Hambaobao @ Beauty World Centre

The wife and I have been wanting to try HamBaoBao since it's in our neighbourhood. Everyday around evening, we would have to think what to have for dinner. Depending on baby's mood and the weather we plan where to go. Evenings are when I take over from the wife the 'duties' of taking care of baby. It's time when mummy eats a hearty meal so she is energized for the next day's routine.

The day was right, cool weather, this is going to be at a hawker centre on the 'rooftop' of Beauty World Centre where it's usually warm. So we hop on the bus and stop at the upcoming Beauty World MRT station stop.



The tables were mostly packed with everyone ordering from different stalls at this hawker centre. The 2 tables that were empty were right in front of the stall. Maybe it's our day to try it.

Looking at the menu and peeping at the orders that were going out, the wife knew she can wallop 2 of the burgers. The appetite of BF mums are enormous. They can eat and won't grow in size because of the calories burnt breastfeeding!

So the wife ordered and they asked if you wanted fairy fries, the wife said no, thinking it was just like other fries serves elsewhere. It was until we saw other people's orders of fairy fries that we decided we should try it as well, and she went to add one portion of fairy fries.


Crispy Pork Belly HBB ($4.50)

I had a smile on my face. My favourite meat with hoisin sauce, English mustard 'kiap' between a burger. Some meat with mustard over it, then topped with cucumber and the crispy bits!

The burger came together nicely. I love dipping my Crispy Pork in mustard to give it that bit of zing, the splash of English mustard they spread gave it the zing that I like. The cucumber also gave it a nice refreshing crunch and a little moisture as you bite into it. 



I thought it deserved another shot that here it is. I am becoming quite pro taking photos using the iPhone 6 without anyone noticing and I have a baby in kangaroo pouch position in front of me.

I also like the fact that it comes with a piece of paper so I can eat the burger holding the paper so that my hands are clean to take care of baby and nothing will drip on baby that's in front of me.


The Classic Beef HBB ($4.50)

The wife's first burger was the classic beef. Simple yet quite good. A beef patty, cheese, homemade tomato sauce, pickles and lettuce. If you like a simple burger and a meat eater, this is a good choice.  If you are a big eater, order 2, it can be small to some. The pricing allows you to order 2 without burning the pocket.

The wife always uses her hands eating her burgers. Since it's the husband's time to take care of baby, she can use her hands and get deliciously sticky hands. No fear, all well prepared mums have lots of wet wipes and tissues in the SG50 Skip Hop Diaper Bag! 




Oh yes, Fairy Fried are hand cut potato wedges. It's pretty addictive too.
No wonder everyone was ordering it.



Dat Dory Fish HBB ($5)

The wife loves fish burgers and this was her second burger. She said she'll gladly come to the fourth floor than to eat the fish burger on the first floor. (This only residents around this area will know what's on the first floor.)

A palm size piece of dory with tartar sauce, zucchini, red pepper and cheese. The wife likes it because of the grilled pepper and the tartar sauce. The fish has some char and was juicy, you can see it in the photo above. The overall bite into the burger is very balanced. She said this left a nice impression on her.

***

Fast forward 2 or 3 weeks later, we thought of the burgers again. Weather has been too warm and humid to bring the baby out, so I packed the burgers back.

Speaking from our experience, I would recommend that you eat there instead of packing it back and the Fairy Fries will become a little limp and also the burger buns have absorbed all the moisture from the burgers.



I misread wife's SMS and ordered a Dory plus extra beef patty in a burger. She wanted 2 individual burgers, but I ordered the 2 in 1. Well, now we know it can be done, fish and beef in a burger!

I am not a fan of Ayam Buah Keluak, but I ordered it because we have tried everything in the menu. The only thing we haven't tried. I should buy it for the Father-in-law who is Baba, he would appreciate the 'weird' taste of buah keluak.

Sis was also on our chat group and she said she want to try the burgers too even though she already had her dinner! She wanted the pulled pork burger.


Ayam Buah Keluak HBB ($5)

It tasted ok, I am not a fan of the taste of buah keluak, but I ate it, so I think probably Babas would love it. Knowing Babas and Nonyas, they are also a bunch of super picky people, so half of them will like it and half will say, my grandma's version is better. (I doubt their grandma will make a burger right? haha)

It's minced chicken with the rempah and buah keluak. It's a piece of dark patty. For the veggies, they use chap chye!

Buah Keluak fans, try and let me know if it's ok for you.


Dat Dory Fish HBB plus additional beef patty ($5 + $2.50)

The wife's fish and beef burger in 1. It does look good right?
I think next time I will have the Classic Beef + additional patty for myself.


Spiced Pull Pork HBB ($5)

It's pulled pork shoulder, cheese with homemade coleslaw. This is sis' order. I had a bite and it's not bad, but I prefer Crispy Pork Belly and the Classic Beef.

While waiting for my orders I read KF Seetoh's write up about them that was hung on the stall. This couple was previously studied food science diploma and nursing and decided to open up a hawker stall. Both of them are only in the 20s.


What would you recommend?
1.Crispy Pork Belly
2. Dat Dory Fish


Baby notes:
This place is a hawker centre, so it can be quite warm for babies on certain days. Find a table that's on the sides and it might be cooler. Baby was sleeping all the while in her BabyBjorn Carrier. It's a quick meal so you can bring baby back to the shopping mall to cool down a bit before going home.  Can't remember if there's a feeding or nappy change area as we did not need it.


Hambaobao
144 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Beauty World Centre
#04-49
Singapore 588177

Hours: 12 pm to 8 pm. Closed Mondays and alternate Tuesdays

SweetSpot Deli @ Marina Bay Sands

The wife is traveling to the US for a work trip and we were talking about the meals that she will be looking forward to and some not so. The business lunches that she will have with colleagues and bosses will be more formal and 'strict'. She is however looking forward to the simple, cheap but super delicious deli sandwiches that she loves. Loads of Corned Beef and Pastrami on toasted bread that gives you a great satisfaction with every bite.

So when I told her if she wanted to come to Sweet Spot Deli for some tasting that was arranged by the PR folks of MBS, she looked at me and said Desserts for dinner? Are you sure?

If you are like her thinking that SweetSpot is all about desserts and all things sweet, it is. SweetSpot Deli however is not. MBS has a few SweetSpot, and look for the one with the word Deli if you want some easy takeaway food that's not all just sweet stuff.



Sweet Spot Deli has taken over what used to be Java Detour, if you are wondering where SweetSpot Deli is. It's a simple looking deli with basic chairs and table and most things DIY.

Behind the simple looking Deli is quite delicious Manhattan staples that 2 chefs at MBS has created. Executive Chef Christopher Christie and Executive Pastry Chef Ryan Witcher are behind the food here. They have brought to us New York style Deli sandwiches that tempts the wife, and Cakes and Desserts that tempts me.

They use disposable cutlery, plates and bowls here.  I noticed the plates and bowls are mostly disposable cornware stuff. If you are there for a conference (that don't provide food) and need to grab a quick lunch, this might be a good place to grab affordable food.


Chicken Soup with Matzo Ball ($6)

Something that we don't usually find in Singapore. Chicken Matzo Ball Soup. Matzoh balls are made from matzoh meal and eggs and it does have a very unique texture. To me, it has a texture of firm tofu (taukwa). Served in chicken soup, it's something that many of us will love to have on cold days like what we are having these few weeks.

Something that looks really simple, but this version according to Chef Christie has to be boiled for an hour. After the balls are done, it's served in a delicious chicken soup.

I was curious to find out more, so I did a search, there are recipes that boil for 20 minutes, there are those that boils for 1 hour (those from NY based chefs). 

If you don't like Matzo balls, this dish is actually the Chicken Soup dish on the menu. You can choose between Matzo balls, Rice or Egg Noodles to go with it.




They also have a variety of sides for $2 each. We tried the mash potato and coleslaw. I particularly liked their coleslaw that was to my taste, crunchy and the dressing is just nice. If you like pickles, you can order it too, but the sandwiches already comes with it, so order it only if you are an absolute pickle fan.


Corned Beef, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut and Russian Dressing on Grilled Rye.
(Regular (70gm) $9, Large (110gm) $14)

The New York Deli sandwiches on the menu are very delicious. What you get is quite a lot of filling (70 or 110gm of it), you can choose regular or large. I suggest the large and then share it with someone. If you are alone, pack the other half for tea!

The rye bread was so crispy after being grilled. You take a big bite and you hear and feel the crunch then next you bite into the soft and yet firmly assembled cheese, corned beef and sauerkraut. The flavor profile is savory and enough acidity to counter it from the sauerkraut. The melted swiss cheese gives a nice warm gooey feel in your mouth.

Surprisingly it does not fall apart even though it's so packed with filling.



Comes with a nice long strip of pickles too. I heard they are very particular of the pickles they use here too. Are you a pickles person?

I didn't write down the taste notes the other day, so I can't remember if they were the sweeter or sour version. I think it was the sourish tart version. (Correct me if I am wrong when you have it there before)


Pastrami, Swiss Cheese, Coleslaw and Russian Dressing on Grilled Rye.
(Regular (70gm) $9, Large (110gm) $14)

We also tried a similar sandwich. This is without Corn Beef, but lots of Pastrami and Coleslaw. A very delicious sandwich too. A nice toasty sandwich for those who loves pastrami. Something so simple yet so tasty. I know I can't do this at home because I just can't assemble it nicely enough and I don't have that toaster grill that presses everything down nicely.

(If you are like me asking what's the difference between Corned Beef and Pastrami, my short answer is that they are almost the same. Both started off as Corned Beef, but Pastrami has an additional step of a flavor rub over it and then getting smoked)


I know many people who work in the Suntec Towers and also MBFC are tired of eating the same thing. Both are not too far and is walkable too!



Line-caught Albacore Tuna, Lettuce and Tomatoes on rustic white bread.
(Regular (70gm) $8, Large (110gm) $11)

This tuna sandwich something you would be familiar with, but the "greenies" amongst us will be glad to know that the tuna used here is the sustainable type. They are line-caught tuna.


Smoked Salmon, Creme Cheese, Tomato and Red Onion on Toasted Bagel. (110 gm, $13)

This was good! I eat bagels plain sometimes and my secondary school friend will tell me, wrong wrong wrong, he says I committed a cardinal sin. This should please him. Toasted Bagel with Creme Cheese and topped with smoked salmon!

The whole plate looks so appetizing already!



SweetSpot makes their own bagels. If you don't already know, there's a huge underground complex that houses the MBS kitchen that is churning out food 24x7!

The photo above will tell it all about the layers of tuna. No further description needed.



Devil's Chocolate Cake  ($8)

Executive Pastry Chef Ryan Witcher has been around the world including stints in 2 NYC Hotels. Here at SweetSpot Deli, the cakes are huge, yes, very big pieces and certain cakes are sold out rather quickly.  The best selling cake is the Signature Cheesecake. It was already sold out the day we were there.

This is the Devil's Chocolate Cake. From the above, I can see 4 layers of chocolate cakes between 4 layers of chocolate ganache. If you are here, I suggest 2 persons share 1 sandwich, 1 side and 1 slice of cake and your own drinks.


Blueberry Cheesecake ($8)

Blueberry Cheesecake is cheesecake with blueberries on top. At the back of my mind, I kept thinking I need to come back to try the Signature Cheesecake. So I shall be back another day for it.


Notes:
It's a no frills place with great food behind the simplicity. Note that only SweetSpot Deli serves the Deli food, the other SweetSpot branches do not. It opens early at 8 am everyday. So those who are on their way to work in the area can drop by and grab some breakfast too.

There are 11 kinds of New York style Deli Sandwiches on the menu. The cheapest sandwich on the menu is the 'without meat' option. A Swiss Cheese, Coleslaw, Russian Dressing on Grilled Rye costs only $6. There's also 4 kinds of salads.

During lunch hour, you can add $4.50 for a soda and a side dish or $1 for a cookie.



SweetSpot Deli
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Bay Level, #01-30
10 Bayfront Avenue,
Singapore 018956

Tel: +65 6688 8584
Hours: 8 am - 11 pm (Sun - Thu) / 8 am - 12 am (Fri, Sat, Eve Public Holiday)

De Burg @ Bukit Merah Lane

Another burger place that you should visit if you are into burgers. We met up with some friends that we have not met for sometime for dinner. We were thinking of where to go and they finally said they felt like eating burgers and want to try De Burg.

It's a burger place that serves really good and huge burgers in a Kopitiam! The burgers that comes out of this little kitchen turns out really good and satisfying.

Just that on some warm nights, you wish it was cooler so that you can enjoy the burgers more.



Look at their tables! Wrapped as if they are picnic tables!

We were there for dinner, so only the burger shop, another western food shop and the drinks stall were opened. Heard the western food shop is really good too.



After ordering your food, you get this buzzer.

Notice that it says burgers are not fast food. It is to tell you that it will take time for the orders to be ready. It took us nearly 30 minutes for the buzzer to sound for our orders.

It's cook to order, and if there are lots of customers, you got to wait. Bring a book to read or iPad along so that you can play Candy Crush. See if the burgers come first or you can clear the tough levels first! ;-)



De Burg ($18.50)
This is their signature burger, the burger named after the place. It's quite a huge burger!

It's 200 gm of Australian Striploin Patty, BBQ Sauce, Cheese, Grilled Crispy Bacon, Grilled Portobello, Salad, Tomato Slice, Onions and Mayo.

Tell me which of the ingredients you don't like? I like all of it!
One of our friend had this.



The Richmond ($19.40)

This was my burger. It's called the Richmond and according to the menu, it's named after Don Richmond. Why? Not written there. Maybe you can ask them next time you are there.

Can you see what's the different between the first burger and this? It's basically the same thing plus a layer of Peanut Butter below! Yes, peanut butter!



Since this is the burger I was eating, I can take my time taking a couple more photos of it. The ring of mayo on the bun. So clever isn't it? Look at the photo before the above and you can see the effect on it on the burger. Looks like an extra layer doesn't it?



A zoom-in of the burger. A huge piece of portobello that was so juicy. A little crispy bacon giving it a nice crisp. I tell you, when you make your own burger at home, spread some peanut butter on it! The beef patty was also nicely done.

I should have cut it cross section to take photos, but I was already too hungry. Everyone on the table were already digging into their burgers!




The Singhjector ($17.50)

Another burger with an interesting name. On the menu, it says it's named after Sunit Singh, which is their number 1 fan. Sorry, I don't know who Sunit is.

It's a very porky burger. It's 200 grams of Australian Pork Patty, Iberico Chorizo, Grilled Crispy Bacon, Cheese, BBQ Sauce and Mayo.

As I am looking at this now, I feel like going back soon to try this. Was a bit shy to pinch other people's food when we were all so hungry after the long wait!





I can't really tell which is which for the remaining 2 burgers. On the receipt that I had, there's still the Cheeseburger ($13.50) and Mushroom Cheese ($14.90) that should be these two burgers.

I think photo right above this is the mushroom cheese. It's suppose to have a portobello on it. I remember the wife ordering the mushroom cheese and she always removes her onions, so this must be hers! The portobello must have been hidden below the salad leaf.

So, should you visit this place?

The burgers here are good. Maybe I should say it's great. Patties I have been told are just meat without fillers. The menu looks interesting. There's upgrades like adding an addition 100grams of meat to the existing 200g burger. That would be so huge! There's Wagyu upgrade as well.

For some burger like the mushroom and cheeseburgers, there's also the 100gm versions too. So for those who don't like too much meat, you can order that.

The prices of the burgers includes the side dishes. For 100gm burgers you can have 1 side. For 200gm burgers, you get to choose 2 side dishes. For all our burgers, we had chips and salad.

The heat might make you feel a little uncomfortable. We just happen to go on a very warm night. We ordered so many drinks to cool down while waiting for our burgers. When the burgers arrived, we ate and forgot about the slight discomfort.


De Burg
119 Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-40
Singapore 151119

Hours:
Tue - Thu: 11.30 am - 3 pm, 6 pm - 9 pm
Fri - Sun: 11.30 am - 3 pm, 6.30 pm - 9 pm
Closed on Mondays and last Tuesday of the month

relish by wild rocket @ cluny court, bukit timah

It was one of the cold and rainy evenings. The wife and I decided to have something homey and yet not very homey style. Food like luncheon meat with porridge, but don't want the porridge. Kong Bak Pau but don't want the Pau kind of thing.

So we though of relish. It's where both of us can easily get to after work and it's on the way home.



Probably a whole can luncheon meat that was cut to look like chips.

It's very addictive once you start. You can eat and eat and eat because it's fried till it's slightly crispy so you don't feel the oiliness of the luncheon meat.

Probably half a million of calories.



The wife had the wild rocket burger. A burger that has more meat than the bun, with a tomato-ish paste on top of it. Wife says it has good flavour and it's hearty beef with texture.

Fits into what we were thinking about. More meat without bun. She did eat the bun after all, it's kind of wasteful if we leave the buns there. :-)



I had my favourite BBQ Char Siu Pork with Soft Bones Open Burger.
It's dark and sticky and delicious. A huge chunk of pork on top of a slice of toast.



Lifting it up a bit, you can see the soft bones that has been soaked and coated through. I love how the soft bones is already so soft, even when I am 80 years old, I probably can still eat this with my dentures!

After the meal we were still caught in the rain, so we continued to order drinks while we waited for the rain to stop. We continued waiting by walking around Cold Storage because we were getting too sleepy after the meal.


Relish by Wild Rocket @ Cluny Court501 Bukit Timah Road
#02-01, Cluny Court
Singapore 259760

Tel: 6763 1547

Omakase Burger @ The Grandstand

The wife and I love burgers and when we hear that there's a new place for burgers, we will find some time to go try it.

We heard that "Omakase Burger" that's located at The Grandstand (previous Turf City) has opened so we thought we would give it a try. Since it's located not too far from my in-law's place, we asked them along too!



We were there around 12:15 pm and the place was not as packed as we thought it would be.



The menu that was at the entrance. Yes, it's the higher priced gourmet burgers.
You can click on the photo above to see the full version, or you can visit Omasake's website to see the menu too.



After placing our orders, we got this buzzer that's getting popular everywhere!

It's self service here.
We were told to collect our drinks after we order at the food and drinks collection counter.
You collect your meal at the counter again when the buzzer vibrates.



We had all our meals 'upgraded' to a full meal, i.e. with drinks and fries. Some drinks and fries have different prices, so you top up accordingly.

The coke here comes served in the glass bottles. For those who can taste the difference between canned and bottled version, you will be glad. The less metallic tasting coke. ;-)

They used the double wall insulated glasses. We have quite a few of these glasses at home, so we know it does keeps the drinks cold for a long time. Don' think they are Bodum ones, usually Bodum ones have Bodum brand printed below it. This was some unfamiliar name, but it works. (yes, the geek in me again).

I do hope people don't break the glasses, expensive to replace!



FIL and MIL has the coffee and they say it's quite decent.

A note though: The food takes a long time to arrive, so either you finish your coffee while it's hot, or you probably need to order another one after your meal arrives.



I had the Omakase Chicken Sandwich with Truffle Fries.



It's a piece of fried chicken that was really oily though.

I wonder why the chicken sandwich has to 'wrapper' like the rest of the beef burgers we ordered, so my fingers were really oily after holding up the burger.



Since we had 4 people having lunch, we ordered 4 different kinds of fries.
The truffle fries are good. The fries were hot and crispy, but if there's more truffle oil it would be nicer.

Oh yes, the fries comes served in a Bodum glass.



MIL has the Bacon Cheeseburger with normal french fries.

Normal french fries was normal. :-)
We wondered how the onion rings would be like, we could have ordered that instead.



While we thought the chicken sandwich were not nice, the beef burgers were excellent. You have a bite and you would come back again.

If we order anything with a slice of bacon for MIL, she would be very happy with her food.



FIL had the Omasake Cheeseburger. We ordered it with Sweet Potato Fries.
Oh, these Sweet Potato Fries were excellent. They were sweet and had a nice bite to it. Something that you can munch piece after piece after piece.



There's nothing Omasake about it. LOL....
The ingredients were all described. The special thing is the Omasake sauce it seems. The wife says maybe they should always put a secret different ingredient in it, that would make it more fun.

Dad loved the burger. All the burgers were done a very nice 'medium' doneness.



The wife ordered the Deluxe Cheeseburger with Cheese Fries.

Oh, these cheese fries were so nice. Just like the sweet potato fries, we would keep picking more and more to indulge.



The Deluxe Cheeseburger had grilled onions and mushrooms. The wife ordered it because she loves mushroom. She asked if I wanted to have a bite and I said yes, and ended up with 3 bites!

Compared to my chicken burger, this cheeseburger were so much better. Both of us thought it was really juicy. A bite into it and it's minced meat just crumbles in your mouth. There's no hint of dryness in it. Together with the cheese, tomato slice, onions and mushrooms, it was full of flavour. The few leaves of lettuce gave it a slight crunch as you bite into it.

Oh yes, the buns were really soft and had a nice aroma to it.
Something that we will be back for!




Above, our fried veggies! (potatoes are vegetables right?)
Different style of fried veggies. Our favourite, cheese and sweet potato fries.

Below, our fresh veggies!



MIL says we need veggies, so here's the House Salad, full portion for us to share.
We had it with Sesame Soy which was quite nice.



Oh... when I was picking up the drinks, we realised we should have ordered the fresh orange juice.
I call this the 'Holiday Inn' orange juicer. I see them in Holiday Inns when I travel. You drop oranges on top and it will automatically cut and press the juice out.



The damage. The receipt is to show that you will have to wait some time for your food.
Arrive around 12:15pm, orders taken at 12:21 pm.
Still new, so they will take some time to take your order and you pay for it at 12:27 pm.


Our buzzer vibrated at 12:49 pm.
So it's not a fast food place. It was a 20 minute wait, we were with parents to catch up, so time passes rather quickly. As we were leaving, the place was so packed and we saw a foodie friend from HGW. He said he was told the wait time was around 40 mins.

We might be back to try the Oven Baked Parmesan Chicken that we heard from another friend who says it's good. Hmm, the Omasake Chicken was quite disappointing so should I try that chicken again? The beef burgers were all superb!

We like this new burger place in our neighbourhood.

Omasake Burger
200 Turf Club Road
#01-05 The Grandstand
Singapore 287994

Tel: +65 6763 2698
Hours: 11 am to 10 pm daily