Wan Chai HK Tea Room @ NTU

With Wan Chai Tea Room in mind, the day seems purposeful as we looked forward to the evening.

Finally, the welcoming sign of NTU, Canteen 1 ;)

And the spread of our long awaited Hong Kong Wanton Noodles & Yuan Yang drink!

HK Wanton Noodles, Dry ($3.20)

HK Shrimp Dumplings Noodle, Soup ($2.80)

Go for the noodles in soup if you favored bouncy noodles. The dumplings were understood to be all plump and luscious. Yum..

Coffee Set, with Butter Thick Toast & HK Milk Tea ($1.80)

Not having enough of Wan Chai, Ric scrambled to get an order of their affordable Coffee Set Meal. Yes, $1.80 for a set was a steal! Price varies depending on your choice of thick toast.

The half-boiled eggs were yolky and thick! Surprisingly great; just lacking a little in warm.

And how would you like to eat this?

Dip and Dunk! Into the eggy mixture, and drink up :))
O..Delicious!

Nephrolepis, the Yellow Fern

I finally learned the name of one of my favourite ferns, the Nephrolepis.

Re-potting this hardy plant may seem silly as the fern is common in Singapore, growing on most green ground. But i love it as ornamental plants that gave an idyllic feel to any environment as it sways to gentle breezes..

This is my 2nd re-potting.
The 1st was for the outdoor garden, this for my bedroom ;)

Poh Cheu Traditional Kueh

Ang Ku Kueh, Chive Soon Kueh ($0.60), Bamboo Shoot Soon Kueh ($0.80)

Our original plan of getting Hakka Soon Ban for Grandmom was thwarted as they got all sold out!

It's been some time since we last pay tribute to Grandmom and we so wish to buy her some delightful food..

Detouring over, Ric decided on her favourite Chive Soon Kueh and Bamboo Shoot Soon Kueh from Poh Cheu, Bukit Merah Lane 1.

She love them ;)

J freezing!

Sweetcorn Soy Ice-blended ($2)

Another brainy venture of Jollibean in protein-rich Soymilk based ice-blended. The drink secretes a pleasing taste of sweetcorn and good rich Soybean!

An icy dessert to have!
It's nerves numbingly chilling!

大埔, Hakka Yong Tau Foo

We had returned today with the intention for packing away 20s Hakka Soon Ban, but they were sold out already, at 12:25PM!?

Nevertheless, their Yong Tau Foo makes up for it ;)

In fact, it was good.. 8 big chunky Yong Tau Foo pieces that screams "handmade" in flavorsome soybean based soup!

Yong Tau Foo, with dry noodle ($3)

I love these thinly, flat springy noodles ladled richly with oily minced meat! It was yummylicious!

And had much tummy filling effect ;)

Hakka Yam Abacus ($2)

Chewy with full Yam aroma. The Hakka Abacus was non greasy at all compared with my last try in Shunfu Market.

湾仔香港奶茶店, NTU!

Wan Chai Hong Kong Tea Room whom we have been patronizing at IMM, started an outlet in NTU, Canteen 1!

楊枝甘露, Mango Pomelo Sago ($3.50)

I've craving for some ice cold dessert but the one served was without any ice shaving; asked for some but the server says they don't provide :(

How do you eat this 'thing' at near room temperature?

Traditional Yuan Yang ($0.80)

Propitiously, the Yuan Yang or Coffee with Hong Kong-style Milk Tea was ever so aromatic and value for money! A big mug of wholesome goodness to share for 2 ;)

It's National Day again...

Knowing i have had a stressful week, Ric bought me dinner and acceded to my request for some fireworks action at the rehearsing ground for the National Day Parade ;)

I love to see our flag flies, every time.
We love Singapore but not the governing bodies all the time..

Every year, a spectacle show of light and sound was put up to wow the audiences as Singaporeans forget life strives of living in congest Singapore, a high cost society fuelled by "a blistering economic"; exacerbated by low stagnant wages and hardwork..

The cheers brought on by spirit-lifting fireworks display were but momentary..

TCC - Steak with Puff Pastry

Our treat for steak had long been overdue.

And despite knowing not to waste a steak experience on little cafe cooking, we gave TCC kitchen a chance; since there's a 1-for-1 promotion ;)

Beef Steak on Crispy Puff Pastry ($23.8++)
Tender beef steak with a flavourful hint of port wine sauce, atop crisp coral lettuce and puff pastry.

Being a new item on TCC menu, it was actually pretty good on cafe standards.

The oven-baked potatoes, carrots, mushrooms were tasty, and the savory port wine sauce appetite whetting; albeit my thinner slab of steak getting more than my requested 'medium rare'.

Ric's steak was well-textured.

TCC Premium Coffee ($4.2++)

We love an after meal coffee, anytime.
And TCC had really great, fine coffee.. with good liquid creamer..

My 1st DSLR !

My latest, newest challenge was to master a DSLR which Ric presented to me today, a Sony Alpha DSLR A300. I agree it's time to take photography more seriously as i surfed the net and envied impressive shots from many other blogs.

Before reading the menu, and with the camera in Auto-mode, my 1st take, of my dog, a most unwilling model ;)

And i was overwhelmed with the picture; totally bought over!

Without going through the dry technical theories stuffs; let's just say, every simple items appear more beautiful than they actually are - the working magic of the interchangeable lens!

Now remains my biggest hindrance, the limitation i have in composting interesting photos, from the correct angles and capturing the mood of the scene... i've much to learn.

大埔, Traditional Hakka Soon Ban

There's this famous Beef House along Syed Alwi Rd that sells supposedly good Hakka Soon Ban, a form of Soon Kueh. It's been a while, so let's see if it's still good ;)

Hakka Soon Ban ($1 each)

It's big sized Soon Ban! See my thumb in comparison?

Difference between Hakka Soon Kueh and the normal Soon Kueh? Hakka Soon Kueh includes Yam in their kneading of its dumpling skin while normal Soon Kueh uses just a mixture of Flours, minus the Yam.

Getting from good stalls, you would love both, as much.

Now, besides getting to masticate the chewy Yam skin, we have also Turnip, Chinese Mushroom, Black Fungus, Dried Shrimp, Bean Curd, Bamboo shoots.

Messes everything with hot Chili sauce, gobbles all up.
Am not satisfied with just one ;)

Raining, Raining, Flooding...

It's been raining, raining and flooding, in urban Singapore.

Yeah, in Singapore that was believed to be well-equipped with full island drainage system, 15 Reservoirs and a Barrage. It was unbelievable to many friends abroad that our city area, the Orchard Rd was severely flooded days ago!

What's worse, our government argues that Singapore is not flood-proofed; not unless we want half our roads taken away to built canals!!?? Then reproving Singaporeans of wanting everything to be perfect.

Barley Sweet Soup, 大麦 ($0.70)

Today, it was heavy raining with strong wind; we avoided the city area, braved through the flood prone zones and reached Commonwealth for some warm dessert.

It was drizzling lightly as we drank... We wondered, if there'll be flood news tonight, or of more trees falling and killing...?

Kopi Alley - Affordable!

Ric had somewhat concluded that Coffee cures MSG toxication?
Does it works for you?

Our system screams "Coffee!", whenever.

Kopi Alley by Jollibean offers a good range of $3.30 set meal comprising of 1 Kopi, 2 Eggs and a choice of Traditional Toast, Thick Toast, Soft Bun, Steamed Bread or Cream Cracker!

Most other place charge $4+ a set.

We love our Traditional Bread, best, still... Butter remains irresistible!!!

Pity we had to 'do' the Eggs ourselves. Such a chore breaking hand-scalding Eggs, beautifully.

So, let's just make do with this 'broken' pic; taste matters more ;)

Toa Payoh - Hwa Heng Beef Noodle

I used to wonder how this delicious looking bowl of crystal noodles draped in rich brown broth tastes like... being Buddhist then, Mom forbade us to try Beef.

Mixed Beef Bee Hoon, dry ($3)

I didn't even know it was dry styled, as it looks appealingly moist to me.

During my 1st order to Ric, "i want the black sauced noodle, soup."
"Dry ones, you mean? That's a dry version." He answered laughingly.

Mixed Beef Kway Teow, Soup ($3)

Then, i go about learning to appreciate the rich soupy version.

We however, never fail to miss out on the dry version with additive thick brown sauce, accompanying a squeeze of lime juices and acidly chili sauce with cincaluk.

Conversely, our experience of MSG overdosed at a Hwa Heng stall, 27 Maude Rd today, left much to be desired. We aren't MSG tolerant, else everything is well :)

Peppermints... finally.

Colleague gave me a Rosemary and a Mint plant; both healthy growth from his active plant cuttings.

I was thus encouraged to try propagting my Peppermint plant again; having failed in my previous attempt.

This time, we did it.
God and me :)

Japanese Provence & BreadTalking...

Creme Flower Bun x2, Muffins - Blueberry, Chocolate ($1 each)

While at Vivocity today, we picked up these Buns from Provence and Muffins from BreadTalk that were all on promotional pricing.

The Buns draw similarities to D-Plus while the Muffins were lesser luscious than Chocolat n Spice, obviously.

Nevertheless, i had plotted specifically to make Goldkili Double Shot White Coffee, with added Inuline for Ric on the pretext of eating these breads. Now he knows ;)

H.AMIN Brothers Tea Coffeeshop

Our substantial amount of food couldn't stop Ric from running to grab some Curry Puffs while i was still on mine Main.

Many were seen snacking on Puffs when we were lunching ;)

Next to our dinning Beryani stall was this simple Tea/Coffee stall that had ultra welcoming Puffs. Extremely popular with the Tea break crowds here.

Puffs & Teh Halia ($1.60)

In all simplicity, the oven warmed Puffs has more than it looks.

If you have appetite for only 1, discard the ubiquitous potato curry puffs and opted for the triangularly shaped Puff. It has fillings of distinctively flavoured curry with shredded Chicken meat. Try it!

Their Teh Halia, meaning Ginger in Milk Tea was conversely overly sweetened, and we hardly taste hint of Halia.

Rezki Allah - Beryani Specialist!

Guess you could say they are the most popular Nasi Beryani stall at Seah Im Food Centre - The Beryani Specialist ;)

Chicken Beryani ($4)

And what big hearty serving!
They have Mutton, Chicken, Fish, Vegetable Beryani, all at $4 only.

With the Mutton Beryani on the opposite table looking good; if you don't mind the accompanying cholesterol.

Thaksin Beef Noodle

It was indeed a conspicuous signboard that reads "Thaksin", of the much recogized Thaksin Shinawatra who was then Thailand's Prime Minister turned politics fugitive now.

We were at Seah Im Food Centre that was just across HabourFront Bus Interchange.

It seems i just had to order from the stall.
And NO, the server doesn't wear Red... Hehe... as Ric was joking.

Pad Thai Fried Kuey Teow, without Beef ($3)

With added dried Chili bits, the mild looking Pad Thai can be fiery!

A nominal fare of Pad Thai but certainly a lighter rendition of our local Fried Kuey Teow. Not bad eat ;)

迁西贡栗, Qian Xi Roasted Chestnuts

Do you grow up eating Roasted Chestnuts?

In our younger days, we were always attracted by the aroma from street hawkers who "Pebbles fried" these Chestnuts in huge iron Wok.

It was an expensive tidbit in our context as the dollar often yielded substandard nuts that were either overdone or quite tasteless.

Roasted Chestnuts ($3 per 250grams)

Until the recent years, 迁西贡栗, as franchised little stalls were a Godsend to Chestnuts lover. Even Mum marveled at the quality Chestnuts compared to what they used to have from the street hawkers.

These were from Brother who bought them from West Mall that was having a mini Food Festival till 29 Aug. I don't think you find their franchised stalls often nowadays.

Roasted Chestnuts are Brother's favourite, and i think they are beginning to grow on me... ;)

Searching the internet for more info, i could only gather this webpage. Do read if you are as interested as i.

Yan Chuan Roast Meat

"Any Roast Meat?"
"I check... ... only $4 worth left, you want?"
"Well, it's better than nothing."

Roast Pork Meat ($4, $20 per 1kg)

Haha... that was the dialogue between Ric and Yan Chuan Roaster at Jurong West. At this late evening hour, most items had been sold out.

Roast Meat for you?

Ajisen - 6th Anniversary

So, it was a near 3hrs live telecast of the Fifa World Cup Final, into the wee hours of the morning.

Being sleep deprived, it's normal that our bodies feel dehydrated; in desperate need of fluid nourishment.

Spicy Ramen & Aso Ramen ($6.80++ each)

And what's better than slurping rich Tonkotsu soup of Ajisen Ramen; especially when they are now having a series of promotional meals in celebration of their 6th Anniversary in Singapore.

We both preferred the Aso Ramen albeit its saltier soup base but minusing spiciness ;)

Slurp. Slurp.

天佳福 - i miss Crabs

Am tired and lazy to dine out, thus suggested to Ric to pack a Crab and Oysters from 天佳福 Cze Char while we dish out the greens at home.

This way, my parents could eat with us too ;)

700g Black Pepper Crab, $19.60 ($28 per Kg)

Sweet tasting crab meat, totally undaunted by the hotness from the Black Pepper; we could still taste its seafresh sweetness!

Sambal Oyster Egg ($8)

Oversized Oysters in overindulgence of Sambal sauce.
It was still good, just a little too spicy. Hehe...

Now all's set for a count down to the Fifa World Cup Final tomorrow night !!

Sponge Cake - The Icing Room

Honey Marble ($1.30)

Sitting down after a series of household chores, include clearing my old cabinet; i was dog-tired.

Made a cuppa of GoldKili Double Shot White Coffee, i was ready to enjoy a quiet tea-break with Sponge Cake from The Icing Room which my friendly neighbor gave us yesterday ;)

Yeah, hot bitter coffee and light cream Sponge Cake was a comfort for the tired soul...

Philips - Be embraced by sound!

Ric upgraded my room hi-fi set!

He's been reading and visiting websites, electronic retail stalls. Decided on the item with the best deal and sound; bought me down today and paid for the purchase :))

Philips DVD home theater system, HTS 6515 (Sale: $450, Up: $849)

Am most happy with my new Philips which features Ambisound that promise to deliver 5.1 (normal 2.1) surround sound from just 2 speakers!

Claims on a 5.1 may be overstated but performance is really great to our standard hearing and we void the fuss of a 5.1 setup. Now it sits stoutly in my room, performing clear music and full-bodied basses from its steady Subwoofer.

Listening is made a pleasure; we are embraced by sound...!

Swensen's 1-for-1 ("I'm so lovin' it")

We missed Swensen dining.
Other meals can wait; we'll just go for the 1-for-1 promotion while it lasted ;)

Baked Spaghetti Bolognaise ($12.90++)
Juicy meatballs atop spaghetti with minced beef in tomato sauce, baked with cheese.

Yeah, for the meat lover! For the juicy and springy Meatballs!
But we had wished more Cheese for the bake...!

Spicy Grilled Chicken Burger ($12.90++)
Grilled tender chicken thigh seasoned with spice, topped with fresh vegetables, pineapple and ranch sauce. Serve with U.S. fries and coleslaw.

This wasn't any spicy dish at all!?
Chicken thigh was tender as it should be, and i had particularly enjoyed our occasional indulgence in French Fries.

Had to agree with Ric though that Burgers are difficult food to eat with the fork and knife; i used bare hands. Haha.....

Moccona Mystique...

Moccona Mystique, 100g ($9.50)

Moccona was on our list of Freeze-dried Coffee to try. We read that Moccona Mystique uses 100% Arabica beans and is under Moccona's Master Blends range.

Mmmm... and it does taste good if you like strong coffee.
In fact, being slightly superior to the Robert Timms we had previously ;)