Voglio viaggiare per il mondo!

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Roti Prata, Blk 828 Tampines St. 81

There's a newly renovated coffeeshop at Blk 828, Tampines St. 81, which serves various foods, some which are above average. I wanted to try the godzilla bao from the dim sum stall. Went the day b4, and the auntie told me to come the next day, when the baos would be ready by 7am. So i went, and i was disappointed. had to wait until 11am. So instead, i tried the roti prata from the stall next door.

The pictures make the prata look so visually appealing, and the real deal did turn out looking fluffy and attractive. Taste-wise, it did not match up. Sometimes beauty and brains really dont go together. The chicken curry ($4 for a set with 2 plain pratas) was spicy enough, and the chicken thigh was tender and generous. One piece of potato and tomato are added. I liked that the curry was very characteristic of Indian curry (the spices used), and yet had the thickness of Chinese chicken curry. The prata (60cents for plain, $1.20 for egg) was disappointing, however, mainly due to the fact that it was not hot enough even though it was freshly made (can't understand why). The set, for me, is too heavy for breakfast, but if you just order the prata, the curry that comes along with it is just a waste of time.

Conclusion: There are better prata stalls around.
Roti Prata
Blk 828 Tampines St. 81

East Coast Lagoon Chicken Curry Puff

You would think that there’s nothing much to write about an old traditional Malay pastry. I thought so too. But not until you’ve tried the curry puff at East Coast Lagoon food centre. Thank goodness it’s $1 each – it means you can buy more and still have change. Don’t expect to stop at one, because they’re just too good to be true. Peel open the flaky crust and it’s like eating curry chicken with the gravy. The tongue-burning sensation is awesome when you eat the curry puff that's just out of the wok. The filling is generous, with visible chicken chunks. There was no egg though, but that makes it even more traditional and simple, so you can really taste the goodness of the pastry. The crust is very crispy and not too thick or floury, which makes the treat rather light and not too oily, despite the deep frying. Do not be disappointed when there are no curry puffs left at the store front, it only means the owner is frying more at the back (I asked the owner – they only close around 9 or 10pm). I only bought one to try and when I wanted to get more, there was nothing left. But the store lights stayed on, and it was to my great delight when a whole new batch of piping hot curry puffs was displayed. Got two more, one for photo-taking and one to eat right there and then. So have two, or three, and there’s no need to be afraid of the ‘jelat’ (too much of it) filling that you might get when eating fried stuff.

P.S.: The pictures are quite bad due to the lighting.




Lagoon Chicken Curry Puff
East Coast Lagoon Food Centre
Opened from 2:30pm - 9+ or 10pm

Friday, June 29, 2007

Botak Jones: Not for the weak-hearted

When half the country has been raving about a place, you don't just sit at home and think about it. At least make a trip down once to try the food, even if finding 1 branch (out of 5) that is located near the east is harder than striking lottery. Yup, the five branches of Botak Jones are at Tuas, AMK, Toa Payoh, Depot Lane and Clementi. The new branch that just opened at Depot Lane two months ago made things better, since two of us are working around Redhill/Queenstown area. The dinner crowd at the Depot branch is relatively slow, one of the guys at Botak tells us, so it's good to visit the Depot one for dinner. Avoid AMK and Clementi at all costs, or subject to waiting for 1hr for your food to arrive. That's easy for me, I wouldn't have been able to make my way to those two branches even if u had given me a map.

So when we arrived, we were handed a yellow menu (which can be found on their webbie) with lotsa descriptions of the food. Alvin found it a tad confusing, and suggested that they should add pictures to the menu. But the guy told us that the lack of pictures actually tied in with them not wanting customers to have visual images of the food b4 they try it, as it might change their expectations (cuz signboards usually display gorgeous photos that sometimes turn out quite differently from what is in front of you). As such, they will be able to over-deliver. Actually, they do have pictures - on their website. And with so much talk about Botak Jones, i'm sure ppl have high standards for the place, even without pictures on the menu. We did. And we were not let down. But it was not all a bed of roses. I ordered the fish and chips, Daniel had the cajun chicken, Alvin ordered the rosemary lamb chop and we had a triple cheese beef burger to share.

Before the food is served, you'll be given a whole range of condiments. We loved the selection - there was mustard, horseradish, chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, malt vinegar and hp sauce (the last two are our favs, although i cant figure out what hp stands for). First up was the fish and chips. I ordered the regular ($6), which consisted of two pieces of fish (don't go expecting 2 pcs, they actually go by the weight), a whole lot of their mmm-melicious seasoned fries, huge serving of coleslaw and homemade tartar sauce. Portion is quite big, so i was wondering what their large ($10) would look like. The fries are addictive i tell u..amazing seasoning with the right amount of salt and spice. Dip them in malt vinegar to enjoy fish and chips in true London fashion. The coleslaw was pleasantly creamy and easy to down. There was only cabbage in it, no carrots, so it lacked the crunchy bite. But i liked it, cuz you kinda eat it without realising you're eating it - note to self: that's bad for the calorie intake. I enjoyed their tartar sauce. It's different from your filet-o-fish types with the pickles, and there is only a very subtle tinge of vinegar. It was time to try the fish. First bite resulted in total disappointment. I could pick up a filet from the supermarket and fry it myself. No needa comment on the freshness, 'fresh' is hardly associated with frozen fish. I don't know why i read so many raving comments about the fish & chips. What was everyone thinking? Have u not eaten fish and chips b4? Good fish and chips should be made with a thicker, fluffier fresh dory fried in batter that evokes a buttery yet crispy sensation. I ended up just dipping the fish into malt vinegar and hp sauce to improve the taste. The pictures look good though (click to see larger view) - as the Cantonese may say "ho tai m ho sek" or the Hokkien "hor kua bor hor jia". I think i totally got both the sayings wrong, not a very dialect person..haha..but you noe what i mean. Anw the guy looked quite scared when he saw me taking pictures of the food - he thought i was a reporter...
Next up was Alvin's rosemary lamb chop, cooked to a nice medium. he opted for the 300gm order, which came up to $14.50, definitely reasonable for lamb. The 200gm portion costs $11, and i think that would result in two pieces of lamb chop. Same generous serving of fries and coleslaw (comes with every plate set). The lamb chop was covered in mushroom gravy and on the side, mint sauce was included which i felt was rather special because sometimes even at restaurants they dont provide mint sauce. The lamb was very tasty, and cooked to a nice heat. I loved that you could taste the lovely char-grilled flavor of the lamb. It was a little tough to cut, but wonderful to chew on. Lamb goes really well with mint - perhaps if mint leaves were added during the grilling the taste would be even better.

The cajun chicken ($7.50 for regular, $12.50 for large) i thought was not too bad. It is grilled with mozerella cheese and topped with their own spicy cajun sauce. Definitely one of the better and higher quality grilled chicken breasts (if they used the chicken thigh it would have tasted more tender, but will def cost more) you can find in a coffee shop setting. The sauce is very special, but i felt that it was not spicy and generous enough. And the cheese tends to coagulate after awhile, so it loses the nice melt kinda feeling. But overall, it's not sth you will regret ordering.



Another Botak Jones guy came to our table to check our receipt and see if we had anything else that was not served. Throughout the meal, they constantly came over to ask how the food was, if we were enjoying it, etc. True American Style. thumbs up for the service at Botak Jones. He saw that we still had a triple burger on the line, then he looked at us and asked "are you guys that hungry?" I told him that we came all the way from the east to try the food so no choice, must order everything. And how can we miss out on the star of the show? Actually, we asked them and they feel that their steak is the best on the menu. I think Daniel was hitting himself on the head cuz he actually wanted to go for the steak. Maybe next time. Prices for the steak are definitely steeper, but still value for money. Anw he was v happy that easterners came all the way to Depot, plus he is an eastie himself, so he said "like that i must give you a slice of cake". Alritttee! I know Botak Jones only serves cheesecake, and I've been cravin for cheesecake for sometime now. So what better dessert can I ask for? ;) Another thumb up (i'm running out of thumbs -__-) for the good service.

At this point, i must say that the food arrived pretty quickly cuz I asked the counter guy how long we had to wait and he said 15min. But my fish & chips came in about 1/2 the time. Finally, our triple burger (known as U-CRAZY-WHAT?! on the menu - $12 for the set) arrived. Yea man, really crazy. It's not manageable for one person for sure, so good thing we shared. Anw, just to note, the beef patties do not come wrapped in cheese like you see in their website. You have to add-on cheddar cheese (2 slices at $1 for each patty) or other add-ons like garlic sauteed shitake mushrooms and bacon (the whole list is in the menu) if you want. I suggested to the guy that they should add a portobello mushroom on their single Botak burger as a fixed ingredient..hopefully we'll see it soon. The juice of the mushroom will marinate the beef very well. Maybe next time i'll try the single Botak with the mushrooms, cheese, onions, bacon and a fried egg. ;) When i asked the guys if they wanted cheese, they looked at me as if i was crazy. "YA LA!" was their reaction... ....so anw I took the top patty (couldn't wait any longer) which was beautifully coated in cheddar. The first bite was absolute bliss. It was sensational. We all had the same reaction with the first bite. Alvin decided that Botak Jones is so much better for the red meat than the white. Not the best burger around (have you tried Aston's?), but good enough. Its one of the better ones (although i thought they should have grilled the bun..it was quite soggy..but then again with the triple deck u hardly have any room left for the bun - with the single patty the bun should def be grilled with a little butter), and you dont get such hand-made burgers in Singapore readily. Each patty is a generous 150gm of handformed beef. With melted cheddar on top, you cant really go wrong with such a combination. Yes, heaven DOES exist.
Last but not least, we had to try the complimentary cheesecake (priced at $4/slice). He gave us a slice of chocolate cheesecake to share and I couldn't stop man. 1/4 way through, Alvin gave up. But I was still going strong. So bloated yet so uncontrollable. I felt that the cheese flavor was not strong enough, but the chocolate was just right. Not too sweet nor bitter. The crust at the bottom i really liked. But try to share, as it tends to get a little dry. All in all a great end to the meal.
So should you try this place? DEFINITELY, but leave the fish and chips out. It's still their most popular item on the menu, so maybe if you visit a different branch, you might wanna 'not listen to my advice'. But easties, dun count on them locating in the East just yet. At least not this year. The boss (Jones) actually had (and still has i think) restaurants opened in the East b4 Botak Jones, so the easterners alr know what the food is like. Thus he wants to venture to other parts of the island. The next branch that is opening soon will be at Woodlands... (why? tell me why??). So, if you wanna try the food, choose toa payoh (opened everyday of the week) or depot lane. We also found out that the toa payoh branch (located near SPH) comes with their own bar. Dang, should have gone to that one. The food would have been nice with a beer, if we weren't so full. The meal was very satisfying albeit the fish fiasco, so much so that i'm still full this morning.

Blk 118 Depot Lane
#01-02 Stall 10
Singapore 109754
Phone / Fax: 6272-3-225
Tuesday - Sunday 11:00 am-10:00 pm
Closed on Mondays
http://www.botakjones.com/

P.S.: Been trying alot of food this week and blogging quite regularly, so my health plan and exercise regime has been put on hold cuz i usually end up too full at night to run *shakes head*. All plans will resume tonight - 7km brisk walk/run and 3hrs gym each on sat & sun. But i doubt that my regular 6hours weekend gym routine is enough to get all that Botak Jones goodness off me. Argh.. the contradictions in life..the trials and tribulations that we hafta face.. detox here i come..

Thursday, June 28, 2007

"Chong Pang" Nasi Lemak, Food Republic, Vivo City: A lesson learnt to always go for the original

When you swear by food, the greatest disappointment hits when you get shitty food from stalls that tag the most famous names. This is exactly what i got from the fake Chong Pang at Vivo City. Not to mention exorbitant pricing! I think they should really state their food prices, it's quite unethical to charge unknowing customers such high prices just for nasi lemak, which doesn't even taste good. Even the well-known stalls like the real Chong Pang and the one at Adam Rd dun have the audacity to do that.

But i should've known, really. I saw another stall selling the famous Depot Road Claypot Laksa at $6.90, when the original one sells at $4/claypot. Besides, the lady b4 me, who ordered her rice with 3 types of vegetables had to pay $4.40. As i was looking down at my plate with sweet and sour chicken wings, ikan bilis (the fat flat kind) and cabbage, i started shaking my head. YUP! the cash register rang up $5.70. The uncle had insisted on leaving 2 wings and a drumstick on my plate, after my request not to give me so much, and telling me that he would charge me the same price even if i didn't take it. why would anyone eat 2 wings and a drum??

anw the lady after me...i was like woah when i saw her plate. On it there was an egg, a sausage, hash brown, luncheon meat, curry vegetables and a huge fried chicken drumstick. And when she reached the counter, the uncle asked if she would like the otah. She said yes! i was interested to know how much she had to pay for hers. so i lingered for awhile. the kaypoh Singaporean in me. $8.10!!! what kinda hawker nasi lemak costs $8.10?? yes, the variety is a lot, but i mean egg, sausage, luncheon meat? how much can that cost? Oh, and a side note: I dun think its good to eat so much for lunch, esp when one is kinda on the larger side.

But anw, let's get back to my food. i tried the cabbage first. not too bad..the usual economic rice type. v simple. (TOO SIMPLE FOR $5.70 - ok enough about the price-complaining). next i tried the rice. started shaking my head. i can taste a slight hint of coconut milk in the rice but that's about it. that's not how nasi in nasi lemak shld be. where's the fluffiness and fragrance of the coconut milk? the chilli was good, i must admit, so i ate it on its own. then i picked up the sweet and sour chicken drumstick. and to my horror of horrors, it was cold. not the leave-it-there-the-whole-morning kinda cold, more like freezing cold (excuse my somewhat over-the-top exaggeration). why would anyone serve customers sth like that? anyway, i tried it. if you're expecting woah it's good despite the coldness man..i'm sorry to disappoint. yup it was cold, terrible and tasteless. the sweet and sour sauce failed to flavor or marinate the chicken. the sauce itself was tasteless. pls stick to sweet and sour pork or fish btw. chicken (& chicken wings at that) just doesnt cut it with such a tangy type of sauce. next i tried the ikan bilis. the one at Holland Village is really good - very crispy and crunchy, and the spiciness is just right. this one is chewy, and uh..chewy.. and.. tough.. just dun try it. so, in the end, this is what i left on the plate: all the rice, remnants of the chicken (incl. 1 whole wing still intact) and the ikan bilis. I paid $5.70 to eat cabbage and chilli. Are we back to the price topic again? haha.

it's so easy to give a rating for this stall. and i never give ratings cuz i'm not expert enough. but here's my rating - 1.5/5. Remarks: A nice attempt at cooking cabbage and a darn mean chilli. Well done! *Disclaimer: I must put some blame on myself - perhaps i didn't order their more well-known dishes like the fried chicken wing and small ikan bilis, but i def wont be giving them another try! simple reason: the rice, and the PRICE. (i knew i shld've just ordered the bao from Bao Today, they were having black sesame baos too! but then again, "Chong Pang" has kinda spoilt the whole Food Republic's reputation in my book, since there are so many other 'famous' names in the food court. i wonder if they are real...




"Chong Pang Nasi Lemak" (Do us a favor and change the name pls)

Food Republic

Vivo City 3rd Floor

A nice treat

If you are an ice-cream lover like me, you'll be pleased to note that amongst the calorie-laden types of ice-creams like Ben&Jerry's (just mentioning B&J's makes me crave), Haagen Daaz and Italian gelato (no, it is not much healthier than the creamy types, unless you buy from Bravissimo where they swear by their 99% no fat policy), there exists a nice little quite healthy treat that you can get from any 7-11 store (it's a store & more! - k i'm mad). Master Bean ice cream. Some of you might have already seen it in the supermarkets, cuz i saw a box of 6 consisting of two green tea with red bean filling ice creams, two green tea with glutinous rice filling ice creams, and 2 other red bean ones (cant really remember) going at $4.45. I tried the red bean filling one, which is covered in a green tea ice shell. At 120 calories, it is the highest of the lot, but compared to 1 serving (1/2 cup) of B&J's, which is at 240 calories, it would still fit into a snack slot in most of our diets. The green tea ice has a very pleasant and subtle taste, so you dun get the anti-oxidant rush coming to you all at once like when drinking green tea itself. The red bean inside is not red bean ice cream, it's real red beans. very nice match because the red beans are kinda mashed so they provide the creamy feel to the otherwise 'ice' type of ice cream. I tried it straightaway after i took it out of the freezer. Like mochis, i think this one would taste better if it was a bit softer, cuz i was kinda biting through the ice cream, instead of it melting in my mouth. Leave it in the open for about 2-5 min and you should get a nicer softer option. Give it a shot on a hot day or for a afternoon snack!
Master Bean green tea ice cream with red bean filling

Available at all 7-11 stores ($1.20/stick) or
supermarkets (pack of 6, incl. other flavours) at $4.45 (price varies)

IMO one of the best rojaks in Singapore

Bedok Central (the hawker centre at Bedok Interchange) has a lot to boast about. Any self-respecting food blogger would have at least one post featuring one of the stalls in Bedok Central. And this is where mine comes in, although i'm no professional at food blogging. Just about six stalls down from Lee Kee goreng pisang, four stalls down from Hollywood desserts, and 2 stalls down from Katong (Tong Kee) laksa [ok...you get the idea], there's this stall called Qing Tian Niang Dou Foo. The very interesting thing about this stall is...they do not have yong tau foo for sale. From far i saw min. order $2, 20cents per pc. That's like 10pcs for $2. Since when did yong tau foo become so cheap? As i inched closer, i realised that it was really referring to rojak. In fact, no one really looks at that board, since they sell the rojak in different types of sets. I've eaten this quite a number of times but this is the first time i checked out the name of the stall. I always go for set B - $2 for 2 tau poks stuffed with bean sprouts and cucumbers, and a serving of you tiao.
With century egg and cuttlefish on the side, it costs $3.50. The sauce that accompanies really smacks your taste buds. The tangy heat from the chilli sauce and the savoury black dipping sauce never fail to hook me. The generous serving of chopped peanuts just add on to the already perfect combination. The rojak, which is really quite normal (although i must give credit to the nice crispiness of the tau pok and you tiao - BBQ-ed on the little griller), is brought to a whole new level cuz of the sauce. the chilli is quite spicy though..if you are not in love with spice as much as me, you might wanna ask for lesser chilli to be mixed with the sauce. one more thing.. you can ask for more sauce if you run out! i did (yes, it was that kinda 'so good it can be eaten on its own' sauce), and the lady gave another whole generous serving of chopped nuts! talk about satisfaction ;) Definitely a must-try for rojak lovers!
I actually went there specially to try Hollywood Desserts (although i've tried a spoonful of their ice jelly b4 - which was really refreshing i must say, but not enough for me to give a review), and of cuz to meet up with my long-time-no-see pal, Loong Huat, but i decided i was not in a dessert mood when i arrived. however, after my rojak escapade, i decided that i couldnt stand to see ppl queuing for the desserts and not having one myself. so i ordered the ice kachang ($1.50) despite LH tellin me that it was nothing special, esp since the uncle only added red bean and corn to it. I would think that this is not one of their best desserts, since i've heard raving comments about the chendol, soursop and ice jelly (which i will try in time to come). But I liked it. I'm not a very corn person, so what really sealed the deal was the red bean. it came in a mushy pasty form (rem i'm a paste-loving person!) but still had identifiable solid red beans in the mixture. The fragrance of the red beans went well with the flavoured ice and atap chee. but that's it. a nice alternative to the usual too-colourful ice kachang with chin chow jelly and the works. simple. true ice+kachang in its most basic form.
Qing Tian Niang Dou Foo, Hollywood Desserts

Bedok Central Hawker Centre

Bedok Interchange

"Toad-in-the-hole" aka "Egg in the basket"















This is an English concoction turned Singaporean. I was pleasantly surprised to find my first ever toad-in-the-hole in a not so pleasant bakery in Cheers, the branch just outside Tampines MRT station. I went there at like 11:30pm, hoping to grab a bun to satisfy my hunger fix, so u can imagine my delight when i chanced upon sth that i've been meaning to make for myself. The traditional toad-in-the-hole is a British dish comprising sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with vegetables and gravy. The other kind (the one i had) is a fried egg cooked within a piece of toast, usually buttered (for a healthier alternative, wholemeal bread may be used). What you do is you cut a hole in the bread, butter it, and pan fry. After the bread browns slightly, you crack an egg in the middle of the bread. You can then choose how well you want your egg done, or flip it both sides to crisp it. The result is like toast with a soft boiled egg in the middle. when eaten, the bread and egg yolk mix readily, and its kinda like dipping your bread into soft boiled eggs, the Singaporean way. The one i had, however, was quite substandard due to the timing at which i bought it. but when u have hunger pangs and its that late and you just finished training, you kinda dun really care whether the yolk is soft or hard. what i like about it is how they improvised it. instead of 1 slice of bread, 3 slices are used. the bottom slice is not cut, and ham & cheese is laid on top of it. next is the 2nd slice, in which a hole is cut. following that is the 3rd slice of bread where the egg is placed, right in the middle. if i'm not wrong, it is done separately and then put together, using the cheese that melts due to the heat of the egg to allow the bread to stick together. i only realised that there was ham and cheese after i bought it, so it was a bonus (i was wondering why they needa use 3 pcs of bread).
At $1.50, it is value for money and quite filling, although i ate steamed crabs, 1 mini cupcake and panna cotta when i got home..hehh. if you've never tried a toad-in-the-hole b4 and would like to, but you're too lazy to make one urself, you can give this one a shot. Just ignore the stall menders who are quite rude and the stale atmosphere of the place.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

my fav char kway teow

A self-proclaimed foodie, it is weird that i dun like garlic. but it really turns me off when i taste garlic chunks in my char kway teow, which happens very often. and i will never order from that store again. so it was to my great pleasure to be introduced to this char kway teow stall at golden mile food centre. the first thing you'll inevitably see is the pic of the char kway teow topped with lotsa chye sim. which is interesting cuz no stall in sg or msia does that. and it tastes invariably good too! a healthier alternative to the otherwise sinful dish. of cuz there's the cockles and ikan bilis (other unique factor) that adds to ur cholesterol and calories, but whats all that when u got a good plate of char kway teow to enjoy =) i love the addition of the ikan bilis, which i'm 100% sure u wont find anywhere else. sprinkle over the noodles to enjoy a crispy and crunchy sensation. adds to the saltiness of the char kway teow too. best of all..no garlic! i'm sure they use it, but at least i dun taste any.. i have to tag this one a must-try too ;)

91 Fried Kway Teow
Golden Mile Food Centre
11am to 9pm
Closed on Mondays

Meng Kee Satay Bee Hoon, East Coast Lagoon Food Centre

Why should i even bother giving my two cents' worth about this place? if i'm not wrong, everyone knows about it. I've eaten here since i was young, so it always puzzles me when ppl say they haven't tried it, or even heard about it. my take? go try it. at least ONCE. the peanut sauce is so creamy and good on its own. its like lapping up peanut paste in its spicy form. the generous helping of cuttlefish and cockles is a bonus. love the meat and liver. love the kangkong. love the beehoon =) Having it for supper last night made me realise how deprived i was..havent had this in like a year? i bought back a packet for my dad and i shared it with him! talk about not having enough. i like this stall too cuz the $2 portion is enough for me, even though prices go up to $5. but then again, you can never have too much of meng kee's satay beehoon. to think it was our 3rd choice of places to go to. 1st was old airport road for fu chou fishball noodles and oyster omelette: parked the car at the multi-storey car park, walked all the way down, realised all the stalls were closed - either they are relocating, or its cuz it's monday. 2nd was geylang for yong he and beef kway teow: went a few rounds and still failed to get a parking lot. since my previous meal was at 12noon, i really thought i was gg to pass out in the car, after which daniel will probably just roll me out and leave me along the roadside.

anw, back to meng kee's: i never fail to have sth to complain though. if you've seen the uncle making the beehoon, you'll know why the queue is so long. maybe it's just his style, but i am almost convinced that he is being slow on purpose. i cannot understand why he takes some meat and puts it on ur plate, then removes a piece, puts it back into his big bowl of meat, then takes the exact same piece and puts it back onto ur plate. and he does it repeatedly, for every single customer. oh well..the things in life...

Ming Kee Satay Bee Hoon

East Coast Lagoon Food Village

6pm to 11.30pm

Closed on Tuesdays

ABC Food Centre

We decided yest that we were gonna make our way to ABC food centre for lunch today, despite the distance. and coincidentally, i was reading the all-time famous ieatishootipost blog. plus some other blog that said the crispy roti prata is good. so being the ambitious me, i decided to give everything a go, in expectation that we might not come back to that food centre again, since it was quite far. turned out that it was actually about the same distance as AV market, so looks like we'll be going back to ABC more i guess ;) so anw, our famous doctor cum local food blogger got me all excited about the char siew rice at fatty cheong's and the char siew bao at bao zai, on top of my plan to try the crispy roti prata. like that how can? i have another list of desserts that i wanna try after reading his blog. so much for my health plan..yayy me.

so anw, let's start with the prata. there was no queue, which is good and bad. i decided to order just one plain prata ($0.60) to try (shld be enough to tell), since my boss gave me a plain of beehoon and a piece of carrot cake at 11:45am, just 15min b4 lunch (everything has to come at the same time). now the size of the prata = 4 mouthfuls. you cant tell from the pics cuz i took close-ups. i was staring at the prata and wondering how anything can be that small. ur normal prata would be 2-3 times the size of that at Crispy Roti Prata. perhaps any other day i would complain about portion size, but today, in anticipation that i got lotsa other food to try, i closed one eye. the prata is really nothing to shout about. i expected crispy, which would prob mean fluffy as well. nope..could hardly taste any hint of that texture through the 4 mouthfuls. curry was commendable, very fragrant and thick. not like the usual watery kinds. well, its the only prata stall at ABC, so i guess when ur prata cravin' hits and you're strutting around in the area, this stall should be enough to satisfy.



next i went to order the char siew and roast pork rice from fatty cheong's. after the fiasco from the roast duck rice stall at Alexandra Village, i was kinda skeptical about any other char siew stalls that people were raving about. but i thought, at $2.50, it was worth a shot. so i took a whack at it. and thank God i did. AMAZING. the tenderness in the meat combines perfectly with the thin layer of fat in the char siew. comparatively, the roast pork was way more fatty than the char siew, but just as succulent, and crispy. i must comment on the chilli sauce, the saltiness and spiciness of the chilli really grows on you. so good it can be eaten on its own. the black sauce that was poured over the meat was just as good. not too salty, just makes you wanna have more of it. i didn't finish the rice (see the pic with leftover rice) but i did scrape off everything that had the sauce on it. as i type i realise that they didnt give cucumbers..not complaining but just wondering why.


next the bloated me went to bao zai to grab one of their char siew baos ($0.50). mmm..b4 u even tear open the bao you can see the red char siew. for a bao 1/2 the size of your fist (everything seems to be small at ABC..heh), the filling is rather substantial. the roasted char siew comes with its fat, and i like it because the sauce is tasty and the meat is not over-dyed in the sauce. the bun is handmade, it's so soft and folded so neatly at the top you almost dun wanna tear it apart. but split it open and you will see in all its glorious splendour, a must-try char siew bao waiting for you to devour!

p.s.: vanessa says that the char siew bao at SMU's kopitiam ($0.40) is better. its the kind without the fat, redder, but the same size. i like small char siew baos which are more in line with the HK style. i must try it when i go back to school. which is not that soon. i hope =)


ABC Brickworks Food Centre


1) Crispy Roti Prata


2) Fatty Cheong


3) Bao Zai


6 Jln Bukit Merah

p.p.s.: i should really start blogging about my travels soon. that's the purpose of this blog and besides, there are some that are like a few years overdue. but i have to select photos and do some recollection, which might take me sometime.. ahh..procrastination strikes again..

Monday, June 25, 2007

AV market...again!

Promised to blog about the avocado juice stall next to mr. avocado..so here i am. the whole row of avocado juice stalls that i was talking about? i'm quite convinced that they all taste the same.. if there's any diff, its quite slight.. but i prefer mr. avocado cuz of the avocado bits and the juice is more fine..less 'sandy' than the stall next door. only thing is that they dun have a smaller order size. $2 is really too much..oh well, at least it tastes really good. anw the lady at mr. avocado was staring at me cuz when melissa was ordering from her and she asked me if i wanted anything, i said no. then i went to the next stall to order. heh.. so i wanted to walk away quickly after getting my drink..and guess what? i forgot to pay.. talk about embarrassment. but the uncle was quite nice..he asked me "u havent eaten rite?" haha..too weak to think properly..
so for lunch i finally tried the chee cheong fun and porridge that i saw sometime ago. they have quite a few varieties - fresh prawn ($2.80/2 rolls), char siew, vegetable or turnip ($2.30/2 rolls) - with regards to the chee cheong fun. porridge comes in the usual variants - sliced fish, minced pork, century egg, etc. The cool thing is you can order the chee cheong fun and porridge together as a set. but the porridge here is standard, comes with some minced pork and century egg.
i ordered the char siew set, which cost only $3.
i would say its value for money, although i didnt finish the porridge, which was more or less what you can get at other stalls. The chee cheong fun is rather special, besides the char siew filling, they put lettuce as well. i would prefer it with more sauce (it's a light kinda sauce, not the dark one) though..perhaps you can ask for more on the side. the chilli is not hot at all, its more like the chee cheong fun sauce than chilli - good for those who dun take spicy food.
i wanna say that its good for a light lunch, but i'm so full from the avocado juice as well..so i didnt really have a light lunch. heh.. man the calories are packin in again =(
but anw..its worth a try if you're a dim sum kinda person.

note: going to Botak Jones on Thursday ;) must bring camera.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Margarita's, East Coast Road

I cant believe I almost forgot to blog about this place..thought i wrote about it alr. one of my fav cuisines in the world, besides Italian and Japanese - Mexican! Tucked away cosily next to Al Forno is Margarita's, a favorite restaurant of mine when it comes to Mexican food. those who stay at east coast are really lucky..so much good food! they have another branch at faber drive. another mexican place that is alright is cafe iguana at riverside point.. but Margarita's wins hands-down.
For starters they serve you tacos and salsa, before you place your order.
Went there with Daniel and I ordered beef enchiladas ($18.90). knowing him, anything with tequila lime as seasoning is enough to get him gushing. we were sharing so i actually wanted to try the fajitas ($18.90-$23.90) as well. but he ordered chicken with tequila lime (true enough) [$20.90 if i'm not wrong] instead. we ended up being envious of the europeans at the next table who were enjoying their fajitas =(
but anw the enchiladas were really good. minced beef was gorgeous and i would describe the sauce that accompanied it as v good pasta sauce...haha. it looks quite messy but the taste is definitely not messed up. they added avocado to it, which really upped the standard.. i really love avocado man..soft and undescribable taste-wise..gotta try for urself.
the chicken was just alrite..couldnt really taste the tequila lime. but the gravy was thick and very appetizing. the chicken had a very nice bbq smell to it, really whets ur appetite. again, pls excuse the pics. i must learn to curb my hunger to rem to take pictures first next time.
both dishes came with mexican rice, re-fried beans and salad. i really love the rice. so much flavor in every spoon. the beans are typical mexican food.. not many ppl will like it though..taste is quite distinct..but i enjoyed them and the salad too.
finally, what is Margarita's without a margarita? lovely lime margarita ($10) on the rocks that we had (shared with daniel cuz i drove)..salt on the rim. mmm..let the pics speak for themselves ;)