Food Critic For a Day

Was pondering what to do on a hot Saturday afternoon (besides going back to office which I did ... sigh ... no life) and decided to play Food Critic for a day...hehehe ...

1st stop : Alexander Village (with Monkey)

We heard so much about the Avocado juice sold here so it was a must to find it. Surprisingly, there were several fruit stalls selling the famous drink so we decided to snoop around and spy on which stall others ordered from.

After milling around like pests, we decided to try our luck from Stall 17 ( as shown in the pic)

Verdict : The Avocado juice was smooth and fragrant as it slided down our throats. For those who likes something alcoholic, the Avocada whisky will be perfect. Slightly sweet with a generous serving of whisky (or at least it tasted like it!) .. all for the cost of $2 - $3 per cup(huge too).. a MUST TRY!

Next was Bak Kut Teh which Ms Monkey shared was her weekly treat with Daddy during her childhood...awww.. so sweet. We decided to try a new stall since it seems pretty crowded (yes, this is a Singaporean indicator right??hahaha)

Settled for Leon Kee Pork Ribs (next to Stall 17) and ordered the usual fare. Insisted on my you tiao cos I love dunking them in the soup.

Verdict : Soup is good if you like it herbal. Portion of you tiao is generous too. However, was disappointed with the all important black sauce which was watery (thick and sweet are the best man), cut chilli which lost its fire and the pork ribs which will yank the dentures out of my grannie !

We also tried the Beef Stew Fire Pot from Soon Lee Beef Soup .

Verdict : Good portion for 1 pax. Nice presentation and little stove kept stew nice and warm. Loved the carrots and the chilli sauce (complimented the beef perfectly) though the gravy is slightly salty. The beef must be eaten with the chilli sauce for best result.

Worth a try if you beef stew cooked in chinese style (Different from Hainanese or Western Stew)

2nd stop : Food Republic @ Vivo City (with Monkey & M Bao Bao)

For those who have not patronised this foodcourt, you will be pleasantly surprised at the ambience cos its not really very foodcourt like (typically clinical in look).I love the Shanghai Jazz they were playing and the cute wooden tables and stools for our meals.Brings you back to the good old 60s.

In any case, while waiting for our blur M Bao Bao, who took a bus that is went in the wrong direction (can you believe it!!), we gotten an appetizer that was on almost every table in the foodcourt. Unfortunately Monkey did not take note of the name of this dish but we heard its called Za Bao (fried pau).

This is actually mixed vege, mushroom & minced meat wrapped in a layer of dough like a pau, steamed and then pan fried.

Verdict: Tasted like bigger version of Guo Tie (dumpling), juicy filling but a tad too salty. The garlic & fish sauce makes a nice dip too. Worth a try but be warned its at $1.50 each. Kinda ex.

Was totally elated when I saw these cos I have been craving for Korean Nian Guo (Rice cake) since I am back. And Bibimbap in Shi Guo (stone pot) is just the best!

Verdict : Was grinning silly with joy cos it quite authentic (heard operated by Koreans too) with the spicy and a little sweet nian guo & fragrant bibimbap. For those who likes their kimchi to be slightly sweeter, you would would love it here.The ikan bilis is also good, tasted like they were marinated in honey just like the way koreans do it. There are also packs of Kimchi for sale.

A must try if you LOVE Korean Cruisine. Can't wait to try the Kimchi soup and beef bulgogi next.

Presenting Lei Cha (Hakka cruisine) & the Basil Omelette! The dish is a mix of rice, long beans, peanuts, carrot, ikan bilis,tauhu and most importantly basil. Accompanying it is a bowl of basil soup (one in green - known as the cha). 2 ways of eating, either 1 mouth of the mix & 1 slurp of cha or just mix them all & eat like porridge (ala teochew style)

Verdict: Interesting try though acquired taste. One must love the smell and taste of basil. The basil omelette is too salty and can be skipped.

Traditional breakfast set from Toast Box.

Verdict : The eggs came out in perfect shape (you know how some can be too watery or over cooked but this is just right!) and the kaya toast is to die for. Love the thick slab of butter and sweet kaya which melts in your mouth. The Teh si is great and M Bao Bao totally adores the iced Kopi Si too. A worthy competitor of Ya Kun definitely!

Now this is was a result of a mis- judegment so we ended up with lots more food but what the heck, the Food Critic wannabe is HAPPY !more to write on ....hahahaha ..

Verdict : Popiah is heavenly with the right crunch and perfect combi of sweet sauce,garlic, turnip, vege etc etc etc. Just loved the handmade popiah skin too.. very Gan Dong (touching)...hehehe

BBQ chix wing is ok and so could prob give it a miss unless you have a craving.

Now, Kudos to my two buddies who were so kind to humor me in my attempt to be a Food Critic for a day. By the way, they insisted that I have it down that credits must be given to them for eating most of the food. Hahaha ... so now who would like to join me on my next MAKAN trail ???

Late Night Shopping .... I Like!

Kudos to STB for this arrangement! Perfect for workaholics like moi ... no more choosing between Shopping or Makan cos now we can do BOTH! So this is exactly what I did today ...oh, by the way, we were too hungry to take any pics of our belly bursting feasting at SEOUL Garden ... hahahha .. ...but here are my spoils ......

Gotten another pair of my favourite TANGERINE heels from TANGS. Absolutely comfortable and most importantly... they have size 9!! Yeah!!

Oh, if you happen to be around TANGS, pop by the Children Section on L4 and check out the Pooh & friends toys.. was so tickled by Tumble Time Tiger, Pooh on Turtle Ride and Clapping Ear Eyore. Kids these days are so fortunate ..

* M Bao Bao & Ms Monkey were starring at me in disbelief when I went wild and started activating all the toys at one go. .. no one said toys were only meant for kids right ????*







What is shopping without popping by Kinokuniya especially when there is a sale ? So I've gotten myself a little pink (as expected...hehehe) 2007 pocket calender and a beading mag.

The box of xmas labels is a tiny gift for mummy dearest. Actually it is to prevent her from asking me to make little gift tags for her presents ..hahahha .. how schemeing right ... = P

Hmm ..intended to take a pic of a HUGE xmas tree but being veritically challenged, decided to accept the fact and take what is of eye level .. not a bad pic right (c'mon, humor me!) yah ?

Wished we could go on & shop more but our tired feet (all our excess baggage did not help) got the better of us & we heard for the taxi line. Could literally hear my wallet heaved a great sigh of relief .. then again, this is the start of the weekend .....hahaha ...

News Flash - Come December, late night shopping will be extended to the following areas:

• Malls at Marina Bay on 8,9, 16 Dec
• Malls at Orchard on 15,16,22 and 23 Dec
  
  
  
  
  

Pictures Speak A Thousand Words

After 19 posts (can't believe I am that hooked!) of my incessant blabbering .. have decided to take a break and let the pictures of the happenings of the past week do the talking ...or at least most of it ...hehehe

Photo 1 : Pic of my 3 adorable cousins posing as instructed by the Big evil Sister ... bet you can't see their shaking arms when I insisted on holding that pose ...muahahaha

Photo 2 : More cousins bonding over the weekend. It's Baby Jun's 1st month celebration! And guess who tried to con unsuspecting relatives of angbaos by carrying him all over the place ?hehehe .... too bad they were too smart for me ... darn ... = P

Photo 3 : This was a very special treat by a wonderful colleague who had to make time after a exhausting Malaccan trip to prepare her farewell gift to me. Was absolutely touched and the food was naturally SEDAP! Was grinning from ear to ear with every bite and no mercy was given to the tantalising wings ... am not going to snitch on who ate the most but you know who you are ...hahahah

Photo 4 : Sweet tidings delivered by 2 baby angels in the office. Ain't it cute? Mine is the red one with "Kiss Me" ...hehehe....can't bear to eat it though ... for now ...

Until the arrival of my evil twin ... Miss Munch-It-All !! ..... and then its all Gonnneeee .....

Help Needed : Withdrawal Symptoms

I know this is irritating and Ms Monkey will probably kill me for repeating like the 100th time but I MISS KOREA ! There, I've said it ... bite me! muahahaha ...

Okie, what has gotten into me tonight ??

1. Usually cool nite wind breezing through my windows (minus the smell of pollution & symphony of overly enthusiastic male frogs croaking of cos)
2.Me in my lime green woolen socks and bright red pullover (err, kinda exaggerated I know .. but I'm in the mood man)
3. The simultaneous email replies of my travelmates from the trip and all those pics ...sigh ....
4. Kimchi overdose when one opens my fridge (I admit, miscalculation happens okie)
5.Sharing of the LAST piece of cactus chocolate with mum (no prizes for guessing where i bought it)
6.Recollection of the cute Korean photographer CB showed me this morning (definitely drool-worthy esp in his suit)

Shall go to bed now like a lovesick puppy...and its barely 1 month .. Oh no! It is EXACTLY 1 month ago that I flew over ... now that is reason number 7 ! ....this is bad .. i am incorrigible ...only been 1 month .. how am I to survive the remaining days .. this cannot be ...*mumbles mumbles mumbles * ...... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

Sawadee ka & A Merry Xmas ?

Food, glorious food .... yum yum ... makes me salivate just to recall the nice Thai feast we had last Friday at our favourite thai food haunt @ Purvis Street (look for 23 FIRST THAI, just opposite Chin Chin).

Ironically, this Friday(that is today), I am home all alone nursing myself back to health (eating only porridge & bland stuff ...yucks) from a common cold turned viral... kinda nasty turn of events that had to be on MC (2 days okie!) and I am SOOOOO BORED ...as usual since I can never keep still...
Anyway, back to more cheery stuff. Must tries are the phad thai (which we will always order 2 plates - chicken & prawn) , fried chicken wings and Belachan rice. For those who misses the incredibly sweet milk tea from the Land of Smiles, you can find pretty authentic ones here. We never fails to have a cuppa whenever we pop by. For the more adventurous, try the green bandung drink (as shown in the pic), quite an acquired taste but Ms "M Bao Bao"loves it .. she is weird, what else can I say.

After dinner was a night out at some KTV which Ms Admin introduced and we belt out strings of mushy love songs with gusto all to the tune of ANALOG! Yup, we the not so confident singers wannabes, need to engage the help of professional backup so that we dun croak as bad.hahahaha.. think for us, its not Karaoke but a sing along session would be more appropriate!

Of cos the clown of the nite, Ms Monkey had all our hairs standing on ends with with her sickeningly sweet & cutesy cute rendition of "Somewhere out there" that Frivel will be stabbing himself in the thigh if he were to hear her sing ...STOP !!!!

Sigh ... after penning down what Fun we had last week makes me wanna sneak out and play .....= P


By the way, this is a beautiful pic Ms M Bao Bao took of the xmas tree at Raffles City . Christmas, my favorite season of the year, is fast approaching ....can you feel it in the air ?

*Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way ...*
hehehehe (think my med is finally kicking in and I am starting to be delirious..)

Nipponjin ?

Here's vain me at work again .. see my new hairdo ? Cute not ? Yah yah .. I know, always ends up having the same cut right ? Slightly impish (loves the layered look lah) & straight bangs (trying to be kawaii nehhhh).hahhaha ...



Feeling slightly bimbotic today so decided to love myself more by getting my hair done for this blog (yah right ! you didn't believe that, did you ??)

Honestly, was trying to get a more "professional" look but looks like I failed big time with the now more Kawaii look .. well this beats the 80s look I have on my phone's screensaver right ???hahahahha .. and NO, this will NOT go into my new staffcard. Who in the world will promote some nutcase who takes a shot of herself in her own bedroom?!! hahahaha

Anyway, isn't it ironic how some pple always wants to look more mature whereas others will take measures to slice and poke and pump weird stuff into themselves to remain youthful? Sigh, women, aren't we all a contradicting bunch ? We can never make up our mind or can we ...or can we not.. or can we .... *plucks petals off the rose* ...or can we not..or can we .....

Frog Outta Well !

After months and months of dreaming and anticipating the moment, it is finally HERE. For those who are not in the know, I have finally taken that STEP into the world and no longer satisfied with being a frog (croaks) in a well protected well. A well that has moulded (aka forced) me to what I am today, with the confidence and maturity to take risks to make that great psychological leap out of it and embrace what the world has to offer. Of cos, along this growth, detestable pests like snakes and slimey lazy lizards crossed my path but now that I can leaving, they no longer gets to me for a leopard cannot change its spots so what more can I expect from a lower life form ... = P

I am a fortuntate little pink froggie for surrounding my well loving are Bubbly sunflowers, Loud hisbiscus, Gentle daffodils, Motherly lavender and of cos new seedlings that will bloom to beautiful shades of Spring. Not forgetting my great animal pals who constantly pops by with an oink or a bark and sometimes a rare bleating to motivate me and to listen to my croaking.

Bittersweet experience it may be, to leave my friends whom I have come to love and regard as family, but no one said parting was easy. Yet, parting is only temporal if whom you care about resides in your heart and yes, for those who are reading my blog, you know you have a special place here ... muack muack muack ....

My Favourite Korean Dishes from Jeju-Do..YUM!

Here's my favourite Korean Dish - Dumpling in Seaweed soup. It is very light in taste & no porky smell (I hate that!!) with generous dose of refreshing seaweed ... drools ... I want!!!









Oh yes, and dun underestimate this glooey looking thing. It is actually abalone porride from Jeju -Do! Yup yup .. how luxurious right ? But wait a min, where is it green in colour ? Well, its due to the use of the sides of abalone (not the entire one as we wished ... sigh) but we do find pieces of baby abalone in our porridge.

Its really thick in consistency and very filling. For one who dun like porridge, this is great (love the weird colour too!heheheh)





Not forgetting all the delicious side dishes that accompany us at every meal. My favourite is the Kimchi & honey ikan bilis which seems to go well with everything.

The big beansprouts & sea kelp work beautifully with soup and I dunked many of these in my soup.






Next, introducing mackerel hot pot. This is another yummy dish, very Singaporean like since it is quite heavy in taste. Many of our group members enjoyed this lots.

The mackerel have been stewed in soup for a long time till the bones are soft & edible (though Ms Monkey insisted on picking our ALL the bones) and the huge white radish was exploding in full flavour.





Here's another one of my fav soupy dish (bet you have guessed it already) and noticed the white sotong looking slices ? those are actually rice cake (nian gao) !

And the yellow stripes that looks like Japanese sweet beancurd skin ?Those are actually made from fish, something like fishcake but it is very sweet cos marinated in honey. And of cos not forgetting my all time favourite .. SEAWEED!!

An innocent mistake

Sigh...ever encountered a mistake so innocent & unintentional that one could not bear to scold the one involved ? To cut the story short, gran who is of super kan cheong nature, unintentionally bumped poor Baby Jun's head hard on the door knob (heard was a nasty red swelling) in her hurry to move from the room to the hall. This set out a chain reaction whereby tempers start to rise (not surprisingly since we are talking abt a 18 day old baby here) and fingers start to point and tears rolled.

Am in 2 minds abt the incident.On one hand, I would like to give my gran a piece of my mind for being so careless when dealing with such a fragile baby knowing fully well her own condition (rheumatism & all) & being a danger to both Baby Jun & myself if accidents happened. Yet on the other hand, I know she is all gulity and heart broken for causing any hurt to her beloved grandson, more so such a bad bump which knocked the wind out of him & caused him to cry endless. Was so worried that I gotten the mum & confinement lady to monitor Baby Jun for any signs of distress (vomitting etc) and to bring to the doc immediately if that happens.

Me being the all filial grandaughter & loving cousin, am torn in between so what more could I do but to cuddle Baby Jun & kiss him to sleep while giving gran a prep talk on the vulnerability of babies in their developmental years and how she can be a potential danger to the baby of she is not careful. Sigh .... I am not in the most envious position am I ?

Fallen Out of Grace

With the arrival of Baby Jun whom everyone including myself are going all ga-ga over (Trust me, I check out every Kiddy Palace outlet at every shopping centre I go & never fails to WANT to buy something back 'cept I get stopped by Ms Monkey !) I have come to realise that I have neglected someone really impt in my life thus I pledge to devote this page to her. No, she is not my Mum .. but my cute, french speaking piggie, BELLE!

For those who have not met her, here she is (with her crew cut).....
Yes, I know she doesn't look much like her namesake but she is really very cute & loveable. Pardon the chubby hand as I wanted to show what a petite little one she is. And yup, she is a full grown piggie (approximately 5 yrs old) at 600g!



Here's another one of her trying to escape and that's when my double chin comes in useful .. hehehe






Ain't she pretty with her little blossom plum kissable pink lips ? (and I was not talking abt myself, though those lips are delectable too)Mmmuuaaackkkk! hahahaha

As a typical Singaporean whose motto is " Live to Eat" & tons to show ...hahahaha ...knowing the Korean's attitude towards food is quite an eye opener. Koreans are on the other end of the spectrum where "Eat to Live" guides their day. Due to this, they place great emphasis on good nutritious food that boosts immunity (like kim chi, supposedly 4 times better than properties of yoghurt) and sets a good foundation (ginseng, raw garlic).

Do you know that Korean babies are fed ginseng from 8 months onwards?!These powder are placed in their juices or porridge to musk the scent. No wonder Korean guys are so tall & steady looking... or am I just short in comparison ??hahahhaha

Anyway, Korean being so discerning when it comes to food that it kinda made me feel that Chinese tends to be like "rubbish dump" and eats everything in sight. Like they say, nothing that flies, crawls or swims can escape our clutches .. muahahah

Being exposed to Korean fare for 8 days, I have come to appreciate it for its lightness in taste & sweetness of fresh ingredient. Sugar is almost never used in their cooking, instead, honey is used. Even a simple & usually forgotten dish of ikan bilis tossed in honey (they seldom fry stuff) tastes heavenly. The Koreans believe that in the preparation of food, "Xing Yi" is essential and everything should be prepared by hand and not relying on machines. That is why fast food culture did not really kick off there (barely seen more than 10 pple in Macs & KFC when we popped in for a drink). Parents forbid their children to indulge in such trash with little nutritional value, educating that home cooked fare, prepared with Mum's love is the best. ( I totally agree!)

Babies ... Yes, You've read it right

Okie, I'm sure you must be wondering, is Wenz mad ? What's this thingy about babies?? Isn't she gonna start blabbering about her WONDERFUL KOREA trip ? (as though one hasn't heard enough in the office?!)

Well, I was all geared up to start penning my thoughts when I was "summoned" by the newly arrived Little Emperor bawling his eyes out in the room. To be fair, he didn't exactly yelled out for me but who can remain nonchalent when one hears the heart wrenching cries of a baby rudely shaken by a nightmare ? Was rushing in with full intention to hold him & sing him to sleep when grannie did a "100m" dash into the room despite her bad knees ... awww, the power of a little heir ....hehehehe

For those who might be thinking I am typing in my sleep since it is already 2am on a Wednesday morning, fret not, I am still very much awake.

The Little Emperor I am referring to is my baby cousin, Jun (whom I have taken to tell all as in Bae Yong Jun's Jun !! muahahahah) who arrived last Friday on 20 Oct when I was flying off to Seoul (how apt!).

Here's my favourite picture of him taken over the weekend at 10 days old. Ain't he adorable ? Such a cheerful bundle of joy yah.