truffs = truffles

My colleague Jim promised us that he'll get us the the truffles from Truffs for Hari Raya.

Yes, this is the same fella who gave us the Sins chocolates for X-mas.

Apparently the chocolatier behind this newly-minted shop is a friend of his and he brought back some samples one day, after he went to their launch.

Oh, that first taste was totally out of this world!

I've never been fond of plain chocolates. But this type of 'plain' chocolate has 3 different textures. From the soft ganache center, to the slightly crisp shell and then the thin cocoa power coating... Oh bliss!

Before that, chocolate truffles, to me, are a 'see-no-touch' affair. Because they're are just too expensive! I can't imagine eating a chocolate ball that's at least $2/pc.

Scarily though, since that first taste.. my mindset changed.

The box for a set of 9 pcs.

That's the minimum number that you can buy, it seemed.

Nice..

Reminds me of the packaging of Japanese sweets.

70% Honduras

Excerpt from their website:

"For the true dark chocolate lover, the intense taste of this chocolate reveals hints of flowers from the Criollos and Trinitarios trees, the best cocoa beans from the island."

TRUE dark chocolate lover - I AM.

the reveal

Neat, huh?

looks don't matter...

No, these aren't meteors.

another angle

up close

No, it's not asam-boi (chinese preserved fruit snack) either!

taken

satisfied

DO read

info

My words here are minimal, ain't it...?

Words can't really describe such exquisite taste... Mmmmm!

These aren't just regular chocolates that one can get off-the-shelves. The taste of this variant of dark chocolate might not be appreciated by many (read: kids). Even some adults find this taste yucky.

Therefore, when I got this package, I had only some people in mind - my choc-loving buddies.
People with whom I went thru' thick and thin to explore the world of desserts. People whom I know can savour this whole flavour to its' fullest.

I had some of these babies and eventually called them down to take away the package.

2 facts about something nice:
- it is meant to be shared.
- too much of it ain't good.

So there. And please don't be taken aback at the price of these chocolate truffles. Truffles are after all... expensive. And this is Valrhona that we're talking about, ok?

this is ALSO not a Ramly burger

My quest for the famous Ramly burger still didn't get me to venture to the bazaar at Geylang Serai.

In fact, I got myself something much better..

just the way i like it - my style

My mum's homemade burger.

Ok fine. So not everything's homemade, save for the beef burger patty (which was really juicy!) and the omelete.

That gloppy mess was just some generous slathering of mayo, sweet chili sauce and freshly-cracked black pepper.

Just like the generic Ramly burger sold outside, except that my mum used TWO eggs for that omelete there, a WHOLE slice of cheese was melting inside that omelete - on the patty and slices of Japanese cucumber plus some salad greens to complete the picture.

One big messy eat, there. But who cares when you're enjoying it at the comfort (and privacy) of your own home?

this is NOT a Ramly burger

Blame it on food blog-hopping.. I came across someone who had burger Ramly in JB and i got really tempted.. The beef patty with wrapped with egg omelette, cheese and all that jazz...

aargh!

The only time I come across stalls selling burger Ramly is when there's a bazaar of sorts and please dun mention Geylang.. I'm soo not going there...

Despite the fact that I'm like.. 5mins away whenever I took the train from Paya Lebar to get home.

Anyway, as per habit, I head to White Sands to check out my fave temaki (handroll). Sold out. Choco-almond croissants also sold out. waargh!

Then I start thinking of burger Ramly. Was thinking of getting the closest possibility: McD's Double Cheeseburger.

Then I came across Burger King and thought that their burgers are more worth the calories. BUT - I made the mistake of sticking to the same order.

double cheeseburger

I have never ordered this from BK before. How was I to know that it'll so big??? Well.. comparing it to the one from McD....

Should stick to their singles selection instead...

At least when comparing it to the actual Ramly burger... sesame buns - check. Juicy beef patty (patties in this case) - check. Cheese -check.

But no black pepper sauce, mayo or the thin omelet wrapping the patty... :(

Will do, lah.

PS: No, this ain't some craving. This habit of mine - yearning to eat something (especially after food blog-hopping) started since waaay back.

eclairs again

Ah, yes. Silly me went browsing into Prima Deli's website when I got bored at work...

Was thinking of their truffle cake and wanted a slice of it. Just too bad, the variety available at the branch in Ehub! just seemed so... pathetic.

So I end up with this baby, here.

Prima Deli's eclair

I used to think that this version from Prima Deli is the holy grail of eclairs.

The first time I had a taste of eclairs was during a cousin's engagement. Someone brought over these box of mini eclairs and I must have gobbled down like 10 of them.

Back then I didn't even know the name of these delightful goodies.

When I described these to another cousin, she went, "Oh, you mean eclairs??"

E - what???

"You should get the one from Prima Deli. Sedaaappp!"

Back then, Prima Deli wasn't as established as they are now. I found out the nearest branch was somewhere in Tampines. And I really did seek it out.

And never looked back since. .

Unlike other conventional eclairs, this one here had the puff cut on top and the chocolate cream nicely piped in. Then there's the chocolate fudge squiggle on it. The puff doesn't only have the fudge, they even sprinkle almond flakes on it.

In terms of presentation, they win hands down. Taste-wise... well, they used to reign supreme in my books, until I was exposed to the world of dark chocolates... It's a whole different realm altogether.

I've yet to find a really tentalising dark chocolate eclair (maybe using Valrhona?)... Anyone with recommendations??

sushi!

Well, the past weekend seemed somewhat Japanese-themed somehow. Due to the death in the family, I backed out of the dinner buffet with my cousins.

Somehow, they got the VIP room. So they closed the door and packed some food back. They then called me down to meet them, when they handed be a pack of grilled unagi (freshwater eel).

So sweet of you all. Thanks ya!

When I brought that home, everyone turned away, disgusted. However one of my hubby's aunt, who's more adventurous - physically and gastronomically; upon being offered that, actually scooped some rice, took a slice of omelet and eat that with a couple of slices of the unagi.

assortment of sushi

Courtesy of my sister-in-law.

When I caught sight of those orange pieces of the salmon, I remarked, "Is that what I think it is?"

She sniggered as she kept them in the fridge. "Later we try, ok?"

unagi roll

salmon mayo roll

nigiri sushi

Raw fish or not, I ate them up anyway. Just-can't-resist. One slice won't harm, right??

spicy sushi

Gosh, my tastebuds had gone really low in its tolerance for spiciness that this simple spicy sushi became SUPER spicy to me.

Hope this phase pass after I give birth.

softshell crab temaki

makimono

By the time the maghrib prayer call sounded, she had lined all these up on the counter.

However, everyone were rushing to take their ablution for the jemaah prayers, so I managed to wallop the unagi roll and the salmon mayo roll. Delish!

Post prayers, I saw the 'spicy' sushi and got cuirous... Gosh! Bad move.

I'm so gonna go back there for more of this. Thankfully, this is just a mere 10 mins walk from home.

Hope it won't look weird to see a pregnant woman sitting alone in that restaurant, gorging down all the sushis...

death in the family

Minutes before I was even supposed to go back home, my sis-in-law called to say that, "Grandpa's gone..."

Given the fact that I've been feeling a tad more sensitive since my pregnancy, I actually cried all the way from the office and in the cab ride home.

Worse luck was when I got a really chirpy driver. I love chirpy drivers but not that moment, la... He eventually shut up after a while, when he realised that my replies were more curt than they were friendly.

Thankfully the tears dried up as I got home. Grandma looked fine. Mighty fine, in fact. For someone who had just lost her husband.

*Salute!*

I soon realised that that despite some gloom, the mood was more positive that it should have been. Positivity that stemmed from relief, that the old man, who had been bed-ridden since the past year need not have to suffer no more.

Come to think of it, my mother-in-law lost both her parents in a single year... Poor her.

And due to his funeral, I finally managed to really bond with my hubby's side, many thanks to the tahlil held over the 2 days that weekend. It was a beautiful experience, being able to perform jemaah prayers together as a family. And for that, I can never be more grateful.

...Semoga Allah mencucuri Rahmat ke atas roh-nya. Al-Fatihah.

when chocolate come-a-calling,,,

...This time I start thinking of eclairs.

eclair

The peeps at Four-Leaves only make their eclairs (they call these 'chocolate puffs') on alternate days and every time I got there, they're sold out.

Must be good.

One evening, I was lucky enough to get my hands on 1 of them (only 2 left).

Well.... they definitely used a much better quality chocolate than Prima Deli and especially Polar. But it's not as bitter as I expected.

I really should quit pitting these regular bakeries with Bakerzin, seriously... Having tried the stuff there has totally raised the bar for me.. Sheesh!

i'm thinking....

b u f f e t s....

I've covered 1 Indian one last week... Free-flow of naans, briyani rice (I didn't have that), Tandoori Chicken, Matter Paneer, Aloo Gobi, Mutton Korma, Fish Masala etc....

Oh and not forgetting the papadums dipped in refreshing mint and yoghurt sauce... ummmmmm...!

All washed down with Mango Kheer (Rice Pudding) and some other pudding that's heavily infused with cardamoms. And a cup of masala tea to complete the meal.

Pictures?? What pictures? Was so hungry that I wolfed everything down before I remember having a camera.

Coming up will be another 1 at Sakura D.E. Not keeping my expectations high for the food at that one. Just gonna enjoy quality time with my cousins. Now pondering whether to have the sashimi at all...

Next.. hopefully another 1 with my mates. Can't disclose that the location for that un...

And oh.. That irritating Swensen's ice-cream buffet ad on radio is getting on my nerves. ...Cos' it's just so tempting!

Funnily enough though... Despite the saying, "Eating-for-two", I find myself being unable to eat much nowdays. Stomach space taken up by babe, I guess... =P

Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

Ramadhan Al-Mubarak to all Muslims out there!

May you will be much blessed during this holy month and may all your religious duties be well accepted By Allah swt.

PS:I hope Muslims out there won't accidentally stumble into my blog during daytime, when they should still be performing their fast..

I sure do not want to play a part in attributing to you unecessarily drooling over the food pics!

Please come back in the evening, after break fast, ok?

southern thai cuisine II

Okay, meant to post this yesterday...

All in all, we seemed to order around 9 different dishes. Mostly medium-sized portions and a couple of large ones.

Som Tham (Green Papaya Salad)

Ever since I watched that Thai action-comedy of the same name, I've been bugging my bro to get me this (no, it wasn't a craving of sorts!). If you watch that movie, believe me, you'll wanna eat this too!

The tangy sour-spicy-sweet taste of the sauce is what the deal is all about. What more they used the larger version of dried shrimps, which brought me back to the days in Bangkok, where I ate the Som Tham ordered from the street vendors there.

Green Curry

We last had this at Magic Wok (Capitol branch). The lingering mild curry taste never fail to impress us all. There are chunks of chicken meat and egg-plant inside.

Squid Fritters

We were debating between the squid and the prawns. My bro eventually settled for this, seeing how he like his (deep) fried stuff.

Upon biting into it, I asked my mum if this squid has eggs (roe) for in between the rings of meat was a translucent piece of something which I can't make out. My mum wondered if they has mistakenly given us the stuffed squid instead.

Love it! The batter was nicely spiced and the sweet Thai sauce on the side totally complement the fritters.

Ginger Chicken

The restaurant ran out of the famous Pandan Chicken so my bro settled for this instead. I was apprehensive so I asked if this is a stir-fried dish (my bro may not like soggy stuff!). The Thai staff can only say that it's 'cooked in Chinese wok'.

When it came out, my bro gave a taste and remarked it to taste, "Superb!"

Well, in my opinion, one can never go wrong with ginger and chicken, right? And those thick strips of old ginger does give the chicken chunks the added zing. And the onions add on to sweeten it nicely.

Beef in Red Sauce

Honestly, I can't recall what the actual name of the dish was. I only know there's 'beef and 'red'.

The tender slices of fried beef came stir-fried in a thick sweet and spicy sauce which coats the meat nicely, making it look like it was barbecued instead. The were generous amount of 'kailan' (Chinese vegetable) too and I almost thought that this was the Kailan w/ Beef that we've ordered. My dad reminded me that the server had specified the name of the dish upon serving it.

My mum insist on ordering this for her son-in-law, knowing how much he love his beef.

Seafood Tom Yam

Oh, how can one dine in a Thai restaurant and not order this?

Nicely done, though I believe that the one I had in Bangkok still taste the best (duh!).

3-Flavour Fish Strips

I opt to have the fish in fillet form, for convenience and didn't expect the portion to be pretty small, so we immediately asked for another portion.

The 2nd batch came out much nicer, the seabass fillets crispier. The sauce tasted great, naturally. A little bit on the sweet side though and less spicy than the ones served in Chinese style eateries.

Kailan with Beef

This comes as a pleasant surprise. And it DOES look similar to the previous beef dish that we ordered.

We had totally expected a dish similar to what we've always eaten at other (Chinese-style) eateries. Little did we expect the thinly-sliced beef to be pounded before being fried, giving it a texture much akin to beef jerky. And the fact that they used my favourite cut of meat, the 'curry-meat' where there are equal amount of sinewy tendon and meat in each slice.

Man, I can eat the beef on it's own. Seeing that they used the regular-sized 'kailan' instead of the more leafy 'baby' version, they also included the stems which were sliced thinly. They were tender and surprisingly sweet.

Glass Noodle Salad

Seeing that this was a starter dish, we had expected this to come together with the Som Tham. It came out last and became quite the finisher. Maybe because they need to soak the glass noodles first.

Despite being a 'salad' dish like the Som Tham, it tasted entirely different. The sauce tasted much milder but there's definitely something that accentuate the glass noodle, though i cant figure out what.

And it came with 2 large prawns and some squids, which were most likely boiled before being tossed into the salad mixing bowl.

This is good enough to be eaten on its own...

------------------------------------------------------------
Would you believe that the whole meal set my bro back only $78++? When he came back, he looked all grave and we asked, "How many hundred was it?"

He gave us a quizzical look, "Not even there.."

I looked at the receipt, and remarked to my dad, "Pa, it's not even $80!"

"I wonder if they had miscounted..." my bro muttered. No wonder he looked so lost.

The proprietor then came out for a smoke and took the opportunity to thank us and start a small conversation with the guys. He said that the upper level can be accomodated for a large family who had made advanced booking.

Wow, good food, good service, good company.. good pricing! Location wise.. it may not be easy for drivers. We came on a quiet Sunday afternoon (before 6pm) and we only managed a lot at the end of Jalan Keledek.

southern thai cuisine I

My bro somehow decide to give the family a treat and he was recommended this Thai restaurant by my cousins, who said that it was owned by a schoolmate's mum, who's a Thai herself.

They went there 2 weeks back with their family and the reviews remained positive.

This Southern Thai Cuisine Restaurant is a small restaurant that fronts North Bridge Road, between Jalan Pisang and Jalan Keledek. Oh, the most obvious will be the fact that it's right next door to the famed Islamic Restaurant.

These pics are just a preview of what's to come tomorrow...

Or you can look out for this at the entrance...

..Should you wonder if you got the right restaurant.

My mum's Red Hisbiscus Drink (warm) and my dad's & my Lemongrass Drink (warm)

The 'hibiscus' in this case is not the standard 'bunga raya' that's Malaysia's national flower. This one here is the 'roselle' variant.

The lemongrass is also not the usual one used for cooking (like in the tom yam). Here, what's used is what the Malays call 'serai wangi' (fragrant lemongrass) and like it's name, it's way more fragrant than the usual variety.

My bro's Watermelon w/ milk

It's either this or Papaya w/ Milk. I told him that he pay a visit to Singapore Polytechnic, where every foodcourt serve this. One even had the papaya juice all ready to be scooped out from a container, even.

Condiments - Chili padi ....

... Which no longer appeal to me, sadly. Ever since my pregnancy, I have not been able to tolerate really spicy foods. Chili padi is a big no-no. *sob!

Pics of the ordered foods tomorrow!

home-baked pasta

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finally!

My cousin tucking in first.

Enjoy!

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

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

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

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

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

...Must be the belly.

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

The Hangover Tee

The Baby

Uhu! hu!

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

It all start with a small story...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The mango cheesecake

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

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

The 'Luxurious Chocolate' cheesecake

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

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

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

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

Insya-Allah (God willing)....

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

blogger is soooo screwed up now....

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

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

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

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

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

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

Till I blog again..!

chicken II

BBQ Chicken @ Tampines One

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

Main Course.

Jerk BBQ

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

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

Comes with sides of fries and green salad.

Korean Charboiled

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

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

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

Hot-hot Drum

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

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

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

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

The sides.

Teri-Q Wings

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

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

Mashed Potato

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

Nothing can beat Popeye's version, so far.

Dessert.

Pat Bing Soo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

chicken I

Barcelos Flame Grilled Chicken @ VivoCity

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

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

Darn that paper!

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

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

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

Chicken Pasta Meal

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

Thankfully it's the right one.

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

Sweet Chilli Cheese Burger

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

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

Chicken, Cheese & Egg Pitta Pocket

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

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

Pine & Cheese Burger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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