Bak Chor Mee @ Bukit Batok Village

I wanted to try out the lontong that my mum recommended at clementi but then I couldn't seem to find it so I gave up and decided to go and fast till dinner.

Mummy would be cooking rice cakes with chicken claws soup, so I thought maybe I could conserve my calories till then.

But on the way home I decided to stop by the Bukit Batok CC since I've heard about the good hor fun and bah chok mee there.

And, turns out that there are less than half a dozen stalls at Bukit Batok Village Eating House, and half of them were closed.

I've never really stopped by here for lunch before, because it was never really popular or recommended, and have I ever mentioned that there are 4 foodcourts nearer to my house? xD

Alright so this uncle decided to recommend me to try his delicious Bah Chok Mee, which I agreed to (:

And now, getting ready for the gastronomical review ;D

Boat Quay Teochew Minced Meat Noodles

7am to 2.30pm (early bird catches the worm!)

~$3

4/5

It's a steal.

It's my first time eating Bah Chok Mee because my family never was a fan of meat.

But this bowl was yummy.

Fresh mushrooms? Check.

Boiled mini wantons? Check.

Fresh, succulent pieces of pork? Check.

There were pieces of pork organs as well, soft, pinkish and tender.

My stomach was growling in anticipation.

I took a sip of the complimentary soup, which tasted like pork bone broth with a tinge of sweetness, probably with the the addition of sugar cane or lemongrass, something along those lines.

A perfect starter.

Mixing the noodles, I took a whiff of the noodles, hmm, a homely feeling.

Then I took a bite of the noodles.

QQ al-dente texture.

Usually I wince at eating yellow noodles but these did not reek at all and instead had that characteristic taste that suddenly transports me down memory lane.

You know, those days, when a bowl of fishball noodles at school only cost $0.50?

Slightly spicy with a hint of vinegar cutting through the lardy greasiness.

Not bad at all.

The pork slices were well-prepared with a bit of fat, which I love.

Some may detest fatty parts, but hey, you can't deny how good the fast tastes when you chew it with the lean parts!

Before I knew it I was savouring every bite, without worrying about my calories at all.

Man, that can wait first.

This is pure bliss, calories? screw off first.

When I came to the bottom of the bowl, there were scallions and every bite was even more fragrant and dellish than it was initially.

There was also more minced meat than I thought and I polised the entire greasy bowl of goodness which a generous spoonful of fragrant, fresh minced meat.

YUM <3

The only grapple I'll have about this place is that they seem a bit heavy handed with the oil.

But the uncle was so nice, he actually let me pay the next time because I forgot to bring enough money :/

Next time I go there, I'll be sure to tak pao his Bar Chok Mee again!

P.S.

Next time, try rice noodles, which is the kind that celiac-intolerant me can enjoy with less side effects xD

And ask for more chilli, a bit more vinegar and scallions to top this bowl of heaven off with a few more fluffy white clouds :D

U-M-A-M-I ;D

Till then

<3

herfairytail

Kim's Family Restaurant @ Lorong Kilat

I was wiggling my toes when my tuition teacher was going through the last question in my notes because I was really looking forward to my first korean meal!

Yeap, as much as I love kimchi, I've never had an authentic korean meal. And the sub-standard-run-off-the-mill meat buffet at Seoul Garden doesn't count at all.

It was just a ten minute drive away from my house and really near to my primary school.

The staff were warm and nice. I saw an Indian too, who was probably a novice as he looked a bit unsure of everything. But he was really nice and it's pretty interesting to see an Indian working in a Korean restaurant, given the number of stalls selling indian food around bukit timah area..

Soon after ordering all the food, we were served 12 types of banchan.

They were mostly vegetables and one that had sausages. Well the sausages were the floury kind so I only took a bite of that.

My favourite were the sweet mini anchovies, eggplant and garlic-infused bean sprouts.

I think I ended up requesting for them to fill those up twice :/

Mummy loved the spicy cucumber (done in kimchi style I think).

talk about shamelessness.

but then, hey, we ordered almost a hundred bucks worth of food? :D

All gluttony is hereby justified.

1. Dukppoki (Spicy korean rice cakes)

$6

3.5/5

This was, well, infatuation at first bite.

I fell in love with the chewy texture of the rice cakes.

They were round and thick, unlike the chinese ones that are flatter and less chewy.

Pity the sauce was far too salty it overwhelmed the delicate sweetness of the rice cakes.

Even after wrapping the rice cakes and eating them with fresh lettuce, my lips were numbed.

2. Galbi BBQ

$25 for about 12 slices

4/5

Beef slices were of a beautiful marbled texture and the right thickness.

Nothing to rave about, just good quality beef and a mouthful of heaven when you wrap it in fresh lettuce.

3. Kimchi Casserole

~$27

3.5/5

A huge portion of kimchi stew heaped with fresh vegetables, glass noodles, pork slices, a little seafood and tofu.

Ingredients were really fresh but the soup was a too salty for my liking.

I had to add iced water to tone down the salt attack.

That said, I'll still try out their other casseroles next time with my friends.

A steal for the price, really.

4. Bibimpap

~$12

4.5/5

Served in a piping hot claypot, heaped with fresh vegetables, beef slices and topped with a raw egg, it's simply dellish.

Loved this.

Enjoyed stirring every thing up with the special spicy sauce like rojak.

The rice touching the bowl ended up a little charred, but I loved it.

Added a nice touch of wok hei to the korean, erm, "stir fried" rice :D

5. Kimchi Pancake

3.5/5

Eating it with banchan, 4/5

This one was good, with lots of delicious kimchi embedded in a thin, chewy flour base.

But it was a bit too salty and oily.

I like my pancakes made with minimal to no oil.

That said, I enjoyed the charred, crispy bits that can only be achieved when oil is added.

And eating it together with the eggplant just kicked it up notch.

But maybe I'm just biased.

We ended our feast with complimentary ginger tea and a slice of orange.

Aww, such a sweet gesture.

The tea, with hints of liquorice, had a pretty acquired taste.

Daddy didn't like it and Mummy gave me half a cup because it made her feel very full.

Hahas yeah as much as I enjoyed the tea, it does somehow make you feel more filled up than you think.

Verdict

4/5

I totally see myself coming back here to try their other casseroles, ginseng chicken, jajangmyun and seafood pancake.

I might just order the bibimpap when I chance by here again alone (:

Service was really good, and this pretty good korean looking waiter even smiled and asked us how we found the food (;

Only quirk I can remember is that they could perhaps ask you what you'd like to be served first because we found ourselves scrambling to make space for all the food we had ordered, and cause everything looked so sinfully appetising we were at a lost which one to eat first.

And this resulted in some cold food in the end.

But then it could be because they wanted to get ready for the inevitable lunch time crowd afterwards?

P.S

There are many interesting stalls around this place.

Next up I'll be trying out the Yong Tau Foo stall and muffins from Ng _____ (can't remember) confectionary. I have a thing for old school bakeries and anything to do with pandan and kaya, you know?

Till then.

<3

herfairytail

1. Mr Bean at Bukit Batok wet market

- Mee Jiang Kueh Peanut

3/5

Peanut filling was little meagre and tasted very weak.

However, the pancake was thick, chewy and fragrant after popping it into the toaster.

I dunked this into sweetened oat milk and polished it off!

- Sesame pancake

2.5/5

Sesame filling was too little, and only the middle part was oozing with sesame paste goodness.

Well, I threw away the rather bland sides.

- Tau Huay

3/5

Not bad. I think its pretty run off the mill, but it was smooth and thick anyway.

Slurped it up with sweetened oat milk.

2. Tiong Bahru Lor Mee

2/5

I don't even think this deserves 2 stars, for my taste buds.

Maybe I'm just not a Lor Mee person, but the sauce was too starchy.

The noodles reeked of yellow mee smell and cheap fish cake was used.

The char siew, I suspect, is run of the mill too. But it tasted pretty decent so I took a few bites.

The first mouthful was with some chilli was alright.

But as it went on I was puzzled by the long queues this stall always has.

The noodles were tangled as well, and the slippery starchy sauce made it slip right off my chopsticks.

As I picked the whole bunch of noodles up, I was slightly horrified by the thick starchy sauce that clung onto the strands relentlessly.

Given that even my bestfriend's foodie parents love this stall, maybe it's just me.

Sorry, Tiong Bahru Lor Mee, you couldn't make me a convert.

The prospect of slurping thick, yellow noodles with gooey brown sauce simply puts me off.

1. Rojak Bandung at Blk 134

2.5/5

I'm only passing this because it had a generous douse of squid, fresh and crunchy.

Other than that, there were simply too little peanuts and the sauce was too spicy and overwhelming.

But at $3.5o, I happily polished it off. Still, never returning there again.

2. Lontong at Bukit Batok central food court

3.5/5

Awesome. Longtong was of the right texture. Tender and moist. Chilli sauce added some kick as well.

3. Satay

Beef was well marinated. though a bit on the tough side, I enjoyed chewing (: 3.5/5

Mutton was very tender and well-marinated without a gamey taste at all. Maybe I'll order a plate full of this next time. Definitely my kind of comfort food (: 4/5

4. Yong Tau Foo

3.5/5

Fried Yam, beancurd skin and brinjal. All stuffed with fish paste. Not bad at all. Soup may be a bit bland for some but it was just right for me. Definitely see myself visiting them again!

5. Khong Guan egg tart

3/5

with three other pastries, cost my mum $10.

Not bad. Crust was flakey, though I thought that the custard could have been more gooey and fragrant. This one had a gelatinous texture and the egg taste was somehow missing.

For dessert, I whizzed up some papaya and cooked red beans and barley.

And them drenched it in sweet oat milk from Marigold.

totally sinful, especially the addition of the sucrose loaded oat milk.

But it was completely worth the calories!

Tasted of papaya milk, but will a few chewy grainy bits swimming around.

I didn't mix the thick papaya jam with the milk as well, and every sip had a nice subtle contrast of textures.

Giving it a 4/5, mummy loved it too and I adored it too much to leave some for my dad xD

I'm definitely making this again!

Homemade Papaya Goat Milk Shake :D

Yea, that's right. Fresh goat milk with organic papayas :D

Having a test tomorrow, I really needed to rewine for 15 minutes or so.

With two cups of papayas left, I decided to whizz these two awesome ingredients up.

I used a little more than a cup of milk because I love the milky scent and taste.

May be a little overpowering for some.

So if you don't like it then reduce it to a cup or even 3/4 to add some creaminess only (:

Lastly, when its all smooth and creamy, throw in some ice cubes and beat it for ten more seconds or so to add that slightly grainy and cold texture (:

Serve immediately! <3

Long Beach Seafood Restaurant

East Coast

4.5/5.0

The appetizers were assak and salted peanuts, which were good on their own but I simply love to eat both together for the delightful tart and crunchy goodness :D

1. Bamboo clams with garlic and chives

$10 per clam

4/5

Price tag may be a little hefty but the clams were huge, fresh, tender and the garlic was fragrant and not overly salty. Little bits of vermicelli on the clam which went really well with the garlic. I actually loved the garlic paste so much that I mopped it up from my mum and sister's plates xD really wished that they had a separate dish for the vermicelli and garlic paste :D I'd totally order that.

2. Fu gui fish

$72

3.5/5

I thought this was catfish but it turned out to be the trout fish afterwards.

A really oily fish but the meat was smooth and tender, pairing well with the tomato based sauce.

A delicious choice but personally I felt that it was slightly lacklustre for the price.

Still, if you're a lover of oily fish/catfish/trout, then this is definitely a must try!

3. Tom Yum Soup

3/5

We asked for less spicy because my grandma couldn't take the heat xD

Not bad, but I felt that the soup base lacked depth of flavours, probably due to less spices being used to suit the international taste buds, given that most of their customers are chinese, japanese and westerners. The seafood in it were really fresh though.

4. Claypot bok choy and enoki mushrooms.

3.5/5

Nothing too special about this but it was a refreshing change from all the other heavy dishes.

5. Black pepper crab

3.5/5

This is supposedly one of Long Beach's signature dishes but I thought that the pepper sauce was a bit too salty and it was lacking that punch. Though I will try this again when I return to see if it was just a suey occasional kitchen flop.

6. Salted egg crab

4.5/5

This is delicious! being the health conscious one, I usually don't pick up the pieces of crab on the outside that are soaked in oil. But this one was just so delectable that I actually picked up those parts and wrapped them up in the lettuce leaves and eat them all! A perfect fusion of the saltiness and aroma of the salted egg yolk.

7. Seafood horfun.

4.5/5

This is one of the best hor fun I had in yearsss! Slippery, savoury slices of rice noodles. May be a bit on the bland side for some but it suits my taste! Paired with the fresh seafood its simply irresistable!

Because it was my mum's birthday, we didn't get to try any of the tofu dishes ):

Next time when I return, I'd surely go for those because tofu is my weakness xD

Overall, I'd give my experience at this restaurant a 4.5. Service was slightly slow at times but overall a great experience!

Singaporean Breakfast

Waking up early today, I prepared by usual breakfast of barley, red beans and a few teaspoons of oatmeal. Then when I was almost done my dad told me that he'd be buying some breakfast for us.

So despite watching my weight, I agreed to share it with the rest of the family (:

Chee Cheong Fun

Smooth, slippery and nicely folded chee cheong fun. The homemade mushroom sauce was a bit too sweet for my liking, but when coupled with the crumbly chilli sauce, is a killer <3

Chwee Kueh

Never a big fan of chwee kueh mainly because of the rather odd, sweet-sour pickled bits of radishes at the top. So I grabbed the innocently white one at the corner and topped with lots of chilli. Texture was moist, grainy, but a bit too crumbly I'd say. The chilli sauce was too oily and lacked punch as well.

Marina Bay Sands and Raffles Place

SwissBake - Raffles Place

Scrambled eggs and avocado ciabatta sandwich 3.5/5

This is my first time eating ciabatta bread, and a bite into the crust was all it took for me to fall in love with them. Crisp on the outside and perfectly chewy on the inside. They're rather dry too and that's a plus, since I like my bread this way. Checking the ingredients, they're only made with wheat, yeast, salt and water I think. If not for my mild wheat intolerance, I'd buy a loaf of this bread

The scrambled eggs were surprisingly soft, fluffy, and moist, exactly the way I love them.

They were really light and I think they were prepared in a microwave and not panfrying, unlike in most fastfood and Western restaurants. Minimum, if salt at all was used to prepare these delicious runny goodness. May taste rather bland to some people, but if you're a scrambled eggs purist like me, this will impress your taste buds!

The avocado was abundant and sliced from a freshly open fruit. I saw the Indonesian lady at the counter taking a brownish, mini avocado and slicing it into two clean halves. So rest assured, the avocado slices taste brilliant! Fresh and creamy, a great combination with the eggs!

As I was there at around 9am in the morning, there were only few customers. The sandwich is on the breakfast menu but according to the lady, it's a lunch sandwich. Still, she smiled and told me that she could make it specially for me if I wanted!

Awwww, how could I reject the offer?

At $7.50, I'd say it's slightly pricier compared to the mainstream, fast-food sandwich stops like Subway, but taste wise, it trumps all of these anytime!

Who knew that fresh, healthy (free of hydrogenated oils and preservatives, yes, Subbie, I'm looking at you) bread and two simple fillings is all it takes to make such an excellent sandwich?

If I had the time, I'd definitely have written that Indonesian lady a thank-you note.

Pecan Pie 3/5

I think this was priced at $3+ and I picked this up as a gesture of love for those fragrant, chewy and decadent nuts :D

I expected some kind of a custard filling used to hold the pecans together but when I bit into it, it was a full on sugar attack. I checked the ingredients and as expected, it was brown sugar.

Born with sensitive teeth, I don't have a sweet tooth, so I usually judge a dessert by its texture (: the pecans were sugar coated and the thin shortbread crust provided a nice, earthy flavour to complement the nuts. However, I felt that there could be more texture to the pie in general and the more I ate, the more the novelty wore off and I kind of wished there were more pecans and less sugar. That given, if you have a sweet tooth, the sugar used is pretty high quality and the portion of the pie, though small, is rather fulfilling.

Rasapura - Marina Bay Sands

I've once tried their laksa before, and it was quite good so I'm here back again to grab a snack this time (: tried their vietnamese summer roll because I was looking for a healthy alternative. I must say that it tastes much better than it looks. Thin, smooth, cold and chewy rice paper rolled around an abundant filling of grated carrots, radishes, cucumber, noodles, chicken pieces and mini shrimps, dipped in sweet peanut sauce, is refreshing and a much healthier alternative to the fried spring rolls. I'm definitely replicating this with popiah skins during chinese new year!