Hubby's Birthday weekend

His birthday actually fell on a weekday and both of us were working so I pushed any celebration for the weekend.

That Saturday morning coincidentally, his mum set off for for a short holiday in Vietnam and his grandma stayed over at his aunt's so then I'll be able to helm the kitchen!

"What's the big deal?" you may ask.

Well, I'm very, VERY shy about any cooking skill that I may possess. Even with my OWN MUM! I'll only cook when the matriarchs aren't around. And only selective folks get to eat what I cook. Even when I'm married, I refused to cook actual meals; nevermind that I appear like some horrible daughter-in-law or what.

I never baked at my in-law's place. Even at my parent's place last time, I baked in the middle of the night, when everyone slept. :P

Crazy, I know. But I just feel apprehensive in the presence of these awesome women. Very, very intimidated, indeed.

Couple of days prior to that weekend, I already planned what I wanna prepare.

Breakfast fry-up

When still residing with my parents during my single days, I totally adore the chaotic Sunday mornings when my parents prepared breakfast fry-ups. And the spread was majestic!

There'll be hotdogs or sausages, fish fingers and sometimes, chicken nuggets. For carbs, there's potato wedges or crinkle-cut fries with toasted french loaf or regular bread slices but they MUST BE TOASTED! Only when I feel not-do-lazy, do I prepare my own garlic spread; grinding the onion, garlic, herbs with butter. Then there's the sunny-side-up eggs, with extras for second helpings. And finally there's the baked beans; always with onion, garlic and chillies sauteed in olive oil before poring the beans in. NEVER straight out-of-the-can.

And breakfast can last at least an hour. We'll talk about everything and anything and when we struggle to finish our food, we'll start pushing the remnants to one another.

AND SO - I wanna replicate that. But it just wasn't easy! My nephew and niece that my helper babysat, they were taken aback by such an elaborate fry-up. They took either the potato ONLY or the cheese sausage only. My hubby don't mind but his stomach space only limit his intake to a little bit of everything or a lot of something. Only my kiddo eats my cooking with gusto. If only he eat the beans... So much for worrying if the single can of beans would suffice. We even have leftovers…

Le Sigh.

Baked penne in cream sauce

This was supposed to be my 'speciality'. When I shopped for the ingredients the day before, I made sure that everything was checked. I was a tad nervous, seeing that the last time I laboriously cooked this from scratch was when I was preggers and that was more than 2 years ago!

But Murphy's Law chose to take place that day. All because of 1 ingredient.

Plain flour.

A traditional kitchen that doesn't have plain flour? What blasphemy! I didn't bother to check on it because I need only a scoop or two and I dun think that'll warrant me to buy a whole kg of it.

Because of that, my penne in mushroom cream SAUCE became penne in mushroom cream SOUP. Bleargh! 

This is why I can't help but look forward to my new abode. My own kitchen. My own stove. My own oven. My own utensils.

I wanna get back my cooking/baking mojo! Practice makes perfect and I wanna be like the mums in my life. Cooking up a storm for the family to enjoy. Huhu...

After the disastrous outcome for breakfast & lunch, well, I naturally planned to eat out for dinner. Ok, so dinner was planned wayyy beforehand. :P

Seoul Garden - ala carte buffet

I know my hubby loves Seoul Garden. He love his meats so Seoul Garden appear like some unlimited meat supply to him, I guess.

Whenever my large group of cousins ask for suggestions on places to eat, he'll always come up with 'Seoul Garden'. And the whole bunch of us did have that one time (we booked half the restaurant during off-peak hours). He loved every moment of it.

So for his birthday meal, I simply suggest this place. And knowing just how 'un-adventurous' he is with travelling to town or anything, I'm just glad that there's a branch located a stone's throw away from our place, at EHub.

And the fact that it's an ala carte buffet makes it all the more better, seeing that we don't need to get up every now and then to get our food.

Order away!

I love this concept because our raw (and even cooked food) are some mouse clicks away! Ok, so this is nothing new. Zingrill Holdings, the parent company decide to close down Fresh Bulgogi and replace it with the Seoul Garden brand instead. But the concept remained.

This also allow them to offer premium foods like scallops, wagyu beef etc. (charges apply) on top of the others that are part of the regular ala-carte buffet. So be careful when you select.

Truth to be told, I've always been apprehensive about dining here because of my kiddo. He's at THAT age where he simply can't sit still. And to come to a place with open fire, hot pan and boiling soup? I actually brought my helper along, just in case. That's why I'm glad that I don't have to get up for my food cos' he'll just follow me around.

Aside from his fascination with the long tongs meant for the bbq, he was ok most of the time. He's much more taken in by the computer actually. I even let him click the mouse around while all of us watched over what he clicked on and made sure he didn't select any premium items and most importantly, SEND the order. Whenever he looked away, I quickly cancelled his random selections. Pfft.

Awesome Korean Fried Chicken Wings

Totally adore these über crispy drumlets coated in sweet & spicy sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Some may find it to be a tad sweet but my Javanese taste buds totally digg it!

Almost similar to the Hot Hot Drums from BBQ Chicken, save that these were more sweet than they were spicy and the taste of 'Gochujang' was more apparent here.

Actually these were more like drumlets than the actual wings and with the crispy bits plus all that sauce, this can be a pretty messy eat. My helper may be Indonesian but she actually find this to be too sweet. But these were so popular that people flocked over whenever the dish was topped up. Finger-lickin'-good (literally)!

The regular fried chicken is still available (also delish!). Just click on a picture of them on the computer screen. 2 drumlets per serving.

Saucy!!

Best part? We were sitting right beside the counter where they put these!!! There's also fried fishballs and chicken wantans.

I seriously contemplate coming back here just to get these.

Note: These are available only on weeknights and whole day on weekends and public holiday.

Ibadah Korban 2012 in Mekkah

Helping out my cousin who's currently studying at a university in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. He conduct 'Ibadah Korban' (animal sacrifice) in Mekkah during Eid al-Adha annually.

'Aqiqah' (sacrifice of an animal on the occasion of a child's birth) is also welcome.

His name is Dzulqarnain and can be contacted on his mobile at +966 546789085 or through his email at dzul_kebab@hotmail.com for bookings and details.

Preferable to register before 25th October 2012. A verification certificate will be given after the procedure is done.

Fish & Co. Express

I've been hankering for a good ol' fish sandwich (or burger as you may call it) since the past few days. I guess I can attribute it to me just getting sick of Malay food in general, considering I've been gorging on those since Raya Day 01.

And by 'fish sandwich', I'm referring to those battered fish fillets and not the el cheapo, supermarket-bought, breadcrumbed ones. Yeah, yeah... Being picky, I know...

I almost bought the Fish Wrap from Long John Silver and by gosh, thankfully, I didn't. Honestly, their batter seemed to be harder and saltier nowadays. Plus I don't like their wrap. I much prefer the corn-dusted buns which they used previously.

Menu board

Anyway, I recall that there's a Fish & Co Express at Downtown East- some 10 mins walk from home. And the food fared wayyyy better. Oh, did I mention that their pricing is more value-for-money (burger value meal comes at $5.95)?

Plus, I totally adore the varieties that they offer. Burgers, seafood sets, spaghetti/rice sets, mixed platters and snacks. There's even their 'international' range of Fish & Chips. And there's not just seafood. For eg, their burgers; there's also chicken, veggie and even Philly cheese steak! And their platters comes with either nachos or rice. Whoa!

I really, really hope that they won't partake in drastic cost-cutting measures where they slash many items off the menu to minimise the available options. That would have been really sad. :(

My only gripe was that they use those generic, thin shoestring fries, unlike those thick ones served at their main restaurants. Well, what can we expect?

Fish chowder

They have the 'soup-of-the-day' option and somehow it's always Fish Chowder whenever I'm there. I really wonder, what other soups do they serve besides this?

But this soup wasn't as starchy as those serve at other fast-food outlets, thankfully. And when eaten warm, it's most comforting. Comes with bits of dory fish inside.

Fried calamari

Something that I never fail to order when here. Be it at Fish & Co. or their express outlets. I just love their generous cuts of calamari and the batter used to coat them!

...Scrumptious!

Famous fish burger

I only had my eyes on this, prior to making my order. I'll excuse the fact that the bun wasn't those corn-dusted, sourdough kind because the thick slab of battered fish fillet was awesome! There's cheese and surprise, surprise... onions! So all you onion-haters, you'd better ask for them to omit that pet peeve of yours when ordering this.

You can also check out this pretty informative article for more details. And HERE is their FB.

Fish & Co. Express
No.1 Pasir Ris Close #01-40B
E!Hub at Downtown East
Singapore 519599

They have branches at NUS & Khoo Teck Phuat Hospital too.

A short trip to Geylang Ramadhan Bazaar

Disclaimer: The term 'Geylang Ramadhan Bazaar' in this case, refer to that tiny section at the very end, where Northlight school is. The area close to Kg. Ubi CC. Where the famous 'Aniz' set up their hee-yuuge stall.

I'll be personally amazed if I ever ventured to the whole of Geylang Bazaar on my own. Even in the search for great food. Because I make it a point to never venture there. Last year, I didn't even bother. The year before, I only walked through the area close to Paya Lebar MRT, in search for male 'Baju Kurung' (traditional Malay garb).

Which is also the reason why I'm doing so this year. Hubby strangely refused to buy a pair of those even when I'm already purchasing one for the kiddo. And he fell sick on his following day off, leaving me to purchase a pair for him after work one day. Pfft.

There was only a handful of people when I reached there before Maghrib (the evening prayer call). I was honestly embarrassed to be walking around there alone, when everyone else came with their partner, friends and even family. Doesn't help that I was wearing a bright red top with matching bright red shoes. Haihh...

By the time the prayer call came on and everyone scrambled for their first bite of food or first sip of drink, I was still walking around, clueless as to what to proceed with next.

Bought myself a bottle of 'Air Katira' (rosewater-scented milky drink with basil seeds & 'pong tai hai' or 'buah semangkuk'). Cold, refreshing drink that immediately alert my senses. I decide to grab a bite and wonder what will be suitable for me to munch on the go.

And I saw my favourite bazaar food item - Takoyaki! Ball-shaped Japanese snack that start off with having only octopus meat as filling (hence the name 'tako' balls) and soon evolved to have other food items inside, i.e shrimp & ham+cheese.

As I ordered my favourite 'tako', I saw that this particular stall also have an additional variety for the filling - Chilli Tuna! My favourite!!! For your info, this flavour is spawned by the 'Ayam' brand of canned tuna where tuna flakes are marinated in chilli oil with WHOLE pieces of fiery red 'chili padi' inside.


Chilli tuna Takoyaki

With 2 boxes of piping hot takoyaki, I then wondered, where can I feast on these? I saw clusters of people gobbling up their food as they squat around outside the tentage. Ermm.. I'm too shy for that. I saw some seating area at the very end but there was NO ONE there.

I decide to just munch as I walk around and I thought that I was being smart when I chose to walk inside where the small stalls selling non-food items were. Besides, most of the stall hands/owners were also busy eating or praying. they won't mind me (I guess).

What I didn't know was that these balls were really, really hot. Almost scalded my tongue, there. And they were big! Bigger the the ones we normally get at those regular 'pasar malam' Takoyaki stalls. Like, if the one we usually get were around 3cm diameter (estimate) this one here was a whole 1cm bigger. I was struggling to take a whole bite on each ball. Eventually settled on 2 bites each and boy, was it a messy affair! Doesn't help that they were generous with the bonito flakes, mayonnaise & sauce (which is a good thing, btw).

And that chilli tuna Takoyaki were da bomb! Spicy tuna flavour bursting with every bite which goes darn well with the mayo-sauce-bonito flakes combo. Om nom nom...

Now, where do they set up stall next?? I really should have taken a good look at the lady who made these!

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Eventually bought my hubby's garb from Joo Chiat complex across the road. I crossed back to Geylang Serai market to take a cab and decide to buy some chips for Raya goodies at my in-law's place. that's when I realise that I should at least make an attempt to check out the burger stalls (another favourite bazaar food item).

Having walked to and fro that 'food lane', I'm aware of the generic burger stalls that offer the same fare. No one seemed interested in burgers that night so no one seem to be patronising these stalls. I also don't feel like being the first one to walk up and order. However, as I crossed the small road from in front of the old Singapura theatre, I noticed the signage for some 'Jumbo Burger' and got curious.

This stall, managed by Charisma Catering (I recognise them to be a bridal services company) sold limited food items, amongst which were the Jumbo burger and 'Ayam percik'. I looked at the burger grill and saw these…


Check that out!

Were those handmade beef burger patties??! Needless to say, I was sold. Immediately asked the guy behind the grill, "Bro, are the Jumbo burgers available?"

Nevermind the fact that I was their only customer at that moment. Need to brush my apprehension aside. I-must-try-that-homemade-burger-patty!

Ordered 2 burgers for hubby and myself. Didn't even bother asking him if he want any. I just told him that I got him a burger. :)))


Jumbo burger

Just look at that! Jumbo enough for you?

Handmade beef patty with lettuce & tomato and sunny side-up egg, melted cheese, mayo, chilli & black pepper sauce. Only for $4.50.

Everybody say, "OH YEAH...!"


Ayam Percik

Saw the 'Ayam Percik' on display (that same stall). It is actually grilled chicken coated with spicy peanut sauce.

Looks authentic enough, with the chicken wing being stretched out and held between 2 sticks and tied with aluminium wire. Very rugged. Looks like effort was being put in to grill the chicken meat well. Besides, the meat looks nicely grilled with char-marks in the right places. And from the colour, I can tell that it was decently marinated.

Upon ordering, they take the chicken wings and dipped them into a pot of the spicy peanut sauce thats bubbling away on a stove.

I'm not sure how they prepared the chicken. There are some who bast the chicken meat with the peanut sauce as they were grilling the meat (preferably over charcoal fire). Then the sauce will caramelise over the heat… Mmmmmph!

And these chicken wings were delish! The marination was already nice. Plus that yummy peanut sauce? It's awesome! Makes waking up for 'sahour' the next morning very worth it!

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Aside from those, I also joined the queue for 'Twist Potato', a franchise of those deep-fried potato swirls on skewers that originate in S.Korea..

You can check out the video here.



I chose the small stick with 'chilli' flavour, where the crispy potato was rolled around in chilli powder, prior to serving. There were also BBQ & cheese flavour.

Also it'll be best if I can simply bite-off from the skewer, I know it won't be a nice sight so I simply pell them off the skewer as I munch along while looking for Hubby's baju kurung. And I made a mental note to NOT TOUCH anything as I peel & munch along. I don't wanna leave chilli powder stain on anything (esp. clothes)!

So there, my pathetic adventure of wandering around a tiny corner of Geylang Ramadhan Bazaar... But I got what I want and most importantly, I love them. However, I do wish I got companions who can join me to try those piping hot Belgian waffles made on the spot, the brownies from Breeks and the handmade chocolate.

Oh well, there's always another time, I guess.

Salam Lebaran

Hope its not too late to wish Eid Mubarak / Salam Aidilfitri to my Muslim readers!

And I gotta apologise for not showcasing any Hari Raya goodies this time. I got my hands full handling my toddler.

Enjoy the festivities! May this be a blessed one for all.

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.

----------------------------

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.