Seah Im Food Centre

After my kiddo's swimming lessons which obviously went past the scheduled time, (given that the kiddo refused to leave the pool) our rumbling tummies put us on an urgent quest to get get them filled; with our favourite food, no less.

Eventually settled on Seah Imm Food Centre since it's pretty much nearby Delta Swimming Complex.

There I was contemplating between what I've always had whenever I'm there- Thaksin Beef Noodles or to finally try the famous Aspirasi Chicken rice.

The odds finally fell in favour of my chicken & rice-loving son so I ordered the Sambal Chicken Rice from Aspirasi, to be shared with him (the sambal was more for me, ok?).

Aspirasi sambal chicken rice

My 1st time trying food from the famous Aspirasi. My bro was the one who ordered from their stall and when this arrived, I was like, 'Whoa!" Those crispy bits look good!

But seriously, I eventually didn't get too crazy about those crispy bits anymore . They are after all, greasy.

This Sambal Chicken Rice was highly recommended and I can't help raving about its awesome sambal (chilli paste). I let my mum have a taste and she too, agreed. Just the right amount of heat and sweetness. And I like that it's a tad runny, so there's enough to go around.

The rice was kinda fluffy and goes down well with my kid. So much so that my bro had to contribute sme of his rice.

My bro had the Black Pepper version and the taste wasn't too bad too. Some recomment the fried rice with chicken. Hmm... Next time, I guess.


Thaksin Beef Noodles

My dad had the norm. Kway Teow 'Value'. Where the soup contain beef brisket, tripe, fresh lean meat with kang kong, bean sprouts and garnishes like fresh cilantro and basil leaves.

My mum prefered a smaller portion so I got her the 'Standard'  version, where they omit the fresh lean meat for a dollar less.


This being their original branch, the seem to more or less maintain their regular standards. Elsewhere, there seem to be a decline, especially in terms of their presentation. :(

… Can't help thinking of that sambal!

MBS!

Let's take a break from all that food, shall we?

Some nice pics from the time when hubby's aunt informed us of her son's invitation to come over to his workplace some time in mid June (yes, I obviously lagged behind in my updates).

The kids had a whale of a time swimming away at the infinity pool at the top of MBS. My helper was more than happy to jump in and mind the kids (while putting to good use, the swimwear that my mum gave her).

And I went trigger happy as I walked back and forth the whole area, going ooh-ahh over the magnificent views from up there.

The stretch of infinity pool

Gorgeous!!

The kiddie pool


My kiddo's haunt for that day.

The infinity pool


Spot Bukit Timah in the distance?

Jacuzzi with views facing the other side 


This is the view that remind me just how much I miss the sand & surf of Gold Coast, Australia.

MBS shadow


...Over Gardens By the Bay

Parachuters


Headed over to the Sky Park; right on time to catch the parachuters jumping off, for the NDP rehearsal.

Sun set at the Sky Park

Managed to catch the gorgeous sunset views, when we're THAT high up. Awesome!

Of Turkish sweets & Korean chicken…

My dear old friend Tini had been asking around if anyone is heading for Turkey cos' she seriously missed eating the Turkish delight from there.

And one part, she excitedly informed me that someone we both know will be headed there. 'Cat' (short for Catherine) is more of Tini's acquaintance but I got to know her when I joined Tini for a trip to KL-Sepang, to catch the MotoGP, eons ago. Cat was riding pillion with her then boyfriend (now hubby) all the way from SG-KL!

Anyway, now she's working as a tour guide and she happened to be assigned to Turkey. She wasn't too sure what Tini requested for so she bought 2 types. Sometime in early June, all of us planned to meet very near my home (Downtown East) right after work and settled on BBQ Chicken because Tini has yet to try their food.

She was the one who's seriously hankering for this, yet I got to have a taste when Cat came back from Türkiye. Thanks, babe!

Turkish sweets

Turkish Delight (Turk Lokumu) and Turkish Halva (background). The' halva' is made from 'Tahini' (grounded sesame paste) and studded with pistachios. It was sweet but in a way that I can enjoy. Very 'earthy' taste, actually.

The Turkish Delight, meanwhile are little cubes of gummy sweets, usually flavoured with rosewater and dusted with icing sugar. This one that Tini specially requested for came with bits of pistachio inside.

I eventually brought home the 'halva' while Tini enjoyed her Delights. Can never thank Cat enough for it.

Jerk Chicken

Chicken drumstick marinated with (Jamaican Jerk Spice), grilled over charcoal fire and coated with some delish Korean-style BBQ sauce. Oooh, that sauce!

Sounds good? Taste good too! The chicken meat was nicely marinated and was fall-of-the-bone tender, plus the sweet & spicy sauce was pretty addictive (for me). Kept trying to lick every drip on my cutleries.

Then again, it's all provided that it's cooked right. Our friend's piece was undercooked, despite the meat being 'butterflied'. So much for those gorgeous char marks on the chicken skin!

Hot Hot Drums


This is the reason why my belly felt miserable the day after, yet I can't stop thinking about THAT sauce. Sweet and very crazy spicy sauce coating the crispy chicken drumstick. I don't really like drumsticks but this is a definite exception!

That evening, we took up the promo, where any order of selected 2 mains will grant us a FREE omelette rice or sundae. Tini chose the omelette rice with chicken cutlet for her 2 boys to share.

And oh, they don't serve water on the house. U gotta buy their in-house bottled water. Pfft. And their service is exceptionally s-l-o-w. Seems like it's just this branch, for I don't encounter such service elsewhere. Hmm…

Those hot, hot drums… Maybe I should just call their delivery hotline, eh?

More from Charco's (new location)

Okay… I'm not even goin to pretend like this has been blogged ages ago. Compare the date that I publish this entry with my previous one and you'll see just how much I've been lagging behind in my updates.

Work is one thing. And then there's motherhood. What more, my helper gotta go back to care for her sick daughter so I'm pretty much hands-on with my kiddo when at home (which is a good thing, btw).

And to think that I even got the cheek to start a 'Mummy blog', documenting my kiddo's development; now that he's started schooling.

Don't bother checking it out. There's really not much content. Not surprisingly, there's a backlog of posts over there too. Well, one can always try, right? Pfft.

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ANYWAY. In reference to the date that this pic was taken, seems like this took place more than 2 months back, on a Sunday that my hubby happened to have his off day and joined my family during our routine Sunday outing.

He quietly told my bro of his wanting to eat at Charco's. Well, my bro relate that info to me with much disdain, seeing how Charco's is more known for their grilled specialties. He really dislike grilled stuff.

I was quick to remind him of the Chicken Schnitzel (deep-fried breadcrumbed chicken fillet) that he's had last time. And there's also the Fish & chips of sorts.

He settled for the latter. Seems like he's not too impressed with the Schnitzel.

Fish & Creme Meal

Breadcrumbed fish fillet with creamy baked potato medallions.

He much prefer his fish fillet to be battered but he don't mind this one. Creamy baked potatoes are his favourite but he eventually admit that they end up being too cloying ('muak'). That, plus the tartar sauce… well, I gotta agree with him.

Portugese chicken + 3 salads

My parents chose to share a plate of this while my hubby had one for himself.

I much prefer this spicier version of their specialty grilled chicken (which also cost more) as compared to the regular herbed one which comes off as a tad plain for my taste buds.

Got my parents our regular favourites for the salads: Greek, Caesar & Tuna fusilli (my daddy dislikes tuna but he unknowingly ate this one).

For my hubby, I switched the Greek for egg salad instead.

Rack of lamb ribs + 3 salads

I hemmed & hawed while making my order and eventually settled for the ultimate favourite. I can't seem to order anything else!

I gave my parents & hubby a piece each and was still left with a substantial amount, making me feel like some greedy girl. As always, I chose to wash my hands and pick on the ribs instead of utilizing the cutleries. YUMS!

Towards the end of our meal, my hubby must have decided that he missed nibbling on the lamb ribs anyway so he proposed an exchange. I reluctantly passed him my plate and took over his remaining piece of Portugese chicken.You might have wondered, "If I'm so reluctant, why did I even agree?"

Well, because I can't help feeling a tad guilty for having that amount of lamb ribs to myself. Think, 'cholesterol overload!'

As for my son, he shared some chicken from both my parents' & his daddy's plate. Besides, I also ordered a plate of non-seasoned (they are spiced by default) fries for him.

Once he's done with his dinner, he made sure to get his doting grandpa to accompany him to the nearby playground. Well, after my dad performed his Maghrib prayers, that is. Yes, they do provide space for solat in this new location. Interesting, much?

I can never get tired of Charco's. Rest assured you'll get to see more pics of their food in this blog. :)

Olivye Cafe.Gelato

Well, I did mention Halal gelato in my previous entry. Right next door to Mr Teh Tarik.

Apparently, it's not just a scoop shop. It operates as a cafe, actually. I only knew it right then. Had I known earlier, we could have dined here instead.

I thought that they are new in this line and that this is their 1st shop. When I checked their WEBSITE, well it turns out that they are quite a household name at NIE & NTU, having their operations there since years back.

However, the gelato is available only at this Changi Village branch.

Families checking out the array of gelato on display after dining nearby

You can't miss this place, given the amount of signages all over

The menu in the cafe

Gelato Fridge 1

Closer look, gelato fridge 2

The flavours in this fridge are (trying hard to recall, here) from bottom left: pistachio, melon, chocolate, (can't remember what), raspberry, bubblegum (or is it blueberry?), salted caramel, coffee (or mocha) and mango.

On the top left (not seen in pic) is an interesting flavour. Chilli chocolate. I was like, "Whut??!" The lady behind the counter simply smirked and gave me some to try. She remarked that it's a hot favourite (no pun intended there). True enough, there's only a small amount left.

Verdict? Nice chocolatey taste. A faint hint of the chili flavour too. I asked, "Is this supposed to be spicy?" And then, *wham*! A slow, burning sensation began to build up in-my-throat. Ermm....


I asked to try the pistachio flavour, just to counter that heat. Chilli in my gelato? No thanks. I want to enjoy my gelato, thank you. Not wince whenever I swallow.

I also tried the salted caramel. It was yummy!

Closer look, gelato fridge 1


Then I went over to the fridge near the front after the crowd subside and scanned the various flavours. Sorry, I really can't recall the flavours by now. 


On top left was definitely durian, then it's dark chocolate, (I dunno what's the other yellow gelato beside it), strawberry, cookies & cream, mint.

Bottom row: (I dunno what's the yet-another-yellow-one), mixed berry, (some almond-cherry-cookie-mix) & vanilla??


Seems like they mix both the Premium & Classic flavours together. Please note that the pricing differ for either type so you gotta take note when choosing.

You can check the gelato menu HERE.

My bro holding his small cup, with his choice of melon gelato 

Awesomely refreshing taste! Feels like you're biting into the actual Hami melon with each scoop.

Oh, didn't snap a pic but my mum chose that almond-cherry-cookie mix. Thankfully it only carried a faint hint of the very pungent almond scent & flavour (my whole family abhor that!). My mum especially was relieved (she said she dunno why she chose that one either). But it was nice actually. The taste appear to be very... English. Don't ask me why.

My medium cup with 2 flavours

I just love varieties so it's gotta be 2 flavours in a cup for me. My mum warned me that it'll be too much but I was stubborn. She was right, actually. I struggled to finish this on my own. :(

On the left is durian (I just can't resist!!) and on the right is orange swiss-chocolate (one of my favourite combo flavour!).

What??! Nothing wrong having durian & chocolate together right?

As you know, gelato doesn't come cheap and even this Halal one is no different. The small portion is at least $3 so you can more or less gauge the pricing, eh?

PS: Kinda' realise that I have yet to try the enticing schtuffs from that Chocolate Origin shop!

Website HERE

Olivye Cafe.Gelato
Blk 5 Changi Village Road
#01-2009
Singapore 500005

Mr Teh Tarik @ Changi Village

It was Mother's Day actually and as always, we're always at loss as to where to dine that evening. We're aware that it'll be kinda'crowded everywhere.

My bro eventually reminded me that I've yet to check out the new branch of Mr Teh Tarik at Changi Village (they went one time, on a weekday evening). My bro then sound pretty enthused when he start recalling the Halal gelato shop next door.

So Mr Teh Tarik at Changi Village, it is.

Upon reaching there, I took a walk around to check out what's there. Indian food stall, Malay food stall, Western Food stall, Noodle stall, Zhi Char stall, Beef noodle stall, rojak stall up front (they also serve century eggs!) and others etc.

Wait... BEEF NOODLE?!

Aargh! It's like a dream come true! Well, apparently my male colleague had eagerly brought us to this coffee shop at Blk 3004 Ubi Ave 3, where there's this Chinese stall selling Beef Kway Teow. It was popular and rightly so, as affirmed by my colleague. Flavourful, beefy and thick broth with kway teow and generous amounts beef parts.

I can only watch and drool and my mind wandered to the very last time I had this kind of beef noodles. Indonesian 'Soto Sapi', Thaksin's Thai beef noodles and Vietnamese 'Pho Bo' don't count, mind you. I want this Chinese variant, with its thick, dark, gooey sauce (dry version) and thick bee hoon (also known as 'Laksa' noodles).

No points for guessing which stall I gleefully rushed to…

Looking up at the menu board, I analysed what they have to offer. Soup or 'dry' version. Choice of noodles. Beefballs, beef slices, mixed beef.. Aha!

As I ordered my, "Mixed beef, dry version with thick bee hoon." My mum came by to see what I ordered. I happily remarked, "Look, Ma… Tendons!" Immediately, she asked that I order for her too, just that she wants the soup version. 

Both of us really love beef tendons. I remember one time, I saw a plate of opaque white strips in the kitchen and I was like, "Euww... what's that?" Later on, my mum asked me to come over and try these translucent, jelly-like stuff, which she cooked with some sweet & spicy sauce. I had a bit and was blown away. Chewy, slightly bland yet it absorbed the flavours of the sauce really well. Awesome stuff!

My mum told me that those were the 'yucky' white stuff I saw earlier. They turn translucent when cooked. They are called 'tendons'. Or 'muscle'. The Malays refer to them as 'urat'.

I scanned the condiment containers and saw cut-up 'chili padi' (bird's eye chillies) and soy sauce, vinegared chilli sauce, white pepper and what looks like 'cincalok' (fermented shrimp sauce). I took a whiff (pungent!). Sure enough, it is. There's even calamansi lime halves. 

I remember when I had beef noodles at Banquet Parkway Parade (closed down already) and some place else (can't remember where), they serve the noodles with a small dish of 'sambal belacan' (chilli with shrimp paste) instead. I guess the idea here is to include fermented shrimp, huh?

Mixed beef - dry version

I was excited to see what's in my bowl. The varieties of meat made me delirious! Brisket (the dark brown chunks), beef balls,  tendons (the whitish ones), tripe and fresh, thinly sliced lean meat that's blanched in the soup prior to serving.

The thick and dark sauce carried a slightly herbal taste with peppery accents. Really something to yearn for on a cold, rainy day. All this for $6? Quite worth it, I guess.

Also served with a bowl of soup.

My mum's bowl of mixed beef in soup

Here in my mum's bowl, you can see the tripe (the whitish, long strip at the bottom) and cabbage in the soup.

The soup tasted delightful. Peppery and savoury.

We dipped our beef bits in the vinegared chilli sauce mixed with the 'cincalok' with a squeeze of the lime to offset any 'gamey' aftertaste.

After we came back to the table, it was my dad's turn. He took a walk around and we eventually saw him at the Beef Noodles stall. I excitedly tell my mum, "He don't eat the tendons, right? We can help ourselves to his!!"

Turns out, my dad was smart enough to tell the stallhand to omit the tendons and replace with other parts instead. Hmmph!


Our only gripe was that the brisket was slightly tough. Otherwise, it's a thumbs up!

Chicken Cutlet platter


My bro decide to order from the Western food stall. Apparently, their specialty is really fried chicken so fried chicken lovers, rejoice! 


I guess their batter makes all the difference. Appeared very KFC-esque at first look. Crispy (even crunchy) to the bite and the taste of the seasoning used was delish! Spicy, salty and slightly sweet (I think?). Chicken meat inside was juicy, too.


Saw another table having the chicken wings and they looked really awesome!! Gonna get myself some of those next time I'm here.

Cheese fries

This was pretty much ho-hum. Me thinks that they could do with more sauce. Agree…?

So that's a quick look at Mr Teh Tarik's latest branch. With their opening, there's a total of 3 eating places at that block 5 alone: 89.7 Supper Club (all Halal food), an eating house with the Halal Botak's Favourites and now this. Even with the closure of the market & hawker centre due to renovations, Changi Village is still buzzing with lotsa' activity (especially at night) with a great deal of family crowd hunting for good eats.

Gonna head there again soon. To think I live some 10-15 mins bus ride away! :)))


Mr Teh Tarik Eating House
Blk 5 
Changi Village Road (close to the junction)

Siam Kitchen @ Suntec City pt. 2

As I've said, all of us really hemmed & hawwed over what to have for ourselves. When it comes to placing orders, almost everyone ordered something different.


CLEAR TOM YUM HOR FUN
Rad Na Por Tak

This dish came as a big surprise. The thick gravy was very clear, yet when we have a taste, it actually carried a ptetty strong Tom Yum flavour! More of the tangy aspect of it.

Very, very interesting! Good for those who like Tom Yum but can't take the heat.

SEAFOOD TOM YUM
Tom Yum Talay

This cousin already ordered a rice dish but she insist on having her Tom Yum. So she got herself the single-portion.

She dislikes mushrooms so the rest of us got some of those fat & juicy straw mushrooms from her!

TOM YUM GLASS NOODLE SEAFOOD
Woonsen Tom Yum Talay

This came in a pretty large bowl and it's a well-known fact that glass noodles don't fill one up as much as other noddles so they put in a whole lot of it inside.

She is the same cousin who always ordered Tom Yum noodles whenever we dine at Secret Recipe. So I asked her, which one fared better in her book. She replied with an enthusiastic, "Secret Recipe!"



PHAD SI EW SEAFOOD
Pad Si Ew Talay

The Thai version or Char Kway Teow. Looked and smelled good, though.

Didn't have a taste of this so I can't testify on it.

PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE
Khao Phad Sapparot Talay

My order. Kinda disappointed with this, actually.

Ok, I wasn't really expecting this to be served inside a half-pineapple 'bowl' anyway. But I can still remember when dining at Magic Wok restaurant at Downtown East and someone at the neighbouring table ordered this.

When the fried rice arrived (yes, in that carved-out pineapple bowl), with it's delicious-smelling aroma and topped with loads of chicken floss, no less; I was filled will much food-envy. Even my bro turned to me, wide-eyed (as if to say, "Why didn't we order this??!").

I don't get that same vibe with this. That missing chicken floss topping must have been the big factor. :(

BLACK OLIVE FRIED RICE
Khao Phad Nam Liab

One of my cousins saw how much I relish eating this when I ordered a plate of this from the Flamingo foodstall at Asli Village, Downtown East.

So that evening, she was determined to order this. Sure helped that she was very hungry… Oh, she's she same person who had the single-serving of Tom Yum Seafood soup.

STIR-FRIED NZ BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH GARLIC
Nuea Phad Kra Tiam

Ordered by my cousin who loves her beef. With a label like, "N.Z Beef Tenderloin" I guess she just can't resist it.

True to it's name, this dish carried a strong hint of soy & garlic, as with the ominous presence of their minced bits. Beef was really tender, too.

CRISPY TOFU WITH MIXED VEGETABLES
Tao Hu Phad Phak

Felt like we could do with more veggies so we asker the server to recommend us a nice veggie dish to share. Our request somewhat caught her off-guard but she recommended this anyway.

Not bad. Kailan & other veggies stir-fried in oyster sauce. Too bad the the tofu wasn't mixed in together (simply placed on top) or it could have been even more flavourful. Guess it's to retain its crispiness...

No worries, 5 of that tofu pieces somewhat suffice because 3 of my cousins abhors veggies!

My plate

How may plate looked like after spooning on the various appetisers and items given by my cousins…

In case you're wondering, it was really, really filling!

Also ordered and not pictured (at the other end of the table) was:
-  PHAD THAI RICE NOODLE SEAFOOD ~ Sen Jan Phad Thai Talay
   Can be seen HERE too.

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Anyway, with our full bellies, here's what we got down to at the Fountain Terrace. Since it was a weekday evening, there was nary a crowd so we conduct some kinda 'Muslimah Photoshoot'. Feeling-feeling like Dian Pelangi, liddat.

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.
---------------------------

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