Tasty Thai Hut @ Bukit Timah Food Centre

Momo and I spent last Saturday 'babysitting' my cousin. What activities can you do so that teenagers stay entertained so I can catch up with emails etc. I realise my newest toy was a life saver! I bought an iPad in UK and my cousin is enjoying herself downloading and playing games on it!

Momo introduced "Sally Spa" and she played the lite version so many times over. We decided to just purchase the full version so she can proceed to paint nails! Momo's iPhone had the full version. She was just too good and quickly played all the stages! Playing Sally Spa on the iPad is so so different! It's so huge and fun said the two girls.

Sally Spa is what I call a silly girls' game. We decided to play something more intellectual. I bought  Scrabble for iPad. We were all so intrigue with it. The iPad acts as the crossword board. The wooden tray to hold the letter tiles were our iPhones! It was all connected via bluetooth. We can flip the letters from our iPhones to the iPad!  How cool is that! The iPhone app has a built in dictionary too, so can check the words first so the rest of the players won't call us a nincompoop for putting down silly words!

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Before we took over the babysitting, we ate at Bukit Timah Food Centre.
Momo said she has not tried Tasty Thai Hut and wanted to try it. She had the Green Curry.




with rice... of course!

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I had the Phad Thai. Yes, I ordered it because there was no one in front of me ordering it.

Remember I told you all before, if someone orders it in front of you, order something else. Portions will be smaller if two person's orders were cooked together and split up later to be served. ;-p

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Since Momo had not tried the food, I ordered the super chokingly spicy tom yam soup for her to try. It looks clear and harmless, but it's really potent and addictive!




The soup's has a fair amount of seafood and you can see there are lots of aromatic leaves in the soup. We like!






Tasty Thai Hut
Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre
116 Upper Bukit Timah Road
#02-159
Singapore 588172

Liu San @ Bukit Timah Plaza

It has been a few months since we ate here. We are back again and we are pleasantly surprised that they got proper menu now. It used to be an order chit with words and price.

My sis and her colleagues were eating there and I gatecrashed.

***

One of sis' colleagues will be going home for dinner, so she just ordered a little starter to fill her tummy first. I can't remember the name, but I think it was Mi Tong Kueh or something like that. I was too shy to ask what it is inside (hey, remember I gatecrashed), only asked if I can take a photo of her food. LOL

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I had the Braised Minced Pork Rice. A very simple dish, but I like it.
Minced Pork with rice makes me happy.

I was going to try the Taiwan Curry Rice, but it was sold out. Sigh... Next time.

***

Another of sis' colleague had the Oyster Mee Suah. She said she has been here 10 times and this is the first time she got to eat it. "Finally!",  she announced to the lady taking the orders. It was the last bowl for the day too! She was seen enjoying her mee suah.

***

Sis wanted to order something else and it was sold out, so she had the Mince Pork Noodles instead. It's almost similar to what I had. She had the noodles version of it. ;-)



The noodles are a little spicy compared to my rice version. She enjoyed it.
She was too hungry and was digging in right after I took the first photo. Looks good eh?

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We all shared this "power" (I think, can't remember the name) chicken.  Meat from a drumstick cut into small pieces and deep fried. A bit like KFC's pop corn. I think KFC's version is nicer though. ;-p




It was a quick dinner. Sis and her colleagues are teachers. After dinner, they went to sit at a coffee place and do the usual marking, marking and more marking!


Liu San Taiwanese Delicacies
1 Jalan Anak Bukit
#01-09
Bukit Timah Plaza
Singapore 588996

Organic Himalaya

I happen to 'walk' into this little kiosk where Organic Himalaya was doing a taste test few weeks ago.


Most of the time in supermarkets, etc, or even my recent trip to Europe where you can taste so many things for free, I don't like to taste the samples.I shun them because I always think that they are not clean or hygienic and I might just get stomachache later.

But the lady manning the counter said, you should try. I saw so many people tasting it and all had happy smiley faces so I was convinced to sample it.

I tasted their Himalayan Honey and boy was it nectarous! It's the cloudy kind of honey. So thick, so sweet (ya all honey is sweet right?) and fragrant. So unlike me, but I took a second helping of it!



I also tasted their Chutneys / Pickles and I would say they are really really nice too!
I tried the Spicy Brinjal Pickle and Tomato Mix Pickle.

Oooo... you get pickly and jumpy with the little acidic, sourish, a little tart taste and yet at the same time, you can taste the sweetness, spiciness and "umami" kind of taste. You know what I am trying to describe right?
I had it with little cubes of bread.



I took a flyer that was given out. The lady managing the taste station that day was Cynthia Wee-Hoefer. She and her husband owns a farm in the mountains of Nepal. They practice organic farming and their products and produce are flown in to Singapore.  They have teas, fresh produce, jams, oils etc.

You can contact her at 6468 3127 / cynthiahoefer@mac.com if you want more information.
They don't have a shop, but operate from home.

But this post might come in at the right time, because if you want to look for them, they do set up a stall at the Loewen Gardens Farmers' Market, which opens every 1st Saturday of the month from 9 AM - 2 PM. (Which is this coming Saturday!)


Loewen Gardens Farmers' Market

75E Loewen Rd, Tanglin Village
Singapore 248845
Contact: 6474 0441


(This is not a sponsored post, I thought many of you will like it too!)

Roszy's Tiffin House @ GoldHill Centre

 A few weeks ago, Camemberu, Momo and I went to try out the Malay Food at this place called Roszy's Tiffin House. You would have read about it. It's all over the newspapers, food magazines, blogs.

Why is it call Roszy's Tiffin House? Roszy's the lady owner and it's because it has been Roszy's dream to have her own restaurant. She wants everyone to savour good wholesome home-cooked food from Java, Indonesia that her grandfather originated long ago.Their recipe is from her grandfather that has been passed to her mum (who is a chef) and now to her and her husband Ian.

Her dreams and hard work came into fruition in Jan 2010.

In short, we liked her food!

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Wondered what we ate?
This was the Nasi Lemak Set. $8. It was one of the daily sets that we noticed on the offers of the day.



The sambal, acar and ikan bilis with kacang was good. You know when things are done with patience and sincerity, you can kinda feel it in the food you eat although it is common food.



We were three hungry people, so we ordered a few things and not sure what comes with what!
I think probably this Ayam Masak Merah (Malay Style Chicken in Red Sauce) came as part of the Nasi Lemak Set? The ayam was really pleasant. I must confess I have this love for Ayam Masak Merah, so I might be a bit bias. :-)



For the rice, they use basmati rice. A luxury for nasi lemak right?
It was topped with a crispy sides fried egg. The rice with the eggs, cucumbers, sambal, acar in your mouth, I am sure you will love it!

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This was the Ikan Asam Pedas. (Spicy Tamarind Fish) $5.50.

We usually expect it to be very sour and spicy, but their is the milder version.
If you do not take very spicy food and want to try it out for the first time, you can order this.
(You better ask first, just in case they have 'spici-fied' this dish.)

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Now, this is the dish that's very popular here. It's a communal dish that in the old kampung days, people will 'bungkus' (pack) back some of it after a 'kenduri' (feast).

Authentic Nasi Ambeng (shown here is a single person serving for $18)

On top of the rice is a banana leaf that separates the dishes and the rice. Right above the banana leave is 'sambal goreng' (tempe, tofu, long beans spicy mix), then above it, 'terung sambal' (spicy brinjal/aubergine). It's then topped with Begedel (potato patties), Tauhu Goreng (fried tofu), Tempe (fried fermented bean cakes) and Ikan Tenggiri Goreng (Fried Spanish Mackeral)

To eat it, you split the banana leaf from the middle so that the ingredients will now rest directly on the rice. The banana leaf is the barrier that prevents the rice from being soggy.

I found a video by Roszy's Tiffin House on how to assemble their Nasi Ambeng here.
You should order the 3 to 4 person when you come here as a group!

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We also wanted to try their Beef Rendang ($6.50).
Another of my favourite malay dishes!

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The Terung Sambal. (Spicy aubergine/brinjal and long beans) $3.50
It was mouth watering!

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This was the Sup Buntut (Oxtail Soup). A comfort soup indeed.






This is a good place to go if you want to enjoy some home style Javanese food.

Oh yes, when it was time for us to pay for our meals and leave, we went to the counter to pay and the owners said the meal's on them.

Ian shared to us about Roszy's dream and how they finally opened this place. Guess who is the QC for the food? Ian's mother-in-law. She's a picky person and insist things must be done the traditional and time consuming way. It was only recently that Ian and Roszy convinced her to use the blender instead of the lesung (mortar) for pounding their spices and aromatics!


ROSZY'S TIFFIN HOUSE
51 Thomson Road
#01-203 Goldhill Centre
Singapore 307638
Tel: +65 6255 4788
Open Mon–Sat
11am – 3pm; 6.30pm – 10.30pm

Wedding Dinner @ Grand Park City Hall

It's great to be back! Our first dinner when we got back was our cousin's wedding dinner!

We sacrificed not taking the later A380 flight but the earlier flight so that we can get back in time for the wedding dinner.

Congratulations our dear Josh and LK! What a wonderful couple you both are!

***

The wedding dinner was at Grand Park City Hall. As usual, the dinner started with very dim lights, so the first few photos are grainy, so pardon the 'not so clear' photos ;-)

The 1st Course: Grand Park Suckling Pig Combination.
There was Marinated Octopus, Roast Suckling Pig, Marinated Jellyfish, Prawn Salad, Crispy Crabmeat Ball.

My favourites on the combination plates are Octopus and Jellyfish ;-)

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2nd Course: Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crabmeat & Four Treasures.

Guess what? They are teaching 5 year olds in kindergarten to love sharks nowadays! Our little nephew said no to eating shark! His dad said that! He then drew sharks on his little sketch book. Oh no, should I be guilty?

***

3rd Course: Sauteed Fresh Scallops, Asparagus with Macadamia Nuts in XO Sauce.

Sis and I looked at the Asparagus and smiled.
One of the many family activities we did while in UK was to pick strawberries and asparagus from the fields! Picking fruits and veg was really hard work, but it sure was fun. It was strawberries and asparagus season! Strawberries straight from the ground is so so delicious and it was warm! (It's summer now)

The kitchen prepared this dish very fabulously. The asparagus was tender and just enough XO Sauce to cover it all. We loved it!

***

4th Course: Deep Fried Large Prawns in Wasabi Sauce Topped with Sesame Seeds

We realise many people are adding fruits to Chinese dishes nowadays. There were strawberries and grapes in this dish.

The wasabi prawns might not look so appetizing but it was crunchy and ambrosial.

***

5th Course: Steamed Red Garoupa in Hong Kong Style

The fish was not happy when we ate it eh?
Dear Fish, you did not die in vain! You were fresh and totally delectable.

***

6th Course: Roast Duck in Canton Style

Duck here was not bad. But.......

Guess what was our last dinner in UK before we arrived back in Singapore? The Roast Duck and Crispy Duck from Four Seasons London! LOL.

It's true, if you like duck, and happen to be in London, go try the Four Season Duck!

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7th Course: Fried Udon Noodles with Seafood

Instead of the usual Yee Fu noodles, this rendition of Fried Udon was delicious!

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The 8th course was Cream of Mango Sago with Pomelo.


It was a good dinner. The moment the dinner ended, we rushed home.
We were so jet lagged and was looking forward to sleep in our own bed!


Congrats again Josh and LK!
It's also a great time to meet up with cousins and uncles and aunties who came in.

Delifrance @ Terminal 1 Changi Airport

Thanks to all who asked what happened to me. I am fine and I am back!
Pardon me for not updating anything here. I only tweeted updates from my phone.
You can follow me on twitter - www.twitter.com/keropokman ;-)

I was "leaving on a jetplane" (I am using John Denver's famous song title, it has been ringing in my head since early this evening!) to this location, and came back 2 days ago (Sunday). It was a great trip! I was briefly in London, spent most of my time in a small town called Guildford and had 2 side trips to Paris and Rome. ;-)

While I sort out my travel photos, here are photos of my last meal just before flying off.

We left for the airport early hoping that we could eat something nice there. When we got there, we realise Terminal 1 is under renovation. Most places to eat with a decent seating area in the public area were all closed for renovation as well. We decided to eat 'inside' i.e. shops after immigration.

 ***

This was the quick bite at Delifrance. Yes, we know we are going to France, but we still ate here.
I had a Seafood Croissant. Standard fare like any Delifrance in Singapore.

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Sis had the Chicken Ciabata. She wanted the Crab with the Ciabata but it was sold out.



While we were more than halfway though the meal, the Delifrance folks gave us a delightful surprise. The lady that we earlier ordered our food came over and said, we were sorry that we could not serve you what you wanted earlier. We now have some crab fillings and we would like you to have them. She saw that we were almost done and had nothing to eat the crab with, she came back with some baguette too! (FOC if you are wondering...)


Wow, this Delifrance has the best customer service ever ya?
I think it's little gestures like this that helped Changi Airport become No 1 again?

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Mum decided to have some Spaghetti Carbonara. Mum likes it. Sis and I were saying to her, we are looking forward to pasta in Italy! LOL

Pardon the photo, mum already took a bite of it. ;-)

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My cup of hot chocolate to warm up my tummy so that I can get straight to sleep on the plane!

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If you are wondering why did we go to UK?
It's because mum's gonna be a granny! She was there to be the confinement lady/mummy!

We each have an allowance of 23kg of baggage, so that mum can bring in all the ingredients she need to prepare the confinement food and we can also bring in jars of Goober Grape for my bro-in-law! We had brought in my bro's favourite Koka no MSG Tom Yam Hor Fun. (Any of you like this too? I like it!)

Sis asked us to bring her Chiffon Cake baking tins! I was kiasu, I brought over 2! Mum said while I am at Poon Huat, get some 'Ang Ku Kueh' and 'Tho Kueh' moulds too. Guess what? I bought 20 mini chwee kueh moulds, pineapple tart moulds as well! Now you know what we brought over with our 69kg luggage allowance! LOL. What is this thing about Chiffon Cake, I realise the Sunday Times just had a write up about Chiffon Cake! It all started with my sis' craving for Chiffon Cake? LOL.

By the way, if you are wondering, we only brought things that are legal. No bak kwa or anything prohibited by the UK Border Agency / Quarantine. By the way, there's a Bee Cheng Hiang Bak Kwa shop near the departure gates! I asked them if I can bring them in to UK, they gave the the usual "I don't know wor... I work here only, don't ask me lah". You know the answer when they give such answers.

You can get almost everything in UK! One of the days we were there, we visited the biggest Asian Grocery Store I have seen! It's called Wing Yip. We visited their Croydon branch. Oh man, it's so so huge, and you can find any ingredient you want! From Chinese, Malay, Thai, Indian, Philippines etc. We bought bamboo leaves here for mum to make her Nyonya Bak Chang. For the first time, we tried bak chang made from Organic British Pork bought from Waitrose or / and Sainbury's.


Have a great week everyone!
It's a very very busy week ahead!

I miss my little nephew!