Chili Harvest

We are having a big harvest of Chillies; but this is after my many efforts of fighting off white flying pests residing underneath its leaves in these wet monsoon months.

The Whiteflies suck on the leaves, drying my plants, almost killing them.

I thus have to resort to using Citrofresh products to fight against them. And it works miracle; not only keeping the White flies abate but also boosts plant growth so much! Sadly, you couldn't get this Plant Synergist in Singapore easily. I got the product only because brother had previously helped in the marketing of it.

As an alternative, i was advised to constantly spray water at the leaves to keep the flies away and to flush away its eggs on the underside of the leaves.

It's a short-term measure but at least, it keeps my plants alive.

Gloxinia... 1st Birth

My babies Gloxinia are growing well and i love to view them from this angle where the sunlight filtrates through.

With help of the Plant Activator from Daiso, it conceives its 1st bloom since it leaved 1 month ago .

Yip Pee!

Hor Fan Craving...

I had Hor Fan 河粉 craving today.

So we were at Jalan Batu Food Centre again to share a plate of Hor Fan from 泉记海鲜煮炒 (#01-40) and some Satay.

Aesthetic lacking? Can see the many ingredients swimming in the gravy?

A gentle toss revealed the well-browned Hor Fan Kway Teow.

Tuck in to this $3 plateful, enough to feed 2 small appetites :)

If you have taste buds for "heavy" tasting food, you would loved Chuan Kee Cooked Food. The Hokkien Zi Char dishes here were most reasonably priced and come in big serving.

We only have them once in a blue moon cos' we prefer food of lighter taste. Requesting for low Salt maybe a solution? Yes.

红泥, Hon Ni Kitchen

This is "Where the Queue Starts" in Bedok North Food Centre!

After several spontaneous publications on the Newspaper, TV and internet, responses had been overwhelming with many after their Signatures Fried Chicken Wings and Chicken Otah.

Most of all, its economic pricing of $2 for any 3 dishes of your choices with Nasi Lemak, Coconut Rice. Unbelievable!

Service was swift-handed; we were soon at the front of the stall. The array of beautifully arranged food greeted us :)

Ric's Lunch pack of Chicken Wings, Fish Cake and Petai Beans :)

My $2 Lunch pack of Chicken Wing, Chicken Otah and Long Beans :))

What are you waiting for!?

Quick, join the Queue!!!

Bedok North 云吞面

Wanton Noodle ($2.50)

We were at Bedok North Food Centre for our breakfast while observing the longest queue at Rui Xing Coffee stall. The seemingly popular adjacent stall of Wanton Noodle (#01-47) was where we breakfast.

While it was a plainly ordinary Wanton Mee dish, they do serve the crispiest fried Dumplings. Its distinctive Dried Shrimps Chili mix may have charmed many, well, many other than us :)

But you may like it, worth a try.

Baby Cactus

It's nearing 2 years from the day i receive this Cactus plant from Ric.

African Milk Bush, or the Euphorbia tirucalli

See how tall it had grown; but i do wish to fatten it up. Just transplanted it to a bigger Clay flowering pot last year, hope it helps :) Be fertilizing it next week with fish wastes from the Fish Pond.

Yoga by the Water

Celebrating this World Water Day, our Public Ultilities Board (PUB) had organized a morning of mass Yoga practice on the green roof of the Marina Barrage!

Alas, it was drizzling this morning when we woke up and made our way to the MRT station at 6am. Many commuters were already on their train to work, with this being a Sunday morning? We are such blessed 5 days week lot.

The wet weather kept us indoors for the Aerobics warm-up, followed by a brief Yoga session of the "Sun Salutation".

The 20mins Yoga practice was much insufficient for Yoga enthusiastic like us, i had looked forward to a interesting Yoga session like the one we had last year :(

But we enjoyed the lively Aerobics dance steps that was effective through its simple movements. It was nevertheless, a Sunday spent differently.

Good old Satay!

I believe this could be the only place in Singapore you can still find Satay stick selling at 30 cents a stick, a pricing almost unheard of in this era of inflation.

At Blk 4A Jalan Batu Hawker Centre Market in Tanjong Rhu area, seat such a modest, no signboard stall at #01-49.

The old friendly couple, being the 1st batch of hawkers from the old rental schemes, benefited from the low Government food stall rental rates and thus managed to operate on such low costs.

Porky ($0.30 per stick)

Sinfully irresistible, Porky comes with Barbecue burned Fat in-between the stick :)

Chicky ($0.30 per stick)

Liken to well-barbecued Chicken Wings, without the bones. Yummy.

I had selfishly, not wish to publicize this Satay stall for fear of increasing dining crowds, but the old honest hawker here certainly deserve much patronage and acknowledgments.

So this post is especially for you, faithful readers :)

瑞兴 Coffee Queue

Another stunner in Bedok North Food Centre is the Rui Xing Ka Fei Cha Shi. We couldn't believe the longest queue here was just for its coffee!

Kopi-C ($0.80, big)

You've got to try it! Reasonable pricing apart, their coffee has a terrific taste. It was densely concentrated and alluringly aromatic, free from any bitter sour aftertaste commonly associated with Kopitiam Coffee.

Ric quickly went up to the stall as we saw the queue diminishing - only to be told, "No more." At 10am on a Sunday morning!!? Wow!

137 Lor Mee

This was my 1st visit to Bedok North Food Centre at Blk 216, Bedok North Street 1.

Food choices were aplenty here, with long queues at several stalls. One particular popular one is the Lor Mee at #01-65.

Lor Mee ($2.50)



Most surprising bland taste of Lor Mee, among those we have tasted! Very mildly seasoned gravy but it does taste good. Seriously.

Noodles portion were minimum but their rich ingredients of freshly fried fish fillets and braised egg quickly filled me up. Fresh fish meat are used here, with the occasional fish bones - so be careful eating. This is really good. 

Tony Roma's Restaurant

St. Louis-Style Ribs (Full Slab $31.9++)

Ric is the photographer today at Tony Roma's; he had always been better at capturing the angles :)

Nice complimentary warm Bread with herby Garlic butter spread was served after we placed our order.

We were enjoying a 40% discount off their St. Louis-Style Ribs with Blue Ridge Smokies sauce. It was a large, meaty cut of Pork ribs with natural marbling, finished with smokey flavored sauce with molasses.

Heartily meaty meal; guaranteed satisfaction for any Carnivores. It's full house in this Suntec City Mall restaurant whilst other lunch outlets were baring filled.

Alas, unaccustomed to such highly-seasoned food, we were drowning ourselves cupfuls of water after the meal.

Beneficial Fact of Petai, 臭豆

Petai beans have its unique pungency and are an acquired taste. Commonly cooked with sambal Ikan Bilis, a fried Chilli paste with dried Anchovies, this dish has begun to grow on me.

Traditionally, Petai is believed to flush or “cleanse” the Kidneys and urinary tract. How true? I do not know but you do sense its effect from pungent urine, after your Petai meal :)

Read that comparing Petai to an Apple, it has 4 times the Protein, twice the Carbohydrates, 3 times the Phosphorus, 5 times the Vitamin A and Iron, and twice the other Vitamins and Minerals.

TRY including it into your daily diet! Below is mine for Lunch today :)

Highly rated for its Health Promoting Properties; below more read from the Internet:

Energy:
Petai contain three natural sugars-sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, petai gives an instant and substantial boost of energy.

Depression:
According to a recent survey among people suffering from depression, many felt better after eating Petai. Petai contain Tryptophan, a type of Protein that the body converts into Serotonin, known to make you relax and make you feel happier.

Anemia:
High in iron, Petai stimulates the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure:
Extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, makes it perfect to beat blood pressure. It has the ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Hangovers:
Cure a hangover by making a Petai milkshake, sweetened with honey. The Petai calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Morning Sickness:
Snacking on Petai between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Ulcers:
Petai is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders. It can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. Neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Stress:
When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium petai snack.

Strokes:
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, " eating Petai as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%"

Nasi in Banana Leaf

Are you missing the Nasi Lemak of our younger days when ingredients used were simple, and the rice fragranced by being bundled up in Banana leaf?

We chanced on this similar rendition in the Coffeeshop of FeiFei Wanton Noodle.

Nasi Lemak ($1.20 per pack)

Not that it tastes anything fantastic; the aroma of the Banana leaf is simply nostalgia...

Tiong Bahru Fried Kway Teow

Fried Kway Teow ($2)

Looks can be deceiving indeed... this plainly light-colored plate of Fried Kway Teow was not an appetizing looker, but its taste was overwhelmingly satisfying - with a tang of "Wok Hei"!

At Tiong Bahru Market, stall 02-11 you would find this old stall that's been operating since the time of the former old Tiong Bahru Market.

I especially loves its fresh, small Cockles used, all 7 of them in my little plateful. Great calorific treat!

楗柏， Jian Bo Shui Kueh

Chwee Kueh ($1 for 4)

This stall at #02-05, Tiong Bahru Market needs no further endorsement, everybody knows of them famous for selling one of the tastiest Chwee Kueh in Singapore.

But this being my favourite stall; i wish to document it in this blog :)

We like the super fine texture of this Chwee Kueh without being overly squashy. Its texture sets it apart from other Chwee Kueh we have eaten.

Enjoying it together with its savory hot Chili paste and deliciously fried Chye Poh with Garlic and a dash of Sesame Seeds... Power!

Pasta de Waraku

All Waraku stores in the Orchard shopping belt were having this 50% rebate in the form of return vouchers for the month of March. Think dinner hours excluded? Can't remember.

We had ordered the economic Lunch set of A+B ($9.99++) and my favourite Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia (Squid Ink Black Pasta) today.

A - Carbonara Waraku Style with Bacon

Its creamy Carbonara was a dish we both were too weak to resist.

Breaking the half cooked egg yolk and mixing it together with the cream cheesy mix provides a remarkably rich and contented tasting sensation... oh, i love Carbonara with Egg Yolkyyy... heavenly!

B- Curry Pilaf with Bacon

You've heard of Fried Rice grains coated with Eggs? The one here were coated with their spicy curry powder.

Stimulatingly spicy yet not overwhelming, its Japanese Rice grains provide a good chewy bite. Nice try.

Grilled Chicken Foldover

Grilled Chicken Foldover Value Meal ($5)

We were at NTU's McDonald's for our 1st try of their Grilled Chicken Foldover, a new style of McDonald's sandwich made with wholesome flatbread.

The lightly salted grilled Chicken Patties really do seem to be a healthier alternative to their usual deep fried. The refreshing sour Mayonnaise provides a lift for this otherwise dull sandwich.

The Flatbread that reminds us of Pita bread was served warm and soft. I would love to eat this all over again.

An enjoyable snack time with up-sized of McDonald's French Fries we've been missing for long :) It's great feel to indulge junk food, once in a while.

Cheapest Xiao Long Bao

Visiting Du Mama at her modest stall in Kelantan Lane, the House of Dumplings for our dinner.

We were both exhausted after another afternoon at the THG Sales and like a mother; Du Mama never fails to rejuvenate us with her cooking of love and ever spirit-lifting smiles.

Clear soup broth with Seaweed, Long Beans and Eggs (she said she forgotten Minced Meat).

Today, she had happily asked if we've time to wait while she prepares a noodle broth of her hometown for us. A simple home styled noodle dish with richly human touches :)

We were grateful for her good and honest fare she offered. She do served the cheapest Xiao Long Bao in Singapore, at $3 for 5 big pieces.

So whenever we craved for some juicy Xiao Long Bao or meaty Dumplings, this place we come to :) Today, we ordered her popular Gyozas too.

I sincerely prayed that this cheerful, honest and hardworking China lady could make a decent living here.

Overstuffing ourselves with food, a slow night stroll at the Marina Barrage completes our day before we headed home to catch 一切完美, the Perfect Cut 2 :)

Wanton Noodle, Margaret

We had an exciting afternoon at the annual THG (The Hour Glass) Salon Sale.

Retreating to Margaret Drive Food Centre for a hassle free and quiet lunch.

Having introduced this stall already, i shall just leave you with more photos from this Wanton Noodle.

Wanton Noodles ($2.50)

Simple filling bowlful with just the right amount of seasoning we preferred for our Wanton Mee, accompanied with soft meaty dumplings. A satisfied lunch.

Breakfast, Warang Aneka Rasa

Lontong ($2)

This our repeat visit at Havelock Cooked Food Centre for its Mee Rebus & Lontong; yeah, we are missing its good taste.

Mee Rebus ($2)

Having helped mum with preparing Mee Rebus, i could thus appreciate the arduous efforts behind the works of this unadorned looking Peanut sauce.

The ones here are thick and nutty good...