7 posts tagged “singapore”
The wet weather caused havoc today. Not only was it a nightmare to get to work this morning, it was a nightmare to go back home as well. The slip road into PIE (Changi) from Jalan Anak Bukit was closed due to a landslide and it caused a massive jam on that tiny road right outside my parents that started at about 6 plus and stretched all the way til 11.45pm where it just mysteriously disappeared within a span of about 10 minutes. Freakin amazing. The slip road was still closed when I left my mom's place so its not like the clearance of the traffic was due to the re-opening of the road. I was slated to reach home before 1am afterall.
In other news, I've decided to blog about the kind fruit seller whom I got fruit from yesterday evening. I know I've debated about blogging about this because I didn't want anyone to go take advantage of them (hurhur.. like how many singaporeans read my rants anyway) but like my mom said...I'm sure they know how to judge who is going to take advantage of them and who has an *cough* honest looking *cough* face. Anyway, the edited version of the story was sotong me went to West Coast after work to get some fruits as a gift for a friend and found out only before payment that I had left my wallet at home. I told the lady owner that I couldn't pay for the fruits and was going to leave when she told me that she would let me have the fruits first as I was giving them away as a present and pay her on another day. Its not like I am a regular customer of hers and so she gave me fruits on credit. In fact, that's the first time I've bought anything from her shop at all. Its quite heart-warming to see that the local heartlanders still have a kind and trusting heart after all that shitty stuff with NKF, TT Durai and the Wee Shu Min incident. So yeah for all the puny internet influence that I might have, I just want to say if you are ever in the West Coast market area and wanted fruits, please go buy from the Daisy Fruit Trading Company. They are located next to the back end of the wet market near the CK emporium and the quality and variety of their products are actually pretty good .
So while I'm already planning and scheming on how to time my daily life to coincide with those discounted food (Note: See previous post), here are some restaurants I'm recording down so as to make it mandatory that I try them at least once this year. (Editor's note: Errm yeah this will be my 2007 resolution. Not how to better myself mentally or spiritually but physically...)
(Culled from Asianone's Wine, Dine and Unwind segment)
East Coast Road
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FRESCO (Note: Finally a home made ice cream place in the East!)
95 East Coast Road
Tel: 6345-2561
Open: Sundays, Tuesdays to Thursdays: 11am to 11pm, Fridays and Saturdays: 11am to midnight, Closed on Mondays
Opened two weeks ago(Editor's Note: in early 2006 that is), this gelato outlet sells 16 flavours over the counter every day.
Ms Lisa Lim, 49, Fresco’s chief executive officer, whips up her creations using low fat milk and very little sugar. Try the honey chrysanthemum. It is fragrantly sweet but not cloyingly so. A scoop costs $2.50.
The Refreshingly Divine ($8.90) is a sundae made with scoops of dragon fruit and rennet apple flavoured gelato and served with nata de coco and honey.
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Katong Village, Block A,
86 East Coast Road, 01-09/10
Tel: 6345-1932
Open: 24 hours daily
It claims to be Singapore’s largest Hong Kong teahouse at 15,000 sq ft. The four-month-old eatery can seat over 400 people.
Hong Kong-born Singaporean Victoria Li, 41, says she opened the eatery to cater to Hong Kongers living here.
Every ingredient, down to the dark soy sauce, is imported from the territory, and the chefs are from Hong Kong too.
Try traditional dishes like the pork chop baked rice ($9), pork trotter in vinegar ($3.80 per bowl) and crispy fried lotus root with pork ($3.50).
STONEGRILL
91 East Coast Road
Tel: 6348-1211
Open: Lunch: 11am to 2.30pm, Dinner: 6 to 10.15pm daily
This Australian franchise opened in January 2006 and diners can play chef here.
They have to cook their own meat on a special volcanic granite that is heated at 400 deg C for eight hours.
The meat is not marinated. Instead, servers have to season it by tipping sea salt on the hot stone.
General manager Simon Ng, 26, says scalding the slab of rock sears the meat immediately and retains its juices, so little seasoning is required.
Choose from steaks like Prime Of The Land ($23.90), a tenderloin cut from New Zealand, as well as Wild Stuffed Mushrooms ($7.90), which are breaded white button mushrooms stuffed with mozzarella cheese.
(Also on the list...that Tibetian restaurant opposite the HK fish Beehoon franchise and the Indian Chinese restaurant right outside our place)
Upper Thomson Road
Devagi’s
01-03 Thomson Imperial Court,
Tel: 6255-2440
Open: Noon to 10pm daily, closed on Mondays
TV host Devagi Sanmugan, 51, opened her first restaurant here because she lives in the area.
To live up to her reputation as Singapore’s Queen of Spice, she offers dishes that use spices from around the world.
There is mutton chop in thick gravy ($9), chicken dum briyani ($9.90) and fish head curry ($28 for a whole head).
Everything on the menu is prepared using her recipes. She is at the restaurant every day, supervising its operations, while her brother, Sivaraman, helps with the cooking.
There is also a retail counter where you can buy her cookbooks and food pastes.
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01-01 Sin Ming Plaza Tower 2
Tel: 6455-4948
Open: 10.30am to 2.30pm, 5.30 to 10pm; closed on Mondays
This no-frills family restaurant offers an excellent range of local favourites, including mee siam, black pepper beef and barbecued stingray.
Its signature dish, fish head curry, is beautifully done, with succulent fish submerged in a delicious simmering sauce.
Owner Thomas Leow, 46, says the recipes for all the main dishes are family secrets passed down from his mother.
Prices are rock-bottom. You can have a set lunch at $4.80 or $5.80 (with mee goreng or curry chicken), or a three-dish set lunch for four at only $19.80. Value for money.
The Ang Ku Kueh Shop
215 Upper Thomson Road
Tel: 6554-4573
Open: 11.30am to 5pm; closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Hand-made in the kitchen behind, the wonderful ang ku kueh cost 70 cents each and come with either peanut, coconut or green bean filling.
While the skin has a robust pandan flavour, its filling is substantial and not too sweet.
This business started 20 years ago when Mr Richard Toh, 66, started making and selling the ang ku kueh at his home in the Balestier area.
In 2003, he opened this shop which is now run by his brother Francis, 51. Advance orders are recommended.
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227 Upper Thomson Road
Tel: 9451-9040
Open: 5pm to midnight daily
This crab eatery has a unique claim to fame – the crabs it serves are caught by hand by the owner himself.
Every other day, Mr Elger Kua, 26, catches his supply of crabs from a kelong off Pasir Ris Park, near Pulau Ubin.
Using mainly flower crabs, his dishes include crab spaghetti ($7.50), crab baked rice ($6.50) and crab gratin ($3.20).
It is located in a coffee shop and styled after a seafront beach cafe.
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9 Thomson Ridge
Tel: 6456-3456
Open: 11am to 7pm daily
The first bakery in Singapore to specialise in Korean rice cakes, this is opened by the owners of the excellent Auntie Kim’s Korean restaurant just a few units away.
Traditionally eaten during festive occasions, these rice cakes are made with glutinous or rice flour, and come with various types of filling, including red bean, peanut, raisins and sesame. Prices range between $5 and $7 per 300g.
Containing no milk, butter or eggs, they taste harder than the Japanese variety but are not overly sweet.
Zui Fairprice Live Seafood Restaurant
220 Upper Thomson Road
Tel: 6455-2033
Open: 11am to 2.30pm, 5.30 to 11pm daily
Part of a restaurant chain from Hong Kong, this one-year-old seafood eatery banks on its range of fresh seafood and reasonable prices.
Unless you order live fish, you need to pay only $20 per person for a filling meal.
Try the “san ba” salted chicken ($11 for half a bird). The free-range bird yields moist, tender meat.
Another must-try are the steamed live prawns ($13.80), a hearty dish that is enhanced by minced garlic and light soya sauce.
(Also on the list.... Auntie Kim's Korean restaurant and that home-made ice creamery called Lavender? or something like that)
Some people HAVE to forward me stuff like this while I'm sitting at my work desk so now I can't resist even though I lost a little weight due to the teeth extraction and should (by right) be trying my upmost to keep them fats off....
P.S. Just so you know. I'm holding you responsible if I evar gain those fats back! :P
Aji No Sato
Liang Court basement 1
Tel: 6338-3186
After 8.45pm on weekdays only, many items at this Japanese takeaway eatery are sold at half price. They include rice bento (usual price from $6 to $14.50) and croquettes ($4 for two).
Baguette
B1-55 Raffles City Shopping Mall, Tel: 6336-0057, opens daily
01-39 Market Street Car Park,
Tel: 6536-5426, opens on weekdays
This Vietnamese-inspired takeaway counter offers many items at 15 per cent off - the Raffles City branch between 8 and 9.30pm; and the Market Street branch between 6 and 7.30pm. Items include the fabulous fried chicken wings (usual price $1.20), rice paper rolls ($4.50) and Saigon baguette sandwiches ($5.60).
Corduroy Cafe
01-106 VivoCity
Tel: 6376-9895
After 9pm on weekdays only, pastries and desserts are sold one-for-one. Items include apple rhubarb crumble (usual price $6.80), panna cotta with wild berry compote ($6.80) and assorted cupcakes ($2.50).
Goodwood Park Hotel
The Deli
Tel: 6730-1786
After 8pm daily, selected pastries such as sliced cakes, Danish pastries, muffins, pies and sandwiches are sold at half price. The most popular items are royal chocolate crunchy hazelnut cake (usual price $5.80) and double chocolate mud loaf ($9.50). But its famous durian pastries, in season from March to August, are not discounted.
Grand Hyatt Singapore
The Deli
Tel: 6732-1234
After 8.30pm daily, items such as bread, Danish pastries, croissants, chicken pies and muffins are sold at half price. The usual prices range between $4 and $7 per piece.
Hilton Singapore
Checkers Deli
Tel: 6730-3392
Between 8 and 9pm daily, all bread and Danish pastries are sold at half price. But its famous cheesecakes are not discounted.
Hotel Phoenix
The Food Shop, Level 1
Tel: 6233-6137
Between 6 and 7.30pm daily, all items are sold at 40 per cent off. The bestsellers are the doughnuts (usual price $1.30), chicken pies ($3.20) and curry puffs ($2.20).
Kuriya Japanese Fresh Fish Market (pictured)
B1-07 Great World City
Tel: 6836-4910
Located in front of Ichiban Boshi restaurant, this takeaway counter offers all sushi items at 20 to 30 per cent discount after 7.30pm. The most popular items include California maki (usual price $8.80), and assorted sushi (seven pieces, $14.80).
Orchard Hotel
Cake Counter
Tel: 6739-6565
After 5pm, all sliced cakes are sold at 40 per cent off. Varieties include the signature mango cake, blackforest cake, durian cake and cheese cakes (usual price $6 per slice).
Pan Pacific Singapore
The Atrium Deli
Tel: 6826-8331
After 7pm daily, all breads, muffins, croissants, Danish pastries and pizzas are sold at half price. The signature butter and almond croissants (usual price $3.50) are the first to be snapped up.
Pocket Full Of Posies/Greenhouse Cafe
B2-42 VivoCity
Tel: 6376-9706
From 8pm daily, the florist-cafe offers all sliced cakes at half price. Varieties include chocolate fudge cakes and Scottish carrot cake (usual price $4.50 to $5.50).
Raffles The Plaza
Prego Deli
Tel: 6431-5203
Between 9.30 and 10pm daily, bread, pies and doughnuts are sold at half price. The most popular items are the cakes, such as royal praline (usual price $22 for 500g), tiramisu ($24 for 500g) and cheesecake ($22 for 500g).
Raffles Hotel
Ah Teng's Bakery
Tel: 6412-1100
After 8pm, the bakery has a one-for-one offer on sliced cakes and pastries. Usual prices range from $1 for a raisin bun to $5 for a slice of cake.
The Shangri-La
The Line Shop
Tel: 6213-4275
Limited items are sold at a discount after 7pm. Whole cakes go for 15 per cent less. Pastry items like croissants, muffins and breads are sold at half price.
The Regent
Something To Go
Tel: 6720-8000
Between 8 and 9pm daily, all takeaway items like cakes, quiches, breads, salads and pies are sold at 30 per cent discount. Most popular items include gruyere cheese ciabatta ($6.60 per loaf) and beef lasagna ($15 per serving).
I apologise if this blog is starting to sound like a perpetual whine about the haze but believe me when I say that it is the only thing on Singaporeans’ minds these days. We check the hourly PSI reading so often that the NEA server had a meltdown due to the high traffic flow. The highs and lows of the daily readings were also traded and discussed in the office waterhole as if it’s the STI on a bullish run.
A lot of reasons have been given as why the hotspots in have not been kept in check. Fingers have been pointed at various parties but nobody has the solution quite yet.
Now if I were the Indonesian President (which is as likely as P winning the lotto), I’ll just slap every farmer and multi-national companies operating in the affected area with a high monthly fee. I’ll call it the national haze prevention fund and I’ll keep collecting moolah til there are no hotspots to be seen on the satellite pictures.
Easy right? No need to investigate who are the culprits and have trials, apologise profusely to my neighbour countries or explain to my people why I am kowtowing to pea-sai countries who are just whiny cats anyway or why I am an inefficient “$&*$(^)&” and yet at the same time have extra income going into my…*cough*….country’s coffers.
Yeah I’m so brilliant I think I really should switch career and go offer my services to the Indonesian government instead….
The haze is back with a vengeance. Actually, its been around for quite a while but yesterday must have been the worst I’ve ever seen since ‘99
The air smells like your neighbour is burning rubbish in their backyard and the sun can be comfortably seen with the naked eye at 5 in the evening. I view the world through a film of diluted milk and my lungs feel like they are inhaling thick pea soup. For the first time in my life, I actually felt a little suffocated just breathing in air. I can’t begin to even imagine what last night would have been like for chronic respiratory sufferers. The bad news is that this will continue on for a couple more days.
The notion that we all live in a global village has never been more acutely felt and it comes as a shock to my senses that “stuff” we have always taken for granted – clear water, clean air – is no longer something that we should expect to have. It sounds quite amazing isn’t it? Singapore is not usually a country one associates with lousy air quality but I guess yesterday gives a scary indication of just how vulnerable we can be.
Maybe our generation will be the first to live in domed cities like those found in a futuristic science fiction movie. Anything is possible these days it seem.
I've always wanted my own herb garden. The major reason is because western herbs costs an arm and leg in Singapore to buy and one almost always end up using only half the quantity in the pack and then the heart bleeds when the rest wilts away in some corner of the fridge or else there is this sudden urge to try a specific recipe but the supermarket just happen to run out of the herb you want.
I already have spearmint that I propagated from a bunch that I bought from the local market and thai basil from seeds generously donated from a friend but exotic stuff like thyme and oregano are what I am really looking for. After the baby rosemary plant a good friend got me a while back seem to get more undernourished day by day and a recent tip from someone else who said she bought a baby bay leaf plant from a local nursery, I decided to go on a local herb hunt.
Its odd that when western cuisine is common in Singapore, the local supermarkets start to stock a wide range of western herbs (even if they are a bit expensive) and even mixed mesclun and rocket leaves can be found in the local wet market that the nurseries don’t advertise that they sell culinary herbs. So, it was after a couple of trips to the local nurseries and a lucky find in the small quiet Jasons supermarket in a backend corner of Orchard road that I ended up with another pot of rosemary, kaffir lime, sweet basil, bay, thyme and oregano 2 weekends ago.
All I need now is to find chives and sage to complete the entire gang and also google information on how to take proper care of my precious stock.
