大华, Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle!

Ba Chor Mee Pok, dry ($4)

I'm a Ba Chor Mee hater, really.
Only the famous stalls in the city managed to lure me for the occasional meal. But i am much convinced with Singapore's best at Blk 466 Crawford Lane today.

A hater because porky ingredients filled noodle is kind of repulsive - just by the thought of it. Yes? And i particularly loathe minced meat in my noodles..

But not the ones here where freshness of the ingredients is impeccable; i forgot i'm having the piggy!

Noodles is not the star of the show; all adoration goes to the tantalizing pieces of pork liver, slice meat, minced meat, pork lard and dried sole fillet; to be fuse with their powering vinegary sauce. It's the best prepared sole fish i ever had - crispy and sweet, under the watchful eyes of not over frying it!

Ric had to be back in this sweltering 40mins lunch queue before long, because i'm craving my fill of their hours simmered broth. Their noodle soup for our next visit.

Vietnamese Lotus Seed

Roasted Lotus Seed, 500g (S$10)

Nic was back from a work week in Vietnam and specially visited us tonight with a pack of Vietnamese popular local product - seeds of fresh-water Lotus flower.

It has a aromatic crunch and is tasty... Ummm... a texture like dried red dates but much firmer and tougher, like nuts. 'Tis an interesting buy from Vietnam which would cost you double to triple the price to purchase the rare snack in Singapore.

The Chinese especially adores these seeds for its medical values - high in protein, benefiting the spleen, kidney, heart and improving conditions of sexual, insomnia, venereal diseases, diarrhea. Even the bitter embryo within the seeds that were usually removed before processing is believed to be beneficial.

But how much of these properties were retained after the roasting process? We just popped them like popcorn snack into our mouths ;)

Salt roasted Cashews with skin

As a bonus tips - these ugly salted cashews from Vietnam is terrific too! 

They looked ugly because the testa, skin of the nuts were not removed for the roasting. But this is good! The texture is so fine, you don't taste them and it helps increase the antioxidants in the nuts. This is special treat. Must buy back, ok!

Batam Royal Lapis Cake

Having Lapis Cake from Batam island is a great treat. We had Diana which is by far the most memorable one while Lamoist Layers Batam puts a stop to our buying any other than Diana.

Today is another risk take as Dad try out Royal Bakery in the Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal.

While being oily, as Lapis cake is always known to be, it isn't too sweet and a rich egg 'n butter flavor is embody in the firm slab. This is quite nice.

Royal Bakery Kueh Lapis Cake with Prunes ($34)

Royal Bakery

Harbour Bay City Walk Block CW No. 11, 12, 13, Batam - Indonesia

Phone: (+62) 778 74152 11

Oral Care - Do we really have to Floss?

Johnson & Johnson Mint Waxed Floss, 50.2m ($2.60)

Colgate Pax Mouthwash, 750ml ($11.90 x2)

Do you floss?

It's such a tiresome job that aches my stretched jaws each night! But i hope to persevere.

We had begun paying attention to these 'diamonds in the mouth' after Sis confided of a serious and costly dental infection she had recently - and she does brush her teeth, with electric toothbrush, twice a day! It's alarming just listening to her. She now flosses diligently.

Our annual dental appointment last week helped identify tartar plagued, hard-to-reach-places, gaps in the gums and were advised to impress upon these points in our brushing and preferably flossing to prevent plaque and bacteria build up. Flossing is as crucial as brushing.

So with an all clear bill, it's time to take oral hygiene seriously. But i irks doing mouthwash, it burns when gargling and left the mouth dry, uncomfortably dry.

Lastly, do you floss before or after brushing? It is BEFORE - the dentist corrected me.

Heng Heng Prawn Mee Soup

Prawn Noodle Soup ($2.50)

Price Update in 2016 ($3)

While waiting for our Dunman Rd Wanton Noodle, we were drawn by a strong whiff of prawn mee soup from the neighbouring table of 4. We footmark the hawker back to his folksy little stall where he enjoys a steady stream of customers.

Eager to try, we too ordered a small bowlful to share and drained the soup till the last drop!

Dunman Road Char Siew Wan Ton Mee - revisit

Wanton Noodle ($2.50)

A revisit after 3 years, our favourite Wanton Noodle in Dunman Food Centre does no longer 'wow' us like it did the first time. But the stall still serves a uniquely handmade Wanton Mee which we love.

Their recent TV interview with 'Just Noodles' is making them even more busy and famous now.

Organia Essential Hair Shampoo

Relaxing Olive Shampoo, 750g (Promotional Price $14.95)

As the thick creamy lotion was applied onto the hair, i hypnotized myself that i am shampooing with pumpkin, carrot and aloe - the natural organic extracts formulated in the bottle. A tiny volume works up a ball of soft fine foam as i enjoyed its floral fragrant.

The shampoo feels conditioning (weighted the hair a little) but gave the scalp no trouble. Hair stays soft and light till the next evening. Alternating the shampoo with commercial wash, the Organia stands out to be the gentle one that kept the hair clean and soft. I am staying with this shampoo.

A product of White Cospharm, Korea.

You can't buy happiness, BUT..

I do find bliss in sucking milkshakes after falling for MakeShake. Equalizing happiness with milkshakes isn't an overstatement - it is kind of the same thing :D

Make Shake Homemade Ice-cream ($1)

Celebrating their 1000 fans on Facebook, Makeshake gave away 200 cups of free ice-cream with any flash of e-coupon today. These were ours - Oreo and Nutella.

The ice-creams were nice. We like the Nutella! Thank you.

Three Wombats Cafe

Long long ago, we drove by Kim Keat Rd and caught sight of a really cute "Three Little Cats" signboard! "Hey! Wat's that? A cafe? Cats?" And i was trying to distract the driver from the busy traffic... 

Cream Mushrooms Soup, large ($3.90)

The Three Wombats Cafe that is. And we are here for a discounted set lunch with Gobblerdeals.

Country Herbed Chicken ($13.90)

Pumpkin Chop Chop ($12.90)

There wasn't much surprises with the food that were made for lighter palate; with the exception of a salted gravy for our roasted bird, too much salt in fact. The pasta was not al dente and was weighted in with pumpkin sauce.

Cafe Latte ($4.20), Cappuccino ($4.20)

We had wished for the coffee serving to save the lunch flop - being impressed with their heavy professional-looking coffee machine. However, it's the coffee art that came to the rescue of the faintly smooth coffee.

Boon Keng Road Fish Head Bee Hoon

A small stall in 416, Bedok North Ave 2 that easily goes undetected unless you observed they serves all the table of customers in the coffeeshop!

Queue up to place your order, pay and you'll be given a big colorful plastic clothes peg which you place on your table for the server to identify you - how they does that? We don't know. We just wait for our fish soup... ... ... ... 

Fried Fish Slice Soup ($3.50), Rice ($0.40)

Then finally!

How do i convince you the tastiness of their hot piping soup and generous serving of sweet succulent fish? These photos doesn't justify. But just trust me yah!

Fish Slice Bee Hoon ($3.50)

Young Coconut Juice with Aloe

INGREDIENTS:

Aloe Vera (3 leaves) 

Peppermint leaves (3 stalks)

Sweeten Coconut Juice (2 cans)

Sugar (3-4 tbs)

STEPS:

1. Refer here on how to de-gel and de-skin the Aloe Vera.

2. Pour Coconut juice into the prepared Aloe, and stir to dissolve the added Sugar.

3. Hand crush Peppermint slightly and add it to the mixture.

4. Refrigerate the dessert for 24hrs before serving.

The Summer's here! Get this dessert ready.

545 Whampoa Prawn Noodle

Prawn Noodle, soup ($3)

No prawn noodles are quite the same and we really can't take good prawn noodles for guaranteed - my thought after our planned visit to the famous stall at Whampoa Drive Market, Blk 91 ended in disappointment.

The stall does have a long list of orders from their regulars and a wait is expected while they serve to your table.

Prawn Noodle, dry ($3)

With many having the dry version of their noodles, we could see why when ours arrived; it was certainly more flavorsome than their soupy selection. And after the serving of lukewarm soup, we decidedly X-out the stall when we tasted the blandness of their de-shelled prawns.

Godiva Chocolate Bar

Godiva Chocolate Bars Assortment, 60 pcs ($78)

I don't reject chocolate; they are innocent, just as kids. Even when the sender makes the gift with a purposeful glaring price tag sticker... they are but a box of decent chocolate.

The box contains 0% cocoa content of White-Blanc Chocolate and 30% Milk Chocolate, 50%, 72%, 85% Dark Chocolate - where the 72% is our favourite, with mild sweetness and just the right amount of cocoa.

White Chocolate is too sweet while the extreme of 85% cocoa tasted of light bitterness with undeveloped flavor.

Bruce Cafe - Romance is sharing nice food with him..

完美组合, Perfect Match Dim Sum Basket ($4.50+)

'Tis the most romantic part of the evening - sharing a platter of tasty Dim Sum with Ric as we halved everything between us; sharing the lovely palate. The most enjoyable dish of the meal when every Dim Sum pieces is succulent and of different texture, you have the steamed ones, the baked and the deep fried.

Akin to having the best from the house, there is the barbecued pork puff, egg tart, egg yolk custard bun, shrimp dumpling, meat dumpling and a salad spring roll. With each so fresh, it's like having them just out from the oven, fryer, steamer.

Claypot Rice with Minced Beef and Egg ($5.80+)

The Claypot rice is a savory dish that's bore burned crusty rice bottom. And we had appreciated the well-balanced seasoning that isn't overly salted.

Baked Spaghetti with Pork in Portuguese Sauce ($8.80+)

Always look forward to richly baked spaghetti, don't you? They have a decent version here but we will skip the curry-tasting Portuguese sauce next time and have the customary Cream or Tomato sauce.

Chilled Coffee with Tea, 鸳鸯 ($1+, with order of selected main course)

We were in the new University Town of NUS where Old Hong Kong Tea House of Katong Village operates a similarly 24hrs  Cha Chaan Teng themed cafe, named Bruce Cafe.

Less the weekend crowd in shopping malls, the quiet dinner is most relaxed ;)

Bangladesh Vegetable - Kakrol

Kakrol ($4 per kg)

I was told this cute green hairy lime with a mouse-like tail fruit is named 'Kakrol' (Teasle Gourd), a native to West Bengal and Bangladesh - we couldn't get it from our neighbourhood market; only from Indian vegetable stalls in Singapore Little India.

How do you eat it?

With a sprinkle of Salt and Turmeric powder, we dusted the Kakrol slices and pan-fried it in oil. Steam rises and its aroma permeated the kitchen!

The gourd reaps a distinctive crunch as you bite into the seeds and skin while its flesh remains soft - i'm hooked at first bite. My Chinese family loves this.

Pan-frying the Kakrol in wok

Super Deluxe Tendon

Super Deluxe Tendon ($17++)

Having been assured of comfort food at Ten Tempura Restaurant after the last visit, i snapped up 2 vouchers that costs just $10 for their Super Deluxe Tendon set. It will be well worth the splurge, i am confident.

And we did have another hearty meal of Akita Komachi Japanese rice, premium Anago sea eel, sea shrimps, Kisu white fish and vegetables of pumpkin, ladyfinger, eggplant - all famous ingredients for Tempura!

With Ric agreeing with this meal. Priceless.

UCC Special Colombia 100%

UCC Special Colombia Coffee 100%, 100g ($10.80)

100% Colombia beans from UCC - the leader of Japan's coffee industry; and a star is born.

We like its mild aroma; yet isn't define as weak. Jointly, our usual measure of creamer need to be reduced, and that produces a brew of rich smooth flavor and a medium body. Nice.