Battle of the Golden balls

Directed by a lead, we headed to Golden Mile Food Center, which is also known to the locals as the army market, to test out the glutinous rice balls (tang yuan). There are actually two rival stalls in this food centre. How do we know they are rivals? Well, when they sell exactly the same stuff in exactly the same flavors and soup, you'll know there's competition in the air. Actually, this is how we see if there's something particularly good at a certain location. If there is, scores of other stalls which sell the same thing will be there to snatch business from first time customers who stumble in from a recommendation.


With anticipation of good food, we ordered glutinous rice balls from the two stalls and crept to a place out of sight of the two stall owners. Then the ultimate test: munch!

Eh? Both stalls don't taste different. Texture is similar, the taste of the paste is similar also. But the bad thing was that both dun taste exceptional, aka normal. We deliberately bought all the flavours to try, but all of them tasted normal. I must say that we were disappointed.

A few months after the failed Battle of the Golden balls, Wendy suddenly screamed into my ear enthusiastically told me that she had just eaten the best glutinous rice balls. The anticipatory widening of my eyes rapidly narrowed when she said that is was so good that it was better than the ones she made herself. As she dragged me to Ghim Moh food centre, I mentally prepared myself to eat something that tastes 'better than what she makes'. Before I could finish my prayers, I found myself standing at the corner of the food centre where the stall was. 01-43 Ah Balling peanut soup. Oddly familiar.... Oh, it was one of the stalls we tried in Golden Mile Food centre! But since we were already there, we got a bowl of all the flavors of glutinous rice balls.





I closed my eyes and put one into my mouth. Then my eyes open with shock: ultra nice! Wonderful even! Like biting on puffs of cloud which burst into rich flavors! The peanut soup was wonderful too! Not too sweet. I particularly enjoyed the sesame flavored ones. Thanks for bringing me there Wendy!