee stall in Singapore! However, I do not think that it lived to all that hype that people gave, saying that it is filled with crustacean flavour. Just for visual impact (And hopefully not looking too disgusting), I have took the photo in a rather "interesting" angle.

Hokkien Fried Prawn Mee, $3

That right, it was a rather interesting sight to see that the noodle was only able to fill up 2/3 of the bowl, leaving the other 1/3 looking sparkling clean. I was thinking, why couldn't the hawker just spread out the noodle to at the very least deceive his customers thinking that the whole plate is filled with noodle? Never mind that, time to talk about how this taste. Firstly, this is those gooey type noodle which I prefer, they uses thick bee hoon which is also my preference! The ratio of yellow noodle with thick bee hoon is just nice. However, they cook this noodle just enough, so it was firm. I personally do not like that at all, I find that hokkien fried prawn mee is good mainly for its stock and the soft noodle! The chili is nice with quite a bit of dried shrimp. Like all their branch stalls, they are really stingy on the prawns. All we got was 2 tiny pieces of prawns (You can see one peeking out of the noodle in the photo). Ryan and I both do not like it as it taste rather charred instead of the 'wok hei' taste, which ruined the fact that they do have quite a good stock. Also, it gets a little 'jia lat' after a few bites. We simply finished it to not waste food. (3/5- The branch stalls are surprisingly better!)

I know that a lot of foodies insist that this stall is perhaps one of the best hokkien prawn mee stall but I beg to differ. Oh well, taste is acquired, so I guess I am just not into firm noodle unlike the majority?

Blk 127 Toa Payoh Lorong 1

#02-27 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 Food Centre

Singapore 310127

Open Tues-Sun from 9.30am to 9pm

Closed on Mondays

19 Cooked Food- Cashier with buzzer spoiled?

2009-11-07T06:29:00.000-08:00

Firstly, I want to apologise to those who came with me for makaning that day. I seriously did not expect so many stalls to be closed. This is one of those 'down on my luck' days I guess.

I'm sure most of you guys have watched "Buzzing Cashier", the show on Channel 8 which every episode, renowned chefs teach hawkers who cook stuff into such a way that, I wouldn't eat them even if you pay me! The show is I didn't really watch this show after its first season as firstly, the time slot always clash with my schedule and secondly, which is also my main reason, is that most 'students' always show attitude, that they just do stuff any old how they like, talking back, giving excuses- generally not showing a interest to make their own lives better. I know there have been a few really good and successful throughout the two series so this is the first stall from the stall I have tried!

Actually, when I went to the stall, it looked empty and I thought that it was closed until the stall owner came from a corner and get my order. Not a really good start. But never mind, it is the food that counts. And the moment the food was served...

I was disappointed.

Hokkien Mee-$3

I mean, is this really all that is to be learned from a renowned chef? When the food came, I just stared and go "No... This is not worth my money man..." But still, I did try it- and I didn't like it. Firstly, the vegetables were hard and bitter. There was a mollusc in there but it there was barely any meat and seem more like a garnish. The prawn was not shelled which I am actually ok with it. However, it was MUSHY. Yes, mushy, also known as 'not fresh'. The noodle is actually the best thing in the whole dish as it still manages to keep its texture, that it actually was firm. The chili was also ok it has alot of 'hei bee' (Dried prawns) in it. The gravy was salty and was slightly bitter, but it actually makes it not so monotonous. (2/5- Do something about the ingredients and really get that cashier buzzing!)

Vivian told me that this stalled is owned by a mother of some people from her school. Sorry that my ratings might seem harsh but I can't force myself to really write much good stuff about it...

19 Cooked Food

Toa Payoh Block 127 Food Centre

If only I have a Canon DSLR...

2009-11-02T04:31:00.000-08:00

First up, congratulations to all the winners for the Nuffnang Regional Blog Awards! It was a real shame I didn't go for the awards ceremony, it would be such an honour to see some of the best bloggers in Asia Pacific. People like ieat, Miao, Kenny Sia are all people that I really respect and had been a fan of them for quite some time. However, I would probably look like some kid that was seperated with his parents between all the crowd ba? Also, I really wished I had participated and somehow, by extreme luck, get into the Best Hidden Gem award! I do not even mind not winning the award, the very fact that I get nominated between all these wonderful and amazing bloggers already fill my heart with joy!

As a food blogger, there is something that I feel really ashamed about: the fact that I have NO CAMERA! Well, actually, I did have a compact camera, but thanks to the fact that not everyday's Sunday, it has to be broken before I start out this blog. Luckily, I do have some really wonderful friends (that are also some really wonderful food critics) that had been lending me their cameras for the past 4 months.

Despite the fact that I (Most of the time) is able to borrow cameras from my friends, I generally feel like this every time...

Well, look at the guy on the left, I think he represents me pretty well! You can see that 'I' am really focused and trying the best to take a really good shot of the food, but there is just something that is lacking. The fact that I do not have my own camera and am nothing more than a poor Secondary School student who is not able to afford his camera doesn't really help make me feel better 1 bit. If only I am able to have my own Canon DSLR camera, that I can take high-quality photos of my food. I am sure that will bring a smile to my face!

Now look at the huge difference! Taking photos does not necessarily means that I have to take picture of fancy, gourmet food served in a 5-star restaurant! With a Canon DSLR, I can take a photo of something as simple as bread, and with enough photography skill, I can make something so simple look delicious and fanciful in my photos! Of course, if I want to improve in my photography skill, it is essential that I have the equipments needed, so a Canon DSLR is a must-have for me!

Of course, I have a wish that someday, my blog would be recognized and I would receive awards like ieat, one of my favourite food bloggers ever! For me, it is not about winning the award, it is about the fact that the amount of effort I put into my blog is actually being recognized makes me happy! Of course, one of the deciding factors for a good food blog is whether the photos I take look appetizing and attracts readers to regularly read my blog! Thus, getting a Canon DSLR would make it more possible for me to achieve this dream of mine!

Of course, even though I may be a food blogger, I will not only take photos of food with my camera. I have this habit of taking photos of what is typical in our life, like a wall with a crack of it. It may seem boring and mundane but with the right angle and good camera, even something as common as that would look like an artwork in the hands of a photographer!

I hope that readers of this blog do support me, this poor student who only has enough money for recess and lunch to get his hands on a Canon camera! Do vote for me by clicking the button below!

My Favourite Canon Moment!

Fatty Char Kwey Teow: Good bye ol' fella, when we haven't even met yet...

2009-10-29T05:35:00.001-07:00

You guys, it is a rather sad day. For people who love Char Kwey Teow, one of the more popular stall, Fatty Fried Kwey Teow, had recently closed. When I saw on food blogs and knew that the stall would be closed end of this month, I made it a point to rushed from my school at Yio Chu Kang all the way to Jalan Besar to try it 1 last time before it is gone. Sadly, the signboard's already taken off and all is left is a yellow flag waving to us at the entrance. When we asked one of the stall owners, he said that Fatty had gone for a '永休' (A 'forever rest'- meaning that he is retiring for good...) This is a seriously sad news for me as I wanted to try it recently as people had told about how unique and special his Char Kwey Teow is, that they add curry powder, belachan and mushroom it is, making it the most unique CKT anyone in Singapore had ever tried. However, due to commitments of my own, I didn't actually went for it till I knew that it was closing. However, I am simply too late and would never be able to know how unique and tasty CKT with Curry powder, belachan and mushroom would be...

(The only thing of that stall left for me to take a memorial photo of...)

Noodle King:The Fried Fish Dumpling makes a better king.

2009-10-29T05:35:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite snack of all time dumplings! I just love it that when you bite through that thin piece of dumpling skin, all that flavour from the fillings and its juice just flow into your mouth! This is the very experience I had when I tried the Fried Fish Dumpling Ipoh Hor Fun.

Fried Fish Ipoh Hor Fun- $3.50

Even though the stall's called Noodle King, I will tell you that the real king of the stall is actually the dumplings. I chose ipoh hor fun over noodle as I knew that this stall's noodle had the alkali,mass-produced, factory-made taste. The hor fun is simply factory made and nothing really special. Also, it may seem like they put a lot of sauce for DRY hor fun, but I guarantee you that this dish will taste like crap if not for the sauce to cover the mediocre taste.

(Nice crispy skin with sweet fish meat and water chestnut.)

For the dumplings, they are really crispy and the mince is really sweet and has the crunch from the chopped water chestnuts inside. Even though it may be fried, the mince still manages to keep its juice and so you have a crispy skin and a really juicy filling. However, this is one of their off days as they didn't wrap the dumplings really well. In fact, one of them had a 'open mouth'! Luckily, that didn't affect the quality of the dumplings. (3.75/5- Wrap the skin properly, please.)

If you do come to Northpoint, I would say just order another dish, say, the Yong Tau Foo at the same food court and get the Fried Fish Dumplings as a side dish. The dumpling is in fact really nice and hits my unami spots, in fact, I would give the dumplings a (4.25/5), but the noodle has really got to improve a lot to do justice to such nice, crispy fish dumplings.

Northpoint Basement 1 Food Court

930 Yishun Avenue 2

S769098

Ole Bubble Cafe- Ramly burger cooked by a Chinese!

2009-10-27T04:57:00.000-07:00

(Sorry that I had been missing in action for quite some time, had been really busy but no worry, however busy I am, I will try to make it a point to at least update once a week!)

What happens when you see an Ang Moh (European) cook Roti Prata? I personally would definitely have a taste of the Prata as chances are they added in their own twist in the food, making it a lot more unique then your usual Prata. That said, this is also one of the reason why I tried the Ramly burger at this stall, when I knew that a Chinese women is cooking the burger!

One thing to note: Despite the fact that this is located at Yishun and near my old house, I had never tried it before and whenever I want to review it, something will also happen or in Ryan's way of saying it, Supernatural Forces of BAD LUCK!

Luckily, all that supernatural forces didn't come to find us so we manage to have a taste of the burger! Anyone who have had the Ramly burger in Pasar Malams (Night markets) should know how it taste like. Well, the sad part about this trip is that they ran out of beef patties so we only had lamb and chicken.

ieat Special Ramly Lamb Burger ($3.20)

So, for $3.20, you get 2 patties of your choice (Unless they run out of stock, of course.), egg, cheese, chili, mayo and Worchestershire sauce. I personally think this is a real value for money burger and wins those fast food restaurant burgers hands down!

First thing to note is that instead of wrapping the meat up with the egg, she cooked them separately. I am in favour of this as they will able to control the cooking time such that the egg is not coagulated and become this sheet of protein but rather a soft, tofu-like consistency egg white with a slightly runny egg yolk instead of your usual hard, dull-yellow yolk. Also, she uses a spicier curry powder than others but we all agreed that we can do with more spice. The combination of sauces gives us a sweet and a tingling spiciness to our taste buds that is more than welcomed. However, we would be a lot happier if they have a bigger serving.

Between the two meat, I am in favour of the lamb burger. It has the lamb satay taste and is juicier compared to their chicken patty that is crispy but taste pretty mediocre. (Lamb burger- 4/5) (Chicken Burger- 3.5/5)

(Eating a burger is serious business!)

As the lady knows that I am also another food blogger, I would personally come here again to try their Beef Ramly Burger and perhaps their Cheese Fries which she said is pretty good. I would also ask her to allow me to take a few photos of the meat grilling.

Ole Bubble Cafe

Blk 731 Yishun St 72

#01-27

10.30am to 7pm

(Oh, and something off topic for a little while, when we were going to the place, we went past 7-11 and we saw an EPIC FAIL moment! See the photo below for more details.)

The Sidebar Went poof

2009-10-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Growling Stomach. Recently, we made a few tweaks to the internals of this blog. Thus, as of today,
i) Commenting has been enabled on all posts.
ii) Plus, we are implementing a new feature! The "read more" link. Located at the bottom right corner of this post entry.

More details after the break.

The "read more" link also allows you to easily share your favorite posts on this blog on your beloved social sites! Though Facebook ain't there. Sorry for the inconveniences caused... ):

On a heavier side, what has come to our darn attention is the mysterious disappearance of the sidebar to the bottom of the page. Hang in there, we are working very hard trying to restore that back to its normal position. Sorry for any inconveniences caused. Stay tuned for more posts that guarantee the growling of your stomach!!

Come Daily Fried Prawn Mee (Branch): Better than the BLK 925 stall, at least.

2009-10-19T00:43:00.000-07:00

Hey you guys, really sorry for not updating for so long, been really busy. Anyways this is still not the main stall for Come Daily Fried Prawn Mee, which is at Toa Payoh. I promise I will go review it soon!

So went there with Vincent and Jia Jun, I had tried this stall quite a few times and I will say that this is the best hokkien prawn mee I can find in Yishun. However, if you really want good hokkien prawn mee, I will say go for Hainan Hokkien Prawn Mee.

So, as you can see, we were 3 really hungry students, which serves the purpose of this blog well.

Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee ($5)

And me being the REAL hungry guy, of course got to have a bigger portion! I actually wanted to have the biggest, which is $8, but me having very little amount of 'army' fund, is only allowed this...

So, comparing this to the BLK 925 branch, this is WAY better, firstly, the chili here is a lot stronger when the other barely had any taste. Also, the noodle here is a lot more consistent in flavour when the other stall's noodle either barely had any taste or were too over-powering. Not to forget, they did not overcook the prawn. This is 1 stall you must definitely try when

you come to Yishun! (4/5- Best Hokkien Prawn Mee I can find in Yishun!)

Come Daily Fried Prawn Mee (Branch)

921 Yishun Central 1

S(760921)

921 Yishun Fried Hokkien Mee (Branch): Has a chain stall just a building next to it!

2009-10-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

(Won't be posting for a while, having exams.)

I still don't get why is there even really a need to have a branch stall just 1 block away from the main stall, is it really that popular? I won't really say so, I don't even think it is that good to need 2 chain stalls anyway.

Hokkien Fried Prawn Mee, $5

One thing that made me happy about this is good ol' fried pork lard. Serious, now health freaks don't get mad at me, but if you want good hokkien fried prawn mee or char kwey teow, fried pork lard's an essential! It is like saying meat buns will taste good without the meat! Also, this stall uses thick beehoon which I prepare more due to the "SLURP" and texture, many times thin beehoon feels dry, you know? However, the dish was not mixed well enough, some of the noodle taste so overpowering I wanted to spit it out. Also, the chili was way too weak for me. (3.5/5- Stronger chili and more well-mixed noodle, please.)

One thing to note is that they use those leaf to wrap it up if you order takeaway but just serves in your normal plate when eating there. I mean, I would love it if they used the leaf, brings up the aroma of the dish. And seriously, just get it from the main stall, which I will blog about soon.

921 Yishun Fried Hokkien Mee (Branch)

925 Yishun Central 1

S(760925)

ViTTLES: So good, we went there twice. (in a month!)

2009-10-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, must start off by thanking you guys for coming along with me to ViTTLES, which is the first place I ever brought my bunch of food kakis to! Really though, I never expect that the food to be so good, Both my first and second trips will be off to this place!

"Are we there yet?"

So, I brought along Daniel (1st and 2nd trip), Ryan Johnson (1st and 2nd trip), Jedidah (2nd trip), Devesh (2nd trip),Vernon (2nd trip) and Vincent (1st trip; don't dare to bring him out for food anymore for FINANCIAL reasons, if you know what I mean.) When we went there, there'll always be people complaining about how far the place is, when it's is only at Yishun -.- Best example is the second trip when I couldn't stand it and just told Devesh "1 more sentence about you complaining about how far the place is and I will throw you to the road and people will just think that you are tar and run you over with a truck!" (Mind you, this is not a racist comment, it's nothing more than a fit of anger.)

(Yeah, this place looks SO interesting...)

One thing to note: The place looks BORING. Like seriously boring. The signboard is nothing more than a green board with white letters over it. When we went there for the first time, I was worried. REALLY worried about the food. Still not convinced bout how bad the atmosphere? Listen to what Daniel has to say: "We come all the way for THIS?! (shows pissed-off facial expression and exaggerated hand gestures)" All I could say was "Ok... You guys... (Fondling with hands) I don't know man, I am freaked out myself. Tell you what, if the food is bad, we beat up Kun Han (He recommended the place), ok?" Then we went on with our food journey, skeptically.

When we went in, the place is boring as well. On 1 side, there is the wall with blown up pictures of the dishes they are famous for and on the other, a whole bunch of Coca cola collection. We could hear pop music in the background, though I would rather have jazz or classical, as it makes the atmosphere better. The food ordering there is using order chit, which I really like. One thing I really hate is having the waiter standing next to me, waiting impatiently for me to order my food. One thing that I learned in the trip: Don't forget about GST. Gosh, I was so stupid, thinking I have enough money when I lack like $2 more.

To say the truth, the customer service in the first trip was pretty bad, when we went in, the staffs were in a corner, sitting and just giving that "Uhhhhhhh" look. Also, they seem a little unwilling to pop the popcorn for us. After a short while, they came and gave me the soup and iced peach tea (You can have the soup of the day, iced peach tea/ coffee/ tea and FREE FLOW POPCORN when you upgrade your meal, cost $3.90)

Salmon Soup

Potato and Leek Soup.

The 'Nasty' Nestea.

The tea is nothing to rave about, really. When Daniel tried it, he told me it was 'Nestea', which I mistook as 'Nasty'. The soup, however, was splendid! It was full of flavour without being overly powerful. I personally preferred the Potato and Leek soup I had on my first trip as compared to the Salmon soup I had on the other. However, I would like the soup more if they cut the potato into bigger, bite-size portions.

Something I really want to mention is the FREE FLOW POPCORN. It is really quite an interesting idea! Many times, you will get free flow bread or peanuts for starters when you eat in a restaurant, but free flow popcorn is quite a novelty! The popcorn is really sweet, it does not dry your throat, unlike those you have in the cinema. Also, their popcorn is white, unlike those dark-yellow ones that simply looks artificial and disgusting.

Parmesan Coated Fish Fillet, $9.90

I had the Parmesan Coated Fish Fillet, which is Dory fish (Catfish) coated with parmesan cheese and pan-seared. When it came on my table, I was already surprised, just looking at it, I know that I am in for a trip! The fish looks so soft, and indeed it was! It is sweet, salty and sour with the drizzle on lemon juice over it. It is crispy on the outside, and the inside is simply so juicy, soft and flaky! Just the way fish should be. This is the dish that really makes you wanna come back to the restaurant for more! (4.5/5- Best pan-seared fish I ever had, now just hoping that there is a better one than this!)

BBQ Baby Back Ribs, $14.90

(Just comes off so cleanly.)

The next dish I had on my second trip was the BBQ Baby Back Ribs (No, I am not a cannibal). It is nicely BBQ PORK baby back ribs. The looks was not really what you call appetising, it was brown on the outside and look pretty much like someone had toppled concentrated gravy on your ribs. But fear not! The taste is what matters! It tasted somewhat like a moist version of Bak Kwa, and the best part is it simply comes off from the ribs (The worst thing you wanna see is your ribs getting stuck to the bone.) It is so good, Jedidiah kept on asking me what another bite (4/5- Pretty good but can be more flavourful)

Steak N Cheese Burger, $11.90

On the first trip, Ryan had the Steak N Cheese burger, he was kinda unwilling to eat at first when he saw the little things on the top of his bun. Later, he realised that's just oatmeal. When he took a bite of that burger, his whole body just moved back and go "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooo~!" I guess that just proves how good the burger is! He even said "This is the second best burger I ever had!" (3.5/5- Not bad but can improve on)

Seafood Agio Olios, $8.90

Vincent had the Seafood Agio Olios, don't wanna spend too much time talking about it. The noodle is al dente but the flavour is too bland. Not something you wanna have there. (3/5- Would give it lower score but the spaghetti was al dente.)

Hickory Smoked BBQ Chicken, $6.90

Another disappointment there is the chicken. Daniel told me his Herb Spiced Chicken is just like ordinary chicken chop, those that we can just have outside our school. Another disappointing dish. (2/5- Too mediocre) The BBQ chicken may be slightly better, but it's still not worthed the trip. (2.5/5- Not worth the trip)

Moo Moo II Burger, $12.90

The biggest rave there was in the whole trip was definitely the Moo Moo II burger! On the second trip, 4 out of 6 people ordered it! My goodness, nicely ground beef with Sauteed button mushrooms, lettuce, onion, tomatoes & melted cheese! It was pretty darn big! The meat was so nicely ground, you could taste the meat fibre in the meat, WAY better than those burgers where the meat is just boring with nothing to rave about. And to prove to you how nice it is, Ryan said that this beats the best burger he ever ate! (4.25/5- The best burger I had, but can be more unique)

Something I wanna mention is the side dishes! I simply LOVE their cheese pasta! These macaroni are deliciously soaked in cheese and works really well as a side dish! Another to mention is it's gratinated potato, which is kind of like those stewed potato your family may have, but harder and thinner for the texture. The fries is crazily long and thick! Get someone you know and point his middle finger to you, the fries are longer and thicker than his finger! However, the fries would be alot better if they are crispier. Something they should improve on is their coleslaw, it is way too hard and quoting Ryan, 'Fruity'. Also, the baked potato is too bland and dry, maybe they should put some sauce on it?

Something I just wanna say about is all the fuss we have with 1 lil popcorn machine. First up, Ryan is stupid, ok? He PUSHED the door of the machine, then he use a TABLESPOON to get the popcorn (he didn't see the ladle, apparently.) Next up, Vincent opened the machine properly BUT the metal that blocks the popcorn from falling out fell. And apparently, on the second trip, they sealed the machine, meaning we are not the only few idiots who do not know how to operate the machine. Also, you should see Daniel! The popcorn sticked together and became a HUGE biscuit, and he just took a bite out from it. Real classic moments. (And finally, I have uploaded all the pictures! Except one but that one is crap, so never mind.)

"I AM GODZILLA~!!!!!!"

Daniel: *Choke*
Devesh: "I am brushing my teeth!"

After all that insane food, we all get out like a bunch of school pupils that did drugs! This is definitely one of the places that I will go frequently, convenient place, good food and low prices!

(Just a lil extra, this is the receipt for the second trip! Though Devesh's not inside, as he wanted to be so special he ordered the food himself.)

Vittles 369 Sembawang road
#01-05 Sembawang Cottage (Same building as McDonald)
67561138
www.vittles-sg.blogspot.com (for menu)
Sun to Thurs : 11:00 am to 10:00 pm Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holidays : 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Closed on Monday

Killiney: Please, just stick to what you guys are good at.

2009-10-04T05:37:00.000-07:00

Should a stall that had been famous for a certain dish suddenly add in other kind of food, hoping to diversify the stall? My answer, no. No stall should ever do that, one example is Bakerzin, I still think that they should just concentrate on their desserts and just dump all their crappy main course away. This is another stall like Bakerzin, they are famous for their coffee, yet they try to add in some local delight to win more fan. The result: Horribly-tasting food.

Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, $4.50

I had their Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee ($4.50), After I put my bag down, they served the dish to me almost instantly. Seeing how fast it was served, rather than being happy at their fast service, I knew instantly that it was going to be a waste of calories. They did not spend enough time to fry the noodle so that the stock would be absorb by the noodle, the dish was so soupy, I could simply use the spoon and get a big spoonful of the soup. The noodle was so undercooked, it stuck to my teeth when I bite into it. Also, the prawns were tasteless. Even though they used pork lard for this, it was not able to save this disastrous dish. (1/5- Not meant to be eaten at all.)

Kopi C, $1.30

Luckily, their coffee did not disappoint me. I had their Kopi C ($1.30), it was more towards the bitter side, which I like. The coffee taste is there but I found it too milky and a little flat, it taste like it uses fresh milk instead of condensed milk.. Maybe I should order Kopi C Kau (Stronger coffee with milk and sugar.) next time? (4/5- Less milk and stronger taste, please.)

Killiney
10 Sinaran Drive #01-01/02
Square 2
Singapore 307506
Tel: 63972867

Hand In Hand Beijing Restaurant: 11 courses of happiness!

2009-10-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

(I forgot to add in photo and review for the noodle in my initial post, so do look at it!)

Ok, first up, I would like to thank ieat and his team for organising this food session, was really a pleasure being able to take part in it!

Minced Garlic with Boiled Pork

So the first cold dish of the day was Minced Garlic with Boiled Pork. I personally like it quite a lot! This is really something garlic fans will love! It has the 'minced garlic with tofu' feel in it!
Shredded Chicken with Ma La Liang Pi

The next cold dish was Shredded Chicken with Ma La Liang Pi. The main focus is actually not the chicken but rather those kwey teow below. I didn't really like it and that kwey teow below has a jelly like consistency.

Cold Braised Shredded Pig Ears with Cucumber and Spicy Sauce

The last cold dish was Cold Braised Shredded Pig Ears with Cucumber and Spicy Sauce. It taste to be like those pig intestines you have in kwey chap but softer, I would rather have pig intestines though. Pretty good, but my favourite cold dish here is still their boiled pork!

Sweet and Sour Garoupa

Now, this hungry boy gets to try the first main dish! The Sweet and Sour Garoupa was a pretty disappointing dish to me. I generally only taste the sweetness but nothing sour. Also, I find that the fish was a little too hard. (3.75/5)

Shredded Pork with Beijing Sauce with Pancakes

Luckily, the Shredded Pork with Beijing Sauce with Pancakes were pretty decent! The pork was nice marinated and the cucumber gives it the crunch. Sadly, I only manage to have 1 pancake... (4.25/5)

Beijing Crispy Chicken

Beijing Crispy Chicken was another dish that didn't really wowed me. I didn't find the chicken crispy, that it was rather dry. The powder on the sides made it a bit more palatable though. (3.75/5) (Shu Yuan thinks that it deserves 4/5 though)

Broccoli, Egg White with Scallop and Fish Meat

The egg was something like poached egg with a seafood twist to me. I like the broccoli's texture! (4/5)

Xiao Long Bao (This is my favourite photo in this session!)

Xiao Long Bao was to me one of the main reason I went there! And luckily, it did not disappoint me! The skin was thin, but it does not break when I pick it up but burst out all its flavoursome broth inside my mouth. A must-have in this restaurant! (4.5/5)

Fried Dried French Beans with Spicy Sauce

The biggest disappointment in the whole session I think would be the Fried Dried French Beans with Spicy Sauce. To me, it is just those typical stir-fry dish you can make yourself. (3/5)

Guo Tie (So cute right! The first photo looks like a smiling squid!)

The Guo Tie was really nice! It managed it retain its juiciness and the juice that covers your mouth when you bite onto it.. Also, the pan fried side is a little chewy. (4.25/5)

Fried Homemade Noodle with Seafood

I will say this is actually my favourite dish! The noodle was moist and full of the seafood flavour! I love it! (4.5/5)

Home Specialty Yam in Syrup

This is a really unique dessert! It is coated with a sweet syrup outside that is hardened, then you dip it in ice cold water. Pop it in your mouth, and just be satisfied! Really liked it! (4.25/5)

Red Bean Pancakes

The last dish was the Red Bean Pancake, it was pretty good with the crispiness on the outside and the sweet red beans on the inside. (4/5)

Fruit Platter

End this all up with a complimentary fruit platter and I am a happy boy...

(Thanks to Shu Yuan for some of the photos and lending me the camera!)

Hand in Hand Beijing Restaurant
141-143 Jalan Besar
11am to 12 midnight daily

Beancurd City: A Stall I Had Been Having My Beancurd For Years!

2009-10-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

Hey, so this post will be about a beancurd stall which I really enjoyed for years. However, this is the first time I get to try the main outlet for their beancurd! Actually this review was not even planned, I just found out that this stall is coincidentally located just next to the beijing restaurant restaurant that I went yesterday, I will post about that soon!

Anyways, I always like their beancurd as they have a nice sweet syrup that looks a little reddish. Also, their beancurd is really nice. Luckily, the main stall does not disappoint me. Silky smooth beancurd and nice sweet syrup. However, I would be happier if their beancurd has a stronger flavour. (4.25/5- Nice but would be better if the beancurd has a stronger flavour.)

Beancurd City
133 Jalan Besar (After Desker Road)
11.30am to 12mn

The House Recipe Family Cuisine: Good and affordable western food for us poor students!

2009-10-04T05:29:00.000-07:00

So sorry about not updating this blog for so long, first up, I was really busy, sorting out many stuff. Next, my computer wasn't working, so I just reformatted it, meaning that all my photos for this blog are now lost. Never mind that! This time I am going to blog about this stall that as long as you are from my school, you should try it out!

Actually, I wanted to write a post about the bak chor mee behind my school but as it rarely open, are super stingy with the portions and are not superb, I decided not to.

First thing I want to ask about the stall owner is "Why this name?" Seriously, by just reading the stall's name, I would actually think it is either a cafe or a tse char stall sia. But nope, it is a stall that has good western food in affordable prices!

Chicken Cutlet, $4

I ordered the Chicken Cutlet ($4), the chicken wasn't dry like how some chicken cutlet is when the person tries to make sure that the outside is crispy, it was crispy on the outside and really juicy on the inside! However, I would be happier if the skin does not come off that easily, making my life more miserable when I am already pathetic at using cutlery. (Yes, I am those people that normally gets take away rather than eating at the place to save myself from the embarrassment.) Also, the breading was too loose and it was falling off the skin. Not to forget, the chicken was a little too oily. The sides I had (Macaroni Cheese and Spaghetti- I needed some carbo rush.) were all too watered down, pretty gross in fact. Not to forget, I would be happier if they put more pickles on their tartar sauce for the extra tang. (3.75/5- Crispy on the outside and really juicy on the inside, have to do something about the coating though, should be less oily as well.)

One thing to note is that $4 is the special price for students, students must wear their uniform to get this special price! You would be given your choice of 2 sides, the main course (chicken chop, chicken cutlet or fish basket).

The House Recipe Family Cuisine

(Thanks to Vincent for the stall photo!)

Uzumaki: Gelato with a Japanese twist.

2009-10-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

So yeah, like I always said, I have quite a bad sense of direction, and this trip shall prove that about me again. This time, going to the food centre was no problem as it was Vincent who led us there. However, Vincent and a bunch of people went off first so there were only me, Ryan and his friend Yulu. I will write about the trip from the food centre to the MRT in another post as it would be really long. But in summary, I actually was able to walk from lavender to Bugis! That really says something I think.

Anyways, as we were at Bugis, I thought that I might as well go to have the ice cream in Basement 1 as I know that they are famous for their Macha (Japanese green tea) ice cream. Also, it was their 3rd anniversary, so 3 scoops of gelato in a cup was only $3! A real bargain if you ask me.

3 scoops of gelato on cup, $3 (3rd anniversary, special price, limited time only.)

So yup, I had 1 milk tea flavour, 1 macha flavour and 1 sesame flavour. The one I really don't like is the sesame flavoured gelato, it tasted really awkward and you can bite little bits of sesame seeds that tasted as though it was toasted. (3/5) The famous Macha flavour was indeed pretty good, with the strong green tea flavour but I thought that it was too creamy. (3.5/5) My favourite one was surprisingly the milk tea flavour! the tea leaf flavour was really strong in the ice cream and it was not too creamy that you would not want to finish it! (3.75/5) The ice creams were all pretty stretchy and that was pretty nice, in a very weird way I might add.

Uzumaki
Bugis Junction #B1-K18

Beef Hor Fun: Need more explainations? (Golden Mile Food Centre Trip 5 of 5)

2009-10-04T05:25:00.000-07:00

You know, I'm not someone who has been eating beef since young so my ratings for beef-related dish may be very different from others that has been eating beef since young. That being said, I think that the universal language of tasty food should work for everyone, eh?

So this was actually the first stall that I tried in the trip but weirdly, the last food blog post about the trip there! However, I will say that it because I like to save the best for last.

When I went to the stall, I could see that the stall owner was already getting busy, putting the plates filled with stir-fried hor fun on the counter to get ready for orders. When I ordered my food, he told me that it will be done in a jiffy and told me to sit there and wait for him. He did not sound anywhere near angry, rather he had the "HDB Uncle" kind of charisma around him. And really, like he said, the dish was served to me really fast.

Beef Hor Fun, $4

So there it is, the beef hor fun. As the photo shows, the soup was in fact very thick and gooey, it was packed with all the flavours from the beef stock but it does not makes you feel sick after drinking it. The beef was nicely marinated and it has the texture somewhat similar to venison meat. Also, the beef taste was very obvious and I love them for that! The hor fun was nicely stir-fried that it had the wok hei taste! Also, it was has quite a big portion for $4, unlike that hokkien prawn mee that has pathetically small portion for $3! (4.25/5- Really nice beef and the soup was thick and gooey without being disgusting!)

Beef Hor Fun
Golden Mile Food Centre
01-71
Opened 9am till about 8.30pm.
Closed on Thursdays and Fridays.

Ah Balling Peanut Soup: Good ol' Traditional Balling. (Golden Mile Food Centre Trip 4 of 5)

2009-10-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Before you guys even ask me, Balling is "Tang Yuan" ok? You know, those little rice balls that you eat once in a while as dessert or for celebration? I'm those people that rarely eat balling, and say the truth, I normally prefer those without fillings as I find that the fillings may spoil the whole dessert as a whole.

Peanut Soup with 6 Balling, $2

I think I want to mention is that all the ballings here are hand-made everyday, and it is very obvious when you taste it. The texture is very different from mass-produced ones.

As seen from the photo above, the glutinous balls were really smooth and chewy. They were not overly soft so it still allows you to bite onto it. Also, one thing many people's scared about glutinous balls with fillings is that the skin is either too thick and floury or that the skin is too thin and the filling will come out of it. However, this one was thin enough that the balls were translucent, so that you can see the roasted peanuts inside! The peanuts were nice roasted and the nice was nice without the drying-of-throat effect that some has. Also, the peanuts in the soup was boiled long enough that they were soft but not mushy. Also, the soup was not overly sweet, just sweet enough to end your meal with a bang!

The shop currently has 6 different fillings for the glutinous balls, but I personally liked the peanut filling ones! Also, is it just me or is it that less young people are having warm desserts now? Come on man, go try some and you will open your eyes to a new kind of enjoyment! (4.25/5- Simple food made wonderfully is perhaps one of the best thing known to mankind, this peanut soup with glutinous balls is one example.)

Ah Balling Peanut Soup
505 Beach Road
Golden Mile Food Centre 01-75
97605710

The Sweet Stone Parad Ice: Belgian chocolate fondue in hawker! (Golden Mile Food Centre Trip 3 of 5)

2009-10-04T05:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a question for you: What is your favourite thing about camps? Some may say disturbing your bunk mates while they are sleeping, others may be the activities. For me, the only thing I like is probably those marshmallows in hot chocolate during supper or campfire! Just sipping that chocolate and biting to that fluffy and sugary treats can be such simple yet enjoyable pleasure of life!

I really wanna thank whoever created marshmallows, these little sinful, sugary treats has been like the most needed party food, perhaps next to Fried Bee Hoon in Singaporean context.

I had not heard of any other hawker centres that have stalls selling chocolate fondue, and really, good food is always welcomed, even better if it is in reasonable prices! The chocolate they sell here are pure Belgian chocolate that the owner brought from his hometown. Unlike most chocolate fondues, they use a claypot that has no candle at bottom to heat the chocolate.

Chocolate fondue with marshmallow and freshly made waffles, $8.80

The chocolate was really good! It was bittersweet, but not bitter enough for a super-dark dark chocolate lover like me. The waffles was crunchy and soft! Works well with the chocolate! And of course, there is the classic marshmallow, which really doesn't need a further explanation than that. (4/5- Would like it even more if it's more bitter!)

Warm chocolate on marshmallows- a work of art by itself.

(Really sorry that the signboard can't be seen! It was a little too bright.)

The Sweet Stone Parad Ice
Golden Mile Food Centre
505 Beach Road #01-76
11.30am to 9.30pm
James 97389868
Sebastian 90078465

Hainan Fried HPM: Great food, pathetically small portion! (Golden Mile Food Centre Trip 2 of 5)Hainan Fried HPM- Great food, pathetically small portion! (Golden Mile Food Centre Trip 2 of 5)

2009-10-04T04:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am really a self-confessed Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee fan, and so is Kun Han! His main objective for coming to this trip is to really try this stall's food and also support his own dialect! (He is Hainanese- just like the stall owner.)

Even though they said that they could bring the food to my table, I would rather take it myself. First up, I can see how the guy prepare his food and second, just looking at the preparation would really perk up your appetite!

When I saw him preparing, you could see the amount of effort he does to fry the noodle so that all the savoury stock would be absorbed into them so every bite you take is seafood goodness! However, I don't quite see those wok clashing actions that I see in other stalls, maybe it is just me, but I think that that actually makes a difference in the food! Also, they got the ingredients ready in plates, and every plate have four portions of the ingredients, that already shows their stinginess. So I got about 2 prawns, a small piece of pork belly and a few pieces of sotong.

Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, $3

Sorry that my photo may look deceiving, but it really is super small! Kinda like when a group of people order Fried Carrot Cake for snack? If you wanna eat this for meal, you would probably have to get 2-5 plates, depending on your appetite. I'm those that will get 5 plates (And maybe would not be enough to fill me up still!)

The stall uses thin bee hoon, which till this day, I still chooses the thick variety to the thin one. I like it that it gives the bite and the "SLURP!". Also, I thing I'm afraid about the thin one is that it will taste dry. However, this one wasn't! Every bite was filled with the stock and I just devour it within minutes! However, they uses a combination of both cut chili and sambal chili, which was a little too spicy to me that it covered a bit of the flavour. But still, a really good plate of Hokkien Prawn Mee! (4.25/5- I want to give it 4.5/5, but the portions and the chili really dropped the rating by quite a bit.)

(I really had the most problem taking this stall's photo. The lady at the side was staring at me the whole time!)

Hainan Hokkien Fried Prawn Mee
No 34 Golden Mile Food Centre
62946798
11am to 2pm 3pm to 9pm
Closed on Wed

Zhao An Granny Grass Jelly: Texture over taste. (Golden Mile Food Centre Food Trip 1 of 5)

2009-10-04T03:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, so really thank you guys for being able to come for this makan trip to Golden Mile Food Centre! Two person I got to specially thank: Vincent for showing us how to get there and Ryan for that digital camera! Really feel damn shiok to actually take photos with a camera, you know? Like finally I seem to have more professionalism!

However, with digital cameras, it means more people will give that look as though you are a tourist. I had two very obvious occasions of people looking at me: First was when I was taking photos and someone from the 2nd storey stalled down and the second was this cleaner looking over my shoulder when I took photos of the dessert.

I don't quite get it, people don't mind when girls take photos of their face 20 times in a row with a pathetic webcam, so what's so bad about taking photos of food and the stalls?

Anyways, I'm gonna blog about this stall as it really has nothing much to say about it, which is a good indication. I have heard rather average review about this stalls Grass Jelly- Many complimented it for its smooth texture but there's some that complain about its lack of taste. I have to agree with them, sadly.

Grass Jelly, $1.30

So, there it is, the much debated about Grass Jelly, it looks pretty normal. Well, I'm gonna admit, I seriously don't know how to know the quality of Grass Jelly via its look.

So the Grass Jelly was really very smooth like how people say, it just slurps down to your throat, really nice for a hot day. However, the taste is barely dare, just enough to remind you. Like "Hey, this is Grass Jelly, not water!" So it was really bad, not gonna have this ever again. (2/5- Really tasteless bowl of chin chow, for me at least) And surprise, surprise! This is the shortest post I ever wrote! Really can't think of much to write here anyways...

Zhao An Granny Grass Jelly
01-58 Golden Mile FC
11am-7pm
Closed alt Sundays

Astons: Sirloin Steak For A Patty?

2009-10-04T03:38:00.000-07:00

(P.S. The photos will be of very bad quality, as those who said will come and bring digital cameras all didn’t come in the end.)

Ok you guys, this trip to Astons, I said about it like 3 weeks ago? And many of you guys told me about how much interest you have to go there, pestering me to go to the place earlier. However, only 2 came. A failed trip in terms of organising, but the food is the most important!

So yup, like 10 guys were supposed to go, and only 2 went. Never mind that, the food is all that really matters! So I got to say that I don’t frequent East Coast much, so trying to find the directions to that place was quite a headache. So in the end we decided to take the train from Yio Chu Kang to Newton, then walk a distance then take 48, then alight in Marine Parade and walk to the place! So, when reaching Newton, I was a little worried. My sense of direction is pretty damn bad and here’s evidence that what I just said is true: The whole time, we were walking to other directions of where the bus stop was. There was a map provided outside the MRT station, but it showed Singapore from Newton all the way to Marina Bay, in other words, it was way too vague to be of any help. Luckily, we went back to the right direction and finally got to the right place! So we took the bus and had to go through 2 expressways before finally reaching out destination.

The Indonesian restaurant that we went past!

Katong... Prison?

The real Katong Mall!

And here’s where the real horror start. Katong Mall was nowhere in sight! Well, according to directions, Astons is right opposite Katong Mall but all we could see was 1 Marine Parade! So we tried looking around and asking for directions, but no one we asked knew. Never mind! We went to walk around then we saw this interesting Indonesian food restaurant! It had a cute little chicken as mascot! So to clear our boredom, we took a picture of it. Anyways we started to get a little desperate when the place looked more and more like Johor. So, we saw the first building that we thought was Katong Mall. However the Place look more like a prison than a shopping mall, so there was doubts and nothing other than that, really. Walked a little more and we finally saw the real Katong Mall! We were so damn happy we just took pictures of it, kind of like how mountain climbers take photos when they reach the summit? And sure enough, Astons was just opposite, across the traffic light! So we quickly went there and got what we were waiting to try for like 3 weeks: the ieat Super Burger!

Look at that brown-ness...

The lamp I was talking about.

Oh yeah, on that day, that was grade 12 wagyu beef!

When we went there, we were brought to our seats, the environment was really… Brown. I know that they’re trying to make the environment seem very old time west, but still I think they should have some other color other than brown! They used this lamp they was actually pretty damn nice, but could do without all those patterns. Also, I think that they should really change the way the waiters and waitresses are dressed. The simply wore a cap, an apron and a plain white t-shirt with “Astons” written in black on the back. WAY too plain man… Something I want to note is the place we sat was next facing Katong Mall, and there’s a clear window. So people in double decker buses were looking at us when were eating our burger, a really weird kind of experience (Though I don’t mind making them jealous!).

Onion rings, $1.80.

We then got ourselves some soda and onion rings for starter. The onion rings were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside! The breading was not too thick and you could really get the bread taste! A really nice way to start and I was already quite impressed!

Vernon's burger (Left) and mine (Right). Somehow, I have to get the messier looking burger... $12.50

Gives you an idea of how big the burger was, huh?

So, we finally get our burger! It was HUGE, plain huge! To explain how huge it is, it was the first burger I ever can’t just eat using my bare hands and have to use fork and knife.

The burger had:

1. XL Soft Sesame Seed Bun
2. Freshly chopped sirloin steak pattie 2oogm, medium done
3. Astons homemade Smoked Hickory BBQ sauce
4. 2 slices of cheese
5. 2 rashers of streaky bacon - grilled to crispy
6. Lightly battered, crispy fried onion rings
7. Lettuce
8. Tomatoes
9. Mayonnaise

For some reason, the fried egg that was supposed to be there wasn’t in the burger, and I was pretty disappointed by that. Also, I find that the burger buns was a little too hard. However, I simply love the fried onions! It is like eating those fish batter bits with pepper on it, but onion flavoured! However, I would be happier if they were cook more evenly as some sides were too soft and some were pretty hard. The beef was really juicy, sweet and a hint of saltiness. It has a really nice smoked flavor! The very fact that they actually uses a sirloin steak for a patty is a big thumbs-up! However, how about using other cuts, like say, tenderloin? I don’t mind paying a higher price if it tastes better! The mayonnaise was not overpowering and blends in really well with the rest of the burger! I would say that this is the best burger I had ever eat, if only there was the egg, the buns was not so hard and if the fried onion were cooked more evenly, it would be a really heavenly burger. (4.25/5- Would be a lot much higher in ratings if not for all those little problems that could be easily corrected.)

One thing I was really glad was that the prices on the menu had included in the GST! There was no service charge! So all that food and it was only $29.80 for 2 people! Really a place that serves quality and value for money food, like what their slogan says! I’m definitely coming here again, but most probably not so soon.

The receipt!

And when we go back, we realize how stupid we were; we walked around the place to get there when we could simply cut through a building and save all that time! But it’s ok! At least we know the right way to get there from now on!

Vernon photo gallery!

Oh, and when we went there, there was this stairs on the overhead bridge that lead to nowhere!

Astons Specialties
www.astons.com.sg

119 East Coast Road (opposite Katong Mall)
91474627