老中中五香虾饼

This picture alone makes me salivating...

Always at its best, the legendary Lao Zhong Zhong Ngoh Hiang Five Spice Stall. Ric had packed this for our dinner as mom cooks plain porridge to go with it.

We do enjoy plain porridge or rice that complements these assortments of heavier tasting fried items. And i couldn't not post this delicious photo :)

Playground, Dover 35.

Out of my impulsiveness, i posted on STOMP (24 Feb '09) and wrote to the West Coast Town Council requesting for the preservation and maintenance of this old playground at Dover Rd, Blk 35.

The below reply was just received from a Senior Property Officer of the Town Council via email:
"We refer to your e-mail regarding the sentimental old playground at Block 35 Dover Road. You may be pleased to know that our Town Council has no plan to demolish the playground. We will continue to maintain it. For instance. we have just given the play equipment fresh coats of paint (photo attached).


But we would also like to inform you that in July 2004, Blocks 30 to 39 Dover Road were announced for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) by the Ministry of National Development. Thank you."

Although the original white stone-washed finish of Rabbit and Tortoise were gone and replaced by the strange green, we do appreciate the clean look of the playground.

The many kind comments and high ratings received on STOMP were most heartening. Reading them brings back much warm memories of my childhood :) I hope many would visit the playground while we still can. Just like the 2 school children who are enjoying themselves in the above photo...

Lunch at Harry's Bar

Getting a kick from Foo House set lunch, i was on a look-out for more good deals.

Today, we were at Harry's Bar at Suntec City Mall to enjoy its $22 nett for 2 Executive set lunches, during its promotional month of Feb.

Its Executive Set Lunch (normal priced at $15nett) consist of an Appetiser, Main Dish and day Dessert.

Appetiser - Mushroom Soup of the Day

It was a passable entity we feel it's a little heavier with the salt.

Appetiser - Caesar Salad.

Of fresh romaine Lettuce with homemade Caesar dressing topped with Bacon bits, herb croutons & Parmesan cheese.

A much better choice of Appetiser over the Soup of the Day.

Main for Ric - Beef Stroganoff.

The Beef was cooked in demi-glaze, with Shallots & Bell Peppers, served with sauteed vegetables & Parsley Rice.

A disastrous choice i made for Ric.

Salty seasoning made worst by their selection of Beef strips that are of tendons which makes it impossible to masticate. No fault with the Parsley Rice.

Main for me - Grilled Fish Medallion.

Another savory fare of moist Grilled Fish served with Parsley Lemon butter sauce, well-fried Potato Wedges & seasonal vegetables.

Day Dessert - Chocolate Cake.

A good reasonably sized chocolaty dessert that helps wash down the salt heavy aftertaste from our meals.

My overall review for Harry's cooking would be its heavier hand on salt, as commonly adopted in a wine'ing joint like Harry.

Service was good with friendly waitress who served up warm water and answers our many questions about Harry's wine'ing hours and affordable wine options.

You may be happy to know that their Crazy Hours (Happy Hours) has been extended from 12pm - 8pm :)

Doraemon, 多啦A夢 Movie DVDs

Having only watched "Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur 2006" and "Doraemon The Magic 2007" animation, i was surprised to find 8 titles of Doraemon movies i've never knew.

They were on sales at Carrefour, Plaza Singapura for $5/ per dvd.

My earliest childhood memory of Doraemon came from Uncle's comic books and TV broadcasting of its 30mins cartoons animation. The movie version is no doubt a real treat.

Its theme of loyalty, courage, righteousness, love and magic never fail to stir me; reawakening my lost innocence :)

Gloxinia Growth Chart

See how fast my home Gloxinia had grown since 10 Feb! It's amazing what a single leaf can do.

My pot of Gloxinia in the office that's been ruined by Rats have start rejuvenating itself! Having all its leaves bitten off by rodents, i'm surprised it's still very much thriving :)

Marina Barrage

After a simple but enjoyable dinner at Bedok South Food Centre, we drove down to the Marina Barrage - our very 1st visit since its opening on 31 Oct 2008.

The weather was cooling after a heavy shower in the afternoon. And the breezy weather drew much kite-flying enthusiasts and picnicker to the Barrage.

The capacious building structures with its many interesting water features make this a fun-filled day out for children running around, drenched in sweat and water.

We stayed till after 8pm when the place is much quieten down to enjoy the lights of the cityscape. It's compelling to look back on the city from this angle.

With the reservoir of waters on the foreground and our developing city in view, it dawns on us how inseparable we are with our reservoirs. And how precious is our water source that we have been protecting and expanding.

See the beauty and read about the functionalities of the Marina Barrage Dam here. This is a good place for dating couples after nightfall when the wind is high and lights are low :)

Note:
Driving into the Marina South Park area, i'm rendered speechless to witness the total upheaval of the old Park we were so familiar with.

A new city plan for the Marina South area had been drawn up, comprising of a New International Cruise Terminal, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Coastal Expressway and the adjacent Sands Integrated Resort.

These gigantic construction plans had the whole area cramped with construction sites, workers dormitories and construction materials storage areas. We had a hard time maneuvering around them to get to the Barrage.

Koka Wanton Noodles

Make sure you had a light dinner before coming here; the wait is killing at this popular stall in North Bridge Road Food Centre.

可口云吞面食, at #01-99 is a mysterious stall that operates from 8-12pm only. Arriving just before 8pm, there were already tables of patrons in waiting. We were told by the server, the wait gonna be long.

As we waited, we witnessed many eating and packing away Wanton Noodles. A guy drove in to collect some 35 packs of noodles after handling over his $150 bills!

We waited wearily for an hour and 20 mins before we got served, "It had better be good" we joked.

Wanton Noodles ($3)

We lamented our expectation of the Wanton Noodles; rudely surprised of the plainly simple Wanton Noodles served. Its taste forgettable.

The photos above just showed the prettier side of the dish which was otherwise a petty small serving with tired looking Char Siew meat.

The best tasting item is its dumplings, 3 in a soup that comes with the noodle set. But, in conclusion, the long wait was not justified for this ultra ubiquitous dish, my friend.

Satay Bee Hoon at East Coast

Meng Kee Satay Bee Hoon opens daily at 6pm. Like the many others devotee, we arrived earlier to faithfully joined the queue outside its half-closed shutter door.

Being the 1st 5 in the queue, we had our deserving plate 20mins later. While the waiting time was not considered long, the anticipation makes our tummy groan :)

Satay Bee Hoon ($2)

And i couldn't resist not taking a photo of it, although i've done so, so many times already. The inviting aroma of its Satay gravy was the first to attacks our sense.

I've reviewed in detail here last June, and clearly their standard is maintained and consistent.
Our choice Satay Bee Hoon in Singapore!

Foo House Cafe!

Each time i'm here, i left satisfied. I miss lunching here.

The seemingly humble Lunch Set where you pay a standard rate of about $10 bucks like everywhere else, has taste and quality of food that certainly surpasses all that's being offered at other common dining joints.

Pumpkin Day Soup.

We had the Rosemary Lamb Sandwich and Hainanese Pork Chop Rice Set today. The Rosemary Lamb was new to us.

Marinated Lamb Fillets in toasted Foccacia Bun.

I'm loving ALL its Sandwiches of Foccacia Bun! Always a deliciously prepared piece of juicy meat stuffed within well-toasted Bun. Chilled side Salad with warm creamy mashed Potatoes...

For review on its Beef Steak Sandwich and Hainanese Pork Chop for Lunch Set, read my previous visit here. Good verdict remains :)

Prices were up from the previous $9.80+ to the now $10.80+; but no change in the good friendly service staffs. I have most willingly paid the service charge.

Where timing is right, we wouldn't hesitate to dine into its A-la-Carte menu.

Be Encouraged...

Watch a 2 mins video by Nick Vujicic in simple English, yet it's truly inspirational; it moves me to tears.



Images and words still remain visibly to me.

Top Beef Brisket

Our last visit here at 一哥牛腩 was in June '08! We had our fingers crossed and pray that the modest little stall at Level 4 of the Marina Food Loft is still in operation.

Beef Hor Fan ($3.80)

Smooth, slippery Hor Fan noodles with thick succulent Braised Beef slices.

Mixed Beef Assortment Rice Set ($5)

Everything was well-braised, flavorful yet provides that chewy sensation to each bite. Spicy-sour chili dip heightens our enjoyment. And sweet Beef soup was served with each of our order.

If you loved Braised Beef like we do, you should be here to support this Hong Kong stall. Pricing was reasonable as serving was large.

It was much value for money and in fact, tastier than our usual economic Campus fare in NTU!

Waraku Curry Noodle

Aburi Chicken Curry Udon ($12.80++)

We had always wanted to experience authentic Japanese Curry, so with a 50% voucher we ordered it today at its Marina Square branch.

Sweet Carrots and Greens in Curry Powder favored broth with topping of succulent Grilled Chicken.

I loved the chewy Udon noodles and that every ingredient was prefect, but nothing beats our old faithful Chinese Curry broth :)

Kakiage ($8.80++)

The Kakiage is made with mixed vegetable strips, such as Onion, Carrot, Yam, Pumpkin, including some Squids, which are deep fried as small round fritters.

As with Tempura, grated Radish with Tentsuyu sauce is served as dip.

Customary with restaurants food, the Kakiage had cooled by the time it was served. It reminds us of Mom's home-cooked version of sizzling Deep-fried Fritters that we so missed.

31 Sungei Road Laksa

Laksa ($2)

Sungei Road is probably famous for its Laksa; so many Laksa stalls are named after it.

We were at Ric's favourite stall in Seng Chuan Eating House, along 31 Kelantan Lane. Though we were put off by its location and untidiness of the environment, we were often lured here by the Laksa.

The Laksa here comes with fresh Cockles and Fish Cake only, unlike the fancier Katong Laksa version which comes with small Shrimp as well.

And we would have preferred the unpretentious presentation here.

To My Valentine...

(Life-sized Doraemon from Ric, during his absent on his last out-station trip.)

Love you...

For your putting up with my Whims & Temper,
and ALL of my Temperamental Sentiments...

For being my Fashion Guru;
going through my wardrobe, spending tireless shopping hours with me.

For your Thriftiness,
yet ultra Generosity to me & my Family.

For your walk with me through my Darkest hours;
a shoulder to cry on and courage to face my ultra disgrace.

A Mentor with my work and my many Worries and Fears;
unflagging hours spent counseling my weakness in Character & Attitudes.

Always Patient, Loving, Understanding and Kind.

For your being with me as we go through Thick & Thin;

Fights over our difference in opinion drew us closer,
as we never bear resentment after each argument.

Love you for striving to make my everyday a Valentine's Day.

I look forward to spending another, and another, and another year with you... Ric.

You are my Forever 小叮当, my BEST Helper and Parnter in Life, my pet Doreamon ^_^

Picnic on Henderson Waves

Sausage Mania Baked Pasta ($9.80)

Wilful me had the weird idea of packing some food from Pizza Hut and eating them on the Henderson Waves today, on Singapore's highest pedestrian bridge.

As we were both on the verge of falling sick, i've omitted wineing.

Hawaiian Personal Pan Pizza ($7.80)

As i've mentioned before, i love traditional floury Pizzas. The one here from their Bukit Merah branch was perfectly oven-baked with crisply crunchy outside edges yet soft spongy and fluffy inside. We should have ordered 2 :) its Baked Pasta wasn't as good as its Lasagne.

Basking in the Sunset as we sat admiring Ric's Valentine's gift to me - a Limited Special Valentine's Day 2009 edition of Chopard Happy Sport in White Ceramic :))

Another Sprouting Gloxinia :)

I just noticed this morning that the adjacent baby transplant had sprouted as well! Double bonus.

You can see that the first Gloxinia baby on the background is doing very well too.

I had to remind myself not to over-water them; noticed they grew better when i watered them at an interval of about 3 days, this is despite the sunny windy weather conditions - as a rule of thumb, try checking the moisture of the earth with your fingers :)

NTU - The Beef House

Braised Beef Rice set ($3.50)

Doesn't the above pic looks like Nasi Padang? It isn't.

It's the Braised Beef Rice Set from 大埔牛肉丸 in NTU Canteen 2 , the famous Beef Ball King recommended by Channel U.

Well textured Beef Steak pieces keep us coming back for more; the set includes an option of Egg Omelet or Braised Bean Curd, we were having the latter.

Oh! Not forgetting to mention the yummy Chilli paste that had the tang of local Chilli Crab dishes.

Beef Ball Kway Teow Soup ($2.50)

Beef Balls are a definitely MUST have at this stall! It's moist, sweet, fluffy and springy, all at the same time.

I have no doubt it may well bounce off the floor shall i try to do that, haha.... But i wouldn't want to waste any of them; the 6 already had us fighting for it.

Braised Beef ($3 - takeaway)

This takeaway set was for Father.

The friendly China Auntie at the stall packed it neatly in a plastic container, not forgetting to include a separate packing of clear Beef Soup with Beansprouts.

夜上海潮州粥 - Teochew Porridge

Teochew porridge often gave one an impression of an expensive meal.

The one here in 旺玮利美食中心 chooses to be otherwise; recommended by a work colleague was an ever popular Teochew Porridge place among Taxi drivers, at Blk 116, Bukit Merah View.

Total bill of $8.20; $7 for the dishes, we had 2 porridge and 1 rice.

Their Pig's Trotter were a little on the tough side; the must-order is their Pig's Liver that's perfectly cooked, Teochew Fish Cake and Chap Chye.

Closed on every Tuesday, it's practically packed on all meal hours and every other night. See to believe.

炎記飛飛雲吞面大王

Residing side by side, there's this 2 Wanton Noodle stall of Fei Fei Wanton Noodle (炎記飛飛雲吞面) along Joo Chiat Place.

Having tried both their handmade noodles, we gave our preference to the newer outlet operating from a coffeeshop. Their's taste less salty in seasoning mix compared to the original older stall.

Other than that, we really couldn't tell their difference from each other.

Handmade Wanton Noodle ($2.50)

Our delicious looking Breakfast after giving it a good toss with the spoonful of Chilli sauce.

And as in olden days practice, no soup would be served with your noodle order, you simply have to request for them with your used bowl after you have emptied out your noodles.

This in turn gave the pure soup a mildly spiced tastes that's both smoothing and fragrant.

TEAC Micro DVD

MCDV 268TV (Carrefour sales at $329)

Saw this Mini Hi-fi set at Plaza Singapura and fell in love with it immediately! Super sharp resolution on its 7" LCD Screen with clear surround sound quality from its little boxed speakers.

Real cool & cute to have one in the room! The brief Specifications includes:

• Dolby Digital/ PCM via Coaxial output
• Composite video output, S-video output
• Component video output (YUV)
• Progressive Scan (YPbPr)
• 16:9 and 4:3 two screen sizes for selection
• PAL/NTSC/AUTO TV system compatible
• Full-function Remote Control
• USB port
• SD/MMC/MS card reader
• Built-in radio turner AM/FM PLL
• TV tuner

Waraku de Gohan

Waraku de Gohan is an attempt of its parent brand Waraku to providing a new experience of Japanese Teppanyaki Casual Dining. Newly opened last November at Cuppage Rd, the level 1 of Starhub Centre.

Wagyu Ribeye ($16.80++)

Its Teppanyaki Wagyu Ribeye was a disappointment when it was presented to us in such thin slices with uncooked fats trimming. The Chef must have been careful in not overcooking the thinly sliced meat.

Though it's Wagyu Beef, we couldn't appreciate the miserable portion of bite; our previous lunching of Beef Steak at Pepper Lunch would have been a more satisfying experience.

Curry Yaki ($12.80++)

Okonomiyaki, the Japanese Pancake was an interesting eat; i could taste a batter made of little Flour and Pork, with lots of Eggs, Green Onions and shredded Cabbages.

With toppings of Curry based Okonomi-yaki sauce, Mayonnaise and sprinkle of Aonori flakes (green seaweed flakes), i rather enjoy this unusual taste.

Sukiyaki Nabe Set ($9.99++)

We regretted ordering this awfully saltish Beef Sukiyaki set. The Wafu based soup was intensively saltish that we only manage to finish up the over-cooked, tough Beef and the rest of the ingredients in the Claypot.

Making a mental note of what not to order here; shall we be back?

My Baby Gloxinia Alive!!

I was OVERJOYED at the sight of my newly propagated Gloxinia that's sprouting! This had been my 1st attempt and a successful one at that :)

The Gloxinia plant in my office had been ruined by rodents during my absence this CNY holiday, so this baby Gloxinia at home is my last hope... and may it continue to do well.

It sure is loving the sunny spot it's being hung at now.

Clementi West FC - New Tries

Finishing our meetings early (it's been a busy wk at work), we were roving at the new West Coast Plaza looking for some interesting shops for our shopping indulgence; sadly there were none as interesting as their anchor tenant - Cold Storage Supermarket.

And despite the many eateries, cafes and restaurants here (many offering dining discounts up to 25%), we could not find 1 of our likes for dinner today. Crossing the road, we came to the newly renovated Clementi West Market & Food Centre.
Duck Noodle ($2.50)

I saw a woman having a delicious looking bowl of dark sauce noodle from #01-171, the 興興鸭肉面 and immediately concluded what i wanted for dinner :) A satisfying meal of ample noodles and succulent Duck meat!

Curry Chicken Noodle ($3)

On the facing row, we saw this Teo Chew Curry Chicken Noodle stall; with only 1 steamed Chicken left, hanging on its stall front, we reckon it must be good?

A Curry broth that's on the heavier taste buds but tastes just as appetizing to us. With Tau Pok, Potatoes, Pig's Skin, Fish Cake and tender Chicken pieces, it's a good alternative to Laksa.

We packed some good generous portion of Roasted Meat & Char Siew Rice for Father from another stall too, hope to blog and share the next time.

Cape No. 7 - 海角七号

The brief love story between a rebellious youth (played by Fan YiChen) and the often yelling Japanese Girl, moves the whole movie forward - this is unreal and somewhat irritating.

I was touched, however by the Songs in the movie, namely

中孝介 Atari Kosuke - 各自遠颺 

微風告知春天來訪 紛紛綻放的花朵香氣裡　令人想起遠方的妳 如春日陽光守護下綻放的花朵 未來 希望之光也會照耀我們吧 我們各自踏上各自所選擇的道路 在未來的某日綻放笑容　直到重逢時 當初許下的約定　是我們心中描繪的 想像中未來的顏色 我們各自踏上各自所選擇的道路 在未來的某日綻放笑容 直到重逢時 各自選擇的道路　在未來的某日綻放笑容 直到重逢時 

For his distinct soulful vocal - i was instantly hooked on this song. The Chinese translation of its wretchedly beautiful Japanese lyrics to share.

  范逸臣 - 海角七號_國境之南

 For the beautiful composition and music arrangements.

And the good work of the movie director in portraying the feelings and everyday life of these Taiwanese. This film certainly should be credited for its good attempt; otherwise it's been over-rated. Some gal-friends watched it 4 times; i would, but only for the last 30 mins of the movie where it stages their live seaside concert.