Sleeping on a Full Stomach causes Nightmares

Takaya Bistro Jap Buffet (170607)

2007-06-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

Marutama Ramen

2007-05-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

May 12 2007, Saturday

Central Mall, Level 3 is being dominated by Jap restaurants. however, we were there for the ramen from marutama, which has been creating a stir lately.

perhaps it's our luck... the air-conditioning for the entire building broke down, so it's extremely hot and humid... the steaming bowls of ramen from every side created an onsen appeal which i might've enjoyed if i'm in a sauna.

my marutama ramen, in chicken broth. egg is an extra item @ $1.

check out the fine thin noodles.

marutama chilli ramen, also in chicken broth. braised pork's an extra item @ $5.

check out the noodles and the colour of the soup.

this is the marutama original, featuring a special broth (there's nuts inside) and extra ingredients too. but the braised pork's an extra item.

despite the heat, food's pretty nice. the noodles are over-cooked, probably because the place is crowded and no air-conditioning. the char siew & braised pork were done beautifully, and the egg's pretty good too.

it's rather pricey though, but worth a try (and another once they fixed the air-conditioning)

Pontian Weekend

2007-04-15T05:22:00.000-07:00

14/15 April,2007

2 cars, 7 adults and a baby set off to the small town of pontian for some really great eats!!

Day 1: 5pm upon reaching Pontian

a local favourite, from the name alone... there's little need for eleboration

lovely grilled flatfish

the quintessential stingay

fabulous sotong grilled with a vegetable which i've never tasted before, this is really good grilled food. the chilli used has ground dried shrimp in it, which really adds to the fantastic flavour!!

Next stop was to this nice little al fresco area when food stalls abound and delicious smells filled the air...

a nice plate of fried chicken (wings, breasts and the bishops' nose)

grab a drumsick! we're so into the food vibe... the freshly fried chicken is light, crispy and flavourful...

totally awesome ngor hiong!! it's so fresh and delicious... it's 13 years HOT and still going STRONG!!

Next stop: a well-known kopitiam in the area famous for it's economical dishes

warming up with a selection of dim sum which might be closely related to those in Ayer Hitam...

half of the wide array of dishes avaliable...

delicious curry vegetable swimming in a flavourful pool of gravy

stir-fried noodle and bee hoon

some side dishes to pick at... hmm.. .

there is this small roadside vendor who sells fantastic you tiao (dough fritters)... it's so good that it's ALWAYS SOLD OUT WITHIN A COUPLE OF HOURS!!!

but we were lucky, not to mention early.... to grab some for our supper

Day 2: 10am

bak kut teh breakfast....!!!! stil boiling and steaming in the claypot

stewed pork

chicken with ginger

bak kut teh with generous chunks of ribs

and check out this fresh piece of sardine cooked in assam, chilli and tomato... YUMMY!!!

chilling out at the car wash with a refreshing packet of smooth and sweet chendol....

then it's time to bade pontian a fond farewell... and time for dinner at

Gelang Petah town : Tian Lai Seafood Restaurant

Moonlight Hor Fun, a MUST HAVE there...

Fried Rice

sambal belacan kang kong

sambal tua tao (clams)

gong bao tian luo (snails) - MUST TRY

buter prawns

baby kai lan stir-fried with garlic

claypot curry boar meat - MUST TRY

onion omelette

another Moonlight Hor Fun (told u it's GOOD)

hot plate tofu...

at GP Esso Station, there's this guy who sells excellent Black Putu Mayam. you wanna try it, then u'll have to be there at the right time when he'll arive on his bike with a box full of the delicious...

okie, it's not really black in colour. just that the usage of 'black' sugar that gave it the name... it is much more fragrant and packed more OMPH! than the regular putu mayam....

one word: BURP!!!!! :p

Easter Sunday

2007-04-15T05:11:00.000-07:00

while no cute bunnies were enlisted during Easter, the egg-laying population were probably enraged by their precious offerings dyed a hideous shade of crimson...

K goes KL

2007-04-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

03/04 March, 2007

a small small bike follows 2 big friendly scooters enroute to the big big city of KL in search for some good eating

chocolate muffins from Kenny Rogers

assortment of fowl of various cuts accompanied by various sides of:

garlic parsley potatoes, coleslaw and macaroni

fruit salad, cheese macaroni and potato salad

baked beans, mash and vegetables

then comes the exciting part when we head down to Meng Kee Seafood for some dinner

the very very divine oyster omelette which i've missed while back here in singapore.... in KL, they do it crispy!!

beautiful fleshy clams stir-fried in garlic and spring onion

mince with broad beans, taste quite nice

a lovely sizzing hot plate of tofu....

sweet & sour pork

sambal belacan kang kong.... SPICY but i so love!!!

stingray grilled to a dark, crisp perfection with the flesh succulent and sweet

the next morning, we went to times square for a walk but since we're too early... we headed to the row of shops at the alley behind for breakfast

my breakfast murtabak filled with sardines... first time saw a round murtabak~ but it's real nice!!

a wonderful trip which left me belly burpy happy... looking foward to going there again!!

Melaka 24/25 March 2007

2007-03-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

6 bikes, 6 appetites... we're on the move again!!

1st stop: Ayer Hitam

we were invited by alan from the honda hornets to join his group for breakfast when we encountered them at GP Esso. Here's what we had:

assortment of Dim Sum which all looked the same, and coincidentally... tasted that way too!!
the wonton mee that alan recommended highly to us, Jessie said this is done hakka style...
but this is the one who made our moment... herbalicious bak kut teh which is almost sold out save for this very last bowl!!!

we finally reached malaca during noon and decided not to have chicken rice ball since we seem to be having that everytime we're there, opting for something new instead. we found this newly built place on our way to makota parada called the Cultural Food Centre and decided to lunch there.

"boh zai fan" & "lou wong gua" soup (mini pot rice & old melon soup)

"lei cha" i don't like this, i had a taste of this.... it's supposed to be good for health... but i don't like!!!

"lor sum chum bak" rice (stewed pork belly & hard boiled egg with rice)

"sar boh kai fan with lup cheong & hum yuu" (claypot chicken rice with chinese sausage & salted fish) quite nice and savoury... the chinese sausage & salted fish are add-ons at RM0.50 each, next time i'll ask for double portion salted fish...

penang "char kway teow"

nonya "wuu tao gou" & "bah zhang" (yam cake & rice dumpling)

"chee cheong fun" this one has "char siew" filling inside (rice roll with savoury roasted pork filling)

ice blended beverages

after lunch, we continued our way to makota parade for some shopping. after which we proceed to this new mall juz opposite it and stopped by tis little shop for some "gui lin gao" (herbal jelly). being the blasting hot day it is, we devoured the refreshing and cooling dessert with no thought of taking any pics... but since we've packed some for one of the guys who went back to the hotel first due to his alleged exhaustion and probable heat-stroke, u get to see it in it's takeaway form.

evening time came and it's time to venture out for dinner after we had a refreshing shower and rest. off we went to the portugese settlement to enjoy seafood by the coast:

very fresh prawns cooked in butter... excellent!!

otak otak~ quite nice, not too spicy... but i stil prefer the one from the famosa chicken rice ball restaurant

sotong in very spicy, very hot sambal... but very nice!! i felt that my whole mouth's on fire but it's worth the pain....

cheese crab, the cheesy taste is mild but complimented the fresh sweetness of the crab. this is so delicious!!

crabs steamed teochew style, very nice too but still prefer the cheese crabs. too much ginger which kinda masked the natural sweetness of the crab.

there's also a stall there specializing in grilled shellfish, and i took a pic of what they have to offer:

i was suitably excited to see a couple of "exotic" items which i've tried before many years ago in thailand and ordered them for my friends to sample too...

this is sliced conch meat (lightly grilled). very chewy and nice, with a abalone-like texture but tasted different.

grilled horseshoe crab bursting with savoury roe. at first glance, 2 girls screamed and refused to touch it, one guy shrank back and there's left 2 brave "virgins" and me to finish this delicacy. the other 3 dunno what they missed!! -_-"

this is an excellent trip as we got to try new foods and new places which were previously unexplored. looking foward to more exciting discoveries soon!!

the lost months - January's

2007-03-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hog's Breath Ultimate 1kg Challenge @ CHIJMES

challenger: Johan

Our very ultimate steak lover decided to take up this ultimate challenge since the first time we dined at this fun and casual outlet in CHIJMES. with a cheerleading team of 6 and a timeline of an hour, we're proud to present He who conquered and prevailed, with no room for dessert later......

the very ultimate 1kg of cow with a full dress of sides...

my very humble upsized 400gms of prime rib cow with a cute side of mash and salad

another upsized 400gms of prime rib cow topped with hickory smoked BBQ sauce

and another upsized 400gms of prime rib cow topped with topped with an avocado wedge and bearnaise sauce

and another upsized 400gms of prime rib cow with a delicate garnish of hog tail fries and salad

truth be told, the 6 of us in the cheerleading group had 7 upsized steaks coz one of them ate 2 upsized 400gms (that's 800gms in total) with their full dress of sides. he is a very hungry boy that evening....

Ikoi Japanese Restaurant

2007-03-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

12 March 2007, dinner time...

finally after a long hiatus, it's time to gorge (oops!!) at ikoi again. 5 if us went (3 newbies) and had a feasting good time!!

buffet costs $30+++ per pax. located at miramar hotel (lobby)

K's still alive & eating.....

2007-03-07T05:26:00.000-08:00

It's been a long long time since i last got to blog in here about my gastronomic quest in order to satisfy my gluttony. Worry not as i have not been starving myself, rather i have not been able to faithfully report them due to my extremely busy work schedule which resulted in my been too exhausted to take any pictures.

Also due to CNY spring-cleaning which resulted in my being unable to find the all-important memory card which held wonderful pics of pictures taken in January (Hog's Breath 1kg steak Ultimate Challenge) and the fantastic buffet fare from Ikoi Japanese Restaurant. Also i am planning for more foodie excursions which i've been most interested to try and will soon post them up for one and all to look at (and perhaps drool over?). Stay tuned and bear with the missing weeks... :o)

Cosafe Maid Cafe

2007-01-22T04:15:00.000-08:00

21 January 2007, dinnertime

yes, the waitresses are in french maid costumes~ and they are really cute looking. but that aside, this place does serve some nice food. the pictures look bad coz i forgot my little camera and had to use my mobile phone.

the food had rather fanciful names but i juz simply forgot to note them down!!! coz i was starving.....
-.-"
this is very nicely proportioned, according to my friend~ generous serving of fresh sweet prawns ensure that u enjoy the succulent taste in every mouthful of pasta.
this comes in a really light sauce and plentiful mushrooms that's oomph full of flavour, yet not overly cloying.

Korean @ Bestway

2007-01-18T04:09:00.000-08:00

18 January 2007, dinnertime

this is a favourite stall of mine, the owner's a korean lady (if u ever get to spot her from behind the wall seperating the cooking area from the rest of the stall) with a great smile and wonderful humour. food's good and the portions are really generous at really reasonable prices. enuff said, let the pics speak for themselves....

alicia's hot plate combo (pork)
my usual saba fish set

this is fried fish noodle soup from another stall in the same canteen.

tortilla breakfast

2007-01-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

16 January 2007, morning

look what my mummy made for me to bring to the office this morning, feel free to turn green with envy!! ;p

ta-dah!! my collegue commented that it looked like something from pret-a-manger (she's prolly being nice) but without the stylish packaging
who cares bout packaging when it's the filling that really counts (roast chicken, cheese and egg) *yums*

Brick Game

2007-01-15T04:20:00.000-08:00

lo and behold!! the last fragment of atlantis, that ancient continent which is shrouded in mystery. legend has it that as it sank into the depths of the ocean, sea creatures swarmed upon it's walls and fossilised upon it's stones... thus preserving the truth of their existence for eternity!!!!!

aiyah, it's juz the prawns i bought on saturday... stored in a tub and chucked into the freezer lah~!~!~! hur hur hur hur.....

OT grub for the hungry

2007-01-15T04:13:00.000-08:00

16 January 2007, dinnertime

fish bee hoon
ban mian

bored pangs

2007-01-14T00:32:00.000-08:00

14 January 2007, 1635hrs

when one is stuck at home, feeling the cold from the rain and bored to the ends of their toenails... they raid the kitchen, results may vary but the ends usually mean something for the stomach to work upon while the body goes into hibernation mode. hahahaha!!!

intensive carbo loading @ waruku

2007-01-13T23:03:00.000-08:00

12 January 2007, lunchtime

the sky's been pissing the whole week and days like these brings out all the carbo and hot soup cravings in a person. so to satisfy all of these and a little more, we set out to waraku at marina square for some serious carbo loading...

the unagi don with miso soup
hot soba with chicken karrage don
zaru soba with chicken karrage don
salmon okayo with hot soba

K9 hero in Vivo - SuperDog!!!

2007-01-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

11 January 2007, 2100hrs

before we venture into Pan's Labyrith, some dinner is in order so that we wouldn't be distracted by hunger growls. whoever told me that guys are either hotdog haters or closet-lovers' probably haven't been to this outlet yet~ there's a healthy mix of both genders all happily scoffing down the dawgs!!

regular fries, these are good... unlike the usual shoestring and wavy thicks that doesn't have any nice potato omph! at all...
chilli fries, i prefer this to the Carl's Jnr version...
the regular chicken with onions dawg for the dude (dragon breath alert)
bacon cheese dawg, check out the nice big slice of bacon... in a baguette-like bun
spicy italian bratwurst with sauteed onions in a baguette

we had a great meal, the quantity and quality does account for the bill (think Carl's Jnr prices). one K9 hero worth re-visiting :o)

Inle Myanmar Restaurant

2007-01-10T23:49:00.000-08:00

11/01/2007, lunchtime

nestled in a corner at the basement of peninsula plaza, this quaint little restaurant serves food from where is also known as burma. and lunch was a happy affair in the charming company of 2 ladies and a dude~ ;p

fried myanmar tofu, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. tastes "potato-y"
a very bad picture taken of the x-section, but notice that the inside is yellow... that's probably where the potato-y comes from~
crispy fried noodle with seafood, comes with a generous portion of veggies too... too bad for the dude~~~ hahahaha!!!
tamarind juice, this is NOT some watered down version passed off as the real mc coy... served with crushed ice. nice and refreshing~
moun-hin-ga, my long lost love now reunited tasting better than ever!!! rice noodles in thick catfish broth, sliced banana shoots, white onions, fish cake & egg.... delicious!!
myanmar milk tea
chicken curry with rice. now this curry is surprising light and tasty without the sometimes over-whelming richness that our usual curries possess, and the rice is soft and fluffy, accompanied with a savoury light broth (it looks oily in the pic but is actually not)
shrimp paste fried rice. a huge plate with alot of ingredients~ very nice, but over-whelming due it being very savoury.

a very nice place with reasonable prices. staff are friendly and polite, though they don't seem to understand english very well. and food is served quickly and efficently. i will go back again, not only for my beloved moun-hin-ga of course!!

Hog's Breath Cafe @ CHIJMES

2007-01-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

05/01/2007, dinnertime @ 9pm

eating is such a tradition, for mourning and celebration. since it's one of our collegue's last day at work, what else better but to send her off with good food...!!

cheese burger in paradise, rachael didn't go anywhere near there though she might juz see heaven if she attempts to finish everything on the plate (passing out from indigestion caused by over-eating)
finger food combo~ it was attacked before i could take a proper picture coz we were STARVING!!
crispy chicken & ranch salad, i'm not a veggie person but alicia and michelle said it's nice
macho nachos~ hmpf!! THIS I LIKE!! julane said the mashed beans (at the bottom of the heap) is nice...
my grilled rib fillet~ juz as good as the prime rib fillet and the mash is melt-in-your-mouth nice!!

after dinner, we "waddled" to cafe cartel for drinks and and chit chat. what a fun way to end the short and hectic work week!!

Pepper Lunch

2007-01-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

04/01/2007, lunchtime

it's always fun when i can get out of the office for lunch, and since my collegue's going to kinokunya to get a book~ she drove us to takashimaya, where it's strangely calm and empty (as opposed to last month, due to school holidays and festive season). she has a craving for pepper lunch and since i've not tried it yet, it's fine with me.

the salmon and chicken combo
the chicken set
my beef rice before cooking
smells utterly savoury and really delicious!!

i think it's a fun concept, despite the smoke (which sticks to hair and clothing long after the meal)and the price (which i find a tad expensive). the novelty of it being one having the feeling of cooking their own meal (being domesticated?) and eating it fresh and piping hot, quite fun. dun mind trying it again.

after 8.45pm

2006-12-27T21:27:00.000-08:00

27 December 2006, 9pm

a few postings back, i wrote about my trip to meidi-ya supermarket and their bentos which goes on a discount after 8.45pm. Upon reaching the section at 9pm, most of the items were already gone and so no time's wasted in grabbing the last few items avaliable!!

whatever's left on the shelves were cleared by 9.30pm and the ones shown above were really nice~ generous portions which is really value for money (the discount helps ALOT!!).

lunch at waraku

2006-12-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

27 December 2006, lunchtime

this is my salmon okayo set with hot soba~ waraku serves a rice + noodle for lunch during weekdays and usually i get the negitoro instead but it has unfortunately been off the menu for eons. this is wonderful too with it's generous servings and so delicious that i can't help but finish every bit of it~ and end up feeling sleepy for the rest of the day during work..... :p

Edecline's Indo Contribution

2006-12-27T21:03:00.000-08:00

guess what pretty boy shaun and flirty norman got for me from their holiday.... that's right, it's EDIBLE~!~! and it's....
Krispy Kremes.... oooh!!!!
see how deliciously sinful they look.... yums!!!

jap buffet - Tokyo Japanese Restaurant

2006-12-22T02:38:00.000-08:00

ROUND II

a really nice family-orientated jap dining place who didn't mind me taking pictures of the food at all, grab a seat at the sushi counter manned by the amiable chef and just enjoy!!

Location: Amara Shopping Arcade
$30++ per person

jap buffet - Tokyo Japanese Restaurant

2006-12-22T02:19:00.000-08:00

21/12/2006, Thursday Nite

ROUND I

homestyle tofu with cheese

2006-12-17T05:50:00.000-08:00

rainy weather keeps one indoors and when that happen, strange foods never seen before in this tame household start to emerge from the kitchen. this is an extremely simple experiment gone right, and anyone can do this. ingredients are silken tofu & cheese, and the method of cooking: a quick grill using the toaster.

Dim Sum saturday

2006-12-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

16/12/2006, saturday noon

spending time with the family usually involves food, and nothing pleases the parents more than traditional fare, and in this case... dainty bits of "heart" @ Yan Palace (Hong Lim Centre)

congee, shrimp fritters, lotus leaf rice & cheong fun (one char siew & one prawn)
crispy spring rolls
"har gow"
"siew mai"
"siew long tong bao" otherwise known as shanghai buns
bigger "siew mai"

having stuffed ourselves nicely with food~ we walked towards raffles place to take a train to Orchard road.
cheese sausage on stick from deliwheels, a hotdog cart near the MRT station. this is very nice!! $2 each.

jap buffet - Hanabi @ Odeon Towers

2006-12-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

13/12/2006, thursday nite

if anyone reading this particular entry wondered about the number of pictures taken of what me and my friends ate; that's because halfway thru' the manager came up and forbade me to take anymore pics due to some reason concerning "piracy". oh well, put my cammy away lor~ i don't want to ruin my appetite with an argument. and ur fun/horror reading bout my gluttony by dwelling on this, so let's move on to...

negitoro temaki, this i like. honjin used to have them but since they don't do it anymore, i have them here and it's very very nice.

IMHO, the sashimi here is better than honjin in terms of freshness.

grilled unagi, complimentary dish.

zaru soba, everytime palmer comes here he eats 6 plates. it's testimony to how good it tasted to him (as compared to other jap buffet outlets)

grilled cod with mentai sauce, complimentary dish. this is really fantastic!!

another sashimi platter (in total we had bout 4 or 5 platters)

yakitori combo (shishamo/chicken/mushroom).

agedashi tofu

grilled pike, one of my faves.

stir-fried beef

other stuff we had includes the grilled saba, assorted nigri sushi, teppan tofu (MUST TRY!!!), tonkatsu (2 types done differently), edamane, miso soup and chawanmushi. $34++ per person

Note: usually, i would juz post pics of everything we ate and let them speak for themselves since i'm not good with words at all. but i'm making an exception this time due to the reason provided above. coz we really had fun stuffing ourselves and without the pics to prove it (unlike our honjin trip), nobody will know how much enjoyment we had.

Piper's 5 inches

2006-12-13T01:20:00.000-08:00

erhem~ i'm talking about Piper's pies... this cute little pie joint caught my eye the other day when i was at raffles city, nestled in a tiny corner of the marketplace~ and sadly quiet (despite it being lunchtime then)
oh well, that didn't deter me from stepping in and having a nice 5 minutes checking out Piper's wares and picking up an ordering form/menu (since i already had a full lunch) in preparation for another day.
so that day finally arrived when my collegue had to go to raffles city for a lunch meeting. entrusted with money in hand and 2 hours later, me and pie were finally able to...

this is the piper's special, under the "chunky meat pies" section.

just check out the thin crust and generous filling!! the crust is alrite, but the filling is SHIOK!! very meaty and really yummy.

food fun tuesday

2006-12-12T21:52:00.001-08:00

12/12/2006, Tuesday

the time: 11am++ ??

me, aub & palmer went to simply bread @ robertson quay for brunch. i've been wanting to go to this place for ages, ever since my first waft of it's freshly baked offerings while en route to the sound bar years ago (wah!!)... oh anyway, today i'm finally here!!

the BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato)

the GHC (grilled ham & cheese)

the roast chicken (tasted like boiled chicken...)

raisin roll, sweet and sticky... goes well with coffee

a sticky bun for normie, who works at riverside cafe nearby

then it's a nice slow walk to Liang Court coz i so wanted to check out Meidi-ya Supermarketfor the longest time. and it was fun exploring the aisles, checking out the various foodstuffs and products which i wouldn't usually see anywhere else. and very cool are the food outlets that has a 50% special after 8.45pm (Mon-Thurs) on it's lovely bento sets!! now i know where to go for a cheap jap supper fix.... wahahahahahahaha!!!

these are from the gelato counter within the supermarket itself. at $3 for single scoop and $4 for a double, it's not hard to decide!!

from left: sweet potato/rum & rasin, wild berry/lychee sorbet, material girls (strawberries & champagne)/kiwi yoghurt

after which is a trip down to the newly opened ikea in tampines, after perusing over the non-edible items... it's time to check out the hot faves

the famous ikea boiled chicken weiner hotdog, very yummy!!

these chicken wings are very popular, i see people buying plates FULL of them...

swedish meatballs, comes with a real yummy sauce

poached salmon, done juz right and the sauce is delicious too

i also checked out some items at it's tiny food outlet at Level 1 but since i've to go somewhere else, i didn't buy anything~ but i'll be back to update coz K's in the mood to play mad scientist soon!!! :o)

my breakfast

2006-12-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

11/12/2006, Monday Morning

i woke up kinda bright and early today (despite it being my day off) and decided to have breakfast. those who know me knows that i'll only have coffee and skip the breakfast, but since i woke up early and feeling kinda "scientist" with a certain ingredient at hand (bananas)... i decided to try making banana toast (visions of beautifully caramalised banana topping a sad piece of wheat toast filling my groggy brain as i set about the preparations)

*fritter courtesy of mum who bought my share too.

sad to say, my bananas didn't caramalise beautifully... even though i saw the sugar bubbling furiously thru' the window of my toaster, the edges of my toast's quite burnt though (i scraped most of the carbon off). but it tasted pretty nice and perhaps i'll use a blowtorch next time?? *feeling arsonist*

me & my prawn starrs....

2006-12-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

10/12/2006, Sunday morning

one of the things i've conveniently learnt is to NEVER admit that it's u, but it's always due to the instigation/suggestion/etc of others!! especially when the deed involves one or more of the 7 sins... in this case, i blame Japan Hour for showing me all those nice footages of seafood in their Hakodate special. it's THEIR fault that i made the resolution to wake up early the next morning to buy fresh prawns from the wet market, and it's NICK's fault (having misheard my "i wan some prawns" as "i wan some porn") that this post's title is thus so misleading... oh well, the great joys of denial....

presenting the starrs!! on the left are glass prawns and on the left (looking a rather unwilling dismal shade of gray) are the "mah har" (mah = numb??)

after some cosmetic preparation for the prawns (trimming and de-vein), they are simply steamed and here's what they look like cooked.
i'm actually a little disappointed to see them in the same shade of orange, but truth to be told.... the glass prawns taste better than the "mah har"

ramen @ Beppu

2006-12-10T00:48:00.000-08:00

08/12/2006, Friday nite

this is a nice place to go to for something that's quick and tasty, of course purists of ramen would probably diss at the quality of the noodles, soup stock, etc but this little joint in Far East Square is really popular for their simple japanese and thai meals.

this is grilled pufferfish, it tasted like fish "bak gua" and is very savoury. but i find it too sweet and cloying just after a few pieces.
the "Beppu" ramen, with all the ingredients. Biggest of the ramen bowls, this one is "6 chillies" HOT.
my favourite "Sea Hell" ramen, comes with a kani stick, scallop, mussel and prawn.

a post-dinner walk to "Coffee Club" for the yummy iced tiramisu latte, laced with Tia Maria and Masala wine, and topped with a delicious scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Krispy time Again~!~!

2006-12-07T22:51:00.000-08:00

yay~!~! more krispy kremes... this time from alicia's holiday in Oz~~

the face to remember....
2 grabbed and 4 more to go~~~
oh!! we have 2 boxes.... quit grabbing, people~!~!
an up close and personal look at my frosted blueberry donut....

Vivo again~ Sushi Tei

2006-12-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

04/12/2006, Monday Nite

after a wonderful day at sentosa with A, we met up with Kar for dinner at sushi tei. 3 women went on a happy jap food rampage, and emerged almost victorious... :p

starting off with a really fresh mixed sashimi plate
moving on to wonderfully chilled cha soba *slurp slurp*
crab gratin~ interesting but where did the rest of the crab go...??
A's must have... the gyoza~
my must have... the salmon mentai with asparagus *yummy!!*
the phoenix roll... wonder why they used a prawn when the phoenix's a fowl~
the tamago and unagi roll... delightful~!~!
a plateful of rice with some garnish on top...
actually 2 plates full of rice with some nice garnish on top...

big juicy mangoes....

2006-12-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

in the movie "bend it like beckham", one of the scenes depicted a chatty dowager telling the heroine that she will transform her flat chest into "big juicy mangoes". let's just hope it's these mangoes she's talking about....

nice and round with a hint of blush.....

the sweet and succulent flesh revealed... yums!!

nice catch at Fisherman's Wharf

2006-12-03T04:51:00.000-08:00

01/12/2006, Friday nite...

this is a nice simple fish & chips place near carpenter street, u place ur orders at the counter... pay up,take ur number tag and wait at ur seats. food arrived in baskets lined with brown paper, the fillets of fish nestled upon chips (thick cut potatoes, but u can also opt for fries), accompanied with tartar sauce and a wedge of lemon. malt vinegar and salt avaliable at the table.

happy dory

it may look different, it's confused dory!!!
cross-section of dory, thick slice of juicy fresh fish
halibut, looking remarkably like happy dory
the cross-section proves otherwise...

food is very good, not too oily... the batter is nice and light, and the fish is juicy and sweet~ going very well with the tartar sauce indeed. the portion is nice and huge, well worth the money indeed. the regular dory set goes at $6.50 while the halibut (catch of the day) is at $10.50

A&W @ Taman U

2006-11-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

25/11/2006, Saturday

Location: Petronas Petrol Station near Taman U & Jusco

my crispy chicky set meal *yums yums* it's much nicer than the KFC here...
buns under cover...
the burger revealed... big buns, small patty but nobody's complaining...

floating up a foam party all by itself...

set meals are bout RM5 or RM6 each, which after conversion... less than $4, a good deal... if u don't mind the distance, and the road condition...

jap buffet - HONJIN

2006-11-27T18:14:00.000-08:00

ROUND III

4 persons, 2 1/2 hours, $34++ per pax... let's do it again~!~!

jap buffet - HONJIN

2006-11-27T04:28:00.000-08:00

ROUND II

jap buffet - HONJIN

2006-11-27T04:01:00.000-08:00

24 November 2006, Friday Night, 7pm......

ROUND I

chuan yi pin

2006-11-26T18:08:00.000-08:00

thursday nite, i went to meet up with a couple of good friends for dinner at this little steamboat place juz opposite bugis junctions (and next to icon). they have a $15 (mon-thurs) and $17 (weekends & public holidays) buffet on offer, best part is... they're opened till 3am everyday!!

e Blackboard

2006-11-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

it was a hot sunny lazy afternoon when we paid eBlackboard a visit after reading so many reviews from other food blogs.

the waldorf salad, nice and refreshing. i wouldn't know if it's the genuine waldorf but it's good anyway.

calamari, now this is nice... though i find it a tad pricey ($4), but the pieces are thick with sotong, not batter.

now this is what we came for, the NZ ribeye (250gms). now compared to the usual western food stalls, this is the real mc coy.... this is a piece of steak! but at $12.90, please do not expect wagyu or black angus quality... this is an unpretentious piece of steak which is nice and soft, but also comes with the sinews and tough bits. taste-wise, it has the nice hearty beefy quality and richness that most carnivores should enjoy. no complains, and with fresh coleslaw and thick cut fries... this is a very satisfying meal at a great price indeed.

orange saturday

2006-11-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

this is my putu mayam (spelling might be incorrect) breakfast. i used to eat this alot when i was a kid coz it's sweet. it's some white vermicelli made into lacy pieces and eaten with coconut sugar and grated coconut.

these are... not tomatoes!! but persimmons... the soft type, but just how luscious is that.....

as bright as it is sweet.... yums!!

later in the evening, i went to meet sophie and her friend for dinner at marina south kopitiam. which has a rather famous curry stall there, but 2 other food stalls also shine with their great taste and generous portions.

orh jian (oyster omelette), this is very very good. and you know it's good when it's the only thing that the stall does. i'm having a small plate coz the owner says the best way to enjoy it is in moderation, see... he doesn't even hard-sell his product!

this is chicken chop, it's huge huge coz it's also rather flat... hahaha!!! has the generic western food stall taste (which means quite nice lah!!)

BLOOIE'S

2006-11-16T18:45:00.000-08:00

talk about secret haunts, this little pub/cafe hidden in siglap is so charmingly unpretentious that i liked it at first sight. though i was rather surprised that it's so crowded for a thursday night, being in such a secluded corner of opera estate. the menu features comfort food (cheesey creamy meaty fried etc)and a variety of beers (a non-alcoholic iced tea for me) and i was ravenous by the time my friend arrived (an hour late!!)

this is my bacon mushroom cheese burger with it's sides of coleslaw & thick cajun fries. the bun's slightly toasted and the veggies are fresh, with plentiful succulent mushrooms and crisp savoury bacon all cover with cheese... the patty is nicely juicy without being too crumbly.

my friend's fish & potato salad. look at the size of it, plus the crust is nice and light with the fish fillet thick and flavourful. i almost wished i ordered this instead :o)

a nice place to chill-out and to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. i've already planned on what to try during my next visit, must get more people to go so there's more variety to share. :o)

tea-time totally kewl...!!

2006-11-15T23:11:00.000-08:00

guess what sophie got for me from indonesia.... ;p

krispy kremes~!~! wooh... now they're still slumbering inside those boxes....

wakey wakey krispy kremes~ see how bright and happy they look...

oooh!!! check out the sugar glacing.... where's my kopi O~!~!~!

having no franchise here in singapore. krispy kremes are a precious commodity here, due to it's numerous number of fans. each krispy kreme is lovingly wrapped in paper towels and shared around. while most of us attacked it chilled, purists like diana carefully warmed her's in the microwave, shab coo'ed and ahh'ed to his before taking his first bite... some shared theirs in secret corners, lest those not included be heartbroken...

in conclusion: krispy kremes 1 dozen, gone in 60 seconds. MANY THANKS TO SOPIHE!!! :o)

another contribution from science...

2006-11-14T22:40:00.000-08:00

no, i am not talking about gastronomic offerings from that uber-expensive restaurant that is nestled somewhere around the european continent that only operates 6 months a year... this is much closer to the heart (coz it's in my stomach now)

tadah!! freeze-dried durian from thailand. presented by my collegue after his short weekend sojurn to bangkok (thailand)

this is how they look like, nuggets of fragrant durian.... *yums*
i would love to take a picture of a bowlful but these are what i managed to rescue right after the packet was opened...

vivo vivo Sushi Tei...!!!

2006-11-13T22:54:00.000-08:00

once in a very blue moon i would step out of the office for lunch. so when my collegue (who's driving) said she's goin to vivo city, me and 2 other collegues hitched the ride along for fun (besides, we haven't been there yet either...)

the lunch venue was quickly decided and fortunately, that there wasn't a mighty long Q. after a short wait, we were ushered to our table which is near the floor-to-ceiling windows, offering us a nice (though hazy) view of harbourfront and sentosa.

though the place was crowded, service was brisk and friendly.we were very hungry and wasted no time in perusing the menu...

this is some salmon mentai thingy which my collegue ordered, it's asparagus wrapped in salmon with some delicious sauce.

a nice dish of cha soba with a delicious green hue. i picked out the ice cubes to emphasize their pressence (there are places where they serve cold noodles without ice cubes).

this is the tempura that accompanies the cha soba if u ordered the tanzaru cha soba.

my ebi don, it's steaming and calling out my name...

katsu don, the dons are HUGE... my collegue couldn't finish hers

2 salmon and a california temakis :o)

some nigri sushi topped with the delicious sauce for the mentai thingy (my collegue was so busy eating, she totally ignored my queries bout the name of the food... can still tell me "faster take picture, i wanna eat..." -.-")

oh well, it's been a really long long while since i've last been to sushi tei and this has been a rather fun experience. i'm glad to say that the quality has improved alot since too.... think i'll be back soon to check out some of the other interesting items i saw in the menu (and on other customers' tables...)

jack fell down and broke his crown....

2006-11-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

jill should have juz crushed him to death when she came tumbling after. or mebbe the water pail should have dealt him a deadly blow, or something... coz i felt sure that if all that happened, we would all be spared... really, i mean it...

so what actually happened was an sms from a friend of mine, asking me to join her and some friends for dinner at this new western food place in jalan kayu, occupying the premises which is once "Chow Zhou". now, i have a good impression of that teochew muay place. due to their "all-u-can-eat" porridge and side dishes section (i have a HUGE appetite) and also the quality & quantity of the main dishes, which adds to the happy belly experience.

now, i'm surprised that "Chow Zhou" is gone but well... thinking naively that well, maybe something better is in it's place...

i was pretty amused (and actually comforted) by this part of the signboard, and thought it safe to dine.... (u actually have to go to the counter to place your orders and pay up first)

here are my lamb chops, they (combined) are the size of my hand and just as flat. i thought size doesn't matter if it tasted good, but sad to say.... even the mashed potatoes' something that one could readily purchase from that shop which opens 24/7...

oh well... with a meal that barely tickled my stomach lining, me and another friend walked over to Thasevi for nasi pattaya instead.

malacca feeding - part III

2006-11-12T21:42:00.000-08:00

after a good night's rest, we headed downstairs for the hotel breakfast. being less than satisfied by the variety and quality of the food, we headed out again for a walk to work off yesterday's indulging (okie now, stop laughing...)

there are quite a few roast meat stalls around and they all look so seductive... (healthy is not the way to go....)glistening with oil and juices, i whipped out the camera (followed by purse) so quickly that i might be the fastest draw for the day (gluttony is a great motivation)

check out the hunks of roast.... *drool*

while this pic was being taken, everyone was already poised with toothpick in hand... juz waiting to swop down like vultures!! (we're such a pretty sight....)

wonton horfun @ RM1.50

wonton mee @ RM1.50
these are no tiny kinder's portions, the quantity is equivalent to what we usually pay $2 - $3 for over here and it's delicious!!! the noodles nice and springy, char siew juicy and wonton silky and tasty.

one of the couples ordered iced tea and coffee. as the tea is too bland and sweet, they mixed their beverages together... TADAH!!! yuan yang.... :o)

and then, with our fully loaded boxes and bloated stomachs... it's time to bid malacca a fond farewell. till next time.........

the end

malacca feeding - part II

2006-11-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

the appetite takes precedence during trips like these... barely moments after we've checked into the hotel and had time to refresh ourselves with a good shower when it's time to step out and satisfy the "tam jiak" worm!!!

2nd feeding station: Makota parade

my first memory of this would be more than a decade ago when they have an outlet at Parkway Parade (Marine Parade), needless to say...

get one, take pic, eat it and talk later!!! lolx...

earlier on, i've heard from one of us that there's a place serving rather nice jap food (reasonable prices too). but since he can't remember which is the correct restaurant (out of the 3 at the same level....) we decided to try our luck and tried this place (i forgot the name!!! -.-")

this is the junior sashimi platter, featuring salmon, octopus, tuna and white tuna (?? isn't it swordfish...)
very large and thick slices, the freshness and sweetness evident in every bite... yums!!

shishamo maki... hmmmmmmmm!!!!

actually, the place was having a sushi buffet promotion and we all partook of it... but the APPETITE took contol of us (thus no pics...) ;p

3rd feeding station: Jonker Street

many people come here for the night market where various food stalls abound. from hamsters, scorpions, terrapins to baba chendol, assam laksa, ikan bakar (former 3 are not for sale as food actually...), there's lots of things to see, various snacks to try and plenty of knick-knacks to splurge on (juz dun step on the beggar lying on the middle of the road....)

Q-ing up for baba chendol. a sweet dessert consisting of chendol + various ingredients (depending on what u want in the menu), topped with shaved ice and drizzled with coconut milk and gula melaka (brown coconut sugar)

tadah!! they all look the same... except the 3 on the right which are actually mango ice kachang

the infamous "amy yip" buns. for those who remembers her, these buns are a tribute to her well-endowed assets (a marvel during her hey-day)

sotong bakar on the grill, these are lovely savoury snacks (in my opnion of coz... lolx) which after one piece, can turn ur breath into a lethal weapon.

eat me... eat me.... eat me.....

if anyone thought we've headed straight for bed after loading ourselves with so much food, think again... SAVE SOME CAI TAO KWAY AND OR JIAN FOR ME!!!!!!!!

to be continued....

malacca feeding - part I

2006-11-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

sometimes, one has to travel 220km juz to find some good makan. 8 bikes and 9 appetites set off for some adventure....

1st feeding station: Famosa chicken rice-ball restaurant

chicken rice balls, one mountain of them... not really fantastic though, but they bounced so well that we've had ideas of putting them to other good uses (like playing table-tennis) rather than eating them...

now this is what i came for.... the OTAH!!! *drools at the memory of it* so savoury and luscious, check out the chunks of fish in it... and omph!! full of good taste (after a squeeze of calamansi)

the duck, this is one lean kampong fowl... but it's smoky good taste and tasty sauce makes up for one tough chew.

the "star" of the restaurant, another kampong fowl... somehow i dun quite enjoy it as much, this is another tough chew *jaw ache by now*. (i think i have weak teeth -.-")

this is chilled tofu, it's nice but nothing remarkable.

dumpling soup, steaming hot so taking a pic took quite a few attempts... (plus the person holding the spoon kept complaining that the dumpling is calling out to him...) silky smooth skin with a very tasty filling.

now u see it....

now you don't....

to be continued.....

Mum's Pumpkin Kueh

2006-11-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

this is what greeted me when i reached home last nite, freshly made kueh. actually, what my mum did was "tadah!!" as she removed the steamer cover with a flourish (narrowly braining my sister in the head). between bouts of modest "oh, this is my 4th attempt!!" (wonder what happened to attempts 1-3) and blushing with pride, i managed to pry the recipe out of her (cut from a chinese newspaper).

Ingredients:
300gms pumpkin (shredded
150gms rice flour
20gms corn starch
400ml soup stock (water will do too)
400gms dried shrimps - oso known as hey bee (washed and soaked)
6 pieces dried shrooms (soaked and sliced)
100gsm meat (shredded)
cooking oil

Seasoning:
1 spoon sugar
1 spoon salt
1/2 tspn pepper

Garnish:
1 spoon chopped spring onions
2 tspns toasted sesame seeds

Method:
1. heat cooking oil and stir-fry the dried shrimps, shrooms & meat.
2. mix the rice flour and corn starch into 200ml of soup stock.
3. bring the rest of the soup stock to a boil, cook the pumpkin till it's tender. then add in the recently fried ingredients and simmer with low heat.
4. slowly add in the flour/starch mixture, stir well. turn off the heat only when all the mixture's been added. stir some more.
5. pour the mixture into a dish and steam it for 40 minutes (mum used a 12 inch round tray - kueh is bout an inch in height)
6. garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds

THEN EAT IT!!!!!