Saturday Lunch @ Home

This was lunch yesterday. Something whipped out in less than 20 minutes.

Tumeric pork chops with homestyle cha jiang mian with tomato, chilli and parsley salad.



It's something really really easy to make. Quick description on how to make it.

The pork has been marinated for 2 days in the fridge, stored in a vacuum container. It's marinated with tiny bit of corn flour, soy sauce, abalone sauce, pepper and tumeric powder. So all I did was to take it out and pan fry it with one tablespoon of oil.

While the meat's on the pan, leave it to brown. Do not need to keep turning it. Use the time to cut up the tomatoes, chilli and thai parsley. Mix up the salad with juice of 5 limes.

The keropokman 'cha jiang mian' is a taste that was made up while eating out. Sis and I imagine the taste of food and we try to make a quick version similar to it.

The 'mian' is spaghetti, the thinner version. Use Barilla, it always turns out better in all the taste test that I serve. The sauce is the 'mushroom and pork mince with bean paste'. It's the one that comes in a small tin, imported from China that many Asians grew up eating. After spaghetti is done (al dente or not, up to you), mix in some sesame oil and one and a half tablespoon of the paste in it. Give it a good stir and it's yummy!.

Steamboat Session @ Work

This was yesterday's lunch. A colleague who is on leave (clearing his National Day in-lieu leave?) said that he will organize it. Onz!! A few of us brought other things to 'jia cai' a bit.

We got a secret location to have it. A location that the whole office will not come and ask us to feed them too. LOL...

The 'initiation round'. The yong tau foo stuff.



We are a bit picky, we need parsley and cut chilli too. LOL



One of the rounds that has prawns to sweeten the soup.



One of the vege rounds. The inoki and veg round.



This is the last round. We had two scoops of tomyam paste added in the last few rounds. This is the one with the crabs and 'tang hoon'. When the soup thickens, it is so yummy!



The crap that one colleague ate. It seems half of us just like the taste of crabs in the soup, but don't like to pick the crabs. The crabs are full of roe.



One of the things that you can't really waste time. (though this is one of the most time wasting eating activities). Gotta start on time and finish on time so we can get back to work. LOL..

The rainy season's the best season to have steamboat.

Dian Xiao Er @ VivoCity

On Thursday, a colleague said he wanted to go to VivoCity to buy mooncakes. He also wants have lunch at Dian Xiao Er.

OK. Mooncakes, not interested, Dian Xiao Er can consider. He managed to convinced all of us, and off we went.

When we were going in, we saw two banners outside, Citibank discounts and UOB discounts. UOB's looks better with a free dish too.

So when we were seated, some were looking at the set menu, but we were told, the free marmite chicken (the free dish) does not apply if you order the sets. Immediately we closed the set dishes menu. (how realistic are we??)

We went for the a-la-carte. Which turns out to be a wise choice.





We had 3 types of ducks to choose. (Ginseng, Angelica Herbs (tang gui) and 10 herbs combi).We had the 10 herbs version and we had the medium. I like it because it is a bit sweetish. Other colleagues said it was too sweet. Aiya, see everyone has different taste buds.

All the small talks we have during lunch. One of it is about the origin of the duck. Is this fresh duck from Malaysia or frozen duck from Taiwan. Oh. we did not bother to find out. LOL...



The poach spinach with century eggs and salted eggs. Quite yummy. Ordered medium size too.



Their house special tofu. We had small for this.



Ah. This is the free marmite chicken. hehe...



Mongolian spare ribs. Medium. We called it Sarawak Pepper Spare ribs instead. It's for those who like peppery stuff.



Dian Xiao Er @ VivoCity
VivoCity
1 HarbourFront Centre Walk,
#02-137/8
Singapore 098585

Just realised they have a website too at www.dianxiaoer.net

e.BlackBoard II @ Clementi Ave 3

Continuation from yesterday's post. Other than the burger I ate, the others who ate the Lor Mee shared a bowl of tuscan fries.



Almondjelly's husband had the Grilled Chicken Chop $6.50



'Old Cat' decided he should have sausages. Think he has sausage cravings because he has been eating sausages! He had the e.BB Mixed Sausages $8.00 (chicken cheese and pork sausages)



Picky fella, he liked the cheese one but not the pork. The prices above are before the discount. Not sure when the discounts will be over though.

e.BlackBoard II
San Po Food Court
Blk 431 Clementi Ave 3
#01-296
Singapore 120431

e.BlackBoard II @ Clementi Ave 3

It was so funny. A colleague Yahoo IM me and asked: "Wanna go to e-Blackboard?"

No, I was not think of food, but on the e-learning software with a similar name. I thought oh, are they going to introduce a new product to our workplace and are we to go evaluate it? I said "ok, where and when?"

She pasted this link from iEat then I realised that the e-Blackboard she was talking was not the software, but a food stall! *blushing*

Anyway, we went to try. This branch in Clementi Ave 3 is called e.BlackBoard II. The original stall is at the other part of the island in Bedok.



Wondering what to eat, (and since I have this 'burger mood' these few days,) I ordered the e.BB Beef Burger. $7.

This is it, the coleslaw, tuscan fries and a grilled beef patty in between a bun.



The patty is very thick. It's like a giant meatball that has been flattened.
You can bite bits of tendon in it, if you are a tendon person, you might like it. If you don't, order another different burger :-)



If you are interested, here's how it looks inside. Juicy.



It taste very very beefy. It's a beef burger after all. It's also quite filling because of the size of the patty and also the fries that goes with it.

But somehow, I was thinking of blee cheese. LOL. Have I got addicted to the smelly stuff?
This place is kind of like Botak Jones. There's other stuff to try, will post them tomorrow. :-)
It's next to the Lor Mee stall that we rediscovered.

We noted that there was a 15% discount for lunch too. So the burger today was $5.95

e.BlackBoard II
San Po Food Court
Blk 431 Clementi Ave 3
#01-296
Singapore 120431

Sheng Yi Fa Lor Mee @ 431 Clementi Ave 3

Colleagues were lamenting that the Lor Mee at Clementi Block 328 have moved away. (the one that beside the famous Claypot Rice).

Lo and behold! A meal at Block 431 at Clementi Ave 3 spotted a familiar aunty's face. Hey, that's the lor mee lady right?? You could have seen the bright spark at dpuk's face! It is as if he found a long lost relative!

It was the consistency of the thick goeey gravy that draws many to eat this. My sis hates gooey stuff, so if you are like my sis, you will hate it. LOL

This is 'pirate's' bowl of lor mee. All the ingredients are hidden below. I find photographing lor mee the hardest! A bowl of dark gooey stuff!



So while he was going to take a bite, I quickly sneak a photo of it. Pirate says the not very nice. He has higher standards.



Dpuk's bowl with kuey teow. Both ordered the $2.50 version.



Almond jelly also had a bowl. Both Almond Jelly and Dpuk said since they moved here, it seems the ingredients in it has kind of returned to the pre-oil-induced-inflation standard. It is tastier and satisfying now.

I will come back and eat it another day. I was eating something else :-)
Posting this so that people who was wondering where the stall moved to, knows where it is now.

Sheng Yi Fa
San Po Food Court
Blk 431 Clementi Ave 3
#01-296
Singapore 120431

Opening hours: 8 AM - 2 PM, Closed on Mondays.

Popiah and Kueh Pai Tee Party

Last Saturday evening, a few of us met up at a friends house for a Popiah (Spring rolls) and Kueh Pai Tee party. It was fun and yummy. So fun and yummy that the whole night, I only took 3 photos!

We were too busy wrapping and eating and chatting (really its gossiping. LOL)

These shells looks so pretty doesn't it?



The filling. (shredded turnip). That can be used for both the pai tee and the popiahs.



We had other food too, but too excited to wrap and eat, forgot to take photos of them.
I did take a photo of the popiah that I wrapped though.

In it, sweet sauce, sambal paste, lettuce, bean sprout, prawns, eggs, fried shallots and of course the shredded turnip.



Have you all had popiah parties before? ;-)

Pardon the dim and grainy photos. It's during the night time.

Mien by Firstpasta @ Bukit Timah Food Centre

Was at Bukit Timah Food Centre today. Wondering what to eat, I saw aunt having this. It looks very tempting and it smells so good too. Mushroom and Chicken Pasta with Laksa sauce from Mien. (Think the laksa sauce is a recent addition?)



I was wondering what I should eat, so I walked around the food centre. The smell of the laksa sauce made me want to order it as well. So I did. I had the Seafood pasta with Laksa sauce. $4.



Yummy. But be careful. Sauce splashes happens. (all the time!) Arrgh. I had some laksa sauce splattered on my shirt.

I had my order done in less than 2 minutes. The best stall to order if you want really fast food.


Mien by Firstpasta
Stall 195
Bukit Timah Food Centre
116 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 588172

Ming Jia Korean Food @ Bukit Timah Plaza

Colleague wanted to go try the same Korean food after reading what I posted.

2 colleagues order the bibimbap to try. 2 ordered the Korean instant noodles. They said although it is instant noodles, it was done so nicely. I laughed. Instant noodles, cooked by someone else still taste better. Maybe I should cook for them and they pay me instead. LOL

Anyway, this is the 'shared' food. The rice cakes. Mixed reviews. Some liked it, some did not.



Well for me, I wanted to try the Kimchi soup. I think it was $5.50
Another colleague also wanted to try it too. Well, I like it. Like it a lot (because I like kimchi haha). It's very very appetizing, in fact the more you taste it, the more hungry we became. It is kimchi with some tofu, with two pieces of almost invisible piece of pork.



It came with white rice.



We could choose one of the veggies that they have. I took the seaweed.



Dpuk took the bean sprouts.



Will try the other stall the next time we visit Bukit Timah Plaza.
(The Korean show on Channel U, Couple or Trouble ends Monday nite)

Ming Jia Korean Food
Bukit Timah Plaza
B1-07
1 Jalan Anak Bukit
Singapore 588996

Hotshots Burger @ Lau Pa Sat

Was tempted to eat this because Southernoise sent me a link in my FB inbox few days ago. It so happened that last night, a few friends wanted supper and we went to Lau Pa Sat. Aha. Time for me to try the Hotshots Burger.

Have seen this stall, but have never ordered from it. I usually will order the CKT from its neighbour instead. No CKT today. It's burger day. (or rather night.)




Not sure of which burger to eat, I asked the lady at the counter. She said try this. So, I had the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. With real Bleu Cheese.



After ordering and paying. I was given this card. I had to wait for my burger. It told me why I needed to wait too. LOL



The guy that was packing my burger did it with so much care. It's so neat too!
This is it, back on my seat.



After carefully opened it, this is what I saw. Oh, the smell of the bleu cheese. Either you like it or you hate it. People beside me could smell it immediately!



The bun was really soft. The meat was juicy. You need lots of serviettes or better still, prepare to come here with 'wet ones', because the juice will be dripping. Enough said. You try it and let me know.

p/s I think it is Ice's favourite burger? by her description in HGW ;-)



Hotshots Burger
Stall 76 Lau Pa Sat Festival Market
18 Raffles Quay
Singapore 048582

Ming Jia Korean Food @ Bukit Timah Plaza

Last nite, sis and I wanted a quick and fast dinner so we can then proceed to do some groceries. We were at Bukit Timah Plaza and wondering what to eat. There's only 13 places to eat in this place, (counted from the mall directory) and most of it is closed for dinner.

We saw a shop lot that has the sign board Ming Jia Korean Food. We walked nearer and saw that there's people eating here. We thought why not? Let's try it.

If you watch Korean dramas, this place looks like those little shops, where in the dramas people come in for a quick and cheap meal. (not restaurant looking, but more street side stall look) We saw that the lady boss is Korean too. We know she's Korean because when she speaks she sounded like how the speak in Korean dramas. (i.e. when you turn on the Dual Sound mode on TV, switch to the Korean mode and listen to the actors and actresses begin to speak English.) We were getting excited. (LOL... like mad Korean drama fans)



Sis ordered the bibimbap. $5.

It does not come in hot stone plates like in other fanciful restaurants. It comes in a steel bowl, just like how they eat at home in Korean dramas. (You know in the dramas they will always mix their rice in steel bowls and always say how delicious it is. LOL)

Looks plain right? But surprisingly it taste good. It comes with a bowl of seaweed soup too. Sis loves the soup that taste like how mum cooks it. The egg is only fried when we ordered the rice too.



I had the "Black Noodles". (That's how it is named on the board) $4.50
Looks so instant noodles right? But it is kinda addictive. The more you eat it, the more you like it. Think its the sauce. ;-)



It comes with a small saucer of Kimchi. It's definitely made there, because when we were there, the Korean lady was mixing the Kimchi in a huge container. I guess it's for either tomorrow's or day after's. The one I had was taken from the fridge. Nice and cold. Yums. This kimchi goes well with the noodles. Makes it more addictive!



Sis said, we shall come back again to try other things on the menu. The meals taste very homely and it is cheap too. Two persons meal for less than $10. Anyone been here and can recommend what is good here so we can try next time?

OK. Just found a newspaper article that has this place mentioned. Upper Bukit Timah Road is a mini Koreatown. There's 4 korean outlets in this area, plus a Korean Supermarket too.

Ming Jia Korean Food
Bukit Timah Plaza
B1-07
1 Jalan Anak Bukit
Singapore 588996

Petit Provence @ The Central

Our bro got off work earlier than usual, and he went to The Central which is next to his office and brought this back to us. We used to buy this from the Holland Village branch.

The Choco Wassant and the Cream Wassant. Comes with a pack of 10, 5 of each flavour and cost $6. This was what was left behind for me this morning.



Yes, they tasted as yummy as ever. Light and fluffy, very tasty.



Here's the snapshot of the bag. It has all the details you need to find it.
You should really go to this place and buy it and try it. Pictures do injustice to it. ;-)
(ok ok, some people might say its overrated, but our family loves it!)



Petit Provence
6 Eu Tong Sen Street,
#B1-29 The Central
Singapore 059817

Thunder Tea Rice @ Amoy Street Food Centre

I saw this stall last week while I ate at Amoy Street Food Centre. Over the weekend, I saw an article appeared in the newspaper. While walking to the food centre for dinner, I headed straight to it.

Some people says it is an acquired taste, but is it really so?
Anyone who like veggies will like it. I had it from the same franchise few months ago at VivoCity branch too.




If you want to know how much and what they have, just look here.



I had the brown rice version. Since I am eating healthy, might as well eat healthier right?



The green stuff for its name sake. The "lei cha".



I am not sure if there's a proper way to eat it. I just stir everything up!



I like it. Maybe I like all the ingredients in the rice.


Thunder Tea Rice
Amoy Street Food Centre
Stall 01-29
MND Building Annexe B
7 Maxwell Road
Singapore 069111