Ramadhan Mubarak!

I will still be blogging every now and then. Muslims, I advise that you come by in the evening, lest your persistance/resistance waver and I shall not be held responsible. ;-)

Found these really cool graphics here. These are my favourites.

Mon An - Goi Cuon, finally!

UPDATE: The stall has moved to 459 Changi Road (Kassim Restaurant).

The fasting month of Ramadhan is looming near. This week will be the last that we'll have lunch together before we go on our 1-month 'break'. Gotta' accompany our Chinese colleague cum 'driver' before he either lunch alone or 'purposely make lunch appointments' (as quoted by him) from next week on.

We were wondering what we'll be lunching on (preferably something that we might miss consuming in the coming month). Then we recall our favourite Vietnamese haunt which happen to be Halal, too. My previous entries HERE & HERE.

Goi Cuon - Vietnamese Vegetable roll

Most of our previous experiences there, the ubiquitous 'Gui Cuon' (at other Vietnamese eateries, that is), always managed to elude us.

Apparently, only the proprietress cum cook can prepare them and she's constantly busy! More often than not, we never got to have them because she remained busy till' the end of our meal. So sad. :(

Till' today, we remain apprehensive and kept our expectations to a minimum. Imagine our excitement when we saw a tray of these, neatly stacked in the display window! Immediately, I placed an order for them before they run out and the proprietress got too busy to make any more.

These are also known as 'Summer Rolls'. I can see why. Thin, chewy skin stuffed with vermicelli & refreshing herbs like mint, basil & garlic chives. Makes for a very nice snack during a hot day.

Cha gio - Vietnamese spring roll

These were also neatly arranged on the tray beside the Gui Cuon. Although I have to admit that the ones I had previously looked much better. The rice paper skin seemed to almost come apart, maybe due to the oil temperature while frying.

Thankfully the filling remain as scrumptious.

Pho Bo - Vietnamese Beef Soup

This is as refreshing as ever!

They are very generous with the slices of tender beef. And the herb garnishings.

Plus, my colleague kept passing me her sinewy pieces of beef, much to my delight. You know those cuts of meat with lots of tendon trimmings? Yeah, incredible texture, they have. Yums!

Given our nice experience today, colleague decided that Thursday will be a good day to come by here for lunch. And considering that most of the stall hands are men, we conclude that they won't be around on a Friday afternoon because they'll be at the mosque for Friday prayers. Beside, it'll be a nightmare trying to get a parking lot since there's a mosque nearby.

The poor fella gotta' come here alone should he intend to come by here for lunch, in the coming month. Heh.

Fish & Co. @ Parkway Parade

Table mat block

We saw that they have lunch specials and decide to take up the offer. The mains will come with homemade coleslaw, selected soft drinks & dessert.

Clam chowder soup

All of us chose to top up $1 for the soup-of-the-day instead of the coleslaw. Good thing, too. We later saw the coleslaw being served to the other table and it was a pretty sizable mound. We wouldn't be able to finish our mains like that!

This soup, meanwhile; is mediocre. And oily. Just how can a creamy soup be THAT oily?

Honestly, the clam chowder from LJS seems more desirable to me; at that moment.

Arctic Fish & Chips

My 2 female colleagues chose this set. Their trademark dish. I wonder what variant of fish was used though. 'Arctic'? Really??

My colleague set aside a big chunk of fried batter and I swooped in on it. It was delightfully light and crispy and seasoned nicely.

Platter for 1

Myself, being the advocate for variety; chose this, alongside my other colleague. When it arrived, we were like... erm...

That's one sorry looking piece of baked/grilled fish, man! And the amount of sauce was pathetic. The shrimps don't look too appealing either.

My friend managed to remark, "Wah, luckily never order a portion of the mussels!" I have to agree that the mussels doesn't look too promising.

The best thing has got to be the fried calalmari (which I much prefer over the one at MFM). The (instant-mix) mashed potato was alright. So much for wanting some variety, huh?

Chocolate mousse

We were served dessert in this cute little bowl, prior to the payment. The bowl must have been only 3inches across and it was filled with this yummy chilled, chocolate mousse.

And that sums up lunch for that day.

PS: Honestly speaking, I'm almost always skeptical when it comes to 'lunch promos'. Main reasons for such promos is to draw in crowds. And also, some people chose to have a lighter yet complete meal, hence it's either cheaper or portions are made smaller. But some places seem to take the opportunity to skimp on portions and presentation, from what I see. Pfft!

Ah Nam BBQ Seafood

I'm quite surprised to see that I've not posted any entries on this place before, considering that I've been patronising their stall at Changi Village Food Center quite a number of times.

It was my dad who recommended this place, saying that their BBQ dishes are one of the best. The first time we went there, it was a weekday and we were somewhat amused by the loud, techno music blasting from inside the stall and the chef/proprietor actually singing/dancing while cooking.

Then there's the great service from his wife and stall hand, who were very accommodating to us newbies. We asked a lot of questions, they made some recommendations and they gave us extra condiments. We even find out that their fresh seafood comes directly from a kelong at the nearby Pulau Ubin. Can it get any fresher than that?

Needless to say, we love their service and their food enough to make return visits. At one time, they already opened the eatery at the neighbouring Blk 2 but the clueless us still patronise their stall in the food center instead. The food stall serve mainly stir-fry & bbq items while at the eatery, they have a full 'zhi char' menu. We sure miss out on a lot.

Somehow, there has been a void between our last visit there and now. And since we're heading to Changi Village, I recommend that we try out their eatery instead.

Here are what we ordered.

Onion Egg (Omelette)

Funnily enough, there are many reviewers out there praising this. I guess, you can't go wrong with the humble omelette right? Especially when this is such a nice accompaniment to other dishes.

But I have to agree that this omelette DOES taste good. Full of flavour (and ingredients) and moist. Not greasy, too. Maybe there's a little more something-something inside. Hmm... 'belacan', maybe?

Kangkong Belacan

You see the red chilli oil at the bottom of the plate? And the abundant amount of chili paste sticking on the kangkong leaves?

My advice: If you can't take the heat, please request for this dish to be less spicy. Seriously. Otherwise, it's all good. The leaves are cooked enough to make them soft, yet retain that little bit of crunch to make it delightful.

Cereal Prawns

An all-time favourite. Especially when my hubby is around.

Taste good however the prawns weren't a firm as I wanted. However the sweetness was there. Fresh prawns but maybe a different type from the ones I'm used to?

Only this dish warrant me to nibble on the whole prawns - head, tails and all. Sometimes even the heads rejected by others. Oooh.. the crunch!

Sweet & Sour Sea Bass

My favourite fish done in my favourite style.

I love their rendition - fish was fleshy yet managed to be fried till very crispy. They were very generous with the garnishings and the sauce is a nice balance of sweet & sour. My only gripe was that they could have been more generous with that wonderful sauce.

Honey Chicken

Now this.is.awesome!

I had initially wanted to order the 'Har Cheong Kai' (prawn-paste chicken), something that my family have never tried before. Chicken marinated in prawn-paste and other seasonings before being deep fried till crispy. It was a favourite of my boss's and I got hooked on it as well, despite the obvious stink.

However, the server (I think he's the boss's son) recommended this Honey Chicken instead. I told him I want crispy, fried chicken and he told me that this is and I will definitely like it. And boy, was he right! Very crispy outside, with slightly sweetened and juicy chicken meat. Awesome!

When my bro made payment at the counter, he asked how the chicken is done and the guy generously told him. Marinate the chicken, then fry. Then coat with honey and flour then fry again...

Okay, that wasn't the detailed description since my bro kinda forgot what he was told and I kinda' forgot what he told me so this is definitely incomplete but yeah, you get the idea.

I'm sooo going to get this again. Food is good and prices are reasonable. And the ambience while dining alfresco at Changi Village on a weekend night - well it's gonna be worth another trip!

You can find their menu HERE (for their old stall selling BBQ & stir-fried dishes).

Ah Nam BBQ Seafood
Blk 2 Changi Village Rd
#01-23
S (500002)

Tang Tea House re-visited

My bro was telling us about this Hong Kong food place at Simpang Bedok. He claimed that they have one of the best 'rojak' ever that will give him free dried 'sotong' when he order. I was very sure that he was talking about Tang Tea House (TTH). Well, until he drove past TTH itself and turned into the car park where the Simpang Bedok market is.

That's when I realise that he talking about the sort-of 'newer' Hong Kong food place. When they first opened, I heard some not-so-savoury reviews about them. I've also heard people mentioning this Enak Tea House that's like a spin-off of TTH.

Then again, I've always mis-read the 'Enak' of the logo as 'Chak'. And I thought that to be a pretty crappy name. I mean the 'e' was almost uncurled, making it look like a 'c' and somehow I got the word 'Chak' impulsively running into my mind. Until that day. Madness!

ANYWAY....

As luck would have it, there was no available parking lots in that area (even at the other side where Mad Jack is). So we parked at the public car park beside TTH. And we decide that it's simply inconvenient to cross the road, especially with a toddler & pram in tow and so we just dine there.

And horror of horrors! The rojak stall is gone! O_o

We eventually put two-and-two together and figured out that the awesome rojak my bro was talking about was from the same rojak stall that had moved to the premise across the road. Yes, to another HK Tea House. Sounds like the battle of the tea houses already, eh?

Well, my bro took no chances and went across the road to take+away the desired rojak. And yes, he got the free 'sotong', alright.

It doesn't help that the crowds weren't really picking up at TTH despite the fact that it's already 6pm. Worse still, when I want to order my favourite dim sums, the server gave me a crestfallen look and showed me the looooong list of unavailable items at that moment. Oh crap. It's like 60% of the items are not there, can?

French Toast w/ Chicken Ham & Egg

I won't fault you if you happen to think that I was here for breakfast, when you see this pic.

Reminded me of the term: All-Day Breakfast.

Ever since his chance encounter at Streats HK Cafe, there's no turning back on my bro's love for these thick HK French toasts!

Steamed Rice Roll with BBQ Chicken (char siu)

More commonly known as, "Chee Cheong Fun". I remember ordering the one with shrimps inside but they serve us the one with chicken 'char siew' instead (maybe it's unavailable?). The chicken meat makes the whole ensemble seem bland, though.

I'm someone who's used to the plain rice rolls mixed with dark, sweet sauce & dried shrimp-infused 'sambal' - pretty strong flavours they have. Love those from Qi Ji. So this version where it's simply doused with light soya sauce and the sambal served on the side just don't do it for me. Too much sodium and I dislike my food to be (too) salty.

Siew Mai

Good as evarrr...

Hong Kong Style Egg Tart

Seeing that we don't have much choices with the dim sum selection, I half-halfheartedly ordered this.

Maybe I much prefer the layered, flaky pastry version. Or the thin, crunchy crust type.

This? It was too thick, soft and crumbly. And seemingly uncooked at parts (read: white dough base). Not nice. Could really do with more time in the oven, seriously.

Pan-fried Crispy bee hoon

I have no idea what to expect when I ordered this.

It arrived when I was busy taking food shots. And when I finally saw it, I was like, "Eh, who ordered omelette?" Someone told me it was, "Bee hoon something-something." That's when I realised that it's my order.

Okayyyy… So what was this supposed to be? Some deconstructed fried bee hoon of sorts? One part was the bee hoon that's fried with seafood and eggs ala omelette. The strips of 'ku chai' (garlic chives) and blanched beansprouts were scattered on top. On the side were calamansi lime halves and 'sambal'.

Interesting.... But I like my fried 'bee hoon' to carry the flavour of everything as they're mixed and cooked together in the wok. Preferable served slightly moist. I've definitely made a wrong order.

This one here, well, it's good for picky eaters. Hate veggies? Simply cast aside the chives and sprouts. Can't take spicy stuff? Dump the sambal. No like sour food? Throw away the limes. Like that. Easy peasy. :P

Roasted Chicken Noodle

The 2 chicken lovers who felt like eating 'something light' (read: no rice) chose this. Simultaneously.

Looks decent and they have no complaints.

HK Stewed Beef Brisket Noodle(Dry)

Something that I had planned to order, initially. But my dad cut me to it and I let him have his way. Nice to see him being adventurous with his food choices, for once.

I asked him how it was and he said it was alright. I remember a friend who commented about the meat being on the slightly tough side. I took a piece. It was ok. Not very tender, just nice. The sauce had a slightly 'herbal' accent. Not sure what it was. Maybe it's five-spice. Oh, there's even a wanton or two on the plate.

We also ordered some satay, since the guy came by our table and we find it hard to turn him down. But the sauce was a real downer. It was so runny/watery that it didn't even cling onto the meat! Plus there were a few sticks that were undercooked. Had to send them back for more time on the grill.

All in all, I'm not sure if the food quality has diminished. I've never really fully tried their 'zhi char' items, save for the hotplate tofu that's meant for my toddler. And the fact that our favourite rojak stall has moved across the road…

Well surely, next time I'm heading to that area, it's to check out Chak Enak Hong Kong Tea House. Confirm!

Bagus

We've always passed by here but it never really cross my mind to bring my colleagues here to try their fare. And last week, we saw a spate of wet weather so on one of those days, I suggest that we come by to this popular Yong Tau Fu place for lunch.

Nothing like piping hot soup on a rainy afternoon…

Menu 1

Menu 2

Menu 3

Been a long time since I last came here so I almost forgot how the 'Ampang' style is done. My Chinese colleague told me that it's just some starchy gravy ala 'horfun'.

However, I vaguely remember some slight sweet & sour taste so I asked the staff there and they confirmed it. My colleague was slightly surprised that their take on the 'Ampang' sauce was slightly different (but it's starchy, alright).

Funny how when you actually travel to Ampang in Johor (Malaysia), their version of Yong Tau Fu is different from their namesake here in Singapore.

'Ampang' Yong Tau Foo w/ La Mian

I took a fair number of both the wet & fried stuff. With the Ampang version, every one of them were put together in the bowl.

However, almost all the items were given a quick fry in hot oil prior to serving so the outer layer of those pre-fried ones were really crispy and when coated with the thick sauce, it was pretty delightful (unhealthy, I know)… Surprisingly, even the wet items like those with the fish paste , quail eggs and green chilli were fried as well. Excluding the leafy veggies, of course.

Only the dried seaweed was left to soak in the hot soup in a separate bowl.

The sauce had a consistency that's similar to your 'zhi char horfun', albeit having a slighly sweet & sour accent that reminded me of pineapples, somehow. Wish I had chosen the 'kway teow' instead of this 'la mian', their supposed specialty.

These freshly-made noodles, not that that weren't any good but they got soggy pretty easily in the gravy and filled me up way too quickly.

Laksa Yong Tau Foo 1

Laksa Yong Tau Foo 2

My other colleagues all chose the 'Laksa' gravy.

With this rendition, the fried stuff were re-fried and served separately, away from the (more watery) gravy which would have made them soggy easily, as compared to my more starchy version.

The laksa taste and consistency was much milder and lighter than the actual version so one finds no harm in sipping the gravy every now and then. Too bad they didn't top the bowl with more of the 'daun kesum' (Vietnamese mint leaves). That would have made the laksa taste more... erm... laksa-ish.

All of us waddled back to the car after we're done. My colleague was fretting about how one loses self-control when choosing the items for Yong Tau Fu. They don't look like much in those (large) bowls, initially. Only when they are served, do we realised that we've chosen too many.

Do you have the same problem? I encounter that same issue when buying Indian 'rojak' too. They don't look like much when you put the items on the (large) plate. Only after they are cut up and piled onto the serving plate do I realise the damage…

Definitely coming back here. I wanna check out their Cuttlefish Kang Kong. And the shredded chicken horfun.

Bagus La Mian Yong Tau Fu
276 Changi Road
(adjacent to Darul Ma'wa Orphanage)

New Thai-Muslim Foodstall

Around a month or so ago, my colleagues told me that a new Thai-Muslim foodstall just opened at the coffeeshop near our workplace.

2 weeks ago, we decide to give this place a shot. Located right next to another Muslim food stall selling 'Ayam Penyet', I wonder if this new presence affected their sales, somewhat.

I saw the pictures of food that they have on display and the list of food on their menu board. Seems impressive. They seem to serve a wide variety of things. Various kinds of fried rice and noodles (including the ubiquitous 'Phad Thai'). Plain rice with stir-fried dishes. Many variations on noodles (including beef noodles).

I saw that they have Olive Rice. I remembered the nice one that my boss had when we dined at a Thai restaurant recently. Also the one served at Magic Wok. So I gave it a shot. My colleagues had the Seafood Fried Rice and Seafood Fried 'Kway Teow'.

The lady taking our orders spoke simple English and wrote down the orders in Thai scripts. And she also called out our order in Thai, to this middle-aged lady manning the kitchen. Hmm... it all just seem to scream, "Authentic!!!"

The lady in the kitchen was furiously frying away in her wok. When my order was finally ready, I was somewhat crestfallen to see that my Olive Rice turned out to be a simple heap of purplish rice on the plate. I looked at the display picture with its garnishes and condiments on the side. Such a stark contrast. Same goes for my friends' orders. But it smelt good, though.

The condiments that they have are plus points. There was a container full off cut 'chili padi' soaked in light soy sauce (maybe even fish sauce). And another container with potent-looking 'sambal belacan' (chilli pounded with fermented shrimp paste). Potent not because of the chili, but the more stinky type of shrimp paste used, which is popular among the Thais.

Taste-wise, it was pretty good, actually. Taste almost... homely. Like how one's mum prepares food. No effort at presentation but more passionate about how it taste. I almost feel bad about criticising the plain outlook in the first place.

Pineapple fried rice

Came back here again another time and I made the same mistake of choosing my order from the pictures on display. That, naturally kept my hopes high with regards to how it'll look like on the plate.

Not surprisingly, I ended up disappointed.

But the aroma perk me up somewhat. Plus the fact that they didn't forget the chicken floss. And of course, unlike the presentation, the taste didn't disappoint. :)

Yam Mamuang

I can't resist ordering this green mango salad. I'd much prefer the 'Som Tham' (green papaya salad) but it might not appeal to all, since I intend to share.

There's a right amount of tart but it could be a lil' less sweet and a bit more salty (can't believe I'm saying this!). Otherwise it's nice. Kinda' missing the dried shrimps usually found it those 'Som Tham' though.

After all that, will I be coming back here again? Why not? There are more items to check out. Especially their noodles and stuff.

So there. I've since decided not to expect too much from a neighbourhood food stall. If they really do prepare things the way it's done in restaurants, it would have been such a bonus! Otherwise, it should have been fine. Expectations should be kept at a realistic level, as I've learnt.

Thai-Muslim Food (that's what is on their signage)
Yummy Food Point
Blk 301, Ubi Ave 1

BBQ w/ friends

It all started when one of my poly mates initiated a pretty innocuous WhatsApp chat session with his other 3 friends. He had shown a pic of a bus stop near our former school and asked, "Guess which bus stop this is?"

That phrase automatically became the title of our chat.

2 of my mates and I, we started chatting about the general elections and the good ol' days. Somehow the conversation eventually strayed to the topic of having a BBQ/cookout amongst ourselves. How we even get there... beats me!

Another mate was silent throughout. We assumed him to be asleep since he worked the night shift. True enough. He woke up, read the chat messages and barged in with, "Bloody hell.. How did a topic about 'which bus-stop this is' ended up to planning for a cook-out session?!!!"

Pardon his English, there. Well apparently, to cut the story short, one of my fren's dad had an apartment at Melville Park, a condominium estate at Simei.

Exactly 5 years ago, right after our 1st ever voting session, we had a cook-out at that very apartment. The 3 ladies in attendance had been his girlfriend, her cousin & myself and I'm proud to say that we weren't the ones cooking. In fact, I have the entry right HERE.

Now, that apartment has been sold and my mate was quick to book a BBQ pit there before we lose any access to it. For memories sake, we shall have a BBQ there one last time.

Sauces, cheese & dips

My friends and I, we always try to avoid being 'mainstream' and sought to try out something… a lil' different. Mr planner right there had confidently expressed his interest for the food that night to carry a 'Mediteranean' theme.

I was baffled. Mediterranean + BBQ = ?? I racked my brain to recall any episodes from "Boy Meets Grill" & Robert Rainford's "Licence to Grill" for any ideas along that theme…

Meh. later on, I stumbled upon pictures of quesadillas & enchiladas and an idea struck me… Mexican! I envisioned guacamole, sour cream & lotsa cheese. Salsa, paprika etc. NOW we're talking.

I remember seeing some fresh guacamole In the chillers of Cold Storage. That afternoon, I made a mad dash there while my son was taking his siesta.

Mesclun salad w/ alfalfa sprouts

I'm always so drawn to the chiller where these salads are. I remembered that my pals love their greens and Cold Storage was selling this pack at 1/2 price so I grabbed a couple of these. And alfalfa sprouts. I love, LOVE, love those.

I remember how I'm supposed to avoid that during my pregnancy and I was feeling miserable because of that.

Cheese dawgs

Charred hot dogs with even hotter cheese bursting inside your mouth when you bite… Nice.

More meats

Another mate of mine, he said that he wanna MAKE burgers la. So I envisioned him mixing minced meat with chopped onions, egg and bread crumbs.

But then I saw these pale and thin looking patties on the grill... "Are these even HOMEMADE?!" That's when I saw the empty boxes of Farmland chicken burgers... -___-

The reddish meats behind those burgers are Zac's beef bacon which reminds me a lot like beef pastrami. It's really nice! You can try this: Blanch some asparagus, then drizzle some olive oil, mix with garlic, salt, pepper and a bit of lemon juice. Then wrap these pastrami around those spears of asparagus and toss them onto the grill.

Yes, a bit like the Japanese Yakitori style.

Chips and dips

I was so looking forward to these! I gotta say that the guacamole is my ultimate muse. I just think of it and all the ideas come rolling. I miss having real nachos (not just your typical nachos & cheese at the cinemas). I got the plain corn tortilla chips and sought out the accompanying dips like guacamole (spicy & mild), medium-heat salsa, cheese sauce, and sour cream.

My other pal later came by with a large bag of Kettle potato chips (theirs are the best!).

The ultimate buurger (almost)

My (almost) dream burger creation. If only there's runny sunny-side -up egg. And preferably home-made beef patty. Heh.

Burger with melted smokey BBQ cheese, beef bacon, grilled portobello mushroom, sour cream (or even better, aioli), salsa, guacamole, mesclun salad and alfalfa sprouts.

Om, nom, nom, nom. Insert nacho chips for added crunch (and this was before the BK nacho burgers promo, ok?).

Baked potato

I initially wanted baked potatoes but eventually discard the idea because there ain't that many of us and it'll be too filling. But they bought these spuds anyway.

Cut them open, slather with butter and wrapped with foil. They initially put these on the grill, can you believe it? Immediately told them to put those amongst the coals or we gotta wait till the cows some home before they're cooked through.

When they're done, I heaped on dollops of sour cream, salsa and cheese sauce on it. Even better if I were to put some bits of beef bacon but I think those ran out by then.

Dessert!

Another mate's ingenious idea. Cut a banana, break some pieces of Cadbury chocolate and put a handful of marshmallows onto a sheet of foil. Cover and put on the grill.

My mate here was the impatient sort so he actually toss them directly into the coals. -___-

Naturally, he almost forgot about it…

By the time he remembered… You should see him scrambling. He gingerly held the edge (hot off the coals, remember?) and as he peeled open the foil, a delicious scent wafted out. The aroma of cooked bananas, sweet marshmallow and… burnt chocolate. Hahahah!

Thankfully only the bottom layer was burnt. I had a taste. Swashbuckling! Awesome schtuff! Superb lah! Eventually sat down and shared this with him. Heh.

Even my toddler joined in. He loved it so much that he kept licking his plastic fork, leaving marshmallow-chocolate streaks from his nose down to his chin. Hee..

2nd batch

We can't get enough of that sugar-bomb so we made another batch. This time, I asked that we put ON the grill instead. And roll the lid down for more even (and faster) cooking.

However, my son soon became sleepy and start to turn up the crank. As I packed, I asked to have a taste of this new batch before going off.

The chocolate weren't burnt (thankfully) and were evenly melted but the marshmallows could do with more time over the heat. The bananas weren't as mushy but I prefer it to be softer. I scooped up all the gooey parts and told them to leave it over the fire for a bit more time.

…YUM!

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

T'was a great night. I don't mind another one! I'll plan and cook, maybe??

Family Day @ J's Wok & Grill

Hubby's side of the family held their annual family day here. Previous event held here was for the family matriarch's 69th birthday, last July.

You can read about it HERE & HERE (2 parts).

Finger foods

Top: Breaded fish fingers (real fish fillet).
Mid: Vegetable 'popiah' (spring rolls).
Bottom: Deep-fried 'sotong' (squid/cuttlefish) balls. I wonders what brand of 'sotong' ball they use. Reminds me a lot like the OCK ones. Nicer, in fact.

This set was a hit with the kids.

Western salad

I think they were a tad ..erm.. generous with the dressing. Somehow, I much prefer the ones I had last year, though.

Eastern salad

Eastern = Indonesian = Javanese = Gado-gado, la!

Fried tofu & tempe + boiled potato & rice cakes + blanched cabbages & french beans + cucumber. Covered with spiced peanut sauce and topped with crackers.

A better variation than last year's simple 'lalab/ulam kampung' (village greens).

(L) Cheng Tng & (R) Sago Gula Melaka

Now on to the desserts. The 'cheng tng' was similar to the one from last year. The sago was something new. Sago beads floating in diluted coconut milk that's sweetened with palm sugar.

Can't have too much of this. Too cloying.

Brownies & chocolate mousse cake

The brownie was a little too dense and slightly dry. Taste-wise, it's alright.

The chocolate mousse cake (or maybe it's truffle cake… I dunno)… it's really nice..!

Of course, there are more food than just those posted here. Akin to the one we had last year, the amount of dishes are similar, just that we have some change on the choices.

The carbs are similar - white rice, fried rice & friend mee. Instead of Tom Yam soup, this year, we had shark's fin soup (mock fins, I hope). I can't really recall most of others - just butter prawns, dry-chili chicken, black pepper beef and sweet-sour fish fillets.

Some were a hit-and-miss case. I just feel like the food served last year fared way better.

I wonder where the next annual family gathering will be held…

Bistro Godiva

On our 2nd (and also last) day in Batam, we ventured to 2 different malls, namely the BSC & the Harbour Bay Mall (adjacent to the Batam Centre ferry terminal).

I remember the 1st time I saw this Bistro Godiva branch at Nagoya Hill Mall, my SIL and I actually took a dig at their name. "Godiva, eh? In Singapore sure 'kena' sue. Let's see if they are selling anything chocolate.."

That was the Bistro Godiva outlet on the top floor. Then I discovered another one in the same mall, but on the ground floor. Hmm... They must be quite an established name. I also saw a branch at BSC Mall. And of course, another one at the prominent Harbour Bay Mall. They sure are everywhere! I'm impressed, actually. Wonder if the food is any good…

**so sorry that the pic quality is really crappy. Poor lighting plus the fact that my camera battery ran low so I used the phone instead.

Hungry faces

Seems like we almost always end up being really ravenous by the time we (finally) decide to eat.

Their speciality…

…which we didn't try, unfortunately.

I was initially apprehensive as to what kind of food they'll be serving. This is after all, more of a coffee place, right?

Wrong.

There's quite a variety of food items, actually. From western favourites such as steaks, fried seafood & fried chicken, to fried noodles & rice, white rice with varieties of dishes and Indonesian favourites like 'Soto' (spiced chicken soup), 'Sup Buntut' (oxtail soup) & 'Sup Ayam' (clear chicken soup).

Watermelon Juice

Got myself the juice instead cos' I was really thirsty! This is real fruit juice, by the way.

My hubby got this honeydew juice which is topped with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. That was pretty nice. But I think they also added a bit of that green honeydew-flavoured syrup stuff so it got sweet at some parts.

Avocado Juice

My MIL's prennial favourite. She ordered this everytime. I wonder why she browse the beverages menu, even.

That was my niece having a go at her grandma's juice.

The other nieces got the Apple Juice & Banana Smoothie.

Avocado Mocha

There was a picture of this on the poster outside and it had looked really tempting. I guess my BIL was enticed by that.

At the bottom was real avocado juice. It is then topped with ice-blended mocha. Seems like a good combo, eh? This would have been great on a hot weather.

My SIL, meanwhile, got herself a glass of Tropical Tea, a fruit-flavoured iced tea with bits of canned fruit cocktail.

Sup Buntut

I can't resist ordering this when I saw it on the menu. This is an Indonesian specialty and I don't wanna blow my chance of having this while on Indonesian soil (so cliche, I know).

Turns out to be a good choice. This soup taste great! I don't even bother with the calamansi/lime that's served on the side because I don't wanna affect the taste that I was comfortable with. The oxtail meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and the soup taste really refreshing. Even my MIL, who ordered Mi Goreng, can't resist having a sip every now and then.

'Pempek' campur

Ok, here's some explaination....

'Pempek' is actually short for 'empek-empek', which originate from Palembang, South Sumatra. This is actually something akin to a fish cake, just that the fish meat is mixed with tapioca flour instead, thus making it more chewy.

The plate above is a mix of 2 different variations, namely Pempek Lenjer & Pempek Telur or Pempek 'Kapal Selam' (submarine). Pempek 'Lenjer' is simply fish meat rolled into a long, cylindrical piece and cut into 1-inch bits, prior to frying. The 'submarine' meanwhile, is where the fish meat is wrapped around a whole, boiled egg and then fried.

The sauce to me, taste a lot like the one used for 'tahu goreng' (Indonesian fried tofu dish), except that it has a more watery consistency and there's no peanut. Those green cubes in the picture are cucumber pieces. Very, very yummy. And spicy.

Fried chicken set

No one ordered this, actually. The server asked if we have their membership. We asked her what the deal was. She told us that with the membership, we can get this set for a mere Rp10,000. That's not even $2!

My BIL signed up on the spot.

Freshly fried chicken, what's there not to like? Although we were pretty full after our individual choices, we just can't resist this!

A nice meal to end the trip, before we rush off to catch the return ferry back to SG…

PS: My MIL asked, 1/2way through our meal, "Eh, have you taken pictures of all the food?" Apparently, she's gotten used to my weird habit. But it's a tad embarrassing when someone asked a question like that, uh?