Friday 30 August 2013

A.I.O buffet...

In case anyone has been wondering what A.I.O is, it simply means 'All In One'. So what sort of a buffet is a 'All In One' buffet? That will be something that we will be finding out today. :)

Just for the starters alone, one of my friends have already gone all out placing
orders for the different types of 'Cze Char' dishes. Since this is a buffet
dinner, I do agree that we should be giving as many types of dishes a try as
possible. Therefore, I also go ahead placing a few orders for some ala carte
dishes too. :P
Over here, not only they are preparing and serving common 'Cze Char' dishes like
'Sambal Kangkong', 'Pork Fried with Dried Chilli', 'Spring Rolls', 'Ngor Hiang',
etc... But they have also listed down some other unique 'Cze Char' dishes like
'Rojak Chicken', 'Curry Leaf Chicken', 'Bacon Prawn Roll', 'Assam Sotong',
etc... And basically there's a mixture of yummy and normal dishes. As for myself,
I'm not comfortable with the 'Stir Fried Kangkong with Fermented Bean Curd'.
I prefer the normal 'Sambal Kangkong' even much more and the taste of the
'Rajak Chicken' is kinda funky too. :P But dishes like 'Deep Fried Seafood Tofu'
are pretty good. One thing that I have observed would be the generous portion
that they are offering over here. At list, it have proven that each individual
dish is big enough to feed/share among the 4 of us.

This is the main reason why I wanted to give this place a try. Rather than
sharing 1 big pot among a group of people, they are providing each of us a
decent steamboat pot. Therefore it means that the more people you have in a
group, the more types of soup that you can try in one go. Isn't that great?
Basically we ended up trying 4 different types of soup and they are 'Tom Yum',
'Herbal Chicken', 'Fish' and 'Chicken' soup. Being a soup guy, I personally
find the taste of the soup to be a little bit too bland. Though it does manage
to bring out the unique taste of each soup, but it's just simply not strong
enough for my liking.

However, I do find the ingredients that they are offering over here to be
pretty interesting. On top of the normal stuff like 'Slice Beef', 'Slice Fish',
'Golden Mushroom', etc... they also have stuff like 'Fish Noodles', 'Squid Glue',
'Fish Glue', etc... After a bit of struggling, I decided to give the 'Fish
Noodles' a try. (That is the long whitish Noodle that I have shown in the above.)
When the waitress pass us the noodles, it was kinda shocking. Rather than giving
us a plate of 'Noodles', it was more of a bag of 'Fish paste' with a small
opening. The idea behind it works pretty much the same way as the piping bag
that you are using to squeeze all the cream onto your cake. But rather than
squeezing the 'Fish Paste' onto a cake, you have to squeeze it into the pot.
The end product is delicious. The 'Noodles' doesn't have the strange 'fishy'
smell and it's pretty chewy too. Not too bad for a 'Fishy Noodles'. :P

By the way, remember to set some empty space in your stomach for...

'Ice Cream'
They are offering 3 different ice cream flavours over here and it's mainly,
'Vanilla', 'Strawberry' and 'Chocolate'. But that's not all...

'Durian Oozee'
No wonder they have limited 1 order of the 'Durian Oozee' per customer.
This is fantastically delicious. The idea behind this dessert is pretty
much similar to a normal 'Goreng Pisang'. However, the crispy crust is
unbeatable and the strong 'Durian' filling is pretty smooth too. :P
(To avoid any disappointment, do take note that the 'Durian Oozee' are
available on Fridays, Weekends, Eve & on Public Holidays only.)

'Chocolate Fondue'
I think that we have ended up trying all the different types of dessert
that was listed on their menu that night. As for this dessert, I think that
the waitresses over here really know how to tempt the customers. Rather
than providing us with a pot of hot chocolate, they have provided us a
steamboat pot with a lump of chocolate in the middle of the pot instead.
And we are suppose wait for the chocolate to melt slowly... =.="""
Just the thought of it makes me hungry again...

So where can you give the 'A.I.O' buffet a try?
The name of this place would be 'The Rajah Inn'.
It's located on level 2 of 'Tiong Bahru Plaza'.

Notes:
  • Opening Hours:
    11:30 - 22:00 Daily
    (Last order at 21:30)

    Teochew Porridge Buffet:
    11:30 - 14:30
    Steamboat ala carte (A.I.O) buffet:
    17:30 - 22:00

* Click here to find out more about 'The Rajah Inn'.
^ Click here for the 'Facebook' page of 'The Rajah Inn'.

Thursday 29 August 2013

A Cheesy Submarine...

I was strolling towards 'Toa Payoh MRT station' and I happen to see this cute signboard with the shape of a 'Submarine'. It ended up to be a 'Fast Food restaurant' and since I still have a bit of space in my stomach, I decided to give this 'Fast Food restaurant' a go. :D

'Oregano Submarine Set Meal'
I ended up placing an order for the 'Oregano Submarine Set Meal'. Even though
they have given it a name with 'Submarine', but the appearance of the burger
itself isn't big enough and my eyes didn't pop out. :|

Even though I'm not a 'French Fries' guy but I can frankly tell you that the
'Fries' over here are pretty good. First of all, the 'Fries' are crunchy and
at the same time not too salty. And the cooks over here have covered the
'Fries' with a thick layer of 'Cheese'. By the way, the term 'Thick' over here
not only refers to the texture of the 'Cheese', the taste of the 'Cheese' is
irresistibly strong too. :P

As for the 'Submarine' itself, the taste and the texture of the 'Chicken'
were pretty normal and it's not exciting enough. In fact, I personally
think that the 'Fries' were much more better than the 'Submarine' itself.
But looking at the environment of this place, I think that it's a pretty
good place for a group of friends to gather and do some catching up.
You can simply order a few portion of 'French Fries' and share it among
yourself. :D

So where can you give these 'Fast Food' a try?
The name of this 'Fast Food restaurant' would be 'Yellow Submarine'.
It's located in 'Toa Payoh Central'.

Notes:
  • Opening Hours:
    10:30 - 22:30 Daily
* Click here to find out more about 'Yellow Submarine'.
^ Click here for the 'Facebook' page of 'Yellow Submarine'.
~ Click here for the location of 'Yellow Submarine' on 'Google Maps'.

Wednesday 28 August 2013

More handmade Balls... :P

I don't think I still need to stress how much love I have for Noodles, therefore I shall move to the main subject immediately. :P

'Fishball + Meatball Kway Teow(Rice Noodles)'
For no particular reason that day, I ended up visiting and having my dinner at
this food centre. Since it was a public holiday, therefore more than 50 percent
of the stalls were closed for business. I ended up choosing this stall mainly
because of the long queue of customers queueing outside this stall and it's one
of the 'Noodles' stall (or probably the only one?) that is open for business.

From the look of it, one can easily identify the handmade 'Meat Balls' and
'Fish Balls'. Basically, the shape of a machine made 'Balls' are much more
circular in shape but the ones over here are much more irregular in shape.
For a start, the taste of the soup isn't fantastic enough and it's kinda boring.

As for the 'Kway Teow', I think that too much sauce has been added into the bowl
and even with a bit of mixing, the texture of the 'Kway Teow' still ended up to
be a bit wet and soggy. Therefore, probably their speciality are the yellow colour
'Noodles' and not the 'Kway Teow'. But on the other end, I think that the 'Balls'
are pretty good. The texture of both types of 'Balls' are pretty bouncy and the
'Balls' doesn't come with the strange fishy or meaty smell, which is a very big (+).

So where can give the delicious 'Balls' a good try?
The name of this stall would be 'Song Kee Kway Teow Noodle'(松记粿条汤).
The stall is located inside 'Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Food Centre'.

Notes:
  • Opening Hours:
    10:30 - 00:00
    (Closed on Alternate Wednesdays)
* Click here for the list of delicacies that you can find and get in
  'Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Food Centre'.
* Click here for the location of 'Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Food Centre' on 'Google Maps'.

Eating this for the first time

Even though I love to eat noodles, but this is my first go at this and I'm fascinated with it. :D

'Ban Mian (Dry)'(板面(干))
I guess this would be the first time I'm eating the dry version of a bowl of
'Ban Mian'. Although for a start, the taste of the soup itself isn't impressive
enough. Although, it appears to be a bit flowery, but the taste is kinda dull
and it's not strong enough.

Okay, time to dig into the Noodles... But, before you dig in, please stir all
the ingredients thoroughly first. So that you would get something like the
following...

After spending a bit of time stirring, it's time to dig into the Noodles.
It seems that the sauce that the stall helper have added into the bowl
seems to be a mixture of dark soya sauce + something else. Although it's
a bit salty, but it's a level that everyone could accept. As for the Noodles
itself, the texture of it are pretty springy and chewy. :D Even though the
uncle at the stall has only added ingredients like egg, vegetables, 'leaned
meat' and 'ikan bilis' into this small little bowl of Noodles, but the
taste is heavenly good. In fact, I think that the taste of this wouldn't
lose out to the much more common options like 'Fishball Noodles' or 'Minced
Meat Noodles'. :D

So where can you give the Noodles a try?
The name of this stall would be
'He Jia Huan Ban Mian Mee Hoon Kway'(合家歡板面麵粉過).
The stall is located inside 'Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Food Centre'.

Notes:
  • Opening Hours:
    I'm not really sure myself, but it seems that they are closed on Mondays and most likely they are opened for lunch and dinner.
* Click here for the location of 'Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Food Centre' on 'Google Maps'.

More Dim Sum coming your way...

I personally felt that Chinese food can be pretty costly too. Especially when the topic that we are talking about revolve around 'Dim Sum'. Therefore for big eaters like me, if I really really want to fill my stomach with lots of 'Dim Sum', it could easily cost me a bomb. Therefore, there's a period of time where I have been keeping a lookout for various type of 'Dim Sum' buffet and giving some of them a try. And this is one of the better ones...

Over here, they have starters like the above.

Left: '潮州豬腳凍'(Chilled Pork Knuckles in Jelly)
Right: '炸三文魚片'(Fried Salmon Fish Slices)
The 'Chilled Pork Knuckles in Jelly' aren't to my liking. I think that there isn't
a nice balance between meat stuff and the jelly ingredients. Therefore though it's
an appetizer, but the taste isn't great enough.

As for the 'Fried Salmon Fish Slices', the texture is pretty much similar to the
Prawn Crackers out there. It's pretty crispy and at the same time not too oily.
Which is probably one of the main reasons why the both of us could wipe out 2 plates
of this easily. :)

They also have local delights like the following.

Left: Century Egg Porridge(皮蛋粥)
Right: Laksa
Well, eventually I'm here for the 'Dim Sum' and not for the local delights.
Therefore, I didn't have high expectations for these dishes. But the chefs over
here have managed to bring out the taste and the looks of these local dishes. :D

I guess these 2 items are meant to be the key highlights of the buffet over here.

Left: Abalone Wasabi Kueh Pie Tee(金杯沙律鮑魚) & Peking Roasted Duck(北京烤鴨)
Right: Shark Fin Soup With Crab Meat(蟹肉魚翅)
I don't really like the taste of 'Wasabi'. Although it have been categorised as
a spicy ingredient, but I personally find the taste of 'Wasabi' to be choking
then spicy. And over here, the strong taste of 'Wasabi' have covered the taste of
the ingredients completely that I couldn't really taste the seafood ingredients.
As for the 'Roasted Duck', it's not something really that special. But the taste
of the 'Shark Fin' are pretty decent and acceptable. On top of that, the texture
isn't too gluey.

They also have all these nice yummy steam 'Dim Sum'.

Left: Chicken Feet(鳳爪) & Beancurd Roll(腐皮卷)
Right: Shrimp Dumpling(蝦餃)
All the steamed 'Dim Sum' over here are pretty good. Just for the 'Shrimp
Dumpling' alone, the chefs are pretty generous and they have added lots of
shrimps into each individual piece. On top of that, the skin of it isn't
too thick, which makes the overall experience a pretty good one.

On top of the common 'Char Siew Bao'(叉燒包), they also have some other special
Chinese Buns too.

Left: Black Sesame Paste Bun(黑芝麻包)
Right: Custard Egg Bun(黃金流沙包)
Time for some smileys. :D Although these were merely chinese buns with a
different type of paste inside, but the taste of these buns are amazingly good.
The texture of these buns are pretty fluffy and soft. On top of that, I kinda
like the 'Black Sesame Paste' inside the bun. It's not as sticky as what I
have expected and on top of that, the taste of the paste isn't too heavily
strong. As for the 'Custard Bun', probably I have been trying out different types
of 'Custard Egg Bun' for the past few weeks, therefore although the taste of this
is pretty good, but it's just not exciting enough for me. But I do like the way
they are preparing this. They have stuffed the 'Pandan'-flavoured bun with a nice
blend of custard and egg yolk, which not only smells good, the taste is pretty
good too. :D

But wait, that's not the end of the list. They also have desserts too.

Desserts like Chilled Mango Pudding(香芒布丁) & Herbal Jelly(蜜糖龟苓膏) are
included too. But I personally find the taste of the 'Herbal Jelly' to be
too thin. Although the texture is correct, but I would taste much more better
if they can increase the bitter taste even much more further.

So where can you give the 'Dim Sum' Buffet a try?
The name of this restaurant would be 'Swatow Seafood'(汕頭).
It's located next to the library in 'Toa Payoh Central'.

Notes:
  • Opening Hours:
    08:00 - 22:30 Daily
    High Tea 'Dim Sum' Buffet: 15:00 - 17:00
  • By the way, try to get a seat as close to the kitchen as possible. Rather than giving you a menu and let you choose the list of 'Dim Sum' that you want to try, the waitresses will be pushing the trolleys loaded with different types of 'Dim Sum' around the place. Therefore one has to be swift and quick before everything is ... GONE.
  • By the way, I didn't took the photos of all the 'Dim Sum' that we have eaten that day. I think we have tried around 30 different types of 'Dim Sum' and they also have the crispy 'Prawn Dumpling'(蝦角), fried 'Durian', 'Siew Mai'(燒賣), etc...
* Click here to find out more about 'Swatow Seafood'(汕頭).
^ Click here for the location of 'Swatow Seafood'(汕頭) on 'Google Maps'.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

It's infamous, but...

it's not as good as what how I have pictured it. I have heard and seen numerous stories/feedbacks indicating how good the 'Prawn Noodles' over here are, but...

'Prawn Kway Teow'(Dry)
There's a reason why I have always gone for the dry version of 'Noodles'. This
is mainly due to the fact that only by ordering the dry version of the 'Noodles'
then you can savour the original taste of the 'Soup'. Take note, sometimes it's the
soup that gives the overall dining experience an excellent one.

As for the soup that they have prepared over here, it comes with a strong concentrated
taste of 'Prawns' and 'Pork'. Hence it's very tasty and sweet. And the fresh prawns and
the slices of lean meat are pretty good, as compared to the dull bowl of 'Noodles'.
Therefore, in conclusion, I personally thinks that the star of the 'Prawn Noodles' over
here would most likely be the 'soup' that they have prepared. As for the 'Noodles' I
think that it still have a long way to go. :)

So where can you give the noodles a try?
The name of this stall would be 'Noo Cheng Adam Road Big Prawn Noodle'(亞当路大蝦麺).
It's located inside 'Adam Road Food Centre'.


Notes:
  • 07:00 - 21:00 Daily
* Click here for the list of delicacies that you can find and get in 'Adam Road Food Centre'. ^ Click here for the location of 'Adam Road Food Centre' on 'Google Maps'.

Close to a year has passed and this still remains to be the biggest in Singapore...

Speaking of 'Pizzas', rather than winding up their business due to the strong and strict competition, it seems that there are more and more new places/restaurants offering good 'Pizzas'. However...

despite of the number of new competitors, this still remains to be the biggest.
A 21' Pizza (Half 'Pancetta' and Half 'Suprema'). Try beating that. :P
Anyway it's time for the best part of this post. It's time to eat and savour it.
On one end, we have the 'Suprema' flavour. This flavour still remains to be pretty
delicious and filling. There's a good mix of 'Sausages', 'Shitake Mushroom', 'Onion'
and minimum amount of 'Red Chilli'. Not only it's slightly a bit fiery, the
ingredients are chewy and the 'Onions' have added a crunchy touch to each individual
slice of the 'Suprema' flavour 'Pizza'.

And on the other end, we have the 'Pancetta' flavour. The chef have completely
covered this other side of the 'Pizza' with 'Tomatoes', 'Bacon' and a 'Soft Egg'. So
what's a 'Soft Egg'? It has the appearance of a 'Sunshine Egg', but the 'Egg Yolk' is
half cooked. While tearing a slice of 'Pizza' from this end, one has to be extra
careful. If you are not careful enough, you might be spilling out the juicy 'Egg Yolk'
unintentionally. Taste wise, I still prefer the 'Suprema' flavour since the meaty
ingredients are far more visible and juicy. However, the idea of adding 'Soft Egg' to
a 'Pizza' can be pretty interesting though. :P.
(Anyway I wonder if it's due to the fact that my first encounter with the 'Pizza' were
late at night at around 9+, therefore the chefs were giving and adding much more
ingredients to the 'Pizza' as compared to my 2nd encounter. Hmm.... I wonder...)

So where can you give the biggest 'Pizza' in Singapore a try?
The name of this restaurant would be 'Peperoni Pizzeria'.
This seems to be the first branch that was opened in Singapore back then and it's
located along 'Greenwood Avenue'.

Notes:
  • Operating Hours of all the branches:
    Mondays - Saturdays: 12pm - 10:30pm
    Sundays: 11am - 10:30pm
    (Might be closed on Public Holidays. Contact them to avoid disappointment.)
* Click here to find out more about 'Peperoni Pizzeria'.
^ Click here for the Facebook Page of 'Peperoni Pizzeria'.
~ Click here for my first encounter with 'Peperoni Pizzeria'.

Tuesday 20 August 2013

A chilling alternative for Tiger Beer

Getting sick with the amount of beer that you have been drinking over the past few days? How about giving something new a try and at the same time you still can enjoy the taste of the good old 'Tiger Beer'.

For a start, the Ice Cream flavours that they are preparing the selling over here are uniquely
Singapore. There's flavours like 'Ice Kacang', 'Kopi', 'Teh Tarik', 'Bandung', 'Chendol'
etc... And I have given some of the flavours a try before placing my orders and one of them
would be the interesting flavour 'Tiger Sorbet'. It really comes with a very concentrated
taste of 'Tiger Beer'. Therefore if you want your 'Ice Cream' fix and your 'Beer', you should
really give this place a good try.

2 Scoops of Ice Cream
Choice of flavours - 'Coconut Swirl' and 'Chendol'
For a start, the 'Coconut Swirl' isn't good enough. Although it has a nice aroma and a nice
'Coconut' taste, but it doesn't have the magical touch that can amaze me and my taste bud.
As for the 'Chendol' flavour, they seems to have chosen the old-school 'Pontong' 'Red Bean'
'Ice Cream' as the base and mixed it with some of the ingredients that you are getting in a
bowl of 'Chendol'. This is an interesting and delicious flavour, especially for the big
fans of 'Red Beans' like me.

So where can you give the interesting 'Ice Cream' flavours a try?
'The name of this place would be 'Island Creamery'.
They seems to have a few outlets islandwide.
The photo shown in the above was taken at the 'Serene Centre' outlet.

Notes:
  • Operating Hours:
    Sundays - Thursdays: 11:00 - 22:00
    Fridays, Saturdays, Public Holidays: 11:00 - 23:00
  • Seems that most of the outlets do follow the opening hours stated in the above but there are some exceptions too.
* Click here to find out more about 'Island Creamery'.
^ Click here for the 'Facebook' Page of 'Island Creamery'.

A drink that is Sweet and Spicy... :D

A nice beverage will be needed when you are having a good meal. Not only it could help you to digest your food better, it could quench your thirst too. And it's not a must that the beverages have to be pretty boring, it can ended up to be something interesting too. For example...

'Teh Halia'
This is pretty much similar to the normal 'Teh' or 'Tea with Milk' that one can get
in almost all the 'Coffee Shop' in Singapore. However, a special ingredient have
been added into this beverage to boost the taste of it even much more further. And
the special ingredient would be 'Ginger'.

By adding a few slices of 'Ginger' into the kettle of 'Tea' and boiling them together,
the spicy taste of the 'Ginger' will blend into the 'Tea' nicely. And if you have
topped it with a nice portion of milk, the end product will become sweet and spicy.
Therefore, this not only makes it a good alternative for cold and rainy days, it also
can help you to get rid of throat and nose congestion. Isn't that nice? :D

Let's take a look at the drinks menu of this stall.
(So many options and where should I start?)

So where can you give the nice 'Teh Halia' a good try?
The name of this stall would be 'Taj Mahal Drinks Stall'.
It's located inside 'Adam Road Food Centre'.

Notes:
  • Opening Hours:
    08:00 - 22:00 Daily
* Click here for the location of 'Adam Road Food Centre' on 'Google Maps'.

Monday 19 August 2013

Remaking the Claypot Rice

Some dishes have a very long history behind it and it ain't an easy task trying to break away from the same old method of preparing the dish and coming up with a new way of preparing it. However...

'Water Chestnut'
For a start, the taste of the 'Water Chestnut' are pretty refreshing for
a warm day.

'Stone Pot Chicken'(香香鸡肉)
Doesn't this dish looks beautiful to you? There's a nice mixture of different
colours. Ingredients like 'Special Marinated Chicken', 'Sliced Salted Fish,'
'Sausage', 'Mushroom' and 'Vegetable' have been added into this dish.

When it comes to 'Claypot Rice', who could forget about the important soy sauce?

With a lot of tedious stirring, I finally managed to stir all the ingredients
inside the 'Stone Bowl' nicely together. Here comes the nice part about this dish.

The taste of this is pretty much similar to a normal 'Claypot Rice' and unlike the
normal 'Claypot', this does not have the problem of the rice sticking onto the bowl.
Therefore like some of my friends, if you really love the taste and the texture of
the overcook, crispy rice, you could really savour it till the very last bit over
here. On top of the crispy rice, each individual bite also comes with a nice
fragrance of 'Salted fish' and a good mix of the sweet ingredients listed in the
above. Even though the portion of 'Claypot Rice' that I'm getting over here are much
more smaller than the regular ones, but I don't need to worry about the bones of the
'Chicken' and I could really emptied the whole bowl without any wastage.

(By the way, as compared to any other types of bowl, the 'Stone Bowl' can keep
the food warm for a much more longer period of time, which is a big (+) :D)

'Stone Pot Sliced Pork'(片片猪肉)
Prefer 'Pork'? No worries! They have a similar dish that have replace all the
'Chicken' meat with sliced 'Pork' meat.

'Stone Pot Bacon & Cheese Rice'(奶酪熏肉)
They also have something cheesy for the cheese lovers.

'Stone Pot Chicken, Longans & Black Bean'(龙眼黑豆鸡汤)
They are using the 'Stone Bowl' to serve the soup too.

'Onion Cheese Mushroom Omelette'(洋葱煎蛋)
While preparing this dish, it seems that the ingredients are added one
by one, since the ingredients are separated and they are not sticking
together nicely.

'Mango Ice Cream'
The taste of the Mango Ice Cream is pretty thick and strong. Initially, we
were given the impression that the owner has prepared the 'Ice Cream' herself,
but she has confessed that the 'Ice Cream' were made by someone else and she
herself were pretty impressed with the quality of the 'Ice Cream'.
(Hmm... I wonder who's behind the nice 'Ice Cream' over here.)

So what's the name of this restaurant?
The name of this restaurant would be 'Signature Stone Restaurant'.
It's located along 'Havelock Road'.

Notes:
  • Opening Hours:
    11:00 - 22:00 Daily
* Click here to find out more about 'Signature Stone Restaurant'.
^ Click here for the 'Facebook' page of 'Signature Stone Restaurant'.
~ Click here for the location of 'Signature Stone Restaurant' on 'Google Maps'.