Zingdo's last day I

Zingdo's last day I

When you read this, Zingdo @ Shaw Jurong Entertainment Centre would have closed (hopefully temporarily), for the building itself is undergoing extensive renovations.

Effy and I had managed to get our hands on the pair of tickets to watch the K-Pop concert on 4th Nov and we intend to celebrate by eating- what else..? Korean food of course!

And by a stroke of super-good luck, we actually made our way there on their last day, no less.

When asked, the server remarked that it's not known if it will re-open there, or elsewhere. Or whether it will even re-open again at all. Aaargh!

How like that??!

Where else can I get affordable Halal Korean food..??! Ok, I'm exaggerating here.

There's always the other Zingdo outlets that shared their premise with Breeks! at Ang Mo Kio and Ngee Ann City. Or even Fresh Bulgogi. But the latter is known to be pretty pricey....

And I'm soooo gonna miss the casual setting of that place. Those bright, orange tables and stools! The pretty food pictures! And the idea of walking out of the place smelling like Korean food!

I hope they re-open somewhere if not back in there. If I can travel all the way from Eunos to Jurong for my Zingdo fix, I'm sure I can travel anywhere (hopefully not Sengkang).

going healthy

going healthy, eh?

DIY salad set

I got this from Mustafa (I went on Deepavali- crazy!) at only $4! Quite a steal, if you ask me. A head of butter & lollo rosso lettuce each, a WHOLE japanese cucumber, a handful of cherry tomatoes (at least 6) and a packet of sunflower seeds.

ready-to-eat

I pan fried slices of spiced chicken meatloaf, cut them and toss them into the bed of leaves.

Taiwanese mulberry vinegar

Made vinaigrette of mainly olive oil, mulberry vinegar (which I purchased at the Halal Consumer Expo over the weekend), dry herbs and pepper.

This vinegar tasted pretty good. Slightly sweet and pretty tangy. I bought the jam as well and they can be mixed into some water or milk to be made into a refreshing beverage.

venison - also known as 'DEAR' meat

My mum and I spotted this halal Australian venison and we sneakily hid this in our shopping basket. We have to be pretty careful with meat cos' the 2 men in our home are darn choosy with their food.

These are people who are so used to the clean taste of beef and chicken that any other meat are deemed 'exotic'. Meaning: won't try, won't eat.

My dad got pretty suspicious though and snuck a peek at this package. I hope he didn't understand what 'venison' means and hopefully the word 'DEAR' will mislead him to think of something else...

My mum cooked a pot of stew and another pot of soy-sauce dish out of this. It tasted splendid! We bought the ribs and spine portion and they were soft and lean; fall-off-the-bone and really juicy.

The meat DO look different from regular beef or even mutton. There are some chewy layers and it does smell slightly 'gamey' at parts. Otherwise, they're pretty good. However, my dad did get slightly suspicious. I tell you, he'll know when a meat taste different. But he continued eating anyway.

Even my brother asked, "What meat is this?"when he came upon a funny-looking chunk towards the end of his meal of baguettes with venison stew (yep, he didn't eat that one). I just shrug my shoulders. Heh.

The next day, my mum remarked that the meat gave a better after-effect compared to mutton- which can be pretty 'heaty'. The venison seemed to 'energise' her somewhat. I totally agree.

In the end my mum decided that it'll be the last time that she'll buy 'exotic' stuffs like this. It's just not worth the pressure, withholding the truth from these 2 picky-eaters and hoping they won't know. And worse, should they push aside their plates.

But then again, between the both of us, we know that we're game for more gastronomic adventures. Gonna get ourselves an eel to eat sometime soon! Or maybe pure beef tendons. We looove that!

grilled fish salad

Something that my boss brought back for our lunch. Healthy..? All that mayo..? And this battered fish... 'Grilled'..?Hmph!

Most likely oven-baked if you ask me.

And the 'salad'? Oh, it's just that the piece of fish sat on a bed of shredded lettuce. And the 3 tomato slices on the side.

Yeah. But this dish did cut down my grease intake for that day, somewhat. So there.

green tea & red bean gelato

Sometimes I think that I may have gone a step too far with my fondness for the colour green. When it comes to food that is.

I hung around the gelato display, STILL wondering what flavour to have; despite the fact that my bro & cousin were already licking on their tarfuto & mango gelatos respectively. I eventually saw the green sludge and asked for a taste. I widened my eyes in excitement.

I then ask the 2 guys, "You won't mind if I don't share, right??" And proceed to order that flavour (finally!).

Later on, I let my bro have a taste, giving him the side with red beans studded all over. And yet, he insisted on the side with only the green tea flavour.

You should have seen the look on his face when the flavour finally come bursting on his tongue after the numbness of the cold dissipate. That look that seemed to say, "WTF??!"

And my cousin Dzul had a taste before my bro could warn him. By the time my bro remarked, "THAT tasted like medicine!!" Dzul already had his tongue tinged green. He then gave that same look.

He soon took a big chunk of his mango ice-cream and my bro went at him in all urgency, "Quick, gimme some of your mango! I need to remove this horrible taste!!"

All became well after they both ate the mango gelato to counter the taste of the green tea. After that, they refused to look at me until I was finally done with my horrid green gelato. I have to admit that it did carry the strong and bitter matcha taste, after all.

But I like!

Hey, one man's medicine is another man's poison! Muahaha!

cucus Sirpan III

cucus Sirpan pt III

Yeah, so we still had room for desserts somehow.

Working out a suitable place to go, Natra suggested Island Creamery, having heard of how her friends and even myself had raved bout' their ice-cream.

Much to my delight, of course. For with so many in the group, I'll get the chance to try other flavours that I've been meaning to try, just that I can't resist getting a scoop of Reverse-O everytime and I dun have much belly room to try other flavours.

And with much vengeance, we got 4 sets of double scoops (only $4 ea.), all different flavours. Not forgetting of course, their famed mudpie!

yep, this one here

Almost everyone of us got brain freeze or some kinda cold-attack when eating this. Haha!

And this despite ignoring it for a good 5 mins or so cos' we're all so eager to sample all the other ice-cream flavours we've chosen.

8 scoops of different flavours and the mudpie.

*ahem* pardon my cousins' overzealous sprinkling of the milo powder, there.

(clockwise from left) very berry + cookies & cream, pulot hitam + teh tarik, soursop + reverse-O, ping-pong milo + burnt caramel.

Boy am I SO glad that I finally get to try them. Save for the those laced with alcohol, I more or less tasted all that was on display there.

burnt-caramel & ping-pong milo

I'm a newly converted burnt-caramel fan! Oh, that bitter-sweet taste... And to think that I dislike caramel in general!

'Ping-pong' refers to the small marshmallows in the ice-cream. Marshmallows & milo... Great combi there!

pulot hitam (hot favourite!) & teh tarik

Traditional tastes...

cookies & cream + very berry

geez, I can't believe they even sprinkled milo on these... -_-

I'm also a newly converted very berry fan! Those chunks of fruits in there.... Mmmm....!

Under the milo powder...

I love how both their 'patterns' complement each other.

Like... erm.... siblings. You get me..? Oh well...

fork & knife - NOT!

This was how Ika ate the mud pie. How nicely-mannered of him! Haha!

He actually used the fork & knife method! With that.. that...

What do you call that wooden thing again..??! Oh, you get me.

cucus Sirpan II

cucus Sirpan pt II

Now, the dinner. Despite the crowd and disallowed reservation that Saturday evening, we managed to get a table for 6 after less than 15mins, just in time for Natra's & Ika's arrival.

Suzy can't help comparing the food here with 'the other one' much to Han's chagrin. "Do you have to compare EVERYTHING??"

Food's alright. Heck, it's the company that makes everything spectacular!

condiments

Not surprisingly, we asked for an extra portion of this.

fried country mushrooms

First to arrive. Kinda' enjoyed popping this in. Save for the fact that they're piping hot inside. Greedy us!

Served with what seemed like garlic-butter sauce for dipping.

cajun fried oysters

This one's pretty alright. I still prefer my oysters really fresh AND raw. However, I'd rather have this over the oyster 'poppers' served at fisherman's wharf.

The sauce here could be mayo. It's too thick to be sour cream. I would much prefer the latter.

garlic butter mussels

My favourite of the lot. Served with a basket of baguettes.

Natra, Ika & myself, we must have inhaled the sauce in or something. Have to get more from Suzy's side of the table (ordered 2 portions).

Goes really well with the rice that comes later.

scorching them prawns

We told the guy to keep on doing it till we are done with our photo-taking. It amused me when he started smiling after that.

Too bad, our cameras were only aimed at his hand and the pan.

them (scorched) prawns

Given the time taken for us to be truly satisfied with the photos taken- before we let him put the pan on our table, I'm surprised the prawns were not even burnt.

Skilled, ah that fella!

more fried oysters and fried calamari

I prefer the spiced ones we had earlier. But the calamari here was spiced. Not bad.

rear view - the slab of deep-fried fish fillet & fries

Wish that they had been more generous with the butter sauce...

front view

Ika totally relished in finishing the garlic rice.

Pretty satisfying meal... Maybe should bring my bro here next time.

cucus Sirpan I

cucus Sirpan pt I

**other pics in facebook & friendster only**

I can't believe that after all this time, only NOW did we finally manage to go on a casual outing together - without our parents in tow!

I mean, I've been out with Yan & his siblings or with Suzy and Effy, albeit separately.

Even though the presence of our brothers, i.e Yan & my bro was sorely missed, we still had fun, with or without them.

And we sure made full use of our time together. Natra could only make it for dinner due to school commitments that afternoon. Meanwhile, Suzy & her beau, Han + Effy & me, we went on to watch The Coffin.

That proved to be a pretty hilarious affair, what with Suzy screaming at one point and Effy dropped quite a number of popcorn kernels down into her top.

More hilarity ensued when Ika & Natra finally joined us for dinner (pics coming next).

And Natra, remember the silly moment in the PS carpark, pretending to do something else because we had no intention to drive off first DESPITE the fact that there's another vehicle already waiting for our lot? Cos' we wanna wait for Suzy, that why.

And the best part?

We forgot that Han had rented a car and we meanwhile, were keeping a lookout for the blue van that Han usually drives. When their car actually passed us ALREADY. Cos' I've told them the wrong level that I parked at. Me, the bumbling doof that I am.

To think that we still have room for dessert and Natra had wanted to try Island Creamery at Serene Centre, since her friends and I have been raving so much bout' their ice-cream.

And lastly, to East Coast for bowling. We got the very last lane and THANK GOODNESS for that! Despite the noise from the knocking down of pins and endless chatter from others, the noise from our group still reigned over the din.

You should hear the THUD! that comes with everytime Ika bowls. Scaaary....!

And only at 1230+++am did we finally part. Oh wow!

We reeeeallly should do this again, you know... I'll try to get my bro and that-certain-someone to come along, then.

random

random

In all randomness, yeah. Some pics I took from days back.

green orchids

I swear they are not THAT luminiscent through my eyes. Definitely a shade or two paler that how it appear here.

Taken at a place where you can find more orchids than anywhere else but the botanic gardens or orchid nursery itself.

Yup, Changi Airport.

I was keen to take a pic of the peacock floral formation at T1 but some eager Indian nationals were already forming a line to take photos with it so I just walked away.

5mins x 7 families... Will be another 1/2 hour before I get my shot.

Besides, that was meant to commemorate the upcoming Deepavali celebrations so they rightfully should have that chance.

pepperoni

This one here was simply pepperoni & tomatoes. Will do.

Reminded me of the pizza flavour that is currently my favourite: Meat Lovers . All that meat! And cheese! For that, it never matter if I ordered from Pizza Hut, Canadian, Rites, Sarpinos or Pizza de France.

Talk of pizza companies, in your opinion, which one of these Halal joints serve the best pizza (delivery)? I'll go for Sarpinos. They are almost as authentic as quick mediterranean food gets. Albeit a little more pricey than the others. My favourite pizza from them, surprisingly is the vegan option: The Presto Veggie.

Had this at Nadia's place the the other day. She got sick that day so we weren't able to taste her cooking... She ordered this for us instead.

Unfortunately, Ruf is allergic to cheese to I got them pizzas for myself! HAha! Too bad, these stuff are so filling, I can only take 2, at most.

hawaiian

Alas, this one here is as dry as how it appear. Definitely lacking the cheese.

sweet chili potato crisp

I LOVE this. So does the rest of my family. This is a pretty common Javanese dish, eaten as a side dish with rice, much similar to the Korean banchan.

There are many variants to this. Most often we've seen the version where they have the thinly sliced tempeh, ikan bilis (anchovies) + peanuts, dried fish etc, all deep fried till really crispy then mixed together with the chili paste and fried together till every bit is well-coated .

This one here was prepared by a realtive from Belakang Padang. I do not know how she managed to slice the potatoes so thinly. You can see how translucent it got after being fried. From what I recall, they do not posess the mandolin slicer. Amazing!

Those dark brown bits you see are onions and the red ones are obviously chili. Chili padi (bird's eye chili), to be exact, which are fried in the process of making the chili sauce. These are really crispy to the bite just like the potatoes.

I took joy in including this with almost everything that I ate, from the basic white rice to fried noodles but the best partner would have been fried rice. Such delish!

My bro, the first time he ate this, he had them sandwiched between slices of white bread till he ran out of them (the bread).

He, of course will carefully pick out the chili bits and return them into the container, leaving me with more of them with my every bite. Biting into them the first few times is fine but I soon reach for the glass of water as they got more fiery.

Given the rate that my bro and I consume this, it won't be long before we run out of this. Uwaahhh!

nadia's babe

nadia's babe

So Rufeah and I FINALLY got to meet Nadia and her little girl, Mahdiyya Imaani. And got a bonus in the form of her hubby who just flew in. Complete family!

Why 'finally'?

Apparently, Nadia and her girl was supposed to join Rufeah, Shyba & myself last Friday, when we planned to go on Raya visiting rounds to one another's homes.

However, she called me to inform of an emergency that occured and so the 3 of us had to make do without them both. I have to admit that the whole evening, our moods were pretty overcast with worry about her daughter's condition.

So much so that we almost didn't take any pics. Almost.

And Monday was the supposed date for us to drop by her place and yet, all doesn't seem rosy- yet.

And yeah, all's finally well and Nadia said that we're welcome to visit her that Wednesday. And yet, hours before our meet, Shyba informed me that she had to work till' late so Rufeah and me, we just went ahead.

And we met the star behind all this brouhaha. In all her cute glory. Look at her. Isn't she just adoooorable!

Must be those cheeks. So pinch-able (I didn't, of course)!

Anyway, dearest Nadia. I'm glad we finally met up. All that talk till' late that night, really brought back really fond memories, reminiscent of days since TMS.

We shall meet again before you fly back to Sydney, aye? And we will all make sure that Shyba makes it this time. ALL of us must take a picture together.

We MUST!

elegant wedding

an elegant wedding

The youngest step-uncle got married in a ceremony surrounded in opulence. Everything is so genteel and comely! The decor- from the gift trays to the reception....

So tasteful, sooo nice!

The akad nikah (solemnisation ceremony) was held at Assyafaah Mosque that noon, followed by Zohor parayers there before heading over to the wedding reception held at the bride's place in Woodlands.

The food's pretty good, too. My mum & I savoured almost all the desserts that they served on the buffet spread. *sorry no pics*

Seeing that they have a hand in the wedding business themselves, I'm sure they won't leave any loopholes for their own wedding...

~The complete picture album HERE~

You'll get the link to the Decor's website there. You can find more gorgeous pictures from the reception in their album.

pressie from ruf

post-dated pressie from ruf

This was what Ruf gave me before Shyba & I left her house. Took me by surprise, of course. "Belated birthday present," she said.

Big as it was, yes, I had a pretty trying time carrying it.

Oh you can't imagine trying to pry away the wrapping papers nicely (which I managed) when you're so eager to see what's inside. I felt like a child on Christmas night.

But not as bad as my impatient bro, who sat beside me throughout, and in anguish, insist that I just tear away the wrapping, while I chose to savour the moment as I peel off the sticky tape, one by one.

As I put the box to one side and calmly fold the wrap, my bro gladly took a peek inside. And snickered.

I tot it's because of this.

The wedding edition, no less.

Turns out, it's because of THIS!

What greeted my sight as I took a peek in. Very, very cute, indeed!

I was initially surprised that she gave a toy to a 20-something... *ahem* lady like me.

Turns out, it's an M&M's dispenser! Warrrgh!!!

No wonder she kept asking that night, "How's your gym session going??"

*sneaky, sneaky!*

I woke up in the morning to see the plastic wrapper tossed 'neatly' to one side and my dad was keenly inspecting the supposed 'toy car'.

Curious old boy, he is.

So I opened one packet (the Crispy version, I think) and poured its contents into the compartment at the rear.

Then I realised that there was no manual to tell me just what will dispense the chocolates. So the both of us tried every nook and cranny and I pressed on every surface to see if there's any 'secret' button to activate the contraption.

I then remembered the previous M&M's dispensers that I've encountered at Cocoa Tree and sought to try the arms of the choco-buddies/lovers...

Should have known that the 'thumbs-up' would mean something....

A slight tug downwards and..

Taa-daaa!

Out popped the candies. So happy! We ate chocolates that morning, before any breakfast (my mum didn't know!).

Thank you loads, Ruf!

I decide to place this in the office. All the more fun for us jaded people here. Amuse ourselves a bit while we pop some candies to alleviate our stress (and increase me waistline further!).