home-baked pasta

I don't know what came over me, but I actually felt like cooking that Friday evening at my parent's place.

My bro's fave dish, no less. Baked penne in cream sauce.

Since my cousin was over at my place to look out for my mum, I got her to meet me at the nearby NTUC (I need someone to help me carry my purchases).

That NTUC branch was a disappointment.. No cream, no (western) herbs and minimal pasta variety. Thankfully, there's Penne available (my bro's fave - I personally prefer the Linguine).

My mum told me of the shabu-shabu beef in the fridge and I dump that in with the Shitake mushrooms and chicken sausages.

Not contented with just the standard creamy pasta, I dumped some boiled penne into a dish, heaped on that, the cream sauce and topped the whole thing with lotsa cheese (cheddar, mozarella and even more parmesan) and baked the whole thing.

The pasta being baked (yes, I know.. that oven needs some cleaning..)

It was almost 9pm when I start to bake the pasta. it was such an agonising wait!

Finally!

My cousin tucking in first.

Enjoy!

In my hunger, I realised that I got a tad greedy and baked too much pasta for the both of us. What more when my cousin only dug around the shabu-shabu beef and spend more time picking her fried chicken (yes, we prepared that too).

Thankfully, I left enough sauce for my bro AND his friend, who sprung a surprise visit later that night.

Are you sure you're qualified to be taking care of that baby?

I love the movie, which was awesome-ly funny.

That line almost knocked me off my seat. Thought of getting this for my bro. Somehow I'm reminded of him when I saw the character holding the baby..

...Must be the belly.

Can just imagine him wearing that same shades as he had had this tee on....

The Hangover Tee

The Baby

Uhu! hu!

No, that wasn't me crying.. Read on.

It all start with a small story...

When my dad was on his way to the market early Sat morning, he chanced upon our 8th floor neighbours, these 2 sisters (young & chic kind) and their cousin heading out to hail a cab.

We are pretty close as neighbours- having known one another for around 2o years, so my dad in all his kaypoh-ness friendliness asked of their destination.

"Oh, we're headed for KL (Kuala Lumpur).."

My dad was baffled by that answer for all they carried were their small handbags and nothing else..

"..How many days? How come you don't have any luggage?" (Seriously, my dad can get really nosy sometimes).

"Oh, we'll be coming back in the afternoon..."

"Really..?! How will you get there? By coach?"

"No, we'll be taking a flight there."

My dad being the airport staff that he is, asked about the airport tax and other charges just to go to KL...

"Oh, we paid $60 for a return trip on Air Asia. All included!"

My dad was still wide-eyed even after they've left in the cab...

Anyway, fast forward to that late afternoon and my parents had just alighted from the cab and another cab was behind them. Guess who?

Yeap, the 3 ladies who went to KL that MORNING. My dad was really taken aback to see that they meant their word when they said that they're coming back that afternoon itself.

And more shocked to see that instead of shopping bags, they had with them boxes and boxes of confectionery marked, The Loaf Bakery (check out their website.. and drool!).

They got into a conversation in the lift and my parents were told that those were from the well-known bakery owned by the former M'sian Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir.

That got my mum all excited cos' she's still sore by the fact that I actually forgot to bring my family to dine at the branch in Langkawi even when we actually passed by the location (I really should kick myself for tat)...

Anyway, 1/2 hour later, one of the sisters came knocking and gave my parents 4 of the confectioneries. That was pretty nice of them. They must have felt somewhat embarrassed to have my parents see them with all that goodies and felt obliged to share some.

There were 2 tarts, the cheese (devoured by my mum) and the fruit tart (devoured by my dad). Anyway my mum only remembered to inform me yesterday, that she's left me 2 of the confectioneries and I made no qualms about stopping by there after work.

And I was greeted with these mini Uhu!Hu cheesecakes...! My mum took them out of the fridge when I was having dinner and my the time I was ready to savour them, they have softened nicely.

The mango cheesecake

I can't find this on the website but the taste was distinctively mango. Smooth and definitely creamy.

Pardon the fact that the surface looked rather 'cloggy'. Remember that it's been 2 days since these were given.

The 'Luxurious Chocolate' cheesecake

That name wasn't penned by me. It's listed on the website.

Yeah, like the name, the chocolate fudge was definitely rich, smooth and pretty divine. The chesecake inside was layered and I can't make out the flavours. Maybe coffee-flavoured like Tiramisu..? Honestly I can't figure it out.

Man, I'm so grateful to my parents for keeping these for me. And also to my generous neighbours.

Know what? I might just do something similar like waht they did, with my mum... And the babe? Hmm.. it's only a day trip. Surely no harm done. Hopefully...

Insya-Allah (God willing)....

halo... sori.. in a bit, can??

blogger is soooo screwed up now....

After all that I typed yesterday... I'm back to facing a blank page. How like that?

Doesn't help that I'm becoming less-than-inspired to blog right now. What more about food. In my current state, it seems that foods in general, dun appeal to me much... Like there's hardly any passion as I savour. More like I eat-to-live...

What I have on my mind right now is me experiencing my 1st pregnancy. I don't know if it's a appropriate for me to blog about the goings-on and progress.. I'll have to think about it. It'll be fun, I suppose.

Anyway, here's a pic of my fave snack currently. Wasabi pistachios...
Yeah I know.. Anything with wasabi often fall into my favourites list.

My boss bought a huge pack of these from Meidi-Ya. Batter-coated pistachios dusted with wasabi powder.. The pistachios were decently-sized... well, given that the whole thing was pretty costly...

It's pretty fun to pop these into the mouth, one-by-one quickly just so you can get the high where your eyes tear-up and the sharp, tingling sensation goes straight to the head, till your scalp itches. Oooh, I love that!

Till I blog again..!

chicken II

BBQ Chicken @ Tampines One

Both my cousin and I had the discount coupon and since she had never tried the food here (despite being a chicken lover), we decide to head down to the newly opened branch at Tampines One.

Main Course.

Jerk BBQ

Grilled chicken leg coated with Korean BBQ sauce (made of 20 different seasonings) and red pepper.

One of my cousin ordered this previously and I was curious to try it for myself. The sauce was really flavoursome, the chicken meat tender and juicy and it was grilled till it was charred at the edges.

Comes with sides of fries and green salad.

Korean Charboiled

I'm surprised my cousin opted for this grilled chicken version instead of the fried ones (her fave!).

The chicken leg here is marinated in sauce (made of over 30 secret ingredients) and roasted over charcoal fire and then the earthenware.

I had a try of this and realised that as complicated as the cooking procedure sound, this piece of chicken meat definitely has a stronger taste. But with no hint of a spicy kick, however. Very savoury.

Hot-hot Drum

My cousin who had the Jerk Bbq previously had envied my order of this back then and made it a point to order it this time.

She was disappointed to see that unlike the ones I had previously, there was less sauce this time. Even the drumsticks were not evenly-coated with the sauce. I remember that I used to dip my fries in the excess hot-hot sauce that dripped onto the plate.

The last time I had this, the sauce was so spicy that the burning sensation remain in my belly for over an hour. My cousin agreed that the level of spiciness remained constant.

It came with a side of only a miserable amount of potato salad (which tasted quite nice anyway).

The sides.

Teri-Q Wings

I remember that these had tasted really nice the last time I had it. Marinated with Teriyaki sauce with Korean soybean paste, and coated with glutinous rice powder before being fried.

Reminds me a bit of the chinese Prawn-Paste Chicken dish. Very yummy!

Mashed Potato

Quite a generous portion. The potato tasted more starchy than 'potato-ey' but the sauce was kinda nice.

Nothing can beat Popeye's version, so far.

Dessert.

Pat Bing Soo

When I saw the size of that, boy was I very very glad that there were at least 3 of us then. Quite a big portion.

Shaved ice heaped with some bean powder, azuki red beans, little cubes of mochi (rice cakes), nata de coco, fruit cocktail and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream with cherry. And drizzled with choco fudge with a couple of Lotte choco-almond sticks.

Pretty nice but I can't help reminiscing the one I had at Zingdo. That one had a smaller portion but came with bigger cubes of sesame-coated mochi, cubes of real fruits like kiwi & mango or strawberry etc. if you prefer , cubes of aloe vera and nata de coco, azuki beans with raspberry ripple ice-cream.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Somehow I think that the portions have been altered and that a couple of the orders that I've had before had been presented in a different manner.

See my previous entry on BBQ chicken at the Cineleisure branch sometime last year.

My order of Teri-Q wings then had a heap of coleslaw on the side. Now the Hot-hot drums has only the potato salad on the side when it had both fries and coleslaw previously.

Is it due to that, over time, they've rationed the sides served with the main course? Or that different branches have different ways...? I sense some inconsistencies here....

We had wanted to use the promotion coupons, where 1 can entitle us to the 20% discount an another which allow us to have either the Teri-Q wings or the Pat Bing Soo for free, with orders above $50.

When asked if we can use both simultaneously, the server (who wore a black top instead of the pink ones of the junior staff), whom I assumed to be the supervisor, made no mention that only 1 coupon can be used. Only upon payment at the counter did the manager tell me that. And he conveniently said that since I had use the coupon for the free Pat Bing Soo, the 20% disc. coupon can't be used.

What if I decide to pay for the Pat Bing Soo instead? And utilise the 20% disc. coupon which may entitle me to more savings? How inconvenient would that have been for them?

But I was too darn full to kick up a fuss. Man, if only I had known better....

But on a positive side, I'm glad I chose to have that dessert for free, instead of the Teri-Q wings - for the dessert would have cost more..!

chicken I

Barcelos Flame Grilled Chicken @ VivoCity

May seem like I've been visiting lotsa' chicken restaurants lately but this one here was from last month... Refer to previous post for an explanation to my tardiness.

This visit was totally unplanned. My parents remarked about wanting to head down to VivoCity without any valid reason. Only when we were wandering amongst the crowd, did my mum mention about trying this place. She had read about it in the papers.

Darn that paper!

We were caught totally off-guard. My bro just had a heavy snack before coming (my mum didn't even remind him to save some room in his belly!), my cousin joined us after a wedding reception and I had lunch at my home before joining them!

Best part was the financial aspect of it. For it's no secret that the food there is pretty pricey.

I wasn't aware of the free-flow drinks, then. The manager who served us didn't even bother to inform us about it despite us wondering aloud in front of her at the counter. So we got canned soft drinks for each when we could have paid only a few cents more for free-flow. This was duly made known to us by the friendly girl who served our food. Sheesh!

Chicken Pasta Meal

My mum saw someone in the next table having this. I have no idea what the dish is called so I just whack it and ordered the one with the word 'pasta'.

Thankfully it's the right one.

I dare not get her anything spicy seeing that her taste buds, with age, had slowly raised their guard against spicy stuff. If she needs more kick, she can use the bottles of peri sauces (of 4 different grades) provided on every table.

Sweet Chilli Cheese Burger

My bro's order. Since he was pretty full, he thought a burger set will be just nice. Who knew that the burger turned out to be so big!

The patty being the grilled thigh meat of the peri chicken, being complemented with the sweet sauce... I love this one. Gonna have it next time.

Chicken, Cheese & Egg Pitta Pocket

My cousin's order. She may be pretty full, having had meals at 2 different wedding receptions but she can never resist good food.

I know she chose this because it had 3 of her fave items - chicken, egg & cheese. The chopped veggies were wasted on her for she scraped half of them onto her plate (she dislike veggies). The egg was a sunny side-up on top of the chicken patty.

Pine & Cheese Burger

I chose this because when I saw the word 'pine', I had imagined roasted pine nuts or even pesto sauce (pine nuts being the main ingredient) inside the burger.

I didn't cross my mind that the word 'pine' is short for PINEAPPLE. And I got just that, the canned variety, no less in between my buns. Which made my bun pretty soggy when it absorbed the juice that dripped onto the plate.

Did you see the visible salt crystals on the fries..? Can you just imagine how salty they were? Especially for me, who have really low-tolerance for salty stuff.

For my dad, I ordered the 1/4 chicken set which comes with a choice of 1 regular side order (I got him the coleslaw- his fave). His order came last and my hands were soiled by the time it arrived, so no pics.

I tried the various sauces that was supplied on every table. The tangy lemon was really sour (in a pretty disturbing way). The mild peri was still pretty sour with no hint of any spiciness. The veri peri reminds me of tobasco sauce with a little extra flavour. Super peri? Well.. it was tasteless.

Maybe it was so spicy that it numbed my tastebuds... I assume.

Now I'm curious about Nandos. Gotta head to Pelangi Plaza in JB to try that.

News

My apologies for the lack in updates in recent months.

I seems that I've been less-than-inspired to blog (despite having the contents), somehow. Ever since I discovered my pregnancy, Alhamdulillah (many praises to Allah) for that; I guess the mojo's somewhat dwindled.

It's been said, that the baby inside the mother's womb can somewhat influence the mother's tastes and actions.

From this, I assume that I can't rely of Lil' Junior here to pursue my passion for blogging. Not that I'm blaming the lil' one here. Maybe my child just want me to have more rest, knowing my penchant for spending hours in front of the screen once I start.

Whether the love for blogging emerge or not, I'm just hoping that my child won't be IT illiterate at least. Knowing enough to get by will do.

Then again, who knows what our current world wide web would have evolved into, by then.

Hmm.. go figure.

food during the b.padang reception

ayam panggang - grilled chicken

Having been to may receptions here, I'm aware of the fact that a chicken dish is a 'must'.

Most common is the 'semur ayam' (chicken cooked in soy sauce) and twice I've had the luxury of encountering the 'ayam goreng bumbu' (deep fried chicken with spices) where there are crunchy crumbs made up of 'kemiri' (candle nuts), 'serai' (lemongrass), ginger, shallots, gallangal and tumeric.

And now, the grilled version, which I totally savour. These free-range chickens were nicely marinated before being put on the fire. I picked out those with the more charred edges on purpose. Mmmmm...!

Now, now.. Don't go on telling me about carcinogens and stuff. I ate these kinds of grilled stuff like once in a blue moon, ok? What's wrong with indulging once in a while...?

sup sayur campur & ayam - clear chicken soup with mix vegetables

It's a simple dish, just chicken soup with leek, potatoes, french beans, carrots and tomatoes. But it taste soo gooood!

With every occasion that happened here, this dish seemed to be a norm. I guess, their use of the free-range chickens really gave the soup a more robust chicken taste.

gulai kambing - goat stew

The hosts of this reception, aside from having their own tofu factory, are also known to rear a decent herd of goats (kambing kacang). It's been said that they had 3 goats slaughtered for this occasion and I very much look forward to the dish that that's made out of their meat.

Not surprisingly, they made the 'gulai' (stew), a dish that I'm extremely fond of, especially since enjoying them in Lombok, not once but twice.

The one prepared here had a gravy with a more thicker consistency most likely due to coconut milk being added, making the dish much reminiscent to the 'rendang'.

I never bat an eye-lid to the people around me and used my hands (after washing) to grab and the ribs and later the shank, finding the little bits of pinkish meat still stuck there.

Oh, fresh goat meat never tasted sooooo good! I told my dad that upon the birth of my child (Insya-Allah), I wanna have the 'kekah' done here and I want that black goat with the shiny fur, which I saw at the enclosure.

condiments - chili to accompany grilled chicken

In the foreground is cut red 'cili padi' (bird's-eye chili), onions and tomato dunked in sweet soy sauce. Ooooh..... Quite lethal on the tongue, this one.

In the background is the 'sambal balado' which is red chili fried in oil with shallots and tomatoes before being grounded into a paste with a squeeze of lime juice. More native to the 'Minang' people.

mendoan sayur - veggie dough fritters

These came out piping hot.. Served as an afternoon tea snack during the reception.

'Mendoans' are usually flat but here, my mum told me that they people in the kitchen had been overzealous with the baking powder so they puffed up into these balls when fried, not unlike the 'Cucur'.

These 'mendoan' come in various forms. There's the one with the 'tempe' , 'tauhu' and mixed vegetables like these - with grated carrots, sometimes 'tauge' (bean sprouts), even corn and cilantro. The locals tend to bite on these alternately with green 'cili padi' but we (Singaporeans) are contented just to be able to dip them into chili sauce.

Yet another trip to Belakang Padang

A relative had invited us to attend a reception to commemorate their son's circumcision. I had expected a small affair, just some food and prayers and a small gathering.

What greeted me was a full-blown mega reception which involved the whole village, much akin to a wedding.

I've heard of the Javanese Muslims holding their son's circumcision in high regard and this is my first time encountering it.

FYI, in Islam, circumcision to a boy is a must and he must be circumcised, preferably before he reached puberty.

A culture-vulture will be delighted at the presence of the popular 'kuda-kepang, barongan' and even the 'reog', which is native to the region of Ponorogo at East Java.

Guys in 'Barongan' masks.

I arrived at around 2pm, just in time too witness the arrival of these 2 fellas who came from the arena outside, to welcome the 'Prince of the Day', the boy who's just had his circumcision.

My mum was quick to pull me in, knowing my penchant for being really curious and getting near such things. Thing is, barongans are usually associated with things mystical. Given my condition, I should stay away, to avoid the risk of getting 'unnecessarily involved'.

The boy being carried on his father's back.

His daddy swiftly changed out of his smart batik shirt and wore a barongan mask (scaring his little daughter, at that), before carrying his Prince on his back.

They then ventured out to the arena outside, led by the other 2 guys in the masks and followed by a procession of villagers, most of them kids.

Pleasing scenery.

While they precession went away, I took advantage of the dwindled crowd to indulge in their food (not to worry, another entry!)...

..and take in the surroundings.

The dais.

Yes, they've even had a corner done up with a dais and all - not unlike a wedding. They sure go all out, huh....? For a circumcision. Guess we dun see the deal here but over there, it sure is a big thing.

Find her familiar?

Let me jolt your memory through HERE.

I was really surprised to see the tomboy who had harassed me back then, looking all demure. With her face made up, her hair accessorised and dressed like a mini-bride.

I sympathised with her then. The tomboy who had every urge to get out and play, being constrained by that trtaditional wrap-around 'batik wiron' and... her mum.

Having worn that garb during my wedding, I'm well aware as to how uncomfortable that velvety top was. What more in that humid heat.

Poor thing. But bored as she was, she still looked cute....

Waiting for the arrival of her bro.

Soon a small commotion ensued. Her bro was making his way back from whatever ceremonial rites at the arena outside, by the main 'road'.

So little Salsabilla was tidied up went back to her position at the dais, as if to welcome her bro.

Here he comes...

Wow, I had expected him to be re-carried back there on his father's back but I didn't anticipate him being on the 'reog', as if riding it.

The procession being led by a group of female 'kuda kepang' dancers, the 'reog' following behind, with him.

At the dais.

After he got down (and the wraparound batik put in place), he went back to his position at the dais, by his sister.

You may find this pretty contemptuous, but it's all kinda' innocent. Even the royalties of long ago, when the unmarried brother reign the throne, his sister will accompany him while in court.

'Reog' performance.

Meanwhile, the 'reog' outside continued to perform a ritual dance.

Honestly, that whole gear weighed over 20 or 30kg at least. How the performer managed to carry it all the way and EVEN dance in it... I really wonder.

Though it's no secret that 'barongans' DO practice mysticism, involving trance and totemic worship.

Go figure.

Rear view.

It's obvious that the 'reog' is made to resemble a tiger. Read HERE for a detailed explanation on the 'reog'.

Back to the arena.

After around 15mins of performing outside the reception area, the 'reog' finally turned around and made it's way back to the arena outside.

It's amusing the see the whole lot of villagers, who were avidly watching, also following suit. Thus a procession formed behind it - not unlike a scene from 'The Pied Piper'.

The arena.

As we rushed back to head for the jetty, I caught sight of the 'reog' still on with its performance at the arena.

...Pardon that boy, I took this (hurried) shot from the trishaw.

entertainment bits

I'm sharing this article because I totally digg it.

I despise John Mayer and I never did like Jennifer Aniston. And if Pink was rite, he's just the jerky a** that I tot' him to be.

Maybe those women aren't stupid on their own. They're just damn foolish to fall for that sleazebag.

John Mayer's painful Pink injury

'Gravity' singer John Mayer claims Pink kneed him in the genitals outside a luxury Hollywood hotel last year.

'Gravity' singer John Mayer claims Pink kneed him in the genitals outside a luxury Hollywood hotel last year.

John Mayer claims Pink kneed him in the 'nuts'.

The 'Gravity' singer posted a cryptic message on his Twitter account, suggesting the 'Sober' star attacked him outside a luxury Hollywood hotel.

The 31-year-old musician wrote: 'Last year Pink kneed me in the nuts outside Chateau Marmont. I was p***ing blood for days. Did I make a scene? (sic)'

If the attack happened, it wouldn't be the first time the stars have clashed.

Pink branded John her 'most-hated celebrity' last October, after they met at a party in the Hollywood Hills.

Pink said afterwards: 'I got into an argument with him. I don't believe him as much as he believes him. He said something along the lines of, 'I only sh*g really stupid women.'

'And I said, 'I guess they would have to be.' I don't get him at all.'

Jennifer Aniston, who was dating John at the time, was said to be enraged by Pink's comments.

courtesy of MSN sg

oh, nostalgic food!

Yesterday I ate one of the best things ever!

The maid and I were having a little workout session at the fitness corner last Saturday, when she mentioned 'toasts'. I gave her a bewildered look.

"Toasts?"

"Oh, I forgot. We always have it in the afternoon, when you are away at work..."

Hmmm..... Ok, I sense some envy creeping over me. I LOVE, love, love toasts!!

"Wait, I thought there's no oven in the house..?"

"Oh we just spread the margarine, sprinkle some sugar and put it on the flat pan, the one you used to cook the prata the other time... The kids love it!"

"Oh." ok, now I'm jealous. I can't believe I'm feeling this way over toasts.

And when we came back, she cheerfully commented on our conversation to grandma, "Kakak (big sis) was wondering how we prepared the toasts. I forgot she's never had them before."

Yesterday, after tending to the antics of the littlest niece, actually doze off that afternoon, the sun shining on my face (which was rare cos' I hardly can stand light when sleeping!). I woke up a couple hours later all groggy and ventured to the kitchen for some water. Grandma was at the stove preparing something.

"Oh you're awake. I'm preparing toasts here."

"Toasts??! Really? I love toasts. Wow, you seem to know!" Man, I sure am wide awake right then.

She just snickered. "Your grandpa wants some. You want some. Good, so everybody can have the same thing. The kids will also want later."

She went out to check on them. And she came back in saying, "You're in luck. The maid brought them to the playground. You can have all that in the pan. Can make more for them later. Better to eat them hot."

I just beamed. "Thanks grandma!" She then left me alone.

I looked into the pan. There're 4 little bread slices, folded into half with the sides trimmed (aww, too bad. I love the sides!) sitting neatly in the pan. All four slices for me... ME!

I made a cup of hot milo and gingerly took one out of the hot pan and put it nicely on a plate. Oh, how crisp it was to the bite! And then slightly salty and melted margarine dripped onto my tongue, followed by the crunch of the sugar granules that gave it such an awesome kick!.. Ahhhh...

Now, that's bliss!

I looked around and spotted a bottle of nutella. The next 2 toasts had a generous layer of choco-hazelnut in them (yes, on top of all that margarine and sugar).

The last toast, I had it the way it is. Savourrrrr....

Ah... Talk about loving my life!

** sorry no pics. so eager was i, to wallop all those beauties!

barcelos

Chicken, Cheese & Egg Pitta Pocket

Sweet Chilli Cheese Burger

Pine & Cheese Burger

Chicken Pasta Meal

bro's bdae meal

Oh the ordeal we went through just to get here...

W E B S I T E

The address was simple: 228 Tajong Katong Road. Ok, so we know that the address has '2' and '8' and it's in the 200+ range. My mum had seen the ad in the malay paper BUT she forgotten the date of that paper.....

I had so confidently driven to the public carpark in that area (thankfully, my parents never asked how I even knew of it). And my parents (who must have been really hungry) walked ahead. So my bro and I followed suit.

After a loooong walk in the wrong direction, we finally found the place almost 1/2 hr after parking.

Seriously, if we had turned RIGHT instead of LEFT, the eatery was a mere 20metres from the alley that we came out from! Pfft!

--Ok, gripe over. Now the food--

The eatery was tucked away in one of the shophouse along that road, which played hosts to numerous eating places. It's located right beside a branch of the Donut Empire chain.

The interior was bright, one side lined with a row of long shelf with a lower compartment to tuck your drinks away (that's what my family did anyway).

The top shelf had little knick-knacks (all ornaments from the island of Java) on display, supposedly to give the 'Javanese feel' despite it's modern outlook.

The other side had walls plastered with nice graphics of various foods and their nutrition value (I'm thinking of how to feed hubby more gallangal!). It helps to distract one from immense hunger, reading all that and discussing what will be good for whom while waiting for the food to be served.

Our drinks/dessert order. (L) Jus Alpukat (Avocado juice) for mum, Happy Soda ( fizzy Bandung) And Es Dawet/Chendol (with bits of jackfruit) for dad.

Plain water is available- free flow at the front counter.

Here's MY dessert/beverage order. Es Delima (red Ruby).

Chinese chestnut coated with coloured starch, bits of coconut and jackfruit with coconut milk...

Ayam Cobek - my bro's order

It's a tad similar to the famed 'ayam penyet'. That soy sauce was available on the table and my bro added it to the chili for good measure.

Honestly, I think he's afraid it'll be too spicy.

Rawon - my order

It took me so long to decide on what I shall have, thinking that my appetite had somewhat waned that afternoon. Believe me, I was equally surprised when I chose this.

I had initially wanted the gado-gado, however, both my bro and dad had placed an order for that and a 3rd plate would have been too much.

The set comes with salted egg and sambal belacan. However, I missed the 'kecambah' (young bean sprout) that I could get when ordering the same set at Ayam Bakar Ojolali.

Close up of the Rawon.

I'm quite pleased with the cut of meat that they used in the Rawon, which is beef stewed with 'buah keluak'. They used the layered meat, the one where the meat and tendon are layered alternately, not unlike the 'kueh lapis'.

My mum said that she simply ask for 'daging kari' (curry meat) when she ordered that cut from the butcher.

Soto Jawa (Lamongan) - my mum's order.

Unlike the ones we can get from the local hawkers, it seemed that the one served at these Indo eateries tend to be overzealous with the turmeric, hence the yellowish tint.

And they tend to already squeeze the lime into the soup.

So much for Soto (Spiced Chicken Soup) Jawa. I remember that the famed 'Soto Madura' taste similarly.

'Sup Buntut' - Oxtail Soup - my dad's order

I noticed that some places also added the ribs amongst the oxtail. Well at least they didn't cut the meat up into smaller pieces....

Gado-gado - Vegetables and lontong (rice cakes) with peanut sauce and keropok (crackers).

Both my bro and dad ordered this. Seeing that my bro already finished 2 plates of rice prior to having this, both my mum and I helped him polish this plate down (yes, so much for my waning appetite!).

I can see that they chose a pretty good spot to open such an eatery, seeing that the Tanjong Katong zone is teeming with Indonesians (esp. the school kids).

In fact, when we left around dinner time, the place was slowly being filled up with various families. Yes, all Indonesians.

Sri's wedding

Here's a hopefully-it's-not-too-late congratulations to my friend/colleague/travel-buddy Sri on her getting hitched last Sunday!

You look gorgeous, la!

And since I was a tad busy that Saturday, making it difficult to wake up nice and early- in time to catch her solemnisation, that Sunday morning.

I'm looking forward to the pics, babe. And regale me on the happenings when you come back this Thursday!