(more) sashimi & more..!

sashimi moriawase

Mix sashimi platter - my colleague's not fond of maguro (tuna) {because it's an endangered species!} so we only have hamachi (yellow tail), sake (salmon), sugi (cobia/black kingfish), tako (octopus) & ika (squid).

Ordered this twice.

~hearts~

tempura moriawase

Prawn, fish & vegetables (sweet potato, pumpkin) tempura. I wonder where's the okra, mushroom & brinjal gone..? :(

Freshly-fried food just taste so good, especially when coated with batter that's light-as-air. Well, it helps that the food's fresh, too.

grilled ika

Squid grilled with simply salt for taste. Squeeze some lemon juice before taking a bite.

ebi karaage w/ cornflakes

Yeap, deep-fried prawns coated with not just breadcrumbs, but (crushed) cornflakes as well. Can you see them bits..?

Sake Wafu Teppan

Grilled sake (salmon) covered in a special sauce and topped with raw egg (which became 1/2 cooked by the time it got to us.

burger king breakfast

I realised that these photos had remained inside my collection without my blogging about them....

Pardon me but this was the breakfast I had with my bro, right after we sent our parents off at the airport, when they went for their Hajj. When was that? Somewhere in Nov last year (egad!).

Since both of us weren't due to arrive at our workplace till' afternoon that day, we decide to take our time with breakfast (what irony- by having fast food) and go all the way to Burger King at East Coast Park for a meal with a view.

Enormous Omelette Sandwich - my bro's order.

Ordering this makes for 1 sinful breakfast. Reminds me of Michael Phelps's 12000-calorie-a-day diet.

Let's see... 2 layers of omelettes (I wonder how many eggs are used), 2 layers of cheese, 2 chicken patties and some crispy turkey bacon.

Oh, how indulgent!

I never ordered this for myself, no matter how tempted I got. Too scared. For my arteries, I mean.

Breakfast King Sandwich- my order.

I always order this. Simple reason. The greens.

Problem is, I always hem & haw about which meat option to choose. I love the turkey bacon but they aren't satisfying. The sausage (patties) are too filling. The ham fills me nicely but are too salty.

But it's damn syiok!

hash brown(s)

I dare say that these are my favourite.

All hash browns kinda taste the same, actually. But these golden coins are such fun to nibble on and coming in small pieces, they can easily be kept for later when unfinished.

Besides, all these pieces combined, definitely make more than 1 of McD's hashies, right?

I'm now curious to try the breakfast offering at KFC & Long John Silvers... Especially after reading this.

popeyes louisiana kitchen

Is there a difference between Popeyes 'Louisiana Kitchen' and Popeyes 'Chicken & Biscuits'?

I understand that the former applies to the 2 new heartland branches (Tampines & AMK) while the latter are the ones at Changi Airport. Hmmm...

My colleagues and I took time to troop all the way down to Tampines to satiate our curiousity; with regards to the new Popeyes branch.

I admit that I was a tad apprehensive about going to Tampines. That place is known as the '2nd/eastern Orchard' and seemed to be forever packed with people. Besides, the Popeyes branch at the airport seemed to have an eternally long queue. What more, it's Friday and school kids are bound to leave school early and swarm the shopping centres.

Put 2-and-2 together and I'm expecting us to be jostling with a big crowd all the way to the counter.

Imagine my surprise to see that the crowd at Tampines itself was sparse and Popeyes was kinda empty with lots of seating available. So we took the chance to stand before the counter to hem & haw about what to order.

I'm contemplating between the shrimp sandwich (my usual order) and the 2 piece chicken....

2 pc chicken meal w/ mashed potato and (additional) coleslaw

Yes, I eventually settle for the latter.

Been a long while since I last ordered the chicken so I decide to sacrifice my usual order of the shrimp sandwich (I love that one!).

I obviously opt for the 'hot & spicy' version. And no drumstick, please.

Maybe my 'hot & spicy' standard has been raised quite high by KFC's 'hot & crispy' version. Popeyes' use of the Cajun spice barely set any heat on my taste buds. And I can't help griping about how salty the seasoning is (I have low tolerance for saltiness).

I'm not a fan of their 'biscuit' (more like a scone) but I can't help noticing that they seem a weeny bit smaller now. Or was it my imagination?

I can never step into Popeyes w/o getting both the mashed potato and coleslaw. Now for these, Popeyes version definitely win over KFC (or Arnolds for that matter) hands down.

The 'smoother' mash and its gravy with all that garlicky and chicken bits are such a delight to have. And their coleslaw with its bits of pickles and rougher-cut veggies leave a more refreshing taste.

Oh, did I mention the 'spork'...?

..and additional large fries

Not really fond of the fries (I have my personal favourite, elsewhere) but like the chicken, I'm feeling a little curious about its taste.

Too salty for me, lah. And dry. Many may beg to differ but I can't help it. I do appreciate the Cajun spice coating them, though.
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I can't imagine coming here on weekends. I can't even imagine STEPPING into Tampines on weekends. Eugh!

Western Chow

www.westernchow.com

This is what happens what you read blogs at work. You get so intrigued about the food that's been written about and you get your colleagues to read the same entry and ALL got curious and wanted to give it a try.

So the three of us gals (the others away on holiday) took a cab ride ALL the way to Lor Ah Soo just to have a go at this popular food stall (featured in Manja magazine and Berita Minggu-the local Malay Sunday paper). Well it turns out that Lor Ah Soo ain't that very far from our workplace at Ubi...

We were kinda worried that it'll be closed, due to CNY (since it's Chinese-owned and all). Thankfully, they are open. I've already made up my mind since the time I read the blog entry so I quickly place my order (I am really, really fickle-minded).

We are to choose 2 out of the 5 different sides that they offer, to accompany our mains. There are coleslaw, french beans, mashed potato, fries & rice. There is also the promotional set meal, where soup + main course + dessert = $7.90.

2 of us took up that offer.

cream of mushroom soup

The consistency of this soup seems to remind me of the canned variety but the dark brown colour tell me otherwise.

It does taste homemade, just that it's a tad too starchy till that it became unecessarily thick. The thing about starchy foods is that they fill a person up easily. Appreciate the mushroom bits every now and then.

Either they don't add MSG or only a little was added; for I don't get that 'certain' aftertaste or feel extremely thirsty prior to eating this.

Somehow, eating this makes me miss the mushroom soup offered at Starhub Green's foodcourt. Hope to blog about that one soon...

dory fish in bread crumbs

My colleague's order. Her chosen sides are the mashed potato & french beans. I had a bit of the fish: it's not fishy and slightly sweetish.

Believe me, I've had my fair share of fish fillets that are fishy and bland at the same time. This one's quite alright. Not too greasy, too.

chicken chop mushroom sauce

Another colleague's order. She's determined to try the mushroom sauce so she settled for this. She chose the mashed potato & coleslaw as her sides. She told me that her coleslaw taste 'fresh'.

I had a taste of the mushroom sauce: not too starchy and it does carry the rich mushroom flavour, akin to mushroom soup w/o the cream. Those big mushroom pieces in the sauce are a definite plus.

char-grill black pepper chicken

My order. I chose the mashed potato and french beans as my sides.

The mashed potato is smooth and creamy and the accompanying gravy taste a lot like the mushroom sauce. Maybe it's one and the same, seeing that both the sauces look similar; on my colleague's plate.

The french beans look like they are blanched prior to being stir-fried with carrot strips and garlic. I like that it's done nicely, without tasting too raw or over-cooked; giving a pleasant, slight crunch with every bite.

Both my colleague and I are a tad peeved that they didn't serve that piece of garlic bread with the soup that's served earlier. Maybe next time, they can consider doing that for patrons who ordered the set?

Now that piece of chicken... Is delish! That thigh meat is cooked in a way that makes it live up to its name. Charred nicely at the edges yet juicy and tender at the same time. The skin isn't that fatty and the surface is delightfully crispy.

The black pepper sauce complements the chicken meat nicely, where the black pepper taste wasn't too over-bearing. Nice.

I do wonder why mine is called 'char-grilled chicken' and my colleague's is called 'chicken chop' while both look like they are prepared similarly?

'dessert'

This comes in as part of the promotional set. Served together with the soup.

canned peach & fruit cocktail bits

Well yeah, it does look like nothing. I remember asking the person at the stall, "What's the dessert?"

He looked pretty uneasy and mumbled something to the line of, "Peach cocktail."

Well, what do you expect when the whole set costs only $7.90? After all, definition of dessert is: "Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet foods.."

It does meet that definition and it works as a closure to complete a meal. Besides, after all that I've eaten, anything heavier that this will be much too filling... I have no complaints.

this is Singapore

Taken over the CNY weekend... when I took the baby for picnics at Pasir Ris Park on Sat and East Coast Park on Sun.

I'm fond of food and nature photography; my humble camera notwithstanding. I can believe how nicely these photos turn out...

Guess I've got to attribute it to the ample day lighting over the weekend, where the sun had been blazing.

Pasir Ris Park

East Coast Park - Area H

KFC's egg tarts

portugese egg tarts

When I passed by the KFC at White Sands and saw the promo poster for this, I was surprised. I mean, hello? Egg tarts..? KFC...? What kinda' gimmick is this?

They even put: "Authentic recipe of Macau" & "Freshly baked daily".

What, they're slowly converting into a bakery now? Yeah, in other words, I was skeptical.

Well, not for long. For I saw a friend commenting about these egg tarts on FB and she mentioned that they were good. Ok, I'm starting to get reaaally curious.

A week down the road, my colleague also gave them her thumbs-up. That's it. Gotta' try for myself!

I bought 2 boxes (total = 1 dozen) for I thought that my in-laws and family might still be around. Turns out, they left early. So it's 1 dozen for just my immediate family a.k.a more for myself!

I left the boxes on the kitchen counter while I washed up, greet the baby etc. Despite all that and not forgetting the journey back home, the tarts still remain warm. Really crispy at the first bite. And the egg custard is definitely yummy! Not to mention the 'caramelised sugar' surface that's sooo like crème brûlée.

This is wayyy better the the one I blogged about previously and that one was bought in a real confectionery!

Despite the good reviews from others, I still dare not hold any expectations; naturally, I got surprised by how good this actually taste. I don't really know how authentic this is or how it measure up to other egg tarts in the industry because the halal market for these egg tarts are pretty small so my knowledge if it is very limited.

However, that friend in FB is Chinese, pretty well-traveled and loves sourcing for good food. So I guess she knows her stuff.

At $7.50 for 6, the pricing seem pretty steep but it's worth the buy, I'd say.

PS: Taiwan's KFC not only sell these, they have other fancier versions as well!

chicken masala

chicken masala w/ biryani rice

Note how I describe the photo. The chicken masala first; followed by what accompanies it. Chicken masala with biryani rice. Chicken masala with white rice. It's all about the chicken masala, I tell you!

Cos' it's THAT good..!

Another thing, we only come by here on Wednesdays because it's the day that they serve the chicken rasam. Yes, that tangy-flavoured South Indian soup but this one here is infused with the deep chicken flavour that puts the rasam on a whole new dimension altogether. More like diluted chicken curry than a rasam.

And oh, the fish head curry is not bad too! =)

sashimi!

salmon belly sashimi

This. Is. Such. An. Indulgence!

I guess the price easily tell you that. A slab of salmon belly sashimi that sets you back a little over $8.

Then again, it's the salmon BELLY. I was apprehensive about having all this for myself because this part of the fish is just so... Fatty. The slices are covered in these whitish lines not unlike the wagyu beef. Lines of fat that make this a much sought after portion of the fish, hence the pricier tag that comes with it.

Soft meat, rich in flavour and almost melt-in-the mouth texture in the mouth. Such decadence!

So much for me worrying that this is 'too much-too rich' for me to enjoy on my own... I ACTUALLY finished them without realising. The colleague who bought me this was laughing away saying, "I told you, sure can finish one! Very nice, rite?"

Mmmmmmm....!

raw octopus in wasabi sauce

Yes, your read right. Raw octopus. RAWWWWW!

It's been my dream to eat raw octopus. Please don't ask me why I would dream of such a disgusting thing. Maybe I've been watching too much Korean food documentaries and it's no secret that Korean do eat their octopus raw. Some even ate it while its still in one piece - ALIVE!

That must have gotten me all curious because in my book:
Live & Raw = Fresh.
Fresh = Sweet.

So when my colleague, the ultimate foodie told me that he had raw octopus at Sakuraya, I was exhilarated. And the best part was that it was seasoned together with WASABI - my love.

As luck will have it, he was to head for Parkway Parade later that day and offered to get me this.

all slimy and gooey..

..but really, really nice!

Ah well, to each his own. I guess it's a matter of taste and preference.

Raw small octopus, cut into small morsels and mixed with wasabi, soy sauce and some chili.

I know what you might be asking. Contrary to popular belief, each octopus morsel is NOT tough. Yes, slightly chewy but it's comfortable to the bite. And it's definitely not fishy.

It's definitely delectable - to me, that is. What with the wasabi giving the added zing to this dish. A bit of warning, though. They are a bit generous with that horseradish so when I got excited and took continuous bites of this, I got the 'wasabi high'.

You know, that tears at the eyes, the itch on the scalp and the sting from the nose to the brain.

Now THAT makes me delirious.

Oh, oh... Even better. I took the 'shiso' (perilla) leaf that's used as a garnish with the salmon belly and wrapped it around the last few bits of octopus and put the whole package in my mouth.

Next thing I know, I was bent over the table, face-down with both arms outstretched, hands clenched and my eyes tightly shut. And my colleague was snickering away at my antic.

Wasabi + the peppery 'shiso' leaf = Super zing/high! -_-

If only they topped this with some chopped scallions. It's could have tasted more refreshing.

ok, one more shot!

Haha. Gross, I know.

See lah. So excited to eat until the shot got out-of-focus..!

PS: These would have gone really well with piping hot Japanese rice topped with toasted sesame seeds and seaweed flakes... Yum!

hi

Those not in the know, I've already started work as of last week... almost 2 months short of the 3 months I supposedly took.

Yeah, I was bored previously but that's because I was supposedly in CONFINEMENT.. Despite the fact that I went out a little here and there, in the back of my mind, I know that my movements were supposed to be restricted. Naturally, I was looking forward to the 2 months that I get to enjoy out of confinement and still be on holiday.

Alas, I get to enjoy only 5 days out of it cos the week after, I'm back at the office...

I'll be lying if I say that I didn't think of the comfort of home and especially my SON while at work...

Doesn't help that the first day I started work, my hubby got his day off... Eeeurgh!

I admit, I took the opportunity during this weekend to make up for the lost time with him. Though I hate the fact that my child my get too spoilt/pampered by my always cuddling him, I just can't help it. I've become the desperate mom.

It's my greatest fear that I may miss my baby's 1st crawl, step or word. I thought I'll get to see at least one of his 'firsts' before I get back to work. I'm hoping all those happened either in the wee hours of morning, at night or on weekends.

I really, really hope that my boss keep his word about giving me another long break when the dust has settled. Even if it's for a fortnight. I just want to have the free-time I so well deserve.

Even though I'm bored, at least I'm free.