Month of March

Here's how my month of March went.

My guru Dagyab Rinpoche left Singapore after a month of teachings and initiations and CNY celebrations with us. I'm really grateful this time, Rinpoche taught something which I had wanted to ask and which he clarified through his teaching. I'm also blessed to have received from him a particular initiation I've been waiting for for a long time. 

A blessed long life puja offered to Dagyab Rinpoche. 

A new lease of new life after shifting to new office with a view. 

This period I particularly miss Lhamo very much. 

Celebrated my father's birthday after more than one month of being hospitalised. Hope he will recuperate well to be normal again. 

I have a liking for big breakfast set. Found a small joint selling hot dogs selling a whole day breakfast Big Brekky set for about $10. 

My cousin in Thailand got married with a beautiful grand wedding. May she and her hubby have a blissful marriage filled with love, happiness, and kindness. 

I'm beginning to like interesting pants. Here is a chequered one, haha. 

My all time favourite supper - Seng Kee kidney mee sua. I love to have supper with friends for a midnight chit chat over the weekend. 

Really grateful to this batch of monks from Gaden Shartse Monastery for being here this time. They were very hardworking, dedicated and very skilful in their pujas. 

Singapore is really beautiful in a different light at Marina Bay Sands. Recently in Huffnington Post,  MBS was listed by them to be one of the 19 places in Southeast Asia that will actually change your life. Haha! I laughed at this incredible claim but nonetheless we are so lucky to live in a clean city in Singapore. 

Long Phung @ 159 Joo Chiat Road

A few months ago, a friend Tetty brought me and another friend to a Vietnamese restaurant along Joo Chiat Road. Long Phung is at the corner of a row of shophouse, occupying an unit which is not very big for a restaurant. It was about 7pm and it was already full, and there was a queue. We waited for a while for our table. The dinner turned out to be an enjoyable experience with authentic Vietnamese cuisine and very reasonable prices. 

Here are some of the dishes we ordered to share.  The usual Viet Spring Rolls (goi cuon) were fresh and crunchy accompanied by an appetising tangy sauce.  Another must-have is Goi Xoai - the Green Mango Salad with Pork, Shrimp with crunchy onion bits. It was slightly different from the usual Thai salad, and a very delightful mix. My favourite was Grilled Pork with Vermicelli (Thit Nuong) which came with Fried Spring Rolls (Cha Gio). The vermicelli was plain but when mixed with the pork and veggies and sauces, the taste was worth awesome and healthy too. My friend ordered coconut drink to cool off too.

Visiting a Viet restaurant is not complete without ordering their Pho Tai - Beef Noodle Soup. As I do not take beef, my friend said it had a great broth with loads of beef and beef balls which were handmade. For sides, we also ordered Garlic See Ham with out-of-this-world chilli sauce. I took a couple, but I think my 2 friends loved this dish more than I did. There was also Stir Fry Kang Kong, very crunchy and with the charcoal wok hei. One thing I like about dining in a Viet or Thai restaurant is the array of sauces available. 

I ordered this cold Tamarind drink (Nuoc Da Me) which was sooooo good and went very well with the dishes. 

This restaurant is doing very very good business, as there is perenially a queue and they serve an interesting wide variety of dishes with authentic Vietnamese flavour. The prices are reasonable and portions satisfying. And another plus point is there is not GST or service charge. I would definitely visit Long Phung again very soon. 

Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant 
Tel: +65 9105 8519
Opening Hours: 1pm – 2am
Address: 159 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore.

Peace, Love and Muscles Chowder

A colleague treated me to Soup Spoon the other day.   I ordered the Chef's Special of the Month, which is named "Peace, Love and Muscles Chowder".  What a mouthful and nice name.  The soup was equally mouthful, thick and earthy, full of chunky ingredients, which consisted of New Zealand green shell mussel, sweet potato, russet potato, celery, spinach, fennel, pork bacon, and cream. Yum yum yum...

Have a good start to the week! Peace and love.

Cosy up at Tea Cozy

On a weekday evening, I was back at Tea Cozy in Plaza Singapura for a working dinner. I was there a couple of years back.  I like the quaint little place which also doubles up as a shop selling everything angels. They called it Tea Cozy, the "10,000 angels" cafe. This time they have rearranged everything since the last time I was there. I had blogged about this place previously.  I think I like the current decor better. 

This time they have a signature dish, called Laksa Pasta.  Of course I had to try it.  It came with the aroma of Laksa but not as lemak as the original Laksa gravy.  The only ingredients were prawns and sweet snap peas. While the prawns were fresh, I did not like the snap peas in this Chinese-Western fusion dish.  Somehow, it did not taste right.  I rather they serve it with seafood like squid, scallops, prawns, clams, etc... which would have enhanced the fragrance of Laksa, spice and flavour.

The ambience of Tea Cozy and its 10,000 angels is more impressive than its food.  It is a nice place to have cakes and coffee and a chit chat, rather than a solemn proper meal.  

By the way, do they serve Laksa Pasta in Heaven? 

Chicken rice all over Singapore

I think it is not difficult to guess my favourite combination when I eat Hainanese Chicken Rice.  It is one local dish which Singaporeans cannot go without. I think I have chicken rice at least once a week. 

One of the above is from Hainan Xu Ji from Marine Parade Central. 

And guess which is from the famous Chin Chin Hainanese Chicken Rice? 

Some are from Yet Con in Purvis Street and Eng Kee from Eunos.

And personally, the stall from Fu Lu Shou Hainanese Cuisine serves pretty awesome chicken rice.  Yes, my favourite chicken rice combination is White Chicken, with Liver, and Braised Egg, complete with soup, slices of cucumber, spicy chilli mixed with thick dark soya sauce and pounded ginger.  

I have just recovered from a cough, so I better abstain from chicken for the time being. 

Peranakan lunch @ IVINS

It has been a long time since I last visited IVINS at their branch in Binjai Park along Bukit Timah Road. I used to go there a couple of times with my family as well as my ex boss, who liked the food there.  Whenever I visit the Binjai Park branch,  it would remind me of my ex lady boss many years ago who used to bring me to many places for lunch a few times a week. She was especially nice to me and in those days when I just started out to work, we used to visit clients together and she would buy me lunch almost everyday. And it helped that she had cravings for different cuisines or dishes every single day :P. So I got to try and enjoy different restaurants in those days. This time round, I went with my colleagues and it was a trip down memory lane. 

IVINS is all about Peranakan food.... spicy, rich with flavours and an appetising change for the palate once in a while.  Besides other Peranakan restaurants like Chilli Padi, Blue Ginger, Kim Choo, IVINS is another choice when one has cravings for Nonya food. 

Sambal Prawn Petai (S$4.20).  The portion was incredibly small and pathetic, but we did not complain because we had ordered a few more other dishes to try. Petai, which are stink beans, are cooked with shrimp and sambal chilli.  The sambal gravy was fresh and addictive. Petai is my favourite and it is a regular dish in my family. If based on this portion in IVINS I think I could have walloped 3 portions myself! 

Otak Otak Panggang (S$1.60 each).  These fishcakes wrapped with banana leaves, enriched with galangal, chilli, candlenuts and shrimp paste. They were grilled and served with extra sambal sauce with cucumber. They were not that spicy and looked lighter in colour compared to the rich orange colour wholesome famous Muar Otak Otak which has chunky bits of fish. 

Babi Ponteh (S$4.50). One cannot enter a Peranakan restaurant without ordering Babi Ponteh, which was stewed pork shoulder with preserved bean paste flavored with cinnamon bark. It came in a piping hot claypot and topped with raw green chilli. The gravy was delicious and went very well with plain rice.  The meat was lean and could have been more tender.

Chilli Selar (S$ 5.50). These are kampong favourites and deep fried fish stuffed with sambal belachan chilli. Although this was a simple dish, it was quite well received among us and the taste of the crispy fish with the chilli paste was really addictive. 

Chap Chye Masak Titek (S$ 4.50). This was a typical Peranakan mixed vegetable dish (Chap Chye means "mixed veggies) prepared in a tasty prawn stock.  I felt the Chap Chye could have been cooked slightly longer when the gravy could have absorbed the combined taste of the cabbage and hae bee. 

Ayam Buah Keluak (S$ 5.50). This dish was Braised Chicken flavoured with turmeric, galangal and lemongrass cooked with Indonesian black nuts called Buah Keluak. This was again a specialty Peranakan dish.   

Here is a black nut, Buah Keluak ($1.50 each), from the above dish Ayam Buah Keluak, which we had to dig out its flesh from its hard shell with the tip of the teaspoon.  The flesh had a bitter taste but mixed with the spicy gravy it was just right. We ordered additional Buah Keluaks so that each of us had one to try. Very interesting.

Bubur Cha Cha (S$1.10).  We completed our wonderful lunch with dessert. I ordered warm Bubur Cha Cha because I was still nursing a cough (almost ordered the icy cold Chendol). It was simply delicious, sweet and aromatic mix of sweet potato, yam, corn, simmered in coconut milk.  Mmmmm. 

For its variety in the menu and price, I think IVINS is value for money and a choice restaurant for a lazy relaxed lunch with family and friends. 

IVINS Nonya Specialties  
21 Binjai Park Singapore 589827.
Tel: 6468 3060

Ku Chai Kueh on a Sunday

This Sunday morning, I had Ku Chai Kueh (flour made kueh with chives fillings).  Being partly Teochew, it is one of my favourite Chinese kueh kueh, compared to the usual radish kueh (Soon Kueh) and rice kueh (Png Kueh). I like to coat the kueh with black sweet sauce and chilli sauce. 

Somehow those selling outside nowadays are lacking in standard. The skin is often too thick and the fillings inside are too little. There is no satisfaction.

Whenever I eat Ku Chai Kueh, I always remember the ones my grandma used to make herself. Those were big kueh filled with so much ingredients of chives, mushroom, dried shrimps, lean pork etc... that they were bursting out of the thin flour skin. The texture of the flour and thickness of skin, complete with the ingredients which gave an aromatic smell, puts the skill of the maker to the test. 

My grandma's ku chai kueh was so juicy, fragrant and addictive.  She would steam them the first round and then pan fry them lightly. The entire family love her Ku Chai Kueh so much. 

Hot Spot Tom Yam.... yum yum yum....

Discovered a very nice place for Tom Yam soup. Next to Sim Lim Square over at Burlington Square, Hot Spot is a shop selling a wide variety of dishes, and it is a draw with lunch time crowd.  And the most popular item in the menu is definitely the Tom Yam soup. You could choose from the variety of noodles or rice to go with your Tom Yam soup. There are thin and thick vermicelli, Ee Mian, instant noodles, rice vermicelli, mee sua, ban mian, mee hoon kueh and all sorts of noodles that you are spoilt for choice. 

I chose my Tom Yam with instant noodles for the first time. The Tom Yam soup is so robust and thick. They called it the Northern Thai Tom Yam. A little milky and spicy, it is very good for cool and rainy weather (it happened  to be cool and breezy that day).  For $4.50 a bowl, they were pretty generous with the ingredients; big prawns, sotong, fish slices, tofu, tomatos, onions and I even sighted a tony piece of lime skin. It was such a satisfying lunch. It was no wonder there is perenially a long queue during lunch time. A value for money lunch with good quality Tom Yam. 

If you do not have time to queue, another dish you can order from the menu and be served, is the Hot Pot Lou Shu Fun Soup (silver needle noodles) or in Teochew we called it Mee Tai Bak. It was the first time I had Mee Tai Bak over a hot pot and I must say it tasted different from the usual served-in-a-bowl.  Throwing in a little red cut chilli into the soup, the broth is so refreshing and light, yet with the sweetness of the ingredients like prawns, minced meat, and mushroom. 

There are many other dishes you can choose from but be ready to queue at least 30 minutes for the Tom Yam and Fish Slice soup. I heard the Fish Head Steamboat is highly recommended too.  

Hot Spot Cafe Restaurant 
Burlington Square
175 Bencoolen Street #01-34
Singapore 189649.
Tel: 6238 7038

The lazy man's lunch

This is what you get when it was a Friday and there was nothing left in the fridge. I had wanted to make myself a simple lunch. So I soaked some Chinese mushrooms, and saute them with garlic, butter and olive oil. Then together with a bottle of creamy pasta sauce, I made mushroom carbonara pasta. Turned out not too bad, actually. 

Have a great weekend! 

A little celebration in Little India

We had an earlier celebration for one of my best friends over the past weekend. Being rather adventurous, the birthday girl requested that we dine at an Indian restaurant this time and everyone must come dressed in Indian garb too. This was quite a challenge for a couple of friends because, firstly, they do not fancy indian food, and secondly, they do not have anything Indian in their wardrobe, and thirdly, they hardly step into Little India. For me it was no problem because I love anything Indian (almost!).

We decided on Apolo Banana Leaf Restaurant at Race Course Road, just because we had visited this restaurant together umpteen years ago.  We had wanted to relive the earlier memories.  This was my share on a banana leaf - naan with an assortment of dishes and gravies! 

We had curry fish head, tandoori chicken, navratna khorma, palak paneer, lamb etc.... It did not look a lot but it was quite filling for 5 of us.

My buddy for the longest time, and so were the rest. Happy birthday to her!! May we all be friends forever.  I am quite thankful for them as we have seen each other through our individual ups and downs, and I am very sure they would stand by me through the good times and definitely through my bad times. For that day, I think we all passed with the Indian theme party. It was a success. Now we've already planned our next theme for the next birthday celebration.

Before our late lunch, I took the opportunity to snap a few shots of Little India. I am always excited when I visit Little India, because there is so much life and a mesmerising different culture - I love the sense of vibrancy and interesting stuff we see along the streets and shops.

Hope you enjoyed my Little India snapshots. What a wonderful weekend spent with a little celebration with closest friends.  I am looking forward to our next birthday gathering and a different theme. Very happening, eh?

Favourite breakfast - Congee

I love congee from my neighbourhood hawker centre. I usually order pork and century egg congee. They come with slices of pork, liver, minced pork balls, slices of century egg, youtiao (fried flour sticks), and a runny egg, and some fried shallots. I like to have my congee on weekend mornings or whenever the craving strikes, especially when the weather is cool and wet.

What's your favourite breakfast?

三菜一汤 using 4 types of mushrooms and Happy Call Pan

It's been a while since I last made a 三菜一汤 (3 dishes and 1 soup) dinner. The other day when I was off work, I decided to cook dinner for my parents. Usually my mom cooks for me or we had packed food from outside. I was missing homecooked food after a couple of weeks of late nights and missing dinner at home.  I am using the Happy Call Pan again. 

Minced Pork Egg Tofu with Button Mushrooms

I cooked this dish after seeing Aroma Cookery's version in Instagram. First, marinate the minced pork for at least one hour or more with light soya sauce, pepper, sesame oil, corn flour.  When it is time to cook, fry chopped garlic in the HCP and then add the minced pork, fry till almost cooked, then add button mushrooms and egg tofu.  Stir fry for a minute before adding some water, followed by salt to taste. Let it simmer for a while inside the HCP. Then mix in corn flour mixed with water and stir fry a couple of times and the dish is ready. I need not add too much condiments as the minced pork is already marinated and sufficiently salty. 

Nai Pak with Pumpkin and Chinese Mushrooms

I love Nai Pak. I will not miss preparing a dish of greens whenever I cook. Decided to add pumpkin to my nai pak this time.  First I cut a slice of pumpkin into cube size. Then throw them into the HCP.  After about 4 minutes, take out the pumpkin.  Next, again fry chopped garlic, followed by frying the chinese mushrooms, adding the nai pak, with light soya sauce, sugar, salt, add water.  Just as it is almost ready, add in the pumpkin pieces and toss a couple of times. Again mix in corn flour with water and stir fry till it is ready.

Fried Sausage Egg

I like my eggs and often just try different variations of fried egg with different ingredients. This time I added pieces of onion sausage with cheese. It would have been even better if I had added fried onions and frying till golden brown before pouring the beaten eggs with sausages into the HCP.  Let it cook in low heat, flip and toss the HCP from time to time so that both sides of the fried egg will be evenly cooked.  I love the good looking egg this, the shape of the HCP. 

Mushroom Egg Drop Soup 

I absolutely love this delicious soup following the recipe by Wokkingmum.  It is a fast and quick way to prepare soup. I usually miss my soup badly after prolonged period of about a week.  So this is a fast solution to my craving. This soup simply uses enoki mushroom, crabsticks, and shitake mushrooms and beaten egg. It looks awesome too. If we add a dash of vinegar, it will taste almost like sharksfin soup or crab soup. Check out Wokkingmum's recipe for details.

How do you like my 三菜一汤 recommendation? I love my healthy simple dinner with 4 different types of mushrooms.

Sarang Korean Restaurant @ Orchard Central

Some time back, my friends and I visited Sarang Korean Restaurant at Orchard Central. We opted to sit in the open area outside, as it was advisable if we were going to do some BBQ-ing.  There was also a gigantic fan above and it was kind of windy as well.  

Sarang is known to host many Korean celebrities when they are in town. So I guess their quality of Korean food served should be comparable to authentic food in Korea. We ordered and tried a few signature dishes from the ala carte menu.

Japchae is sweet potato noodles stir fried in sesame oil with various vegetables (like thinly sliced carrots, onion, spinach, and mushrooms), flavoured with soy sauce, and sweetened with sugar. It is usually served garnished with sesame seeds and slivers of chili. It may be served either hot or cold. I like the springy taste of the noodles and it was quite appetising without feeling too full.

I always like the appetisers on the side, served with variety and portion. 

This is the BBQ Platter which comprised of pork, beef and marinated chicken (brightly coloured in red). It is not an incredibly big portion but the meats are fresh and beautifully served.  

Besides the BBQ Platter, it also comes with side ingredients like mushroom (my favourite), kimchi, beansprouts.  We lay everything on to the BBQ pot and start cooking!

I guess there is something about the sizzling sound of BBQ that attracts people, which explains the popularity of Korean BBQ, Thai BBQ and steamboat in restaurants. And I believe the popularity of K-drama plays an important role in this as well. 

This was my cooked BBQ piece of pork. It reminded me of the BBQ food I had on my South Korea trip. We have this almost every meal. We wrap it in lettuce, the taste was great with the aroma of BBQ as well as the crunchy vegetable. The very marinated chicken was also good, but slightly a tad too sweet for me. I did not touch the beef.

Another dish we ordered was Drunken Pork, which came in a sizzling pan with kimchi, enoki mushroom and special powder to dip in.  The texture was slightly tougher than that of BBQ pork but otherwise, it was a delectable dish.

I did not like the Fried Dumplings. I think the Chinese do these better.  It was too dry and slightly over fried with little ingredients inside.

This dish is interestingly called Piggy Jumps Over The Wall. It is basically Kimchi Stew witth loads of kimchi, pork and onions.  Not exceedingly spicy at all, it was just ok, a warm soupy dish to go with our otherwise dry dishes.  We skipped desserts and proceeded somewhere else. It was an enjoyable dinner with friends on a not-so-busy weekday evening.