Stinky shirt day after Uncle Sam's Claypot

I don't remember how I ended up at Uncle Sam's claypot for lunch that day as I'm not a big fan of claypot, I blame it on the rain from that day. The restaurant felt more like a canteen than a restaurant. The waitresses milling about barking orders and giving checks even before you had a sip of your drink. I didn't worry so much on those things but I did worry on how rice was sizzling agaisnt the hot claypot and sauces that were giving such strong smell that would no doubt stick to my clothes all day long. The food came in a little while sizzling hot with smoke coming out of the dish. It looked appetizing enough.

Pipping hot Thai chicken claypot

I ordered their specialty which was the Spicy Thai Chicken Claypot or something the like. Come to think of it I should have ordered the original chicken claypot since now I had to battle not only the hotness from the Thai chilli but also the temperature. Due to time constrain I wasn't able to let it cool down for long as I had to get back to work. If I was eating at leisurely pace I might have a different experience. I couldn't help but comparing this claypot with the Korean version of claypot: Dol Sot Bibimbap. The claypot rice which used the long grained rice wasn't as crispy as the korean rice which are usually fluffier hence when it is scorched agaisnt the hot claypot it browns lightly and tasted crispy while the long grained rice was prone to getting burnt. To see the positive side, the claypot rice saved me from being hungry and the price was reasonable though my clothes stink for the whole day.

The Uncle Sam's Claypots
#01-01A, 63 Robinson Road,
Afro-Asia Building
Singapore
+65 6221 3098

Big Breakfast @Cedele

Big Breakfast @SGD 17.40:

Rustic White Toast, Bacon Rashers (which I switch to an extra sausage!!), Sausages, Scramble Eggs, Mushrooms & Tomatoes

Lately I have been reminiscing about the food from a small town in Pennsylvania where I spent a good few years of my life as a student. I miss the food from the local tavern wannabe, the wing night at the small local pubs on the 5 block stretch of so called main street. Little choices as they were, I do miss it from time to time especially the American style breakfast from Perkins, a family restaurant chain that serves breakfast food all day, 24/7/365! Scrambled eggs, or omelet with sausages, bacon and hash browns; pancakes and waffles. *sigh* Notmany is available here in Singapore and certainly not as cheap. Luckily, A suggested Cedele, a local cafe that serves breakfast daily with a healthy twist (definitely no hash browns) and slightly costing more.

Pasta, it was the first dish to come out...

Making our way to Cedele Wheelock Place, I knew exactly what I wanted. After a quick consideration I decided to get the Big Breakfast set which include eggs, sausages and bacon rashers which I switched to sausage, mushrooms, salad and toasts. No hash browns, sadly. It also came with a side of coffee or tea for SGD17.40. Yeah, a bit steep, but I was desparate. I was so happy when it finally came. Armed with ketchup, I devoured the eggs, mushroom and sausage. The toast came with butter and strawberry jam, my favorite combo. The bread was soft, lightly toasted, warm and tasted slightly milky and doughy. I love the bread with butter and jam. The mushrooms were firm and earthy. If only it came with hash browns, it would have been perfect.

Carrot cake, yum...

P had the carrot cake, which was delicious as it wasn't too sweet and the walnut gave it a savory, crunchy twist. The pasta that A was having, was so-so. Cedele is where I would go for sandwich, soup, breakfast food, cakes and coffee or tea but not pasta. For pasta I would rather go to an Italian joint or Japanese Italian. Carbonara with kimchi...yumm....The queue at Whelock was definitely better and the waitres staff responded better for your requests though they did gave us the bill twice without us asking and when we finally did ask, they didn't bring it. The food was good but for the price that they were demanding, service should be better....

Wheelock Place
501 Orchard Road #03-14
Wheelock Place
+65 6732 8520
Click here for website

Ramen gallore @Tanpopo

My friend P was craving some ramen that day and she had one place in mind: Tanpopo at Liang Court. I happened to stumble this restaurant by accident almost a year ago during which Liang Court was still in renovation. I found it when I found Meidi-ya, the Japanese supermarket which is heaven for good food. Back then, Tanpopo was on the same level as the supermarket, now it has moved up one floor, right next to the Novotel Hotel's lobby.

It's bigger and drew more crowd these days. Back then it was mostly patronized by Japanese living in Singapore but these days the crowd is mixed. They are famous for their killer tonkatsu and well anything black pig. I have to admit though that despite their quality tonkatsu, I find the price more expensive than other tonkatsu places.

My green tea: funny how even though they have both ice cubes and green tea,

they don't serve iced green tea.....

Back to P, we decided to go on Wednesday. It took me a while to order as I didn't have any particular craving . Whenever I came here, I always ordered the katsu so this time I decided that I should try something new there and ordered the cold ramen set while P ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen and we decided to have the Tonkatsu salad to share.

It took a while for the orders to come that day, we had to remind them as the place was super busy. We also had to wait about 20-30 minutes before we got a table. P's tonkatsu ramen came first, a bowl full of yummy treats for your taste buds. The ramen broth was thick, rich and spicy (as in many spices but not chili). The ramen noodle chewy with just the right consistency. The tonkatsu? Steaming golden crisp of heavenly smell! The pork was so tender, you can eat it as is or dip it into your ramen soup or use the katsu sauce. For me, I love soaking it in the broth. Gosh, my mouth waters just thinking about it!

Tonkatsu Ramen: cute and creative way to keep the tonkatsu crispy!

The cold ramen came soon after. I ordered it because it said that the sauce was mixed using yuzu, Japanese citrus, which I really love. Once when I was in Tokyo wondering around Tsukiji fish market area, I found a store selling pickles and they had daikon (horse radish) with yuzu pickles which of course I bought. Amazing!!! I've yet to seen it again. I suppose a visit to Tokyo is in order sometime soon. Back to the cold ramen, it came with ama ebi (Sweet prawns), kani (crab meat) and some eggs. The taste was fresh and cool, very appropriate for the humid Singapore weather. The sauce was citruz-y, me like!

Cold Ramen Set

Close up of the ramen, topped with fish roe

Close up of the ama ebi, kani and tamago

The salad was delicious. If I have that kind of salad everyday, I wouldn't mind being a vegetarian. Oh shoot, the tonkatsu is never gonna be vegetarian. Oh well, the salad was a mixture of greens with some asparagus dressed in sesame sauce with little tonkatsu balls. I like to think that it was a healthy side dish, but of course the deep fried tonkatsu cancelled all those healthiness away. But just let me pretend, ok?

Tonkatsu Salad @ SGD 10.80

When we pay, we got a little surprise. It was Ladies night, so we got 10% discount. Yay!

Tanpopo

Japanese Family Dining Restaurant

177 River Valley Road

Liang Court Shopping Centre #01-23/24

Singapore 179030

www.cfc.com.sg

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

The menu at Quattro Stagioni

On my way home from work that day, I decided to stop by Liang Court to get a light bite for dinner as I wasn't that hungry but knew that if I were to skip dinner I'd be hungry later. Earlier that day, I was looking at the Wisconsin state cheese promotion where the tourism board claims that Wisconsin is for cheese what California is to wine. Click here if you want more details. Do let me know if you go there or if you have been there, tell me if it worth going.

The back of the store and the bar-like seats

Needless to say, I had this nagging feeling for some cheese. So I decided to try this little deli that I have been curious to try but haven't had the chance. Seating myself on the little bar like table at the back, I studied the menu and decided to have Aosta. The girl made it right in front of me. So I saw how many slices of ham goes into my sandwich (2 slices :-\ ) and how much cheese (enough but I prefer more!).

Aosta sandwich consisted of Cotto ham, Fontal cheese, tomato slices, lettuce and mayo. I asked for sliced whole grain, toasted. I was very surprised to see how thin the toast slice was as the sandwich cost me SGD 8. It worked fine that night as I wasn't too hungry but still, it was a rather expensive sandwich! There was only one person working that night so I had to wait for a while to get my sandwich, but since I wasn't that hungry it helped me worked an appetite.

Aosta: Cotto Ham, Fontal Cheese, Tomato slices, Lettuce and Mayo on

sliced whole grain SGD 8

When the sandwich finally came, the presentation wasn't great nor was the size however the taste was really nice and light. The cotto ham was mild and the cheese too was very mild but creamy and comforting. Later on I found out that Fontal cheese is used to make fondue, so that's probably why the taste is mild. The tomato slices were fresh and juicy, overall the sandwich was just nice.

Certosa: Parma Ham, Imported Stracchino Cheese, Rucola on Ciabatta

The next day, I wondered Liang Court again and since I was still in the mood for some cheese, I decided to try the Certosa; parma ham, imported stracchino cheese and Rucola on ciabatta as I was feeling a little hungrier than the previous day. The presentation and service that day was better as there were three people serving and working. The sandwich tasted delicious but the parma ham and the cheese had such strong taste that I couldn't finish the whole sandwich. It was such a shame...

Grapefruit San Pellegrino SGD 2.20

The grapefruit San Pellegrino was nice too. Not sure why, but lately I have been craving grapefruit juice. What I really would like is to find those grapefruit spoon and then have half of a grapefruit each morning. It's a great way to start your day.

Quattro Stagioni Deli

Liang Court Shopping Centre

B1-27/29

177 River Valley Road

Singapore 179030

Cheap good meal @Fu Lin Tou Fu

The small shop with the long queue

Not too far away from my office, there is this crabby looking little place that sells dry yong tau foo with cramped seats inside and on the dodgy little alley on the side of the shop. Unlike the usual yong tau foo in Singapore, this shop fried most of the items (other than veggies of course) and uses this beef and mushroom sauce. They serve it with either rice or white noodles with the beef mushroom sauce as it's base. It's very unique so it is of little wonder why even though the place is crabby and seats are on a dodgy alley, the shop always have an insanely long queue. Just make sure you get there early, or after the rush hour crowd else you have to wait for a long time.

A set of 6 items with rice and extra sauce

A close up of the dish: veggies, chicken wrapped in seaweed, eggplant fish cakes,...

I always have a hard time choosing between noodle or rice, because as much as I love the noodles its so slippery and I hate making a mess and staining my shirt. These days, I opted for the rice. My favorite is of course the eggplant fish cake, so yummy! Actually I don't think there's anything there that is not tasty, but do try the mushroom, eggplant and the yue tiao like fish cakes. I have to admit that after a long abstinent of this yong tau foo, I went yesterday and today for lunch, same order. It's that good. Trust me.

6 items + rice/noodle SGD 4.50
7 items + rice/noodle SGD 5.00
8 items + rice/noodle SGD 5.50

additional items 60 cents/each.

Fu Lin Tou Fu Yuen
19 Amoy St
Singapore 069854
+65 6423 1911

Going Italian @La Strada

La Strada's sign board, can you tell the heavy rain on the background?

My parental unit were in town that Saturday and I had a feeling that we were going to have Italian at some point during the day. Boy, was I right. Unfortunately, our first choice Italian restaurant, Pontini at Grand Copthorne Hotel was closed for lunch on weekends. Lucky for us, a friend of mine took me once to La Strada during which I had an amazing gastronomic experience.

The quickly vanishing bread basket; white bread slightly toasted and warm pizza slices

Quickly we cabbed it to La Strada, the restaurant wasn't packed. We quickly got seated with menus in our hands. Since one of my parental unit ordered the Spaghetti Carbonara, La Strada's specialty, I opted to try their other specialty which was the Crab Meat Pasta. We also ordered the Beef Carpaccio to share. My other parental unit ordered the 3 course lunch for SGD 35++ consisting of mixed green salad with balsamic vinegar dressing and small 7" salami pizza.

The Carpaccio di Manzon (Beef Carpaccio) was to die for. For me anyway since I love the salty and savory taste of it. It's topped with rockets and parmesan cheese and drizzled with truffle oil. Did I die and went to heaven? It was simply amazing. Such simple ingredients but the taste just shoot you up to cloud 9. Let me warn you though that if you were to eat too much of it, the taste might get too strong. So eat in moderation... ;)

Carpaccio di Manzon: red and green, Christmas came early for your taste buds ;)

The Spaghetti Carbonara, the pasta was boiled to perfection. The cream sauce was just right, not too creamy or thick, pieces of bacon floating on top of the pasta with the lightly broiled egg in the middle. All of these done with truffle oil. I'm not a fan of creamy based pasta, but I bow down my head for this one and so did my parental unit ordering the carbonara.

Spaghetti Carbonara in Truffle Oil

My crab meat pasta, Tagliolini Al Granchio, had a nice consistency too. The crab meat was in abundance. If I hadn't had the carbonara, I would have loved it. However that day, I wasn't in the mood for something light. So it was good if you want something light tasting.

Tagliolini Al Granchio

The 7" salami pasta was thin crusted and yummy. I don't know what it was if I was too hungry that day or what, but I was absolutely enamored with the crust. The dough was baked real nice that it was still chewy but you can taste the sweetness of the bread. And the salami was satisfying.

Salami pizza, personal size

Last but not least, the desert. We ordered the baked berry pie with brown sugar ice cream. The pie was a balance of sweet and sour, it was served warm to contrast with the ice cream. I didn't think the ice cream tasted much like brown sugar, but the combo was good. Next time I shall strive to try the apple dessert.

Baked Berry Pie with Brown Sugar Ice Cream

La Strada

1 Scotts Road

#03-10 Shaw Centre

Singapore

+65 6737 2622

Outdoor Egyptian Dining Experience @Haji Lane

Al Tazzas @Haji Lane

Friday was finally here, but somehow this past friday was too much drama for me which is why when I got an sms from L wondering if I were up for some Turkish food action at Haji Lane that night, I said yes. Even though I was sick and feeling like crap. It gave me the the boost I needed to trudge through the last few hours at the office. 

I dashed out of the office building as soon as I was done and head to Bugis to meet L. From there we walked to Haji Lane, a couple of blocks away. I felt like I was transformed, transported away from this little island where sometimes, everywhere just feels the same. Here in Haji Lane, in this tiny stretch of street, the old shop houses give you a sense of uniqueness and that all is welcomed. I was surprised to see new places opened there, I think there were 2 more cafe(s)/bar(s) that I hadn't seen before. 

Eating at the verandah and streetside

L and I walked from one end to the other dodging the tables and chairs that were set up outside on the street, trying to figure out at which restaurant we should eat. We finally decided to have Al Tazzas the Egyptian restaurant. I remembered having ate there before and that I was please with their dips and falafel. 

We ordered the sampler platter which consisted of Baba Ghanoush, Hummus, Tahini, Tzatziki and Salad, which comes with a basket of warm pita bread. My favorite out of these 5 is the Tahini, it was so savoury. At the end of the dinner L commented that the Tahini is the one that is almost gone while the rest are still there. I enjoyed the Baba Ghanoush and Hummus too, but I thought the Tzatziki was a bit too sour or too liquid. The salad was simply cucumber, tomatoes and some herbs dressed in olive oil and lemon, very refreshing in these tropical weather. 

Clockwise from left to right: Tahini, Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Tzatziki and salad in the middle

Bread basket and cutleries

The falafel did not disappoint. They came freshly fried, warm and loaded with Tahini and some red sauce I forgot to ask what. The falafel had just the right consistancy, not too dry or too soggy. It was a piece of saving grace for my Friday. L was so happy with the falafel that she cut it to 6-8 little pieces. I did mine in quarters... Oh, alright the second one I cut in 6. The falafel came with some more pita bread and I wished that they just give us more falafels than pita bread. 

Falavel with tahini and red sauce

Last but not least, what is a visit to any Middle Eastern food joint without some meat? I was so tempted to ordered kofte, minced lamb meatballs with herbs, but I always always always order that. So I decided to order the Shawarma chicken. By the time it came, I thought they forgot this order... but it was good. The chicken was very well spiced and given some tahini and red sauce. My only wish is that they served it earlier before I had gotten so full eating the dips. 

For drinks, we both ordered this Hibiscus Flower drink which I can't remember what it was called. It was kind of like red tea, sweet sour taste, but very refreshing. I love middle eastern food and I just had so much fun soaking in the atmosphere of the outdoor dining experience there. Oh, and the other nice thing that I almost forgot to mention is... price is already including GST, so when the time comes that your bill arrives you don't get shocked of all these extra charges that got accumulated! 

Hibiscus drink

Al Tazzas

Egyptian Restaurant

24 Haji Lane

Singapore 189217

+65 6295 5024

Seafood Galore @Long Beach Dempsey

Long Beach Dempsey's

I can still taste the Scottish bamboo clamp I had that night with my brother, fresh, succulent, meaty. Superb. I have to tell you though, I had the worst day ever before I sat down to enjoy my meal that night. I woke up at 4.30am with a massive headache all over my head, all the way to my jaws, this throbbing that I could feel all the way through my teeth. All these lasted almost 5 hours till I finally took some pain killer. I was so glad that my brother came that day to accompany me to the doctor, I couldn't even walk straight.

My plate with some peanuts and no idea why the towel's wrap is a girl in a swimsuit?

So, after the afternoon visit to the doctor my bro said to me, 'okay, lets grab some real nice fancy dinner and go home and rest'. Then I heard him say, "Long Beach"? That's when I knew that the meal was not a pure brotherly love but also some hidden craving for crabs. Anyway, I was game cause I love the Scottish Bamboo Clamps there. It's quite costly SGD 10/piece, but good heavens it is worth it. So I told him, let's go as long as I get my 2 pieces of Scottish Bamboo Clamps.

Scottish Bamboo Clamps in garlic and soy sauce

We ended up ordering the bamboo clamps, Singapore Chili Crab and Cereal Prawn. It was cholesterol madness, but last time I had my check up which wasn't too long ago, my cholesterol level is good. It'd be ok for this feast. The clamps were huge. The flesh so tender but yet firm and sweet. The simplicity of minced garlic and soy sauce brought out the freshness of the clamps.

The Cereal Prawn came after the bamboo clamps, it was huge, full of meat and sweet. The cereal nicely complimented the prawn. The cereal were crispy, savory and lightly sweet. I really wish I was more famished that day.

Plateful of Cereal Prawns

Notice the size of the prawn...

The Singapore Chili Crab had lots of flesh which was quite easy to pick apart. Since we ordered a female crab, the eggs were just fantastico! The Singaporean chili sauce was done nicely too, not too sweet but savory.

Singapore Chilli Sauce Crab

It was a nice crabby ending to a crappy day... Yeah, I know it's cheesy, but just give me this once...

Long Beach @Dempsey
25 Dempsey Road
Tanglin Village
Singapore
+65 6323 2222

Underground refuge @Viet Cafe

The little underground Viet Cafe has been a favorite lunch spot for me since I discovered around 6 months after I moved to Singapore. I was hardpressed to find a decent Vietnamese restaurant and Viet Cafe is the answer. In actuality, it doesn't serve authentic Vietnamese food, but I like their modification which still preserve the Vietnames-ity of the taste.

I tried both pho and bunh here, but most of the time I order the bunh as I have this bias towards sweet and sour taste. They serve both ala carte and set, this time I chose the set as it included chicken cabbage salad and deep fried battered fish pieces as appetizers. The chicken cabbage salad was fresh and light tasting and the deep fried battered fish pieces were light, fluffy and soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside. I also like soaking the fried fish on my sweet and sour sauce even if it was intended for the bunh.

Chicken cabbage salad and fried fish appetizers

The dry beef noodle (bunh) was served using vermicelli instead of the usual thicker version of vermicelli that I've tasted in other nearby Vietnamese restaurant. I found that the thicker noodle tasteless and flourful. The thinner noodles are much tastier and delightful to chew. The sliced beef was tender with plenty of water cress, beansprouts, and peanuts, drenched with sweet and sour sauce of fish soy sauce base. I usually ask for an extra as I like having the sauce kind of soup-y. Anyway, I like the whole combo as it gives you this fresh and light taste, it makes you come back for more... like it does to me.

Dry Beef Vermicelli Noodle ala carte @SGD 8.50,

set @SGD 15.90 including appetizers and a juice drink

The beef noodle soup (pho) here is quite traditional, it still uses the thin flat noodles with clear beef stock broth, sprinkled with fresh onions and basil leaves. They also have the spicy option which is quite tasty but can be too spicy for me. My advice is, get the chili on the side so that you can moderate the amount you put in the soup. I love having pho on a rainy day or if I ever feel like under the weather. It's just so comforting. Rain or shine though, this is one of my favorite refuge at lunch times.

Beef Noodle Set @SGD 16.90 including appetizers and a juice drink

Viet Cafe
Standard Chartered Building #B1-01
6 Battery Road
Singapore
+65 6220 2186

Mountain Ocean Sun Burger

The Yakiniku Burger Set including small fries and iced milk tea

Mountain Ocean Sun Burger. Sounds like a mouthful doesn't it? Some thought it as premium burgers, others as gourmet burger, whichever way you think to me, its a Japanese style burger and since it originates from Japan I am not even surprised that the concept, taste, quality and even packaging style has a certain Japanese twist on. I wish I could have told you that I came across MOS burger in Japan, but it wasn't so. It was introduced to me by a family friend more than a decade ago. Gosh, that makes me feel so old just saying that. Anyway, at that time the closet MOS burger was in Singapore luckily my always travelling family members were able to bring me some to taste.

Close up of the yakiniku rice burger, notice the rice-based-bun

Tsukune rice burger (minced chicken patty)

It was a revelation to see that instead of buns they used rice shaped into buns and that instead of burger patties, they used sliced beef, yakiniku style. For a long time, I used to always order yakiniku burger, but now I've ventured out of making this my only choice and add teriyaki chicken burger, scallop burger (their latest edition starting March 8 in Singapore), MOS burger, etc.

Close up fries, notice the perfect golden color

Another thing that I really like at MOS burger, well two things actually are the iced milk tea and their fries. Their fries are just nice, not too thin but not too big either, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Someone told me that their favorite thing in MOS burger is the fries and the chili sauce. Go figure. The iced milk tea, is basically iced tea that has been sweetened and you get these little cream cups which you pour inside to transform it into ice milk tea.

Iced tea with milk (before)

Iced Milk Tea (after ;))

N ordered the kakiage burger that day. I have never tried it but I think you can never be disappointed with any of the burgers here. The other day, I tried the scallop burger and I was surprised that I could taste scallops, quite a bit of them, with asparagus! Premium burger eh?! The sauce though tasted very similar to teriyaki sauce and a little to sweet for my taste. I think they should work on the sauce, steer it towards tempura sauce taste than to teriyaki.

Scallops Rice Burger

Kakiage Rice Burger

Anyway, I just have to say that I'm very happy when they opened their Telok Ayer's outlet as it's so close by from my office. Now I don't need to walk all the way to Chevron house to get my fix of Mountain Ocean Sun burger.

MOS Burger

http://www.mosburger.com.sg