Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant

Chinese New Year company lunch: at the top of the world!
 
I've always wanted to visit this restaurant. The idea of eating in a slowly revolving flying saucer perched on top of a building that has a remote possibilty of flying off has always appealed to me. It's just that the dull brown building it is perched on isn't very impressive and where the heck is the entrance? Anyway, thanks for the free lunch!


It's Chinese New Year, so how can we do without out favorite local festive dish: Yu sheng! For those that have had it before, you can't possibly forget the loud shouts of hope and well wishes and frenzied mixing of the salad by all the participants at the table. The throwing of the carrot and radish strands in the air is half the fun but normally I do not take a lot of the salad as it is too sweet. But for this dish, boy was I surprised: light but not overly sweet or oily with very crispy crackers. Perfect!

Sai pang xie 赛螃蟹. Supposedly this dish got its name as it tastes exactly like crab. Let's just say the creators of this dish was taking their claims a bit far. It is made of egg white bits with scallop and fish mixed with raw egg yolk, so it has an intense egg smell with mild seafood taste. Not bad. Not really like crab though.

Yes! Finally, my nagging has succeeded in getting the soup changed from Sharks fin to another soup. Actually, sharks fin soup is really nothing fantastic but has a very negative influence on your karma. The manner in which the fins are harvested: they slice off the fins while the animal is alive and dump the finless shark back into the sea to slowly drown. And they do this to all types of sharks and the indiscriminate killing is quickly wiping out a lot of species of sharks. So please stop eating sharks fin and tell others of your stand. Together, we can make a difference! You can have fish maw soup! The one I had was a thick strong seafood broth with pacific clams and small pieces of fish maw and the taste beats sharks fin any time!

Fried grouper. The flesh was a little too firm because of the frying but when taken with the fried fish skin, the combination was quite good. The sauce was tomatoey but not too strong, so the fish original taste could still come through. A respect of the chef for the fish!

 

 Tiger prawns in garlic sauce. The meat was a bit tough. Not nice. Should stick to the smaller prawns I guess.

Abalone and sea cucumbers with fresh shitake mushrooms and broccoli.This dish was great! The broccoli was cooked just right, retaining the crunchiness and taste of the vegetable. The shitake mushrooms were fresh and the sea cucumber had a firm yet light texture. Very remarkable. But the abalone was so so, maybe they should have used a better brand and then the dish would be perfect!

 Roast duck- peking style. The one in Beijing was still be best.... Da dong, where are you?

Duck meat stir fry. The remaining duck from the previous dish was remade into this one, which we had to wrap in lettuce  before gobbling it. But unfortunately, I was stuffed at this point, so I cannot judge the taste properly anymore...

More food?! Lotus leaf rice......

Finally! Dessert! Red bean paste deep fried in an egg white coating. It was ok, I was stuffed but it was really not the best that I've had. I miss the one at Crystal Jade Kitchen! Y u no come back?

Marutama Ra-men

Went to The Central at Clark Quay for dinner today. My sis said "let's go eat ramen!". This is where we she dragged me to:




I've never had a good opinion of ramen. Korean ramen tastes like Korean instant ramen (they did too good at job at the instant thing), which sort of killed off its novelty. My sis assured me that it was nothing like that. It turned out to be:



12 bucks for a small bowl of noodles with a slice of meat and some veggies? An extra buck for a braised half boiled egg? Come on sis, you been had!

I ordered spicy chicken soup but when the dish arrived, the soup was clear and missing the usual red colour. This being a Japanese restaurant and all made me lose some faith in the spiciness. Carefully managing my expectations, I sipped a spoonful of soup. Hot and spicy. Nice. Not sure of where's the chicken though. It did not have the usual chicken taste but it had a rich flavor.



On to the noodles! It looked finer than the Korean type. Looked like Mee Kia actually. Slurp! Chew chew. It is Mee Kia. You've been had lah sis! So small bowl how to satisfy my hunger? Chomp chomp chomp. Actually the noodles tastes good with the soup, taken together it had a home made taste.

Hmmmm. Oh! There's the egg. At least something to fill my tum tum. Chom- huh? Such an odd feeling. Normal braised eggs are hard and your teeth sinks into the egg where you expect it. But this braised half boiled egg AVOIDS your teeth, only to delay the unavoidable. And when you do bite into it, a warm, wholesome and rich egg yolk just fills your mouth. Wow. And the taste is different somehow. Nice. Very nice.



We ordered a side of Gyoza, which was freshly prepared and did not have any signs of hardening. The vinegar used was fragrant and not overly sour.



Overall, this restaurants is worth a taste. And it turned out to be very filling!

Boss, tau huay break lei!

Tau huay. A common breakfast item of an average Singaporean. Frequently asked for by Ah Guan of PCK Private Ltd. So, what is this tau huay? Tau huay is actually the Hokkien term for jellied beancurd. In Mandarin it is called Dou Hua, literally meaning Bean Flower. And yes, it does look like some exotic chinese name you would find in English adventure novels. But in Singapore, it's more chic to order things in Hokkien, hence the popularity of the name Tau Huay. Try it: Tau huay ji wah! (one bowl of tau huay!)

Tau huay, like many other foods such as fried dough sticks and sugarcane juice, are perceived as food with no distinguishing inter-stall difference, i.e. no difference of where you buy it from. This is untrue! If you think all jellied beancurds are the same, then please try the famous Rochor Beancurd. Located at Short Street, Rochor Beancurd is a cut above the rest!





Silky soft and soothingly sweet, Rochor tau huay must be one of the reasons why Ah Guan keeps asking his boss for Tau Huay breaks! I want a break too!

Temptation Island

This week, after all the sunny days, sudden rains and warm nights on this sunny island set in the sea, let's chill at a cool new place Wendy and I have found: Island Creamery! Located at Serene Center (Bukit Timah area), Island Creamery boasts of great local flavors for their ice creams! Smooth and soft, once you start, you cannot stop!

We had coconut (which is logically the white side) and Teh Tarik (which is logically the brown side, since the white one is coconut). The coconut ice cream was a little more oily than usual, which is expected if you used real coconut milk to make the ice cream. It did make us feel a little guilty eating such sinful stuff, but we balanced the energy intake by eating more teh tarik ice cream. Hmmm, somehow that doesn't sound quite right. Anyway, the teh tarik ice cream was fantastic! The initial taste was of milk tea and as the ice cream melted further in your mouth, the bitter taste of tea bursts in your mouth, leaving a pleasant aftertaste. It was so good! So much so we ventured on to another exotic looking dessert:

Mini baked Alaska! Ahoy matees, look out for iceberg ahead! Hmmm, what is a Baked Alaska in the first place? And what is it doing in an ice cream parlor? Well, in contrast to it's warm exterior, it has a rather cold heart (sounds like some ex-CEO of some charity). It's a dessert that was inspired by the Chinese in the 19th century, and it is made by encasing a core of ice cream with beaten egg whites and subsequently baking the bugger at high temperature. The bubbly egg white acts as a very good insulator against heat, so what you get is a browned exterior but a chilly ice cream core. This dish, however, is not very fantastic. We just tried it out for novelty. Actually it was me who bugged Wendy to buy it. But, as I always say, don't trust me, go try it! (again, this sounds weird....) :>

Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Ever tried to spell the word "guaranteed" without the use of spell check of a dictionary? I have only recently figured out the exact spelling. It's one of those words that I simply cannot spell by going with it's pronunciation. Anyway, following up on the ever hot durian topic, have you ever wished you could have high quality tasting durian without having to:

-know how to choose a good durian?
-have the arm power to carry the durians home?
-have a good pair of jeans that can protect your legs should your failing armpower cause the bag of durians to brush ever so cruelly across your leg?
-be adept at the use of a cleaver? (no, no chainsaws Jason)
-throw all those empty husks away? (not my turn again!)


If your answer is positive for any of the above questions, then here is the answer for you! Located at The Swissotel Merchant Court, Ellenborough Market Cafe has this amazing durian treat called Durian Pengat! Click here to see the picture. Like the essence of durian from the Heavens, the Durian Pengat is smooth and the taste packs the punch of a dozen D24 in one small bowl. With every spoonful, the savory taste of durian bursts in your mouth, just like the way all the good bittersweet durians that you have ever eaten does. Truly a culinary delight! But before all of you rush down immediately right now ( like I am compelled to), be forewarned that, like the original spiky fruit, this dessert comes with a price. And a high one, nonetheless. Remember the takeaway plastic container commonly used at food centers? Well, for one container of Durian Pengat, it costs $14. 14 buckeroos! If the price scares you now, maybe it is time to practice your cleaver chopping. But for those who are truly durian lovers, please please please try!

I ate a durian

I ate a durian.
Although the durian husk was tough and spiky,
in the end,
the bittersweet creamy treat found within was all worth it
(especially when it was opened by someone else).

***confessions of a lethargic durian lover***

This is a durian. It is covered with spikes but you have to open it. How?

Step 1, place the durian on a stack of newspapers.
Step 2, hold the durian down with a corner of the stack of newspapers.
Step 3, look on the bottom of the fruit (the end without the stalk) and try to locate the lines formed by increased density of spikes. They should radiate from the bottom of the fruit.
Step 4, using a cleaver, deal a sound blow exactly on the line and remember to avoid chopping off your thumb. Do not remove the embedded chopper!
Step 5, twist the embedded chopper and you will find that the husk will split along the line. You can now remove the chopper and split the fruit completely with your hands. Do remember that the spikes are still there and injuries might occur when you try to grab the fruit too enthusiastically.



Ta-da!Opened!



Pick up and fruit and eat it. Note that there is a large seed inside! (choking hazard: keep out of reach of young children)



Yummy..... Do note that the fruit is very strong smelling and your subsequent burps of pleasure may result in the people who are unacquainted with the fruit to start suspecting a gas leak in the building. Burp. Excuse me.

Unlike most other fruits, which, upon finishing them, the most you have to do is to throw the skin away. But for the durian, as it is a very heaty fruit, excessive consumption could result in you feeling extremely hot and uncomfortable for the rest of the day. Coupled with the fact that the fruiting season of durians coincide with the hottest months of the year in South East Asia, some medical intervention is needed! (and no, it's not to avoid eating the fruit)



What you have to do is simple: Take the empty husk and put some salt into the depression where the fleshy fruit used to be. Add some water and stir it with your fingers. Drink the water and dispose of the husk with great care (kicking a bag full of durian husk will be an effective reminder for the rest of your life) It is believed that this step has to be performed in an empty durian husk or else it will not be effective. So don't just drink salt water from a cup! Enjoy!

Original post- Responsible Blogging (status: foiled)

It has been a long long time since I last posted on this blog. If you guys had waited for my recommendation before going for dinner, I'm sure many of you would be in a nice bright peaceful place full of pastry and other sweet nice things. Well, the last year has been a hectic university final year for me, with all the project reports and stuff. That's my excuse you say? Well, for those that are familiar with the university schedule, yes, I did finish my finals in early May and have been slacking since then. But the reason why I haven't blogged since my exams was simply, a writer's block. I can't think of a good topic to talk about! So I thought of talking about a Balanced Diet. Why do health professionals always ask you to eat a balanced diet and exercise 30 minutes a day for most days of the week? Do they even do that themselves?

Food pyramid from the Health Promotion Board

See what a boring topic it was headed to? But my savior arrived then! Meet Anna! Wow! Look at all the pictures! Pastry from the heavens! It reminded why I became a food blogger in the first place: I was not meant to save people through diet but to worship food! Food! Food! So go everyone! Eat and be happy! By the way Kenneth, with a mom like that, you must be really, really happy.


Photo by Kenneth, with permission from the author.

GingerBread Man

I came across a young boy munching on a piece of gingerbread man on Christmas eve. He caught my attention when he started making weird expressions on his face upon his first bite. This aroused my curiousity and I began to wonder how does it taste like. Is it hard or soft, sweet or spicy? Kiah Shen who was beside me, couldn't give me a satisfactory answer. So he made his way to the Coffeebean cafe counter and purchased a gingerbread man to let me have a taste of it.
"Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I am the gingerbread man."
Childhood imaginations of the fleeing gingerbread man being pursued by a hungry mob and the prospect of eating it filled me with a slight sense of guilt. These thoughts were disrupted when Kiah Shen came back with a big gingerbread man on a plate and now I had to decide which part should I eat first. The head, hand or leg? Oh, not the head! Those big staring white chocolate eyes! That'll have to be the last. So I broke off the leg and took my first bite. Hmm... not sweet nor spicy. The texture was ok, not too hard. Smells nice but the taste was not fantastic at all. Well, this was a bit of a disappointment after all the anticipation. Maybe that's why it's only popular during Christmas, no?

Floggers unite?

I got to know recently from Nibbles and Scribbles that there is a Food Bloggers Dinner! Too bad $60 per head is too much for a poor undergrad like me... Any sponsors?

Banzai!

Haiz, it's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog...~

I have been on hospital attachment for the past few weeks and it's been tough for a rookie like me. Thank goodness it's ending soon! For poor people like me who have to work tomorrow, maybe this can lessen the Monday blues!


Yes! For depressed people working in the Ayer Rajah area, (including dellusional NUS students whose semester is about to start), this is the comfort food YOU are looking for.

Located at Ayer Rajah Food Center, Don Japanese Cuisine (#01-13) sells Donburi of ABOVE restaurant stardards but for a fraction of the price. I particularly like the Tempura Prawn set. The prawns are fresh, seasoned and fried to perfection and does not feel too oily! It comes along with fried shitake mushrooms and a healthy portion of sliced lettuce, all of which sits on a thin piece of egg which lies over the calrose rice. The savoury tempura sauce adds an intense assault on the tastebuds, and the overall feeling can only be described in one word: Oiishi!!! Plus the miso soup, tofu side dish and fruit, it's all going for only $4.50 per set! Truly an gastronomical yet affordable recommendation, courtesy of ToC.

Teriyaki Chicken Don tastes good too! (Actually everything they sell taste good...) This stall only opens Mon to Fri, 10am till 4pm and Sat from 10am to 2pm. Note the working hours! You wouldn't want to cry over the crumbs!

Another busy week!

Hiya people! No new food intro yet but rest assured that there'll be more to come. Just to follow up on my last post, many thanks to Monkey who gave me the picture lead. I thought it'll be difficult cos I don't know the Serangoon area that well and Monkey didn't leave any other clues... But the wonders of the Net prevails and I have pinned down the location of River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles eating house! All thanks to Google and a fellow food enthu blog, Nibble & Scribble! Do look through her very informative blog, she covers more of the food of the Northern and the central area of the Island. (heng ah!)

*update! The noodles taste good but are not quite the best we have tasted. Lacks a certain Xfactor. Actually the best one we tasted was found in Whampoa Market, but he sold his stall and it sucks now, so sad...

Busy week!

This week was a hectic week for me, so no new food post. Can anyone direct me to a place that sells good:

Prawn noodles?

Tracking down Botak Jones...

Working on a reliable lead, my search for Botak Jones lead me down to the bowels of Singapore: Pioneer. In case you have no idea where Pioneer is, it is just next to Tuas, on the western tip of Singapore Island and around 20 years ago it was all sea. It is that ulu (out of the way). So, in contrast to our previous practice of letting visitors of ToC find their way to the recommended stall, we'll bring you there this time round!

According to our sources, Botak Jones can be found in Pioneer Sector 2. But that area is quite big, so where can he be? Thank goodness Botak Jones has techno-savvy followers who divulged his whereabouts in an online forum. It seems that he is at 32 Pioneer Sector 2.

But how to get there? By a bus service apparently. Upon investigating the map at Boon Lay bus terminal, the bus to take is no. 257. Take the bus to stage 17 (look at the EZ link card detector for the stage number) then you would have arrived at Sungei Kadut Eating House.You can also pick up the bus route info on the bus itself to facilitate your exploration!

Just at the corner of the eating house you'll find:



Wah! Finally reached! Trust me, 17 stages on the bus is something only the poor army boys at the nearby Tanjung Gul Camp and devoted foodies can endure! Just kidding. Oh, of course Botak Jones is a western food stall. Didn't I say so in the beginning? I'm no hitman you know. Anyway, that happens to be how I got the lead: someone who goes for reservist in that camp told me. Ok, what am I gonna have? Hmm, a Cajun Chicken please!


Whoa! It looks impressive! Like something out of a restaurant. But for a reasonable price of $6.50, it lives up to what is written on its signboard: DAMN GOOD FOOD AT A DAMN GOOD PRICE. The fries are crispy and showered with spices. Not like those MSG laden Shaker Fries from Mac I assure. There is a healthy (huge) portion of still refridgerator-cold coleslaw. Nice! And the chicken was great! I'm not well versed in western food but the cajun chicken was well seasoned with spices and the meat was not tough or powdery, something which is quite unexpected when one uses breast meat. I could literally taste professionalism in their food.

They also have lotsa other food like sandwiches, burgers and sauages. All the stuff you find in western restaurants can be found here! And judging by their large numbers of ang moh customers, you can guess their food is good! Apart from good food, their service is also excellent! I really enjoyed my trip to this stall.

They also have a website you can visit: http://www.botakjones.com/
They provide delivery in Tuas area, and catering. Check them out! Dun visit them on Sundays though; they are closed. Saturday they work till 5pm. But if you really wan to try their food on Sunday, you can go to their Ang Mo Kio branch (more accessible also lah!):

Yue Hua Food Place
Block 608 Ang Mo Kio Ave. 5
Note: this outlet is closed on Monday!

Chwee Kueh

Chwee Kueh used to be something that Chinese usually ate for breakfast. But as with many other foods, the voracious Singaporeans manage to convert it into something that is eaten throughout the day. Personally I feel it's rather light, meaning that it feels like more of an appetiser rather than a meal. The sight of this food reminds me of one of the silly little troubles I faced when growing up:

Chwee Kueh actually has a name in Mandarin (chwee kueh is the name in Hokkien dialect). The Mandarin name is Shui Guo, which sounds exactly like Fruit in Mandarin. So when I was young, my teacher always told us to converse in proper Mandarin. So the problem came when I wanted to eat this food. Do I tell the owner I want chwee kueh (Hokkien. Unacceptable) or shui guo (might be mistaken as trying to buy fruit and be laughed at)? So the answer was simple: ask mom to buy it or eat something else. But as time went by and I knew more words, I realised that there's nothing wrong with using dialect. Plus there's no way to avoid it either. Lots of food names are in Hokkien, like char kway teow, hum (cockles), ban jian kueh, or lua and many more. Since I'm such a foodie, I just can't resist all of them. Dang, the need to survive can really change a person. "Boss, one chwee kueh eat here!"

A great stall that sells chwee kueh is a stall located at Jurong West St 52 Food Center, stall no.01-27: Tiong Bahru Jian Bo Shui Kueh. The chwee kueh is exceptional in that the combination of the mild tasting and translucent kueh, the chye poh and aromatic chilli go really well together. The kueh is very soft but not squishy or sticky. The chye poh ( a diced preserved vegetable) is very crunchy and not too salty, unlike some stalls I had patronised. The chilli is not too hot and has special ingredients that make it very aromatic. So can you imagine the oral ecstacy of chewing such a marvellous combination? Why bother to? Just go try it today!

Long Lunch Break

Hello hello! Sorry for the long break. I had exams and it wasn't really very palatable. Well, life goes on and we all need to eat! Yay!



Whoopee! Nothing like high cholesterol to start the holidays! Eggs, starch and fresh, large oysters perfectly stir fried into a crispy pancake and stacked together to give you this wonderful dish called Hao Jian or Fried Oyster (it's not normally called oyster omelette as that refers to another dish. It's quite complex but if you would treat me to lunch I would love to tell you more!). Eaten together with its partner chilli sauce that is both hot and mildly sour, the resultant flavour and texture can only be described as oishi! ( a term japanese people use when they are eating something especially delicious. For better effect, say it while being goggle eyed and remember to cover your mouth. For a demo, watch more of Japan Hour!)

For a good stall that sells fried oyster, try the one from a stall named Fatty Weng, located in a coffeeshop called Yong Xing noodle house and restaurant at Bukit Batok West Block 156 Market!

What's cookin'?

Look at the utensils laid out! Can you guess what's coming up next?



A mug of oil, a mug of dark soya sauce, two bowls, two pairs of chopsticks, one ladle and one plate.... Hmmm, what can we be having?



Knew you wouldn't waste time guessing! We're having claypot rice! Whoopee!

The stall we patronised is located in a coffeeshop at Blk 328, Clementi Ave 2, and its stall name is New Lucky Claypot Chicken Rice. The thing that I love about the claypot rice at this stall is the chicken! It's extraordinary! The texture of the chicken meat is like nothing I've ever tasted. So tender and moist, even the breast meat too. The salted fish bits added an unexpected salty punch to the dish at times and the chinese sausage was so sinful. I nearly tried to send Wendy off for some miscellaneous task so I could eat more of the claypot rice. Mine mine mine! Gluttony aside, do take note that the stall is closed on Wednesdays.


Oh, by the way, claypot rice needs a little more work from the customer before it can be eaten.

Trail of Crumbs (ToC) Ultimate Stepwise guide to claypot rice preprandial preparation:
1. Take out the chicken and put it on the plate.
2. Add the dark soya sauce and a little bit of oil.
3. Mix the rice well with the ladel. The rice should appear uniformly darkish brown after proper mixing.
4. Taste and repeat step 2 to 4 is necessary.
5. Dish out the rice into the bowls, take some chicken and it's Chow Time!

Chickern lice, er, chicken rice

After a long period of trying out the chicken rice in the west side of Singapore, I have discovered one of the best chicken rice of the West: Xing Yun Hainanese chicken! Stall no. 01-202. Located in Jurong East market, the chicken rice they prepare is excellent! Firstly, the meat is very tender, the rice is aromatic but not too oily and the chilli sauce is absolutely wonderful! Not too hot and not too watered down.



Tip of the day: When you order chicken rice, you CAN specify the parts that you want or the parts that you don't. Try not to take the breast meat (this applies to all chicken rice stalls). Normally breast meat is more tough and doesn't taste so good. For me, I always tell the vendor that I don't want breast meat. The price remains the same, but the difference in taste is, ah, so great.

Breakfast @ Bugis

One fine morning, for reasons I tried in vain to recall, we were in the Bugis area. With breakfast in mind, we entered the Albert Food Centre, which is located near the Famous Kwan Im Tong temple. Upon exploring the area, we realised that there was a moderately long queue outside a stall called Fatt Kee Shou Shi (means a stall named Fatt Kee selling cooked food, literally) which sells bee hoon, porridge and yam cakes. This should be a normal sight except this stall sells them in much smaller portions than usual. The prices are also proportionally lower. I guess this is sales method caters to the insatiable but fickle appetites of the average Singaporean, thus boosting overall sales and popularity. I bought a few items to try:



The bee hoon is not great with my standards, but Wendy seemed ok with it, saying that it had the taste of rice, which is supposed to be good. But the porridge, wah, is very good. Ever drank homemade fish soup? Can you imagine porridge made with that soup? Not too thick and not too watery? Is the mental simulation too much for you? Fret not! Try the porridge from this stall! It is very good! I actually went back and bought one more bowl, because having one just seemed not enough.

While you're queuing for the food, do look out for the Taichi Beehoon auntie! If she's there, you're going to be treated into a wonderful performance where she focuses her mind and Spiral Taichi forces to create portions of fried bee hoon that are of equal quantity (I suspect it's to the nearest gram). That's why the fried beehoon in the picture is more conical in shape than the conventional ones.