Changi T3 on a Saturday night

This Merlion. No matter how strange looking has become a familiar national icon.

A lion head with a mermaid's tale. The romantic interpretation of Singapura.

Now dressed in a coat of green, dotted with brilliant burst of colours from the flowers.

This must take a lot of daily work from the landscapers. Literally to cut it down to size, and

to keep it in shape eh. :)

I would've never imagined the queues at the dining outlets in Changi T3 on a Saturday night but well, I saw it for myself. And no way were we waiting. Well, I would. But with 70 year old senior citizens (who are pretty fit still!), a son with a flight to catch, we eventually settled for a restaurant with almost full capacity but no queues.

Thai Express it would have to be.

They are running these promotions on new items that I haven't yet seen before.

Curry with Thai style pancake *ahem prata that's supposed to be award-winning and

these sets that were pretty value for money.

Dad surprised me with a choice of softshell crab rice with egg and green curry sauce. The softshell crab was fried well with enough crisp batter and not burnt to a crisp. The sauce was good. Green curry mixed with egg made for a thick gravy that went well with rice. This would be on my list of to-order mains next time.

 Mum made an order for a green curry fried rice set that came with a small serving of vermicelli clear soup and a pulut hitam. For $12.90. She was too far away for me to take a peekture of the food. The rice was a little oily but definitely green and yums. :)

I wanted something soupy for my tummy and this looked just like it did in the menu.

Essentially just bean vermicelli mixed in with seafood and vegetables to be cooked in broth.

This would've been fun if it came in an individual hotpot for me to cook my own noodles.

But I suppose there's nothing quite -express- about it.

Spicy. Sweet. They could've been more generous with the serving of soup.

But this was comfort enough.

Before I blew up from the indignance of being patronized. Our orders for a char kway teow for the one person catching a flight was not served up till he eventually left for his flight without dinner. Now this was. not. what I had expected. It would've been manageable had we been informed that the dish would take a while to arrive. But honestly? A lag time between the first dish and the last dish was at least 25 minutes. Tardiness at an express restaurant.

Food for thought.

Aside from that major misdemeanor, the food that was actually served was pretty good. Better than some other outlets I've been to. :)

malay wedding. void deck style.

This. 

Just because I never knew I could look like a bimbo if I tried.

*shivers

Okay. Down to the serious stuff. Blogging is serious. Like seriously. [Disclaimer] This post is written with an insane toothache. Anything out of the ordinary would be due to this stated cause.

Sauce was yums. But the prawns weren't too high on freshness ratings. Just a pair of them.

To have a taste of everything :)

Now this. Sedapppppp-nya!

Sauce was awesome. Spicy hot and sweet all at the same time.

That explosion of flavour coated fried chicken.

A wing and a drumstick for me please! :)

Wet style rendang. This was different from the dry rendang. But in a good way.

The daging lembu was fork tender but still with good bite.

Just two pieces. We've had it with the meats.

Some before/ after mains salad munchers?

This sauce was awesome. Thick. Full of peanuts. Sweet. Hae ko. (Shrimp paste)

I gladly dipped all my rojak ingredients into this. :)

This is the rendition of popcorn chicken. Fish meat of course.

Coated with a flavoured batter. This was a good proportion of batter to fish.

Although it was served barely warm.

Colorful kuih and buah. Fruits and little cake nibbles.

These held little interest for me.

I'd rather eat those almond sugee and sugar flaky pastry at our tables.

Those beat cocktail nuts hands down.

And a serving of chap chye- mixed vegetables of course.

One happy serving! :)

Forget the traditional tiered wedding cakes. Why not dainty rose cupcakes and just that one layer of cake for a symbolic cake cutting ceremony! Almost like an English tea party. :)

And may we not miss out on the belle of the ball herself.

A total transformation into a beautiful blushing bride.

It is a blessed day for her indeed!

And just when I was talking about these eggs I remembered from Malay weddings, look at what

they have evolved into!

A very chi-chi display that convey its intended symbolism in a bunga-telur for fertility's sake.

And a pretty dainty rose tea cup for a wedding favour.

This was a cultural learning journey for me.

Thank you for inviting us to your special day babe.

To many years of wedded bliss ahead! :))

Ntuc BigPlus! Deals

Justa Burger. Not a set. JUSTA Burger.

Usual price $6, with the special QR code? $3.80. :)

This was a larger than normal meat patty, 100% meat and they've managed to retain the juiciness within.
It didn't have a strong flavour of beef which may or may not be a good thing depending on the individual.
A slice of tomato, a lettuce leaf and some chopped onions for that added fresh crunch (I do wish they had options for extra vegetables).
This was a burger vastly different from those served up at your regular fastfood outlets.
I liked it. :)

But this definitely wasn't a proper meal.
Here in Singapore, we've all been spoilt silly by the set meals with added options of sides usually included in the prices.

And never have I felt such a deep sense of loss without fries, potato salad, coleslaw. Maybe even a tiny excuse of a house salad with a few leaves?

And after all that hullabaloo of an emotional rollercoaster ride,

let's just put in an order of medium spicy fries, shall we? :)

This was probably the size of a regular sized side Botak Jones used to serve till they realised that many were leaving those fries behind due to the large serving sizes (oh why oh why!) so to prevent unnecessary food wastage, they adjusted the servings accordingly.

In any case,

the deal has since ended

http://plus.bigdeal.sg/Botak-jones-justa-burger.html/c=maillist&date=2012-02-17&secode=6c5f65abe353bbd6ccc9a0c4a1e514e9

but perhaps, due to popular demand, it might return? :)

A cosy lunch in a quiet coffeeshop on a Saturday afternoon post-swim.

To more weekends like this. :)

Where it's at!

Botak Jones (Non-halal)

Blk 181, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5

S 560181

cooked. sashimi.

I recently bought some sashimi from a certain supermarket that was the total opposite of -fresh- :(

Frowning at the block of sashimi I bought, I sliced it up, hoping that some parts would be edible with the additions of a lot of wasabi but I was horribly disappointed.

This was everything bad and making matters worse, raw.

Well if fresh ain't fresh, COOK it!

You don't want to run the risk of salmonella. How ironically appropriate.

This was simple.

A pot of drained al dente pasta fusilli and the capellini no. 2s that i had a handful leftover of.

Some Campbell's Mushroom Soup and two spoonfuls of Nespray (boosts creaminess and creates that je nais sais quoi taste of a lil sweetness :)) for the sauce.

Now topple in those salmon pieces to cook in the remaining heat, more than sufficient.

A flat teaspoon of salt, a generous dash of oregano and black pepper mixed in.

Top with a slice of cheddar and come back in a bit.

All melted and deliciously cheesy.

Perfect for microwaveable lunch the following day.

But who am I kidding. Eat it fresh off the stove! :) 

Whampoa Market at 92 Whampoa Drive

With a text message like that, i was worried. Was my friend by any chance pregnant?!

(She's single so being preggers would be a disaster.)

Thankfully, it was just a craving.

Where could be a place that would have everything she wanted? Oh but of course, at Whampoa Market. Out of the way, but when a craving strikes, the call must be answered before it manifests itself in different ways. Oh the hazards of humans.

So taking trains, cabs and walks, we individually made our way over to Whampoa Market at 92 Whampoa Drive. Just a side note, typing the name made me wonder how an American would pronounce it (wham-po-ah?) and how ridiculous a word it seems. Almost as if it were a nonsense word.

But anyway, here we go with dinner tonight.

BBQ chicken wings. Hot off the charcoal grills. Juicy. Tender. With a dip into that sour spicy garlic chilli concoction. Immense satisfaction for an appetizer.

Hokkien Mee. I'm hokkien. And I love my MEE! :)

Today's version was a little drier. I probably got the first/last batch off the wok. With the peanut chilli sambal that never seems to be enough.

Oh yum. Hainanese chicken. Skin with that bit of bite. Fragrant chicken oil mixed with light soy sauce. And a non typical chilli dip. I liked this more than I thought I would!

A measly portion of stingray and a miserable excuse for sambal kangkong. They definitely won't be seeing me again.

And because so many people were making orders for cockles. We needed to have a hand in the blood war. Indulgences. In moderation. Keep these away from me for the next half a year please!

All that for dinner. Dinner for just two.

A false alarm of pregnancy.

An enjoyment of local fare at hawker centre prices.

Just before we leave. Another order for a takeout of half a dozen chicken wings please. Two to have on the spot just because it was irresistable, leaving four to go. Mmmyum!

Satay would've completed our meal. Some rojak?

Or maybe some local dessert.

And maybe we need to exercise a little bit of moderation.

A sense of achievement for having kept our KOI drinks, skipping the satay, rojak and dessert.

All that for next time!

That's moderation, innit? :)

watami @ ion

If anything else. Watami has always been notorious for long waits.

Is it just me? Or does anyone out there share the same feelings?

From the previous experience at Junction 8 and our epic hour and a half wait, I've been hard pressed to find a reason to pay them a visit.

But here I find myself, with a 45 mins wait at Ion. Friend's choice.

Not bad.

We've scaled down the wait time by half.

A step in the right direction. I don't even find myself mildly irritated about the wait.

Although my hungry friend was deeply indignant that every other group went in ahead of us because they came in numbers or 2 and 3. We had a party of 5.

I guess eating in groups would require some thought on viable dinner venues to avoid unnecessarily long waits.

For places like antoinette at mandarin gallery. Be prepared to wait- counting in hours.

If numbers are more than 4.

But I digress.

Now this was pretty new to me. Something that eventually boils off to a dish resembling zosui. Bubbling pot of goodness. For a rainy day or if you're nursing a cold. Comfort food.

And in recognition of my latest obsession, I mean interest in Korean dramas, I made an order for a typically korean rice dish. And this was good. Not as big on veggies as I expected and miserly on their already thinly sliced beef but this was big on taste - enough to be flavourful, not yet to make me a thirsty hippo.

There's really something about having your food hot and eating it. Stone pots, I support!

And this was shared. I took a portion of the salmon. Nothing stellar.

And pretty steep prices for their portions.

In any case, this was an overall good experience.

Bibimbap and beef gukbap. For you, I might just return :)

Happy 5th Birthday Nuffnang!

A very happy birthday indeed!

To Nuffnang, Asia's first blogging community.

Without you,

my inbox would not be jam packed full of surprises! :)

 These congratulatory emails are pockets of sunshine in my otherwise perpetual worked-to-death state. :D

And no, it is hardly an exaggeration.

I mean,

LOOK!

A Nuffnang-SMRT Circle Line collaboration that gives me a chance to meet up with Brad of Ladyironchef again.

To be part of a blogger's event coincidentally with my brother who signed up (without telling me) and writes at nigeleats.blogspot.com.

In the blogosphere, we're separate individuals with our unique writing styles, tasting palates and opinions.

Nuffnang feeds me well with burgers of every kind at Swiss Butchery, the outing at the Botanic Gardens station. :)

And even gives me have my shot at winning the cutest Churp Churp mascot with the CCL quiz. :)

It isn't always about food.

LOOK AGAIN!

And what have we here at the White Rabbit at Dempsey Hill?

A ladies event. An Olay 360 rejuvenating pampering event for the ladies. And who better to bring along than my mummy! :) This would probably be my first official Nuffnang event mingling with fellow nuffnangers. I'm but only the glitterati status and not a cent to my nuffnang account. :( It is pretty nerve wrecking being out there to meet fellow nuffnangers, if you havent been active in the circle.



But we were warmly welcomed by the girls of Nuffnang. And enjoyed ourselves with the tapas, craft activities, pampering spa treatments onsite. And would you believe? While sampling the Olay products, we were caught on cosmo's cameras and featured in their advertorial for the December issue. My mother's colleague spotted us in the magazine and went out of her way to look for that issue to grab a copy for us as a keepsake.

So for the next five years, please keep feeding me, pampering me, organizing awesome movie giveaways, overseas NAPBAS and pyjama parties (which I will definitely sign myself up for!). Keep up with the good work thus far with local and overseas blogging community, engaging hearts and minds. That awesome job of fostering ties and of course, bringing blog advertising to greater heights! :)

So of course, I would <3 to be part of this year's 5th birthday bash at none other than, Swissôtel The Stamford- one of Southeast Asia’s tallest hotels. Panoramic views, in a private dining room and a classy dress code. It's definitely going to be a night of good food, company and fun. :D

To many more years of celebrating Nuffnang's birthdays as a proud member!

yam cake

Now this, is what I call perks of the job.

Restaurant standard, canteen prices.

An extra large serving for a loyal fan.

I'm the undisputed kueh princess.

Two servings of kueh a day,

keeps me happy all day!

But I really don't think it keeps the doctor away.

Too much carb and hardly a balanced diet.

This was yam cake packed with dried shrimp and a distinct taro taste.

Well, just once in a while.

And those days you'll see me with nothing but a big smile on my face.

Then you'll know... ;)

grandma's delights

There's nothing. Till date at least.

Nothing better than coming home to a homecooked dinner.

Sutchi fillets braised in gravy with tomato slices.

And the star of tonight?

Chicken stew.

Sweet carrots braised to perfection.

Potatoes soft enough for a metal spoon to sink into with minimal force

and gravy to flavour my sweet potato porridge with.

And there's really nothing better. :)

happycall-ed! :)

Happycall works like a dream machine! This pressure pan lets amateurs whip up dishes that look like they came from the photoshoot of cooking magazines.

Something like this.

And tastes equally awesome. :)

But of course there are limitations with the size of the pan. Dinner for four couldn't just be one average sized spring chicken with roasted vegetables. So use the traditional pan already and fry up some pasta.

Saute some garlic and shallots in olive oil. Throw in sliced sausages, strips of ham and some help from canned carbonara sauce. Add a dash of italian herb and black pepper. Drain the al dente pasta and coat evenly with sauce before dishing it up for the dinner table.

Simple. Hearty. Happycall happy! :)

<3

parting is such sweet sorrow

I heard that my cousin was back in town. And only because my grandaunt had just passed on :( When exactly was the last time I saw her, I cannot recall. I remember a time from long ago, with chubby cheeks and getting pinched and all of us were together at someone's wedding. That seemed sometime... just too long ago. I'm not close to that side of the family. Except for the uncle and cousins that I see year on year during the lunar new year. But with every single passing, family gathers together.

It was a chatter-filled Saturday night, catching up over old photographs and 'long-lost' family. It was almost as if, this were a social event, for a moment at least. Till something in the room, something you see, hear, touch or feel that reminds you that it was a wake. Sadness sets in but doesn't hit/ stay. Find another person in the room to engage and that sadness leaves for a bit during the conversation. Initial feelings of sticking out like a sore thumb disappeared and before we knew it, 3 hours had passed. Making plans for Sunday morning, everyone gradually took their leave.

The cremation is never easy. I cannot watch when the coffin is lifted, the doors open and for a moment there I feel as if i can hear, that roar of fire, see the flames that engulf and burn everything to ashes. Where we return to what we were made from.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
On the last leg of a journey in life, some assistance, a moment of pain and all that's left are photographs of the past.

I apologize for the raw pain and graphic emotions. There comes a point in time where I look at the way I live and I've been so irresponsible with life, I wish it were me taking that last journey. But of course, I have much more to complete, to fulfil as duties before I speak so freely of relieving myself of these worldly cares.

So then there was a lunch. Sharing a meal with family, even amidst the pain of loss, has great significance for me. I don't know if this is a new tradition that's gaining in popularity these days but I think it sort of helps with a proper closure.

Ban Heng at Blk 22, Bendemeer Road.

Fondly remembered.
Betty Oh Choon Seng :)

Love,