Golden Mile Thien Kee Steamboat

My family and I like to check out places to eat, as most typical Singaporean families do. We have not been to Thien Kee Steamboat for many many years since I was a teen. It was a nostalgic visit.

Thien Kee is located at the basement of Golden Mile Tower. Thien Kee serves steamboat and Hainanese dishes like chicken / rice, pork chop, satay and tze char dishes.  It was deja vu because the air smelled exactly like those you can find in old commercial buildings, like the smell of food in a laidback restaurant in those days.

The steamboat is available in different sets like $44 or $55.  We ordered the smaller set, which came with 2 plates of raw ingredients heaped high, plus a plate of vegetables, and 2 raw eggs. The ingredients included fishballs, see hum, fish maw, pork, fish slices, peeled prawns, sotong and liver.

First you let the soup base boil, then you throw in everything into the steamboat pot, and just let it cook. Then break an egg or two so that the soup tastes sweeter. Add light soya sauce according to your preference.

This was Round 1 of my steamboat soup. Yummy!  We love soup so much, that we always asked for refill of the soup base.

Everyone who visits Thien Kee will order their Hainanese Chicken Rice.  We really like the chicken rice, especiall my mom. She said it was very fragrant, compared to those outside. If anything I would not mind just having the chicken rice alone. The chicken was tender with great with the crunchy cucumber, dribbled with sesame oil and light soya sauce.

If you are in Thien Kee, its Hainanese Pork Chops is a must-try.  I have tried those from Chin Chin in Purvis Street and Wee Nam Kee in Thomson Road (both are fellow popular Hainanese food joints). I think I prefer the pork chops in Thien Kee for now. The pork chops came in generous slices, and deep fried to perfection. The inside was tender and juicy. My niece loved it and children do not lie. The only thing I miss was they did not have potato slices as is common in most Hainanese Pork Chops.  There were just canned beans and onion strips drizzled with the tomato ketchup sauce.

We also ordered their satay. I love satay anytime. The pork satay  was not very tender, it was slightly chewy but quite nice. And I always love the sides of sliced cucumber and onions. 

I love the peanut gravy which you dipped into with the satay stick. Actually we could have dipped the ingredients in the steamboat into the peanut sauce too, if you like. It reminds me of Lok Lok in Malaysia. Lok Lok is like a steamboat / hotpot / shabu shabu with a wide range of fresh foods such as meat, seafood, fish balls, vegetables, quail eggs, etc. placed on little skewers and laid out upon a round table with a pot of boiling water as the centerpiece. After the little skewers of food were cooked, they are dipped into the peanut gravy. It used to be available in the old PUB building canteen but it is closed now with the newly renovated building. 

Do give Thien Kee a try if you are nearby. They are at:

Golden Mile Thien Kee Steamboat
B1-20 Beach Road Golden Mile Tower
Tel: 62985891, 62935910

Pasta Stylo - pasta with passion

About a month ago, I received my birthday treat from a friend. We were in City Square Shopping Mall and were deciding what to eat. We chanced upon this cafe which, at first sight, I thought was a boutique from afar.

It was aptly named Pasta Stylo. I was immediately taken by its OTT stylish decor. And I have a thing for DARK restaurants. Dimly lit makan places often enhance the ambience. It is more romantic and makes one more relaxed, I think. The colour theme was black and red tones. Bright red chairs, black tables, chandeliers, and mannequins! It is definitely casual dining at its best. A great place to chill.

We were early and there was no customer yet. We had the whole place to ourselves. I made sure I took photos of the different corners of the delectably furnished restaurant. Here was the chef in the kitchen, separated from a window which was designed like a picture frame from the outside.

Pasta Stylo, headed by a team of young creative people, serves delicious Italian pasta with a Singaporean-Asian twist, in addition to its concoction of a number of  fusion recipes. Local delights, gourmet burgers and funky desserts with interesting names are both seductive and tempting to the taste buds. It made me wish to try all the dishes.

This was my favourite spot in the restaurant. Look at the chandelier, elaborate curtains, lightings.... and playing bossa nova and jazzy music sets the mood for love and passion. This is what I meant by ambience, my love!

This is the first time I visited a restaurant with black walls as the setting. Not my favourite colour but it sure was a different touch to an otherwise boring run-of-the-mill restaurant. I like the way they played with the spotlights and lightings.

The menu, the table setting, the little touches, say it all. I was too busy observing these intricate details and of course the menu.

Bold, fashionable, it looked more like a fashion magazine...

Deliciously presented...

This was the mushroom soup which was wholesome and thick, buttery, made with mushroom and roasted garlic. I dislike mushroom soup which is watery, but this one was good.

This is the Fowl of Arabia. It is tender grilled chicken, marinated with saffron, olives and rose water, resting on a bed of pasta and vegetable salad. The marinated flavour was a tinge of Indian spice and what-nots.... My friend had the Singaporean Chilli Crab Spaghetti. The photo was blur hence not posted here. See below instead.

Dessert was a mouthful... I mean, it's Pasta Di Ciacolatto Con Fritella Di Banana. It is basically Chocolate Rossini (rice pasta) and banana fritter with vanilla ice cream. This is the first time I tasted Rossini (the 2 black balls). It looked dry but I must say the taste grows on you, and you must savour it slowly, mixing each mouthful with the ice cream. Very fragrant, not-too-sweet dessert. You probably need to share this, as the Rossini may fill you up fast.

Coupled with a cuppa Cafe Latte..... it completed a filling and interesting meal.

These are taken from Pasta Stylo's website, other pasta and dishes you could try.  Quite a huge selection. From clockwise, Penne con salsa di fruitti mare luce, Salmon Sashimi Roll with Avocado, Singaporean Chilli Crab Spaghetti, and Pasta Milano.

Tokyo Sake Salmon Linguini, Sambal Belachan Chicken Penne, Spicy Lala Linguini, English fish & chips.The prices were pretty reasonable, each meal is generally less than $10. Set meals are available too. Value for money!

Pasta Stylo is at:
180 Kitchener Road
City Square Mall #02-35/36
www.pastastylo.com

I was born on a Monday!

Hahah! What a laugh! Which day was yours?

An obstacle-clearing weekend

I'm excited about the below 2 great pujas happening this long weekend.

1. Heart Sutra Obstacle-Clearing Puja

Sat 7 Aug, 7.30pm-9.30pm

Venue: Gaden Shartse Dro-Phen Ling (DPL)

The Heart Sutra belongs to the teachings on the perfecting of insight or wisdom, sometimes referred to as the "Mother of all Buddhas". It is this insight or wisdom that brings about enlightened individuals. 

This puja is a special method to clear obstacles and/or crisis e.g. court case and surgical operation. Reciting this Prajnaparamita Sutra, you would thus create a vast amount of merit and purification.

The Prajnaparamita mantra is:

Om Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Ye Soha

2. All-Night Tara Practice 

Sun 8 Aug, 7.00pm-6.30am (Overnight)

Venue: Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC)

The all-night Tara practice is a tradition to recite the 21 praises to Tara. The sessions are interspersed with full length prostrations and circumambulations - all done while reciting the 21 Praises. 

Tara is the female manifestation of the Buddha's omniscient mind. She is especially swift in granting the wishes of sentient beings. Tara is also known as the "Mother of all Buddhas" because she embodies wisdom - all Buddhas are born from this wisdom. By the way, this photo is a very beautiful Tara.

There are many inner obstacles that hinder the development of our wisdom and compassion. These inner obstacles in turn create external obstacles. All the enlightened activities of the Buddhas manifest in this female aspect, Tara the Liberator, in order to help living beings to successfully accomplish their goals. 

Tara is known for the quick respond to our prayers. Here are some of the benefits of praying to Tara. In the future, you will:

- Achieve success in your career and business
- Increase your wealth
- Excel in your studies
- Be protected from fears, harms and dangers
- Gain good health and auspicious energy
- Obtain good rebirths in your future lives
 

The Tara mantra is:

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha

"If you recite the 21 Taras' prayer once every evening, it is impossible (I can put my signature to this!) for you to die of starvation. It is also a very common experience for lay practitioners, monks and nuns with financial difficulties to have such problems relieved by doing Tara practice." - Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

To participate, please register here.

 

Looking into the past

Came across this series of photos, Looking Into The Past, by Jason Powell, who came up with the idea of finding old photos (ranging from 50 to 100 years ago) and superimposing them onto the present-day scenes. An awesome concept. This project has now snowballed, finding fans around the world.

Maybe I should do the same, in this part of the world?

The last one is a tad surreal, right? The street which the Beatles walked...

Don't be a ladle

A fool, 

even though he is associated with a wise man all his life,

does not understand the Dharma,

just as a ladle does not know the taste of soup.

An intelligent man,

even though he is associated with a wise man only for a moment,

quickly understands the Dharma,

just as the tongue knows the taste of soup.

- The Buddha

Source: Moonpointer.com