Soup Restaurant at Jewel Changi Airport - 三盅两件

 

Their signature dish - Samsui Chicken 三水鸡 ~ $19.90 MUST TRY!!! 

Homemade Tofu - Deep fried crispy skin tofu sitting on soya sause ~ $11.90

Crispy fish skin and peanut as appetizer - $5.00 + $2.50

Claypot Vegetable Soup - $12.90

Singapore Lau Pa Sat

 

This busy street in Downtown Core of Central Singapore is closed off vehicle traffic everyday after office hours and being converted into an outdoor seating area for the street hawker stalls that spilled out from the heritage Lau Pa Sat building.

Customers are spoilt for choices as there are no less than 5 stalls in a row selling the irresistible Malay Satay!

Chicken & beef satay.

Grille Stingray

Singapore Hokkien Mee

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

 Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice at Maxwell Food Centre, Singapore.

The only stall with such a long queue during lunch hour in this section of the hawker centre.

It is worth the wait with this beautifully prepares chicken rice!

Other side dishes that we ordered that day.

There are variety of food available at Maxwell Food Centre, Tanjung Pagar, Singapore.

Singapore Chilli Crab

Whenever I stopped over Singapore, I'll definitely come to this place, Broadway Food Centre at Sembawang. I've stayed in this area for a year back in 2010 and it always means something to me.

Came here again in 2013 and tried their stir fried chilli crab with salted egg. Although it was not as good as before (maybe chef has since changed) but I still enjoyed it as it is hard to find this type in Penang.

People from the neighbourhood always enjoy coming here for meals or just simply ordered beer and watch the local TV dramas. Very unique and friendly place indeed if you want to feel the atmosphere of Singapore's local culture.

Want to meet the locals? Definitely follow the trail to food!

Stir fried chilli crab with salted egg - yum!

Curry fish head - all time favourite, hard to go wrong.

Coffee Club At Raffles Place

These photos were taken quite a while ago and only now that I have the time to share them. It was during one of my transits in Singapore. Sometimes I like the idea of riding the MRT without any predetermined destination just for fun. 

On this particular day I decided to stop at Raffles Place station - the CBD and heartbeat of Singapore. I always have this strange delight to chill out while others are working. It felt particularly good and refreshing when I could just relax while others are working hard. No, I'm not a rich person; I was simply clearing my leave towards the end of the year. 

Anyway, wander around Raffles Place snapping some photos of the skyscrapers here and found this standalone building in the middle of an open place. 

It was on weekday and lunchtime had long passed. Perfect time for me to go in and enjoy the environment all by myself.

A few tables were occupied mainly by working class people talking about business. As for me, I was on holiday and was not stress out to close any deal. Simply sit back and enjoy the view of the surrounding activities through the all glass facade of the building. 

Early Grey Tea

Ordered Earl Grey Tea for a start. Earl Grey always has this refreshing smell that could take away whatever tension you have emotionally. Slowly seeping the tasty tea while waiting for my meal.

This was what I ordered but I can't remember its name now. I will just call it King of Sandwich. Layers of bacon, egg, tomato and salad with the golden brown crispy bread; this was the most delicious sandwich I ever had. After this I realized that sandwich could be very special too!

Simple meal, good tea, great views and relaxing atmosphere in a typical weekday afternoon is the most enjoyable package one could ever ask for.

Avocado Milk @ Tanjung Pagar

It is relatively easy to find Avocado Milk (酪梨牛奶) all over Singapore. However, some tasted too sweet; some too much milk; some not enough avocado; some cost too much and it is quite tough indeed to find the perfect balance.Fortunately I have tried one that to me seems to have just the right balance of all the ingredients. It is not too sweet, the ratio of avocado to milk is just right and comes at an affordable price too.

This stall is located along Enggor Street in Tanjung Pagar within walking distance from the nearest East-West line MRT station. The coffee shop name is called Realty Food House and they have a variety of economical hawker food stalls inside that are very popular among the working class people during lunch break. The drink and dessert stall that sells avocado milk is right in front of this coffee shop and you sure will not miss it.

If you want to make sure that you get a cup of this delicious healthy drink, go there early in the morning or during lunch time as it is usually sold out right after lunch. This clearly tells you the popularity of this drink!

Among the benefits to health of avocado include:

• Stroke Prevention (预防中风)
• Prostate Cancer Prevention (预防前列腺癌)
• Increase Immune Defense against Oral Cancer
• Lowering Cholesterol (降低胆固醇)
• Healthier Heart (健康的心脏)
• Enhance Nutrient Absorption (增强营养吸收)
• Rich in Vitamin E (富含维生素E)

Stir Fried Crab With Salted Egg @ Sembawang

There are many different ways to cook a crab and the most common three are either baked, steamed or stir fried (炒螃蟹). For the stir fried way, there are many varieties as well, you can choose to stir fried the crab with cheese, black pepper, chilly and many other spices depending on where you go. But my all time favorite is to stir fried the crab with salted egg (咸蛋)!

I first came to know this when I stumbled upon a very modest food court in Singapore. I like the smaller scale of this food court as it is not very crowded compare to other food courts located in shopping malls all across Singapore. And this wonderful dish was sold at a crazily affordable price at the Broadway Food Centre, Sembawang, Singapore. It is surrounded by HDB flats and within walking distance from the Sembawang MRT Station and Sun Plaza, this place is easily accessible. If you stay in one of the HDB blocks around the vicinity, you can just take a relax stroll to this place and order two crabs for just S$25! 

The flesh of crab itself already has great taste, but when its natural sweetness combines with the saltiness of salty egg, it is simply magical! This is the wonderful thing about cuisine, it is all about the combination of tastes to take the fabulous dish to the next level so that people simply can't get enough ot it and desire for more! Cooking is much like composing music; when different notes are put together, a new melody is created. Cuisine is indeed an art!

Besides the melting pot of tastes, the end result of a dish is also very much depends upon the way it is cooked. Sometimes inexperienced chef who overcooked the crabs would make the flesh sticks to the shells and taste dryer at the same time. To make someone completely satisfies with his dining experience, first the environment of the place has to be comfortable, the food is well presented, delicious and finally it must not be a hassle while eating it. If you were to spend half of the time struggling to get the flesh out of the shell, do you think you will enjoy it? This does happen to some other places I have been to but not for this stall in Sembawang. Although stir fried, the flesh can still be easily separated from the shell while the juiciness of it was retained at the same time. When you have finish devoured all the flesh within the shell, you will find yourself licking the gravy around every single shell that has it, it was much more 'finger licking good' than KFC. It was that good! 

Toast Box @ Changi Airport

Airports around the world are infamous for their pricy food which are higher than the market rate at all time. An orange juice can cost you $8 when you can just get it for $2 in the city. Most people would refrain from dining at the airport unless it is really necessary.

The good news is now you can find cheap decent food if you happen to visit Singapore's Changi Airport next time! It is called Toast Box and they mainly serve breakfast style meals which is good enough if you just wish to get a quick bite after you have arrived from a long hour flight and do not wish to wait until you get to the city to eat.

The Soft Bun Set - S$4.20

The interior of the place is sort of antique yet modern style kind of design. All the furniture were painted white. There are many Toast Box outlets all across Singapore and there is one at Woodlands where they play nice soothing music which really makes you feel calm in this hectic city. Unfortunately the one at Changi Airport does not have piped in music. Nevertheless, it is still a good place to visit for affordable food at the airport.

 

It is located at the Arrival Hall of Terminal 2, Changi Airport and opens 24 hours.

Contact number: (65) 6214 9580 

HIGH SOCIETY @ Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands; Singapore’s Integrated Resort right at the heart of the city center is a must visit for whoever travel to the island. As its name implies, the entire complex and public spaces are envisioned to be the perfect hangout place for everyone in the family. It has a world class casino, museum, retails, hotel, public park and of course eating outlets which I’m only interested to write about for this blog.

The shopping mall complex at Marina Bay Sands is huge; you can basically do your workout simply by window shopping the entire building! Yes, it is that huge. A building that big definitely has plenty of choices to offer to its patrons in gastronomical terms. There are many restaurants with various cuisines. There is also a food court which most people decided to go to due to its more affordable prices.

However, due to the huge crowd at the food court and the near impossible chance of securing a table for myself, I opted for a restaurant nearby instead. It is called High Society right next to a CD shop outlet. It is a music themed restaurant that serves mainly modern western and Asian fine dining cuisine. 

Entrance of High Society

Restaurant's chic interior.

You will be greeted by an extremely friendly waitress who keeps smiling all the time. I ordered the Summer Set Menu which she repeatedly recommended. There was a list of entre and main course for you to choose from. I ended choosing the Smoked Salmon as entre and Wagyu Beef Rump as my main course. I was then politely told that they have sold out their Wagyu beef and will replace tenderloin steak for me instead. I was initially hesitated as I have never tasted Wagyu beef before and really want to try it. However, I decided to take the risk and accepted their replacement.

First came the soup of the day to get your saliva flowing. The soup did not leave me with any unexpected impression as I only prefer mushroom soup which they were not serving on that day. Then came the Smoked Salmon entre. The thinly sliced salmon taste fantastic and together with the salad on top, this is the perfect dish for entre as your body can absorb all the nutrients of the vegetables. The saltiness of the smoked salmon worked very well with the relatively tasteless but juicy fresh vegetable.

Soup of the day.

Entre - Smoked Salmon

Then the main course arrives which I have initially lowered my expectation as it is not Wagyu beef. The presentation of it is really creative. Instead of the usual solid green peas and cut potato, they served mashed potato and green peas as well. I’ve seen mashed potato but not mashed green peas. And they were spread out in two broad strokes on the plate as the base for the beef. It is a good contrast with the dark brown color of the beef. The two small tomato that sat on top of the beef give the final color accent to the whole plate. So far so good, the presentation was creative and above expectation. I then cut a piece of the beef and inserted into my mouth. I simply could not believe the tenderness of the beef! It was soft, juicy and without the meaty smell. Needless to say, I was glad that I’ve picked this as my main course. After finishing your meal, you get to choose your dessert from the display counter at the front of the restaurant.

Wagyu Beef Rump

Earl Grey Tea

Strawberry Cheese Cake.

Located at B2-43, Canal Level of the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.
Telephone: +65 6688 7522
Business Hours:
Sunday - Thursday: 10am - 11pm
Friday & Saturday: 10am - 1am

Just like Gardens by the Bay, you can get there by exiting at Bayfront Station of the Circle Line MRT.   

VERANDAH @ Gardens by the Bay

The magnificent Super Tree at Gardens by the Bay.

Gardens by the Bay; Singapore's latest tourist attraction has become the newest place to hangout for fellow Singaporeans and tourists alike. It was created to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the natural heritage towards a more sustainable urban environment.

As it is a huge park that occupies part of the famous Marina Bay, there are plenty of resting areas and eating outlets for you to take a break and refresh. The one restaurant that you may try is the VERANDAH. 

How can a visit to the Gardens be complete without having a taste of the salad at the VERANDAH? Try the Prawn Avocado Salad (S$16.00). It comes with variety of vegetables, smoked salmon, prawn and of course avocado as well. And the sauce that comes with it which is the Yuzu (Japanese mint) with Wasabi is simply fantastic! The good thing is you can have free flow of drinking water at this restaurant.

Entrance of VERANDAH

Interior of the restaurant with view of the gardens beyond.

Prawn Avocado Salad

How to get there: Take the Circle Line MRT and exit at Bayfront Station.
Address: 18 Marina Garden Drive #02-04 S(018953)
Tel: 6636 1360

Affordable Japanese Buffet in Singapore

Finding a good place to dine is indeed a challenge in Singapore, not that there is no place at all. On the contrary, there are plenty of choices wherever you go around the island. The only problem is finding a less crowded place with good food.

It is not surprising that with a population of around 5 million, people have to 'reserve' their seating place in food court by placing TISSUE on the seats!

Until one day I found this little place at the middle of nowhere: Sakura International Buffet Restaurant @ Admiralty Park. To get there, you have to take the MRT to Woodlands Station, then take the bus no. 903 from berth no. 4. When you see a huge campus with lots of green on your right, press the bell and alight at the second bus stop. Then walk across the road and you will see the Sakura signboard at the open car park.

The restaurant is located at the bottom of the car park. It is indeed a very clever way of playing with the terrain of the site to tuck it below street level. And yet when you take the stair down and finally arrive at the restaurant's entrance, you don't feel that you are at underground. By having skylights with trees growing all the way up to the car park above and opening up the whole frontage to a lotus pond in front, the interior is very bright and refreshing.

And of course the food..........they have Sashimi, my favourite! Not to mention that the price is very affordable - SGD48.00 for 2 pax.

RATINGS

Food                                           : 4/5

Service                                        : 3/5

Atmosphere                                 : 4/5

Value for money                           : 5/5

Chances of going back for more   : 5/5 

OVERALL                                    : 4.2/5