Siam Kitchen @ Suntec City pt. 1

Oh the chaos when you put 8 chatty girls together at the same table!

Met up with 7 other paternal cousins for dinner at "somewhere central", given that some lived in the 'far, far East' and others live in the 'far, far West'. Tired of dining at Marina Square and hanging out at 'the Steps', we opt to try dining at Suntec City and hung out at the Fountain of Wealth instead.

 8 of us, and not a single one remembered to make a reservation. -___- 

Thankfully, they manage to accomodate us all. Perhaps they even regret it, given the amount of ruckus we create afterwards. I can imagine all the other diners giving us the evil eye... :P

8 of us took AaaaGES to decide what to have for ourselves. Much less the shared appetisers. Then there's the beverages....

There were so many pics, so I decide to split this post into 2:

1~ The shared starters/appetisers & beverages.

2~ Individual mains.

GREEN PAPAYA SALAD WITH SHRIMP FLAKES
Som Tum Song See

I was so looking forward to this and yet, it turn out to be such a downer. Kinda' bland. Strongly felt like some key flavours are missing. :(

I can still recall when I was shopping at Bangkok's Chatuchak Market and saw this being sold  for less than $2. As were were enjoying strands of the fiery green papaya with its generous chunks of dried shrimp; everywhere around us, people sudden;y stopped moving and went all quiet!

Then we heard the national anthem blaring from the loudspeakers/PA system. Whoa!

One of my cousins was midway through spooning the 'Som Tum' into her mouth and she froze right there. We had to stifle our giggles, seeing how the locals were seriously observing their national anthem. Once it's over, the continued with what they were doing like time never stood still they way it did, minutes before.

Ahh... fond memories....

GREEN MANGO SALAD
Yum Ma Muang

A-MUST-HAVE!

For more description on this, refer to my recent entry HERE.

SIAM KITCHEN SPECIAL MID-JOINT CHICKEN WINGS
Peek Gai Tod Nam Pla

With a name like that, you can't help expecting more. Yet, what appeared on our table actually looked more like skinny frog-legs (that's what I thought right then).

I gingerly took a bite and that's when it dawn upon me, what actually made this 'special'. It's the marinade. Nicely spiced, savoury and crispy! And the sweet chilli sauce, instead of over-powering the subtle taste, actually accentuate it instead.

So fun to bite into these!

CALAMARI FRITTERS WITH SALT AND CHILLI
Pla Muek Kua Prig Klua

Honestly, the calamari rings at Fish & Co. really raised the bar for me. That made other mediocre calamari rings totally pale in comparison.

Rings were a tad thin. The fact that they are simply dusted in flour with a bit of salt and chilli (powder) made the taste simple and the tangy mayonnaise on the side complemented that.

ICED LEMONGRASS TEA : THAI ICED MILK TEA : THAI LIME ROSE

Very, very similar to what I had previously too.

What's worth a mention is the Mango Iced Frost which one of my cousins had. Refreshing & delish! Sorry, no pics though. She sat at the other end of the table. :P

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Coming up: Individual mains…!

Razack's Seafood Kitchen

My daddy need to buy a certain something that can only be found at an Indian grocery store and he mentioned, "Still Road".

The mind that belong to this very hungry self, immediately flew to an eatery located there; somewhere that we have not patronised for a long time.

One thing I overlooked about this place was the parallel parking lots and just how long I have not dined here, that's how long I've never parallel-parked. Doesn't help that it's a 1 lane road. Sorry ladies, to have been a contributor to the, "Women drivers… tsk! " kinda' stereotype. Even the foreign workers hanging out near the lot I'm parking at became voluntary traffic controllers as I parked. *embarrassed much*

Pre-marriage days, my family and I used to be pretty regulars here, until my bro had his off days changed to be on every Tuesdays. Thing is, Razack's Kitchen closed on every Tuesdays. We stopped dining there since.

We came right before the crowd started to pick up on that rainy evening. I observed that the Chinese customers dined there early, while the Malay ones came in much later.

The proprietor, Mr Razack himself came over to take our orders. Very jolly fella who pulled a chair over to sit with us as he wrote down (in detail) our orders. He never really lost his HK accent which reminds me a lot like the late Lydia Sum in her English sitcom.

Oh, yeah, I found my previous entry on this place HERE.


Beef Chee Cheong Fun

My mum insisted that she didn't want anything heavy so she settled for a plate of plain 'chee cheong fun' (steamed rice rolls). Mr Razack apologetically told us that they've ran out of those.

As my mum was scanning for something else to eat, he suddenly brightened up and said that he saw his wife preparing this in the kitchen 'just now', but the one with beef inside. My mum was reluctant to accept this version (thinks that beef would have made this a heavy meal).

When this was served, we were disappointed to see that the Cantonese version was the one drizzled with simply light soya sauce and the chilli paste that came separately was heavily infused with dried shrimp flavour. Very unlike the more localised version that we're used to; with a more diluted form of chili sauce & sweet bean sauce.

HOWEVER, we had no regrets immediately after having a go at this. The beef filling inside made the whole dish awesome! It was slightly sweet yet very savoury. Very nice! Wished I had ordered this for myself while my mum happily wolfed this down.

Fried Shanghai dumplings

These pot-stickers reminds me a lot like Xiaolong Bao, save that this is the fried version. Comes piping hot, the meat filling was really savoury & tasty.

Wished they didn't skimp too much on the julienned ginger in the black vinegar. My dad and were were almost fighting for those!

Szechuan hot & sour soup

The last time I had this was the last time I dined here so I've almost forgotten how it's like.

ALMOST was the word because I can still remember that there should be egg in this soup! The soup was pleasant enough sans egg but I believe the broken egg mixture could have brought the flavours to another level.

Nevertheless, this is an awesome soup to have on a rainy day. Believe me.

HK fried noodles w/ sliced fish

My dad's order. Appear to me like Wantan noodles with 'Hor Fun' sauce, eh?

Noodles were springy and chewy. Gravy appeared bland but it's full of flavour. Very nice.
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There was also the Fried Rice w/ sliced fish served to me and the Sweet & Sour Fish w/ fried rice. But I was busy feeding my hungry kiddo' by then and chasing after him after he's had enough (the eatery faces a very busy main road *horrors!*).

Truth to be told, it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience. Especially when I have been raving so much about them to my hubby and yet they fell short. But I have much faith in their food and they are as original as Halal Chinese food can get…

Ordered these:
Beef Chee Cheong Fun       (served)
Fried Shanhai Dumplings     (served)
Siew Mai                            (missing)
Fried rice w/ chicken           (missing) 
HK noodles with fried fish    (served)
Sweet sour fish w/ fried rice  (served)

I can see how Mr Razack painstakingly wrote in detail, each and every order; even stopping me when I spoke too fast and yet the following still managed to happen…

We were served a plate of fried rice w/ fish slices, early into the meal. I thought that they have mistaken my order of sweet & sour fish w/ fried rice and served me this instead. My hungry son was already digging in so I just let it be. In fact, the mild seafood flavour of the fried rice and the tender fish slices was very apt for my son. He loved it!

And then, they served my actual order of sweet sour fish w/ fried rice. O__o

Okay, so maybe I have wrongly eaten my hubby's order of fried rice w/ chicken (they mistook the chicken and serve fish instead). So I ask my hubby to eat my order.

AND THEN… they served my hubby's order of fried rice w/ chicken.

JENG JENG JENG…!

Okayyy.... So that fried rice w/ sliched fish... Whose order was that??! Ooops..!

And the 'siew mai' remained missing till the end of our meal. I brought up that matter(s) to the proprietor's daughter prior to making payment and she was so apologetic about it that I softened up. And they 'da-bao' the 'siew mai' for us instead.

After giving her dad a good talking to, she told me that she'll waive off the cost for the fried rice w/ chicken (which we asked to doggy bag instead). I don't really ask for that but since she offered, I gladly accept. :)))

With Tang Tea House & also Enak Tea House, we have more options for Halal Hong Kong food but I seriously don't wanna lose faith in this quaint mom & pop place.

Must have caught them on a bad day. This sure warrant another visit!

PS: Right across this eatery is Kampong Chai Chee Restaurant. I miss that place but too bad, they've never been the same since their heydays at Tampines Telepark…

Razack's Seafood Kitchen
(Cantonese & Sichuan Style Halal Cuisine Since 1995)
324F Changi Road
Singapore 419799

Charco's new location at Marine Parade

The new location

Fetched hubby from work and to fill the time till' we fetch my bro, I suggested dinner. As always, the decision to choose the location fell on my shoulders.

I recalled the conversation I had with my mum, earlier in the day. She had read about Charco's move in the papers, the day before. Apparently, the move had brought on positive changes.

Phew! Guess they won't close anytime soon.

Having recalled that, I know I just gotta' go there. My hungry hubby loves lamb and will surely enjoy their ribs (not that he haven't had them before).

From far, we can already see the neon-lit signage with a huge arrow, pointing towards the new location. Interesting...

The coffee shop was bustling, with other customers watching live premier league matches and also Charco's customers. There were a good mix of various races enjoying their food. And I can see their chicken and ribs running out fast.

 
3 Mixed Salad (Large) - $8.80

My parents and I were still stuffed from our dinner, back at home so we shared a large plate of 3 different salad amongst ourselves.

It was a lil' past 9pm and most of the salads had run out.

Got my faves: Caesar & Greek salads. Wanna get the Tuna (with fusili pasta) but my Daddy hates tuna so I got the Chicken Avocado (with farfalle) instead.

 
Lamb ribs roast meal - $15

Meanwhile, my hungry hubby ordered the all-time favourite - rack of lamb. With roasted potatoes and peas.

Awesome, as always.

Charco's
Blk 80 Marine Parade Central
#01-770
Singapore 440080
Tel: 6455 3711

The Waffle Factory

 
Wall of waffles…

…Makes you want to just point at the pictures and order your choice of waffles from there…


(pic courtesy of my colleague, Roza)


Root beer float
(pic courtesy of my colleague, Sri)

My 2 colleagues can't resist ordering this. What's cute is that they came in this plastic mug that's somewhat 'insulated' with a cavity layer that has bit of water swirling around.

Reminds me a lot like what I'll find during my childhood years.


Cookie milkshake

I don't know when I got hooked on this, 'cookies-dunked-in-milk' thingy but I find it comforting to be able to indulge in some Oreos with ice-cold milk. Even better is to pour mini Oreos into the milk and scoop them up.

Yum. Just like this milkshake.


HK style soup noodles with sausage and egg
(pic courtesy of my colleague, Roza)


Vegetarian mushroom soup noodles
(pic courtesy of my colleague, Sri)


All my 3 colleagues were enticed by the pictures of their HK style soup noodles in the poster at the entrance.

As it turn out, it's very much much like ramen… the instant kind.

I remember Streats HK Cafe has this dish called 'Nissin Noodles' on their menu. No points for guessing what 'Nissin' refers to... It's the norm in HK-style cafes, I guess.


Tom Yum pasta

I was having some serious pasta craving that week and settled for this one.

Not bad, actually. Light, flavourful and the portion is just right. Just don't expect al dente pasta whatsoever…
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Not too bad an experience actually. Don't mind sampling some other stuff on their menu.

Well, yes. That's all we had from there. I know, it's such an irony, right? We stepped into a place called, 'The Waffle Factory'- with various types of waffles on display up front, large pictures of waffles on the wall and many varieties of waffles on the menu; yet we didn't even buy any.

Well, we have a good reason for that.

It's because our favourite waffle shop is just a few doors away and we're certain that those waffles are wayy better that the ones sold here!


Smoothy De Cafe


Just-my-kind-of-waffles…

Confirm… Double confirm!
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The Waffle Factory
10 Jalan Eunos Road, 
#B1-03 Singapore Post Centre Shopping Mall, 
Singapore 914001


Smoothy De Cafe
10 Jalan Eunos Road, 
#B1-06 Singapore Post Centre Shopping Mall, 
Singapore 914001

Desserts @ Rocky Master

Starhub Green is a few blocks down from my office and one fine afternoon, after having lunch at it's Jia Wei foodcourt, the skies opened up and let out a heavy downpour. Well, we end up being stranded and such a rainfall will take at least 10-15 mins to subside.

I then had a 'light bulb moment' and spontaneously got down to doing something I've always yearned to do; Savour the desserts at Rocky Master! I've always salivated after their array of cakes on display but can't seem to find the right opportunity to try them.

So I treat my 3 female colleagues (a girl's gotta LOVE her desserts!) to some cakes. More persons = more chances to sample more varieties. ; ) 

Chose the 3 that appealed to me most. Honestly, I almost choose a 4th item- the New York cheesecake but  decided against it.  Might get sugar comatose later in the office and may not stay awake during the afternoon lull period.  : P

 
Desserts trio

 
Carrot Walnut cake


Eversince I tried the ones from Cedele Depot, I've been pretty crazy about these 'Western' carrot cakes. Especially with their decadent cream-cheese frosting.

This one however, was a downer. It was kinda' dry. Maybe it's been on display a tad too long. And there should be more of that frosting!

…Or maybe Cedele Depot totally raised the bar on carrot cakes. Even my friend keep craving for a slice of that every now and then.

 
Desserts trio

Ahh.... this one, I dare say is one of the best tasting brownie ever (for me, that is). Moist and dense but not TOO dense that it became cloying after a while. Not too many walnuts that it all break apart when we cut our fork through. Fudge layer on top appeared thin but it complement the whole thing nicely.

This brownie is a nice balance in almost all aspects and the taste very well attest to seal the deal on how delicious this is.

All 4 of us can't totally get over this brownie, actually.

 
Strawberry cheesecake


And this is the one cake that I've always been soooo eager to try and it sure didn't disappoint! They have a large picture of this hung at one corner of the cafe and it had look sooo enticing! I can't believe it took me so long to finally try this.

Nice, moist cheesecake and they were generous with the chunky strawberry sauce. A nice balance of sweetness, tartness & creaminess.... *Hearts*


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Sigh, enjoying cakes with girlfriends in a nice cafe, on a rainy afternoon…? We were all wishing that we don't have to return to the office once the skies cleared!

 
Hazelnut eclair


This was also from Rocky Master. A pair of these goes for less that $4! And they're not even minis. It's the actual size, yo!

My only gripe is that the cakes were sometimes past their freshness period and start to get a little dry. I wish I know when the new batch of cakes come in. I'll be sure to swoop in and buy varieties all at one go!

Random… sweet stuff

Pardon my seemingly dormant activity in this blog. I've been in actively micro-blogging through Instagram & twitter and as much as I would like to deny, I gotta admit that the convenience of it has afftected my will to create full-blown entries here.

Was cruising through my flickr photostream and and was amused to see just how random my pics had been.

Hence, this post.

 
My dad & aunt's birthday cake

My dad's birthday falls on 24th March and his younger sis, the day before.

The 24th of that month fell on a Saturday and I had every intention to bring my parents out to celebrate my dad's birthday. As it so happened, 2 of his siblings + spouse and the birthday 'girl' camped over at their house after their 'Umrah' meeting at a mosque nearby.

Another uncle came by with my cousin, after they happen to attend the same wedding on that day.

My aunt has some physical health issues, so she hardly move around much. Seeing her there was kind of a rare moment, and now both are together under the same roof; I seized the opportunity to buy a cake to celebrate it with their siblings.

Besides, that day will be the last time the siblings gather at one place before they set off for their 'Umrah' (small pilgrimage). So it was joy & laughter at one moment and it all ended on a poignant note later on.

 
'Goldilocks' 

My bro's workplace recently employed staff from The Philippines. My bro became closely acquainted with one of them.

Anyway, he decide to make a trip back to his hometown for his mum's birthday and promised my bro that he'll bring back this supposedly fantastic snack called 'Goldilocks'. When I was told about it, I was like, "Who the heck will name snacks after the girl who steal porridge from a family of bears?

Well, he eventually came back with numerous packs of this. There's even a Halal insignia from the Islamic governing body of the Philippines (the actual recipe has lard inside so this is important). The snack is actually called 'Polvoron'. My bro gave one to me and insisted I open one and try. Each nugget was individually packed and labeled with various flavours: Original, Peanut, Cashew, Coffee, Pinipig & Cookies Cream.

 

Wait… "PiniPIG??!"

Did a spontaneous google search and came up with:
"Pinipig is actually immature glutinous rice that is harvested and pounded into what look more like light green flakes. The flakes are moist and redolent with a fragrance that is simply unique. They are almost the quintessence of rice."

And guess what? Pinipig is my most favourite amongst all. That crunch as I bit into the Polvoron reminded me a lot of rice crispies and I LOVE rice crispies!

I posted these pics on my Instagram & FB. Friends came out to say how much they love these, when given as souvenirs by their Pinoy mates. So I guess you know what to get as souvenirs when holidaying there, eh? Or request your friends buy it for you.

 
Putu Piring

This is a confusing one (maybe for me, anyway).

'Putu' is more of an Indian name, for batter made of rice flour and water, or even coconut milk. But this Putu 'Piring' (Malay for 'plate') is popular amongst the Malays and even the Chinese, who call this 'Tutu Kueh'.

This one here was bought from the famous stall that used to be at Haig Road. For many years, they took up space at the corner, no matter what coffee shop proprietor it was. If I'm not wrong, they lasted through 3 different ones? Until the space no longer become a coffee shop do they finally move to the nearest space available, Mr Teh Tarik at Tri-Star Inn.

There's always a queue when buying this. And I can see why. A pack of 5 (or is it 6??) goes for only $1 and it's freshly made in front of you. The 'gula melaka' (sugar extracted from coconut tree) filling is just nice. not too much, not too little and therefore, not overtly sweet. Fresh, dessicated coconut and those 'pandan' (screwpine) leaves? Makes a whole lot of difference.

Imagine all those steam from the freshly-made putu piring, wafting around the coconut and very fragrant pandan leaves. Imagine you opening the packaging and releasing that scented vapours into your face... Little wonder how I can finish a whole pack myself!

 
LJS Chocolate pie

 
BK Hershey's sundae pie

Both chocolate ice-cream/mud pies. From fast-food outlets. One an actual pie from Hershey (BK), the other a pies using actual Hershey chocolate (LJS).

I keep hankering for a mud pie, I end up getting the one from BK because there are 2 branches close to home, while LJS is quite a distance away.

Truth to be told, I prefer the one from LJS, which is ALL chocolate and rich. While the one from BK kinda 'cheated' with dollops of whipped cream and it's a tad sweet for my tastebuds.

Ahh… to each his own.

Been wanting to check out those Halal mudpies from Ice Cube Cafe. Anyone tried this before?

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So… have a sweet-tooth craving, yet?? ;P

Siam Kitchen

(pic courtesy of my colleague, Sri)

My colleague had wanted to get some raw (premium) meats for a bbq that night and I recalled seeing a butchery at Parkway Parade basement. We followed him down to the basement, all the while pondering as to what to have for lunch.

As the lift doors opened, we were greeted by the signage for Siam Kitchen; which is located right across the lift lobby.

We excitedly looked at one another and unanimously agreed to dine there. Phew! Choosing a place for lunch has never been made easier!

Seems like this restaurant has undergone some renovations. The interior + furnishings looked different from what I can remember. Then again, I hardly pass by this part of Parkway Parade...

Prawn crackers

To keep us occupied while we wait for our orders to arrive.

Here's where I wanna gripe a weeny bit. I used to dine here a few times, before they had this renovation. I remember that every table has a set of 4 little jars, filled with fiery condiments. Stuff like 'chilli padi' (birds-eye-chilli) in soy sauce, chilli flakes, pickled green chilli and grounded red chilli with vinegar.

Now, only 2 of those are left on the tables. :(

Our beverages

Clockwise from top-left -  Thai Lime Rose, Thai Ice Milk Tea (x2) & Iced Lemongrass Tea.

I had the milk tea. Had always been fancinated by the slightly orange-y tint of their milk teas (as compared to our 'teh-tarik').

Yum Mamuang - Green mango salad

No way can I enter a Thai restaurant without ordering either this or the Som Tham (Green papaya salad).

Sweet, sour, spicy, salty all in one. Plus the added crunch from the strips of green mango, carrots and the generous amount of cashew nuts. How can I not love this?

Deep-fried soft-shell crab

Deep-fried seafood never fail to please me so. What more newly-molted crabs with sweet-sweet meat and (very) crispy exterior. And paired with spicy mayo. Great appetiser!

Siam Kitchen Basil noodles

2 of my colleagues were enticed by a picture they saw on the promo poster outside the restaurant. However, when they ordered this, the server looked a little doubtful before struggling to explain to us something. "I need to tell you that the noodles... not red like that.. is it ok?"

My colleagues noded their heads anyway..

True enough, when the plates of noodles were served, both of them were aghast. Honestly, what arrived looked a lot like aglio olio- fried with basil. Even the noodles looked like linguine!

So this was what she meant by 'not red'?

My colleagues duly request for some chilli flakes. :P

Phad Thai seafood noodles

I stick to my perennial favourite. It's either this or the black olive fried rice. Or pineapple rice. Maybe Tom Yum soup. Or beef noodles even. I always try to play it safe. ;)

This one didn't disappoint save for the fact that they gave those little cubes of tofu a miss. Aren't those tofu cubes supposed to be prevalent in a Phad Thai?

Anyway, you can take a look at their menu HERE. 

Siam Kitchen @ Parkway Parade 
80 Marine Parade Road #B1-126, 
Parkway Parade 
Singapore 449269 
Tel: 6342 1588

Kriston Catering

Came back one night to find this pretty box in the kitchen. Inside were a mix of 20 canapés- both savoury & dessert selections. Interesting…

These were the remnants of what's left in the box… Each canapé/tapas item is placed inside individual plastic shooter cups. Very convenient!

Now here's the interesting part. I will initially give my own description  as to what I thought the item was. Then after, I will put the ACTUAL name of that item, as taken from the website. :P

Smoked salmon & seaweed roll

I thought it was THAT simple. WRONG.

The actual name (which also describe the ingredients): 'Smoked Salmon Roulade with Curd Cheese & Apricot.'

Like… Whoa!


This one was a tad salty. Smoked salmon on its own can be pretty salty, what more when paired with cheese. Can't taste much of the apricot, though.

Cherry tomato with anchovy & olive

It DOES look like that, right?

Ok, here goes: 'Duet Char Vegetables with Olive Vine Tomatoes.'

So that wasn't anchovies. I guess it was mashed-up grilled peppers or eggplant?

Prawn with melon

This was simple enough. It's actually', 'Prawn Wasabi on Cantaloupe Melon'.

Wasabi? Hmm... Didn't seem to taste it. Cantaloupe, huh? I call that 'Hami' Melon.

Devilled egg??

Ok, I gave up on this.

'Buckwheat Blinis w/ Fraiche Tobiko Caviar.'

No worries, I did the homework (also to satiate my own curiousity). 'Blinis' is actually Russian pancake that's similar to crêpes, save that yeast is used in the process of making it. Any type of flour can be used and in this case; buckwheat.

'Fraiche' is actually homemade yoghurt and 'Tobiko Caviar' are those teeny-tiny fish eggs. From a flying fish.

Chocolate ball


Dessert selection. This one I got it right. It's a ball of rich chocolate cake, covered in white chocolate and crushed almonds.

There was a chocolate-coated marshmallow which I took a bite of, before remembering to snap a pic. The other 2 types missing here (eaten up) were 'Strawberry Dip Chocolate' and 'Cream Puff'.

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Was wondering who could have brought this over. First thought flew to hubby's cousin, the pastry chef working at Hilton (back then). But I can't seem to assimilate the name, 'Kriston' with Hilton, somehow. Seeing the packaging and presentation, one can't help thinking of hotels, can't they?

Checked on the name and went to their WEBSITE. Turns out it's a Halal-certified SG caterer, serving mostly 'atas' (classy) food selections… I was blown away to see what they have to offer!

Anyway, the next morning, my MiL told me that the tapas items were bought by my SiL, who chanced upon her paternal cousin at the Halal Food Fair at Singapore Expo, that weekend. Apparently, he was an acquaintance or a partner of the business or something like that. And she bought a box of these as a form of support. There was a promotional rate of around $30++, that time.

Actual rate is $48 for 20 pieces - 4pc for each item.

Btw, I saw some pictures HERE. I guess they should be pretty popular amongst high-end corporate firms with expandable budget and the need to impress. Classy, Halal foods for their clients…

…Why not?

My advanced 3rd anniversary dinner

My gosh, it took me so long to blog about this that I almost forgot what went on that night.

Well yeah, wedding anniversary fell on a weekday and hubby's last off day for that week was on the eve so I told him to meet me somewhere for dinner.

I don't mean to be a bad mummy or anything but right then, I was hoping to have a dinner with JUST him. Not exactly a romantic candlelight dinner or anything (so cliché!!) but I was thinking about how nice it'll be, making small talk over our meal; without having to mind (or even go after) a toddler with super-short attention span. Yes, the one who's currently going through the 'terrible-twos' phase.

But I guess that was not to be so I chose the nearest available kid-friendly diner - Swensen's @ Tampines Mall. And lady luck was on our side that night- we got the last table available, located at the far end; with full-length glass panels looking out to the MRT station next door.

My son (and I) can never be happier. The trains can easily distract him and hold his attention while we dine in peace (or so I thought). Goodness knows how much the boy love them MRT trains!

Kid's meal

Distracted or not, I got him a kid's set meal just so that he'll stay away from our food. Chose his favourite source of protein- in the form of fried chicken sticks that came with cute smiley-faced potato nibblets and a small cup of corn kernels (which I gladly finished up). There's also a small glass of ice Milo.

The basket of food came served on top of this colourful plastic plate and cutleries with designs incorporating their mascot, 'Snowie'… Cute!

As kid-friendly as they can get. I like!

Meatballs in Pepper Sauce

I got my hubby to choose the appetisers meant to fill us up while waiting for the mains to arrive. He chose these meatballs. No surprise, there.

Very savoury option and should the portion be a weeny bit bigger, this can be a meal on its own.

We also go the fries, which came in their trademark cone and 2 dips- salsa and tartar sauce.

Crayfish Pasta

My order, which arrived first. And since I was feeling ravenous (I just knocked-off work afterall!), I attacked it head on.

Spaghetti in tangy tomato sauce, with deep-fried battered crayfish, crabstick (surimi), fish fillets and mushrooms. I'm one of those who picked the crayfish with my hands and attempt to bite off bits of the fried batter from every crevice of the its shell. And if I'm lucky enough, I get bits of crayfish meat as well. :)))

Chicken Victoria

Hubby initially chose to have the rib-eye steak. But he chose this in the last minute. I was pretty surprised actually. Was he being health-conscious or something?

First he chose the beef-steak over his favourite lamb options (Lamb Shashlik/Lamb Chops). And then this?

Grilled chicken breast with homemade Victoria sauce (whatever that is), served with daily vegetables (boiled corn cob, long beans & carrots) & US Potato (a stack of baked potato medallions, topped with cheese).

Honestly, the dish looked bland and a wee bit 'healthy'. Even for me. I wonder how my hubby will even like this. True enough, he only ate the chicken meat and the other items on the plate remained untouched. I took the corn (that and my son's kernels… corn overload!), nibbled on the veggies (bland!) and took the top layer of potato medallion (with the cheese).

Well yes, I ended up feeling really stuffed. Did I mention that I tried to help my son finish up his meal, too? I'm surprised I didn't do the 'merlion' right then. Can't help it. I just can't see food going to waste…!

But wait… how can we dine at Swensen's and not have ice-cream??! (*o*)

Chocolate Crunch Sundae

Hubby can't make up his mind and leave it to me to choose for him. He likes chocolate and since I assumed to Sticky Chewy Chocolate sundae to be too much for him, I went a step lower and got the Chocolate Crunch Sundae instead.

He left behind a substantial amount at the bottom of his sundae cup. And when I took a scoop of that brown puddle, it turned out to be a concentration of thick, gooey chocolate fudge and chocolate ice-cream. Erk!

Coit Tower Sundae

Myself meanwhile, decide to share my sundae with the kiddo and finally decided on my all-time favourite- the Coit Tower, that has almost all my favourite ingredients in an ice-cream sundae. Chocolate & vanilla ice-cream, with choc. fudge and strawberry sauce, topped with crushed almonds and fresh banana slices.

I gladly gave the whipped cream to my son (he doesn't have to watch his weight!).

Ahh... as it turn out, those MRT trains can only (fully) distract my son for all of 10 mins and I end-up spending part of my meal-time tending to his antics & whims (like going under/over the table to the other side etc.)...

When we're done, I can't help noticing that I ended up waddling instead.

THAT. FULL. *burp*

*Happy 3rd Anniversary, Dear.*

Charco's moving!

Okay, this blog entry kinda' jumped the queue because I had this meal only a few days back. BUT.. because I'm a fan of their food, I feel obliged to pass the message that they'll soon be moving out of their current premise at Blk 89 Marine Parade Central (multi-storey carpark) on 27th March.

Come 30th March, they will be serving their famous ribs at Blk 80, Marine Parade Central (near the Polyclinic).

I saw a notice at the counter when I was making the order. Didn't really verify it with their staff so pardon me if I made a mistake somewhere.

Anyway, when we came by for lunch that Tue afternoon, we were their ONLY customers there. Was taken aback. Maybe lunch was over? But it was 1+pm only! I believe the issue lies with its poor location, maybe that's why they are moving somewhere closer to the main road, with higher volume of human traffic? Or maybe it's the rental issue.

Well, I don't really know. All I want is for them to continue operating as I don't know where else I can get such tentalising Halal ribs, served with many varieties of salads.

And with that, I end the entry with pictures of my meal that day.

Rack of Lamb

My order almost everytime I'm here. The one time I ordered the Chicken Schitzel, I wish I had ordered these tender, fall-off-the-bone lamb ribs instead.

I'll only attempt to use the fork & knife for the 1st piece of ribs. By the 2nd piece, I'll sub-consciously pick it up with my fingers and relish every inch of it, down to licking the bone.

Not exactly a nice sight, I know.

3 Salads

(From top) Tuna salad, Greek salad & Caesar salad.

I always order the set where there's 1 main + 3 salads. Caesar is the one that I'll never miss ordering. Another favourite is the Chicken Avocado that has farfalle pasta.

That day, I felt a little guilty for eating the lamb so I tried to balance it with the much healthier Greek salad. Besides, its tangy vinaigrette might help clear out some of that greasy, lamb taste.

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... Come to think of it, I will miss their current location, where the outdoor dining area had us dining with a view of the nice green surroundings and the hum of fast-moving vehicles on the ECP nearby...