My 30th Birthday

I had a fantastic time on my 30th birthday and I have the kiddo to thank.

Started the day early, prepping the kiddo for school. He must have sensed that I won't be working that day. I can sense his reluctance. I gave up on wanting to send him and leave it to my helper, for my presence may only make him even more upset.

I don't know why I was kinda sluggish that day and I kept looking at the clock while chiding myself for being so darn slow. I was secretly hoping to make it to CBTL before 11am, for their breakfast.

I was so slow that my helper even manage to come back from the market before I can leave and I was made to eat the breakfast that she's bought.. erk??

ANYWAY.

I finally made my way down to Coffee Bean Tea Leaf at EHub!, some 5mins walk away from home. Turns out, the breakfast was an 'all-day' affair! Geez, so much for worrying that I'll miss it! Gotta blame McD for making me think that all breakfast ends at 11am. Pfft!

I was enticed by the other items on their menus, especially the: 

- SalmonN' Egg muffin ~ salmon and egg? WIN!

- Food for Thought ~ bread soldiers dipped in.. RUNNY EGGS!!

- Brek 'O' Day  ~ complete breakfast set

- Egg Club Sandwich ~  do seem to be calling me too...

But I eventually settled for the Eggs Ben(edict). For nostalgia's sake. Won't elaborate it here but it date back more than 10 years back.. Sigh. 

I AM old, am I not?

Birthday Breakfast

Sunny-side-up egg & chicken ham on a piece of muffin and covered with hollandaise sauce. Served with salad on the side (totally digg those dried cranberries!).

Even from the pic, you can see that some not-so-skillful hands had somewhat 'cooked' the egg yolks in the hollandaise sauce. It looked really curdled. Drats.

But I was determined to have a great day, nevermind the poorly-made sauce, which thankfully  still taste good and most importantly, the egg below was still deliciously runny. Mmmmm!

I soon learnt to filter out the noise from the table of boisterous teachers nearby (what irony, I know) and the neighbouring table made of chatty Koreans. I chose to have a warm double chocolate muffin for a sweet round-up to my meal (I wouldn't recommend it, though). The coffee was a tad mediocre (no surprise) but the size appealed to me. Nothing like a good dose of caffeine to perk me up.

Went off for a lil' shopping before picking my son up from school at 1pm and then head off to collect our passports. After which, I brought him to my most favourite area - the Singapore waterfront. 

When I stepped out of the Esplanade building after cutting through the basement all the way from City Hall MRT station, I was greeted with this sight.

Gorgeous sky 1

I was so blown away by the sight of the bluer-than-usual sky; adorned with clumps of my favourite cirrocumulus clouds.

Gorgeous sky 2

Simply breath-taking...

I realise that I was feeling like some SAHM, walking around with my kiddo on a weekday. Or some adventurous tourist venturing around with her toddler in a foreign land. 

I chose the latter option. At the rate that I was in such awe of the views around me, I feel like a tourist already. :P

Enjoying some chocolate ice-cream

Anyway, after I manage to prise him away from the fountain, I decide that some ice-cream will be nice on this weather. 

I scanned the various snack kiosks along the waterfront and spotted one that sells ice-cream. No need for B&Js or Haagen Dazs. Some good ol' 'potong' (cut) ice-cream will do. Instead of having it sandwiched between 2 wafers as per my usual preference, I chose to have it in a cup for minimal mess for my kiddo. 

I only got 2 scoops or so, as my kiddo hogged the rest of the ice-cream. :P

We sought shelter at the outdoor amphitheatre and watched the Chinese orchestra doing their sound checks. After we were well-rested, I head off towards the Merlion.

From the Esplanade waterfront

From the Esplanade waterfront

From the Esplanade bridge

I was really hoping for a Starbucks in the area because I was totally craving for that new Salted Caramel drink. I LOVE anything with Salted Caramel, so you can understand why I HAD to try this drink. 

However I only spot a CBTL (again?) at One Fullerton. I was disappointed but I guess it was better than nothing. Besides, the weather was a tad warm so some Ultimate Ice-Blended would be nice. But I can't find a ramp for me to push my kiddo's stroller down from the bridge so I moved on, looking for one.

Further down, at the loading bay, I decide to turn in and walk back towards CBTL from there. With a stroke of luck, to my much awesome surprise- there's a Starbucks in the corner! Hoooo Yeah!

Birthday drink

I was taken aback to see that the Salted Caramel was a Mocha drink and not regular espresso. Oh heck, got it anyway. I asked if they serve the 'cold' version (the posters were all showing a pic of the hot cuppa') and the amused barista told me I can have the Frappe or Latte version. 

I chose the former. Venti size, no less. Good thing also. Cos' my kiddo insisted that I share with him! Plus the drink taste soo good, a smaller size wouldn't suffice!

Clifford Pier

So we hung around Clifford Pier, beside the famed One On The Bund restaurant for a bit before I decide to head back towards The Esplanade and get a cab from there.

However, my kiddo kicked a fuss and insist that I walk the OTHER way, past the Fullerton Bay Hotel. I thought it was just him being cranky because I had prised him away from the fountain (again) but he refused to budge and even ran in that direction, stopped and pointed the other way.

He was being REALLY weird but I decide to relent and head that way, walking past the uber-grand lobby of the Fullerton Bay Hotel. I was still apprehensive as what to expect since I NEVER went in that direction before. Okay, maybe I did sometime back but not in recent times.

Clifford Pier Revolving Restaurant

Near Fullerton Bay Hotel

THIS VIEW totally blew me away!

Suddenly felt like I had been transported back to Hong Kong and I was in the middle of Causeway Bay or something. There was this surreal feeling like I WASN'T in Singapore (talk about feeling like a tourist). 

This was a part of Singapore that I had never seen before. I might have been here perhaps but I've never seen this sight!

I was in awe. TOTALLY. 

Approaching Customs House

I can't stop snapping pics.

If I'm not wrong, that's the old Johnston's Pier. My dad told me that the Javanese community during the earlier days had called this area, "John-sen." I've always wondered why and read that it was actually "Johnston's". It's typical of the Javanese folks to mispronounce English names...

I told my mum this and even showed her the Wikipedia page. She was so amused. LOL.

After Customs House

Shriek. Giggle. *snap!* 
(that was me being excited/exhilarated)

And as I passed the Customs house and turned left.... I was sooo exhilarated by what I saw that I almost cried. Really, really blissful.

I looked at my son, squatted down to his eye-level and asked him, "How do you even know of this place??"

He was nonchalant. If he had been so insistent, headstrong and determined just now, he showed no signs of those at that moment. My child, just WHAT do you KNOW (that I don't)??

Then, he finally spoke up. "Milk-milk."

I was dumbstruck before breaking into laughter. He really couldn't care less about this place that he had insisted on going to! Made his milk, lowered his seat as he had requested and before long, he fell asleep. What with the sun setting and the nice breeze, it's no surprise that he was so relaxed.

I told myself, this must have been my kiddo's birthday present for me. This wonderful sight. Experience. Overwhelming joy… It's his gift. 

Cos' seriously, the weather was superb. It was warm yet really breezy. The blue sky with wispy clouds was gorgeous. The open space. The relaxed crowd. And the view. My gosh. THE VIEW.

Check out this 360 deg shot.

Panoramic view

I checked the StreetDirectory app and figured out that I was at the Marina Bay Promontory. Ahhh... I've always heard of this place but never been here. 

Marina Bay Promontory 1

Marina Bay Promontory 2

Where I had been just hours ago, at a distance. WOW!

Marina Bay Promontory 3

This was the part approaching Marina Bay Sands, at the lower boardwalk area. 

At this point, I realised that I had walked really far but I wasn't the least bit tired. 

Marina Bay Sands Shoppes

Finally went indoors and came upon a part of MBS that I haven't ventured to. Been here twice but didn't know why I kept missing the place.

Eventually took a cab at the Casino area. Thankfully they have a staff manning the taxi queue so I had some help with the stroller and bags while I carried my sleeping child. 

Can't help smiling on the ride back home...

Birthday cake

At home that evening - this was supposed to be a surprise. SUPPOSED to be.

The kids however, got too excited and started whispering to one another, "There's a cake in the fridge!"

Hmmm....

So I 'kindly' went in to wash up (much earlier than usual) while they got the cake ready (as expected). :P

I asked my hubby, if he had bought the cake prior to coming home. He mentioned that he had asked my helper to buy and she went together with his grandma. 

So I went over to thank them. NO WONDER they wished me "Happy Birthday" when I reached home.... I didn't tell anyone, actually. Although they were curious to see me on leave, they had assumed that it's because I've gotta' collect the passports that day.

Oh, there's also another cake. DURIAN cake! Apparently, hubby's grandma wasn't too into chocolate cakes so she bought an alternative. Sorry no pic. Hands were soiled from all that chocolatey fudge & cream.. Yums.

An awesome 30th, I had. God bless my family! Alhamdulillah.

Wimbly Lu ~ Chocolate.Cafe.Company : F&B

As continued from the previous post, here are the goodies that we had at Wimbly Lu.


Their embelm?

Sticky date pudding

This may not be my 1st sticky date pudding but this is the best I've had so far. The pudding was moist and the caramel sauce, though thick, wasn't too gooey. And not too sweet.

Bread & butter pudding

My colleague, Roza's choice of dessert. She's been aiming this ever since she saw it in the display chiller at the counter. 

Served warm, accompanied with custard sauce. Every bite was such a delight. Very 'homely' kind of dessert, if you ask me.

Chocolate lava cake

This will take around 15-20mins to prepare. Caution: Served right outta' oven. VERY hot.

Decadent dark chocolate flavour. Warm, soft, rich and gooey. Mmmmm...!

And I like that they serve these desserts inside an individual ramekin, to avoid any mess. Sure, plating desserts is a plus for presentations but it's such a waste to have bits of whatever dessert being shared to scatter all over the plate.

Can you imagine the precious chocolate 'lava' flowing out onto the plate? I bet you would lave licked the plate clean if you weren't in a public place! So the use of these ramekins was such a great idea.

Flourless orange cake

My colleague Sri and our boss similarly chose this cake. Maybe my 'weight-watching' boss was enticed by the term: flourless.

Honestly, I thought the cake looked a bit dry. Plus, I wasn't too impressed by the fact that it's 'flourless'. So my expectations was a tad low.

Looks can be deceiving, however. The cake was more moist than I expect it to be and the orange flavour and scent wasn't too overwhelming. Nice.

I would love to have this paired with someting 'chocolatey'. Like a scoop of dark chocolate ice-cream on the side or even include some chocolate chips into the batter. That would have been nice! I'm really a sucker for any orange-choc. combo.

Eton Mess

When it was my turn to choose a dessert, I was still contemplating between the many choices. Then, I got curious about this 'Eton Mess'. That name was just so, so familiar but I just can't put my finger to where I've heard it. So I enquired with the server.

She replied, "Oh, it's actually a mix of berries, meringue and cream put together..." I can see my lady boss's eyes widening with every ingredient mentioned.

When she got to the part, "Put together.." My lady boss blurted out, "Ok, I'm SOLD!"

Erm... I thought that was my dessert order…? LOL

And yeah, the reason why the name sound familiar was because this is Prince William's favourite dessert. It's as English as can be and he even chose this to be served during his wedding reception.

Chunky, sweet & sour berry sauce, cold fresh cream and sweet crunchy meringue put together? Needless to say, we WERE sold.

Rocky road bar

In fact, if there's a choice that I would have made, it would have been this. We simply agree to a random suggestion by the server and I sure am glad we did. I totally love it! Marshmallow and a mix of nuts (mostly almonds), coated with dark chocolate. I'm so gonna make some of my own!

The reason why there's a candle was because it was the eve of my male colleague's birthday. My ladyboss must have gone over and made this special request for her bro when he went to the restroom.

Latte

Post meal drinks. I always ordered the cappuccino but I thought that would have been an overkill, what with the foamy cream and all. Especially after these overwhelming desserts.

Mocha latte

My colleague Sri's order. The 2 males in out group ordered the very 'macho' Long Black (coffee).

Classic hot chocolate

My colleague Roza's order. She had expected something like CBTL's Hot Chocolate. A more runny consistency. But that had been chocolate powder.

From the look of this one, it appeared like pure chocolate was mixed into hot milk, hence the pretty thick consistency. They even top the drink with a couple of marshmallows and more choco bits.

You know what would have been great with this? Churros. Freshly fried, plain churros. Yummm!

They also have the Mayan Hot Chocolate where some Cajun or Cayenne pepper have been added for the extra 'kick' in the drink.

So there. We left the place feeling a little high. Sugar high, actually. As expected, it was a struggle to stay awake in the office after that. Pfft. 

Wimbly Lu ~ Chocolate.Cafe.Company

After a quick company lunch, we hopped over to this confectionery located a few doors down.You can drop by after lunch because this place only open its doors at 1pm.

Most patrons are usually those who dined at the neighbouring restaurants and came by here for desserts and coffee. And oh, there's this really cute, vintage Beetle parked outside. Totally add to the charm of this place.

Display area

This was what you'll see at the entrance. Didn't give me much of an idea as to how the interior looked like, inside.

If I were to judge this place from what I see here, I'd say that I expect to enter a warm kitchen with rustic, country-like interiors; with traditional English food being served. Maybe even a grandma-like lady manning the kitchen. Very Jane Austen-esque.

Fridge display

This was at the counter. Already looked tempting!

Top shelf was éclairs and something else. Second shelf from right were: Rocky Road bars, Hazelnut Butterscotch bars and Brownies.

Bottom shelf from right were: Bread & Butter pudding, Tiramisu and Chocolate Crème Brûlée.

Right beside this fridge was a display area showcasing the various chocolate truffles available. Yes, I know! Sorry I forgot to snap a pic. :(

Preparation cum display area
(pic courtesy of my colleague Sri)

At this point, I was already enthralled by the refreshment area towards the back and totally forgot about this corner.

On the far right was the Blackout cake. Next to it was the Flourless Orange cake and the 3 slices of dark cakes in the martini glass was the Root Beer Float cake.

And yes, those are éclairs, ready to be stuffed with cream.

Cozy corner

The stained glass partition meant to shied this cosy area from a view of the restroom entrance at the back.

These antique rattan chairs with that ornate wrought-iron coffee table gives a nostalgic feel to this little corner. The rattan armchair with the floral cushions at the end were exactly what my grandma had last time. Really miss them. They're really comfy!

Suddenly think that if only I can get my hands back on the whole sofa set (already discarded), I'll refurbish them by painting them white and use them for my new abode. Sigh.

Sweet little 'garden' corner

My colleague jokingly suggest that I take off my shoes and feel the (carpet) grass under my feet. I love it actually. Don't mind sitting in this corner and take off my shoes as I sip on my coffee and have a little gossip with my gal friend.

Bright, sunlit refreshment area towards the back

Can get a bit warm here around mid-day, though.

Totally digg the rustic, exposed brick walls. Really adds to the vintage appeal of this space. And the black 'iron-like' clock-face? Awesome.

Too many eateries are using this quirky concept of having different chairs at every table. Won't be long before everyone tires of it. But hey, they still manage to spice up the interiors here. So why not?

The cozy corner where we're seated at

This seat reminds me a lot like the 'kerusi Pak Awang' that we used to have. Back then, the covers for the individual square cushions were easily available. I remember just how I dislike changing every individual covers come Hari Raya.

Just changing the material to a more chic fabric like faux leather (PVC) totally change the image of this 'old-skool' furniture.

This lady posted a lot of pics of the interior in her BLOG.

Next entry will be dedicated to the decadent stuff we had that afternoon…

Their WEBSITE

Wimbly Lu ~ Chocolate.Cafe.Company
15-2 Jalan Riang
(located within the landed housing area off 
Braddel Road/ Upper Srangoon Road/ Serangoon Ave 3 
- Near Nanyang Junior College)

Olivye Cafe menu

After our dinner at 89.7 Supper Club, we walked to the far end to the block, to appease my mum, who was worried that Olivye Cafe might have closed down.

I know that she had been really curious about the food offering but I need to find a suitable occasion that will warrant us to dine there.

I spotted their menu light-box display near the bus stop outside. If you're curious about their food (like my mum) you can check the list out:

Chicken & Seafood

Pastas & red meats

Set Meals

Gelato

One of the gelato fridges

My Peppermint Choc. Chip gelato (small)

The mint flavour was just right. Not too strong that you feel like you're drinking the Axe Oil. And the substantial chocolate chunks almost remind me of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia.

My parents shared the tangy Wild Berries flavour while my bro made a great choice of Chempedak (jackfruit). It really tasted like frozen chempedak being churned out!

I can't resist trying out my favourite candy flavour- Honey lemon. In all honesty, it taste like the HACKS cough drops with the white wrappers.

Another thing, while I was suveying the various flavours, my bro was placing order and making payment at the counter. Suddenly I heard a little kid with a hacking cough beside me. It was my own son, who kinda' followed us in. Next thing I knew, my bro came over to tell me that the kiddo had puked. Right in front of the cashier!

…In all its green glory (remember the 'Wheatgrass Bandung'?).

First thing I did was to rush him out to my parents and wipe his mouth. My mum then asked, 'Did you clean up after him?" Goodness! I rushed back into the shop (thankfully, my bro was still in there) and apologised profusely. The staff there were kind enough to say, "It's ok. We'll clean up later." Phew!

Luckily, I bought 3 cups of gelato that evening. Imagine all the ruckus caused and I had no intention to buy any…?

89.7 Supper Club at Changi

My poor hubby. He never told me where he wanted to eat but he told my indecisive brother instead. My bro told me he wanted Charcos, initially.

Next I heard, he wanted Botak Favourites. So I suggested Changi. Then again, Changi on a weekend night? Good luck on the parking! All the lots at the large open carparks were taken up so I suggested the carparks behind Blk 5, which we were heading to, anyway.

Instead of driving all the way in, my bro parked at an available lot located near the entrance for fear that there may not be any more lots inside. That also meant that we had to walk allll the way down. It's almost 100metres to where we're headed.

We came upon the packed 89.7 Supper Club first and the noise plus crowd kinda' made us muddled, especially after the long walk. Botak's Favourites was located next door but my hubby was taken aback to see that almost everyone had bottles of beer on the table (it's a Chinese coffee shop).

We eventually settled at a table at 89.7 SC, anyway (they have many staff who were more then willing to usher you in). My mum then ask me, "That gelato shop close down already? And Teh Tarik also?"

My poor mum must have been so exhausted after the long walk that she got confused. I told her that despite walking THAT far, we still have yet to reach that area, which is at the far end. Believe me, Blk 5 Changi Village is really long.

Menu Board

The following food pictures are arranged according to the sequence at which they were served to us.

The servers here use the 'palm' device to send the orders straight to the kitchen, meaning that they might have started preparing our food even before we finish making our full order (wonder what will happen when a previous order got cancelled, huh?).

Barely 5 mins after we were done ordering, the food start to arrive. I-kid-you-not! I even thought that they've sent to the wrong table. Good for the really ravenous folks.

My kiddo hogging the 'Wheatgrass Bandung' for himself

Yes, you read right. When I first heard my bro ordering it, I was like, "What's that?" he just shrugged, so my crazy imagination had me thinking that it's a Bandung drink with wheatgrass syrup added to it. Can you imagine the colour??

Pink + green = some brownish hue. Maybe akin to ice Milo?? *shudders*
As it turn out, the term 'bandung' in this aspect, refers to a drink with evaporated milk added to it. So 'Wheatgrass Bandung' is the milky version, la!

Anyway, my bro barely had a sip of his drink before the tall, icy, green glass caught the kiddo's attention and insisted to have a try. After a sip, he decide that the drink was a keeper. So my poor bro was left hanging.

Fried Calamari

Fried squid is more like it. Can't help thinking that the ones we had previously actually tasted and also looked better.

This one looked very hurriedly prepared (no surprised, there). Thankfully it's cooked just right so no instances of 'rubberband' squid rings here.

Beef fried rice

When I heard that my bro want to order fried rice, I asked if he's willing to give a small portion to my kiddo (so that I can choose my own order). But he remarked that he was too hungry and that he want his rice to be spicy.

When he placed his order, he told the server that he wanted his fried rice to be spicy: meaning that he want the rice to be red and cooked with sambal. When the dish arrived, he was aghast to see that the server had totally misinterpreted him. To make it spicy, all they did was to add some cut-up 'chili padi'. He ended up digging the 'chili padi' out. Pfft!

And look at how bare the plate of fried rice was. Rice, slices of beef and egg. THAT'S ALL.

Chicken Doner kebab

My dad's order. Took me 3 tries just to get this shot taken. He totally don't get it; why I love to take pictures of food on my table.

He wanted the red meat version which would have been mutton but only chicken was available. He chose this because he wanted something 'light'. I doubt this was any 'lighter' than the rice and noodles that the rest of us had.

Seafood Hor Fun

My mum's order. My hubby had the beef version. One look and I can't help remarking that the gravy was too runny for a Hor Fun (typical gravy is slightly thick/starchy).

And from the way they looked as they eat, I can tell that the don't enjoy it. I even asked my mum, "How was it?" She pouted and shook her head. So there.

Cereal Prawns

Thankfully, they didn't screw this dish up. Cos' I ordered a chicken fried rice (very similar to my bro, sans chili padi) to share with my kiddo and this was to be the saving grace that'll help me finish my plate of bland fried rice.

Prawns were firm and fresh, they cut-off the tip of the head which is a plus and the cereal bits taste great. 

Cheese fries

My bro can't resist ordering this.

Later on, when he realised how dismal his fried rice was, he had wanted to order some chicken wings but those will come with more fries and we already had a plate of this. He skipped the chicken wings, eventually.

Spicy steamed chicken feet

What most surprised us was that the order that came from the dimsum list actually came last. I thought that this might arrive first as it had been sitting in the steamer all the while but I guess not. Maybe they popped this in only upon our order.

We totally expect the soy-sauce version as what we always get elsewhere. But the chicken feet here turned out to be red so we expect something like the sweet taste of 'char siew'. Never did my parents expect it to be spicy! Despite the initial shock, my parents braved through the heat and continued to nibble on these savoury claws anyway.

I can only watch. I don't know when it happened but I actually find chicken feet to be pretty disgusting as I grew up. Even though I totally enjoyed them as a kid. When I instagram-ed this pic, some Scandinavian guy remarked that they looked like human hands! Yeach!

Overall, we were pretty let down by the food here, in all honesty. Such overwhelming variety but the preparation and taste were kinda lacking. Might be a case of quantity over quality?

PS: I spot the one-time famous Sri Bistari Ayam Penyet stall at the coffee shop next door (same as Botak's Favourites).

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.